Recall this February challenge I did the calisthenics Fitness Ladder.
I got up to Rung 4 and was on the cusp of Rung 5. The sticking points are push-ups (my arms have gotten weak) and, oddly, running in place. I keep getting lactic acid build-up. DH tells me that as my circulation gets better the lactic acid build-up will gradually become less of a problem. The fact that I have this as a problem makes me concerned about my lack of circulation!
My progress wasn’t as impressive as when I did the 7 min workout (for example, I can barely do 5 pushups, but I ended that challenge with 9). I don’t know if that’s because I’m 4 years older and in worse shape, or if it’s just not as intense a workout. However, I did not hate this workout. I kind of like it (except the lactic acid part), and DC2 and DH are also into it.
Of course, on March 1st when the challenge was over, I was like, I don’t *really* need to do this, so I didn’t. And March 2nd I completely forgot until after I’d showered and was already in bed. If it had been February I’d have gotten out of bed and done it, as happened a few times, but since the challenge was over I felt I didn’t need to. I have no willpower. March 3rd I decided to do it in the morning. I kind of felt like doing sit-ups which is the first time I can say that in 4 decades, give or take.
I think the big thing for me if I want to keep up with this is to have some sort of regular time and reminder for me to actually do it. Mornings would make sense except that I am barely making it to my 8am classes this semester. There’s just too much packed in the mornings already (and I don’t shower in the morning like DH does, so if I get to the point of sweating stinkily I’ll have to add a second shower to the day). Right before bedtime is what I’d been doing because that’s when I would remember, but now that there’s no challenge going on, that’s not a great idea because I have no willpower before bed. Though I suppose it could be fit in before the shower in theory. I also don’t know if I have willpower to do it right after work– usually at that point in time I’m trying to get dinner ready.
I’m still doing a walk every day at work– generally sometime between 10:30am and 1:30pm. That happens because I have a motivated colleague who also needs an exercise and gossip/work break in the middle of the day. It’s also a good vit D pick-up for me since I’ve given up on trying to stagger my pills (I generally forgot the second one and it would take a couple hours to realize why I’d been so tired) and just take both of them after I brush my teeth in the morning.
It may be that I need to set a timer for calisthenics for sometime in the evening. It helps if DH is doing it at the same time too. I don’t know if he’ll be going back to doing it in the morning though. I also think I should add some stretches because the ones in the workout are kind of silly… or at least seem silly to me because they’re not stretching the muscles that my American education has taught me should be stretched.
For any of the self-care things I need to do every day, showering, teeth brushing, etc. it’s important that I have a regular process for each– finishing showering means it’s time for teeth, and so on. For things I really don’t want to do, it’s extremely helpful to have someone else there to nudge it along. Though I can’t use another person as a crutch or excuse– I just need to be grateful for being included.
How do you get yourself to do self-care things regularly?
