#WQWWC.....Theme: Fitness Resolutions you can keep
I took a few weeks off from posting just to let myself kind of reset. This weeks theme is Fitness Resolutions you can keep.
Fitness....remember the presidents fitness tests in school? I dreaded those. I wasn't good at them. But in HS I took weight training and found out I was stronger than I thought. BUT I was never really encouraged to pursue things like fitness. I think, looking back, I would've enjoyed track and soccer, and if I had known about Cross fit back then I could've been really good at it. I was strong with a muscular build. Now it scares me a little. I think I'd like it but I'm always afraid of hurting my back.
I just found this bit of information on Wikipedia regarding the fitness test...which I didn't know ended in 2013:
By today's standards, the Fitness Test failed to improve the individual and population level youth health of America. Instead, it worked as a tool of comparison and shame, positioning children against other children without providing a curriculum to improve.
Interesting, and I could see how that would be true. It was a struggle for me and I was very self conscious and not very confident.
It seems that every year people set fitness and weight loss resolutions. I've never been one of them. There's no point. For me, it doesn't matter when I set the intention, it's whether or not I'm going to be intentional and consistent. I've never been a "dieter" but my weight has fluctuated over the years. Years ago when my youngest was maybe 3 or 4 I joined a group at our church and we followed a program. I lost some weight (eventually gained it back), but kept many of the principles (mainly portion control, controlling emotional eating, stopping when I was satisfied, eating off a salad plate, etc). In 2018 my hubby and I started working with my cousin on a more intentional plan of eating and exercise. Like anything though, you have to be consistent. Since my daughters' wedding in 2015 I've lost 25 pounds, and managed to keep most of it off, gaining a few pounds here, losing them there...kind of normal female fluctuating. For me exercise and fitness have been the key I think.
2021 threw me for a bit of a loop. I'm 53 (just turned in December), and my hormones and cycles were out of whack last year, I had a few nagging injuries that kept me from keeping up the exercise and on top of that I lost my dad. I put on some pounds, not many, maybe 5, but I could feel it and I didn't like how I felt. I didn't beat myself up over them, but am determined to get back on track with exercise in any form that works so that I can "feel good" again. Isn't that the key really? We want to "feel good".
Our normal routine is to get up and exercise at 5:30 each morning. I'm going to be honest, I hate exercising so early. BUT if I don't, it won't happen. On weekends he (and I try to join at least one of the days) will walk outside if it's not raining. Last weekend I joined in his weekly trek 2.5+ miles up the hill behind our house. Phew I was tired. Sometimes we'll walk down as well, or my FIL will pick us up at the top.
We eat healthy, minimal processed foods, mostly just what's required to make certain meals, but not any microwave quick meal type things. I manage my portion control pretty well, prepare my hubby's food to take for work so he can stay on track. But the rest of the time it's up to him to manage.
It is a bit frustrating as we get older how quickly we lose our level of fitness, muscle, etc. Ugghh. Sometimes it feels like 2 steps forward and 10 steps back. BUT we keep at it because we do want to live a healthy and long life. We want to be able to play with grandkids and enjoy things.
So many great quotes out there and there were a few I've loved over the years but I couldn't find them where I'd saved them, so here are a few I found:
"Exercise is a celebration of what your body can do. Not a punishment for what you ate".
These are all about physical fitness, and they're so good, but as I was sitting here it also made me think about our mental, emotional and spiritual fitness. We have to take care of our entire person as a whole. Yes, being physically active and fit definitely impacts our mental and emotional fitness as well, but we need to treat each area individually as well.
Things I can do for my mental, emotional, and spiritual fitness:
*Do puzzles
*play word games
*read books
*always be learning new things
*Make self care a priority
*Do things I love
*Do not surround myself with drama, set boundaries
* quotes and memes really help me mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
*listen to podcasts
*Listen to music that feeds my soul
*keep a journal
*meditate and pray
*Daily renew my mind,
I'm sure I could add more, but these are things that came to mind.
Kirstin
Kirstin, this is a lovely post, as always. I love this quote, "Exercise is a celebration of what your body can do. Not a punishment for what you ate." I went through those Kennedy fitness years with the same feelings you had. When I took weightlifting in college at age 28, I was the weakest person in class. I got an A for being most improved. In some ways, I think those exercise regimes may have been good for us to see how out of shape we were, even as young people. I remember the groans when we walked up and down stairs and everyone's legs burned from all the working out.
ReplyDeleteOh I know...so sore after being done.
DeleteI really liked this post! It's good news that they've abandoned that fitness test but I think how P.E in itself was a pain in school and worked as a tool for harassment, comparison, and all sorts of bad. I was never good at such things and it was 100% terrible. But later in life I've become interested in weight lifting and building muscle so I've regained what P.E class should have given me - a good way to exercise, that suits me and makes me feel good.
ReplyDeleteI read an interesting article recently about toxic attitudes regarding exercise, that we should abandon altogether, things like "I have to go to the gym after all the food I ate" or "if I exercise I'll deserve that cake" and people make exercise a punishment and forget about all its benefits - a body that works, and improved mental health etc. I really liked your quotes, especially those about being patients, you're closer to your goal than you were yesterday, and so on. Good reminders.
Thank you for visiting Susanne. I agree, we really have to change our mindset and how we mentally approach exercise
Delete