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1 year of working out
Where we started
I started working out just about a year ago. My first day at my previous job was September 12, 2022, and I got my YMCA membership sometime within a week of that date. In that year I’ve lost around 15 pounds, gained muscle, and increased my running ability significantly. It’s been the longest stretch of consistently exercising I’ve done since high school, and it’s now firmly become a habit. My week doesn’t feel complete without my workouts!
Initial workout plan
2 times/week: run 5 minutes (~4 mph), walk 5 minutes, weightlifting (typically a beginner’s weightlifting video on YouTube, around 15 minutes)
Current workout plan
Monday: speed 1 mile run (5.2 mph); weightlifting (back and legs)
Wednesday: Weightlifting (biceps, triceps, chest). Currently benching max 55 pounds, curl max 30 pounds).
Friday: Long run at a slower pace (3 miles)
Things I’ve learned
Perhaps the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that atomic habit changes really do work! My approach to working out was taken pretty much exactly from Atomic Habits, and the proof is in the pudding. I was thinking about it the other day: when I started, I was able to run for about 5 minutes without stopping. I can now run for about 25 to 30 minutes without stopping. That’s a 5 to 6x improvement in just a year! The increases in ability came at a sometimes frustratingly slow pace, but making those small changes kept me from injuring myself and kept me on an upward trajectory.
Exercise has proven to be a helpful metaphor for other difficult things in my life. I started going to therapy this year as well, and it often came up as a useful image in my conversations with my therapist. In therapy, I’ve learned that the way we progress in our lives is by leaning on previous challenges we’ve survived. Those memories help us when newer, bigger challenges inevitably arise. Exercise maps onto this perfectly. Every Friday on my long run, when I’d get to a point where I felt like stopping, I’d remember: I did this exact run last week, and it didn’t kill me. I’m in a period of my life where lots of changes are coming quickly. I’m grateful that I have many memories of other challenges that I’ve overcome to help me face these new mountains.
If you’re thinking about starting an exercise habit, please do it (with appropriate healthcare provider consent of course)! There’s nothing but upside to exercise. It’s an investment in your future that will pay dividends today. And as you can see from my journey, you can start with minimal effort!
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Weekly Exercise Summary: 2023-07-10
Monday
Run
Distance Avg Speed Target Speed 1.1mi N/A 5.0mph 3x:
- 10 rows, 70lb
- 8 squats, 50lb
- 10 lat pulldowns, 70lb
Wednesday
3 sets
Exercise Weight Reps Curls 20 10 Dumbbell shoulder press 20 10 Barbell press 20 10 Overhead tri extensions 20 6 90 degree bi hold 30 sec 20 1 Cybex incline press 65 10 Squats 40 10 Shoulder lifts 15 10
Friday
Distance Avg Speed Time 1.87mi 12:34 23:46 Notes:
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Weekly Exercise Summary: 2023-06-12
Monday
Run
Distance Avg Speed Target Speed 1.08mi 5mph 3x
- Rows 70 10
- pulldowns 75 10
- squats 25 8
Wednesday
3 sets:
Exercise Weight Reps Curls 20 10 Dumbbell shoulder press 20 10 Barbell press 20 10 Overhead tri extensions 20 6 90 degree bi hold 30 sec 20 1 Cybex incline press 65 10
Friday
Distance Avg Speed Time 2.5mi 4.28mph 35:22 One of my best feeling runs yet! Listened to a podcast for the first half-ish and really focused on my breathing. Was able to stay really zen/in the zone for long stretches which made the time FLY by. Before I knew it I was getting to the 2 mile mark. Went into my rest walk feeling really strong and ran the last 0.25 mi or so at > 5.0 mph. Really revealed that breathing and staying calm and relaxed is going to be key to increasing my distance. I think Iāll be able to push to 2.5 mi without walking in the next month or so!
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Weekly Exercise Summary: 2023-06-04
Monday
Run
Distance Avg Speed Target Speed 1.0mi 4.8mph 5.0mph 3x
- Rows 70 10
- pulldowns 75 10
- squats 25 8
Wednesday
3 sets:
Exercise Weight Reps Curls 20 10 Dumbbell shoulder press 20 10 Barbell press 20 10 Overhead tri extensions 20 6 90 degree bi hold 30 sec 20 1 Cybex incline press 65 10 Shoulder lifts 15 6
Friday
Distance Avg Speed Time 2.5mi 4.8mph 37:00 Notes:
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Weekly Exercise Summary: 2023-05-28
Monday
Run
Distance Avg Speed Time 2.06mi 14:26 30:00 Ran at Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area! I got to run up the mountain and it was a ton of fun. Definitely got me hooked on trail running; I wanna try to get in at least 1 a month!
