I don't know about you, but my immediate reaction to that title is the ever silly phrase: let's not and say we did.
So why am I even bringing it up? Because, like it or not, it's an important part of a well-balanced life.
I was never an athletic child. I preferred swinging from swings than monkey bars. I'd rather hide than seek because that guaranteed some quiet time with a book. I was bringing a book to recess? Yes. You're starting to get quite the picture here, aren't you? I did have a fondness for jump rope, but looking back, I realize my favorite pattern involved smacking the rope to either side of my body before I ever jumped, ultimately making me look busy, but only requiring me to jump once every three movements.
Teenaged me was no more inclined toward these sweaty pursuits, even with the enticement that the boys might like me more with a more toned figure. No thank you. I was banking on bagging a boy who liked me for my brains and ability to match a song lyric to most any situation.
A couple of years ago that all changed. It started with yoga then exploded into walks and runs and dancing. All of a sudden, I was a woman who owned dumbbells and a kettlebell and resistance bands and felt a little self-righteous when people talked about not finding time to work out. Why, I was working out three hours a day and had the body to prove it!
Y'all: three hours a day is not sustainable. Not when you have a life. Not when you have a full-time plus kind of job. Not when you face days that are 16 hours long. I had to start decreasing my time and in some cases just skipped days or weeks. Pretty soon, I was feeling tired and out-of-shape again. I wanted to be fit, but I also lacked a real concept of what that looked for me or how I would measure that (since my body was no longer giving me aesthetic- or weight-based clues). I was frustrated.
I'm tired of feeling like this and since you're reading, I'm going to bet you are too. I have created a form for myself that you are more than welcome to use. Each month, I'm going to take one workout to assess these metrics: my weight (more from an informative point of view, since weight can fluctuate so wildly and, it feels, pretty much for no reason), as well as how many of each exercise I can do (or how long I can hold the pose in the case of planks and wall sits). My goal is that when I check in each month, I will be able to do more of each exercise, letting myself know that I am indeed getting fitter and my efforts really are paying off. I have chosen these exercises based on my physical ability to do them.
I always enjoy some company on these challenges, so comment below if you are also participating. I also find that I stick to my fitness goals more if I have a real world buddy or two. We all know a friend who would like to get more in shape, so bring them along. Before you participate, check with your doctor and make sure none of this will cause you injury or some other medical dilemma. In case you couldn't tell from the rest of this entry, I am not a medical expert, physical therapist, or anything like that. I'm choosing to do this. You're participating at your own risk. And as I said, I've chosen exercises I can physically do. If you are unable to do an exercise, you can of course modify it until you can or you can choose a different metric.
Now that I've addressed all that (in true buzzkill fashion), here's the chart for you to download:
Are you going to participate? Do you have some friends who might want to join you? Would you be interested in a regular check-in on fitness goals? Let me know in the comments!