My Word of The Year Check in – March Progress

Time for my March Progress Word of the Year checkin. Every year I pick a word or phrase to help guide my personal goals. I find this activity helpful for my own health and wellness throughout the year. This year you might recall my word of the year is MOVE. I am working on monthly checkins here to keep myself accountable to all of you. It’s technically three months into the year. Quarter one is done.

So how did March progress? Am I making my personal goals this year? Have my fitness goals evolved or changed or slipped by the wayside? What have the challenges been? Have I been sticking to my fitness routines and did I choose the right word? Let’s take a look.

This year I am on the move even more than usual and I am super proud of that actually. I have been growing in that regard for a decade now. In fact in my 40s and closing in on 50 I am more fit than I ever have been before. So that deserves a moment of celebration and reflection. I work hard to make fit happen. It is a huge priority. Why? Well, because I need to show my kids that fitness is tied to health and it is important at every stage of life. BUT mostly, because I FEEL better when I am on the move often.

I am healthier and I have more energy and that gives me strength to tackle life and run my social media consulting business too. My mental health benefits when I am active. That is true for everyone, but I parent two teenagers and I run a business so it’s easy to let self care slide. However, not an option.

So how did March progress? In March we skied a lot as a family and we headed to Vermont again to have this amazing adventure together at Bromley. We skied sometimes 3-4 days a week. Vermont was three solid days of skiing (7 hours plus) through very deep snow, down long trails and boy did my legs burn at the end of each day. But by the end of that trip they started to get used to the challenge. Hardest thing for me is leaving Vermont every year.

Skiing is amazing exercise. Back home here after we returned, some days I would ski in the evening or afternoon locally after working out that morning at the YMCA.

And on days when it was rainy I headed to the YMCA. I am super conscious of this philosophy that keeps coming up – sitting is the new smoking. And writing and consulting can be super sedentary so I take all the movement breaks I can squeeze in. However, for me as a person that means getting out of my home and my office. It’s the only way moving and healthy living work for me. If you can work out in your living room or basement then all the power to you. That’s not how I am built.

Anyways, so far this week I have been to the YMCA every single day. There will be at least one day without any fitness classes. And that’s okay. It’s equally important to have some breaks built in. Even on those days though, I make time to take a quick walk and try to my steps in. So on average I am doing minimum 5 days of physical activity that is at least an hour a day. The cardio portion of my routine is strong and so is strength building, core building and balance.

This month I definitely have noticed more strength in my legs and the definition in my shoulders is getting better too. Shoulders are my weakest spot. They are stiff and rotation is not as good as it should be. I blame typing on a computer all day for that one.

How Does April Look?

With ski season done (tears) I will have to come up with a lot more chances to go do all the group fitness classes. Of course walking more is always an option too. My challenge is sometimes staying interested. Sometimes fitness routines get redundant. When your muscles are no longer feeling a really good workout the next day then it’s time to reevaluate.

What Have I Learnt?

Last week I got the time wrong for my usual Saturday morning class and ended up in Group Groove. There were 3 rounds of cardio that morning. I did not eat enough protein before class so it was a BIG challenge. Live and learn – next time More food before going to class. Keeping those shoes handy now that the snow is going away gives me flexibility in joining whatever class I want to. SO, my shoes are my passport to getting fit right now.

Oh, and now that ski season is over it’s time for self care in the form of a pedicure. Yogis will know exactly what I mean by that.

March Progress on Movement Goals

So far I am really happy with my March progress on this word of the year. Move was the right choice for me in 2018.

Do you have a fitness goal or a word of the year? How is your progress going?