The first three month of this year are done. And in order to keep myself accountable and see how far I have come in my fitness journey I have decided to do a quarterly check-in. The main goal is to take part in an arctic expedition next spring. And while I have started to get back in shape I am no where near were I want and need to be.
How it is going
I am very proud to report that I have established a routine. I will do weight lifting Monday, Wednesday and Friday and Yoga on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I am more or less sticking to that while giving myself a break if I don’t have time in the morning or have a migraine. Because by now I know I will not fall off the wagon if I skip a day. That would have been a different story a year ago. That alone is a major feat for me. Exercise has become part of my life again.
A friend (who walked the Camino last year) and I decided to do monthly hiking trips around Berlin. We started in March with a 15 km hike. The plan was 10 km because I didn’t know how my condition would hold up but I felt good and we kept making a bigger loop and added elevation in too. And I was able to talk for all the 3 hours. Unfortunately the April hike was canceled and May seems to be no weekend available for a meet-up either.
My weight lifting has evolved into more exercises and heavier weights. I am not having a strict plan but without intending to I have realized I do some sort of leg day once a week and then another more for the arms. I always do the back muscles because they have been so weak for years. I can finally see improvement by not having backpains other than sore muscles. I will keep this going for now.
Here are a few quick numbers:
- For Q1 my every daily step is at 7,221 (my goal is 7,000 daily steps) → so far above average but tough walking months are coming my way
- So far I have walked 464,9 km from my set annual goal of at least 1,900 km → putting me at 24,4% percent and I am right on track (but I know my steps decrease in the coming summer month)
- So far I have done 59 yoga sessions (minimum goal is 104 this year) → putting me at 56,7% which is great and gives me some flexibility in moving priorities (read below)
- So far I have done 30 weight lifting sessions (minimum goal is 52 sessions) → putting me at 57,7%
- So far my muscle mass has only increased by 0.3% (my goal is 2%) → not sure how trustworthy my scale is and I am thinking about getting it done professionally and then another check in in 6 month. However, it is improving slightly.
- My cardio fitness is not improving (currently trending backwards) and I am still under the average in my age group. Even when doing active sports, cardio was aways my weakest while strength and flexibility are fine.
What needs to be elevated or changed
Now to the harder part. Yoga and weights are great and without my arctic travel plans I might pat myself on the shoulder, be proud and keep going. However my cardio is shit. I was vividly confronted with that during my self defense class when we did one set of 5 exercises to show us what we can do at home to engage the muscles most important in self defense. The first one was running on the spot for a minutes. Let’s just say at 20 seconds I was dying while Erica the 80+ year old lady easily jumped into the second exercise pushups (which I also didn’t even manage a single one). Very humbling.
So I need to do some cardio. Just hiking while chatting won’t cut it. It was a good way to test the water and work on overall cardio fitness. Just walking and increasing my pace (which I have been on a decline too) won’t cut it either. I need more!
Some thoughts and strategies
March has been a very tough month for me when it comes to exercising. The numbers and trends are mainly carrying me from the previous two month. And I have come to understand that I need a more structured and strategic work-out in order to get to my goal and the fitness level I want to be for the arctic trip.
So far I have done everything on my own at home with my intrinsic motivation. But if I am honest I could probably push myself more. No one is watching and I hate sweating (I am getting better at it) so I don’t.
I am giving myself another 3 three months to see if it is manageable to do it on my own. For that I use personal trainer GPT. (I wanted to create one out there is one that seems to be pretty solid so I am using that one for now.) I will test if the AI can provide me with training schedules and holds me accountable enough to get further aead. First plan I’ve gotten today looks legit yet intimidating. The GPT also provides me with a nutrition plan.
If in the next check-in I realize I am not making the progress I want my plan is to sign up for the local gym. Attending classes and paying too much money may hopefully make me go and use all the things available to me. I would also have trained personal to-do check-ins. I would also be having access to a pool and the sauna.
If by fall that also didn’t have the required results I have another six month I could work with a personal trainer. I have people saying that I should invest in a personal trainer as soon as possible as it is a game changer. I am not yet convinced and it is an investment I am not yet willing to make.
Some things I have planned to take action in
- I have booked a Zumba class at the community college starting end of May that runs until July. I will test this – never done it before. I will definitely sweat and push myself here.
- I will incorporate longer bike rides where I would have previously taken the bus to get around the neighborhood. At least until fall.
- I will swap one yoga session a week for a HITT workout.
- I will warm up for every training by running 1 min on the spot. And when doing weights add in some running sets between the weight sets.
- I will use my skipping rope.
- I will dig out my roller skates – after all it is good for cardio AND it is a similar movement to cross country skiing.
- I want to add a 5 km walk every week.
