Month: December 2022

fitness · holiday fitness · holidays · self care

Making Space 2022: Day 15

Christine Hennebury

This is another of those weird posts where we consider the idea of ADDING something to your day to create more space.

Martha’s 2020 post for December 15 was about doodling and I am HERE for it. I love drawing patterns and shapes in my notebooks and I often create doodle art. I find it relaxing and fun, and when I doodle during meetings, seminars, and events, it helps me concentrate.

Doodling and other creative practices are excellent ways to make some space for yourself in your day.

Sure, on the one hand, it feels like ONE MORE THING but when you consider how relaxing and restorative creativity can be , adding something extra actually means taking away some stress and frustration.

You don’t need to add a huge create practice to every day, you can just add a little doodle time, a little writing time, a little singing time, a little knitting time, or whatever practice feels easy and accessible for you.

Remember, the goal here is for you to make space for yourself in your day so whether you do that with these videos, with a creative practice, or in any other way that serves you well. I wish you ease.

(The chatty part of today’s post is below.)

This workout from the City of Coquitlam YouTube channel is entitled “Five-Minute Seated Cardio and Core Workout with Raquel” and the still image has a teal background with a photo of the instructor’s smiling face in the upper right corner, the title of the video in the centre and text reading ‘Coquitlam Spirit’ and a heart at the top of the image.

This is a different sort of meditation – a visual one. The point here is to watch the brush strokes and the colours while listening to the gentle music and letting yourself just relax into the images. If you aren’t able to see the video, or if visual meditation isn’t your thing, I’ll include an additional meditation below.

A visual meditation video from the Creativebug Studios YouTube channel entitled “5 minute relaxing meditation for creativity: Episode 2” The still image shows swirls and splatters of watercolor paint against a white background.
A”5 minute guided creativity meditation” from the Karen Sepluveda – Guided Meditations YouTube Channel. The still image. Shows. But looks like outer space. Mostly purple but with some blue at the edges with bright lights (stars?) scattered throughout.

The Chatty Part

Creativity is not just beneficial for its mindful aspects. Creativity also helps you to be a more effective problem solver, to approach challenges from a new perspective, and it gives you a touchstone of enjoyment in your life – something you can return to to feel joyful and more grounded.

Whether you are naturally creatively-inclined or if it hasn’t really occurred to you to seek a creative outlet before, creativity takes practice – especially if you want it to be part of your day-to-day life. You may have to remind yourself to doodle or to try new dance moves.

The fact that your mind is not constantly bubbling over with new ideas or new ways to express yourself doesn’t mean that you aren’t creative, it just means that you aren’t in the habit of being creative at the moment.

You can form that habit the same way you form any habit – by consciously choosing to return to it on a regular basis, by giving yourself time to figure it out, and by starting over whenever you get out of practice.

If you’d like to seek out the fun and relaxation benefits of creativity, here are some resources:

Last year, for World Creativity and Innovation Day in April, I did a post about exercise and creativity that includes links to useful articles and a few workouts for creative people.

And if you’d like to try some small creative exercises, feel free to download and print this creative prompt zine I made (it’s stored on my Google drive so it should be easy to access.) Each prompt will take just a few minutes and you might just find it fun. (If you need zine folding instructions, here are some good ones. )

If you want to use creativity to loosen up your brain so you can focus at work, these creativity exercises might help.

My first forays into drawing as an adult were with meditative pattern drawing like the ones in this Craftwhack post. I especially liked that, if you make a mistake, you cover it up rather than erasing it.

If you want to get creative but none of these ideas are sparking your interest, google ‘creative prompts’, ‘easy creative exercises’, or ‘drawing prompts’ and I am sure you will find something that works for you.

Whether you choose to get creative today, or you choose to stick with the tried-and-true but with a little extra peace of mind or if you try out the videos that I’ve shared, I wish you a restful rest-of-day.

Please be kind to yourself out there.

