I have been doing more serious exercise in the last month than I have for ages. The last time I remember doing sustained exercise over a long period was before Wally was born over 30 years ago. I am sharing my progress here with you, and hopefully, I will be able to look back over these posts and see the progress I have made-- meaning, this is more for me than for you. However, if you have a new habit that you are trying to establish and want to share, I'd love for you to join me.
So, the main goal is to move more. To put a fine point on that, I want to have 3 days of aerobic exercise and 2 days of strength training/week. This is a lofty goal for someone who has never been into formal exercise, but I'm gonna try. I belong to a gym that has a wide variety of classes that I'm trying out. Also, I take a ballroom and line dance class each week with Ward.
So here is how the last week went:
2/28 Friday: I did a one-hour Zumba class. I am continuing to catch on little by little and don't feel so out of place. The class wasn't full, and I got a good view of the instructor. I am learning her hand signals, which helps. This hour wears me out, but I am making it to 25 instead of 20 minutes before I want the class to be over.
3/1 Saturday: Free day
3/2 Sunday: This was a 45-minute class of low-intensity interval training with weights. Luckily, I found where they keep the 2 lb weights, so that was what I was using. However, I used them for the entire time which was new for me. I was exhausted after this class.
3/3 Monday: Ward and I went to a one-hour ballroom dance class (at the rec center, not the gym), which went better than last week. Ward videoed another couple who were getting all the steps, and we used that for practice. The practice paid off, so I didn't want to hide behind a door like last week because I was so lost. This class makes me sweat, but it is easy exercise-wise. This class is definitely a mental challenge for me.
3/4 Tuesday: Ward and I went to a one-hour line dance class at a local dance studio. This class gave me a good workout, and I was more tired at the end than I had been before. I think that might be because I am getting more of the steps and am moving more of the time. This class is fun and my favorite of the week.
3/5 Wednesday: I took a 30-minute Mat Pilates class this day. It was hard, but it gave me a good upper body and core workout. I'm still sore from it.
3/6 Thursday: Free day to recover from Pilates class on Wednesday.
I am seeing a little progress, physically, but it's harder to get myself up and out to the classes. Maybe being accountable here each week will be the extra encouragement I need to keep me going.
Until next time...
