Hello all! I took a couple days off from posting to enjoy the Independence Day festivities, and I hope each of you had opportunity to celebrate a little as well. Look for a second post late tonight (past midnight) with the numbers for week 3 of Operation Shodan Fit. Remember how I mentioned it would take about six weeks to build a habit? It seems to take a little less than that. If I don't get up and move around right away, I just feel off.
So, I have one more day here on Isle of Palms, and I've enjoyed the exercise aspect of things a good bit. I've tried to get into the fitness center a couple times, but it's always been packed. Fortunately, pushups, burpees, chair dips, and other such goodies only require the space around you for a "fitness center," so all is well.
A big aspect of my morning workouts walking/jogging (lately, more running than ever--feels great!) is getting to see different aspects of the area of the island where we're staying. With so much to look at, it becomes easy to go a little bit farther than usual. Remember the old workout maxim "Finish the Drill?" I remember seeing the football players in high school wearing that one, and I remember thinking, "I don't get why that's inspiring." I'm still a little ambivalent about it--I don't think finishing the drill is necessarily the big virtue, especially if someone's yelling at you and basically dragging you over the finish line. It's a great motivator, to be sure. And, I know that coaches, instructors, trainers, and others can get way more out of their charges if they get them pumped up on finishing a drill as a "this is your life" scenario. But, I prefer this...finish the drill because life is better on the other side. It's hard when you're in the middle of it, sure. That last circuit of HIIT can make your lungs feel like they're about to explode, but once it's done, things feel better on the other end. Even the soreness after a workout is plugged into a "feeling better" calibration. It's just another "finer thing" in life. The drill is fun, but the better life part happens afterwards. And, I find getting stuck on how hard the drill is can sometimes be discouraging.
Every now and then, a mildly intense but not goal-oriented workout can be just what the doctor ordered if you find yourself getting too focused on the drill itself. Parks and other beautiful places are excellent for this. The actual time or specifics of your workout can fall away for awhile, and instead of meticulously counting laps, reps, sets, circuits, and so on and so on, you find yourself lost in thoughts, enjoying the mental exercise that's coming with the physical. I like to have an audiobook on my ipod while enjoying these kinds of exercise. I get engrossed in both the story and the scenery, and the miles just tick on by.
It's quite a feeling.
So, I have one more day here on Isle of Palms, and I've enjoyed the exercise aspect of things a good bit. I've tried to get into the fitness center a couple times, but it's always been packed. Fortunately, pushups, burpees, chair dips, and other such goodies only require the space around you for a "fitness center," so all is well.
A big aspect of my morning workouts walking/jogging (lately, more running than ever--feels great!) is getting to see different aspects of the area of the island where we're staying. With so much to look at, it becomes easy to go a little bit farther than usual. Remember the old workout maxim "Finish the Drill?" I remember seeing the football players in high school wearing that one, and I remember thinking, "I don't get why that's inspiring." I'm still a little ambivalent about it--I don't think finishing the drill is necessarily the big virtue, especially if someone's yelling at you and basically dragging you over the finish line. It's a great motivator, to be sure. And, I know that coaches, instructors, trainers, and others can get way more out of their charges if they get them pumped up on finishing a drill as a "this is your life" scenario. But, I prefer this...finish the drill because life is better on the other side. It's hard when you're in the middle of it, sure. That last circuit of HIIT can make your lungs feel like they're about to explode, but once it's done, things feel better on the other end. Even the soreness after a workout is plugged into a "feeling better" calibration. It's just another "finer thing" in life. The drill is fun, but the better life part happens afterwards. And, I find getting stuck on how hard the drill is can sometimes be discouraging.
Every now and then, a mildly intense but not goal-oriented workout can be just what the doctor ordered if you find yourself getting too focused on the drill itself. Parks and other beautiful places are excellent for this. The actual time or specifics of your workout can fall away for awhile, and instead of meticulously counting laps, reps, sets, circuits, and so on and so on, you find yourself lost in thoughts, enjoying the mental exercise that's coming with the physical. I like to have an audiobook on my ipod while enjoying these kinds of exercise. I get engrossed in both the story and the scenery, and the miles just tick on by.
It's quite a feeling.
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