If You Don't Plan to Succeed, You Plan to...well, Not Succeed!

One of the reasons why I did not attend the RKC Bodyweight Cert this past weekend is because I did not train for it. I don't regularly train planks much less pushups, or train a handstand skill. Although I have recently learned how to do a headstand and find myself upside down at least once or twice a week. My point is no matter what kind of "shape" you are in, if you don't practice other skills then don't be surprised if you can't do them. One of the best parts about being in "some kind of shape" whatever that may be (if you train something on a regular basis), is that you can practice and learn new skills easier and faster. I always say that my kettlebell training sets me up to try and train most anything else....yes, even running....if I wanted to....but I don't.

I have not yet incorporated "formal" scheduled walks as part of my weekly training. I think walking is an important part of a kind of "everyday fitness" and believe it or not you can get out of shape to walk! If you don't walk on a regular basis, much less at all, then don't be surprised if you find yourself huffing and puffing a little picking up the pace to simply catch a green light crossing the street!

So I admit, I don't schedule regular walking which I define as 3-4 deliberate two-plus mile walks a week, and ideally one long 3-4 mile walk. Deliberate describes walking for the sake of exercise, not strolling....decent quick pace but not all out race walking. Tuesday is the only day that I have a deliberate 45 min walk between workouts while I'm waiting for Mark to finish up with a client. But I do plenty of walking besides when I get a chance at a solid 2 miles. no problem.

One of the ways I walk more is I plan my errands around our small downtown area "on foot". Girya is in downtown Palo Alto and there's not a day that goes by when I don't find myself needing to go to the bank, post office, market, for coffee, or....Lululemon! I map out a route in my head of the furthest possible ways to walk one or two miles and end hitting a couple of errands near the end. The market and a cup of coffee (my reward) are usually my last stops (no body likes to have to pee half way through a walk...argh!)

Another way I get more walking into my week is that I'll chose to walk to my neighborhood market when I have only a few things I need. Most times I don't need anything really, but I am more motivated when I feel like I have a job to get done and I can always think of one or two things we need. Just this past Monday I walked to the market with a rather large, or should I say heavy, list of groceries thinking, "ah, I can carry them"....two 6lb chickens, 5 lb onions, four 1lb containers of cottage cheese, 1 qt milk, a lg head of cauliflower and lots of other produce....it was so heavy that I had to weigh my two bags when I got home just out of curiosity...30lbs! Good thing I train kettlebells!

Another way I plan to walk is if I have any appointments that require "waiting". Yesterday I took my car to be serviced and was told it would be 1 1/2 hours! yikes...what to do? Walk of course. Oh sure I could have brought my computer, or used the courtesy computers at the service center, but instead I walked a giant loop stopping at a favorite nearby wine shop next to last ( whatcha think 4 bottles of wine weigh? I say about 12lbs!) right before picking up some bar-b-que ribs and brisket for Mark. When I got back I only had another 10 minutes before my car was ready.

So what's all this got to do with planning to succeed? On my afternoon walk in PA today I was thinking about how much I enjoyed being able to run errands on foot, how lucky am I? Yet so many, most I bet, never think to do the same. Most people, me included at one time, would always choose to drive, heck when we have to park too far away from the Mall we get upset! What is the excuse? I don't have time, probably #1 reason.

Not having time and not making time are two different things. No one has time if you wait until the last minute and it's common to put things we don't want to do off until the last minute. As if somehow that makes it a legitimate excuse. Everyday I start thinking in advance, how can I, or where can I walk today? I can always seem to carve out at the very least 20 minutes. Same with lots of other things that set me up for a successful healthy lifestyle.

You can't wait last minute and without a plan. Health and fitness doesn't just happen, you make it happen. One of the things I hear more often than not is "I'm so out of shape!" Geez, I wonder how that happened? No body is a victim of being "out of shape". All anyone has to do first is to start moving their body regularly....just move it!

If you or someone you know does no kind of exercise then beginning some is an absolute chore, a bore and downright painful sometimes. But what are the choices? Don't think that doing nothing is not a choice. Don't think that letting your body become weaker and less healthy everyday is not a choice, because it is. If you don't plan to succeed, you plan to fail.