Daily Movement - Thursday, July 29

[Jenny in Florida]

Good morning, all. I'm having what one of my favorite podcasts refers to as a "hollowed-out shell Thursday," so I'll just say hi and let you all get started.

Remember: These threads are for those who'd like accountability and encouragement in doing intentional daily movement. Anyone may join in at any time!

[Jenny in Florida]

Warning: Musings Ahead

I've been struggling to balance scheduling my mornings, in terms of deciding what has to give when I just physically (and emotionally) cannot force myself out of bed in response to my alarm. In an ideal world, my alarm buzzes at 5:10. I allow myself 15-20 minutes to prop myself up on pillows and wait for my back to align, during which time the cat comes over and demands attention and I attempt to skim email and news on my phone. Then I am up and dressed and out the door to walk with the dog by 5:45. I walk for 45-60 minutes, spend about 15 minutes once back at the house feeding the dog, giving both of us our morning pills and making my coffee. I then devote 20-30 minutes to strength exercises, do a quick shower and am at my desk by 7:45.

But that ideal has slipped farther and farther away over the last few weeks. 

The problem is that if I don't do the exercise stuff in the morning, it just doesn't get done. And, because the goal of a lot of what I do is trying to recover from injury and stave off future problems, it feels important to prioritize that. On the other hand, work is important, and I have made a commitment to give them my best in exchange for that paycheck. And adding in the promise to start work early every day in order to compensate for the time away for the online class I'm taking pushes the whole morning routine earlier. But because sleep has been such a problem for me for the last year or so, it also requires a ton of effort to make myself actually get moving every morning. 

How do you all balance these demands? How do you decide what has to give when something does?

All of the above to say, I ran a little late getting started again this morning but chose to walk (3.6K) and do my strength exercises (20 minutes) anyway. I have a hair appointment this evening at a salon in a walkable area. So, I plan to park on one end of the street and get in some extra steps that way.

 

Summer Splash Challenge Update: 278.6 of 500K
Daily Walking Streak: 152 Days
West Orange Trail: 10.85 of 22 miles

[Harriet Vane]

@Jenn in FLI have similar morning struggles. I cannot cope right when I wake up--I desperately need 15-20 minutes to just sit up and unstiffen and come to alertness. Because I am a night owl, getting up early feels impossible, yet there are various reasons why getting up early is what needs to happen. All too often exercise is what gets pushed aside, yet with a chronic condition and health challenges, exercise and sleep are both things that absolutely require serious commitment from me. 

I haven't really figured out a solution, but I feel your pain. 

Your plan to hook your walk to your hair appointment is a fabulous strategy. I find that the more I include exercise with something else (triggered by something else), the more likely it is to get done. I've also been keeping my good shoes in the car so they are handy whether I go to the gym or just find myself able to take a walk somewhere random.

I want to find a morning solution similar to one we came to when my kids were little and I faced a similar struggle in getting homeschooling up and running. For a long time I was anemic and didn't know it--the morning fog and exhaustion were bonecrushing. I just could not seem to get rolling. We wouldn't start schooling until late morning, and then I spent the rest of the day beating myself up for being slow and lazy. Such a negative cycle. Finally I decided to accept the morning fog and stop trying to will myself to overcome it. Dh got the kids up for breakfast with him before he left for work. Then he'd bring the kids to our bed with a cup of tea for me. The kids looked at books or played quietly while I sipped my tea. When I felt able to cope, we'd do read-alouds and work through one workbook activity. I wrote up their lists then and there. By then I was starving, so I'd go eat my breakfast while they progressed to the next item on their list that could be done without my help. This way we got started early but I didn't have to get out of bed. We all treasured the snuggle read-aloud time.

All that to say, I feel a similar solution (working WITH who I am and not against) is in order, but I cannot seem to figure it out for the different stage of life I am in now. The days are more disciplined when I have an outside obligation first thing (like a doctor's appointment or some such).

Edited July 29, 2021 by Harriet Vane

[sbgrace]

I wish I could give some wisdom, Jenny. Finding balance and prioritizing when it's all important--it's hard. 

---

And...today was so busy, I struggled with the movement. I got in my core strength routine in before I left the house, then it was go, go, go until a bit before 10 pm, when I got home. I was trying to do all the things around here that need done once I got home. I'm exhausted. What I intended, movement wise, isn't going to happen today. I'll try to make up tomorrow.