About Making Space 2022

About Making Space 2022

In December 2020, Fit is a Feminist Issue blogger Martha created a tradition – a series of reminder posts to take good care of ourselves during this last month of the year when it is far too easy to get swept up in your to do list, no matter what you are celebrating or not celebrating. Last year, it was my turn and after an introductory Go Team post called Give Yourself Some Space, I created a series of reminders called ‘Making Space‘ that offered a suggested short exercise video and a suggested meditation in case you needed an easy way to find space for yourself in your schedule.

For 2022, I’ll be doing the same thing but I’ll also be including a link to Martha’s post from the same date in 2020 and I’ll offer a few extra ideas for relaxation, creativity, and self-kindness here and there.

These posts are not about insisting that you do more, more, more during this busy season. Instead, I want to encourage you to remember that there IS a *YOU* who is doing all of the things and you are worth taking good care of.

Perhaps the things I suggest aren’t what you need in the moment. That’s totally ok. Perhaps you can use something else to create some space, something that will help you feel more relaxed or more in charge of your day.

fitness

Nicole didn’t have a good run and is “OK” with it

Nicole P,4 Comments

I went for a run this morning and “just didn’t feel like it.”

I opened the door around 7 am and it was still dark and the wind was howling. The temperature wasn’t that bad but the wind was unwelcoming. I continued down a few steps and set my watch to “Run” and started slowly. I was cautious because I wasn’t sure if there was still black ice on the sidewalk and felt it was best to approach with care.

I figured that I would gain momentum. 9 times out of 10 I do. This time I didn’t. My body felt unmotivated. I had energy but the rhythmic bopping of the jog, which usually feels great, felt clunky.

I stopped and turned off “Run”. I walked a bit. I jogged a bit. I shortened the planned distance in my head. I jogged/walked about 3 kilometres, in the end.

When I got to my favourite coffee shop the baristas had my Americano misto ready in my Muuse reusable cup and asked me how my run went. “Meh.” “It was OK.” I explained why it wasn’t great and why this is not typical for me. I realized as I was talking that I didn’t need to explain. It wasn’t a big deal. But, I don’t like not finishing a run. I missed the usual runner’s high on completion.

I continued with my day. Haphazardly working on an assignment I’ve been procrastinating about. Also, thinking about a job interview I’m not really interested in. Doing the back and forth between “it’s worth it, even for the experience” and “I really don’t think I want that type of job anymore” and “I need a job. I can’t let this ‘break’ go on too much longer..”

I finished one small part of the assignment and felt it was a good enough reason to go take a break. I took a bath. I ruminated some more and then decided to do a Yoga with Adrienne video that was meant to be a morning “wake-up”. I thought it might reset my day. But, about 10 minutes into the video I decided I really wasn’t into that either and turned it off.

I am always telling myself and others that it’s OK not to do everything perfectly all of the time. It’s OK to have a lackluster workout. It’s OK to feel blah and just sit in it.

I’m writing this to put this out there, so that perhaps, I believe it more than I think I do. It’s OK. I’ll have another great workout before I know it. This blah feeling will pass. I’ll figure out my job situation.

Just be, Nicole. Just be. Oh, and just go finish that assignment.

Nicole P. usually loves a good run, but not today.

The Upside of Body Aches
aging · fitness · health

The Upside of Body Aches

elan.paulson2 Comments

This post shares about general, non-specific body aches. My reflections are based on my personal experience. As everyone has different bodies and experiences, I welcome you to share your thoughts in the comments.

lego person in pieces
Image by Jackson Simmer CC-By2 .0

Body aches have become a common fact of my mid-life. My low-level, everyday aches are unique to my body and its history; yet, my friends and I seem to share an increased frequency of body aches as we age.

Body aches are mysterious to me because they can be (to use a word I am making up) contramonious. In other words, opposing causes can result in similar aches. Some examples:

  • I can ache from exercising too intensely or too often, or from not enough or not frequently enough.
  • I ache when am dehydrated, or when I feel I am retaining water.
  • Aches can come from new injuries, but also from old healed injuries.

