I Exercised Weekly for 30 days... Here's What Happened
I love creating “resolutions” throughout the year (not just in January). I’m a firm believer that you can change your life at any time — that every day is a blank page, a new chance to be the person you want to be.
In March of 2020, I started a challenge. Since my wedding in December, I hadn’t yet settled into a new exercise routine, and was craving the practice of intentional movement every day. I’ve been an athlete since I was young — in high school I was a swimmer and gymnast, and since then I’ve run a couple half marathons. I’d fallen out of my usual routine and was missing it.
Exercise is a form of worship for me, and I LOVE the feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction that follows a good workout! So here’s what I set out to do...
My goal: To feel strong, healthy, and balanced (inside and out).
My why: I care about my health — mental and physical — and I know movement is essential to my overall well-being (and ability to love people well).
My habit: I decided to move my body intentionally at least 5x/week for a month.
Here’s what happened…
March started out great! I was feeling focused and motivated, excited about my new routine. Here’s what my documentation process looked like:
03/02: 20-30 min yoga
03/03: 20-30 min yoga
03/04: 20-30 min yoga
03/05: strength training @ gym
03/06: 20-30 min yoga
The next week was a bit more challenging, as the time changed and I was catching up on lost sleep. I felt groggy, but stayed committed to moving my body each day. Even if I only felt the motivation for 10 minutes of yoga, I still considered that a win and chose to have grace for myself. I learned to listen to my body and do whatever I could, without expectation.
03/09: tired (time change), 15 min yoga
03/10: still tired, 20 minute yoga
03/11: 3 mile run
03/12: 2 mile run, 15 min yoga
03/13: 10 min yoga
Slowly I became less tired, but in the middle of March our state started to shut down due to COVID-19. It was a strange time emotionally to experience such sudden change, and I found myself deeply thankful that I was already working on this habit, looking forward to my peaceful mornings. It was a time of release, grounding, and focus, when I could set all my worries aside and just be present.
03/16: hard day, skipped
03/17: 18 min yoga
03/18: 2.7 mile run
03/19: 1 hr walk
03/20: 19 min yoga
By the end of week three I was feeling grounded, thankful, and rested. I was working through my waves of emotion and finding freedom in trusting God and bringing my worries to the mat or the pavement each day.
03/22: 20 min yoga
03/23: 15 min yoga, 2.75 mile run
03/24: 24 min yoga
03/25: 15 min yoga
03/26: 2 mile run
I found my stride. I noticed myself feeling balanced, peaceful, and calm — not to mention physically stronger and more relaxed. It was so helpful for me to find purpose in accomplishing this same goal every day, leaning into the challenge and finding joy in the movement.
03/29: 2.7 mile run
03/30: 23 min yoga
03/31: 23 min yoga
And just like that, I made it to the end! The beautiful thing about setting a monthly goal is that if you do something for 21 days, it becomes a new habit, so simply doing this consistently for one month has carried into the next! I’ve continued making it a priority to move my body, knowing that it’s essential for my physical health, but also mental health during this challenging time.
Approaching this goal of wanting to feel stronger and healthier, by breaking it down into a daily practice of showing up for myself, allowed me to move towards my goal without feeling overwhelmed or discouraged. I learned to take things day by day and find peace with knowing that each day would be different, but that they would all be moving me closer to my end goal.
I encourage you, if there’s a goal that you want to achieve, just try doing it for 30 days! It makes it manageable, and when you track your progress there’s something so rewarding about looking back and seeing how your discipline paid off.
So I encourage you, pick one thing this month to put into practice and see how it changes you! For accountability, share in the comments and let me know: What new habit are you going to create in the next 30 days?
