When You Can’t Reach Your Goal – Day 20 Exercise Challenge

Have you ever set a goal, and realized mid-way that it wasn’t going to happen? Bet we all have.

Three weeks ago, I and many of you readers began the 40-Day Workout Challenge!

My goal was 20 minutes of moderate exercise, five days a week. Well, we started exercising, and then the days kept coming… Are you getting suspicious that I’ve given up on the challenge? I didn’t! 🙂

I have realized, however, that sometimes an important aspect of goal-setting is re-evaluation. Re-adjusting. Re-alistic being. (See what I did there?)

The first week of the challenge, I did Jillian Michael’s 30-Day Shred three times and rode an exercise bike twice. Are you impressed? I feel like you should be. I’m pregnant, y’all!!

Anyways, about that time, I had a OB check-up for my pregnancy. At the end of the appointment, I casually mentioned to the doctor that I’d been exercising, and did he have any general advice.

Well, he reminded me (pretty sternly) that I absolutely needed to keep my heart rate 140 or below. Yes, I needed to check frequently. Yes, I should probably buy a monitor.

He kind of scared me. The next time I worked out, I stopped after about ten minutes to check my HR. 140.. 150… 160… 170 + beats per minute! And I didn’t even feel like I was working out strong! When I tried to keep it 140 or below, it literally felt like I was doing nothing. (Apparently I’ve gotten a little out of shape?)

I was in a real dilemma. I wanted to work out. I told you I was working out. I liked working out.

But the more I hashed it out in my head (even though many women told me they never checked, that I should “listen to my body,” etc.) I just couldn’t justify going against my OB with these “hard” (for me) workouts. Especially given my whirlwind of a year.

This basically gave me three choices:

1. Quit.
2. Take nice, brisk walks…in 20 degree weather.
3. Or, yoga. Ugh. Yoga. I’ve always hated yoga. It’s the cheerleading of exercising. Is it really exercising? So slow. So calm. So…boring?

But guess what? (You probably saw where this was going…)

I like Yoga now!

I’m not doing the crazy new-age “ummm-ing” for hours. But I’ve found a maternity yoga series that I’ve really come to enjoy. And turns out, there are benefits to yoga! (Who knew??)

• I feel calmer.
• I’m more limber, less sore, and have better posture.
• I think it will prepare me well for the natural childbirth I desire.

So a blessing in disguise.

How about you? Have you ever realized your goals need to shift? How about with your Exercise Challenge?

That’s okay!

Remember why you started this. Read this to remind yourself. It doesn’t matter if you need to set a new start date. It doesn’t matter if you need to “reduce” your workouts, or come up with a new plan altogether.

Set a new goal, and keep digging. You just might find a blessing in disguise, too!

 

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