Slightly crazy writer and passionate educator for those who struggle
I am impressed with myself. This is the 46th day that I have been attempting to get healthier. I know there were days when nothing happened and I certainly need to pay more attention to my diet – it would help if I didn’t have a child who loved to bake! But when I started this blog – I didn’t think I would even get to the point of posting it, let alone using it to motivate myself so that a month and a half later I am still making fitness a priority. Things could be different if I was at work but I am on long service leave and it is all about doing things for me.
Today I started with a 2-mile walk (just over 3.2kilometres). I didn’t do any jogging but I was okay with that as I seemed to be walking at a good pace. The pace could have been better if I didn’t stop and chat to the fisherpeople as to what they were catching (or not) in the ponds. Apparently, if you can catch it – it’s pretty much edible. Perhaps we will get fishing rods in a few weeks. The only fish I recognised was catfish and bream (not sure it’s the bream I am used to seeing in Australia). I could also improve my pace by not taking photos but one of my friends put me onto a plant identification app so now I know what I am looking at. Very nice. I am also trying to take photos of the dragonflies but they don’t like staying still for long enough for me to get my phone out.
When I got back to the apartment after enjoying my walk I decided to make my exercise for today around 60 minutes. Thus I found a 20-minute exercise program on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UItWltVZZmE If that was a beginner exercise video I am an orangutan. There was jumping involved. I do not jump! Okay so I attempted the jumps today – some of them but most I modified to be a little less off the ground and more on the ground. I know – jumping is meant to be very good for you. I do not jump! Starting with star jumps was certainly not good for my mental attitude which deteriorated rather quickly when I realised I was going to have to jump again. Turns out there were about 6 jumping sections in it. But the main thing that annoyed me is that this was meant to be a beginner program and there were no alternative exercises, no explanations of how to do the activities – in fact, no talking at all. I would have had more success going back to the previous workout I did.
I stuck with it and included some of my modifications and I will probably never do the workout again. Yes, it got my heart racing, yes you knew what was coming up next but it was boring and I appreciate seeing someone who looks like me. Young thin and uber-fit is not my thing. I am sure that is not accepting of everyone but I am not the teacher here and I want to know that people of my vintage (remember I’ve been 25 for years 😊) are capable of doing things because we’ve all got issues. So there is the ugly truth. Young, thin and uber-fit is not my cup of tea. She could have improved things by including modifications, talking and a few other things. I did manage to complete most things (sans the excessive jumping), not at her pace. But I made it to 60 minutes of exercise today and walking 2 miles.
May have ruined it with breakfast (remember I have that cook in the house). I own up to chocolate pancakes, berries, maple syrup and yogurt – very nice). I also did a 16 hour fast. (Loving not working and being at home – it makes Intermittent fasting so easy!)
Fastest split: 12:18mins/km
Slowest split: 14:09 mins/km (this was when I was talking and taking photos)
Average pace: 13:14mins/km