22 Days of Movement Down

I finished running this afternoon and turned to give David a high-five. Twenty-two days of movement down. And it was a beautiful day for a run - mid 60s and sunny in Asheville. Movement over the past week has been a combination of strength training, yoga, and running.

I have to say, part of me didn't think that I could/would do it. Some days have been easier than others, and some days I have eaten dinner really late when I waited until the last possible minute to get in my movement. I certainly hit a wall of resistance, but I pushed through it and kept going. 

Things that I've learned so far:

• Small daily action is key, but it has to be something manageable. My Morning Pages (Artist's Way, Week 5) have taught me this. When I have worked on new habits in the past, missing a day has really caused me to lose momentum. To keep up the momentum I need to do it every day - even if for just twenty minutes. These small daily actions make me feel committed and powerful. 
• Running does wonders for my digestion. I am already a pretty active person, but it's been awhile since I've had a consistent running habit. Aerobic exercise helps stimulate the muscles in the intestines and decreases the time food spends in the large intestine. Check out more info here and here. 
• Be nice to your body. My right knee started feeling funny about half-way through the month. Luckily, I have a dear friend who is a nurse practitioner who happens to specialize in orthopedics. She said the sensation in my knee was most likely coming from weak VMO (Vastus Medialis Oblique) muscles and advised me to find some strengthening exercises on You Tube. So, Tuesday's movement was slow strength training that focused on my VMO and core muscles, not activity that would further irritate it. 
• Planning is really important. During the weekend, I look at the weather and my schedule for the upcoming week and map out my movement. It might change slightly based on what my body is telling me on that particular day, but by planning, I know when I need to do my movement in the morning or days I might want to leave early to go for a run because the weather is going to be nice.

I only have a week to go! March 30th will be a delicious break and a day of celebration. It's a Sunday, so there may even be day drinking involved...With that being said though, there are several habits that I would like to carry with me. Moving forward, I would like to run at least three days a week and continue with yoga two or three days a week. Every other day I would like to do strength training for 10-20 minutes per day. Some days this may mean strength training in the morning and running in the evening.

So, for this final week I would like to do a little more exploration and get outside my comfort zone a bit. There is a Pilates class on Monday and a few yoga studios I have never been to. I hear there is a rock climbing gym that just re-opened...