Month: May 2019

The past week I sought out to wear the same clothes every day. It was a pretty simple habit to start, especially considering most days were spent on a camping trip. Over the past week, I’ve had loose dress code requirements, making this simple so far, with rare occasions requiring differences. So far, it’s off to a good start.

Staying the Same

The fact that a majority of the days I’ve spent on this trial so far were on a camping trip helped get into the swing of things easily. I didn’t have to think much about what to bring and just threw the clothes I needed in my bag. To my knowledge, my friends accompanying me didn’t even notice. If they did, it was insubstantial enough to not need to mention.

After the trip, everything sat in my laundry for a short bit, but I still kept my clothing choice to a simple set of clothes. Luckily, I work from home, meaning I don’t have to think too hard about what I wear already. I have some additional thoughts on this that I want to expand on in the future, so I’ll leave things there for now.

Time and Place

Something I did mention in last week’s post leading up to this trial was that certain situations will call for different clothes. While 90% of activities will consist of the same circumstance, there are exceptions to be had. For example, when I go out for a workout, I have a separate set of clothes for working out in. Another example is that I went kayaking on the trip and wanted clothes that would dry easily should I unfortunately go in the water. So I wore a pair of running shorts, surprisingly not part of my standard wardrobe.

In general, the idea I was going for with this trial, and possibly after, is to reduce the items that I skip over in my wardrobe. We all have those items. The ones that end up on top after the laundry pile picks up and we dig deeper to find something else. Anything else. Over the past couple years, I’ve found more and more of those items accumulating.

Another benefit I’m looking for is to reduce the amount of thinking that putting on clothes can sometimes take. BUT I think I’ll save that for next week. So far, I’m enjoying this trial quite a bit.

The last few weeks I’ve been feeling better and better, but due to some bad decisions lately that have started to take their toll. In the long run, I expect this to pass, and thus I have a bigger concern, keeping my momentum going.

Getting Stronger

I really did enjoy this trial quite a lot. Getting daily exercise has generally made me feel stronger and healthier. Unfortunately, there are a few other elements that I have started to let slide. My diet and sleep took a hit recently, and I’ve paid the price. As the trial came to a close, the sets were getting harder and harder. It goes to show that health and fitness are much more than just exercising.

Other than the recent bumps, I felt I was getting stronger and faster each day. Runs feel smooth and easy, though at a quick pace. I’ve even been able to run some workouts and push myself pretty hard. Over the weekend, I ran a tough hill workout from my college days that had some interesting effects.

Keeping the Habit

A trend that started with the last few trials was a quick stop to the habit as soon as the period ended. Something I mentioned a few weeks back was the benefit of adding the set to my daily to do list. This helped to make it part of my day, no matter what. To try and remedy my adherence problem, I’m keeping the to do list item.

With the specifics of this trial completed, adjusting the habit to a more generic workout or stretching should help. The stretching piece will be the biggest benefit. As I’ve started to feel more and more exhausted from the workout, I’ve been less and less motivated to stretch, making the next day more difficult.

With this one in the books, what lies ahead? My next trial will be to simplify my wardrobe by wearing the same outfit every day, with a slight caveat for special occasions.

The past week has been going well, though I did take a couple days off to avoid possible injury. Other than that I’ve been able to climb higher and higher with the workouts.

Little By Little

Every day feels to be getting better in one way or another. Maybe I’ll finish the run faster than the day before, or I’ll be able to increase the reps I do in a set on the way to 100. Today, I even did a tempo pace running workout. The premise being to run at a faster sustained pace for a certain time period. The workout was a great way to see what kind of shape I’m actually in fitness-wise.

Something I mentioned early on in this trial was that this workout routine is pretty limited in terms of covering the whole body. With the progress I’ve been making, I decided to add some additional elements, though optional. A set of pullups at the end of the cycle was the first addition. Next, I added a calf raise to the squats. With these additional elements, I want to start off small and work them into the routine slowly. As I master the other elements, I can start to bring in other pieces to the table.

