The Gym and Me

I can't believe this semester is nearly over, feels like time has really flown by. I will admit upfront that I have not met the goal every week, but I have been better at following up with the reasons I do not meet the goal and have exercised more over the course of this semester than I have ever before. I have also thought about and acted on ways to really incorporate exercise into my life than I have before. If friends want to hang out I'm quick to suggest hiking, or swimming in the beach during the weekend.

I've also really found the therapeutic effects of exercise really amazing. During times of high stress it provides me with an amazing outlet to channel stress, and frustration into something positive. I feel so much better about things after I exercise. I've also found the support from my peers to be amazing during this semester, I think since so many of us in this class have similar exercise goals we've really come to understand how to motivate each other and understand our challenges. Having people to go hiking or to the gym with really helps me to move forward with my goals. Yesterday when I walked out of my room to go to the gym my roommates started clapping, although this move was meant to be sarcastic it's social support nonetheless :) Overall, it's been a good run this semester to try to meet this goal, and I am motivated to follow through with it even more. Thank you so much Dr. A your class has helped me through so much this semester!

A Challenging Situation

Well I have to say things have been pretty busy for me this week. I have finals coming up, am working on a research project for work, and am getting ready to travel to Spain for an international practicum in a couple of weeks. So there is a lot to do in a very short amount of time. This is one situation where it is really challenging to keep going to the gym and making sure I exercise.

The past couple days have been particularly busy. I have really made it a point to study for finals early this semester, as I really hate feeling super stressed before an exam. So on the days I don't have class a huge chunk of my time is devoted to studying at the library. Then once I get home I'm usually working on my research project. By the time I get done with it all I'm really really tired. Going to the gym is pretty hard, however I've really made it a point to push myself to go ahead and go. I read in one article that many people don't exercise because it's an immediate cost to them and the benefits take a long time to see. However I have found one immediate benefit of exercise that has helped me to overcome my challenging situation.

Particularly tonight, as I've blogged about similar situations in the past, the feeling I get after I exercise is worth spending the time to go to the gym. I feel more accomplished, less stressed, and better able to handle everything I have going on. Morale of the story, even though it takes time out of my schedule, and I really have to push myself to exercise, it's totally worth it.

What Keeps Me Going

Sometimes it's really hard to motivate myself to exercise for the day. I may have had a long day, have mounts of homework to do, or just want to go to bed. I state on this blog that achieving a state of being whole, staying fit, and reducing stress are my main reasons to keep up with my exercise goals, but I want to post up some links on the benefits of regular exercise. I often think about these other reasons as motivation to keep going!

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/HQ01676
This article discusses long term benefits of exercising regularly, such as being in a better mood, and promoting better sleep patterns. Sometimes just thinking about the long term benefits of regular exercise motivates me to follow through with my goals.

http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwfit/benefits.html
This is another article that discusses benefits of regular exercise. This article focuses on highlighting how exercise helps the different systems of the body. Thinking about the reasons listed in the article really helps me to follow through with my goals because the reasons specify how exercise will help me to function more holistically.

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=59844
This article talks about new exercise trends for 2010. Reading this motivates me to follow through with my goals because I find some of the trends fun such as using new technology, and being a part of exercise that seeks to align the body and mind (again with being whole!).

What It Feels Like to Hike 10.5 Miles

Major progress towards my goal this week. I hiked 10.5 miles up Echo Mountain today! The hike was mentally and physically challenging and was not easy by any means. Although I regularly go on hikes this was my first time hiking such an intense trail. I had also gone on the hike with my friend Filip Bartnik, who documented the trip through the pictures you see, and encouraged me to make it to the top.

So what was it like to hike 10.5 miles? I'm not going to lie about this, it was hard. The trail was very steep and narrow. There was times I questioned if I would make it all the way to the top of the trail, a place called Inspiration Point. However, I found with enough focus, belief in yourself, and allowing for breaks in between making it to the top was possible. Once I made it to Inspiration Point I was in total awe of the view, it was so beautiful. You can see Glendale, Hollywood, Venice Beach, Los Angeles, and Santa Monica from the point. It was very relaxing and rewarding to look at the view, the hike was very much worth it. Then it was time to head back down, something we were rushed to do as it was getting dark fast. Since it was such a long trail, the hike seems to go on forever as you're going down, however once we made it back down I felt a huge sense of accomplishment.

