EotY Fitness Challenge: Week 3 – Still Having a Hard Time

Spinning My Wheels
30 Oct

Last Updated on May 21, 2023 by Michael Brockbank

Three weeks in and I’m still at the same place I was when I started. I’m getting overly frustrated with myself as I know I can do better than this. Perhaps I’m just not taking myself as seriously as I hoped I would.

I can chalk it up to having a lot of things on my mind this week, and there were a few extenuating circumstances I’ve had to deal with. But, I can still always go out and walk to at least get my steps in…which I haven’t done much of this week.

Tuesday, I had very little sleep and couldn’t stay focused on anything. Thursday, I had a massive migraine that took me out halfway through the day. And last night, I found out my stepdad had a massive stroke and might not make it through the next 48 hours.

Needless to say, it’s been a bit of a rough one.

I Refuse to Give Up On This

Sure, I’ve had three consecutive, crap-filled weeks in terms of health and fitness. But, I’m still going to the gym every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. My biggest failings are that I’m still not panicking by seeing the numbers go red in MyFitnessPal and I’m not getting enough cardio.

If I want to get anywhere near my goals for the end of the year, I need to make something happen…today!

Let’s take a moment and analyze what my problems have been and perhaps get an idea of what I can do to solve them.

Morning Exercises

OK, I’ve been heading to the gym much later than I want. The idea is to be out of the house by 6:30 am. Lately, though, I’ve been sitting around in silent thought until well after 7 and then getting back much later.

Then on days when I want to get more Xbox time in, I sit around like a vegetable until the sun comes up, which throws light on my TV and sensor making the Kinect useless until about 5 pm.

If I would stick to the plan for morning workouts, I’d easily get the day rolling in a much more efficient manner.

I was going to start adding exercises to Asana and maintain a strict schedule, but I didn’t get around to doing it this week. Besides, with how tired I was on Tuesday, there’s no way I was going to stick with any kind of exercise or work plan.

Following a Strict Schedule in Asana

Speaking of using Asana, I have a workable layout in the platform that would allow me to get a lot more done throughout the day, including exercise. But lately, it’s been difficult to follow through with the plan.

Mostly because I get sidetracked by people.

What I need to do is maintain the schedule as if it were a traditional business and part of my job. Technically, it is. The better I follow the schedule, the more efficient I become. The more efficient I am throughout the day, the more money I make.

Since November is going to be an extremely busy month, I better figure out how to manage myself better. Otherwise, I’m going to fail at a lot more than just losing weight.

Hitting Step Goals

I figured out that hitting around 14,000 steps per day puts me where I want to be in terms of calorie burn. I usually drop quite a bit of weight and feel better overall. These steps are counted whether I’m walking, playing the Kinect, or using the Bodyblade.

Virtually any activity is going to trigger steps…even cleaning the kitchen.

Now, I can’t be too hard on myself for this past week. After all, there were two days when getting steps would have been damn near impossible. Have you ever walked three miles with a migraine?

I have…it’s not good.

Still, I need to get more active throughout the day.

Setting Asana Up Starting Tomorrow

So, my personal workweek starts on Sunday. With today being Saturday, I’m going to set up my schedule to include workouts, walks, cleaning, and anything else that will keep me moving starting tomorrow.

These will essentially be my breaks.

I know about how long each activity takes, so I can schedule them in between the work I do for myself, GreenGeeks, and any other client.

The hardest part is getting into the mentality that this is my job and I MUST follow the precise schedule. Being a freelancer working from home for the past 10 years has kind of spoiled me in some regards.

Still, these are things I need to change if I want to be successful. Not just for meeting my health and fitness goals, but for the writing as well. I am starting a new book next month, submitting a story to Vocal for a chance at $5k, and publishing my first eBook.

There are a lot of tops spinning, and I need to stay on track if I want to succeed.

From a professional standpoint, things are going well. I just need a bit more umph to get things where I want them to be.

Here’s to Week 4!

So, I know what needs to be done, and I have a viable plan of action. But this means nothing if I don’t put in the effort. I seriously need to change my mindset, especially if I want to lose as much as I can before going home for Thanksgiving.

Let’s see if I can at least hit my goals for a solid week.

Time to turn this around.

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2 thoughts on “EotY Fitness Challenge: Week 3 – Still Having a Hard Time

  1. That’s the spirit, dude. Just dust off and get right back in the fight. Minor setbacks are just that – minor setbacks.

    I just double-checked my numbers after reading this, and I am literally right back where I started too lol.

    Starting weight: 320 lbs
    Week 1: 319 lbs
    Week 2: 321 lbs
    Week 3: 320 lbs

    On the bright side…we didn’t GAIN weight over the past three weeks. Imagine how THAT would have felt. Anyway, you’re still hitting the gym 3x/week – plus getting in steps and good meals SOMETIMES. That counts. Just keep it up. You’ll get there.

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