Challenging Yourself

If you read my last blog (thank you), I introduced you to the fitness craze known as Cross Fit, which continues to be the most challenging part of my fitness routine. It pushes me out of my comfort zone on a regular basis, and I love that! I even visited another Cross Fit program while I was on an out of town visit just to keep my routine going.

Cross Fit’s Workouts of the Day, famously known as “WODs” are designed to be done as a team effort. They are a great way to try different skills and challenge yourself to reach higher goals that you set for both yourself and your team. Our team typically meets to do our “WODs” on Saturday mornings, and they are well attended. Some of the unique things we’ve done in our program: Tug of War; Running with a 70-pound sand bag between 2 people (even harder than it sounds); Uninterrupted wall balls (if you drop the ball you start over at 1) and then box jumps; running and the Cross Fit basics are always mixed in to the workout. I look forward to being challenged each week, and have my team there to help push me farther than I thought I could go, in terms of my level of fitness.

If Cross Fit classes aren’t an option for you, think about changes you can make (no matter how big or small) over the remainder of 2012 (throughout the holiday season) to support your fitness goals. Try a Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot walk/run (maybe it can become a family tradition). And when you are holiday shopping, try parking farther away and taking a lap around the store, or returning to your car after each purchase to put gifts in your trunk; take the stairs instead of the elevator (just 2 minutes of stair climbing a day can keep 2 pounds off in a year). You can also try things like lifting weights at work or scheduling walking meetings. Don’t let the end of the year be a good reason to wait to set fitness goals. Every bit of physical activity counts and can improve your health as well as your weight. In fact, it is believed that physical activity is the #1 behavior we can adopt to protect our health.

Many of you have posted personal success stories here that are so inspiring around your accomplishments, from beginning an exercise program to running marathons and triathlons. I have been inspired by those of you who have overcome injuries to achieve amazing things with your physical activity. So, I will end with this:

What have YOU accomplished this year around physical activity?

What are your goals for the year ahead?
 

by AshleyW on 10/15/2012 | Share Story With a Friend

tags: Weight-Loss, motivation, exercise, planning, holidays