Ever heard the saying, “If it needs to be, then it’s up to me?” This quote became my ‘mantra’ for maintaining my workout routine whilst travelling for two months.
My summer break has been jam-packed with travel to see family and maximising our time together. Family time have meant making connections and appreciating the loving relationships that surround me. But it was also during that time that there was the temptation to let slide routines I had built at home; one of those routines was my fitness. Staying active and fit is a goal I decided for myself and no one else. I saw a need in my body and decided to take action. Hence, I owed no one the accountability except to myself. Has it been easy to maintain? No, was I always consistent? No, but I still showed up even when it did not look perfect. But I was going on holiday; access to a gym was going to be either a challenge or expensive. I needed to plan to ensure that I kept up some form of active movement, hence the phrase: ‘If it is to be, then it’s up to me.’ When I started my fitness journey, I had three body goals:
- Strengthen my body
- Find a workout that targets the cellulite wrinkles on my thighs.
- Tackle my belly pouch
My exercise routines are focused on lifting weights and doing movements that target those specific areas. Now, the problem with strength training is that if you are not consistent, you lose the gains, and wrinkly thighs and bellies are the hardest part of your body to tone. As I am ageing and fast approaching fifty, my skin is losing its youthful elasticity; although I cannot fight the effects of Father Time, I can choose how I allow myself to age. Movement and staying fit have always been my goal, and I knew that when travelling I had to make some adjustments. This is how I adjusted my workout routine to fit our two months of travel; it’s not perfect, but it helped.
- In Arizona, I was able to continue strength training using an adaptive form of workout. I made it work in the room we slept in by making space to make my workout fit. I found some exercise routines that focused on strength building without the use of equipment. These consisted of my regular squats with a thirty-second hold and increasing the hold with each rep, starting an attempt at doing push-ups and calf raises. These might seem trivial, but holding a squat for any amount of time takes concentration; it helps to build joint stability and contributes to lower body strength.
- When we were in San Luis Obispo, I was lucky that my brother-in-law had some gym equipment that enabled me to set up a makeshift gym. I could add dumbbells to my calf raises; I could start building my inner thighs and glutes by doing lateral lunges with dumbbells. I was even challenged with my deadlifts using the barbells.
- Finally, when we were in South Africa, we found a budget gym that had what we needed for a three-week workout for just $40 (R650). Some gyms offer these short-term memberships at exorbitant prices.
Our vacation time was coming to an end, but there was a God moment when the light shone over my thighs, and I smiled with pleasure. After almost a year of consistent workouts and movements, I was finally beginning to see a shift in the appearance of the wrinkles on my thighs. The rippled, wrinkly skin was starting to dissolve into a smoother texture. Finally, I was starting to see results, and this was encouraging. To an outside observer, I might still have a long way to go; however, my fitness goals are my personal journey. My small wins are my celebrations, and every decision I make to pursue excellence in fitness draws me closer to my end goal.
I will keep maintaining the same thought pattern in every post; the mind is the blueprint that helps you achieve your overall success in life. I started reading a book by Doug Wood entitled From Church Boy to Millionaire. In this book, he talks about his own personal struggles with debt and the balance of helping his family become economically more stable. But there’s a part in the book when Doug talks about having a millionaire mindset. I loved that he wrote about changing your perspective on your finances in your mind first, taking ownership of your mistakes, and making the mental decision to get yourself out of where you are and into a better financial position. We don’t owe people explanations for the life choices and goals we set for ourselves. You have a goal; work towards it; don’t allow discouraging words or others to stop you from making progress. Remember, ‘if it is to be, then it is up to me!’
Kaleidoscope: Life through different lenses 