Exercise update, Week 3

I have a confession to make. There’s this running group that just started in my church and I actually really wanted to join them because of my desire to build fitness into my life. And it’s clear that there’s some really good camaraderie and results from them.

They’ve gone together for almost every major run and competition recently. They go for road trips on outstation runs and nature trails. They use apps to monitor their own and each other’s runs and results, so that even when they can’t run in the same location due to timing and schedule, they still feel the sense of running together and encouraging each other.

There’s a Facebook group for them, a Twitter account for updates and a blog which is actively updated by different runners and group members with interesting stories and thoughts regarding fitness and running.

And you can see results. So many pounds lost, leaner bodies, more strength and fitness enabling them to run faster and further as time goes by.

But from the beginning, it was clear that I couldn’t join. The time commitment was just too intensive. And it’s not an issue of priorities or motivation. I have to take care of my daughter one to one many times because of the nature of my wife’s work and there’s no way I can do the running and bring her along.

So I’ve been actively exploring ways I can keep fit while taking care of my daughter, using the disappointment of not being able to join the group as my main motivation point.

It’s been a good process, actually. The feeling of missing out has gradually been replaced by the feeling of wanting my daughter to be exposed to an active lifestyle and to love nature, and there are some other positive things which have come out from this.

Every Sunday morning, I go on a hike with my parents, with my daughter strapped to my back. They’ve been going the last year or so but now with their granddaughter following along, they couldn’t be happier. It’s great family time and it really makes me sweat out. There are sections where you walk on a steep uphill for 15 to 20 minutes straight and my parents may be pushing 60 but I kid you not, they are probably fitter than me.

I’ve started a home fitness video again called Insanity. The sessions last maybe 40 minutes and what it allows me to do is to sneak in an exercise routine in the hall when the baby sleeps in the room. Sometimes, if the baby is awake and wants attention, I still proceed and just put her on my shoulders which just intensifies the workout. And since I’m home, I can bathe her right as she has my sweat all over her after.

And when I pick my daughter up from my mother-in-law’s house after work, I try to find ways to squeeze exercise in as well. I may not be able to drive out to the park and join the group but I push the pram to the field next to the house and I do a light jog while pushing the pram, then have dinner with my in-laws after.

Of course, if my daughter wasn’t around I can definitely get a better workout but I’ve learnt to manage my expectations. I don’t expect to always get in a nice one hour workout and if I do 20 minutes of which 10 of those minutes I’m sweating, I’m happy already.

I’m also not watching my diet at all, eating and drinking anything I want since my goal is not to lose weight, but to feel fitter and stronger. It’s a lot less stressful this way and all things considered, I have to say that I’m quite having a blast so far.

It’s been three weeks since I started and I hope I can continue long-term.

Categories: Health