6 Week Fitness Challenge: Results Post

Reflections on the Six Week Fitness Challenge by @Coachjj

I came across @coachjj fitness challenge in the post promotion of the alliance discord - or maybe it was in the general talk channel. I don't remember which one, but I know that it was one of my alliance family members who was trying to do something good on Steemit.

So, I joined. I had been feeling the need to do a more regular exercise regiment since thanks to Steemit, I have been sitting on my butt way more than at any other time in my life.

I grew up walking wherever I was going and kept that habit up whenever possible. Then, I got into bicycling and riding 50 mi before breakfast was my normal for a while. If not that, I was swimming, or running, or hiking. After my bout with cancer (and yes, I was pretty much not moving at all when I was down for a year, but that was different), I gave myself the gift of hiking (and training for) Mt. Whiney - the highest peak in the continental US.

Doing a regular exercise routine usually means something big for me. I used to hike Cowles Mountain every day. When I was in good shape, I could to the 3-mile hike with a 1000 ft elevation gain in 45 minutes. It takes a lot longer than that if I am not in shape.

I also moved a bit further from the trailhead and to do that hike is more of a 3-hour time commitment now. And then, there is the gas and the environmental impact to consider when driving to exercise. At the same time, I don't really enjoy walks around the neighborhood that much.

What to do?

I wanted to join the challenge and also get back to the fitness level I used to enjoy.

Oh, did I mention that I am also a Yoga Teacher and used to teach 12 classes per week? Some of them were kids classes that take even more energy.

One thing that makes it very hard to start a workout routine again is that it is easy to get frustrated with oneself when the out of shape body is slow or doesn't bend as well as it used to.

Also, my days are packed and I didn't see how I can fit a couple of hours of fitness into my schedule.

Then it hit me! I remembered studies that showed that people in Europe, who walked or bicycled as their mode of transportation but didn't do any other workouts, were found to be in much better shape as their sedentary peers.

There was another study that indicated that more frequent small workouts are better than 8 hours of sitting and then doing one big workout. Also, my garden really needs a lot of work and spending time away seems like a really bad idea.

My plan was born!!!

I have this sitting in front of my house.

In case you don't know what that is, it is a truckload of tree trimmings that make excellent mulch. Having it dumped at my house and spread in the garden diverts another truckload from going to the landfill.

Here is another pic so you can see how big that thing is.

That is a workout waiting for me right there. Now, let me show you where I need to take a lot of it.

First, we go through the front yard to the side door - that is about 30 steps.

Then, we go through the door toward the back of the garden.

I counted the steps, but don't remember what this particular segment was.

Then we turn to go towards the chicken compound. That is where I need mulch all the time to keep things nice, smell free, and healthy for my girls.

See all the greens in need of cutting and hugelbeds which need to be tended.

On the way, I have to say hello to those two.

This mommy came out of hiding with only one baby chick - last year, I had girls hiding and then appearing again with 18 little ones. The two keep staying away from the mean aunties in the rest of the flock.

The door to the coop - 140 steps later. If I take 10 loads to the chickens, I walked well over a mile without leaving my property. And that is not all that needs to be done. Plenty of workout opportunities here.

Since shoveling and wheelbarrow pushing can be hard on the back, frequent stretching or mini Yoga sessions are a must!!

I found a workout that I can stick to and will not only benefit my body but also my mind - getting things done feels really, really good!!!

One more picture of all the volunteer Nasturtium that are having a great time taking over the world.

Once they are done, guess what is going there? Yup, mulch.

Fun fact: Every part of the Nasturtium is edible and delicious: Flowers, leaves, seeds, and roots too.

The Challenge

For me, it was really helpful to have the accountability partner in @coachjj. If I was starting to feel lazy, I made myself go a couple of times more to the chickens or to dump the compost or whatever needed to get done to get to my goal number of steps.

It really is so easy to just push it off to tomorrow. Or just write one more post, answer one more email - and the next thing you know, it is the evening of another day without working out.

So, thank you for the challenge and I hope you keep going with it!!

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