Tag: mental health

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Apple Fitness+ Initial Impressions

Yesterday Apple released Fitness+, their new workout app that works through the Apple Watch. The programs are divided into nine categories: HIIT, yoga, core, strength, treadmill, cycling, rowing, dance, and mindful cooldown. You can filter workouts by type, time, trainers, and music. I tried a 10 minute yoga session and a 5 minute cooldown last night, and then just did a 10 minute beginner core workout. I love this app so far. šŸ˜ You can use it on your iPhone, iPad, or AppleTV but you need to have an Apple Watch Series 3 or later.

I used it on the AppleTV and itā€™s so cool to see my stats on the tv screen. I also love the way the trainers instruct the classes. They focus on helping you move and work your body in the right way, without being boring or distracting with side stories or too much humor. Oh and they also have modifications for the workouts to accommodate different levels. With the three workouts I tried so far, there were three modifications shown by three different trainers in the studio together. So you can easily switch between modifications according to your condition.

I havenā€™t worked out for months. šŸ˜–šŸ˜… So I decided to start with some short beginner work and build my way up. Honestly, the 10 minute yoga session yesterday kicked my ass (yeah Iā€™m that out of shapešŸ˜‚ ) but thatā€™s why Iā€™m making changes to take care of my health. Iā€™m really looking forward to continuing with this app. If you already own an Apple Watch, you can get a month free of the service, and if you buy a new one, you can get 3 months free. Right now I have an Apple One Individual subscription but plan to upgrade to Premier (adds Fitness+, News+, more iCloud storage). I want to give it a try first during my free month to see if one, Iā€™ll really enjoy it and two, if Iā€™ll actually stick with using it. If youā€™re looking for a new way to get in better shape and have access to Fitness+, I would definitely recommend that you check it out.

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Doing Less is Okay

I decided to change my workout plan. Today I was tired…seasonal allergies slowing me down a bit these past few days plus menstrual hormones were sucking the life out of me. I actually took a nap this afternoon. LOL. So I decided to do half of my strength training workout but still committed to yoga. I decided that Iā€™m going to do a strength training workout only on Sundays, flexibility on Saturdays, and still walk during the week and do yoga every day. At first I felt a little discouraged but then I was like why? Iā€™m trying to improve my health, not to reach a certain weight or dress size. And Iā€™m still working out more than 30 minutes every day so Iā€™m burning calories and closing my exercise ring. Had this been years ago, even last year, I would have let the discouragement take over and quit altogether. Iā€™m learning to find what works for me and to also be kind to myself. Doing less is okay because itā€™s so much more than doing nothing at all.

new workout plan (I made some edits using the Passion Plannerā€™s Workout Tracker)

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Accountability

Iā€™m writing this post as an accountability for my new journey to a better me. The first week went well. I feel empowered and optimistic. Yes, I did make quite a few changes to my original plan but really thatā€™s what itā€™s about. Finding what works for me. I wanted to find a schedule, that challenges but not overwhelms me. I wasnā€™t going to force myself to read or study if my mind was focused on something else and I had no interest in doing so. So instead of studying five days a week, I knocked it down to two days where I plan to work on one chapter for two weeks.

weekly spread (Passion Planner PDF)
weekly spread (Passion Planner PDF)
yearly look at emotions

I did my morning walk every day until Saturday morning. That morning I thought ā€œI want to take a little break.ā€ So I skipped it and also decided to do walk just during the week starting the second week. Iā€˜m still doing my strength training and yoga in the afternoon every day though.

Apple Activity rings from the past week. I initially set my move goal to 600 calories but then changed it to 500 on Saturday.

Iā€™ve also started journaling and it has helped with my emotional and mental well being. I forgot how therapeutic it is to write things down instead of just bottling it up inside. And I donā€™t have a plan on what Iā€™m going to write. I just write whatever I feel like putting on paper.

screenshot of my journal (GoodNotes)

Iā€™m still playing around with how I want to use my planner specifically the weekly spreads. Iā€™m thinking about using not only as preplanning but to also record things I do/work on throughout the day. Although itā€™s only been a week, I really do feel great both physically and mentally, and Iā€™m very optimistic and excited for the future.