Making tables on this platform is a menace! This entry is just me playing around the tables. As you know, I like making them in my free time because, obviously, I have no life. Well, these are actually my exercise logs. As I mentioned in this post, I started working out again after all these years of mastering the art of being a couch potato. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a world-renowned couch potato extraordinaire. But, now, I'm a couch potato who works out regularly.
*I highly recommend you read this on a web browser
Getting back to exercising is quite challenging at my ageπ¦. The best way is to start slowly and proceed at your own pace, no pressure. I had shed off several pounds even before starting to work out to prevent any injuries by improving my diet alongside light stretches and yoga. I always cringe watching those weight-loss shows where severely obese participants are challenged to jump into intense workout sessions right away, while being yelled at right in their ear by so-called professionals. That's hardly the way to go about it.
I got back into exercising in December 2023 with the couch-potato approach.
December 2023
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
1 | 2 | 3
| ||||
4 | 5 abs 10mπ° legs 13mπ° cardio 10mπ° | 6 cardio 15mπ° | 7 legs 16mπ° | 8 abs 9mπ° | 9 chest 4mπ° arms 10mπ° | 10 |
11 legs 15mπ° abs 8mπ° | 12 shoulder & back 8mπ° | 13 chest 3mπ° arms 5mπ° cardio 30mπ° | 14 legs 10m π° abs 5mπ° | 15 | 16 | 17 |
18 shoulder & back 8 mπ° arms 10mπ° | 19 legs 13 minπ° abs 9 minπ° | 20 cardio 15mπ° | 21 | 22 legs 8mπ° legs 6mπ chest 3mπ° | 23 | 24 |
25 abs 8mπ° legs 15mπ° | 26 | 27 legs 16mπ° arms 9mπ° | 28 | 29 abs 8mπ° shoulder & back 7mπ° | 30 cardio 10mπ° | 31 |
[m = minutes]
Emojis attached show the level of each exercise. π° means beginner level whereas πis something like lower intermediate level. You can see all the activities are fairly short, but don't judge me. As I said, this is a couch-potato testing the waters. I didn't plan anything and just went with the flow. I used a few apps and YouTube videos to guide me through basic trainings.
It's worth mentioning that my main goal this time is to build muscle, build muscle, and build muscle. Of course, I want to lose fat (not necessary weight), but the main focus is m-u-s-c-l-e. Therefore, I wanted to get used to doing regular strength training, no matter how small the amount. The amount of work can be increased later. I don't want to do intense workouts that are beyond my capacity right from the beginning, only to end up hating the experience and burning out. That's counterproductive. At this stage, building the habit is more important. Do not pressure couch potatoes. They'll crumble.
In January, I was still getting used to regular workouts. Each session was getting slightly longer, and I started to incorporate more cardio and upper level exercises here and there as well. However, my workouts sessions are more or less random, without concrete plans. The progress was gradual but there. Well, it's the first month of the year, so I was just focusing on doing as much as I could.