Aches in the body can also present in contrasting ways:

  • Aches can be dull and generalized, or sharp and localized.
  • Aches can come from one’s body attacking its own healthy cells, as in an autoimmune disorder.
  • Aches can be uncomfortable but indicate nothing serious, or they can be symptoms of a condition that requires immediate medical attention.

Aches can be a mystery when their causes are not clear. My body has been been aching this week, and I can’t exactly pinpoint why. Maybe it’s because I sat all week at my desk. Or it’s because I went rollerskating in the mall on the weekend. It could be from recent my flu vaccine, or because I am getting sick and I haven’t hydrated enough. Perhaps there is a specific medical reason, or perhaps I am just tired and burnt out in general.

Body aches are literally a pain, but the small upside of mine is that they are a general warning light for me: inflammation is happening in my body, and things could get worse if I don’t take action. Aches force me stop and self-assess—how severely am I aching, what impact are these aches having on me, and what can I do to alleviate them?

I’m also happy that, though my aches may have many different possible causes, the treatment is fairly simple and standard:

  • Fluids
  • Rest/sleep
  • Anti-inflammatories
  • Warm bath (or my heating pad!)
  • Light, safe movement

As I age, my low-level body aches are little mystery novels that remind me to do more simple self-care, no matter “what-dunit.”

What is your experience with everyday, low-level body aches? Is there an upside to your aching?

cycling · fitness · Zwift

Zwifting again! Zoom, zoom…

Sam B
Zwift collage

I’m Zwifting again and it feels good.

I mean, I’ve been riding my bike on the trainer while watching Netflix. And then I graduated to just noodling around the virtual worlds not really paying much attention to speed or distance. I just aimed for 15 or 20 minutes on the bike.

Then I made some changes that make it feel like I’m actually back in the game. I lowered my seat to its usual height. I reset my FTP to something reasonable. I changed my weekly distance goal from 150 to 50 km. I might even make it this week!

Weekly distance goal 23.8/50 km

And then this week I started riding with the virtual pace partners that Zwift offers. I’m hanging at the back with the slowest one to start but it’s nice to have a group I can keep up with.

Tonight I added a new thing, a Zwift workout. Yes, it was short and yes I’ve lowered my FTP, but it was still fun doing intervals again. Zoom for 20 seconds, recover for 40. Zoom for 30 and recover for 30. Zoom 40, recover 10. And then back the other direction.

I’m still hoping to get out on a real bike sometime soon but given that we’re currently under a freezing rain advisory that won’t be this weekend.

Guelph’s weather forecast
holiday fitness · holidays · self care

Making Space 2022: Day 14

Christine Hennebury

Today, I am trying hard to walk my talk and not get caught up in the difference between what I meant to do and what I can do right now.

I had already decided, based on Martha’s 2020 advice ‘Get dressed’ that today’s post was going to be about sticking to the basics and this post is going to be an example of that.

It’s great to have fun and elaborate plans for the things we want to do. Sometimes we can pull the thing off just as we had envisioned. Sometimes we have to modify our vision a little.

And sometimes, like today, we have to look at the time and resources we have and pare down our plan to the most basic key elements, do those, and decide that it is enough.

My goals with these Making Space 2022 posts are 1) to help you acknowledge the work you are already doing 2) to “give you permission” to make space for yourself on your to do list during this busy time 3) to remind you of Martha’s excellent 2020 posts and, finally, 4) to give you easy access to a short exercise video and a short meditation that you can try if you feel inclined.

