Exercise? What is That?

While I was sitting in my chair at work Monday I felt the slow creep of sore muscles start to ache along my back and shoulders. The kind of soreness that presents itself in knotted muscles and stiff necks. Every time I moved I became more conscious of the state of my body, and when I wasn't moving it seemed to be even more painful. Certainly I've felt worse in my life, after particularly tough workouts or long days of dance rehearsals, but Monday shocked me. Monday reminded me how long it's been since I exercised. I mean really exercised not just been active.

Remember how this used to be a fitness blog? I find that hilarious now. It's not that I don't like working out but I found it dull to write about. Reading fitness blogs is fun, actually having to work out and then share those lame work outs with people is another thing entirely. Props to all the great fitness bloggers out there that keep it interesting. Plus when you don't exercise it's painfully obvious because you have nothing to write about.

I go through phases of exercising and not exercising. I know it's not ideal but I'm still trying to get better about it. Winter is especially difficult for me. In the warmer months I can get outside and be active in little ways. I ride my bike to work and I walk places whenever I can, so even if I don't feel like doing a full circuit work out I still get my heart rate up and my muscles moving. However, in the winter months the cold temperatures and snowy conditions aren't as convenient for outside exercise. I'm not about to go risk my life trying to run on the ice.

Over last weekend and into Monday we had a bad snow storm roll through town. Snow fell over an inch per hour at times and it built up fast. For about an hour on Monday I was outside shoveling the driveway and paths around my house. Eventually, I had to stop because I was drenched in sweat and my arms felt like they were going to fall off my body. Okay that might be a slight exaggeration but they didn't feel great. Also I was freezing, if you've never been sweaty when it feels like one degree outside then you might not understand but it does not help the situation. Last winter I shoveled all the time, my arms slowly got used to the heavy snow and my stomach got tighter with the continued motion, but this year hasn't required as much shoveling (yet). When I got done I could already feel my muscles stiffening and in my attempt to get warm I didn't even think about stretching. I've been paying for that mistake all week so far. Yup, still sore. It's pathetic, but I also haven't done any stretching since then so I'm clearly not helping myself.

I know this time of year everyone always claims they're going to get fit and go to the gym more often. I however, am not usually one of those people, or I haven't been for a while. At this moment my only desire is to find a type of exercise that is sustainable throughout the entire year. Classes get expensive but working out from home is such a challenge. There's just not enough motivational factors to keep me exercising on my own. I may have studied behavior in college but when it comes to applying those principles to my own life, well... it's easier said than done.

What kind of exercises do you like best? What are the best sources for workout inspiration or follow along exercises to do at home?

-S

The One Where I Do It For Another Month

Hey Guys!

So last month I wrote a post telling you guys I was going to make my bed every day for the month of April. I'm happy to report that the aforementioned challenge was successfully completely. I even made my bed this morning out of habit, so I think the behavior has stuck.

I need some decorative pillows or something. Those are things I had as a child and completely rejected because I thought they were a hassle. Now I guess I see the point.

At first the practice of making the bed seemed like such a chore, but by the end of the month it became a normal part of my day. The only time I didn't officially make my "bed" was when I slept on the couch while we painted my bedroom. I did however make sure to clean up all the sheets and blankets I was using as a way to continue the exercise.

I like keeping myself on my toes, so for the month of May I've chosen to follow along with a yoga video every day. There's lots of options for yoga practices on Youtube and I'm not planning on following any particular person, but if I find someone I really love I might stick to them. I do already follow Yoga with Adriene and Fightmaster Yoga on Youtube so I'll most likely start there. I also found this list to help widen my search.

(source)

I have been really lagging in the fitness department lately. No running, no yoga, some sporadic at home crunches and jumping jacks but nothing long enough to really get my heart rate up or build muscle tone. I went for a bike ride with my dad two weeks ago and haven't ridden since (although this weekend is really nice and I'm hoping to get out). Hopefully this will help kick start a fitness routine again (along with the use of my new planner).

Since April went by so quickly I had to choose a habit for this month pretty last minute... as in yesterday. I did pick one off of the list I mentioned in the original post, but I think I'd like to be a little bit more prepared next time. I'm not gonna lie, I didn't do yoga yesterday so this month isn't off to a great start, but I'm hoping I can get back on track.

-S