Pheww! It's the end of February. We have successfully completed another of the darkest months of the year. As my inspired brother said a few summers ago, "Not much happens in February, so why not do 10,000 kettlebells?". Why not, indeed?
At any rate, the month is over and our fitness challenge with it. I hope that you were able to stretch yourself, to try something a bit bigger and bolder than you usually do. And I also hope that you demonstrated to yourself that you could sustain that greater effort for a longer time. In other words, I hope you experienced growth.
Now that we've finished things up, we've all seen what we are capable of. I hope you have realized that you can invest energy and effort into yourself, and that this actually increases your potential. You can now do more than you could before. You are probably physically stronger but, even more importantly, if you sustained that investment of time and energy, you will be mentally stronger. And that should be worth something to you.
My vision is that those of us who are able will have the attitude of doing what we can, and where possible, leveraging that potential to combat Parkinson's Disease and demonstrate the need for research that will ultimately find a cure.
So the final challenge is to take the efforts we have made through the month of February and convert that potential into financial support for Parkinson's research.
You can visit the "How To Donate" link at the top for details. As the page says, "We have chosen to support the DR. ALI RAJPUT ENDOWMENT FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE AND MOVEMENT DISORDERS RESEARCH. This endowment fund is one of a number of endowments managed by the Royal University Hospital Foundation in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan."
We hope you are able to support the endowment fund generously! Thanks for your efforts and for supporting this great cause.
Until next February...
Wednesday, 28 February 2018
Tuesday, 27 February 2018
DAY TWENTY-SEVEN (for real this time)
Got a little mixed up with the days on yesterday's blog. Too close to sleep time, no doubt.
I've talked with a few people who have nearly completed their February challenge. It has been a steady grind, not overwhelming, but definitely a challenge. And, as the finish line approaches, they feel a sense of satisfaction about their accomplishment.
Be kind to yourself. Appreciate your effort and look back over the month of February with some pride. It's perfectly okay to pat yourself on the back. If you have been at this challenge for a whole month now, you will have changed. If you have maintained the effort for this long, you have the capacity to maintain it beyond. You may decide to scale back a bit, or to try a different activity, but know that you will be able to sustain a regular activity effort over time.
In my personal experience, once the end of February has come and gone, I tend to not spend much time on kettlebells. I usually take a week or so off, and then land back on some other activity, since I like to focus on summer events. I intend this year to get a bit of coaching and do some work with heavier bells, but I need to know I'm doing it safely; my focus will have changed from doing a whole bunch to doing a few but with more of a strength-building focus. But I don't have the appetite right now for much in the kettlebell department, so it may have to wait for awhile.
Keep up your good work. We're nearly done!
I've talked with a few people who have nearly completed their February challenge. It has been a steady grind, not overwhelming, but definitely a challenge. And, as the finish line approaches, they feel a sense of satisfaction about their accomplishment.
Be kind to yourself. Appreciate your effort and look back over the month of February with some pride. It's perfectly okay to pat yourself on the back. If you have been at this challenge for a whole month now, you will have changed. If you have maintained the effort for this long, you have the capacity to maintain it beyond. You may decide to scale back a bit, or to try a different activity, but know that you will be able to sustain a regular activity effort over time.
In my personal experience, once the end of February has come and gone, I tend to not spend much time on kettlebells. I usually take a week or so off, and then land back on some other activity, since I like to focus on summer events. I intend this year to get a bit of coaching and do some work with heavier bells, but I need to know I'm doing it safely; my focus will have changed from doing a whole bunch to doing a few but with more of a strength-building focus. But I don't have the appetite right now for much in the kettlebell department, so it may have to wait for awhile.
Keep up your good work. We're nearly done!
Monday, 26 February 2018
DAY TWENTY-SIX: Three Days To Go
I hope you found the information on sleep informative. I am definitely feeling ready for a good sleep tonight, starting in about 15 minutes (I hope).
We have three days left in the challenge, and I am happy to say that I have been realistic this year. I have 1100 kettlebell swings left and then I'm done! I had intended to do a few more today than I did, but I played hockey Saturday, and we had 3" of snow overnight, and I had to clear some snow off the eaves, and then off the deck, and then off the driveway... so I got a pretty thorough workout before I even came in the house to do the kettlebells. I can safely say I was warmed up!
