As a new month begins and I reflect on the struggles of the last two months, I'm encouraged to get personal. I'm talking about the struggles that this winter has brought me, the cold, the absence of vitamin D, the not wanting to leave the house and the fatigue. I've felt blue this month, although I've tried really hard to hide it, or avoid dealing with it!
I've been showing up for others the best way I can, teaching my classes, privates and coaching, supporting my family, taking my dog walks. The truth is my favourite time of day has been climbing into bed at 9:00 PM, curling up with a good book and hoping my sleep will restore some kind of enthusiasm in me when I wake at 5:15 AM.
I don't mean to sound depressing and believe me I don't want to feel this way either. So here's what I'm going to do as a personal challenge to get me out of my funk and give myself a focus to feel good. Self awareness leads us to understanding and I understand what I'm feeling will pass. To help my low mood along for the next few months I'm going to focus on walking, strengthening, drinking water and quality sleep. While this may sound easy, all of these "easy" habits get overlooked and neglected. When they get neglected it affects the way we feel, the things we do and our motivation.
I'm calling it the Personal Pilates Challenge because if you are a part of the Spring Pilates Session I'm encouraging you to take part in this challenge too. Let's hold each other accountable. Want to know how this works? Here's a preview!
Week One: Walking
There are so many studies telling us how incredible walking is for us. For one week challenge yourself to walk more. If you are just starting out your goal could be 10 km for the week. Do you walk daily? Up your walking distance to 15 or 20 km for the week. Make yourself a goal that is challenging but not impossible. A 10 km goal is only 2 km five times in a week.
Week Two: Strengthening
Maintaining muscle is important but did you know you can build more strength at any age? Read the book "Younger Next Year", by Chris Crowely. It's an excellent book that talks about making our 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond the best years of our lives! So how do we practice building strength and measure it? For a week, measure the following exercises: plank, wall sit, squats, and pushups. How long can you hold plank or a wall sit? How many squats can you do in one minute? How many push-ups? Don't worry, I'll work with you and show you how to build up these strength based exercises. It's a great way to motivate yourself to get stronger!
Week Three: Hydrate
We could all benefit from more hydration. It benefits our skin, joints and muscles not to mention it helps our body detox! For one week track your water. Whatever your weight is you need to drink .5 to 1 oz per pound weight. So if you are 150lbs you need to drink 75 to 150 oz of water each day. That works out to 2 to 4 liters of water. Something we need to work up to over the course of the week!
Week Four: Restorative Sleep
Do you have a device that tracks your sleep? Use it for a week. Or you can record when you go to bed and when you wake up each day. Start to notice your sleep patterns. If you aren't getting enough rest, your body could be holding onto extra weight. Sleep is when our body rejuvenates, repairs and rebuilds. We don't take notice of this daily habit until it becomes a problem.
At week five, we will repeat the challenge and measure our progress. Throughout our weekly classes, I will share tools and tips each week to get the most out of the challenge!
Who's in? All you need to track these four very important habits will be provided for you! Working toward a goal with other like minded people will propel you toward success.
Email me here for to join the challenge, sign-up for classes or learn more about fitness coaching!