Tag: Consistency

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From Mowing Leaves to Life Lessons: Embracing Consistency After a Stroke

Written November 19, 2024

Hello Dear Readers,

Today, I’ve elected to forego leaf collection. Due to the warm rainy days last week, I decided to mow the lawn. As I mowed the lawn for the last time, I mulched the remaining leaves in our yard to the point I could skip leaving vacuuming chores for the day. Compared to the previous week, we are having some cold days. My body was somewhat used to the warmer days; I am having difficulty adjusting to this chilly weather again. 

We usually don’t have to mow around this time. I was somewhat disappointed at needing to mow again, as I had thought I’d finished that chore for the year. Somehow, the weather had its own plans. The erratic weather resulted in some late extra growth to create a little spring to the point that promoted grass and trees to create some new greens. Hopefully, I’ve now reached the end of mowing for the year. 

The mower mulched the relatively few leaves on our lawn, leaving it reasonably clear. So, skipping the leaves will be a pleasant break for me. I noticed some of my neighbors started to put Christmas decorations outside. Once Thanksgiving is over, there will be a lot more decorations. 

Ever since my brain stroke, I have learned to be consistent. I can’t imagine how I changed. I was more impulsive and liked to procrastinate. When I had to re-learn even basic actions, such as how to eat or walk, it taught me to be more patient. I learned that the best way to avoid forgetting to do something is to plan well and create a checklist. My wife is big on planning and making checklists. She jokes she does not trust herself to be consistent otherwise. 

I realized that consistency has excellent benefits. For one, I was able to run 10 km without problems. I even started doing my muscle training, and I gained a lot more muscle. I always had toned muscles because I used to do gymnastics. When I was in bed for almost two months after the stroke, I lost a lot of muscles. I sleep and wake up at the intended time, so my biological clock works. I had difficulties reading books due to my eyes, so my wife got me audiobooks. I listened to my audiobooks all the time. I also learned how to cook and Japanese. Now, I pick up on writing. 

Chores, like vacuuming leaves or even mowing, need consistency. I get tired much faster than before, especially when the weather is extreme. I will do as much as possible within my capacity, but I do them consistently. I get them done all the time. If I think like that, I lost a lot from my brain stroke, but I also gained good habits from it.

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The Secrets to Improve in Running is Recovery and Embracing Your Strength

Written September 2, 2024

Hello Dear Readers,

Recently, I’ve noticed that my body hasn’t been recovering as well as I’d like. Over the past few days, I’ve been pushing myself hard, not just with running but also with yard work, and it’s starting to show. One of the more challenging aspects of managing my kidney condition is how it impacts muscle repair. My body doesn’t bounce back as quickly, and the restrictions on my diet certainly play a role. I’m limited in what I can eat, affecting my body’s healing ability. Surprisingly, I’ve adapted pretty well to the dietary limitations—they don’t frustrate me much anymore. But when I push my physical limits, I feel the consequences.

This year, I’ve consciously tried to improve my running pace. I’ve been running for several years, and until last year, I focused on completing 10 km runs. I enjoyed the challenge of reaching that distance, but now I’m shifting my focus. It’s not just about running far anymore; I want to run faster. Since we live in a hilly area, my runs always begin with a significant challenge—a 17-meter elevation gain immediately. I know some runners actively seek out hills for training, but for me, it’s just the reality of running in my neighborhood. There’s no way around it. In a way, I guess we’re fortunate. Others come here specifically to train on hills, but it’s simply part of the landscape for us. Every run starts with a climb, whether I like it or not.

This morning, I was disappointed with my pace. I’ve developed a habit of analyzing my runs and trying to figure out what factors might be impacting my performance. Was it the terrain? Was I more fatigued than I realized? There’s always something to consider. My runner wife often reminds me that discipline is more important than constantly worrying about numbers. She says running is unpredictable, and there can be many factors—weather, how well I’ve slept, stress levels, and even the amount of yard work I’ve done the day before. What matters most is that I don’t give up.

And she’s right. The important thing is that I keep running. No matter what, I’m putting in the effort, ultimately leading to improvement. While it’s easy to get fixated on pace, I know I’ve worked hard, and that’s where the real value lies. The numbers will eventually catch up to the effort. Improvement might come slower than I’d like, and it might not always be smooth. There will be setbacks, and some days will feel like I’m running through mud. But I know I’ll see progress as long as I keep putting one foot before the other.

