My Streak is Broken
On March 19th, I broke my streak.
I recently changed jobs. I went from a desk job to an on-your-feet-all-day job. I’m still acclimating to my new inconsistent schedule.
Some days, I don’t get home until 10p or 10:30p which is super late for me. On days like that, I work in some yoga in the morning, because I know my day will be full of heavy lifting on the job. Doing the short yoga sessions enables me to keep my streak alive without overdoing it.
Yesterday was a weird day. I went to work around 10a and got home around 6p. I woke up later than planned, so yoga was a no-go. When I got home, I was sore and tired from the work of climbing ladders, lifting boxes, and walking the floor.
I showered, ate, watched some episodes of The West Wing, and that was all she wrote. My exercise reminder alarm went off at 9p, but I silenced it without even thinking. I went to bed, and just like that, my streak ended.
Day 277 of my streak never happened.
Now What?
I have a choice to make now. I could say, “Well, it was cool to workout every day for 276 days, but now, I’m off the hook!” Or, I could start over with today being Day 1.
I had a few reasons for doing this “experiment" before. One of which was that I had a desk job. I wasn’t using my body. There were days that I didn’t get 3,000 steps in. My brain and my body were suffering. Exercising for 10 minutes a day (minimally) kept my body and brain feeling good.
Now that I have a completely different job, I’m not only getting 10,000 steps in a day, I’m also lifting things that weigh up to 100 pounds during each shift. I think it is safe to say that my body is getting the exercise it needs just from the job.
But, there’s something else - I want to always be able to say ‘yes’ to adventure. If someone invites me on a backpacking trip, I want to confidently say, “Yes, I can hike that many miles with that weight backpack.” If I want to vacation on the river, I want to know that I can kayak and camp with ease.
Having a healthy and fit body for me is to have a vehicle for adventures big and small. While I may only have those adventures once or twice a year, I think it is worth it to be adventure ready.
So, I’m going to start a new streak.
New Streak Game Plan
To get a checkmark on my day, I need to -
Yoga for however long I need it in the morning and in the evening.
I have a list of moves for the morning and one for the evening. These routines can take as little as 5 minutes. The time doesn’t matter. The practice does.
Other Movement Goals
Strength training three times a week for at least 30 minutes
Simple strength training routine of upper body, core, lower body
Rowing for distance twice a month
So, that’s my plan for now. Do yoga in the morning and evening while my body becomes accustomed to my new job. Work in the strength training over time. Work in the low impact cardio over time.
It will change over time as things do, but as long as I am doing something active every day, I’m winning.