Although this hike was difficult and I am really sore now, I really feel the hike made a good measure of how much progress I made this semester with my exercise goals. I don't feel I was always physically in good enough shape to be able to complete such a hike, and am really happy that I was able to do so now. Knowing this really does motivate me to continue making progress.

Gotta Practice What We Preach

Today I printed out my intervention material on encouraging graduate students to exercise more, and being a grad student myself I was motivated to go and workout at the gym today. It has been hard this week, again I've had a lot to do for school. I do find it interesting though after I spend most of the day preparing for an upcoming exam, I found myself to be exhausted, I just wanted to home home and go to bed. However, I thought exercising was something I should do, because A it's relevant to my assignments for this week, and B I think it might make me feel better. After my workout I do feel a whole lot better, that drained feeling is better, I feel energized, and not as stressed.

Due to midterms and Spring Break, this was my first time going back to the gym in awhile. It's been good having variety in my exercise schedule, but it felt really refreshing and motivating to head back to the gym environment. I am really excited about starting zumba lessons soon and joining a group of friends to go hiking Saturday morning! Stay tuned for pictures of the hike.

Change.....

I just flew back to California tonight. Despite being away from a gym I got in three workouts last week. Even though I don't always get in four workouts every week I have noticed changes in myself since the start of my intervention. I walk as much as I possibly can. Today I had a really long wait at an airport, and used some of my time to simply walk around the airport. I'm parking my car further away from buildings now, to get in a little bit more walking time in my daily routine.

My eating patterns have changed now. I'm adding soups and more fruits and vegetables to my meals. This leaves me feeling full, and makes it less likely for me to crave junk food snacks. I'm noticing more and more fast food chains that post up calorie counts on their menus, I'm opting out of high calorie food and snacks in exchange for healthier options. So point being even though I may not always work out four times a week I've noticed changes in myself that are here to stay for the long run, and yes sometimes these changes do temporarily go away like during midterms, but for the most part the changes have appeared to become the norm now.

Spring Break

I'm currently spending time with my family at the East Coast for Spring Break. Although I have been working on school work for much of this break, having some time off from classes and work has given me the opportunity to get my body back in the habit of exercising regularly. More so I want to use this time to undo the damage of the lack of exercise and extra junk food time I allocated for myself during the stress of midterms. As I've mentioned earlier in this blog joining 24 hour fitness has really motivated me to meet my goals, but since I'm away from the gym this week I've been looking at other ways to go about reaching my goals.

Specifically, I've realized that there are times in life when even though exercising may not seem relatively easy you can readjust your environment and exercise routines to still get in a solid workout. Here are some websites that I've come across that are helping me to figure out ways to get in exercise time in the absence of being super close to a gym:

http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/adults.html
This website from the CDC will tell you the recommended guidelines of how much you should be exercising based on your age and health status. Specifically, the website breaks down different categories of exercise such as moderate and vigorous and gives you examples of what types of exercise fall under each category. These tips will help you to balance out your workout. The tips will also give you ideas on how to workout without going to the gym.

http://www.fitwatch.com/exercise/10-ways-you-can-exercise-at-home-without-any-equipment-10.html
This website from Fit Watch gives you 10 easy ways to get in cardio exercise routines within the comfort of your own home. These exercises are relatively easy to do, and can be scheduled around busy times.

http://fittv.discovery.com/convergence/virtualvideotraining/cardio/cardio.html
This website will show you short clips from Fit TV experts demonstrating how to do cardio exercises. Many of these exercises such as marching in place can be done at home while even watching TV.

Midterms Week

I have not met my goal even once this week. Quite frankly it's been a pretty bad week to not get in that exercise. As I prep for finals, and prepare for an intense workload I find myself eating more and more junk food such as coffee and ice-cream to keep me going. I know changing my diet was not part of my goal, but it really has hit me that my health eating habits go out the window during times of stress. So not only have I been eating more and going off of very little sleep but I have not been exercising at all, to add insult to injury. However, this week will soon pass and I will get on track again with my exercise goals. Until then, wish me luck on my exam.

Meeting the Goal!

Things have been really looking up. Last week was the first time in awhile that I met my goal as I got in 4 days of exercise. Actually meeting the goal one week has really set the precedent for me to be motivated enough to follow through with future weeks, as I'm well on my way to meeting my goal again for this week. I have to admit that joining the gym has really helped me to meet my goal, as I know in the back of my head that I'm paying a membership fee and the gym is less that 5 minutes away from my house. On another note, I started going to yoga classes, some of the moves were kind of difficult and I was embarrassed with my inability to keep up but I have found that yoga really helps me to clear my mind.

