Please Remind Me Not to Quit
I realized I haven’t reflected on activity that much due to me not finding the motivation. I start, but then stop after a week or so. Which makes me realize I need to remember because this is part of activity, which is really important for the CAS program. Also, I feel it helps you mentally as well as physically, whether that’s with your mental health or self-love. I decided to researched about this and the website HelpGuide explains clearly how it helps different mental illnesses. At the moment, my goals are to start slow with working out and to ACTUALLY REMEMBER to keep on doing this routine, until I get tired of it and switch it up. To start off my journey, I’m going to have a 3-4 day split routine. So one week, I’ll have a 4 day routine by working out on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Then the next week, I’ll have a 3 day routine by working out on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. But since this is my first week in a while, I’ll only workout for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. As much as it’s important to stay fit and active, it’s just as important to take rest days for your muscles to cool down. So without further ado, take this as a diary for a week (only whenever I change up my routine).
24th October 2022
My ab and back/shoulders day. Abs were always something I wanted to work on, but not to the point where that’s the only thing I work out for and overwork myself for them, so I decided to also work out back/shoulders as well to diverse out my days. So to start off, I decided to warm up with doing some pilates for 5 minutes or so. After that’s done, I went right into the 2 10 minute workouts I found on YouTube and got everything ready to start. The ab workout without equipment, while the back/shoulders workout was with equipment.
The equipment I used are 1KG dumbbells. Since this is my first time using dumbbells, my goal is to start small, then gradually increase the weight when I feel it’s best and more effective for me to change.
After both workouts, I feel fresher in a way even though this is my first workout in a while. I feel both workouts were somewhat successful. Even though the ab workout didn’t have any equipment, it was still great to do. Meanwhile, the back/shoulders workout was really interesting to do as I never used dumbbells before, I must say that using them was a whole new experience. Overall, this was a great workout to start out my workout journey.
26th October 2022
My pilates day. I have never tried pilates before, so I thought it would be great to try something new. I decided not to start off with the warmup because it’s the same as the workout I’ve chosen for the day, so I just started the 2 10 minute workouts I found on YouTube right away. The first workout was some “wake up” pilates since I was very tired getting up. The second was a power yoga workout since I’m more experienced in yoga and I wanted step it up today.
After both these workouts, I feel they were both very successful. I really liked how the “wake up” pilates weren’t wrong, they actually woke me up ! I feel very refreshed and not at all tired after that workout. The power yoga workout changed the pace a lot more. It had a mix between cardio and strength training, so it made me more motivated today as well as the other days. Both workouts will be very effective in the long run.
28th October 2022
My legs and arms day. I decided to give both a shot. Unfortunately, I started in a slow state since it was a holiday, so I started in the evening even though I normally start after I wake up. Like Monday, I warmed up with doing some pilates for 5 minutes and then got into the actual workout. I started of the leg workout and when that was done, I got into my standing arm with equipment (which I used the dumbbells I’ve used on Monday).
After both workouts, I feel very relaxed, like I have a good feeling for these workouts (spoiler alert: I do !). The leg workouts got intense with the strength training at some parts, but it was a great feeling as I felt like I was trying my hardest. I also feel I can support my body better by having my legs to be stronger. The arm workout was an experience (in a good way). I used the dumbbells in different ways I’ve never tried before to workout biceps and triceps. Some examples includes doing the narrow overhead press, overhead extensions (with backwards pulse), single arm wide fly, etc. In general, both workouts have really motivated me to keep going, even though I worked out late than I normally have.