Victoria Klein

Day 11: Saturday, June 30th, 2012

Walk (on treadmill): 52 minutes; 3.2 miles @ 1.5 incline

Yoga (at home): 22 minutes

Comments: I had to shower, so first, I got really sweaty! I did walk/run intervals + it was fabulous! My Yoga practice was good as well, though I was really sweaty + just wanted to shower, so it didn’t last very long :)

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Day 12: Sunday, July 1st, 2012

Walk (on treadmill): xx minutes; xxx miles @ xx incline

Yoga (at home): xx minutes

Comments: Nope, it just didn’t happen today. Things are starting to get crazy busy as my husband + I get ready to move in 2 weeks … oh, and he just got a motorcycle, so on top of changing our addresses, packing, + moving, I also have to help him get it registered + get insurance … etc. I’ll be happy on Monday, July 16th when we are all done moving!

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On another note, my sunburn is nearly done peeling! My shins + lower back are still slightly flaky, but otherwise, I’m done!

You might remember that this challenge was meant to last until I stopped peeling. I’m very surprised that, just 2 weeks later, my body has already fully recovered - I expected it to take twice that long! 

Also, I am amazed that I was able to keep up with my daily challenge for nearly 2 weeks. With the peeling coming to an end, it’s time for this challenge to go to the next level!

I will continue to challenge myself to be active every day, but the definition of that will be changing a bit. 

Monday/Wednesday/Friday/Saturday will be stronger, sweatier workouts that include vigorous cycling or running/sprints, followed by Yoga.

Tuesday/Thursday/Sunday will be slower, steadier cardio workouts - mostly likely long walks, followed by Yoga.

It feels fabulous to make/take the time to be active every day + I don’t want that to end! I’ll continue to use the “walking and yoga challenge” tag on these posts because, at the very least, I will walk + do Yoga each day.

Note: this challenge will become its toughest Thursday, July 12th - Sunday, July 15th as my husband + I will be in the full swing of moving to our new apartment across town. Spending my days packing, unloading, unpacking, + cleaning could easily be considered workouts. For these days, my goal is to simply do Yoga, as I’m sure I’ll get sweaty enough throughout the day :)

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Phase 2, Day 1: Monday, July 2nd, 2012

Walk Bike (on Stationary Bike): 35 minutes; 8.3 miles @ level 5-7

Yoga (at home): 34 minutes

Comments: I was all fired up to do a vigorous series of walk/run cycles, but both of the treadmills in my apartment’s gym weren’t working :( I contemplated running outside, but wasn’t in the mood for that … enter the stationary bike. I’ve loved cycling all my life + it was nice to mix things up. Oh, and yes, I still got very sweaty :) My Yoga practice was also delightful + it felt nice to practice a little longer than I have been.

What is this!? Check out my introductory/day 01 post <3

Walk (on treadmill): 39 minutes; 2.1 miles @ 1.5 incline

Yoga (class at Yoga Oceanside): 60 minutes

Comments: Another great day :) I always try to take a Yoga class before I teach a class + today was no exception. The class was wonderful + it was really nice to mix up my routine that I’ve been in lately. 

I was really energized when I got home (despite waking up at 4am), probably thanks to the awesome folks I had the pleasure of teaching today :) That being said, I wasn’t really in the mood to be on the treadmill for a whole hour, so I shortened my time a bit … I even ran for 2 minutes!! It felt so good to run again, though I wasn’t wearing the proper sportsbra for it (ouch!).

Give it another week + I should be able to start running again, though my upcoming move might get in the way (July 12th-14th). At the very least, I’ll do some running/walking intervals on the treadmill until after the move - then I’ll start getting up early again + running outside :D

What is this!? Check out my introductory/day 01 post <3

Walk (on treadmill): 63 minutes; 2.9 miles @ 1.5-2 incline

Yoga (at home): 25 minutes

Comments: Another good walk, but I’ve noticed any interesting trend lately. The past 2-3 days, I’ve let myself sleep in as long as my body wants to, which translates to 8-9:30am. During this time, I’ve also been more tired than usual + find it tough to really “get going.”

Before that, I had an alarm that went off at 7am, at which time I’d usually roll out of bed, ready to start the day. I think I’ll be going back to that because my body seems to enjoy it more. I think I’m simply getting too much sleep - go figure!

