3 weeks X 60 min a day = 1525 mins of exercise!

It's been 3weeks since my team at work started our "Thrive Across Hawaii" challenge. This challenge is similar to the "Thrive Across America" where my workplace American Savings Bank has partnered with  Kaiser Permanente to offer us a challenge specifically for us. We've created teams and are working to build the exercise habit.

I am excited to report that my team "Craig's Angels" has consistently exercised for 1 hour EVERY day for the past 3 weeks. Our goal is win the challenge where we can each get a $200 gift card. We decided at the beginning of the competition that we would commit to 1 hour (the max we can log) of exercise each day.

Last year my workplace did a "Biggest Loser" competition where I didn't do so great. This time I am ENJOYING the challenge as this is the FIRST time that I have actually started an exercise program and have stuck with it. I'm learning alot about myself  through this experience.

Some of my challenges have been:
- I usually konk out about week 2 whenever a start a "new" exercise program.
- I generally seem to konk out because I get board, lazy, tired, or hurt.
- I am not eating the right foods.
- I need more rest.
- Exercise is a COMMITMENT.
- Social support is helping me be successful.
- You HAVE to find an exercise you like.
- You need a good REASON to exercise otherwise you just give yourself excuses to stop.

While I still have a LONG way to go, I'm SLOWLY figuring out ways to over come my challenges. Here are a few rules that I've hashed out so far- I'm sure there will be lots more along the way.

1. Exercise EVERY day.
My number 1 reason for keeping up for the past 3 weeks is that - that I've committed to doing it EVERY day. So no matter what happens, I WILL exercise 1 hour a day...it's starting to become something that is part of my day like brushing my teeth....it's not IF I will do it but rather WHEN will I do it. This change in thinking has made a world of difference.

2. PLAN!
Since I know I will be exercising everyday and my work schedule changes daily, I am having to plan out weekly if not daily when I will get my hour of exercise in. So that means I make sure I get my laundry done so I have a pair of shorts and a clean sports bra to wear. All of this is helping me to get more organized.

3. Being committed is HARD but NOT IMPOSSIBLE.
This past weekend has been a major challenge for me. As I didn't seem to have enough time to for everything I wanted to do. So, I had a very fun but very tiring weekend which went something like this:
8pm-2:30 AM - Drive to Ewa Beach for party and stand in line for release at Target/Walmart
2:30 pm - drive back home
3:30 pm- get into bed
6:30 am- wake up to go to ward clean up (Iended up sleeping in and had to get dropped off at 7 am)
7:45 am- after ward clean up GOT MY WALK IN!!! I decided that since I was up anyway that I would take a long route home and get my walk in. I only wish I didn't take my purse but at least it wasn't too heavy.

 Here I am on my walk home... (I was trying to be "artsy" by capturing myself in the mirror reflection)

9:00 am- got home...yeah....I actually got in an extra 15 minutes! go me! I got ready for my meeting.
10:00 am- my friend picked me up for our training meeting. I had to get creative to keep myself awake which included doodling and picking off my gel nails.
12:00 pm- got home and took a BIG FAT NAP for 3.5 hours. It was WONDERFUL
4:30 pm- ran errands and got my refreshments ready for our BD party. I was a little over zealous and made some Nutella Naples,"wolf pack wieners", strawberry lemonade and hurricane popcorn.... I just couldn't help myself!
7:00 pm- everyone arrived and we chowed down.
7:45 pm we watched BD! So fun!

After everyone left I was still wide awake and ended up getting in an episode of my current KDrama.

On Sunday morning I got up at 6:00am  and went walking with my fellow teammate/coworker/friend Janeen at Ala Moana.

Good choices to continue exercising gave me the momentum to keep it up come Monday morning, where I found myself at the Roosevelt track at 6 am.

(you can see the building I live in ...the bigger one just to the right of my head) 

 

So my point in sharing all of this is that I had an awesome time AND still managed to find an hour in my busy schedule. 3 weeks ago I would've flaked out on my commitments, stopped exercising (for several days)  and probably would've slept the day away. Only to have to start up again when I got around to it. But since I've made it a goal - I'm finding a way to make it all work out....of course not without consequences- thank goodness for days of rest! Sunday was nice and relaxing!

So I'm learning:
- To not konk out, take things slowly and set challenging but achievable goals. I'm focusing on one thing right now- to get the exercise in. Usually I get so caught up in planning all the amazing things I should be doing that I get overwhelmed. Plus I am taking things more slowly which is helping me keep my Achilles tendinitis under control.
- I need to eat better foods....my next goal  is to plan my meals better- as I'm exercising more I am more hungry and probably need more protein.
- I'm starting to try and get more rest (on weeknights at least)...I just gotta stay in control of my KDrama addiction  :o)
- Being accountable to others is a great support. I think of them when I want to quit and I keep going.
- I'm beginning to look forward to my walks and I want to incorporate weights.
- I want to be healthier and am starting to exercise for ME- it's such a new way of thinking for me....