Fitness Journal: C25K day 1

I’m back at it! I started the Couch to 5K training app over at day 1 since it’s been so long since I’ve been running. But I did it! Good work, self!

The back of my left leg is a bit weirdly sore still, probably from yard work this weekend, but it didn’t seem to interfere with my run once I got going.

Stats:
Distance: 1.91 mi
Speed: 14:50 min/mi
Animals: 1 orange cat hiding under a dumpster, many dogs being walked

Fitness Journal: Monday morning workout

It’s been too long since I worked out, so here’s getting the week off on the right foot. I did ~1mi walk yesterday night, which was nice. Just cool enough to need to bundle up slightly, but still pleasant once I got warmed up.

Probably because I haven’t had breakfast yet, but 2 rounds is plenty for my legs this morning.

 

Exercise Round 1 Round 2 Round 3
20 squats X  X  X
5 knee pushups X  X  X
20 lunges (walking) X  X  X
10 milk jug rows X  X  X
15s plank X  X  X
30 jumping jacks X  X  X

ETA: I did it! I sat around for a while and decided fuck it, time to finish that third round!

Fitness Journal: bodyweight workout

So that was a week. In addition to the massive upheaval of the election, a good friend hit a major professional milestone and also had to put down one of her dogs. In light of everything, and my stated goal of habit building before substantial physical fitness improvements, I’m cutting this workout a bit short.

I technically started the workout on Wednesday and also made it through the first round, and then my roommate got home and we had to yell about the election.

Exercise Round 1 Round 2 Round 3
15 squats X
5 knee pushups X
20 lunges X (walking)
10 milk jug rows X
15s plank X
30 jumping jacks X

Fitness Journal: body weight(ish) workout

My legs were starting to feel the running a bit more than I really wanted, so my current plan is to slow that training down a bit and get started with a weight workout, which I’ve been meaning to do. Since I don’t really own any working out/weight lifting equipment and don’t have or want a gym membership, I’m starting with the Beginner Bodyweight Workout from Nerd Fitness*. I like the idea of bodyweight workout since it doesn’t require a lot of monetary investment, and I have lots of milk jugs to fill with water!

Exercise Round 1 Round 2 Round 3
20 squats X X
5 knee pushups X X
20 lunges X (regular) X (walking)
10 milk jug rows X X
15s plank X X
30 jumping jacks X X

This is a good illustration of how not-great shape I’m in, despite the running going well. My legs are in the best shape, so I started with the ‘hardest’ squats with my arms over my head, and for round 2, I did the hands behind the head. I probably could have done a third round of squats, but I’m giving myself credit for doing the workout at all in the first place, and calling it a day. My goal is consistent workouts, not super hard workouts. I’m also quite weak in the arm department, so I’m starting with 5 pushups from my knees instead of the 10 regular pushups. Hilariously, the 10 dumbbell/milk jug rows were no problem. I probably can plank for a little longer, but I’m ok with starting at 15 seconds and working up to my three full rounds of exercises first before making them harder.

  • I theoretically like the idea of a ‘nerd-focused’ fitness site since I myself am a Giant Nerd. And they do a great job of introducing people who stereotypically have not done a lot of moving their body around to moving! If this is for you, beware the cloying/patronizing nerd analogies. As ever, I’m the Wrong Kind of Nerd for this to be really appealing.

skin care and exercise: fall edition

One issue brought up by exercising more AND getting obsessed with skin care AND using ingredients that increase sun sensitivity is that I have to think a bit more about how I’m going to coordinate my exercise with my skin care routine.

For me, the easiest so far has been to exercise after work. At this point, the sun is setting (or already set if I’m getting started late), so there is minimal sun exposure, and I still have the remnants of my daily sunscreen on. By the time I’m done, the sun is basically set (if I didn’t start in the dark!), so it doesn’t matter if I’ve sweated off the remainder of my sunscreen and I can just do my usual wash routine in the shower and then go right into my nightly product(s). If it were any earlier in the evening and/or if the sun was more up, it would probably make sense to reapply the sunscreen before going running. And since it isn’t UNGODLY HOT anymore, I’m not sweating as badly either.

When it was hotter, I was liberally applying my go-to US sunscreen: Coppertone for Kids/Babies Tear Free. It’s hella water/sweat proof, and if some days I double-cleansed twice a day, so be it.