I generally like to do that in a more expansive way but, today, I am sticking with the most basic version of that:

  1. I see your hard work and I hope you do, too. Here’s a little gold star to remind you that your efforts count – ⭐ – I wish you ease as you make your way along.
  2. I hope you can find a satisfying way to make space for yourself in your day
  3. Martha’s post for Dec 14 , 2020 was about how something like getting dressed can make a huge difference for your brain. Please click on over to read it.
  4. Here are your videos for today, I hope they help:
This video from the SingHealth You Tube channel (National Heart Centre Singapore) is entitled ‘Home Aerobic Exercise Routine (Standing) and the still image features the video title, and the SingHealth name and logo in blue/black text in the centre of the screen against a white background. the bottom of the screen has a colour gradient line that goes from green to blue to pink to red to orange.
This video from the Green Mountain at Fox Run YouTube channel is entitled ‘Simple 5-Minute Guided Meditation for Beginners.’ and the still image shows the title and the URL for fitwoman.com in white text against a background of rocks in a shallow pond, some of which are lit by the sun.

About Making Space 2022

About Making Space 2022

In December 2020, Fit is a Feminist Issue blogger Martha created a tradition – a series of reminder posts to take good care of ourselves during this last month of the year when it is far too easy to get swept up in your to do list, no matter what you are celebrating or not celebrating. Last year, it was my turn and after an introductory Go Team post called Give Yourself Some Space, I created a series of reminders called ‘Making Space‘ that offered a suggested short exercise video and a suggested meditation in case you needed an easy way to find space for yourself in your schedule.

For 2022, I’ll be doing the same thing but I’ll also be including a link to Martha’s post from the same date in 2020 and I’ll offer a few extra ideas for relaxation, creativity, and self-kindness here and there.

These posts are not about insisting that you do more, more, more during this busy season. Instead, I want to encourage you to remember that there IS a *YOU* who is doing all of the things and you are worth taking good care of.

Perhaps the things I suggest aren’t what you need in the moment. That’s totally ok. Perhaps you can use something else to create some space, something that will help you feel more relaxed or more in charge of your day.

fitness

T’is the Season for Reindeer Games

Diane Harper

Ir more accurately, penguin or polar bear or some other watery animal associated with Christmas.

Sequinned narwhal tree ornament wearing a sparkly Santa hat

My swim club is now on the holiday break, so our last few practices were devoted to coach’s choice drills and games. That’s when the coach dreams up the silliest things to help us improve our swimming, but also have fun. Some of the new ones for me this year were swimming backstroke with a glass of water on my forehead, relay races where we had to tow another swimmer hanging onto our feet, and the zombie drill. Don’t you believe the people who claim zombies can’t swim. Check out this clip from the Gainesville Gaviatas Synchronized/Artistic Swimming team doing the zombie drill.

I have never been a sprinter, so races aren’t usually my idea of fun. Being firmly into my seventh decade, I like to think I am too mature for silly stuff. And yet, somehow, these relay races and crazy drills get me laughing every year. We should all have this much fun at our activity of choice.

See you in the new year, pool!

Indoor swimming pool with lane markers. Two people are swimming while a lifeguard looks on.

Diane Harper lives and swims in Ottawa.

ADHD · holiday fitness · holidays · meditation · self care

Making Space 2022: Day 13

Christine Hennebury

Today, the chatty part is relatively short so I am keeping it above the videos.

I’m chilly and feeling a bit off-kilter today so I absolutely LOVED Martha’s 2020 advice to Have a cuddle – i.e. to seek comfort and to find ways soothe yourself when you are feeling frazzled.

I know some people who have a little basket of soothing things that they keep handy for when they feel overwhelmed. Those baskets include things like warm socks, soft blankets, fidget toys, candy, one-player tabletop games, jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, candles (scented or non-scented), hand lotion/lip gloss, images they like, stuffed toys, a journal and pen, a favourite book…you get the idea.

You don’t need to create a giant basket of stuff, all you need is a few go-to items or techniques to help you to feel a bit more grounded, a little bit more connected to the here-and-now. And you don’t need to set aside a lot of time either – just a few minutes of low-key self-soothing can help you feel a lot better.

For example, as I discovered earlier this year, I can find calm and peace of mind by listening to cello music and I can improve my focus for work by listening to music designed to help people with ADHD.

