I’m picking up an old habit; early morning workouts! Shortly after 6:00 am, I hopped on the Peloton Tread and began my training. I decided that I wanted to try a scenic route. I chose the 30-minute run. I set my incline at its maximum, 12.5%, and the pace I dialed down to 2.5, and off I went. I will say that today was the first day I did not have a smooth run. The screen was freezing on the simulated walk, so I could not soak in the views of my virtual guide. I did not know how much I had already grown to enjoy those virtual walks/runs until the Peloton screen froze on me. I relied on Fairy Tale by Stephen King; I listened to it on Audible to get me through. A quick search of various forums shows that this is a simple fix that requires me to clear the cache, and I will do that later today.
Reduced Exercise; Increased Stress
Exercise has always been something that I’ve openly embraced in my daily lifestyle. The fact that it was restricted for almost a year did have an impact on my overall well-being. The exercises I was used to were something I had to abandon when I became the primary caregiver for my father. My mornings began taking care of him before my workday started. If I was moving, it took about 45 minutes to take care of him; changing soiled bed pads, giving him his daily bath, changing condom catheter if needed, bathing him, applying lotion to his skin, and feeding him. However, on most days, it quickly took over an hour. By the time I was finished, I had a short time frame to try to decompress before my work day started. It wasn’t always easy. Stepping into the role of a caregiver meant my intense workouts had to be placed on hold. The thing is, I thought that I felt fine. I still cared for my father, worked full-time, and spent time with my daughter; however, my body told me in various ways that my activities were stressful.
Weight Gain
The downside was that I wasn’t getting the workouts that I’m used to, and over eight months, I gained 20 pounds. It was a first for me, being overweight, and incredibly frustrating since I was exercising; however, I could not get adequate exercise, and the stress from dealing with two ailing parents was unpleasant. I must say that this past year has been the lowest point I’ve ever found myself in, and the ways I managed to cope were my faith, sheer determination, stubbornness, and family regularly checking in on me.
Weight Loss
The good news is that I’ve already knocked off five pounds, and since I’ve eaten healthy during the entire time that I was taking care of my father, that, combined with exercise and reduced stress, should get me back to my average weight (115 pounds) in no time.
10,000 Steps Daily
Getting at least 10,000 steps daily has been a goal of mine and is easy to maintain now that I have the Peloton Tread and Bike+ in our home. I will admit the past three days (read more about what else I missed below), I forgot that number by one or two thousand, and yesterday was my biggest miss of over three thousand steps. However, I did get a lot of work done around the house, and I consider that a big win.
Early morning workout struggles
The past three have been challenging getting my early morning workout. Don’t get me wrong; I HAVE exercised every day since the equipment entered our home; however, the past few days have also been hectic. So I did get my exercise, just not as much as I normally do with my Tread and Bike+. However, since I know that the treadmill has always been a great way to increase my bowel regularity, I’m making every effort to work that back into my early morning routine. Today, I walked for 20 minutes.
It’s official; I’m joining the Peloton group. Last week, I purchased two pieces of equipment; a treadmill and a bike. Initially, I was going to buy the treadmill; however, after additional contemplating a few days later, I purchased the Bike+. They both come with a hefty price tag, The treadmill was a little over $4,000, and the bike ran over $3,000. The treadmill has been on my list for a few years, so I figured it was the time just to take the plunge and get something I would enjoy. There won’t be an issue with my workout equipment collecting dust because that does not happen in this household. I’m consistent with my workouts. Granted, while being my parents’ caregiver, I could not exercise with the intensity that I’m used to; however, I never stopped working out. Now, I’ll be able to commit to the same level of workout intensity that I was used to before my parents became ill.