Monday, January 31, 2011

Fitness Challenge Report Card: January 2011

Interested in joining the Fitness Challenge? Please visit the Sign Up post for more information, including the challenge rules. You may leave a comment there or on this post if you'd like to join. Be sure to include your fitness miles goal in your comment.

So how did everyone do with their fitness challenge miles this month?


Here's a reminder of everyone's January goals:

1. Christine 100
2. Lori 75
3. Gina 16+
4. azteclady 25
5. Brandy 80
6. Deanna TBD
7. Leslie 50
8. Crystal 90
9. Zee TBD
10. Sarai 32
11. Beverly TBD

I did way better than I expected to this month. I set my goal for 100 fitness miles and ended the month with a total of 130 fitness miles!!! There were two atypical events that helped me earn atypical fitness miles this month. One was the 3 hour spin-a-thon I did early in the month that earned 12 fitness miles in just one workout, which is usually how many miles I do in three days!

The other atypical event that pushed me far over my goal was the fact that this month was one of the snowiest months on record for my area EVER. Which from an exercise perspective, means I shoveled a lot of snow all month long... a total of 20 fitness miles worth. I even wore my heart rate monitor while I shoveled to monitor my fitness level and determine how many calories I burned shoveling snow. It's a decent workout. Not as much as my usual cardio workouts, but definitely more than strength training or face paced walking.

Here's a rundown of my types of workouts and the number of "fitness" miles I earned for each activity.

Spinning & Abs 44
Strength Training 24
Snow Shoveling 20
Bootcamp 16
Kickboxing & Abs 12
Running 8
Zumba 4
Yoga/Stretching 2

TOTAL MILES: 130

Without the spin-a-thon and snow shoveling, I would have come in at a total of 102 miles, which would have still allowed me to meet my goal, so I think 100 fitness miles per month is a realistic goal for me.

I'm going to set my goal for 100 again for February, although it's probably less likely I'll meet it. For one, it's a shorter month with two less days than January, two of which I already know are going to be exercise-free for medical reasons. Also, there are no spin-a-thons on the horizon and hopefully not nearly as many snowstorms! I'm seriously considering asking Santa for cross country skis or snowshoes for next Christmas... ;)

How did you do with your fitness challenge goal for January?

Did you have trouble meeting your goal?

If so, what were some of your obstacles?
Time? Motivation? Illness?

I hope you all join me again for February! :)
Please include your February fitness mile goal in the comments.

Thank you all for participating. If you have any questions or suggestions, please let me know.



15 comments:

  1. Congrats on the 130 fitness miles!!!

    I'm...a mass fail ATM on both the exercise and healthy eating fronts :( Seeing the nutritionist on Friday. I know she's going to be disappointed, but...I have to take the bad with the good! I'll see what she says, but I know the scales aren't going to be pretty (I think I've put back on half the weight I originally lost).

    All the best for February (and those medical days).

    ReplyDelete
  2. Awesome job Christine w/130!

    I managed to pass my 50m goal and made it to 74m. I'm going to try and replace one of my 2m walks with a 3m walk a few times a week and see how that goes.

    I'm going to up my February goal to 60, keeping in mind the shorter month. :)

    I used to cross country ski eons ago. It's fun and a great workout!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I stink! I've had this sinus headache and hate to move. It's not going well. Except that I have been eating healthier & taking my vitamins so I've lost 2 lbs. Oh, that could also be because I've stopped eating out everyday. Hmm, so no, I'm not more fit but my healthier lifestyle is a vast improvement!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oops -
    I met my goal 2 of the 4 weeks. I think I'll keep it at 16 until the weather is better & soccer moves outdoors.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Criminy, Christine, you put us all to shame! (and huge congrats on exceeding your fitness goals)

    As for me, January is going down as 'abysmal failure'--between one thing and another, I didn't even get to ten fitness miles!

    Like you, Christine, I have been nursing plantar fascitis since last Spring--on both feet. (I owe the injuries to working on my feet about 8hrs or more per day.) Added to that, there has been a lot less bike riding the past three weeks (new car! *happy dancing* *ahem*) and changing schedules have meant not sticking to my Power90 workouts.

