Progress: Enjoying The Journey

Hello friends,
Summer's around the corner. And trust me, I've been outside as much as possible. Something in the air this time of year always brings me back to when I started focusing on my health, towards the end of 2019. And no, I don't mean the pollen.

   If you've been following my blog or following me on social media, you may know that I really enjoy being active. I appreciate what my body's been able to do, what I've been able to learn, and how I've been able to feel my mind and body connect through movement. Being outside brings me a sense of warmth and peace, like how I felt playing in the field with my siblings when we were young. And through the past few years, I've really felt that inner child feel more and more free.

   Something I've come to really appreciate is Natacha Oceane's sentiment that there's freedom in movement. In today's post, I want to focus on that feeling. I want to talk about why I appreciate the idea of slowing down, simplifying how you view progress, and why I enjoy looking back at my old fitness content from time to time.

   Disclaimer: I know not all folks are able to move freely, or have a difficulty or disability that could alter the ability to embrace movement, but I'm sure there are alternative outlets that can make you connect with your inner child. Whether that be indulging in art, music, community, what-have-you. Find that outlet that makes your heart feel warm. There are lots of goals to aim for, journeys to embark on, and progress to be made.  There's something for everyone! Let's celebrate the journey, no matter what journey you're on.

   Back in 2019 when I was relatively new to fitness, I was absolutely diving into the journey. Was I hoping for weight-loss? Absolutely. I wanted to recognize myself in the mirror again. But what felt the most rewarding wasn't documenting my measurements. No, in fact, that came to be discouraging every time I hit a plateau. What I enjoyed was the open possibilities on what I could do that day. Would I go far on the rowing machine? Focus on strength training? Hit the pool for the day? I was having so much fun documenting everything as a beginner because it felt so new. Exploring these things and sharing with a small following in real time felt intimate but so exciting. There wasn't pressure for immediate greatness. There was taking it a day at a time, learning about different workouts, and just figuring it out as I went.

   That following year, I when covid hit, I began walking at a local park almost every single day. Besides blasting Little Dragon albums, I stumbled across the Sweat app. I used it mostly to introduce myself to running intervals, and I'd also do the occasional guided strength training. That's where my fitness account made me even more excited to keep learning and growing--I met some incredible online friends from Sweat who I still follow and support today! There was an exciting energy with both finding a community and embarking on these interval attempts, which ultimately ended up strictly being walks. Movement is movement, and I was enjoying walking. Walking gave me the joy and hope in seeing the blooms growing in springtime, slowly, every day. And the community felt warm, inviting. Both were super refreshing amongst the isolation in the daunting Covid era.

   Eventually my friend Cooper and I began coordinating hikes into the mix, on Saturdays. We'd try out different trails, maybe add in a tennis match, maybe hit a paved bike trail and see if we could start adding more distance. We were rookies, but it didn't matter. We'd eventually give ourselves challenges, and coin the term "BOOSTIN", which refers to surpassing the original goal. We were holding ourselves accountable and spending time outdoors. Connecting with nature, and being vulnerable about traumatizing doctor appointments we've had regarding our bodies. We kept reminding ourselves to show up, and enjoy the day for what it was. 

   Towards the end of 2020, I had started a new job at a print shop. My schedule was more packed, and I moved further away from Cooper. I also was no longer going to the original gym, which was formerly a YMCA. So there were less opportunities, it felt like (i.e. I missed the pool and sauna so much). I was in a new space, with a new schedule, not super familiar with the area. It felt scary finding parks. I lost that motivation for that final stretch of 2020 and the beginning moments of 2021. Eventually, though, I recognized myself even less in the mirror. I wasn't super active on my fitness page. I had been missing the simple joys of watching the flowers gradually bloom, connecting with my body through movement, and even experiencing the community feeling I once felt through my journey.

   By May 2021, however, I reignited my spark. It was the same feeling I had during my walks in 2020. And it's the same energy I feel restored this time each year, in its own new way. My ways of working out are ever-changing and progressing, but my mindset reverts back to that excited rookie mindset, that feeling that I want to jump in. It's that feeling I mentioned earlier, connecting with my inner child who was once playing in the woods and in the fields. The exploration, the adventure. I looked back through my fitness page at my 2020 and 2019 content and saw all of the adventures Cooper and I went on. I saw how brave I was to get my first swim cap and discovered the lap pool. I reminded myself about how magical it felt to slow down and watch the earth around my creep out of its winter slumber. It made me want to fight against the fear I felt with all this change, and to create a new routine for myself.

   So I started walking again. I'd walk a mile on my lunch breaks, I'd walk around the block when I'd get home. I was discovering what one mile looked like out there, then what two miles could look like. I was eventually branching out and checking out a nearby trail, once which wasn't too long and intimidating. I'd begin visiting nearly every day, walking, then trying to run. I couldn't maintain a run for an entire mile at that point, but I was doing my best and documenting my little wins. I'd aim for a mile and a half, then BOOST to 2 miles. Cooper and I would still coordinate middle-ground places to meet, even revisit trails that felt dear to us. In August, I took a pause from running and dove into an unknown area--yoga. 30 days worth, and I even experimented with some time lapse videos to prove I was completing the challenge. It was about learning new things and holding myself accountable. Eventually, however, I broke my foot and took a pause on everything.

