[You can read my earlier blogposts on this theme in parts one , two and three ]
Today marks my ninetieth day straight of getting out for an hour of exercise, whether running, biking, hiking, kayaking or hitting the gym. There have been many days when I had to push through a great deal of inertia to get out of the house. The main focus has been on exercise. I haven’t been nearly intentional about my eating until about the last week or two. (I have tended to eat better as a result of the daily exercise)
What have been the results?
• I have lost about 25 pounds since I started.
• I have lost between 2” and 4” each on my chest, belly, waist and hips. (I’m wearing pants that had been collecting dust for years in my closet!)
• I have a great deal more energy, stamina and emotional well-being.
• I’ve learned a lot about the nature of discipline.
So what’s next? Some of you have followed my journel on Facebook and know that I’ve been posting daily status updates on this discipline. Today’s “90/90” status update will be the last of that kind. My goal for 2009 is to continue regular exercise, but not necessarily daily. I am needing to give my joints a rest day here and there. That’s only wise. My intention is the continue exercising six days a week in the same manner (and seven when my schedule allows). I am going to begin to add strength training twice a week to my plan as well. I’ve been tracking my eating on livestrong.com (on my iPhone), not so much as a diet plan as an awareness practice. I’ve needed to notice what I eat, how much I eat and when I eat. It’s also helped to see how many calories were in that Mimi’s Café burger I shared with Gem on Wednesday (yikes!).
One other insight has been that when I feel my resolve waning and the temptation to give up on my intention, it has helped to remember what it is that I really want. I want to honor God with my body. Treating it well and working it hard has felt like one means to that end.
And in these 90 days I have not been sick once. (And I’ve felt a cold try to come on quite a few times). I don’t believe in magic, but my regular exercise has improved my immunity greatly. I also realize that if I saved myself even one cold, I probably got back most of my exercise time right there!
On Facebook, I now plan to put up a weekly update as I will be tracking my 2009 goal to workout 320 of 365 days. Stay tuned…
Wow Alan, good for you. I will eat lettuce all day long (not quite that extreme), so that I do not have to do the exercise thing. However, now nearing a significant bday, I decided to try something new, it is called Turbulance Training with Craig Ballentyne. 3 x a week bodyweight training (45 min) and 3 days of some cardio (30 min). Randy and I tried it and it is really good, harder that it seems. Worth checking it out.
Thank you, Anita. Appreciate the tip. I find that I have to frequently press through my “don’t-feel-like-it” to realize what I really want. I “don’t feel like” exercising, but I genuinely desire to be in good health. Will I act on what I actually desire, or will I let “don’t feel like it” carry the day. Continual challenge.
[...] His grace enabling me to stick with my intention to exercise an hour a day, 90 days in a row (not P90X, just me exercising somehow every day). I did this Today is #38. (You can read about the last time I did this in “90 Days of Discipline.” [...]