Workin' on Her Fitness: Part 1 In What Will Be a Yearlong Series
01/31/2020
Last year, I devoted several blog posts to fitness-related topics. I shared information about why fitness (and specifically weight training) is especially important for us as we age. I included links to a few workout options to get you started -- I provided some tips for equipping your own home gym . . . and some for finding a gym. I also shared stories about women who have made a commitment to their own fitness.
And, generally, y’all seemed to respond well to these posts.
(So look for more in 2020!)
This year, I've also cooked up something else to inspire you to get fit! I’d like to introduce you to a special blog friend who has made a major life commitment to getting herself in better shape. I thought it might be interesting, fun, and inspirational for you all to hear about what she’s doing this year -- with regular check-ups each month to see how things are going for her.
So . . . Meet Kim!
Many of you likely know Kim already, from her blog . . . or because of her luscious and beautiful hand-dyed yarns.
Kim lives in the beautiful mountains of New Hampshire with her husband, Ken. She has 5 kids – all grown and “launched” now (she raised a nurse, a restaurant manager, a teacher, a brewer, and a marketer), and 7 amazing grandchildren. After working in the “dog world” for over 25 years (as a dog breeder and exhibitor, with a dog club, and for a veterinary hospital), Kim has recently switched careers to work in a hearing aid shop. She is, of course, also an independent yarn dyer and owner of The Woolen Rabbit. (Kim started her yarn business 15 years ago – in those early, pre-Ravelry days of knitting-on-the-internet, launching her business via blog posts.)
After Kim blogged about her goals related to fitness earlier this month, I contacted her with an idea . . . and we started a conversation about sharing her story and experiences more broadly. Kim generously agreed to allow me to interview her for my blog – not just this month - but once each month for the rest of the year! Here’s our first conversation – the start of an exciting new fitness chapter (for Kim AND for my blog)!
Kym: So, Kim. Tell me about your fitness goals for 2020.
Kim: My goals going into this new year – and new decade – are to take responsibility for my physical heath and personal self-care. For me, that translates into building on my love for walking, snowshoeing, and kayaking (things I already do) with added weight training/weight lifting to make my body healthier and stronger. I am also going to give meditation a try. I’m working with a self-care group, and the coach stresses the importance of recognizing our thoughts about ourselves through meditation.
I LOVE to walk! I am so fortunate to live in such a beautiful place here in the mountains of New Hampshire. I love to toss on my walking shoes, put my ear buds in, and enjoy the tunes along with the beauty of my environment. It’s when I do my best thinking! I’ve decided that despite my overloaded schedule, I AM going to take an hour lunch break on the 3 days a week that I can get away from the office – and I’m going to use that time to work on my fitness or self-care.
Kym: Those sound like terrific goals, Kim! What prompted you to choose them?
Kim: Well, I'm 61 -- which means I’ve just entered the 7th decade of my life. I know that NOW is the time to look at my choices and make changes before it’s too late. I know it’s never really too late to take care of yourself – but it gets harder to stave things off as you get older if you don’t pay attention to your health. (Yikes! How did I get to be this old already!) (Ha.)
Kym: Looking ahead, what do you anticipate will be your biggest barriers to success?
Kim: Myself! I have a busy schedule now that I am back to working in the 9-5 world, along with dyeing, so I can usually find a reason to excuse myself from doing the work that I need to do. I can be a BOSS at procrastinating the things that would help me the most!
Kym: Oh, I can imagine many people can relate to THAT struggle! How is your plan for building strength and fitness this year different from things you’ve tried in the past?
Kim: As I mentioned, I’m working with a self-care group that has a focus on changing our thoughts about weight loss and fitness. The process is more about learning how to value your worth, and not act in self-deprecating ways. It’s been an eye opener for me! In addition to being part of this group, I’m signing up for the Beach Body On Demand videos, so I can do training here at home when I can’t get outside. Our local gym recently closed, so right now I would have to travel too far to go to another gym. With my work schedule, it would be too easy for me to put it off -- and I know I'd never get there. A set of weights is on its way here right now!
Kym: It sounds like you’re off to a great start! You’ve identified the outdoor activities you love doing, and you’re planning ahead for busy days or bad weather with an indoor fitness back-up plan. Plus the weights! And it sounds like your self-care group will give you the support to make real change.
Kym: Here’s something I always ask people when I’m talking to them about their fitness plans (because I do think there is something very “real” about our tendencies and how they play out in our fitness habits): Have you taken Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies quiz? And if you have, do you mind sharing your tendency?
Kim: Yes. I’m an Obliger! My self-care group is a perfect way for me to build accountability into my fitness goals, and will be the right place for me to increase my self esteem and self worth.
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I think it sounds like Kim is off to a great start with her fitness and self-care plans for 2020! I hope you are inspired, too, and that you’ll look forward to hearing more of Kim’s story as the year unfolds. Be sure to join us next month!
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Have a great weekend -- and I'll see you Monday!