I've really found that squeezing in the time to exercise has really helped me to relax, de-stress, and focus on my work more than before. I also feel exercise is helping me to normalize my sleep schedule a bit. When I exercise at night I usually feel really tired and end up going to bed earlier, as a result waking up earlier, making my time management skills a little better. I've truly had a wonderful opportunity the past couple of weeks to grasp all the benefits of regular exercise!

Progress!!!!

Things have been really looking up in terms of my exercise goals the past couple of weeks. Last week I managed to exercise three times. One of them was a hike at Griffith Observatory, which not only was a decent workout but served as an opportunity to experience fresh air and expierence a scenic view of the city. This week week I joined 24 hour fitness because the gym was offering a very affordable membership fee at the moment, and the gym is less than five minutes from my house.

Since joining a gym I exercised twice this week. My membership fee also covers a variety of different classes including zumba and yoga both of which I hope to try out within the next couple of weeks. I think joining a gym will really help me to meet my goal for the semester. Since I now know in my head that I am paying for a membership fee I feel I will be even more motivated to actually exercise regularly. Additionally, having the access to classes makes exercise time more exciting to me.

Since I have been progressing, I would like to talk about people who are supportive in my effort to change. I know the assignment sheet asks us to discuss just one person, but I have been blessed enough to have a whole group of people who are supportive of my goals. First of all I would like to talk about my mom. My mom has told me that she's really proud of me in taking the initiative to join a gym, and I know she will keep reminding me to go regularly since I'm now paying a fee.

My friends have also supported me in meeting my goal, since some of them share similar goals as well. For example, they have invited me to play basketball and offer time to go hiking as well. This form of support helps to set up an environment where I am not only excited to spend time with my friends but to exercise as well. Additionally, my roommates have been supportive of my goal. Living with people who eat healthy and regularly go to the gym, and give me a look if I think about going back to my lazy ways :) has really fostered an environment where I can meet my goals. I truly feel that having so much support to meet my goals will help me to actually act on them and succeed.

Lagging Behind

Again I am saddened to write about another week where I have not exercised even once. Lately school has been really creeping up on me, I get home really late at night after working on homework and internship work and like I mentioned last week just lack the energy to exercise. Sometimes it baffles me that I can make an hour a day to surf on facebook, watch TV, talk on the phone etc. yet I can't make an hour to exercise. I simply just feel too tired.

On a somewhat related note I have been able to normalize my sleep schedule a bit, thus I have been going to bed earlier and waking up early in the morning. Since I've had so much work due this week I've been using the extra time to catch up on work, but I feel this schedule will set the tone for me to start exercising early in the morning soon. I do feel more motivated and I am really trying to make time.

I'm also looking to start a hiking group, I have searched the Internet and have not found any groups readily available to join in my area. However, I have spoken to a few classmates who seemed interested in the idea. Hopefully this weekend will be the first outing for that. I really feel scheduling some time to exercise with people will help me to stay on track with my goal, as it provides a fun time to be had, and also encourages us peers to hold each other accountable.

Barriers to Change

Last week I exercised two times. One of them was through playing Broomball through a USC sponsored event. I think social events with friends serve as a very good way to not only have fun but to get in some exercise time as well. This week I have not exercised even once. I know this is hard to write, and I'm not particularly proud of my lack of progress. In my defense the whole week is not over, so hopefully I can get in some workout time by the end of the week. Also, I have been making an effort to get in more exercise through everyday life, I park my car further away so I walk more, and I try to take the stairs as opposed to elevators. So I thought this week would be a good time to write about the things that stand in the way towards me getting fit and how I can overcome them.

Barrier number one: I feel like I'm busy and it's hard to schedule in time to workout. School projects and internship work has kept me pretty occupied this week as opposed to other weeks. I really think it's important to schedule out the times I will spend on work and school and then schedule in actual time to workout. I think this problem can be overcome through time management and sticking to a schedule. It's important to make time to workout even when things get busy as maintaining one's health is necessary to be able to perform your best in school and work.

Barrier number two: Sometimes I just feel too tired by the time I get home from everything to workout. I'm starting to think that one way to overcome this would be to wake up earlier and workout in the morning. This way I can add in workout time around my schedule and hopefully this will give me more energy throughout the day. I think I would also be more motivated to have exercising be one of the first things I do to start a day as opposed to one of the last things I do during the end of the day.

