Tag Archives: Exercise

January 101 in 1001 Update

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Welcome to the Ignorant Historian! If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

I’ve now completed the first full month of my 101 in 1001 list. I’m still excited to work on it, and am ahead of schedule, having completed 8 goals, and at 13.23% total. Specifically, here’s what I’ve been working on:

7. Watch 10 movies I’ve wanted to see. 1/10

I saw Tomorrow, When the War Began on Netflix this month. I enjoyed it and felt it was pretty true to the book that I enjoyed so much as a teen.

8. Complete a 1000-piece puzzle. - Completed 1/8/2013

I had about 1/3 of this completed before I started this list, but it still counts!

12. Stay in my pajamas for at least 24 hours. – Completed 1/1/2013

This was an easy and fun thing to do.

13. Wear earrings at least 20 days in a month. – Completed 1/14/2013

This had the desired affect of making me feel not quite fully dressed without jewelry now.

14. Reread (or listen to the audio of) 20 books. 3/20

Listened to Rebecca and The Kiterunner.

16. Say “yes” to 10 things I would have said “no” to. 2/10

I forgot to mention it, but last month I went with my brother and sister-in-law to give blood. my iron was uncharacteristically low so I was not able to give, but I went and would have if I hadn’t been turned down, so I count this!

This month I went to my work’s holiday party that I wasn’t looking forward to. It turns out that I had a good time, so I’m glad that I went!

20. Ask 5 friends to suggest a book, and read them. 2/5

I now have all my suggestions and have finished 2 (reviews coming).

27. Hike 101 miles. 7.1/101

I’m trying to hike at least once a month. I chose a warm, slightly-wet Monday to hike and ended up wearing a poncho for about a mile.

28. Swim 303 miles. 10.96/303

SO glad to be back in the pool. I know that’s a random number, but I’m actually counting laps, not miles. I’ve gotten a bit of a slow start, but I hope to catch up to wear I should be in February.

36. Get to my goal weight. 5%

I’ve lost 5% of what I need to in order to get to my goal. This is one of the hugest goals on my list (pun intended) and will take a lot of self-control.

39. Floss everyday for a month. - Completed 1/16/2013

41. Eat no fast food for a month. – Started 1/15/2013

This has been SO good for me, particularly since it’s been a stressful few weeks at work. If I hadn’t been working on this goal, I would likely have stopped for junk many an evening. I realize that I don’t really need fast food like I think I do. I’ve only had one day that I didn’t have time to go home for dinner, and on that day I got by with a peanut butter and honey sandwich on the way to my meeting.

45. Journal 500 times. 46/500

I’m journaling almost daily and am so glad that I’ve built this habit back into my life.

46. Write an “if anything happens to me” letter. - Completed 1/1/2013

Of course I cried when writing this. Glad to have it in case.

47. Blog 303 times. 25/303

Some of these are future posts, that you will see someday.

48. Read the Bible through in 5 different versions. 339/5945 chapters

49. Memorize 101 verses. 4/101

52. Make a list of 101 things I’m thankful for. 37/101

53. Give up non-sports TV for a month. – Completed 1/30/2013

This has been really good for me as well. I’ve totally reworked my evening routine around swimming, preparing my meals, and reading.

55. Write 101 letters or encouraging emails. 47/101

58. Donate $1001 (above what I give to the church). 180/1001

60. Throw out/recycle/donate 50 other things. 4/50

63. Volunteer 101 hours. 14.5/101

72. Have  $X in savings. 20.69%

74. Pay down student loan to below $X. 4.91%

78. Wear a skirt or dress to work 50 times. 6/50

79. Read 3 business/productivity books. 1/3

Read First, Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham.

82. Read 250 books. 23/250

84. Visit a national news site 101 times. 10/101

85. Visit a local news site 101 times. 4/101

87. Memorize a poem.

I’ve memorized 3 stanzas of “Mortality.”

Made to Move

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As I got back into the pool last week (between hiking, the temporary closing of my favorite pool, and busyness, I’ve let myself get away from this for a couple of months), I once again pondered why I liked swimming so much.

