As many of you know by now, I've been absent from the site for a while, due to a lack of energy and motivation. While doing my job and keeping up with my usual activities had some impact on this, I honestly think that the most significant contributing factor to my physical/mental health is my lack of exercise. I've been meaning to fix this for a while now, but have never got around to it, until about two weeks ago. (I think I'm getting better at avoiding procrastination.) Anyway, I'm not exactly happy with my current progress, but I was at least able to do my usual one hour, three-mile routine two days ago, and I still feel better afterwards. So, I thought it would be a good idea to share what I've been doing with the hope that others might find it useful.
What I've been doing
First of all, the exercise regime I'm working on is the best thing that's happened to me in many months, so I have to give a lot of credit to its author. There are a lot of different types of workouts and I can't guarantee that I'm using all of them the correct way, but I think my routine was based on the idea described in the post The Pace of Life. It goes roughly like this: I usually choose three different exercises for each day, which I plan in advance (usually based on how much time I have in the next few days). After that, I'll do a 10-15 minute warm up (my favorite exercise is usually cycling and since I don't have one, I usually just take my heart rate monitor along). Then, I will choose one of the chosen exercises for the day and do it until either a) I think I have had enough or b) my heart rate monitor beeps (whichever comes first). I usually try to stick to the same routine every day. These exercises are quite flexible and include anything from a run to a brisk walk to running, cycling, skipping and anything else that gets my heart rate up. The important thing is that I can always just think about one of these activities in the morning and then not have to think about it again until that day. I always try to work on a different exercise each day. I'll then take a shower and then usually get ready for work (I'm usually not a morning person and start working about half an hour before I usually need to start working).
The results
As I've already mentioned, this routine has not been very easy to follow. I'm not just complaining about having to work to get my sweat on, because that, of course, was the only goal. I had really high expectations when I started working out again, and while it has been much easier and more satisfying than it was for the previous few years, I can't say it's been all roses and butterflies. The primary thing that makes it more difficult for me is my inability to focus for long periods of time. Whenever I've tried to follow a routine I'm supposed to stick to for the whole day, it's been really hard for me to finish all the assigned activities. The other issue is that it doesn't leave me as energized as the daily routines I used to do before. The result of this has been that I almost always end up doing things in the evening and late at night, which only makes sense if you believe (as I do) that working out is supposed to be part of your evening routine. And finally, there are often not a lot of options for indoor exercise. I'll often choose between the three options available to me in the evening (basketball, running and lifting weights). Those who have been doing this for a while will appreciate how hard it is to try to make all three of them fit into the routine. The only time when it wasn't this tough was when I managed to schedule the three activities for the same evening. Luckily for me, this hasn't happened very often.
The good part of this routine
Even though I wasn't completely happy with my progress, I still felt pretty good at the end of each workout, except for two occasions where I wasn't in shape enough to run and had to do something less energetic instead. However, even these were still better than how I was feeling before I started exercising. Also, I actually did have energy and motivation most of the time and didn't need to think much about working out every day (not once did I get sick of it, to be honest). Another good thing about this routine was that it has made it easier for me to get some decent sleep and, as a result, I felt much more refreshed in the mornings. But most importantly, I think I'm a lot healthier now, and that's a good thing.
The bad part of this routine
Obviously, the bad thing about this routine is that it has been much more exhausting than I expected. The exercises themselves are pretty exhausting, but I have come to believe that the main reason for this is that I can't get used to a routine like this if I don't have a daily routine that requires the same sort of discipline as the one I am trying to achieve. I get frustrated with myself very easily if I have to make any extra effort on my part, but once I start seeing some results I get motivated to continue. One of the reasons I haven't written about this is because, despite the fact that I've been doing these exercises for almost three months now, I don't think I'll ever be able to do it as easily as someone who has already been doing it for a while. I know this is something I'll probably have to learn to live with, but it's always a bit frustrating when you can't get the job done so easily.
Conclusion
I still think I'm taking it way too slowly and should probably be aiming for a full routine that's more demanding. Maybe I'll be able to do that once I learn to pace my exercise better. For now, I'll probably be sticking with my current routine and make sure I get at least five workouts a week (and then my next topic will be about how well I follow my own advice, instead of listening to some motivational blog posts). The other question is whether I'll start doing them earlier in the evening (e.g. right before I go to bed) and whether that will be good for me. While it's only day four, I'll definitely keep doing what I'm doing, and hopefully, I'll be back to some kind of norm in no time at all. I have a few more topics in mind, but I'm afraid I may have to wait for a few days to be able to write about those. In the meantime, I wish you all a great weekend.
I have been thinking about what to write next in my new personal development series, and I'm finally ready to go public with it. Now, of course, you don't have to take my word for it. You can come up with your own ideas on what would be a good topic for someone who wants to improve their life. But please don't think that I'll be discussing all kinds of unrelated issues, because I don't want to do that. Rather, my goal is to provide something of value to the general public and let them know how I'm going about this. So, without further ado, here are my upcoming topics:
1. How to make a positive change in your life2. How to improve the physical part of your life3. How to improve your self esteem4. How to reduce stress5. How to think more positively6. How to use positive thinking in your daily routine7. How to use the right mindset in everything8. How to change yourself for the better9. How to live the good life10. How to be satisfied with life
Now, I admit that this list is a bit ambitious, and my ultimate goal is to write a book instead of a series of posts. But I can't say I've seen anyone else who's making an effort on this scale, so hopefully, I can provide something new and valuable for people.
For those who are interested in the history of medicine, I would definitely recommend a book by Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel. At the very least,