    However, new month, new possibilities: I'll stick with 25 miles for February.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I failed as well. Sick kids and then a sick me? Well, that made me miss quite a few workouts, not to mention snow and days and days of icy roads. *sigh* I made it to 75 fitness miles and I think that's what I'll make February's goal.
    WTG on the 130! You did GOOD!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Congrats Christine!

    Wow, I didn't realize how many fitness miles could be earned by snow shoveling. That is food for thought. We've had our share of snow here too.

    I've never tried spinning, I hear it is really tough!!

    You are amazing!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Awesome job on the 130 miles!!! Yeah I got 8 but hey I am already starting this month off good and have well gotten 2 miles for today! WOOT! I shall succeed even if it kills me.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Whoops I think i will stick with 32 until I can master that LOL then I will add on.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Congrats Christine!

    Sent you an email.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks on the kudos for my 130 fitness miles! I'm actually really thrilled with that number and have a feeling it's going to be a personal record for me for a while. ^_^

    orannia: I'm sure the nutritionist can help you figure out what to do to get back on track.

    Leslie, Way to go with 74m! That's fantastic!!!!!
    60 for February it is. I bet you'll beat that, though!

    Gina, It's amazing what a few small diet changes can do, right? It's tough exercising outside in this weather. I don't even mind the cold so much for running, but here there's just so much snow and ice, it's tricky making it work.

    azteclady, haha! thanks. I worked really hard this month. I think I'm addicted, actually...

    Isn't plantar fasciitis just awful? It takes a loooong time for it to heal. I don't know how yours will heal being on your feet all day long, though. Maybe wearing a brace while you sleep will help. Have you been to an orthopedist? My foot is finally *knock on wood* 99.5% healed. I'm still being a tad bit cautious with high impact, but I'm running once a week and I jumped rope last week with no pain!

    New month, new possibilities is a great attitude!!! I love it! :D

    Brandy: Having sick kids and then sick you definitely throws a wrench into things. It happens. Besides, 75 fitness miles ROCKS! Good for you! :)

    Lea: I count snow shoveling because it does get my heart rate up, uses large muscle groups and also because it is not part of normal daily activity. My husband and I both treat it like a workout, so we keep up an exercise type pace when we shovel. :)

    I love spinning. It is a great workout, but it is also good for all levels because you can back off if you need to when you're a beginner or put on the heat if you're more experienced.

    Sarai: Don't let it kill you! That's NOT the point! LOL! I like azteclady's mantra. New month, new possibilities!

    Dru Ann: Thanks! :)
    I sent you an email back. LOL.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Here is a list of everyone's goal miles for February.

    Welcome to our newest participant, SenoraG! ^_^

    Keep moving and have fun!

    1. Christine 100
    2. Lori 75
    3. Gina 16+
    4. azteclady 25
    5. Brandy 75
    6. Deanna TBD
    7. Leslie 60
    8. Crystal 90
    9. Zee TBD
    10. Sarai 32
    11. Beverly TBD
    12. SenoraG 15

    ReplyDelete
  13. So yeah, keeping track of fitness miles is just too much hassle for me, LOL. I view the month as a success because I walked 2 miles in the mornings 3-4 times a week, and did weights a couple times a week. But if I had to write down the fitness miles? Clueless! I'm just satisfied that I'm still working at it :)

    But you - look at you go! Congrats on your meeting your goal for the month. I have no doubt you'll meet your weight goal and your fitness goal before you know it.

    ReplyDelete
  14. So glad that you were so successful in January! I am in need of doing several things. One I need to sit down at make a true number goal, two I need to schedule in time to workout and three I just need to light the fire under my @ss and do it! LOL. So shaking off the bad feeling for not doing so well last month and jumping on the happy wagon of working out for this month! :-D

    My major obstacles = "not having enough time" which really pans out to mean NO MOTIVATION!

    ReplyDelete
  15. You got a couple of A's this month! That's awesome.

    I still need to read If I stay, I got it on my pile, but I don't know. Feel like I got too high expectations of it...
    LOL

    Hope February is a good reading month for you!
    :D

    ReplyDelete

Leave a comment! I love to hear what YOU think.
[I apologize, but I've had to disallow anonymous users to comment on my blog due to an influx of spam. I'll change it back as soon as I can. Thanks for understanding.]