Well it has now been almost 6 months since I first posted about my change in fitness routine. After a little prodding from one of my readers, I thought it was probably a good time to post an update on how things are going. The goals of making those changes were as follows:

• To remove a dependency on big expensive equipment for keeping fit.
• To free-up a room in our home as a guest bedroom so that we would be better equipped to live-out another family value: hospitality.
• To be free to workout anywhere, any time, without having to pay expensive gym drop-in fees.
• To breath a little well-needed life into my boring fitness patterns.

The routine

For the last six months, my physical activity has consisted of a mixed-bag of Intu-flow, Clubbells, trail running, hiking, tennis, and walking. Being the mixed-bag that it is I wouldn't exactly call it a routine, but I am typically doing anywhere from 1 to 2 hours of activity a day (not counting weekends where we will hike 6 to 7 hours). That may sound like a lot, but that includes the lower impact things like walking to/from work, etc. The newest part of all of this has been the Intu-flow and Clubbells which have replaced the traditional strength training I had been doing in years past.

Intu-flow

In the last 6 months I have managed to progress from the beginner to the intermediate program. That is probably considered a very slow progression. The main reason it has taken me so long is that I do not practice it every day as is the recommended frequency (I know... I know... I can see the CST coaches shaking their heads in disgust). I typically practice Intu-flow about 4 times a week, directly before one of my Clubbell sessions. It is a really great warm-up and since I often do exercise first thing in the morning (and I am not a coffee drinker), I find it a great way to wake-up and get a start on my day. I really enjoy the DVD routines and look forward to progressing to the more difficult levels. This anticipation of progression is good for keeping me motivated.

I have found Intu-flow to have a visible benefit to my daily life. I spend my working hours sitting in front of a computer. Whenever I feel tension creeping into a specific part of my body (my neck, or shoulder, or hands) while at work I will quickly go through a few Intu-flow motions to help loosen things up. It really does work and seeing the benefits also helps in providing the motivation to do it regularly.

Clubbells

Clubbell training (actually, most CST training) is very different than anything else I have done. It is about learning and perfecting movement, not brute force repetition with increasingly heavier weights. It requires a different mindset than I am accustomed to, which is not necessarily bad, but wasn't what I expected. Or maybe I did expect it to a certain degree, but I hadn't experienced it before.

What makes it different? It is the progression from the simple to the complex. Kind of like yoga, or dance, or martial arts (none of which I have done much of before). You start with basic, simple movements and as you master those, you progress to more difficult and complex ones. As you master the movements more of your body is recruited in the process and eventually you get a full workout. But that isn't the case in the beginning. In the early stages, I actually found it kind of frustrating. I felt like a complete beginner, unable to do some of the most basic things. At the end of a workout I would feel unfulfilled because my muscles wanted to work but my motor skills weren't up to the task yet. Or my grip would give out way before the rest of my body began to feel it. Slowly, as my motor skills, grip strength, and balance improved the rest of my body was able to join-in. Before I got to that point, everything just felt kind of awkward.

I have been taking these slow, gradually building up my repetitions. The swinging motions of the Clubbells is great for keeping me loosened up and in shape for tennis. I am happy to say that my Clubbells give me one heck of a workout, and that I don't miss my traditional weights one bit. I have no doubt in their ability to scale the workout up as I progress and there are endless combinations to keep things interesting. Best of all, the entire sum of my workout equipment takes up about 1 square foot of closet space in our new guest bedroom.

Trail Running

Trail running went really well until it started to get cold and dark. The only time I can really run is first thing in the morning (at around 6:00 am). At that hour it is colder and darker (not to mention snowy-er on the trails) than I am motivated for. As a result, my running has taken a backburner to other activities until the spring. I still do run at least once a week barefoot on the the indoor track at work, typically on days when I am without a tennis partner.

I am at peace with running less. One thing that I am getting out of this is more of an appreciation for the cycles of life. It is my goal to be more in tune with the seasons and adjust my physical activity as the seasons change. I think that ultimately I will have more motivation over the long-term if I always have a change in season, and hence a change in routine to look forward too.

Hiking

Our weekly family hikes have changed with the season too. Due to the cold, snow, and ice, our mileage is greatly reduced. What is good about this is that we are able to revisit old trails from a new perspective. Trails which in the summer are too short or easy for us, are now challenging again. We are starting to push our boundaries little-by-little as we become more comfortable and experienced in the cold. There is lots to learn and new challenges to overcome in this season, but it has been a lot of fun.

One big bonus is that when the snow conditions are good, we can hike to the top of a mountain and sled right back down.

We are very much looking forward to our winter backpacking trip to the Camden Hills ski lodge in a couple of weeks. Stay tuned for future trip reports.

Tennis

I work at Bates College which has a number of indoor tennis courts. I typically play 3 or four days a week at lunch time. It is as much of a social time with co-workers as it is a nice active way to break-up the day. I have been playing in my Vibram FiveFingers KSOs as a way to keep my feet in shape over the winter when I am more prone to wear heavier cold-weather (i.e. less minimalist) footwear.

Someting new...

In case you haven't heard, sitting for prolonged periods of time is bad for your health. Guess what I do for a living? I sit. For long periods of time... I am a computer programmer. Guess what I do when I get home? I sit some more... I like blogging, social networking, homeschooling, reading to my kids... it kind of sounds like I am a couch potato. The truth of the matter is that I am not, I try to be very intentional about everything I do. The problem is that more and more of what we do as a society revolves around computers, and hence sitting.

In an attempt to rebel against all of this sitting I purchased an Indo Board Balance Trainer. I purchased the set that includes both an inflatable cushion as well as a roller. I have now started working at my desk standing on the balance board using the cushion. I will sometimes take a short break during the day and play around on the roller as a nice diversion. The goal is to try to keep my body moving more during the day, and perhaps even build some physical skills such as strength, stamina, and balance as I go. Wouldn't it be nice to actually improve physical well-being during the day while at a desk rather than deteriorating in a chair? I am hoping it will work out that way.

Integration

My primary fitness goal has been, and continues to be integration. To make activity an integrated part of my life rather than something that gets tacked on and competes against everything else for time. In my mind, this is the only way that I know to make it a sustainable part of my family life.

If you haven't checked it out already, I highly recommend visting John Sifferman's site called Physical Living. John has been very helpful and inspirational to me on this journey, helping me work towards those integration goals.