Tag: fitness

Feeling Better Journey

Getting Strong: My Fitness Journey Begins

Getting strong has never been a top priority for me. As I discussed in an earlier post, I am not one for lifting weights and building muscles. With that being said, I now realize that I probably should get stronger. Especially if I want to truly enjoy several “bucket list trips” I am planning.

The Choice of Gym for Getting Strong

I spent two weeks researching every local gym/fitness center that also have facilities close to my family in Georgia. A gym with an indoor pool so I could swim laps or take aquatic exercise classes was preferable. Other wants included a sauna or steam room, access to personal trainers, a wide variety of class options, and opening early since I prefer morning workouts. After considerable research, I chose to join OneLife Fitness.

I made the call and went in to tour the facility with Nadia and discuss membership options. After touring the facility I sat down with Nadia to sign the dotted line and set up my evaluation. That’s when I met Talent, the fitness director and a personal trainer. Talent’s job is to evaluate the client, discuss their fitness needs and goals, then match them with the right personal trainer.

Evaluating What I Need for Getting Strong

Now I will admit to being out of shape and having little to no strength. So during the exercises Talent had me do during my evaluation, I let him know my muscles were calling him very ugly names. It was a laugh thru the pain or cry situation. I chose laughter. Afterwards, we sat down together and discussed my goals and nutrition. I’m sure the look on my face when he told me I needed to consume a minimum of 90 grams of protein and approximately 1400 calories a day would have made most people cringe. Talent didn’t bat an eye at the look I gave him. It was that moment when I knew I would prefer Talent to be my personal trainer and that I had made the right choice.

The Work Involved in Getting Strong

My first real work out was two days ago. Talent walked me thru several exercises for building strength. One particular exercise had me wondering why I didn’t know we had muscles in our armpits. Did you know? I thought he was kidding when he said, “now, as you bring the bar down to your thighs I want you to really squeeze those armpit muscles”. My reaction was, “We have muscles in our armpits?” Trust me when I tell you I had to actively THINK about those muscles.

By the end of the workout, my leg muscles felt wobbly. And even though I had worked my shoulders, arms, and armpit muscles, they felt ok. Two days later all the muscles I work are calling Talent some extremely ugly names. Especially my armpit muscles!

I know I made the right choice for me when it comes to my choice in gyms. Do I have a long way to go when it comes to getting strong? Absolutely! But there is plenty of time to achieve the goals Talent and I set for myself. And I know all the work and temporary pain will be worth it when I take my first “bucket list trip” in January 2027.

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Goals: Reflecting on Yearly Achievements

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of each year I set goals for the upcoming year as I reflect on the one coming to a close. The questions I ask myself are: Did I meet the goals I set for myself this year? Did I exceed the goals I set? Do I need to adjust my goals up or down for the upcoming year? I think these three questions are all I need to ask myself as I reflect and look forward. So how did 2025 go for me?

Reading Goal

I originally set my reading goal to 300 books for the year and set up a detailed spreadsheet for tracking. Not only did I meet that goal, I got there on May 25. At that point I adjusted the goal to 600 books. Where did I end up? I read/listened to 767 books. However, some of those books were omnibus volumes and if I were to add the total number of books in each of those volumes, the number goes up to 839 books. That’s a lot of reading and I enjoyed every minute. With that being said, I don’t plan on reading that much in 2026. I have other goals and plans for 2026 that will, out of necessity, mean less reading. So, I have set my reading goal for 2026 for 500 and can always adjust later if needed.

Fitness Goal(s)

I totally bombed on my fitness goal(s) for 2025. I stopped paying attention to what I was eating and I didn’t exercise near as much as I wanted to. My goal for 2026 is, simply put, to do better. With that in mind, I have set reminders to log my food on the two apps I have on my phone and I have signed up for virtual challenges. The fitness challenges designed to get people moving. You don’t have to be a runner/jogger, you just have to move. The first challenges are the One Day At A Time and Invincible 2026 challenges via Run Motivators. The second challenge is the Walk The Year challenge via Run the Edge.

For 2025, Reading and Fitness were all I set goals for. As the year progressed, I realized I  had some things I would like to do. As a result, I started this blog and have signed up for some online courses for skills I would like to improve. In 2026, I will spend more time improving skills and writing. I am not setting a specific “number” to reach, my goal is simply to get better at specific things and write more.

So far, 2026 has not started out to good. But as of today, I can honestly say I have started the journey to meeting the goals I have set for myself. Those goals will more than likely change as the year progresses, but for now I have a starting point and a end goal in sight. Do you reflect on the previous year when setting goals for a new year? How do you set your goals? And do you adjust the goals as the year progresses? Let me know!