Friday Fitness: Going for a walk

Between finishing things in our bathroom project and state exams at work, I've been simply too exhausted to pop in a DVD and do a high energy workout.

As you know, I've been getting in activity by doing many things in our bathroom renovation, including laying floor tile and painting.  These activities often leave me little time to eat, let alone squeeze in an afternoon workout.  And, these activities often have me awake until after 11 PM, which doesn't leave me enough time to get in a good night's sleep and work out in the morning. (I used to get up at 5 AM to work out no matter what, but I've decided that sleep is more important these days).

My solution to my lack of activity has been walking during my lunch break at work. It doesn't burn very many calories (not as much as a FIRM workout) but it gets you outside during the day, gives you a little sunshine and fresh air, and it gives you some time to gab and chat with some friends.  I always walk with a buddy.  No buddy, no walk. I think I'd be bored to tears walking around the neighborhood alone.  And that is how I've been getting in some activity.

At Weight Watchers they do a "Walk-It Challenge" every spring.  I never really get into it though.  Walking is not my preferred means of exercise (it's more of a last resort) and they encourage you to walk a little every day until you can walk a 5K. Which, for me, is not a challenge.  I walk 2 miles on my 40 lunch break. And last year when I had faster walking buddies we used to walk 2.75 miles in our 40 min lunch break.  I walk 12 miles a day in Disney without even blinking an eye or feeling it.  So walking 3.1 miles for me is definitely not a challenge.  Running might be... but I believe one should only run when being chased by an assailant with a knife.

And that got me thinking... What would be a challenge? What fitness goal can I strive for next?

I think, right now, my main goal would be consistency.  Making a schedule and really sticking to it.  I often plan great months of workouts only to skip some days, and then try to make them up on other days or double up workouts in one day, and so on till the point where I may as well have saved the time it took to make a schedule and the ink and paper it took to print it out.

So I think my next main fitness goal will be to workout 40 - 60 minutes, five days a week for two weeks in a row. And then, the whole month.  If I can maybe just focus on short spaces of time (rather than the whole month) then it may seem easier to really stick with it.

And then my second goal is to improve upper body strength. I'd like to be able to do biceps curls with my 12 lb weights and do more than 5 or 6 push ups on my toes.

But I have to be realistic and think that these goals may have to wait at least another week until the bathroom project is complete.  Until then, that has to be my main goal.  I need to get that finished so I can put my house back together.  Right now, the living room has become base camp for all the materials and supplies we need, the guest room has become storage for all the things we ended up not using and need to return, and the floor is constantly covered in dust and debris. My house is a freakin disaster! I can't wait to reclaim the space and have my home back!

In the meantime, however, I'll be going for a walk... enjoying the sunshine... and feeling grateful that I can have goals like these :o)