Whether you seek a cuddle, make a collection of soothing things, listen to music, or try some more structured ways to calm yourself like these ideas for grounding or the 5-4-3-2-1 coping technique for anxiety, I hope you can help yourself to feel at ease and at home in your body today. 💚⭐

Sidenote: It might be a good idea to also practice these techniques when you aren’t in distress so you can more easily use them when you feel off-kilter. Keeping a list of things (on your phone or in a notebook) to try when you feel a bit off might also be helpful. You don’t want to have to think of these things in the moment!

Anyway, with the chatty part out of the way, here are the videos for today.

I really enjoyed these drills for improved cognition today. I don’t know if my cognition improved but I sure laughed at how tricky I found it to keep track of the arm movements when moving my feet forward in a heel dig.

A video from the Silver Sneakers YouTube channel entitled Quick Drills for Improved Cognition. The left side of the still image shows the video title against a blue background and the right side of the image shows the instructor standing on a carpeted floor. They are wearing black shorts, a blue tank top, and blue and orange sneakers. Their hair is pulled back in a ponytail and they are smiling while they demonstrate crossing their arms in front of their chest (their forearms look almost like equal signs here.)

And I really liked how there were physical practices included in this meditation and that she suggests that those actions can be used at other times to generate the same effect.

A 7 Minute Guided Meditation for Anxiety from the Create and Crochet YouTube channel. The left side of the still image shows a green field with flowers lit by the sun and the right side shows text reading ‘7 Minute Guided Meditation for Anxiety’ in green text on a green background.

About Making Space 2022

About Making Space 2022

In December 2020, Fit is a Feminist Issue blogger Martha created a tradition – a series of reminder posts to take good care of ourselves during this last month of the year when it is far too easy to get swept up in your to do list, no matter what you are celebrating or not celebrating. Last year, it was my turn and after an introductory Go Team post called Give Yourself Some Space, I created a series of reminders called ‘Making Space‘ that offered a suggested short exercise video and a suggested meditation in case you needed an easy way to find space for yourself in your schedule.

For 2022, I’ll be doing the same thing but I’ll also be including a link to Martha’s post from the same date in 2020 and I’ll offer a few extra ideas for relaxation, creativity, and self-kindness here and there.

These posts are not about insisting that you do more, more, more during this busy season. Instead, I want to encourage you to remember that there IS a *YOU* who is doing all of the things and you are worth taking good care of.

Perhaps the things I suggest aren’t what you need in the moment. That’s totally ok. Perhaps you can use something else to create some space, something that will help you feel more relaxed or more in charge of your day.

ADHD · challenge · habits · holiday fitness · motivation

Christine’s ‘Core’ Idea For The Next Three Weeks

Christine Hennebury

I’ve been writing daily ‘Making Space 2022‘ posts since December started so I’ve been trying out bits and pieces of all kinds of exercise videos.

(Given that I am still at post-Covid fatigue levels, I haven’t done all parts of all videos. After all, I need enough energy in a given day to walk Khalee, to do my other daily activities, and to write the post, so choices must be made.)

I’ve enjoyed the variety but I have been finding myself wanting a little more consistency – something specific to do each day, whether or not I do that day’s video.

I’m feeling drawn to the idea of doing a set of exercises every day and feeling like I am building towards something specific.

And since a lot of my challenges with other activities seem to be related to a need for more core strength, I was already planning to make core exercises the focus of my exercise plans for the next year or so.

Starting now means I can really let myself take things slowly (even my ADHD brain recognizes that this is *not* the time of year to add anything big to my life), I can start building a strong foundation (both physically and habit-wise) without having to make too many plans right now, and when I pick a specific time for those exercises, I will be adding a little extra structure to my days so time won’t race along as much as it usually does this time of year.

But, knowing this time of year, and taking into account the fact that I am still dealing with fatigue, I am keeping the bar fairly low.

The first set of leg raises in the video below are my marker for what ‘counts. Once I have done those, I can say I am done for the day. However, if I feel up to it, I can keep going but anything beyond that first set is ‘above and beyond.’

