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.