Progress

From last September until now, I’ve made progress. I acknowledged my penchant for lying around, and I made solid goals to get myself moving. I also reached these goals and am currently in the process of reaching others. I completed two registered classes. I became a lover of both the plank and pirouette. I went to the gym and tried trampoline dodgeball. I took a few walks here and there in the good ol’city of Toronto. I was up for any challenge. I took risks. I became less self-conscious. I’ve made progress. From my first post to this very lost post, I made the leap from being inactive to active. And throughout my journey over the past eight months, I’ve learned that my body can do amazing things. I can jump, run, stretch, twirl, and lift. Becoming physically active helped me ease into the idea that it’s not about how I look, or what societal convention that I can fit into. It's about what I can do and how I can move freely and be healthy. There were some days when I admit I did nothing. But I also found a way to pick myself back up and get moving again. There were also days when I remembered that by being active, I will actually get more things done. I would go to a Pilates class, and then be able to focus on my studies. Productivity needs to come from some sort of activity in order to get the momentum going.  

  Now that this blog is ending for this semester, all I can say is that we are in the homestretch. It's exam season, and we can conquer this! With essays/assignments and tests, it’s easy to just slip back to old habits. My books might be calling me to hole myself up in my room for days end, but I refuse to give up on my hard work. After all, being physically active isn’t a temporary goal, but a lifestyle. Here’s what I’ll be doing for the remainder of exam season to keep my lifestyle goals in check: 1) For every half hour of studying, take a 5-10 minute break and stretch. Keep that blood circulating! 2) Hit the gym twice a week, either before or after library visits. Exercising is now officially the best friend of studying. It’s a win-win situation for conditioning both the mind and body. 3) Try a drop-in class one a week. Since registered classes are finished, I plan to keep myself going by heading to the Athletic Centre and trying out a drop-in class that’s new to me each week. Adding spontaneity will help with my studying, as I will be able to break away from a monotonous routine of burying my head in the books during exam season. 4) Explore a bit of Toronto! I need to refresh myself and get out of the campus bubble. I want to take advantage of the fact that the weather is now nice enough for average human being to not turn into an icicle. Therefore, I should start walking around the city again and go on adventure mode away from the campus. 5) Take a rest, and relax. Treat yo’self. No explanation needed. We all start off as beginners, but as time goes by, we change. As for me, I'm always looking for something new to try out—that’s the best habit I’ve developed this year.  

I'm getting the hang of this. I can totally do this. Are you ready exam season? -Amanda