This week, my goal was to increase the amount of movement I do in a day. I go to the gym 3-5 times a week, but I typically don’t put any effort into physical activity on rest days. I typically bike to and from class or dining halls every day, but I do not put conscious effort into getting movement beyond that. My goal was to incorporate other types of movement into my routine, including low impact work such as yoga or going for walks.
Logging Routine
I logged my behaviors at the end of every day, including things that contributed to whether I exercised, including weather, time, and other personal routines.
Wednesday, January 10th
In the afternoon, I made a verbal commitment to go to the gym with my boyfriend. We went at night, when it was dark and raining, but he picked me up on the way to the gym. We hit hamstrings, and I had a protein shake and yogurt after.
Thursday, January 11th
The night before, I agreed to go to the gym in the morning with my friend. We biked over around 10:30 am, and it was sunny. We got lunch afterwards. That evening, I started to feel sore from the night before. I washed my hair in the evening.
Friday, January 12th
It was a rest day, and I spent the majority of the day working in my room. I started my period that morning, so I did some light stretching and yoga to relieve cramps and the muscle soreness, but I mostly wanted to rest.
Saturday, January 13th
I was away from campus for the weekend, so I did not have the time or space for an at home workout. I stretched before bed. I didn’t sleep well and was restless.
Sunday, January 14th
I was still away from campus, but I ran a lot of errands and went to the shopping center with my boyfriend so we could enjoy the sun and walk around. I felt restless in the morning, but it got better when I started moving. I originally planned to hike, but it had rained a bit earlier and I didn’t have shoes that could get muddy.
Monday, January 15th
It was a hair wash day, so I planned to go to the gym in the morning, before grabbing lunch with my friends. I ate more protein than in the last few days, and I had more energy during the rest of the day.
Findings
During this week, I saw that I only really put effort into physical activity on rest days if it was convenient for me. I only stretched and did yoga when I was sore, and I only made sure to get enough steps in when I was already out and in a place where I could walk. I was most motivated when I had someone to keep me company. I noticed differences in my appetite as well as my energy and anxiety levels.
On days that I went to the gym, it was often either with friends or part of my existing routine. It fit well with my hair washing schedule and my other plans. Since going to the gym is typically my favorite way to exercise, I was not surprised that I was more willing to plan my day around going to the gym compared to doing yoga or going for walks. If I really wanted to encourage behavior change, I would have scheduled physical activity on my rest days instead of just doing yoga and going for walks when I had the chance.
From this experience, I learned that I should have considered other factors in my decision making as well as the way I was feeling. I noticed that I felt restless onthe days that I did not do intense workouts, but I did write that it was because I was driving and doing mundane tasks that day. If I were collecting data on someone else, I would have been missing that contextual information.
