Exercise 2.0

This time last year I was a regular gym-goer. Fast forward to this year and I'm only just working out how I exercise in a new city. Here's where I'm at:

I don't belong to a gym.

Towards the end of our time in Wagga Wagga, I was finding my gym routine monotonous and I didn't fit into the gym culture either. When we moved I checked out the gyms near our apartment but I didn't find anything I loved. Plus we live right by the lake, which has plenty of walking and cycling tracks. That said next year I'll join a gym for the colder months - because it was so hard to keep moving and stay well over winter.

My goal is to cycle to work three days a week.

It's a 30-35 minute ride each way and the return trip is just shy of 20km. When I'm organised and ride, I find myself solving problems and coming up with ideas en route. It also clears my head on the way home - something driving in a city doesn't do!

I've found a new yoga teacher - yay!

I was really attached to my teacher in Wagga Wagga, she was encouraging, intuitive and strong. My new teacher is all of those things and funny too. Plus the view isn't half bad :) I aim to go twice a week (and always make it to at least one class) and will often join the free Lululemon class on Sunday, which is especially relaxing when it's held in the park.

I'm definitely not as fit as I used to but but other things have changed since our move. I'm way more confident riding on the road (and around swooping magpies) and I've ridden over 800km in less than a year! Plus I can do the wheel pose in yoga, and one day I hope to hold it for more than a couple of seconds.

What are you doing for exercise these days?

A big brave change

When someone dear to me passes away it sparks a revelation about how they lived, which is why I was so intrigued by what my friend Kate decided to do shortly after we lost our friend Erina. 

I met Kate and Erina when I was fresh out of uni, we worked together for a few years on a current affairs show based in Sydney. Now Kate lives in Wollongong with her partner Lucas and their two little girls, Grace and Sophie, and she’s just started studying to be a personal trainer. It’s a pretty big shift from being in the media, and I couldn’t help asking how losing Erina prompted the shift, and how it’s going so far.

Riding home

The very first time I rode home from work, I took a wrong turn as soon as I left the office. It made for an eye-opening ride home, past corner shops I'd never seen before and through heavy traffic. But now I'm beginning to enjoy the little surprises that come with cycling.

Do you exercise?

Every spring I rediscover exercise. In seasons past I've taken up running, joined a gym and bought a tennis racquet. But this spring is different. This month, I will have clocked up a whole year of regular exercise. It feels like a triumph and a bit of a fluke too.

Today, two girlfriends and my brother generously share how much they exercise in any given week, why they do it, what keeps them motivated and the kinds of things that can get in the way: