The Planets

Yesterday include an approximately 8 mile bike ride to see all the planets in the scale model of the solar system that we have here in Eugene, Oregon.

The interesting thing was how easy it was.  Not that it was entirely easy, but it was considerably easier than I expected.  I remember having a lot of difficulty with even moderate slopes when I was not physically fit before.  Yesterday I felt powerful enough to do the biking I wanted to do.  Yes, the ride was nearly flat, but I am comparing it to times I rode these paths before, and this was easier than it had been then.

The conclusion?  I'm not as unfit as I thought.  Not that I'm anywhere near "fit" ... just not as "unfit".

Now ... to go do my mini-tabata and try to keep this going ...

Once Again ...

The original reason for this blog was to help myself find motivation to start exercising in a way that would support my health on an ongoing basis and make it easier and more fun to do the physical recreational activities I enjoy doing irregularly.

In summary:

1. I feel better and am clearly healthier when I'm physically active.
2. I don't want to be so out of shape I can't enjoy a nice hike if I haven't been hiking for a few months.

To this end, I chose Tabata as an entry into the realm of everyday fitness.  Fast and easy, it seems to fit my requirements well.  Until I tried it and did it too vigorously, and injured myself.  Not badly, but badly enough to make myself wary about trying it again for a while.  When I did try it again, I did less of it and moderated the number of exercises in the set which were going to challenge the tissues around my calves and shins.

Today I got back on the horse yet again.  I downloaded my preferred Tabata timing app onto my new phone, and created a "Tabata Mini" exercise set.  Instead of the "prescribed" four minute 20/10 x 8, I created a two minute 10/10 x 6.  

The "Mini Tabata" was enough for today.  It pushed me deeply into heavy breathing and a sense of accomplishment without hurting anything.  Yeah, it's wimpy.  But I totally admit to starting out wimpy here, there are no illusions that I'm not wimpy right now.  The point is to change that, and do it in a sustainable way, not to shame myself for where I am right now.

I would love to add a bit of yoga into my routine once it's become a daily routine, or at least a regular routine.  In the past I have despaired of being able to do yoga well at home on my own.  I think getting myself out to a class on a regular basis would be even more challenging for me.  Having been in yoga classes before, I know that yoga is not just stretching, it's also full of yummy isometrics.  Being in a good yoga class also teaches you how to be in touch with your body; yoga taught me to be able to tell when I am pushing myself past a "good stretch" or a "good isometric" into something that will hurt me.  I am thinking that the knowledge of form, timing and mindfulness is all still down in there somewhere, I just need to practice to bring it out.  The yoga part of this is still in the "thinking" stage, though.  I need to figure out how to add it to the routine while keeping the investment of time relatively low.