I think the big draw for me is the sensory deprivation. All I see (through fogged-up goggles) is the bottom of the pool, the ceiling, then the bottom of the pool again. All I hear is my own rhythmic splashing and the occasional muffled shout or whistle from someone on the other side of the pool. All I can feel is the soothing, warm water. The task before me requires no thought: I’ve done it hundreds of times before. My mind wonders where it will, allowing me to process my day without any distraction.

But that’s not the only draw. I think exercise has it’s own appeal in and of itself. Professionals might tell you about the endorphin or other physical byproducts of exercise that creates a good sensation when you workout, but I don’t know much about all that. What I do know is that we were created by a loving God to move.

The good God who gives us pleasant sensations when we do the most menial tasks of life (eating, drinking, and going to the bathroom), also gives us pleasant feelings when we do the harder tasks. This was an accident.

We were never designed to sit on our duffs for the majority of our days. Throughout all cultures, sitting for long stretches was reserved for the sick, disabled, and elderly, not for people with able bodies. Sitting was a luxury, anyway, as most people (in history, and even today in the greater world) have to physical exert themselves to meet their own needs and the needs of their families.

I want to making movement more of a part of my life. I always drive to the grocery store, but really, it’s less than a mile away. Most weeks, I don’t buy enough food to be overly encumbered on a mile walk back home. I opt for the drive thru instead of walking in (or better yet, making the food myself). I mindlessly followed the culture around me in these habits, but I want to work on making movement a habit.

Photo by Adam Tinworth

Top 5 Moments of My Trip to Kansas

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5. Walking in the blustery cold with my brother. In a stroke of genius, I decided the easiest way to fight laziness while at my parents’ house was to work on goal #29, to walk 10,000 steps/day for a week. I started on Saturday before my trip, conveniently requiring 10,000 steps out of each day. When Tuesday reached a high of 22 degrees (with 26 MPH wind, making the windchill in the low single digits), my brother braved the cold with me, which was an awesome distraction. We were both glad to have a mug of my mom’s wassail when we got back.

4. Receiving a “pet” as a present. My sister-in-law is a big pet lover and I’m definitely not. She has tried to convince me to get a pretty, but I’ve just not been interested. A cat? I’m allergic. A dog? Too smelly. Any of a number of small rodents? Both smelly and too much work. Finally, we had settled on the idea that a Venus fly trap was as close as I would come. That said, I laughed out loud when I discovered that they got me Venus fly trap seeds and small pots to plant them in. I’ll have to post pictures once I get them to grow.

3. My plane got struck by lightning. Fifteen minutes after we had taken off from Atlanta, I awoke from my catnap to a flash of yellow light and a bang. If the plane hadn’t seemed entirely unphased, I would have thought the engine blew. Our flight attendant let us know that it was lightning, and that in 7 years of flying, it was only the second time he had experienced it.

2. Almost giving blood. I haven’t given blood in 11 years, in part because of my foreign travel, but mostly because I almost passed out the 3 times I did give (not during, but after). When my brother and sister-in-law asked me if I wanted to try again, I said sure. I was all ready to do it until after two prick’s they determined my iron was too low. That was a first for me. Will have to try again another time.

1. My niece crying for *me* to pick her up. Most of our two days together, if I dared to pick up Bean, she would cry for mom. But at one point I was in the right place at the right time. The dogs were barking and she wanted to check out why, but from the comfort of someone’s arms… And I was the most convenient someone. It was good to hold her for a few minutes while she wasn’t fighting to get away.

101 in 1001, part 2

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Yesterday I spelled out the first 24 of my goals. Today I’ll list goals in three more categories: Physical Activity, Health, and Writing.

Physical Activity

25. Go camping.

It’s been a really long time since I’ve camped, but I want to do it again. Goes along well with my recently developed love of hiking.

26. Hike (a part of!) the Appalachian Trail.

See comments in #25. I’m thinking of doing a long weekend of it with a friend, but we have some preparation to do! And we’re totally going in the fall, not the spring. I have no desire to meet a hungry bear (or a full one, really).

27. Hike 101 miles.

Total, not at once. I think I’ll likely hike more than this, but I don’t want to set my goals too ridiculous high in case my interests change (again).

28. Swim 303 miles.

Same here.

29. Walk 10,000 steps/day for a week.

This isn’t a difficult goal, but something I’d have to be conscientious about.

