After just over two weeks of getting up before dawn I have to say I am enjoying the early morning… though it is far from being a habit and it is throwing my night owl habits into quite a spin, not to mention blogging into disarray. This is of course is a good thing, part of being here is to jumpstart all those lifestyle habits that are draining me of energy and late nights is definitely something that needs to go.
I am loving the workouts, I rediscovered the rowing machine this morning, sigh!!! It was brilliant. But still those gym bikes are elusive, I have yet to figure out how people sit on them… maybe folk who haven’t had eight kids. Whatever it is these particular gym bikes were not designed for actually sitting on, let alone sitting on and pedalling. Really just no. No. NO. The agony and no ecstasy. Otherwise, crunches… can we talk about these… I just can’t find my joy in them, my head is saying that I don’t have stomach muscles and the other folk in the gym class (all three of them, there is no escaping) just get on with it… so I say in my head crunch, as the coach counts 1, crunch, as the couch counts 2…. but seriously I don’t thing my nonexistent stomach muscles are doing anything. Then again there are things called planks, and I love them… love… can do those forever, it could possibly be from carrying small children around for a number of years.
There are things I just don’t understand… how can stepping on and off a step be so exhausting… we do such seemingly inconsequential moves for 60 seconds, and then move on to the next inconsequential thing, then round about and do it again. Well there are times in my life when I cannot even believe how long a minute is… anyway I am doing it, I am loving it. And after so few workouts I am already feeling more able… I am feeling fitter, and feistier for sure. Though I am nowhere near doing this on my own. I need someone to tell me what to do, I need to hear just 15s more and I know that if I was doing it on my own I wouldn’t put even half as much effort into it. My head just isn’t nearly ready for the slacker in me to workout as hard as I can on my own.
The one thing that is really hard is that I am so tired at the end of the day, after the early morning start, that I can hardly keep my eyes open, let alone blog once I have put the kids to bed. This is a really good thing, this will force me to make some essential changes. Before I began this programme I didn’t even recognise tired… I would just push through and keep going and do the next job and the next job… not things that my family are unable to do, just stuff I do for them. When they sit down to dinner, I pour the water, I collect things that were forgotten from the table and I often start eating when a couple of folks have finished already. Even though we always eat every meal together, I realise that actually I am not sitting and relaxing and enjoying meals at all, I am dashing about like a mad thing making sure everyone has what they need.
So while the workouts are not affecting my kids at all because I leave in the morning LONG before they wake up and get back just as they are stirring, the programme as a whole is affecting them and not just because we have added a few five minute workouts into our school routine… I have a feeling this eight week programme is going to be life changing for me in more ways than just getting fitter… for the first time ever I am noticing that I can actually say I am too tired and go to bed or if someone needs a bit more water, I can say… I will get it for you when I am finished dinner. There is a whole lot going here that isn’t about gym at all. Good stuff, though not at all what I was expecting and it will mean rearranging folks expectations of me… and that is another whole game changer!!!
And as for challenges, well I found the bathrooms at gym (my challenge from last week!)… and yes I still need to get myself a pair of actual sporty shoes… yes, I am still wearing my comfy croc loafers… there is an issue here – I loath and detest shopping and while I have to shop for my kids I will put off shopping for myself forever. I literally need to be forced out the door to do this, so my personal challenge for this week is to have a photo to post of a pair of new athletic shoes by this time next week.
Posts Over at the Sport Science Institute
- Se7en’s Journey at SSISA Begins With a Goal…
- Se7en Takes You Through the SSISA Healthy Weight Assessment…
- From Workouts to Workshops and Everything In-Between…
Previous Posts in this Series
I would like to thank SSISA for the free training/mentoring I am getting in exchange for an honest blog post. This is not a sponsored post and opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Well, good for you friend! I’m glad to hear that you’re enjoying it despite the challenges. And I love reading about how it’s showing up in other parts of your life. Added benefits! xo
So impressed with your commitment to this and the small sometimes subtle gains that you are making. These small gains and learnings all add up to being life changing. Keep it up! I admire you
Congratulations! You are doing well in spite of the challenges…and still have the energy to write a blog about it!! Wow! Love you xx
Hay Christi, Those added benefits are winners, though I never expected them. I can say the workouts are turning out to be the easiest thing to change and the huge mountain to conquer is going to be getting the sleep I need… but I guess step one has been taken: I admit I need more sleep!!! Anyway, thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!!!
Oh wow Kathleen, Thank you so much for stopping by… I am loving this, even getting up in the morning is wonderful!!! And it does seam like progress is in teeny tiny miniature steps… I’ll take those though, I am hoping that they all add up to a whole lot over time. Have a fabulous weekend!!!
Awe Ina, you are the sweetest!!! Thank you for the encouragement… I have to say after a really hard work out yesterday and a very slow slow walk today, I was a little like “Perhaps I am falling off the pace,” so I will take your encouragement and keep it close to my heart, thank you!!! Have a lovely day!!!
So awesome and inspiring! Still cheering like mad here!!
Huge thank you Corli, Up and at it… what can I say, I need all the encouragement I can get right now!!! Lots of lekker love to you all!!!
So with you re the bikes!! I have been tempted to take a pillow! Enjoy the shoe shopping!
well done!!
I almost love the accidental benefits more than the real ones 🙂
So proud of you for keeping at it. But PLEASE get some shoes. google and see if there’s a shop you can go to to fit you nearby so it’s not such a schlep.