January 2024
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
1 | 2 legs 20mπ | 3 cardio 90mπ° | 4 abs 11mπ | 5 | 6 legs 13mπ | 7 |
8 | 9 cardio 40mπ° | 10 abs 8mπ° abs 10mπ chest 10mπ° | 11 | 12 arms 10mπ° abs 7mπ° | 13 | 14 |
15 cardio 12mπ° | 16 legs 20mπ shoulder & back 7mπ° | 17 cardio 20mπ° | 18 abs 12mπ chest 3mπ° | 19 | 20 | 21 cardio 40mπ° |
22 legs 17mπ | 23 | 24 abs 14mπ | 25 | 26 legs 19mπ arms 10mπ° | 27 | 28 |
29 cardio 10mπ° | 30 abs 17mπ cardio 20mπ° | 31 cardio 50mπ |
In February, I was beginning to see a clearer vision of how to approach my workout plans. You can see more consistency in both my strength trainings and cardio exercises. I could see and feel more and more improvements in my body, which kept my motivation up. Also, the intensity was increased marginally. At this stage, I'd also built a list of my favorite go-to fitness YouTube channels, for which I'm beyond grateful. *blowing kisses*
February 2024
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sunγγγ |
1 abs 15mπ | 2 | 3 | 4 cardio 35mπ | |||
5 abs 14mπ legs 14mπ | 6 cardio 80mπ | 7 legs 7mπ° shoulder & back 7mπ° | 8 cardio 60mπ | 9 legs 17mπ abs 13mπ | 10 | 11 cardio 20mπ |
12 arms 10mπ° chest 4mπ° | 13 legs14mπ cardio 20mπ° | 14 cardio 60mπ | 15 abs-17mπ cardio 10mπ° | 16 cardio 70mπ° | 17 | 18 cardio 70mπ° |
19 arms-- shoulder-- | 20 cardio 50mπ° | 21 legs 18mπ abs -- upper body -- | 22 cardio 60mπ° 30mπ | 23 cardio 100mπ | 24 cardio 10mπ° | 25 cardio 50mπ |
26 abs 30mπ | 27 cardio 90mπ | 28 upper body 30mπ legs 24mπ | 29 |
π is an upper intermediate level workout that I dared to try and deeply regretted after 30 seconds in and even more the next day when I couldn't move at all without sobbing in pain. Nope, too advanced for me. I'll stick to πlevel for now.
My workout routine has been pretty much established now, as you can see below. I'll stick to this routine for the foreseeable future. Actually, I might take a whole week off to let the body recover and relax after a few months of consistent exercises. I'm a couch potato, remember? That's why I wholeheartedly apply the "less is more" approach to my workouts plans. This week has been quite stressful due to the heatwave that made me constantly toss and turn in bed at night. A week off would surely do me good, now that the heat is subsided. It's Holy Week next week anyway, why not take a break?
March 2024
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sunγγγ |
1 abs 40mπ | 2 | 3 cardio 60mπ | ||||
4 upper body 30mπ | 5 cardio 45mπ | 6 legs 30mπ | 7 cardio 40mπ | 8 abs 30mπ | 9 | 10 cardio 50mπ |
11 upper body 30mπ | 12 cardio 70mπ | 13 legs 30mπ | 14 cardio 60mπ | 15 abs 40mπ | 16 | 17 cardio 60mπ° |
18 upper body 40mπ | 19 cardio 50mπ° | 20 legs 30mπ | 21 cardio 40mπ° 10mπ | 22 abs 30mπ | 23 | 24 cardio planned |
25 Holy Week β | 26 π₯ | 27 π₯ | 28 π₯ | 29 π₯ | 30 π₯ | 31 π₯ |
Just so you know, all these exercises are calisthenics done at home. They involve no equipment, just as I prefer. At least, I'd like to start that way. Of course, I mean to add dumbbells or resistance bands in the future when I need to increase the intensity. By the way, going to a gym has never been an option for a couch potato like me. It's more of a hassle than a help. Also, all these exercises are usually accompanied by 10 to 30 minutes warm-ups, stretches, cool-downs, massages, or posture training. However, I try to keep the whole session under 90 minutes.
Hope I can continue this routine so that I can ambush and torment you, my fellow journalers, with another exercise log in a few months. Let's say this is me holding myself accountable.
Happy Training!
(The adorable image was borrowed from this lovely book: The Couch Potato's Guide To Getting Fit)
βCorrected
Nicely done, and very methodical. As for me, I wouldn't dare rest a week from exercising tho because I'd never get back on the wagon. ^^
You keep good records on everything! That appears to be very helpful to know progress.
Sorry for the late reply. Thank you for the comment and all the corrections @amop567 I'm back from one-week-couch potatoingπ₯β Yeah, it's a bit terrifying to rest completely, but that's what I wanted to see, if I can get back on the wheel without issues, and how my body reacts. Weight loss still happened after the rest week; measurements down on some parts, the same on the rest.
Sorry for the late reply and thank you for the comment @Akiko I let the exercise app track for a couple of months. After expanding my exercise menu out of the app, I started to track with my health journal. Now, I'm even more meticulous about tracking because I was in εζ»ζ. I track calories intake these days, too. Being able to see the progress is quite encouraging.