   Like I said, Natacha mentions the importance of embracing freedom in movement. This stems from when she had a back injury, how she realized how important movement felt for her. And this is what breaking my foot solidified for me. I felt lethargic, craving being outside but not finding many ways to move the way I wanted with this injury. It was only a month, but it put a lot into perspective for me. I ended up completing the yoga challenge in February 2022. My foot breakage didn't last that long, I was just really scared to be active, in fear that I'd injure my foot again. But finishing this yoga challenge and going back into walking was on the agenda for me. I wanted to move.

   March of 2022, I switched jobs. I got a gym membership, and still went on my walks. Cooper and I were still meeting up, mixing up our workouts from hiking, trekking, sports. I was also beginning to see a nutritionist so I could understand more about the importance of food in an active lifestyle. Food pairings that would keep me satiated and give me energy. Stuff like that. And something very significant happened: I was told by my nutritionist to not check the scale for a while. She knew my goal was to lose weight and feel energized. She knew I wanted to recognize myself in the mirror again. But in order to keep enjoying the journey, we wanted to lower the discouragement and lack of trust I had in my body. I was worried my body was broken, that I wasn't going to lose weight. So for about six months, I didn't look at the scale. The goal was for me to focus on how I felt, not how I looked or how I weighed. I was able to feel more energy. I felt connected, mind and body, like how I felt on those 2020 park walks to Little Dragon songs. Occasionally I'd revisit the old gym, get a day pass, and hop back into the pool. Sometimes I'd even revisit that old park. But the point was, I was taking things a day at a time and only focusing on slowing down and enjoying the moment.

   In early 2023, I checked the scale. Progress had been made. I hadn't realized how much weight I had lost in the six months. I was excited to just get out and move. I was excited for the adventure! In late January 2023, I went for my first 5k attempt. I felt inspired after stumbling into Mark Lewis on YouTube. Ran the first mile, walked the other two. What mattered was that I was outside, exploring a new route, and moving in a new way. I began a run streak--every Saturday I'd aim to run a 5k. Eventually, through the year, I was adding a mile each month until I'd reach a half marathon distance by December. Did I get sick from the rain after that half marathon? Yes. But the every-changing goals, the exciting new endeavors. These were what has kept it all fun and manageable for me. Still connecting with the body, slowly recognizing myself in the mirror again, doing the things that intimidate me. This is that part of the journey that matters.

   Sometimes fixating on stats can be discouraging. I love stats in the fact that I can track my progress in a new way, like slowly progressing in lifting weights and seeing my mile times improve slowly over time. But when it comes to body measurements and scale readings, I still find myself feeling discouraged. If I miss the gym, I still feel myself putting pressure on myself. If I eat poorly throughout the week, I still hear an inner bully. I'm running a lot but my VO2 max stat isn't improving lately? Yet another negative to fixate on. But when I go through and reminisce on how my journey has looked since late 2019, I have to remind myself to simplify my mindset on fitness. I have to take a moment to slow down, watch the lush plants grow around me, feel that energy and excitement I feel every spring. It's magical. It's healing.

   This year, I've been running a lot. My weight's been at a plateau (new relationship weight gain, I reckon), but I'm not looking at the scale for a while. I'm regulating my routine as best as I can, balancing my diet again, and trying to simplify the stats I'm checking. Less fixating on VO2, since that's not something I ever fixated on prior to running. It's about giving myself a distance goal in running and completing it, even if I have to slow down. It's about indulging in more trail runs, since that's where the inner child in my heart sings! It's about enjoying movement for what it is, not for where I'm trying to be. Progress isn't a rush. If you're not enjoying the journey, what's the point? Take it a day at a time, and eventually you'll wake up and realize that your energy feels restored.

   The upcoming thing that scares me? Another 10k nighttime trail race. I did my first in January, alongside a friend, and this will be my second, which I'm running, alone. Things that matter in my journey are challenging myself to things that scare me (the night race), reaching small goals to target a larger goal (working up to a marathon distance by the end of this year), and exploring new places (running when I travel is my favorite way to adventure). My goal is to have fun, simplify the journey, and take a pause on checking some stats.

   A video that inspired my recently was one by Mark Lewis, where he gave himself a fitness challenge (walking a new kayak to the nearest stream, which is about 5k from his home, paddling on the river, then walking home) and didn't document any stats. He's an advocate on removing technology sometimes, and reminding yourself to enjoy the ride. He also encourages challenging yourself to learning new things (like when he talks about being self taught in both fitness and video editing). If you're curious, check out the video here. He's one of my favorite fitness people to keep up with!
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Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this little deep dive into why I appreciate my documented fitness journey. I'll always be on the journey, there's no true destination. It's about having fun with life.

Keep on grinning!

​Lyd