Day 133 – Week 19 – 19 mins
A good solid workout on the bosu this morning, getting that blood flowing.
I have to say – I love the idea of a piece of exercise equipment which gets your heart rate up at the same time as strengthening your legs. It’s a two for one deal, and I am astounded how strong my legs are beginning to feel. I am sure you would get some of this from running and leg raises, but I tell you – this piece of kit works wonders!
Suzi
Day 132 – Week 19 – 19 mins (10ish)
Well – mission accomplished in that I DID exercise this morning, but I only accomplished about 10 mins instead of the planned 19.
But if you could only imagine the circumstances – a tiny hotel room, boyfriend fast asleep in the bed, and me doing my strengthing and stretching in the narrow space between the bathroom door and the wall to the next room. There was JUST enough room to do a few squats and crunches, but seriously, only just.
And given we had a very late night and a breakfast date at 0745, I think ten minutes was pretty impressive.
Suzi
Day 131 – Week 19 – 19 mins
It was a beautiful morning to go for a run this morning. And I felt a bit stronger and less puffed as I did it today – are we seeing another little gradual lift in my fitness?
I have realised that so much of all this is about being a little bit creative in figuring out how you are going to get the exercise done, instead of turning away at the first difficulty. For example, this afternoon and evening we have a funeral and wake to go to. We will then stay in a hotel at the location, and I will go straight from there early in the morning to go to work – and I will not be home until around 9.00pm.
So when and how will I be able to do my strength exercises tomorrow? Do I use the unusual and difficult circumstances as an excuse not to do them? In the past – I’d have decided it was impossible. But is that really the case? I will pack my resistance strap and medicine ball – and will try and find myself 19 minutes and a couple of square meters of space at the hotel before I go to work. I won’t have my weights with me, so it will be a compromise – but at least I am not giving up completely on the idea.
For me – this commitment and planning is what is making the difference, so that I can gradually build up my strength and fitness, rather than find myself back at square one every few weeks or months. Long may it last,
Suzi
Day 130 – Week 19 – 19 mins
This morning, as I looked at my usual supplies for my five minute warm up before going into my strength training – I just felt bored. Laid out were my little medicine ball and resistance strap, and I had no inclination to pick them up at all – I’ve been doing the same warm up for over four months now!
I had just put on Goldfrapp’s Seventh Tree album – and before I knew it, I had got carried away and started doing a little dance around the living room. And then I thought – why not? I can make this my warm up instead. I was overwhelmed by the spirit of my youthful ballet training and proceeded to plie, pirouette and prance myself into a very warmed up state. And the music was just perfect for it.
After five minutes of “free interpretation” as I think it was called in my childhood dance classes, I was well and truly ready to get on with my lunges and the rest of my strength training.
Remember – we have to make this as fun as possible – and you know what? Prancing about counts if it gets your heart rate up and the blood flowing around your body. Why not give it a try?
Day 129 – Week 19 – 19 mins
A good morning on the bosu this morning before work, and that dratted exercise out of the way for the rest of the day. Just the way I like it.
I finally got a new battery for my heart rate monitor watch, and it makes all the difference. I have been without it for several weeks now, and it’s just not the same. The best thing about keeping an eye on your heart rate is you realise when you need to slow down and take it easy. Hey – you won’t hear any complaints from me when the watch tells me I’m working too hard. I’m only too happy to slow it down.
Suzi
