Zooma Holiday Challenge, Week 5

Week five of the Zooma Holiday Challenge has come to a close, and I feel good. Surprisingly strong and balanced. In the past, challenges have burnt me out, but this time I feel like it's actually laying a foundation for long-term commitment without the stress that usually accompanies it.

This week included the majority of Chanukah. I always feel like taking the time to celebrate counts as self-care, and I spent week five feeling deeply fulfilled and content.

Movement 1: I started the week with a bang, completing a three mile run, an arm workout (Peloton), and a core workout (Coach Marcia). I had finished week four feeling so motivated that it carried right into week five.

I think I'm starting to see some real physical results from my dedication, and seeing results motivates me to do more.

Movement 2: Matt and I took an evening walk (a little less than two miles) to get some fresh air and stretch our legs.

Movement 3: I completed a 30-minute Peloton ride. This was my first ride in my new spin shoes and it was fantastic! Being clipped in REALLY makes a huge difference; I was able to come out of the saddle with proper form and push for a faster cadence. I'm so glad I got a pair of shoes for myself!

They're functional and pretty!

Movement 4: I attempted a four mile hill run, but it turned into 3.3 mediocre miles. My legs were too sore after the Peloton to really dig deep for this run, so I called it early.

One reason I've always avoided cross-training is because I worry it will affect my running. This does seem to be the case if I'm not careful about how I plan my runs. I need to be more intentional about planning for hills, flat runs, and the bike.

Movement 5: My legs really needed a rest. I completed two Peloton app workouts — arms and abs. The arm workouts have really proven to be effective; I'm always sore for days after.

I didn't love this ab routine. It's the first Peloton workout I've done that I gave a thumbs-down.

Self-Care 1: I splurged on Black Friday and bought myself some new makeup, so this week I broke out my stash — which I haven't used since March — and did a full face. I listened to music and just pampered myself. It was fun to experiment with my new eyeshadow pallet, and I had forgotten what I look like in mascara!

We took our evening walk after this, and I've made a mental note to buy some waterproof mascara. The cold wind did a number on my eyes!

Self-Care 2: As usual, I repainted my nails.

But also, I finally set up a time to Zoom with some friends back home! It was so fun to see their faces and chat in real time. I have decided I need to be better about actually choosing a day/time to call, not just saying, "Oh hey, we should Zoom sometime..." That's something I'm going to work on.

Week six is the final week of this challenge, but because I signed up for the full Winter Warrior package, I have the Love Run challenge coming up! No rest for me!

ABK

Zooma Holiday Challenge, Week 3

As I was tracking my movement and self-care this past week, I realized my tracking sheet and blog recaps weren't matching up. I mentioned before that a cool thing about this challenge is that it's not about days, but rather about instances. The tracking sheet isn't a calendar. Some days you might do nothing, and some days you might double up.

So from now on, I won't necessarily include the dates; instead, I'll simply detail the instances. 

Movement 1: I started week three with three easy afternoon miles. The leaves have mostly fallen from the trees now, but they haven't turned into mush underfoot yet. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop, but so far winter in Seattle is gorgeous!

It'll be nice to eventually have some local race shirts to add to my collection of Florida shirts.

Movement 2: I planned a slightly longer run but got out the door late, so did another three miles and called it good. 

Matt came with to study in his hammock and got this shot of me post-run.

Movement 3: I popped over to the BILs' place to do my first official ride on their Peloton. (The first ride I did was under Robby's account, but I have my own now. You can follow me! My username is abkruns.) I did a 30 minute '90s ride and enjoyed it a lot!

They've said I can come over to use the bike whenever; I'm planning to try for once or twice a week. I also ordered myself a pair of gently-used cycling shoes because it's hard to stand up on the Peloton in my unsecured sneakers.

Movement 4: I planned to run, but just didn't feel like going through the hassle of leaving the house. Usually that means I'd just do nothing and feel a little guilty about it, but this challenge has gotten into my brain! I didn't want to miss a day, so I found a bodyweight workout on the Peloton app and did that.

It was pretty good - no easier or harder than Blogilates or other videos I've done - and I was definitely feeling it the next day. I like that doing a workout through the app automatically loads into my Strava. 

Movement 5: I decided to conquer some hills! I ran at the UW Arboretum and did my usual route backwards. This proved successful; it's still plenty hilly but the hills are more gradual and dispersed, so I wasn't gasping for breath a mere quarter mile in.