Barrier number three: Once I go through one or two weeks of not meeting my goal I get discouraged and it gets harder for me to meet my full goal in subsequent weeks. I think this barrier can be overcome through just maintaining a positive mindset. Just because this week did not go well doesn't mean they all will end up the same way. I think it's important for me to think of the ways I will overcome my barriers, and focus on acting out on those plans to get me to meet my goals in future weeks. I also think I should just forgive myself for not meeting my goal this week and work towards meeting it in future weeks.

Who Inspires Me

As far as tracking my progress yesterday I exercised three times a week. The first was the insanity workout, the second was a walk through a park, and the third was a cardio tape tae bo workout. This week I started out with the cardio tape tae bo workout again, it seems to give me energy without totally wearing me out like Insanity did.

I would also really like to talk about one of the sources of my inspiration for change. A couple years ago I met someone who is a childhood cancer survivor, this person is around my age but as a young child had a serious case of Leukemia. Somehow she beat all the odds and survived the cancer. This person is in the habit of taking very good care of their health. Meaning I always saw her eating right and exercising regularly. This person is also a really strong go-getter in life meaning she sets goals and strives to achieve them, I always see her going above and beyond her initial goals.

This person is my inspiration for change, because I really admire her perspective of living life to the fullest. She once told me that the reason she is such a go-getter in life is because she remembers having cancer as a child, and she remembers almost dying thus she lives life to the fullest because one can never really know when life could end. Her view on life has inspired me to strive to live my life to the fullest everyday. Part of living life to the fullest is to take care of your body, through eating right and exercising, it's hard to meet long-term career/life goals when you don't have the basic foundations right. When I thought about why I became so motivated to really follow through with my goal of exercising I remembered meeting my friend.

Week 2- My Motivation for Change

So far I have worked out once this week. My roommate talked me into trying out this workout tape series called "Insanity," which consists of a series of several intensity building workouts meant for cardio and strength training. I have to say doing the first series of this workout was very difficult for me. Within the first three minutes of warm up time I was so out of breath that I had to stop and take a break. I felt like giving up but decided to follow through with the whole workout, I did slower versions of the exercises presented on tape. This happened on Sunday, and today on Wednesday I'm still sore. I have to admit, doing this workout really did show me how out of shape I have become and it is motivating me further to keep up with my exercise goals. I have read that "Insanity" is one of the toughest exercise tape regimens out there so I don't feel too horrible about not being able to keep up.

I do want to talk about why I felt so motivated to make exercising regularly a goal for me this semester. For most of my life I've defined health as not being sick. However, lately I've personally come to believe in a concept of "wholeness." To me this means being mentally, physically, and emotionally healthy. In fact I have learned from some of my grad school courses that the World Health Organization defines health as, "A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." This is the definition of health I have adopted as well and refer to in my language as "wholeness." I believe that "wholeness" is one of the keys to not just maintaining good health but to leading a happy and productive life. To me "wholeness" is the next step above health, it is not just about being healthy but living one's life to the maximum potential. Since I've been understanding and learning about more of the concept of "wholeness, " I have committed to eating right and thinking of ways to relax and wind down from stress, and these are goals that I have been able to achieve. I am very motivated to add regular exercise to the formula so I can further reach "wholeness." On that note, I think I'm ready for another workout tonight.

Getting Back Into The Grove

When I was back in high school I used to play basketball and run track. During my undergraduate years in college my physical activity levels did decline compared to high school but I still remained active as I did not have a car yet, so I had to walk most places. Ever since I moved to California my fitness levels have taken a total hit as I drive most places now. Thus I have decided that I want to be physically fit again.

My goal for the next 16 weeks will be to exercise for at least a half an hour four times a week. I am picking the number four because this number seems reasonable as in the past I have aimed too high and have not met my expectations thus far. Aiming for four times a week should get me used to being physically active again. At the same time picking half hour blocks is also possible to squeeze into my schedule.

I am also thinking of ways that I can realistically come about achieving my goal. I think doing the same activity four times a week will be hard for me to repeat and will be boring. I want my activities to be things that I will look forward to doing each week. Since I've always enjoyed hiking but never really go as often as I should I'm currently looking for a hiking group to join in my area, ideally this will be something I will partake in once a week. I'm also looking for a possible yoga class to attend once a week as partaking in yoga regularly will not only help me to be fit but will help me deal with stress as the semester gets busier. The other two times a week will be spent walking and running outside in my neighborhood. I may end up mixing things up as the weeks go by and will not always end up doing these three things every week, but my goal is just to exercise four times a week for now.