30. Do an open water swim.

This is like a swimmer’s version of a 5 or 10K. I have plans on doing this locally this coming summer. If I like it, I foresee open water swims in more exotic locations in my future. But since I’ve never done it, I’m not sure I’ll like it or not.

31. Stretch every night for a month.

I have a few things on my list to do every day for a month. Really, all these are all habits I’d like to build into my life.

32. Take a walk in the snow.

Given my dislike of the sound that snows makes under my shoes, this is actually stepping out of my comfort zone a bit.

33. Take an exercise class.

I used to water aerobics and liked it. I’m not going to be too picky about what type of exercise class.

34. Bike again.

I rode a bike a couple of years ago, for the first time since I was a teen. Hurt more than I remembered, if you know what I’m talking about. I would like to build biking into my regular life, *perhaps* as a means of transportation.

35. Play tennis.

I like playing tennis, but I’m horrible at it. It’s hard to find people at my skill level (who know the rules, but are otherwise at a beginner’s level).

Health

36. Get to my goal weight.

This is huge (pun intended). I’ve made some good progress on slimming down, but I have a long way to go. Realistically, I still have a year and a half of hard work ahead of me.

37. Stay at my goal weight for 3 months.

Once I get there, I don’t want healthy eating and exercise to be something I let go of.

38. Give up Diet Dr Pepper for month.

I may have been unwilling to give the juice up for my last set of goals, but regardless, I want to give it up at least temporarily. I don’t see myself drinking it like I do now for the rest of my life, but I’ve also not made this a priority in the scheme of things.

39. Floss everyday for a month.

I’ve actually been a pretty good flosser for limited times in my life. But it’s a healthy habit that I need to build back in.

40. Get annual physicals.

Because it’s healthy, yo.

41. Eat no fast food for a month.

I like fast food, but it’s not like I like it better than home-cooked food. It’s just the convenience thing.

42. Be able to walk up two flights of stairs without getting out of breath.

This is probably the least measurable goal on my list. But I know when I’ve reached it. Specifically, the two flights of stairs are the two flights up to my 3rd floor office, so it’s more steps than would be in a home. Right now, it’s ridiculous how out-of-breath I am after those 48 steps.

43. *redacted*

Writing

This category doesn’t really fit with the other two I’ve mentioned today, but I’ve organized them more by how they fit size-wise than anything else.

44. Write a poem.

I don’t write poetry a lot (maybe once a year), but sometimes the inspiration hits me.

45. Journal 500 times.

I have been picking up my journaling. I’d love to blog everyday, but I know that’s not a realistic goal. I do find it a great practice and something that helps me grow and process.

46. Write an “if anything happens to me” letter.

I originally had on my list to write a will, but without dependents (or really much to give away), this is a much more important thing to write.

47. Blog 303 times.

Hey, this one is for you!

Well, now I’ve revealed (about) the first half off my list. Ready to see what else will is on it? Sorry, you have to wait until tomorrow!

A Walk through the Woods

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Wish this was my picture. Haven't taken a camera with me yet. Still, this is one of "my" parks.

Last winter I read Bill Bryson’s memoir of that name which detailed his time on the Appalachian Trail. Though I found it to be interesting, it was interesting in a I’d-never-do-that kind of way.

But this fall I decided to go on my own (much shorter) walk through the woods. And I loved it. While I spend any given walk thinking about how much longer I have to walk, when I’m in nature I’m pleasantly distracted by everything around me. I never thought I’d be the type to love outdoors. My favorite hobby has always been to plop myself down on the couch with a good book.

I don’t know that I’ll ever be the hike-in-the-backwoods type, but my few hikes this fall have me wanting more. I’ve decided to hike at least once a month. I look forward to seeing the seasons change.

There’s a good number of local trails to try. While a few are a bit hilly for my tastes (I’m a Kansas girl at heart), there’s always a chance the hills will grow on me too.

Photo by martij

Wanting More Exercise

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Last week, I averaged over an hour of exercise a day. For a medal-winning (if only!) couch potato, that’s a lot. Up until now, my favorite hobbies were reading, writing, blogging, crocheting…all couch sports.