Wednesday
3 sets:
Exercise Weight Reps Curls 20 10 Dumbbell shoulder press 20 10 Barbell press 20 10 Overhead tri extensions 20 6 90 degree bi hold 30 sec 20 1 Cybex incline press 65 10 Squats 40 10 Shoulder lifts 15 6
Friday
Treadmill
Distance Avg Speed Time 2.0mi 4.5mph 30:42 -
Weekly Exercise Summary: 2023-05-21
Monday
Run
No run today due to still feeling sore from barefoot run on Saturday.
- rows: 65
- pull down: 70
- squats: 40
- shoulder press: 20
Wednesday
3 sets:
Exercise Weight Reps Curls 20 10 Dumbbell shoulder press 20 8 Barbell press 20 10 Overhead tri extensions 20 6 90 degree bi hold 30 sec 20 1 Cybex incline press 65 10
Saturday
Distance Avg Speed Time 1.0 mi 13:41 14 min Didnāt get to 2 miles due to an asthma issue from running outside (was cool and there are lots of plants blooming rn so probably some allergens too)
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Weekly Exercise Summary: 2023-05-14
Monday
Run
Distance Avg Speed Target Speed 1.0 mi 12:30
Friday
2 sets:
Exercise Weight (per side) Reps - curls
- bench dumbbell press
- shoulder press
- cable standing chest
- tricep extension
- dumbbell hold
- plank
Saturday
Distance Avg Speed Time 2.0mi Ran on the beach at Jekyll Island! Did this barefoot, which probably wasnāt the best idea :P I got some blisters on my feet and my calves got hella sore, but I made it happen and was very proud of myself at the end! I think Iād like to run on the beach again when Iām back there, just with shoes on this time ;)
Notes:
Had a weird week this week due to some vacation travel Thurs - Sat. Still managed to hit all 3 days of exercise tho! The hotel we stayed at had a creditable gym with some good equipment, so I was able to piece together an arms and chest workout on Friday morning.
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Weekly Exercise Summary: 2023-05-07
Monday
Run
Distance Avg Speed Target Speed 1.0mi walking Walked this day as I felt too sore from longer run on Saturday.
Wednesday
3 sets
Exercise Weight Reps Curls 20 6 Dumbbell shoulder press 20 6 Barbell press 20 6 Overhead tri extensions 20 6 90 degree bi hold 30 sec 20 1 Cybex incline press 55 10
Friday
Distance Avg Speed Time 1.0 mi 10:17/mi 11min Notes:
- Had a busy day Saturday, so did a short 1 mile run. I realized after that I’d almost hit 10 minutes per mile! That’s been a goal of mine for a while, so I’m excited to be getting closer to it.
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Weekly Exercise Summary: 2023-04-30
Tuesday
Run
Distance Avg Speed Target Speed 1.1 mi 3 sets:
- 10 rows 60 lbs
- 10 pull down 55 lbs
- 10 squat 20 x 2 lbs Tried the smith machine but found it uncomfy. Also tried the squat rack, wasnāt as hard as I thought itād be! Might try that out more later.
Wednesday
3 sets
Exercise Weight Reps bar Curls 10/side 6 Dumbbell shoulder press 20 6 Barbell press 15 10 Overhead tri extensions 15 10 90 degree bi hold 30 sec 20 1 Cybex incline press 55 10 Need to do some research on whether I should be going for more reps or for heavier weights. I tried some heavier weights in between sets and didnāt feel great about them.
Saturday
Distance Avg Speed Time 1.37 mi 11:06 15:00 Ran outside on road. Trouble breathing for a lot of the run, I think probably just dust and pollen and such.
