Historically, the month of September is when I feel my best. I've had a chance to thoroughly and completely stretch my legs from the winter hibernation. I've settled into a solid training schedule. Going outside and walking pose the least barriers to entry for the past 3-4 months almost as though I lived in a coastal climate in the West or someplace with what we used to know as "nice weather" year round until climate change.
During the pandemic I gained 10-15lbs on my frame. Not really a huge deal and I didn't make it a huge deal. It was fine — I was alive and healthy for the most part working from home making my snacks, treats, and drinks. Austin and I just moved in together 6 months earlier so we were still adjusting to some degree and getting into a routine.
Previous to the pandemic, I started to fall into unhealthy patterns like drinking out of boredom (really because I was lonely and instead of seeking connection, I just cracked a brewski), drinking too much on the weekends, ordering late night eats, and sitting 8-9 hours a day and not compensating for it by moving in other ways. I did yoga on Wednesdays and 30 minutes on the elliptical every now and then but it wasn't really a concerted effort to do anything other than burn calories.
Then Austin and moved in together in August 2019 and I started eating dinner, regularly. Wild to consider but when you live alone or not with a nuclear family unit, eating dinner is typically alone or at odd hours. Dinner time is never an event but more a chore so often times I would just have a snack, not a meal, or give up and drink two beers and have some yogurt and chocolate before bed. There is joy in eating a meal next to someone, even if you don't say much and it lasts all of 10 minutes. I don't think I'll take it for granted much in the future.
So with the regular meals, minimal movement, and on top of that we had to stay home most to all the time....my body sort of reflected the change. It was uncomfortable some of the time but most of the time, I didn't think about it and that was a fucking gift. My brain let me just evolve without much judgement.
In January of 2021, I joined the Peloton app and started doing yoga and strength based workouts a few times a week. I couldn't justify purchasing the branded bike when I owned an actual bicycle but the mat workouts sparked my interest in moving my body again.
We hiked a good bit during 2020...getting day hikes in almost every weekend and one large long 14.6 mile hike up to the top of Mount Le Conte in the Smokies. But I knew I needed more than the weekend miles and short walks around the neighborhood. In 2021, I did almost 3000 minutes of movement through the app - and this year I am on pace to exceed that number. I've also recently taken up running and while I can't jog a mile without stopping to walk yet, it feels good to just move in a new way and challenge my body now that I have a base level of strength.
I tried running once about 11 years ago but it was just to burn calories it wasn't to improve my health and overall feeling of wellbeing.
Now, I haven't changed anything about my diet currently, although I would be lying if I didn't share that I lost about 10-12 pounds since this time last year through calorie counting and hitting a protein target. But it wasn't fast or drastic and still ate the way I wanted to when we went on vacations and long weekends. It took me 9 months to a year to get here so I was not in a hurry to evolve. Just improve slowly which is the baseline of what this exercise endeavor has been all about. Very slow changes adding up over time leading to improved outcomes and status.
I think this approach can work the opposite way as well - the small stuff adds up going uphill or down. I think a lot of it is about choice and awareness and God knows its a motherfucker to try and change at my age.
Hopefully I keep with the running thing- don't really have a plan to race or whatever. Just kind of want to run a mile without stopping and go from there.
Small choices. Small changes. Going in a forward direction.
Life changing. 🖤