When I got to the actual kettlebells, I was able to do a good number, but I realized I don't need to overdo it. So that's exactly what I did - a good number. I have swimming tomorrow, but I think I'll try to tuck a few sets of 100 in before I go. That way, I'll only have just under 1000 to go on Tuesday. I should be able to finish up then.
What I've learned is to listen better to my body. For example, tuning in to energy level and to a bit extra tiredness in one knee. I had set an ambitious goal, but built room into it for backing off as needed.
I've also learned not to torture myself with stupid logic. For example, I caught myself the other day thinking that I had "only" done eight 100-kettlebell swing sets (800 swings). I almost added the thought that I "should" have done x more. Then I realized the number I did was a decent number, and it's not the only active stuff I'm doing. There was a time, though, when I would have beat myself up about under-achieving. I believe I have settled in to a more realistic logic, which is bigger-picture logic. I'm being active. I'm using good form (preventing injury). I'm listening to my body, about potential injury warning signs, and about nutrition and sleep. And I'm actually quite happy about the progress I've made. I might even say I'm proud of myself.
So, all in all, I think my perspective on even the fitness challenge has changed from the first time around. I'm active, but I'm not driving myself too hard. I don't need to, and I can still be pleased with my efforts. In fact, I think more of us need to be pleased with our efforts. The fact that we are making an effort is the most important part. And, since most of us are not professional athletes, this activity business is on the side. So let's celebrate our activities, and celebrate the fact that we only have three more days in the month, then we can hang up the kettlebells for a while and "recover"!
We have three days left in the challenge, and I am happy to say that I have been realistic this year. I have 1100 kettlebell swings left and then I'm done! I had intended to do a few more today than I did, but I played hockey Saturday, and we had 3" of snow overnight, and I had to clear some snow off the eaves, and then off the deck, and then off the driveway... so I got a pretty thorough workout before I even came in the house to do the kettlebells. I can safely say I was warmed up!
When I got to the actual kettlebells, I was able to do a good number, but I realized I don't need to overdo it. So that's exactly what I did - a good number. I have swimming tomorrow, but I think I'll try to tuck a few sets of 100 in before I go. That way, I'll only have just under 1000 to go on Tuesday. I should be able to finish up then.
What I've learned is to listen better to my body. For example, tuning in to energy level and to a bit extra tiredness in one knee. I had set an ambitious goal, but built room into it for backing off as needed.
I've also learned not to torture myself with stupid logic. For example, I caught myself the other day thinking that I had "only" done eight 100-kettlebell swing sets (800 swings). I almost added the thought that I "should" have done x more. Then I realized the number I did was a decent number, and it's not the only active stuff I'm doing. There was a time, though, when I would have beat myself up about under-achieving. I believe I have settled in to a more realistic logic, which is bigger-picture logic. I'm being active. I'm using good form (preventing injury). I'm listening to my body, about potential injury warning signs, and about nutrition and sleep. And I'm actually quite happy about the progress I've made. I might even say I'm proud of myself.
So, all in all, I think my perspective on even the fitness challenge has changed from the first time around. I'm active, but I'm not driving myself too hard. I don't need to, and I can still be pleased with my efforts. In fact, I think more of us need to be pleased with our efforts. The fact that we are making an effort is the most important part. And, since most of us are not professional athletes, this activity business is on the side. So let's celebrate our activities, and celebrate the fact that we only have three more days in the month, then we can hang up the kettlebells for a while and "recover"!
Sunday, 25 February 2018
DAY TWENTY-FIVE: Sleep, Continued...
Sleep is still important. I hope you had a good sleep last night! Here is the second part of the sleep guidelines.
If you want to assess your sleep quality, Google the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. You'll find lots of downloadable .pdf versions of the PSQI which you can complete and get a handle on - not surprisingly - your sleep quality. The PSQI will show you if you need to make quality sleep a greater priority in your life. Good luck!
If you want to assess your sleep quality, Google the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. You'll find lots of downloadable .pdf versions of the PSQI which you can complete and get a handle on - not surprisingly - your sleep quality. The PSQI will show you if you need to make quality sleep a greater priority in your life. Good luck!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)