I ran four miles and felt great!

Self-Care 1: I repainted my nails. I go through stages of enjoying painting my nails; it's calming and distracting from other stuff. I enjoy the twenty minutes of quiet, focused time. It's like meditation! 

Self-Care 2: This has become a weekly tradition - Shabbat. When we moved to Seattle I told Matt I wanted to start lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday night, even if we don't turn off electronics and truly observe the holiday to its fullest. It's been a really nice tradition to incorporate into my week.

Bonus Self-Care: Sunday night we broke out Munchkin for the first time in years and played with Scott and Robby. We ordered dinner in and just had a relaxing night together. 

Also, I won!

I'm continuing to enjoy this challenge, and surprisingly feel motivated by it. Usually I get bored by this kind of thing, but this week was my strongest yet. I guess ask me how I feel when week seven rolls around!

ABK

Zooma Holiday Challenge, Week 1

Zooma gear is 50% today and tomorrow (Nov. 24)! Use code BLACKFRIDAY at checkout!

A few weeks ago, I signed up for the Zooma Winter Warrior package, which includes the Holiday Challenge and the Love Run Challenge. I hemmed and hawed about it because I tend to give up on challenges, but Matt convinced me it would be a great way to stay motivated and active during the coldest parts of winter, when I'm the least likely to want to workout. The social aspect in the Facebook group is nice, too, especially as lockdowns go into effect again.

The Holiday Challenge began last Monday. The 7-week challenge is to complete 4-5 days of movement a week and 1-2 days of rest, relaxation, or self-care. 

I'm pretty pleased with how my first week went. Despite having a couple setbacks early in the week, I refused to let myself down. I decided to be flexible in how I counted my activities and self-care. The point of this challenge is to take care of your body and mind through the holidays, not to beat yourself up!

Nov. 16: Rain kept me indoors, but I didn't want to do nothing on the first day of the challenge! I took some moves from two Blogilates reels (here and here) and added some planks and core-focused exercises as well.

My quads, hammies, and butt really hated me for this.

By the end of my second round, I was so sweaty and already sore. I haven't done squats since I did the Chloe Ting challenge over the summer and my quads let me know it!

Nov. 17: I was shuffling around like a grandma after a bad fall, but still managed a nice run at the UW Arboretum. This route is a nice two miles; the first mile is very uphill and challenging. 

3.4 hilly miles!

I planned to do the loop twice but decided I was too sore to conquer the hilly parts twice, so I took a shortcut and ran about about 1.5 loops instead.

Nov. 18: This was much-needed rest day! Matt and I drove to Bellingham to meet one of his paddling friends (masks on!) and check out their fire station.

Nov. 19: Although I planned to run, this became an unintentional rest day because Matt and I had some household stuff to get done. I used the downtime to paint my nails for the first time in months, and I think that counts as self-care!

I forgot how much I love painting my nails. I just get in the zone and feel so focused and relaxed. I'll definitely be doing it more often.

Nov. 20: My DOMs from Monday and Tuesday had finally subsided, so I tackled the Arboretum again. This time I successfully completed the loop twice, even though I nearly cut it short again. I've finally gotten into the habit of carrying my inhaler with me on my run, and that made things a bit easier.

Nov. 21: Matt, Scott, Robby and I hiked the Boulder Garden Loop, which is a two-mile trail not too far from us. We wanted to find a place that wouldn't be too crowded and this fit the bill.

Our goal was to go on a shorter hike because you don't want to get caught in the dark as sunset gets earlier and earlier, but the steep grades definitely made this a workout.

It felt like being in a jungle!

We indulged in some Shake Shack afterward and watched The Greatest Showman at Scott and Robby's, so this day doubled as an activity and self-care day. I like that this challenge isn't split into days so much as instances, so you can double up if you want to. Most of the time my runs double as self-care anyway!

Nov. 22: I was sore all over again (I'm beginning to think I'm getting old or something) so I did some easy stretches to account for my movement.

So, week one, done! It wasn't perfect but I felt a lot more tuned in to how I was spending my time and how I was feeling. It was a good week to get calibrated and take inventory. I hope as the weeks go on, this routine starts to feel more natural and easy, because I can definitely feel the mental benefits of participating in this challenge already.

ABK