Although I'm still struggling with fitting exercise time into my day (or rather, getting up early enough to fit it in before work), I'm finding that I really enjoy the time when I set it aside. To help motivate me to spend time on the bike in the mornings, I've been reading a book on my Kindle while riding, and I'm only permitting myself to read it while I'm on the bike. I'm 4% from the end in a very harrowing part of the book, but I won't allow myself to read it unless I'm working hard at the same time. My half-hour ride this morning flew by, and I even pushed myself harder than usual! Awesome! Trouble is, I'm nearly done the book. I'm going to have to find something else equally stimulating!
I find having data and fitness trackers is really a motivating force for me. After consideration I have ordered the Polar H7 heart rate monitor, which I hope will help me get a more accurate idea of how much I'm pushing myself, and how many calories I'm burning in my workouts. I was going to wait until my DietBet winnings could cover the cost, but after this week I decided that it might really help me meet my DietBet goals better. It should arrive next Monday! We'll see!
Exercise Goals: 30 min of interval training on a stationary bike 4-5x/week, 30 min of dumbell circuit training 3x per week. Hit 10,000 steps every day.
Last week:
Bike: T, Th, Sa (3/4)
Circuit: M, W (2/3)
10,000 steps: M, T, Su (3/7)
What I struggled with last week:
I need to make more of an effort to meet my step goals! I don't know if my gait has become more efficient, or perhaps my route to work, but I'm not getting as many steps out of my walks to-and-from each day as I used to. I've walked to work every day except Thursday, when I have to bring the car because I need to quickly get to my clarinet student after work, and Friday, when we had a horrible sleetstorm (as it turns out, it would have been safer to walk...). I need to find a way to prioritize getting my steps in on busy Thursdays, when I'm on the go from morning to night.
Also, this week was the week of food temptation. I was pretty good at sticking to the plan, but I did have a piece of apple pie at a friend's place on Saturday, and on Sunday we took my MIL out to lunch, and I caved and made the wrong choice. I didn't lose any ground, but I didn't made any great strides of improvement, either.
What I'm proud of last week:
I stuck to my lifting plan and did the circuit twice. I need to up this to at least three times per week, but it was a great start, and I felt awesome! And my hair is now long enough to fit in a ponytail, so that makes tying it back for a workout that much easier!
What I'm looking forward to this week:
Finishing my book, and starting a new one (see above). Keeping at my lifting schedule and feeling that awesome power when I push myself.