Mid-way Fitness Update

The month is more than half over so I figured it’s about time to give a quick update on my progress.

The Successes

The first couple days of going to the gym I noticed I felt more focused and motivated to tackle the work I had for finals after my workout.

This wasn’t something I was really expecting. But this is one of the benefits of what Charles Duhigg calls “Keystone Habits” in his book The Power of Habit. They’re behaviors that cause positive ripple effects in other areas of your life. For example exercise can make you sleep better, feel better, eat better, and clear your mind. Among other things.

The Failures

Of course it wasn’t all sunshine and roses though. By the end of the week the high was kind of wearing off and I didn’t feel any extra benefits of focus or clear-mindedness. Although I still felt proud that I finished the week strong.

But by week two, my work for finals and getting ready to move out of university housing got the best of me and I lost momentum. I skipped about a week of working out.

The Persistence

Despite being disappointed in myself for missing those days I’ve been solidly working out this week and am determined to finish strong and not miss any more days for the month.

Although I will have to find and sign up for a new gym in DC where I’ll be for the summer which might be a bit of a bump in the road… So if you have any recommendations near Georgetown, let me know!

Final Thoughts

I’m still struggling to make going to the gym into a habit and not just a practice. I want this “project fitness” to continue past just this month so I think I need to start going at the same time every day to make it part of my routine. So, that’s what I’ll be trying to work on for the rest of the month.