Rajah
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 17, 1999
Since posting seems to bring more motivation (especially when there are positive and encouraging replies ), I think I'll give this journal thing a try.
Some background on me. I'm currently 27, 5' 4.5", and around 135. I'm actually content with my weight (if I lose some, okay, if I don't, okay), but what I'm *not* happy with at *all* is the rest of my health and energy levels. I have almost no stamina (unless I'm on vacation, and then I pay for it for a month after getting home), I have very little energy, surely not as much as most people my age seem to have. I can't walk up two flights of stairs without being out of breath, and I can only partially blame that on my asthma. I want to change that.
I'm going to set a very easily attainable goal to begin with. Right now, I work on the second floor at work. I end up going up and down the stairs on average 5 times a day (that's 5 up/down sets). Most of the time, I'm slightly winded by the time I get to the top of the stairs.
Basic goal is going to be able to get up and down the flight of stairs at a quick pace (rather than the leisurely pace I usually do) and not be winded by the time I get up to the top. (Unless I'm having a day with asthma problems since I can't really help that). I want to be able to do this by this time next month.
More advanced goal involves school. Today is July 25th. Classes start August 25, exactly one month away. I'm taking 2 classes this semester (but they both meet at the same time essentially -- one independant study with the same prof -- so it counts as one). The class is on the 3rd floor of the building. I never take the elevator there unless I'm hurt, but that means I'm always winded for 5-15 minutes after I get to the top (between lugging book bag up the stairs and just climbing them in general). My advanced goal is to be able to make that 3-story climb and not be winded by.... hmm... does Sept 25 (one month after school starts) sound reasonable? Too easy? Too hard?
I'm going to start with a very easy plan. My starting plan is going to be to do one hour of fairly consistant exercise at least twice a week. Whether that's yoga, walking, making more trips downstairs and getting more exercise that way, shopping, riding the exercise bike, or what, I want to try to do one hour twice a week. If I can't get two one-hour shifts in, I will settle for one one-hour shift and two half-hour shifts.
I've never been able to keep that plan longer than 2 weeks before, so even though that sounds like a weak plan, to me it's a biggie.
Any comments?
To start off on the daily journal portion: I went to a yoga class for the first time last night. I've been curious about yoga for almost two years, but never have gotten up the nerve to try it. Too self-conscious about it. Finally last night I found a place that offers yoga classes at a time when I can get there right after work (for the remainder of the summer anyway) as long as I eat lunch in the office. I had a very good time and felt *wonderful* (I actually felt drugged or something I was so relaxed! Couldn't believe it) after the workout. I was more relaxed last night -- a state that lasted for 5 hours -- than my DH says he's ever seen me. I really needed to reach that state right now, so that's a good thing.
Tonight, I wish I could go back, but I don't get off work until about the time class starts, can't really slip out of work early again today (in fact I'm having to make up the time I slipped out yesterday), and I really need to get a better workout outfit and a workout mat anyway. So I think tonight I'm going to first hit Blockbuster and see if they have any Tai Chi videos and/or Yoga videos. (Checked the library's online catalog. They don't have any good ones available, all are checked out). I have 2 Blockbusters very close here and a third one on the way home so *one* of those should have it! Then I'm going to go shopping for a mat and a couple of workout outfits. Then, when I get home, unless I was actively walking while shopping for over an hour, I'm planning to pop in the Tai Chi video (I'm really curious, want to try that, too) and try a few of the basic moves. At very least, I need to do some more in-depth stretching exercises when I get home because I'm stiffening up after yesterday's class. Not as sore as I expected to be and I was still fairly loose this morning, I'm just getting stiff now.
Okay, enough rambling now.
Some background on me. I'm currently 27, 5' 4.5", and around 135. I'm actually content with my weight (if I lose some, okay, if I don't, okay), but what I'm *not* happy with at *all* is the rest of my health and energy levels. I have almost no stamina (unless I'm on vacation, and then I pay for it for a month after getting home), I have very little energy, surely not as much as most people my age seem to have. I can't walk up two flights of stairs without being out of breath, and I can only partially blame that on my asthma. I want to change that.
I'm going to set a very easily attainable goal to begin with. Right now, I work on the second floor at work. I end up going up and down the stairs on average 5 times a day (that's 5 up/down sets). Most of the time, I'm slightly winded by the time I get to the top of the stairs.
Basic goal is going to be able to get up and down the flight of stairs at a quick pace (rather than the leisurely pace I usually do) and not be winded by the time I get up to the top. (Unless I'm having a day with asthma problems since I can't really help that). I want to be able to do this by this time next month.
More advanced goal involves school. Today is July 25th. Classes start August 25, exactly one month away. I'm taking 2 classes this semester (but they both meet at the same time essentially -- one independant study with the same prof -- so it counts as one). The class is on the 3rd floor of the building. I never take the elevator there unless I'm hurt, but that means I'm always winded for 5-15 minutes after I get to the top (between lugging book bag up the stairs and just climbing them in general). My advanced goal is to be able to make that 3-story climb and not be winded by.... hmm... does Sept 25 (one month after school starts) sound reasonable? Too easy? Too hard?
I'm going to start with a very easy plan. My starting plan is going to be to do one hour of fairly consistant exercise at least twice a week. Whether that's yoga, walking, making more trips downstairs and getting more exercise that way, shopping, riding the exercise bike, or what, I want to try to do one hour twice a week. If I can't get two one-hour shifts in, I will settle for one one-hour shift and two half-hour shifts.
I've never been able to keep that plan longer than 2 weeks before, so even though that sounds like a weak plan, to me it's a biggie.
Any comments?
To start off on the daily journal portion: I went to a yoga class for the first time last night. I've been curious about yoga for almost two years, but never have gotten up the nerve to try it. Too self-conscious about it. Finally last night I found a place that offers yoga classes at a time when I can get there right after work (for the remainder of the summer anyway) as long as I eat lunch in the office. I had a very good time and felt *wonderful* (I actually felt drugged or something I was so relaxed! Couldn't believe it) after the workout. I was more relaxed last night -- a state that lasted for 5 hours -- than my DH says he's ever seen me. I really needed to reach that state right now, so that's a good thing.
Tonight, I wish I could go back, but I don't get off work until about the time class starts, can't really slip out of work early again today (in fact I'm having to make up the time I slipped out yesterday), and I really need to get a better workout outfit and a workout mat anyway. So I think tonight I'm going to first hit Blockbuster and see if they have any Tai Chi videos and/or Yoga videos. (Checked the library's online catalog. They don't have any good ones available, all are checked out). I have 2 Blockbusters very close here and a third one on the way home so *one* of those should have it! Then I'm going to go shopping for a mat and a couple of workout outfits. Then, when I get home, unless I was actively walking while shopping for over an hour, I'm planning to pop in the Tai Chi video (I'm really curious, want to try that, too) and try a few of the basic moves. At very least, I need to do some more in-depth stretching exercises when I get home because I'm stiffening up after yesterday's class. Not as sore as I expected to be and I was still fairly loose this morning, I'm just getting stiff now.
Okay, enough rambling now.