11 weeks to go.
Everyone loves a streak and no one wants one to end - unless it is a streak of bad luck. I have my fair share of those going too, but this is no one of them. Instead, it has been 41 weeks in a row that I have made it at least four times to the gym for a workout.
11 more weeks and it will be a full year.
Just like when I write, I tend to exercise regardless of how I feel. I haven't been too ill with flus so far this year, but I have exercised with light fevers at times, but those workouts aren't pushing too hard. When I feel pretty bad I take it easier, stretching, light weights and band exercises instead of pushing harder. I have decided though, that moving every day is a non-negotiable for me - even if it is just a longer walk with the dog.
For the last couple weeks I have added a flexibility group class into my workouts, mostly because I was guilted into joining by the trainer who I have been talking with for a few months. She is pretty motivating, as her activity level in pretty much everything she does, is admirable. The only problem is that I noticed joining a class ruins my statistics.
I have done three flexibility classes and once signed up, it registers attendance once I sign in through the ap at the gate, showing my user QR code. I have to be there 15 minutes before the class starts to hold the place, though it isn't usually a completely full class for flexibility anyway. But, I noticed the last two times that because I have got there well before the class, it has logged it as two sessions for the day, so the last two weeks I have worked out 8 times in seven days.
I don't like that.
I count an individual workout as the combination of both the gym session I do, plus the class. I don't want it split into two. Perhaps some people like to have it as it feels like they are doing more, but I don't want it that way. As a result, I would count the last 28 days as 26 workouts, which would mean instead of 6.5 a week on average, it would be 6.1 a week on average. Maybe it isn't a big deal, but it got me thinking about the impact.
Would I feel differently with more logged workouts?
I don't mean physically difference, as that technically shouldn't change as my body is doing the same amount of work, regardless of how it is tracked. But does it make an impact on how I feel about my activity. For instance, It is Thursday and I have already tracked 5 workouts, because of the class I did on top of the gym work. This means that I have reached my weekly goal of 4 already, and there are three days left in the week. Now that my streak is "safe" for the week, will it give or take motivation for the rest of the week?
It reminds me a little of how it was supposedly hard to get a New York taxis on the streets when it rains. People used to think it was because more people were taking a taxi instead of walking, which was true. But it was also because the taxi drivers usually had a number in their head of how much they would make in a day and when they reach it, they stop driving. On a rainy day with more people taking taxis, they reach their mental target earlier and knock off early. The smart thing to do would be to drive longer when raining in a "make hay while the sun shines" (taxi money when it rains) approach, and then take time off when the weather is good and business slow.
I have been trying to observe how I feel about it and if my behaviour changes, but I don't think I have enough experience to make a good judgement. However, it is also hard to gauge because I have only recently subscribed to the "move every day" mindset and that has meant I have gone to the gym more, even if the workouts are a bit shorter occasionally. What I find though, is that once I am at the gym, I put in far more effort than if I had not gone at all.
The other thing that has changed in my own activity tracking is moving from counting steps for the goal, to burned calories through activity directly. My baseline burn is 600 a day with direct activity and depending on my "readiness" it shifts up to 750 and occasionally 900. When my readiness is low, like after not enough sleep, it drops down to 400ish. I reach the target easily most days, often going 150-200 percent over the goal target. It has been interesting to see the difference between the calories and the steps, as I am not getting as many steps as I was, but I am still hitting the goals, because now it is counting my workouts toward the goal, which doesn't include a lot of working.
I am walking comparably less because in the summer I was walking a lot.
While I don't know how much impact following the numbers has, I have been conscious of making sure I keep the streak going at least. It is pretty easy to get four workouts in a week and on average I have been doing it for a year at least, but not consistently hitting 4 weekly. So, being conscious of the streak means I am more consistent, which is a good thing in terms of keeping moving. And I guess, it is something I should do for other important aspects of my activity I want to stay consistent in also.
Move daily.
Due to changes in technology and culture, most of us probably need to move more than we do, which means we should probably also have clarity on how little we are moving also.
Taraz [ Gen1: Hive ]
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