I’m counting…

(Many of us at the FIFI blog participate in the “222 in 2022” type workout challenges. At the beginning of the year, newbies tend to agonize about “what counts.” My answer is always “it counts if it felt like movement to you.” I looked back through some of the things people in my groups wrote about “what counts,” and made a “found poem” out of people’s comments — which illustrates the beautiful singularity we have trying to move through our days. (The poem is first; after that, I’m sharing the more detailed comments, with the words I turned into the poem in bold).

I’m counting

I don’t think all my dog walks are going to count, but I am tired from climbing yesterday, and this felt like a good amount of intentional movement and therefore spiritually right to count as a workout.

I count sessions, not days. 331 in 2021.

Trying to be kinder to myself this year, I’m going to count either individual, intentional workouts of ten or more minutes; *or* an active day like today where I was on my feet, walking around, and closed my Apple Watch rings.

I count days doing something instead of individual activities because I’ve always just been congratulating myself for getting off the couch/putting down the phone and doing something!

I am increasing my walk-counts-as-workout time in 2022 from 30 minutes to 45, in part to make this more of a challenge again, now that my activity habit has been established.

Short walk from the dentist. Counting cause it was cold and I was tired.

Walking to and from swim practice. It was only about 35 minutes total but I am counting it because I normally take the car so I can do groceries on the way home, plus it was cold and my hair was wet on the way back. Also, my swim bag is heavy!

Snowy walk to work (I usually drive. Will count walk home as part of #8–9K round trip)

Shovelling snow for 10 mins. I wasn’t going to count this since it was under 20 mins but I was sweating a lot afterwards so the bar for a cardiovascular challenge is low right now.

#slwfmsmh. It feels wrong to count it in one way because it was shorter than my self-imposed threshold for activity. On the other hand, yesterday was a very long work day where I barely left my chair for 16 hours (aside for a 45 minute break for some pruning in the garden) and my first meeting started just 8 hours later.

Having Covid and an injury, I cannot be following my training schedule, but a couple of days I’ve done the fatgirlrunning 5 “get ups”. I don’t count them as a workout. (And of course with Covid I shouldn’t be working out).

Don’t laugh, but I’m totally counting my toddler’s soccer class. I spent 30 minutes hopping across a gym like a bunny, stomping like a dinosaur, running like a cheetah, then chasing endless balls as they were kicked in random directions.

YWA 21 and 22. I wasn’t going to count YWA 21 because it was only 12 mins long, but the core work was intense and I was sweating! So it counts.

YWA Move Day 19 (did 18 yesterday but it wasn’t something I felt like counting but I showed up!)

Normally, I wouldn’t count this as a workout. But today was a hard day in this province, and I’m proud of myself for managing a few squats before bed when what I really wanted to do was curl up in a blanket and stare at the wall.

Do my tai chi classes count? Honestly they feel too easy to count.

Does anyone here count sex as exercise?

Somehow the high-activity days must cosmically balance out the lower ones?

An hour or so shovelling the driveway. Was a pretty light job, but it’s the closest thing I’ve had to exercise since coming down with covid so I’m counting it.

Some intensive gardening today. Lugging bags of mulch and digging holes for new trees. A lot of weeding which should count as squats and lunges.

A whole heck of a lot of work at the cottage. I’m sore everywhere so definitely counting.

Enough yard work that my Fitbit tracked it and since I’m in a slump I’m counting it

Each day also had more planting but less physical so I’m not counting as a separate activity.

A full day of house reorganizing and tidying yesterday. Don’t normally count this stuff but a full day, I’m counting it. 27 flights of steps says my watch.

We also did a Himalayan sound bowl meditation this evening, but sat still the whole time, so not counting it.

Fieldpoppy is Cate Creede, who has lost her meticulous counting from the past five years because of a tech snafu with f-book.