But I’ve found a funny thing. The more I exercise, the more I want to. I still seek fun things to do, but I find different things fun. When I took Yom Kippur off, instead of reading and reflecting on the couch, I decided to go on a hike in a beautiful state park. When I consider future activities I want to do, I think about wanting to kayak, do an open water swim race, play tennis, and hike the Appalachian trail. Seriously? Even a month ago I would have laughed at that last idea.

While I don’t always get to the pool when I want to, I miss it when I don’t. I won’t lie and say I always want to go, but when I do it anyway, it usually takes me less than 10 laps before I’m enjoying myself.

I still have a long way to go towards a healthy lifestyle, but I’m on my way. I may say this every time, but this time feels different. I’m certainly exercising more than I ever have (even as a kid, I wasn’t prone to being active) and eating better, too. As a friend says, it took me years to get here, so it will take years to get back, but I’m taking the steps (or strokes!) I need to take today to get there. And that’s what I need to do.

My Body is Changing

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I’ve only been swimming for 2 weeks now, but I can feel the body changes already: my toe polish is chipping and my skin is getting the tight post-chlorine-bath feeling.

Okay, so those aren’t the only changes I’ve noticed, though they were the first.

Before I went back to the pool 2 weeks ago (my swims are now down from $180 to $18/swim, thankyouverymuch), I hadn’t been in almost 2 years. While a year ago I did start incorporating exercise back into my life again, it’s been almost exclusively walking.

Walking is great for you, but it only goes so far. I don’t really like walking, except for the pedometer and turning it into a competition with myself (trying to walk more steps than I did before).

Getting into the pool, I used muscles that have laid dormant. I was surprised to be sore after the first swim, as it’s never made me sore before. However, it had just been that long since I had done it.

Given that, it shouldn’t be all too surprising that after only 2 weeks, I’m seeing every-so-slight, no-one-would-notice-but-me definition in my abs and arms. It definitely could just be in mind, but it’s nice to see some change in my body. I’m also have noticed a positive difference in my energy and flexibility: I just feel more perky.

I’m so glad that I made it back in the pool….I just wish I had done it sooner.

Joining the Club

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As a part of the “baby steps,” I’m seeking accountability and encouragement through a Bible study group at church. We’ll be doing a First Place Bible study. As a part of this, I’ll be held accountable for what I eat and how much I exercise. We even will do a weekly weigh-in.

I’d love to think that I don’t need this, but that’d just be out of the pride of my heart. I do need accountability. Right now, I’m loving going to the pool almost everyday, but in a week or two the honeymoon period will be over and I know I’ll want to slip back into old, lazy habits.

Eating is even worse: I have long since made food an idol.

So, yes, I most definitely can’t go this road alone. I’m thankful for good friends who allow me to talk about these things and will ask me about my progress, but I also need the structure of weekly meetings. I’m excited to get started and take yet again, another baby step!

My $180 Swim

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A part of the “baby steps” that I’ve been working on is to get back to the pool. It’s really silly all the things I allow to keep me from the pool: laziness, hairy legs, money, fear of the unknown if they have dared change anything…

No more.

When I was looking on the City of Raleigh’s website at prices of pool passes, I had decided I could go to the pool 3 times a week and pay about $36 per month. Worth it. But then I happened to notice they have annual pool passes for only $180, less than half of what I was willing to pay.

Plus, the annual pool pass has the built-in motivating factor: I’m paying for it, so I might as well use it. I also don’t have to limit my visits, because it doesn’t cost me any more to go more frequently: I’m aiming to go 5 times a week.

So yesterday, I decided to do it. I paid $180 and swam once.

This pass not only gets me into the pools for the next year, it also serves as a great motivation. I always look bigger in pictures than I think I look!

Good thing I plan on going back today (and the day after, and the day after that…).

Back to School

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It’s that time of year…back to school time! It’s always been one of my favorite times of year.

No, I’m not going back to school. I’ve been out for almost 4 years and while I certainly won’t rule out going back, it’s definitely not on the 5-year plan. Still, this time of year, though a bit arbitrary for the non-student, feels like a fresh start.

I want it to be a fresh start.

I need a fresh start.

So that’s what I’m going to do. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve slowly been focusing on eating better and making some other changes. Nothing huge (yet) but baby steps.

But I’m ready to start making a few strides in the right direction.

Here goes.

Photo by José Goulão