A 5-MIN Standing Abs and Core Strengthening Workout from the Coach Sofia YouTube channel. Still image shows the video title on the left side and the instructor on the right. Coach Sofia is wearing blue leggings and a white tank top and has their right leg raised so their knee is at hip level and they have their left arm raised overhead.

I recognize that under normal conditions, these exercises might be a bit on the easy side for me.

Right now, however, I want to conserve my energy and I really want to focus on building the habit, on starting slow, and these exercises (which can provide more or less of a challenge, depending how I go about them) seem like the perfect way to do that.

How are you feeling about your fitness routines for the rest of the year?

Are you sticking with what you’ve got? Taking a break? Switching things up a little?

fitness · functional fitness · habits · health · holiday fitness · holidays · motivation · self care

Making Space 2022: Day 12

Christine Hennebury

Hey everyone,

In today’s post we are getting back to some basics – doing ground-level self care.

As is my new tradition, the chatty part is below the videos.

I chose both of these videos because they are direct, quick, and helpful. The first one is about functional fitness – just getting your body moving in a way that both feels good and will help you loosen up your muscles a little. The second is a breathing exercise – box breathing – that can be useful in all kinds of situations – including developing mindfulness.

The goal here was to think about the low-key things we can do to make our lives a bit easier – some movement now will help us feel a little better overall, a breathing exercise will help us feel calmer as we move through the day.

These are basic and incremental things that we can sometimes overlook as we think about big things we would like to change.

However, small things like this not only help us right now – which is inherently valuable – but, as a bonus, they can help us slowly create space for bigger things we want to do later.

And, if things get overwhelming, we can always return to basics like these.

This video from the naturallybeata YouTube channel is entitled “JUST5 (Tuesday) – 5 minute @home functional fitness” and the still image shows the instructor from the neck down, wearing flowered leggings and a black tank top that says ‘Faster’ on the front. They are standing in front of a couch in a living room.
A short video from The Pocket Mentor App YouTube channel entitled ‘ Box Breathing Technique Guided Mindfulness Meditation’ the still image features a green box with an almost complete darker green outline in the center of the screen, a pink cartoon-style brain in the bottom right hand corner, and text in the center that reads ‘Box Breathing 3 Minute Mindful Meditation.

The Chatty Part

Martha’s advice for this day in 2020 was Take Your Meds , a reminder to ensure your own wellbeing throughout this busy time by taking any medication you require.

That advice is great at any time of the year but it is especially helpful during this busy time when routines are disrupted and things can get overlooked.

A reminder to take your meds is a foundational thing that can make a huge difference in your day and it is worth reminding yourself about.

In an interesting coincidence, my Facebook memories from yesterday included a related reminder. (The relationship may only exist in my mind but let’s roll with it.)

From time to time, I write ‘Go Team’ style posts on my own Facebook profile so I can provide a little support to any friends who might need it at the moment.

In 2018, I was reminding us all that it is ok to make our lives easier by using reminders and support (say, like medications, for example.)

Here’s the text from that post:

These are my favourite mitts.

Description of image below: my right hand dangling a green mitten on a string over a pile of snow on the road.

A photo of my right hand dangling a green mitten on a string over a pile of snow on the road.

I don’t wear them every day but they are superwarm and, you will notice, they are on a string.

So, when I do wear them, that string means that I can grab my winter coat to go out and I don’t have to look for my mitts. It means I can take off my mitt to unlock my door and I don’t have to tuck it under my arm and risk losing it.

That string on these mitts was amazingly useful when my kids were small and I always had a lot of things to keep track of.

I know that mittens on a string are kind of a little kid thing and as an adult, perhaps I “shouldn’t” need them but they are useful and they serve my purposes quite well.

We often get caught up in whether we ‘should’ need certain things – reminders, schedules, delivery services, help with everyday tasks – and because we feel we ‘shouldn’t’ need to use them, we don’t. Then we get frustrated because we can’t ‘get a grip’ on the tasks in question.

