November marks an important milestone for me personally as I’ve just ticked over the 365-day mark of working out every day!

In the past I’ve struggled to work out more than a couple of days per week.  This was because of mostly poor habits but also because I tended to listen to the little voice in my head that always seemed to have an excuse.

Since retiring from playing competitive football, I just seemed to have let myself drift in terms of keeping fit.

I always felt relatively fit, but my body condition, diet and overall body shape told a far different story…

When I worked out in the past, I found that I’d be quite sore for a few days which made it convenient to convince myself not to exercise cos I was too sore.

All that changed just over a year ago when I was feeling pretty crappy about myself health and fitness wise, but especially didn’t recognize the person in the mirror.

I was clear that I was carrying too much weight around my waist (yes, the pants were getting a little snug) and generally felt out of shape.

Definitely a blah moment!

So, me being me, decided to get off my bum and see if I could work out every day.  Initially I wanted to see if I could do it for a month.

Before you knew it one month turned into two, then six, now here we are a year later and still enjoying my morning ritual.

Each day I rise at 4:50 am and make my way to the studio in our home.  Admittedly, we’re fortunate to have a space dedicated to exercise and meditation in our own home, which definitely makes it easier.

I have not ulterior motive other than for staying fit and feeling healthy.  I’ve found I sleep better and generally have more energy than I used to – all fabulous side benefits.

Here is what makes up my personal workout schedule – there are three distinct parts:

I’ve had the circuit training app since 2015, albeit used only intermittently over the years except for this past 365 where I would squeeze in 12 workouts per month on average.

This consists of 7 cycles of 4 exercises, each 30 seconds in length.

Keeping it non-stop is the key and moving quickly between exercises amps up the heart rate while at the same time getting as many reps as possible on each within the timer period.

I generally arrange them with two groupings of exercises, each targeting a different body part.  With a warm up and cool down I can get through this program in 20 – 25 minutes.

My circuit training scheduled is generally based on the following two-week cycle: Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun, Tues, Thurs, Sat.

On alternate days over the course of the 365 I would intersperse either a high intensity workout or yoga class depending on how my body was feeling.

I learned early that even if my mind was saying “why not take it easy and do a yoga class” that I would question this and push through into a high intensity class.

Admittedly, this got easier as the months went by, but I still get occasions where I’ll have to override my head…

For my High intensity classes I generally use BetterMe, but I know there are a host of great apps out there including Apple/Nike which Judy does when she’s not at the local pilates studio.

I began my yoga journey in Toronto back in 2015 at Modo the Hot yoga studio on Danforth Avenue.

Fortunately for me I had the fabulous instructor – Jess Lemon who was super patient with me given I was a beginner.

My routine back then was to do a 90 min hot yoga class on Friday afternoon 4:30 – 6:00 pm after leaving work early.

Then after class irrespective of weather (summer or winter) I would walk the 2.5 km’s home along Danforth to my street.

I found the hot yoga invigorated me and left me on a physical high.

It was soooooo good!

Like me, most of the Friday afternoon class participants were devastated when Jess announced she was moving to Montreal with her family.

The silver lining was that Jess enabled me to fall in love with yoga on my terms.  If you get a chance check out her yoga retreats in Costa Rica and other locations around the world.

Since I’ve moved back to Australia in December 2020, I looked for a local yoga studio but just couldn’t get in the groove, so decided to research online classes.

This is when I discovered Sarah Beth yoga on YouTube.  I realize doing a class with an iPad is not the same as a live instructor, but it’s as close as I could get to Jess’ classes but without the heat.

The other incredible thing is that my body is now tuned into wake at 4:50 am every morning irrespective of whether I have an early or late start.

To ensure I stay on course I honour this wake-up call each and every day and head down the hall to our studio and get started.

It definitely helps when you invest in a yoga mat, some weights, bench, and other accoutrements, but the most important ingredient is you!

Showing up every day is where it’s at…

Until next week!

Ciao

 

P.S.  This year I also changed my diet to a fish and plant based one (pescatarian) which is also showing great supporting benefits.  Let me know if you need some recipe help.

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