On an another note I have been thinking about how to boost my immune system. I have a feeling I am catching everything that goes around ever since covid even though I am (editing this while being in bed with a mean cough that has developed in the past couple of hours.) hardly outside and in big groups of people. I have started taking supplements for the immune system. And I am planning on getting the flue shot in fall – which I haven’t done in previous years since I only work from home. I have also tried to incorporate cold showers. Or at least end on the cold when showering. I guess I can do more here that will have a longterm impact. I need to research that. Regular sauna comes to mind.
With all this I am also struggling regarding time management. I do better with getting the exercise out of the way in the morning. However, that results in me rare making it to the desk before 11am. My most focused work hours are almost done by then. Not sure how to find a good flow here.
How is your fitness journey going? What do you do for cardio? What do you prefer cardio, flexibly, strength? Any ideas how to strengthen the immune system?
12 comments
I prefer cardio. Ha! We are opposites. I despise strength training and never see an increase in my strength. I like yoga, but I am a stiff person. It’s really good for my anxiety, though, so yoga is crucial for me to do regularly.
I went to a Zumba class for the first time a few weeks ago and went again last week. It was so much fun! But it did show me that my endurance is not great – by the 35 minute mark, I was struggling!
Oh I am sure I will struggle in the first 5 minutes. It will be hell but I gotta start somewhere. I have a few weeks before the class starts so I need to prep in order to not be the loser in class.
Yoga is really great for mental health. Absolutely agree.
I don’t do much for cardio, that is my weak spot. Like you, I hate sweating. I do yoga (sometimes very quick, but always something) every day, weights 5 days a week, and I walk 6 or 7 days a week. But I don’t walk fast, so I suspect the most cardio I get is when I am doing my weights. I should start listening to music while I walk instead of books/podcasts, because I think the music could get me going faster.
The yoga has helped me so much with back pain and stiffness, and mental health. That has been the real game changer. I’ve started to see a bit of results from the weights, but I don’t have a fancy scale that measures or anything. I can just tell that my arms are a bit more toned.
I think a personal trainer would absolutely be a game changer, but also would likely mean more time and definitely would mean more money. It might be worth it, it might not, so something for you to continue to evaluate I guess.
It’s so cool that you see changes from your weight training. Congrats. I knew about the benefits of yoga. Writing this post i realized my yoga practice in March was shit. Maybe a reason why I feel so run over? I have started listening to music during the weights. For walking I stick to podcasts and audiobooks but I go double speed. Maybe that pushes me? Not sure.
I prefer cardio, but I started lifting heavy weights because of my age. I have been going OK getting back into running and have started my HM plan. I think you have done wonderfully this first quarter. You need to ease into anyway, and you’ve developed a regular exercise habit, so that is a real win. When you were talking about cardio, I was going to suggest skipping, and then I saw you have it on your list. I hope you continue to see gains in your fitness over the next three months.
Thank you Melissa. Any encouragement is very welcome. I loved skipping as a kid and have this robe since I can remember. I’ve been a little hesitant about using it in the apartment but maybe I can take it on my walk and find a spot.
Good luck on your HM training.
I’m very impressed by everything you’re doing! You’re working towards a goal, and building your strength and stamina gradually sounds like a smart way to go. Good for you! I’m cheering for you!
Thank you Michelle. It’s a journey and I need to rebuild my fitness from the ground up after neglecting it for so long. That goal really helps staying motivated.
I would do strength training every day over ANYTHING cardio-related, lol. My cardio fitness is still not ideal even though I’ve been going to HIIT classes for almost a year (at least according to my Apple watch; I can keep up in class at least!). I’ve seen more improvements in my strength, though, specifically in being able to handle heavier weights, which is always exciting!
Haha well that is not very motivating. One year of HITT though is amazing. Glad you are sticking with it even though you don’t see as much improvement as you’d like. But you can keep up. I don’t think I would.
Tobia, I think you’re doing FANTASTIC. You cannot change everything at once, so getting into a strength and yoga routine has been HUGE and now you might be ready to take the next step. I think you can do it without a personal trainer/coach, unless you feel you need the accountability. But I think posting here and checking in regularly is a form of accountability too. The only thing a personal trainer can do is push you to go hard in your workouts. If you feel like you’re doing the workouts but are slacking off, then it might be worthwhile having someone “watch” you while you do the exercises. But I think you have a great plan for the next few months!
As you know, I run and cycle for cardio. I also do HIIT/cardio classes on the Peloton platform (not regularly right now, but they’re pretty fun and get the heartrate up!)
Thank you San, it means a lot coming from you. After I wrote that post I’ve came down with a fever so I have to take it slow. I am in week two using chat got as a personal coach and it’s interesting. I have it tell me what heart rate I should be in for each workout. For now I am still in recovery. I tend to not push myself when on my own since I hate sweating but maybe having a plan telling me where to land will push me enough. Right now walks and biking to run errands are my cardio and since I am still not really fit it’s enough for the time being. I’ll report back end of June.
I very much appreciate your encouragement.