I would have practice Yoga longer, but again, I slept it + was already drained, then I did my long walk, so all I wanted to do was finally eat breakfast (which turned out to be lunch)!

What is this!? Check out my introductory/day 01 post <3

Walk (on treadmill): 63 minutes; 2.9 miles @ 1.5 incline

Yoga (at home): 39 minutes

Comments: Another good day :)

I slept in + felt quite hungry when I woke up, so I had breakfast + did my walk/Yoga at lunchtime. Maybe I was just delightfully distracted by HGTV or I was “in the zone”, but today’s walk seemed easier than the last few. Maybe my body is starting to adapt to all the walking already … that would be awesome :)

My Yoga practice was good as well. I was highly tempted to try some poses that involve bearing weight on my shoulders (like Bridge or Shoulderstand), but I resisted. My skin is nearly done peeling, but it still has some healing to do, so this is a great opportunity to cultivate patience. 

What is this!? Check out my introductory/day 01 post <3

Walk (on treadmill): 61 minutes; 2.7 miles @ 1.5 incline

Yoga (at home): 31 minutes

Comments: Woohoo! Walked for a whole hour today! :) Also, hooray for keeping up with my daily challenge for a whole week! :D

I continue to focus on my form consistently while I am walking. My main habit is to take large strides, which makes it tough to land on the ball of my foot + I tend to roll my ankle inward because of my high arches. 

I planned on doing Yoga longer today, but I was getting REALLY hungry + having a hard time focusing - oops, haha. :)

What is this!? Check out my introductory/day 01 post <3

Walk (on treadmill): 46 minutes; 2.2 miles @ 1.5 incline

Yoga (at home): 27 minutes

Comments: I knew this day would come - the 1st day that I really didn’t feel like walking … but I did it + felt better after I did (go figure) :)

I’m going to stick with walking longer at a slower speed for a few more days as my sunburn continues to peel. I’m aiming to walk for a whole hour tomorrow!

I was able to do Downward Dog during my Yoga practice today - woohoo! The skin on my left shoulder still feels a bit tight, but it is slowly gaining elasticity again. I think it only gets better from here :)

What is this!? Check out my introductory/day 01 post <3

Day 04: Saturday, June 23rd, 2012

Walk (on treadmill): 41 minutes; 2.4 miles @ 1.5-3 incline

Yoga (at home): 21 minutes

Comments: Definitely pushed myself a little harder today on my walk + really enjoyed it. I planned to do a MUCH longer Yoga session but … my sunburn started peeling! Yes, already!

Part of the reason I did this challenge was so that, when I did start peeling, I wouldn’t get those nasty little sweat bubbles under my skin (which happened right after a run with sunburn #3 + felt super-nasty, making my skin crawl) … but it happened anyway. Oh well - life goes on :)

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Day 05: Sunday, June 24th, 2012

Walk (on treadmill): 45 minutes; 2 miles @ 1.5 incline

Yoga (at home): 22 minutes

Comments: My body needed a break today - in more ways than one - so I went for a longer, steady walk instead of pushing myself to sweat as much as possible (while still maintaining good form).

Speaking of form, I think all this walking is going to be great for helping me re-learn my running form, which I realized about 2 months ago, was rather inefficient.

Yet again, I wanted to do a longer Yoga session, but now that my sunburn is peeling, the skin on my left shoulder (which got the worst of the sun) is tight again + I can’t do Downward Dog + many other poses. That being said, I still did Yoga + it feels good to be developing a steady, daily practice.

What is this!? Check out my introductory/day 01 post <3

Walk (on treadmill): 45 minutes; 2.5 miles @ 1.5-2.5 incline

Yoga (at home): 38 minutes

Comments: That post-sunburn-exhaustion is finally starting to go away - hooray! Also, most of the blisters on my left shoulder popped yesterday afternoon + overnight last night, so I’m getting some range-of-motion back in my shoulders. Big step: I was able to do Downward Dog today! Still can’t do Bridge or Shoulderstand or anything that puts a lot of weight on my shoulders, but progress is being made :)

What is this!? Check out my introductory/day 01 post <3

Walk (on treadmill): 40 minutes; 2.1 miles @ 1.5-2 incline

Yoga (at home): 24 minutes

Comments: I used my iPod during my walk, listening to “Yoga music” (especially MC Yogi) + it was a definite motivator. Of course, it didn’t hurt that I had just taught a Yoga class to some awesome ladies, so I was in a pretty good mood. :) I really wanted to practice Yoga longer than I did today, but I was constantly distracted by the sunburn blisters on my left shoulder - both because of the discomfort level + worrying that they would break open at any moment.

