It’s hard for me to believe that I’ve been working from home for almost 6 months.
A lot can change in that much time, and it has. I guess I don’t say much about my personal life lately, because everything I have going on just feels so small to write about in comparison to the worldwide craziness happening.
It all has me very much on edge. Since March, my sleep has probably been my biggest physical daily obstacle. It’s so much harder to do things when you’re tired, I hate it, and that’s bound to happen when you just plain don’t sleep enough. The more my brain starts to turn things over, the more sleep and I become distant strangers. I feel like this is slowly improving.
I’ve gained 15lbs. I’m not particularly mad at myself. I don’t hate how I look. It’s just that everything in my life changed, and my body did too. It’s logical. No more walking from car to work and back again. No more taking the stairs at work. All of these little daily movements are gone, and weight is, of course, a bit of a math problem; less movement equals fewer calories burned and therefore more fat to hang around my hips and butt.
Like I said, I don’t hate it. It’s different but not awful. I’m still curvy, there’s just more of it. However, I have also noticed that I was feeling less comfortable overall in my body. I was generally less energised and was feeling kinda frumpy. I knew that I definitely needed more exercise to conquer that ‘blah’ feeling. (And maybe something to kick my butt!) No one wants to feel hefty and out of whack, no matter how confident they are.
So I downloaded the Bodbot app. Couldn’t hurt, right? You guys. This thing is genius!
I’m not going to turn this post into an ad for Bodbot, but I am positively thrilled at the outcome so far:
- The weight gain has stalled. I haven’t gained more weight in the past few weeks.
- My measurements are changing. I’m not seeing a big scale drop but I’ve lost about an inch off of my waist. I even think I’m seeing some arm definition. Yay!
- I feel better generally. My body feels more alive. I like feeling good!
- My back feels better. This is huge for me. I have gained some flexibility in my spine, I don’t hurt in the mornings anymore, and I don’t feel nearly as achy.
- I learned how to jump rope.
The whole concept of Bodbot has me pretty excited! It’s an absolutely brilliant use of “adaptive technology.” It takes any chance of bias right out of picking your workout. 🙂 Basically, the AI learns from you and is able to target your weak spots. You do fitness tests before you start, put in your goals and Bodbot can fully plan your personalized workouts. It takes into account the equipment you have available. The AI creates workouts catered to your exact needs, and it doesn’t care which exercises you’re stellar at. In fact, you’re way more likely to get the stuff you suck at.
Because that’s the stuff you need to work on! The challenging exercises are where the growth is. Bodbot makes you focus on the niggling small stuff to become more balanced and foundationally stronger. (Example: Bodbot likes to get me to squeeze a yoga ball between my thighs and hold for 3 seconds, then release, and then repeat this squeeze another 22 times. Ow!)
Also! The jump rope thing! Holy moly!
I was a shy kid, and from an early age I had the idea that physical activity was mostly something for other people. I was absolutely dismal at team sports, I had little coordination, and…I sucked at jump rope. As a kid I didn’t care enough to try to get better.
Well, my beloved Bodbot has been asking me to do jump rope sessions. I was initially pretty intimidated, but I’ve been making the attempt.
The first time I took a jump rope outside I was absolute garbage. Tripping on the rope. Thwacking myself in the back of the head with it. I marveled that so many small children can master this with ease. I didn’t sweat it though. I just decided that I would keep trying. I could probably get a little better through repeated exposures. I couldn’t get much worse!
It was an ideal personal challenge. No pressure. A defined goal. The stakes were low. I wasn’t going to be mad at myself for failure.
The second time, I managed to get the rope around a couple of times in a row. By the fourth or fifth session I realized that I was able to string more of my jumps together. I was better able to establish a rhythm! In fact, the only thing holding me back now is my stamina. I can actually jump rope! It’s still really hard, but I can!
I’m thrilled with that. I’ll take the progress. It’s damn satisfying to teach yourself something new.
Speaking of something new, for me at least…my hair’s getting longer. I can actually put it half-up now! Hair growing is very slow-going, but this is the longest I can remember it being in years. I’ve pretty much always had short hair as an adult. 20 years at least. I’m enjoying the new length so far, and I’ll keep growing it as long as that continues to be the case.
Even if that means I have to wear a headband while I’m skipping. 🙂
Stay safe,
Jennnq
Critical Happiness 