Jennifer’s mid March update: Movement

If Calgary looked like this right now instead of a winter wonderland, I would be having a much easier time with my movement pledge!

When I was first envisioning the actions I would take to reach this month’s mini pledges, I thought that the spring weather would be luring me outside more. That has not been the case! Early spring in Calgary is full of surprises: sunshine and warm temperatures one day, blizzard conditions the next, and icy patches all over the sidewalks and paths. If you are someone who partakes in winter sports, then you will be thrilled with the abundance of snow falling in the nearby mountains. I, unfortunately, am not a winter sports kinda girl.

Despite the weather not living up to my expectations, I have still been working away at my movement pledges. Here is the progress I’ve made as of the middle of the month:

Pledge 1: Sort through workout clothes and donate or recycle items that no longer work for me. Ensure that I have the proper clothes for the activities that I enjoy doing most – yoga and running.

Status: Complete!

The first pledge on my list was to sort through my drawer full of workout clothes and get rid of items that didn’t work for me any more before going shopping to fill in any gaps. I skipped a step, and ending up buying a couple of items before sorting out my drawer. (I had a couple of hours ‘baby-free’, and used the opportunity to do some shopping!) I bought a new sports bra (needed), a shirt (needed), and a pair of pants (…not needed, oops). When I sorted through my workout clothing later that week, I discovered I have a large stash of workout pants already. Currently I have kept all of the pants that fit me and are in good shape, but I will likely downsize how many workout pants I have soon.

Pledge 2: Make the best use of my time by having my social events with friends and families involve exercise. Also, sign up for an exercise class near me.

Status: Not complete.

I’ve been doing a good job of combining social events with exercise, but I have not signed up for an exercise class. I like the idea of a scheduled exercise class that I will feel obliged to attend, but in reality I need the class to be super convenient. As in, occurring in my home when I have a window of opportunity to do the class. 😉 Soooo, I’m going to make another effort to find a class that excites me before the end of the month is up, but so far nothing beats the convenience of a YouTube exercise session in my living room or an impromptu dance party with my daughter while we are waiting for dinner to be ready.

Pledge 3: Mindfully veg out. 🙂

Status: In progress

This is something that I think will be an ongoing challenge, though I have been keeping it top of mind this month. Sometimes I have decided to keep on vegging out, and other times I’ve realized that getting a load of dishes done or a quick workout in will make me feel better. There are many times when it is hard to resist the screen glow and cozy couch however…

Pledge 4: Find a higher intensity workout on YouTube

I had a bit of a light bulb moment a couple of weeks ago, and it sounds so simple that I’m almost not sure if it is worthy of including in my post. However, I’m guessing there are others out there that may benefit from my realization: you can search for almost any type of workout and find it on YouTube. 🙂 For myself, I wanted to find a workout that I could do with my baby in a carrier and TA DA! I found a whole list. I’m working my way through a few different ones now, and the quality may vary, but I’ve already found a couple that I plan to do more.

So far this month, I’ve had some mixed results with my movement pledges. But, the month is not over and the days are getting a little longer, a little sunnier, and a little warmer which is definitely encouraging me to be more active. And though I haven’t signed up for a scheduled exercise class, I am finding lots of opportunities for mini workouts throughout my day.