Let's boost our motivation to exercise!

[IAmGoingToTri]

For all those who are interested, here's an idea...

Let's get some extra motivation to exercise by sharing our goals and experiences in the following way:

1. Set well defined goals (I want to exercise x times per week)
2. Keep a logbook (in this thread) by sharing what you did and how it went (in as little or as much detail as you like)
3. Track your goals and try to maintain your streak (to see what I mean by this, see my own example below). The general idea is that you try to maintain your streak for as long as you can (counting exercise days and planned break days), and the higher purpose of that is to develop consistency in your exercise routine, to stop skipping exercising but make it a strong habit. From experience I know that the longer you have been exercising consistently, the easier it will get to get yourself to do it again.

----

Here's my goals:
1. I want to exercise 4 times per week (this will increase later). Most of my exercise will be running (probably around 30 kilometers per week, slowly increasing to 40), but I will also cycle occasionally.
2. I will to running this evening, around 10-12 kilometers (I will share how it went)
3. Week number: 1
Streak counter: 0
Times exercised this week: 0 / 4
Break days taken this week: 0 / 3 (taking a rest day also adds to my streak. I only break my streak if I have no rest days left).

Every 4 week I will only exercise 3 times per week (so when the week number is divisible by 4), and I will also reduce the intensity of my workouts. I do this to allow my body and mind to rest, which helps to reduce stress and frustration (sticking with a challenging exercise routine is not only a physical challenge, but also a mental one, so allowing your mind to take a break every now and then seems like a good idea to me), and to reduce the risk of injury.

Feel free to join me if you like! Let me know if there is anything that is unclear.

 

[IAmGoingToTri]

Week: 1
Streak: 1
Times exercised this week: 1 / 4
Break days: 0 / 3

Logbook:

• Sunday:
  • Activity: running, 11 kilometers
    • Feeling great. It was the fastest run this year (about 10 kilometers per hour).
• Monday:
  • (Planned) activity: running, 10 kilometers

 

[IAmGoingToTri]

Week: 1
Streak: 3
Times exercised this week: 2 / 4
Break days: 1 / 3

Logbook:

• Sunday:
  • Activity: running, 11 kilometers
    • Feeling great. It was the fastest run this year (about 10 kilometers per hour).
• Monday:
  • Break day (unplanned)
• Tuesday:
  • Activity: running, 13 kilometers
    • I will go running after I am done with work (in an hour or so). I am going to run somewhere else where I have not run before, another park near my home, and I have measured a nice track of 3.25 kilometers. I am going to run 4 laps.

 

[IAmGoingToTri]

Update: I ran 13.5 kilometers today, the longest distance in more than a year. My muscles were still slightly tired from Monday, so I was a bit slower. Especially the last lap was tough, but overall it went fine. No pain. I enjoyed this new running place, it's a beautiful park, so I will run here more often!

 

[IAmGoingToTri]

The planning for the rest of the week:

• Sunday:
  • Activity: running, 11 kilometers (done)
• Monday:
  • Break day (done)
• Tuesday:
  • Activity: running, 13.5 kilometers (done)
• Wednesday:
  • Activity: cycling, 30 kilometers
• Thursday:
  • Activity: running, 10 kilometers
• Friday:
  • Activity: cycling, 30 kilometers
• Saturday:
  • Activity: running, 7.5 kilometers
• Sunday:
  • Break day

I will run 42 kilometers this week. I will see how this goes, if there is any pain I will reduce it. I will not increase this distance in the next weeks. Instead, I hope to just keep doing this, and increase my cycling distance with 10% every week until I cycle about 120 kilometers every week. After that is done I will add strength training and then swimming (or the other way around).

 

[IAmGoingToTri]

I cycled 45 kilometers (22.5 * 2). During my workday, I cycled an additional 5 kilometers (which I won't count, because if I count all the walking/cycling I do for my commutes, it would become too much work. But if I had to estimate, I think I cycle about 25-30 kilometers per week to work/supermarket/friends/family and I walk about 15-20 kilometers to those same places (and just for socializing with friends/colleagues and relaxing)). So, burned plenty of extra calories.

However, I am not really a calorie counter. I do estimates. I hate tracking things in detail, it completely breaks immersion for me; it makes me obsess over the process, instead of just living my life. I will do it if necessary, but so far I am doing well without it.

 

[IAmGoingToTri]

Exercise logbook:

Week: 1
Streak: 5
Times exercised this week: 4 / 4
Break days: 1 / 3

Planning:

• Sunday:
  • Activity: running, 11 kilometers (done)
• Monday:
  • Break day (done)
• Tuesday:
  • Activity: running, 13.5 kilometers (done)
• Wednesday:
  • Activity: cycling, 45 kilometers (done)
• Thursday:
  • Activity: running, 10 kilometers (done)
• Friday:
  • Activity: cycling, 30 kilometers
• Saturday:
  • Activity: running, 7.5 kilometers
• Sunday:
  • Break day

I already did enough exercise this week (4 out of 4 training sessions). I did plan two other activities, but I will treat them as optional activities. I will probably still do them, because I am starting to like exercising more and more. But I don't want to set the bar too high too quickly, because I know that if I do that, I will soon give up. It's better to take your time and be consistent, then to be quick and hasty.

 

[IAmGoingToTri]

It's time for another update. Below you can see how it went last week, and my schedule for this week. Overall I am doing fine. I took 3 break days in a row, being busy with other things, but I already did my exercise for the week, and I guess I could use some rest, so it was fine. From now on, I will add 10% to my running distance every week. In week one I did 34.5 kilometers, so this week I will do 37 kilometers and then in week three I will do 42 (which will be my upper limit for the next months). I will increase my cycling distance with at least 10% per week, but there I am allowed to do more, because I don't fear injuries at this mileage (however, I will be more careful later on). In week one I did 45 kilometers, so this week I will do at least 50 kilometers, the week after that I will do at least 55, etc.

Running is already a solid part of my exercise regime, the main challenge at the moment is making cycling really a part of it. When that is done, I can start swimming, and then I will have a complete triathlon training, that I can improve and expand from there!

Week 1: 4 - 10 September
Streak: 7
Times exercised this week: 4 / 4
Break days: 3 / 3

• Week 1
  • Sunday:
    • Activity: running, 11 kilometers (done)
  • Monday:
    • Break day (done)
  • Tuesday:
    • Activity: running, 13.5 kilometers (done)
  • Wednesday:
    • Activity: cycling, 45 kilometers (done)
  • Thursday:
    • Activity: running, 10 kilometers (done)
  • Friday:
    • Break day (done)
  • Saturday:
    • Break day (done)

Week 2: 11 - 17 September
Streak: 9
Times exercised this week: 1 / 4
Break days: 1 / 3

• Week 2
  • Sunday:
    • Break day (done)
  • Monday:
    
    • Activity: running, 11 kilometers (done)
  • Tuesday:
    • Activity: running, 9 kilometers / cycling, 25 kilometers
  • Wednesday
    • Break day
  • Thursday
    • Activity: running, 11 kilometers
  • Friday
    • Activity: running, 6 kilometers / cycling, 25 kilometers
  • Saturday
    • Activity: cycling, 25 - 50 kilometers (optional)

 

[mantishugo]

After recovering back from fever I want to start exercising again. I have gained 2 kg in 15 days because of being bed-ridden for weeks, eating and doing nothing. Now, I will start exercising and eating only those thongs which are good for immune system.