Notes from the week:
Lots of schedule changes and travel this week, but I managed to get 3 workouts in! Running outside on Saturday was a nice change of pace. I really need to plan to go on another trail run soon…
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Weekly Exercise Summary: 2023-04-23
Monday
Run
Distance Avg Speed Target Speed 0.65 4.1mph 4.8mph
Wednesday
3 sets
Exercise Weight Reps Curls 15 15 Dumbbell shoulder press 15 10 Barbell press 15 10 Overhead tri extensions 15 10 90 degree bi hold 30 sec 15 1 Cybex incline press 55 10
Friday
- walked 0.6 mi
- planks
- squats
- rope swings
Saturday
Distance Avg Speed Time 1.57 mi 12:45/mi 21:00 Notes:
- Stopped run early on Monday due to tightness in left calf. Moved to doing some weights that day to get a good workout in regardless.
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Weekly Exercise Summary: 2023-03-26
Better late than never! Here’s my summary for last week. I think I’m getting into a much better groove in terms of splitting my workouts out into specific parts and not feeling like I have to do a full body workout each time.
Monday
- Ran 1 mile, ~12:30 pace
Wednesday
- 10x for all, 4 sets
- chest press 2 10lbs plates
- curls 15
- shoulder press 15
- tri extension 15
- squats 15
Friday
- Ran 2 miles. Didn’t feel great while on the run, but pushed through!
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Weekly Exercise Summary: 2023-03-19
Wahoo! Another very late one! And also a bit of a sad one: this week I was not able to make it in for 3 workouts. I did a very very brief 5 minute thing Saturday morning to just shake off the cobwebs, but not a full workout. Scheduling is hard! However, I’m trying to see this as a test of my commitment to “progress over perfection”. It’s OK that I didn’t make it for 3 full workouts! Consistency is the most important part of any self-improvement process, and I’ve been consistent over the past 6 months, so that’s what counts.
Tuesday
- Speed workout: 1 mile on the treadmill at 12:30 per mile, then 5 minutes on the elliptical.
Friday
Weights workout. I’m trying to branch out/shake it up on the weights side, so I decided to give the chest press bench a try and loved it!
- Chest press, 5lb plates
- Shoulder press, 15lbs
- Curls, 15lbs
- Tricep Extensions, 15lbs
- Squats, 15 lbs
- 10 reps each, 4 sets total
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Weekly Exercise Summary: 2023-03-12
Another wonky week! A weekend trip and some scheduling snafus kept me from going to the gym, but I still managed to get in 3 workouts! If youāre like me and are hard on yourself when things donāt go according to plan, remember that showing up is the main part of the battle. Even if the workouts arenāt what youād like, getting them done is a huge accomplishment!
Tuesday
Working out at a new YMCA! Still feel a bit sore from the race on Saturday, but definitely not as sore as I did after my last 5k.
- 10 mins eliptical trainer
- 15 mins weight workout
- Curls
- Shoulder presses
- Rope swings
- Pushups
Thursday
Had more scheduling conflicts, so didnāt have time to go to gym this morning. I did a 10 minute body-weight exercise video thatās a favorite of mine before hitting the road for my weekend trip!
Friday
Once I arrived, I went for a short 1 mile run to shake off the cobwebs and get in my 3rd workout. I ran it in just over 11 minutes.
Saturday
My trip granted me a bonus workout! We went on a ~4 mile hike on the AT, which was a lot of fun and a great leg workout. Sadly my watch was dead so I donāt have a lot of data for this one, but it was great to get in an extra workout sesh!
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Weekly Exercise Summary: šļø 2023-03-05
A late one again! Last week was crazy with moving stuff, but wanted to get this out quickly today.
Monday
- 10 mins on eliptical
- 10 mins weightlifting
- 5 min walk @ 3mph
Saturday
5k day! Weāre in a late cold snap here in Atlanta, so it was in the low 40ās early Saturday morning. Thankfully I carried my inhaler with me on the race, so I was able to take it when the cold started making my breathing harder. The most striking thing about the race was the pace I was able to keep! I think the treadmill has been lying to me about my pace; I didnāt really feel like I was pushing my pace too much but my watch was consistently telling me that I was around or under 10 min/mile, sometimes even as low as 9 min/mile. This suprisingly fast pace led to me finishing in a great time! I wrapped up in 35:20, a solid 10 minute improvement over my last 5k back in April 2022! I was aiming for a max 5 minute speedup, so I was blown away when I was sprinting down to the finish line and saw the race clock. It was a great feeling to see the small but consistent changes I’ve made over the past year pay off. I’ve already got my eye on my next 5k at the end of April, where I’ll try to match my time from this one. A great ending to the week!
