Record, Learn, Repeat for 30 days - Lessons from Week 1

My first week of pre-training preparation is over.

This week, aiming at a slow build up I focused on mainly cardio work - no weights (free or using machines).

Weight Loss Goal is No Coincidence

This is the same approach I adopted when my main focus was weight loss. This is more than a coincidence as getting my weight down is part of my return plan.

The weight goal (get back between 65-68 kg - there I said it) has three benefits:

1. I will fit into my gear - no need to buy new hakama, gi or armour.
2. Less weight (well fat) means less strain on my knees and on my body
3. I will feel better about myself - physically and emotionally - the process of getting the weight down will improve my temperament and self-confidence.

The knee strain is particularly important as one of the reasons I stopped Kendo was because I ripped my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL - yes, the injury is common enough to warrant a three letter acronym).

After this injury, incurred during a game of indoor soccer where I lost a fight with a wall, I couldn't kneel (making seiza impossible or extremely uncomfortable) and of course there was a period of several months where I couldn't put weight on the leg at all.

Learnings for the Week 1

My goal for week 1 was to get back to the gym and start working up my cardio fitness.

• Lesson 1: keeping records helps my motivation

I like to see I am doing something. More to the point keeping a record of my weight ensures that I don't lose sight of one of my key goals.

Fortunately my iPhone, FourSquare and Momento made this easier.

In addition, I use a Polar Heart Rate monitor which keeps track of my daily and weekly activities. So I get an idea of calories and time spent in specific heart rate zones. Which leads to...

• Lesson 2: try to work smart

I knew a little about heart rate zones but not enough - so I took a hour and did some research on heart rate zone training.

This research told me about the differences between temperate and aerobic zone training and how to use my heart rate to help me target my training better.

• Lesson 3: building a habit requires repetition

Reviewing my activities - I went to the gym six days out of seven - pretty good in terms of building up the habit. I know this because I kept a record - including my weight (not pleasant but necessary) - refer to Lesson 1.

Have I developed a habit yet? No, not yet, but I am moving in the right direction.

The rule of thumb is that it will take at least 30 days to build or change a habit - and by this it means 30 days of repetition, as opposed to doing it once and then giving the memory of the behaviour 30 days to gestate and appear whole and formed!

I was reminded of this while listening to a presentation by Matt Cutts on TED where he exhorted his audience to try something different for 30 days.

 

Next Week's Training

Still plenty of cardio and time to work out some strength training and also work on flexibility - maybe time for some yoga!