Let’s start this post with a seemingly unrelated picture:

That’s me - and I’ve had FOUR sunburns after living in Southern California for less than a year.

#1 was on my face, chest, + shoulders

#2 was just my face

#3 was on my face, chest, shoulders, abs, + the entire front of my legs

#4 (which I got yesterday!) is on top of sunburn #3, which was almost healed. My chest, arms, hands, abs, + legs got a bit more burned … but this time, I got the entire back of my body as well, including some intense burning on my shoulders + back.

To answer your 1st question, YES, I was wearing sunscreen during the last 2 sunburns … but clearly not enough + I wasn’t reapplying it regularly enough.

I’m admittedly bad about applying sunscreen because most formulas make me break out in hives, so I have to use a formula that features “physical” blockers, not the more-popular “chemical” ones. Also, I NEED to reapply every 2 hours, which can be easily forgotten.

So, what does this has to do with fitness??

I’m a runner + an avid Yoga practitioner. It is quite hard to do either when you have a sunburn (especially on your shoulders!).

I’m currently training for my 2nd 5K, which is in less than 5 weeks. I’ve come to accept the fact that there is a very good chance that I won’t be able to run that race. 

That being said, I don’t want to just sit on my butt, gaining weight + losing strength/flexibility, for the next few weeks while my sunburn heals + I avoid the sun entirely during 10a to at least 3pm. I also have a history of depression, which being physically active has helped me manage.

Last night, lying in bed, an idea sprang into my head … why not just WALK? No, it doesn’t burn as many calories as running, but I can still do it without much discomfort to my sunburn. Also, with ever-growing focus on my new work as a Yoga teacher, my personal Yoga practice has become a bit sporadic … so I need more Yoga too!

So what’s a gal to do? Challenge myself to take a walk + practice Yoga EVERY DAY until my sunburn fully heals (a.k.a. my skin stops peeling, which usually happens after the red fully fades from my skin, which will be at least a month).

The challenge includes at least 30 minutes of walking + 20 minutes of Yoga EVERY DAY. Most days, I will take a walk + do Yoga first thing in the morning, but with appointments + teaching commitments, that won’t always be possible.

With that in mind, I set up some more specific guidelines to this challenge:

• Daily walk can be taken at any time during the day, outside or on the gym’s treadmill. 
• If walking on the treadmill, the incline must be at least 1.5 at all times.
• The walk may come before or after the Yoga practice.
• If walking on the treadmill, I can use my iPod with headphones in. If walking outdoors, no music, no headphones - just walking.
• I will blog my times + progress here on Tumblr!

As my sunburn heals, I’m confident that my walks + my Yoga practice will get longer - I hope to begin attending full-length Yoga classes again in a few weeks … you know, when my shoulders don’t feel like they are on fire.

If all goes well, I’ll be running again before my next 5K (July 21st, 2012), which I will still happily attend if my sunburn is better. (Notably, the 5K starts at 10am - must wear sunscreen, look for shade, + wear layers before/after the race!)

Today is officially DAY 01 - the day after developing sunburn #4.

Walk (on treadmill): 36 minutes; 1.8 miles

Yoga (at home): 24 minutes

Comments: I could have easily walked longer, but I didn’t want to burn myself out right at the beginning of the challenge, haha. I used to run 3-4 days a week, so my feet will have to get used to walking so much daily. I also wanted to practice Yoga much much longer, but so many of the poses I wanted to do involve my shoulders + back, which are burnt the worst right now. Also, my body is physically drained from being burned again, so I’m taking it easy.

P.S. I’ve determined that as a gal of Swedish/German/British heritage, I am not meant to live as close to the equator as I do now. I’m originally from Indiana + was living in Connecticut before moving to Southern California, rarely developing sunburns. This is the furthest South I’ve ever lived. Thankfully, I LOVE the North + will eagerly be returning in 3 years. :)