Last week I announced to the world that I was starting a fitness journey. The plan? Four workouts a week. No excuses, no “maybe tomorrow,” no pretending that reorganizing my sock drawer counts as cardio.
Well…I just finished week one, and I’m happy to report that I actually did all four workouts.
Yes, four.
No, I didn’t accidentally trip into them.
And yes, I’m just as surprised as you are.
My main goal with all of this is to strengthen my core. I deal with chronic low back pain and pain in both hips, and honestly, my body sometimes feels like it belongs to someone about 40 years older than me. Some days everything is sore and achy, and I’m really hoping that getting stronger will help me move around more comfortably and with less pain.
So far, my routine has been pretty simple: I wake up around 8 or 9 in the morning, immediately change into workout clothes, and get the workout done. This is a very intentional strategy. If I sit down, check my phone, think about it too long, or make the mistake of saying “I’ll do it later,” it will absolutely not happen.
My brain is very convincing.
Plus, I work 3-11 pm Monday through Friday, so by the time I get home, wind down, and go to bed. The idea of working out after work is very unlikely.
Morning me is motivated.
During the workouts, I did have to modify a few exercises and pause sometimes to catch my breath. At first I felt a little weird about that, but then I reminded myself: the goal isn’t perfection – it’s showing up and doing the work. And honestly, just finishing the workouts felt like a win.
Also, I learned something important this week: muscles I didn’t know existed can absolutely become sore. Incredibly sore.
There were moments where sitting down felt like a major life decision. Walking upstairs? A full body event. Getting out of bed? Let’s call it a slow and thoughtful process.
I also took it a little easy on the leg exercises because I’m on my feet most of the day at work on cement floors, and my legs already get pretty tired and sore from that. The goal here is to build strength, not to make it impossible for me to walk through my shift.
Overall, week one taught me a few things:
- Consistency matters more than perfection
- Modifying exercises is totally ok
- My body is a capsule of more than I thought
- And soreness is apparently part of the initial ritual
I’m really hoping week two brings a little less soreness…but even if it doesn’t, I’m still proud that I showed up and did the workouts.
One week down.
Many more to go.
And if nothing else, I’m getting really good at dramatic groaning when I sit down.
Stay tuned.
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