Today, I’m challenging you to accept the idea of mittens on a string – or at least the equivalent.

What’s something you can do to take one small hassle out of your life?

What can you do to make one routine task a little easier?

Even if you feel that you ‘shouldn’t’ need the help or the reminder, I dare you to use it anyway.

Go ahead and set a weekly reminder to call your mother.

Go on and establish a daily reminder to take your pills or to drink water.

Put a basket by the door for your purse or your keys.

Do the thing you need to do to make your life a little easier.

I dare you!

⭐️ <- for your efforts today.

There, see what I mean?

Things like taking your meds definitely fall into the sort of self-care that we might experience a little push-back (internal or external) about needing.

I’d like it if we could all find our way past that pushback and be able to: take our meds, set a reminder to take our meds, use a shoehorn, keep a set of reading glasses in multiple places, get the large print book, create a cleaning schedule, get a friend to sit with us when we work…or whatever we need in order to do the thing. I want us to be free to find/give ourselves the accommodations and support that make sense without having to second-guess ourselves.

And this seems like a great season to give ourselves that gift.

Whether you are doing foundational fitness, breathing exercises, or enlisting help to clean your house/ wrap your presents/ finish that year-end report/get to that meeting, I wish you ease.

And I wish you peace of mind around giving yourself permission to get that support.

⭐💚

About Making Space

About Making Space 2022

In December 2020, Fit is a Feminist Issue blogger Martha created a tradition – a series of reminder posts to take good care of ourselves during this last month of the year when it is far too easy to get swept up in your to do list, no matter what you are celebrating or not celebrating. Last year, it was my turn and after an introductory Go Team post called Give Yourself Some Space, I created a series of reminders called ‘Making Space‘ that offered a suggested short exercise video and a suggested meditation in case you needed an easy way to find space for yourself in your schedule.

For 2022, I’ll be doing the same thing but I’ll also be including a link to Martha’s post from the same date in 2020 and I’ll offer a few extra ideas for relaxation, creativity, and self-kindness here and there.

These posts are not about insisting that you do more, more, more during this busy season. Instead, I want to encourage you to remember that there IS a *YOU* who is doing all of the things and you are worth taking good care of.

Perhaps the things I suggest aren’t what you need in the moment. That’s totally ok. Perhaps you can use something else to create some space, something that will help you feel more relaxed or more in charge of your day.

fitness

On not making your goal in one area and overshooting the mark on others: Sam’s weird year fitness wise

Sam B
This year 670.1 km to go to make my 5000 km goal

So this is the first year in a long while in which I won’t make my annual cycling distance goal. Since Zwift has arrived on the scene there’s no excuse for not continuing to rack up the kilometers in the dark and the cold. In recent years when I’ve started the fall behind and looking like I wouldn’t make my annual goal, I’ve just ramped up the Zwifting.

But this year the end of the cycling season coincided with knee surgery. No big mileage on the trainer was in the cards this fall. Technically I gave up on the goal a few months back but I didn’t let Strava know so it’s still tracking and counting for me.

While 30 some odd kilometers per day is technically doable with all the physio and holiday social gatherings in the cards it’s not going to happen. So far, since knee surgery I’m mostly riding 10 km at a time, not 30.

Bye annual cycling goal!

On the other hand I’ve blown right past the 222 workouts I was aiming for in 2022.

Workout number #413

With daily physio, dog walking, aquafit, cycling and personal training, I’ve been tracking some big numbers in the counting workouts groups.

When someone congratulated me, I said it’s weird. It didn’t feel like it was worthy of congrats this year. I just have to do all the physio. I don’t have a choice. I know that’s a mistake. I do deserve the congrats.

At this rate I might make 440 workouts in the year, double the 220 goal.

It’s definitely been a weird year fitness wise. I’m not a fan of the phrase “it is what it is” but this year, yep, it is what it is.