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Weekly Exercise Summary: 2023-02-06
Got a quick post this week! Had some schedule abnormalities, but managed to get all 3 workouts in!
Monday
- Usual speed work. Just over 1 mi, at 4.9 mph.
Wednesday
- Weights! I wasnāt able to get to the gym, but had access to a couple 15lb dumbbells so was able to get a workout in!
- 5 sets of
- Side lifts
- Curls
- Shoulder presses
- Overhead triceps extensions
- Squats
- 5x each per set
Saturday
- Broke my distance PR! Hit 2.5 mi, which is great because the 5k is actually next week, not later on in March like I thought. Did it in 35 min.
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Weekly Exercise Summary: šļø 2023-02-19
Another week, this time with a fairly normal life schedule! I know that the format of this post changes every single week, one of these days Iām going to sit down and standardize it…
Monday:
- Speed work, ran 1.06 mi at 4.9mph
- 10 pushups
Wednesday:
Some weightlifting!
- Walk: 0.5 mi @ 2.7mph
- 3 sets:
- 10x each
- Curls
- Shoulder Presses
- Side lifts
- Pushups
- Hammer curls
- Overhead tricep extensions
- Squats
- 10x each
Friday
- Running!
- Long run day
- 2.14 mi, 32 mins, at ~4.5 MPH
- Felt kinda rough at around 1.2 mi, but managed to make it through. I was planning on pushing to 2.5 mi next week, but I think Iām going to delay that for another week at least to try to get comfortable at 2 mi.
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Exercise Summary: šļø 2023-02-12
Another weird week!! Hence the very late post. I had some work related stuff I had to do late into the evenings and early in the mornings so I lost most of workout times Mon-Thurs. I still managed to do 3 workouts tho, one on Monday, one on Friday, and one on Saturday. I ran a mile on Monday + elliptical trainer, did weights and a long walk on Friday, and did 0.69mi running (speed workout) on Saturday. Not a great week, but this one is more normal!
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Weekly Exercise Summary: 2023-02-05
Was a bit of a weird week this week, hence the late post! Some scheduling crossed wires and production issues at work led to me needing to work out Thursday evening and Saturday morning instead of my usual MWF morning schedule. Should be back to normal on Monday tho! Weeks like this serve to prove to myself that keeping up my ānew normalā of exercising 3x per week is possible, even when life throws curveballs.
I also started experimenting with small sets of exercise throughout the work day. I have tried in the past to get into the habit of taking short breaks to stand up, stretch, and move around a little, but without much consistency. I recently even bought a 10lb dumbbell to keep next to my desk for some small sets of curls while on a long call at work. This week though, I tried to add some structure to this routine. Iām aiming to do
- curls
- overhead tricep extensions
- shoulder presses
- squats
- pushups
during these short breaks. Iām starting off with just 5 reps of each to keep the bar low and easy to achieve. This also helps me look away from my screen regularly; Iāve been noticing some eye strain lately that means I have to start being really strict about looking away from my monitors throughout the day.
Running š
Monday: Usual speed training. 0.93 mi in 13:32, average speed of 4.2 mph (14:17 mins/mi). Followed up by 0.73 mi on the elliptical. Saturday: Long distance day. I managed to hit 2.1 miles for the total workout! I walked ~0.2 of those for warm up and cool down, so ran for ~1.8 straight. I love the confidence boost that long distance days give me; itās so satisfying to see the distance tick past! I felt particularly in the zone today: breathing was controlled all the way through, and I didnāt increase speed until right at the end. I really wanna focus on keeping speed low and increasing endurance on these days. 2.1 mi, 29:45. Average speed of 4.2 mph (14:17 min/mi). Feeling good for the 5k in March!
Strength/Weights šļø
Thursday: I did a ābicep blastā workout video from HASFit. I alternated between 10 and 15lb dumbbells. This really did a number on my arms!! Iām still feeling it even as I write this on Saturday. I also added in a couple of sets of dips as I want to keep my training of biceps and triceps balanced. I wrapped up with a 3 minute sprint at just under 10 minutes per mile. I felt really good during this sprint! It had me breathing hard but still under control.
See ya next week!
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