Starting up a workout log as a supplement to my journal. Why today? Because I'm setting a goal of 5 exercise sessions per week for the month of March and I need somewhere to keep myself accountable that won't get lost in the shuffle.

My exercise plan (subject to revision):
Monday - 35 minutes of variable medium/high resistance cycling, 5 minute cooldown
Tuesday - at least 30 minutes of steady walking, treadmill or outside as weather permits
Wednesday - same as Monday
Thursday - hour-long Forza sword exercise class
Friday - same as Monday

The biking and Forza days are at least as muscle-building as they are cardiovascular; I would be bored silly doing endless minutes of low intensity, monotonous, steady-state aerobic activity. I use a Precor bike on a "cross country" course that is usually between levels 10 and 18, with occasional dips to 6 (and even a couple minutes at 2) for recovery. In Forza, I repeatedly swing a wood sword, working the muscles in my arms, back, and torso. To be fair, yesterday was my first class and it was intense, but fun.

My one day of walking is simply because I don't walk well. I have an old hip injury that tends to make me limp and I'm often in pain. It vastly improves when I strengthen the surrounding muscles, but biking isn't enough: I need to actually practice walking to get the right muscle usage and balance. Wouldn't want to do it every day (boring!), but so that I can walk as much as I want on the evenings and weekends, I'll put in one day of practice each week.

That's what I'm committing to for March. In addition, I often stretch, do some yoga moves, and do crunches at home. I'm sure I'll also be practicing Forza between classes. But, I'm not counting that as part of my March goal, it's just peripheral activity that I do daily to feel better, like brushing my teeth.

Off I go!