13 June 2022

13 June 2022

So...last month, a couple of my friends and I created our own 90 Day “Glow Up” challenge. We created goals that we wanted to accomplish together (e.g., trying a new recipe each week, working out 4-5 times a week, etc.). Additionally, we each created individual goals that we want to work towards during this time frame. Unlike some of the challenges I have seen gain popularity on social media (e.g., tik tok, insta, etc.) a component we added was that if you “mess up” or are inconsistent one day, you just try again the next day. There is no restarting or punishing ourselves. Instead, we will check in with ourselves, reflect on what’s working and what hasn’t been working, and then keep trying. We, officially, started our challenge on May 30, 2022 and will complete it on August 31, 2022. 

I have decided to start making accountability posts pertaining to my individual goals on this blog. My friends and I have been keeping up with each other on a shared google doc that we used to outline all the “rules” of our challenge. However, there have been days where I have not been as consistent as I want to be. I feel that making additional posts here will help me to stay on track. 

I also want to emphasize that with this challenge, the focus is not just on physical health. Additionally, instead of being stuck on losing weight, my personal aim is to build up my strength and increase my endurance. I also want to focus on my mental and spiritual health. Basically, my main goal is to really work on loving and being kinder to myself and my body. I’m using this summer to focus on myself and improve myself for, you guessed it, myself.

My next post will be my first accountability post for this week. Stay tuned :)

i cannot stress enough how much of an impact changing the way you talk to yourself can have on your mental health. swapping out self deprecating jokes and changing unhealthy sentiments like "i hate myself" and "i want to die" to kinder, more forgiving ones like "i need a break" and "i'm trying" can make such a difference to how you view yourself. the things we say to ourselves become a part of our lives and so we deserve to me kinder to ourselves in our heads.

shout out to everybody who’s unlearning the old habits that won’t serve them in their next chapter of life. letting go is difficult, counterintuitive, and disorienting. it’s also worth it.

Accountability Post #4 (22 June 2022)

Leg day!

Today’s workout:

1. 3-minute warm up on the stairmaster

2. 19 minutes of weights

3. 20-minute hill workout on the treadmill + 5-minute cool down after

I was unable to use all of the machines I usually incorporate into my Wednesday leg workouts. I ended up just using one of the other machines in my routine twice. Still feel good, though.

Accountability Post #1 (13 June 2022)

Today was leg day (my favorite day :D) 

Before we get to my workout, though, I want to stress that, when I exercise, I do not aim for burning a specific amount of calories. My main goal is to move my body in some way, at least 4 to 5 times a week, for at least 30 minutes each session. I have found that, for me, personally, focusing too much on how many calories I am burning makes my workouts a lot less fun. I’m trying to relieve stress, not add to it.

Anyway...  

My workout consisted of:

1. 3-minute warm up on the stairmaster (trying to work up to around 5-10 minutes...3 is all I can handle for now lol)

2. 22 minutes of weightlifting (I, typically, aim for 15-20 minutes)

3. 20-minute hill workout on the treadmill, followed by a 5 minute cool down

In the past, I have always completed the cardio part of my workout first before moving on to weights. However, since the end of last month, at the advice of some gym bros (lol), I have been doing weights at the beginning and then cardio. So far, I feel great. It has taken some getting used to, but I’m starting to think I prefer this order. I feel that I am able to put in more energy and effort into the weightlifting portion of my workouts and still have awesome cardio sessions after. 

I finally have a routine. Once I start seeing results that actually show that this routine is working, I will definitely be sharing.

Now, I’m going to go shower, drink some tea, then go to bed. :)

Accountability Post #5 (23 June 2022)

Arm day!

My workout consisted of:

1. 5-minute warm up on the elliptical

2. 23 minutes of weight lifting

3. 20-minute hill workout on the treadmill + 5-minute cool down after

Honestly, I almost didn’t go to the gym today. I had to remind myself of my fitness goals (and the fact that I pay for a monthly membership lol...). I ended up going later than I would have liked to, though. So, there were more people in comparison to these past few days. Thankfully, I was able to use all of the machines in today’s routine. 

I, most likely, won’t be able to go to the gym tomorrow. So, I’m going to go on Saturday instead. Tomorrow, I think I’ll try to go on a walk around the neighborhood or I might even see if my family’s old Wii still works and play Wii Fit (lol). Anything to get some movement.