Week 1

• The Journey Begins
  Thanks for joining me! Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

Question: What are your thoughts or attitudes towards running and how are you feeling about facing this goal (be honest).

Throughout my life I’ve had great difficulty with running because I am very slow and I have poor stamina which has lead me to strongly dislike running.  Even though I haven’t had many good past experiences with running, nor have I ever really given it a chance, I am willing to put in the effort to improve. Facing this goal will definitely not be easy for me but hopefully by the end of it I will be better and have a more positive outlook on running

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Week 2

Question: What barriers are you facing during this process? (physical, mental, motivational, logistical, etc) Explain.

I have been home-schooled most of my life, and unlike the majority of schools who make you run quite often, the only sport I ever had to do was competitive swimming. So running is a brand new experience for me. The biggest barrier during this process so far has been the physical one. Unlike swimming, running is a high impact sport which has taken a toll on my body, like ankle pain and a lot of difficulty breathing. Finding the motivation to go outside and run is something I have been struggling with as well. I lack motivation because I know how difficult and painful it is to run.

Week 3

Week 4

Question: Identify 2 strategies you can employ to help overcome the barriers identified last week. Use them!

I believe that with continuous training I can overcome my physical barrier. Performing a steady-paced run and slowly building up the speed will enforce my stamina thereby slowing my heart rate down- making it easier to breathe and cause less muscle pains. Setting small, achievable goals like outrunning my previous run or running the full 8 minutes, help to keep me motivated in improving my runs.

Week 5

Question: Has your attitude towards running changed over the past 4 weeks? Why or why not? Explain

Surprisingly my attitude towards running has definitely changed. I used to absolutely hate running but now I find that it is a great stress reliever. Why? Because when I’m running I’m on my own just listening to music. It’s a chance to get my mind off cegep and work. Through the last few weeks I have been able to gain more stamina which has lowered my physical pain and allowed me to look at the positive side of running. It has increased my overall well-being and I feel proud that I have been able to slowly progress over the past weeks.

Week 6

Question: Overall comment on how successful you feel towards achieving the goal of a 5 km run, and your overall experience (again, be honest).

Today I did my last run on which I was able to achieve 5km! It took some time but I am very happy I achieved my goal. This experience has made me change my perspective on running in the way that I don’t hate it at all anymore. I never would have been able to run 5km at the beginning but now I can which gives me more confidence in my physical abilities.

Muscular Fitness

Based on your pre-evaluation analysis, what are the 2 technique points you will focus on improving for your push-ups and squats? Why?

The 2 points I would like to improve for my push ups are lowering my body in a straight line because if I am able to lower my body in a straight line it will make the second point I want to improve easier which is lowering my chest and thighs to the ground at the same time. Being able to do this properly will result in me doing more effective push ups.

I want to be able to retract my shoulders back properly because it might give me a better balance. When I do squats I feel that I lack balance

2 muscular fitness goals

I will be able to hold the chair squat for 115 seconds, with my legs at a 90 degree angle and my back straight

I will be able to balance on one leg for 27 seconds without making hand gestures, keeping my eyes closed and staying still.

Every Wednesday and Saturday , I will complete 2 sets at Max Reps of my 2 goals indicated above.

Week 1

Week 1: What are your thoughts or attitudes towards muscular exercises and how are you feeling about facing this goal (be honest).

I don’t feel like I have much muscular fitness at all but I’m very willing to try to accomplish my goals the best way I can. It will certainly be difficult because I haven’t done any muscular exercise since April.

Week 2

Week 2: What barriers are you facing during this process? (physical, mental, motivational, logistical, etc) Explain.

The biggest barrier I’m facing is managing my time. Between all my other classes and fitness I find it really hard to find time to do the workouts. There are so many things going on that I’m scared ill forget to submit something on time.

Week 3

Week 3: Do you prefer to exercise alone or with your group? Why?

I like the fact that its mixed between exercising alone and in group because it gives it some variety and makes it less boring. In group I don’t have the option to procrastinate so I get it done much faster than by myself which is beneficial to me.

Week 4

Week 4: Why is it important to have your belly tight on your push-ups? Why is it important to have your toes staying in line and behind your knees on your squats?

Firstly, because my back is weak, I tighten my core which supports a straight body. This will make you flat so you can get a full range.

Your knees are not meant to go past your toes because it makes you at risk of putting great weight on your knees. It also puts the weight in the wrong area that we are trying to work, making the squats ineffective.

Final push-up and Squat analysis

1. After retesting your fitness with the fitness appraisal, what were your initial results vs. your current results for your 2 fitness goals?

At the beginning I could only stay balanced on one foot for 14 seconds, and by the end of it I was able to stay balanced on one foot with my eyes closed for over a minute.

At the start I was able to do the chair on the wall for 80 seconds and currently I am able to hold the position for 118 seconds

Were you successful in achieving your fitness goals? Did you see other improvements in your fitness appraisal results?

I did achieve my fitness goals, and I noticed a lot of improvement in my push-ups as it does not feel as hard as it did in the beginning to do them.

Were you successful in achieving your squat and push-up technique goals? Explain

Yes, for the squats I was able to maintain proper technique for the 15 push-ups and keep my back retracted back

For the push-ups I was able to achieve more technique goals but I still lack core strength which make it hard for me to go lower.

What muscle groups have you worked on by improving your push-up technique?

I have worked on my triceps muscles and chest muscles by improving my push-up technique

What muscle groups have you worked on by improving your squat technique?

I have worked on my hamstrings, gluts and abdominals by improving my squat technique