June Fitness Challenge: Final roundup

Time to sum up the final week, and the total month, of my thrifty June fitness challenge. I planned each week to be progressively tougher than the last, and Week Four included heavier weights and more toning exercises.

I managed three hours on the exercise bike at home, keeping a faster pace than before and including a few sprints here and there. That all seemed to be okay, and it’s something I think I’ll easily be able to keep up in future as well.

After that, there were some toning exercises at home, including hand held weights and lots of sit ups. That worked out to be about an hour of proper working out.

The last bit of exercise was a really nice surprise. My other half found a really good last minute mid-week deal at a spa hotel which had a free swimming pool and a gym, as well as some paid-for stuff like massages and a hydrotherapy suite. We had a mini holiday! Before the week was out we’d both enjoyed two really good long swims, and a gym workout.

The final total for the week was over five hours of aerobic exercise and two hours or so of workouts, so the target was definitely met. It was especially nice to do some swimming again, and it’s definitely made me look and feel a lot healthier. I’d forgotten how much of a water baby I used to be, and how good it can be for toning those arm, shoulder and back muscles too.

It’s only been a month of proper regular exercise, rather than my more half-hearted previous efforts, but there’s a real difference in my sleep patterns, energy levels, posture and muscle tone now. It’s encouraging to see all these effects within what’s a relatively short period of time, and I’m now feeling motivated to do another month of more challenging activities.

Hmm, I wonder what I might do next? I’d love to start swimming again, but the nearest pool is some distance away and doesn’t have a great reputation. Perhaps there’s one in town that I could visit once a week – more research is needed… I’m also going to go to the local library this weekend to see about local exercise classes, in case there’s something that catches my eye.

Are you trying to get fitter or more toned this summer? What are you doing to reach your fitness goals?