Coming to a Close

With the trial winding down into the last week, I am not quite sure how I want to approach my fitness in the future. This routine has led to me feeling great and fit, while not investing hours and hours every day. However, I don’t know how sustainable it is in the long run. As mentioned, I took a few days off after feeling some pain in my foot in a injured spot from the past.

Taking necessary time off might be something I work into a future plan. Whatever I decide, I do feel that this is a good program to do for a short period after a long time off. The numbers themselves can be adjusted, but trying to hit a goal for each exercise daily helps to get back in the swing of things. In the past, I’d come back to working out in a way that left my body broken for days. With this however, the relatively small amount of effort needed provides the important result, building the habit.

Another week down, and while there were some complications, I’m still going strong. One thing I want to discuss in particular today is how treating habits as a to-do list has helped me to keep up with them.

Progress Report

As far as the trial is going, I unfortunately missed a day last week due to some poor planning on my part. It wasn’t fatigue or laziness that was the problem, I just didn’t properly make the time that day. In hindsight, I could have made something work, but that’s how most things are. I decided to just focus on keeping things going.

Something I didn’t really touch on last week was how I’ve been approaching getting 100 reps of each exercise in. While I wish I was able to do each in one go, I’ve broken things up in sets. One part I’m really happy about is that I’ve been able to increase the amount of reps in each set. Last week, I was doing sets of 25 reps. Now I do two sets at 35, and one at 30. I’m hoping maybe I can shoot for the 100 set towards the end.

Habits as Tasks

One of the most important apps I have on my phone is my to-do list. Every day it lists what things I have set out for myself to do. There are exceptions of course, but I generally get things done when I set out to.

Adding habits, especially daily ones, has been a good way for me to stay on top of them. If I see a checkbox for the day, I am going to make sure I find a way to get that done. This works extremely well for habits that more often need a spark to get started.

My current trial isn’t the only habit I’ve done this with. I’ve used this for reading, journaling, and even longer term habits like my weekly reviews. Having this system helps to employ the “Seinfeld rule.” In is time as a comedian, Jerry Seinfeld set out to write at least one joke every day. His only goal was to not break the streak, regardless of the quality of the joke. Putting in the effort every day was what mattered.

As mentioned before, I unfortunately broke the streak. It happens. The important thing is to start again and see how long you can make it this time.

Over 42 miles run and 2100 reps I can honestly say this was a tough workout plan to stick to. The first few days were rough, but it’s gotten easier surprisingly quick. There is definitely a lacking in this regimen, but as a way to get back in general shape, I’m enjoying it.

Pushing Through the Tough Times

At the start of last month, I wrapped up a long standing training goal of running a marathon. Afterward, I took some time off and needed something to get me back into fitness. I decided this would be a great time to try out this long standing idea in my head, to follow the workout plan from the anime series, One Punch Man. That is 100 push ups, 100 sit ups, 100 squats, and a 10 kilometer run every day.

The second and third day were definitely the worst. My muscles were still recovering from the prior days, and I just had to push through to hit my goal. By day four, it started getting easier. I feel that each day that passes now, the full set is a bit easier.

I find this is a simple routine that doesn’t take much time at all, and I’ve often enjoyed daily habits, because forcing myself to go out and do something each day helps to stay committed. Having something as silly as an anime to base my workouts off of makes me laugh when I think about it, but overall it’s been a fun time so far.

Won’t Deny the Flaws

While I do like this routine, there is some areas that can’t be ignored. For one, the exercises involved don’t involve a lot of muscle groups at all. I’m considering making some adjustments as I get later into the trial, but for now, I’m going to stick to the plan as is.

Working out every day can have its benefits, but there is also a complication that I’ve thought about from time to time, avoiding injury. I do think the routine is light enough to where I am not at a great risk, but it’s a fear that stuck with me from an old injury. It is something I’ve learned from, and should I sense something is wrong, I’ll probably just take a day off.

One week down and so far so good. We’ll see if things keep up over time, but for now, this has been a fun start.