The pace won’t improve as quickly as I’d hoped, and I may have more days where recovery feels frustratingly slow. But I’m learning that it’s okay. It’s part of the journey. And with consistency, I’ll get there—step by step, day by day.

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The Power of Consistency: One Week of Daily Blogging and the Journey Ahead

Hello to all my wonderful readers,

Having successfully written on this blog every day for a week, I’m feeling increasingly optimistic that this latest endeavor will become a long-term habit. The methodology I employed to get this far isn’t new or complicated; it’s the same advice I’ve been sharing with you in my previous posts. To summarize, I established a clear objective, which in this case was to write a brief blog post each day. I designated a specific time to pursue this writing goal, opting for the early mornings before my day officially begins with breakfast. Lastly, I anchored this new practice to an existing daily routine—finishing my first set of pushups is my trigger to start writing.

Writing a book has always lingered at the periphery of my consciousness, but until now, it remained a vague idea that I’d yet to embrace fully. I would wait for that elusive ‘perfect’ concept to strike me like a bolt of lightning. I don’t know if such a perfect idea is even a reality. Still, my ongoing recovery journey since experiencing a stroke seems like a fitting subject to delve into for the time being. While I might venture into fiction at some later stage, the habit I’m nurturing now will undoubtedly help any future writing projects.

On this subject, one author I particularly admire is Brandon Sanderson. He is often generous with his wisdom for those looking to become writers, and one piece of advice from him strikes a chord with me. His counsel is straightforward but effective: write and do it consistently. The emphasis isn’t necessarily on the volume of words but on the practice’s regularity. Even if it’s a modest 200 words daily, the results will accumulate over time, and before you know it, you could be sitting on an entire book series or more. This principle mirrors the philosophy I’ve tried to incorporate into achieving all my life goals: Start small, maintain consistency, and the results will follow.

I look forward to seeing where this new habit takes me. Not only is it providing a platform for me to share my ongoing life experiences, but it’s also laying the foundation for potential future literary endeavors. So, whether you’re an aspiring writer or have other goals you want to pursue, remember this: Start, even if it’s with something small, but keep at it regularly. After all, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

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The Power of Small Steps: How Breaking Down Goals Leads to Big Wins

One lesson I continually learn in my journey of habit formation is the power of small, consistent goals. Achieving startling results can sometimes require herculean efforts. For example, last year, I ran over 1,000 miles. It might sound like a lot, if I only intended to run it in a month. Instead, I broke it down into smaller, more manageable distances. This approach allowed me to hit that considerable number over time.

I’m naturally inclined to try and accomplish goals in one giant leap, but this often leads to failure. For instance, I recently committed to better caring for our front yard. My first task was to weed the planter areas. Initially, it seemed like an overwhelming job. However, by dedicating just 20 minutes a day to it, I found it more manageable. I expect to finish the tendering of our front yard sometime this week without being subjected to a back-breaking, all-day endeavor.

If you need help to achieve your goals or even to get started, consider breaking them down into smaller tasks. The temptation to tackle everything all at once is strong but only sometimes effective. Intellectually, I understand this. Yet, the urge to “do it all now” still pops up.

When setting my goals, I make it a point to remind myself to break them into smaller tasks. I plan to work on these smaller tasks over a more extended period. Starting earlier and extending the timeline can be a safer and more effective approach for various activities.

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From Running to Strength: How I Built an Effective Upper Body Routine

Hello again, dear readers,

After running 1000 miles last year, I decided my legs were in the best condition they’d ever been, even before my stroke. Encouraged by my previous success, I expanded my exercises to include my upper body. I decided on pull-ups, pullovers, pushups, tricep pushups, and planks. These were all exercises I was previously familiar with and knew how to do, and they should help balance the fitness of my body a bit more. 

Next, I had to find a time/trigger for my exercises and determine how many to do. Since I’d been so good at keeping my running schedule, I used getting ready for my run as my trigger. So, every running day, before I head outside, I do some number of pull-ups, pullovers, pushups, triceps pushups, and planking. At the start of this routine, I only did one pull-up, one pullover, 21 pushups, one triceps pushup, and 1 minute, 21 seconds of planking. I found it easier to keep track of the goal numbers if they were aligned. 

I also decided that if I could achieve the target number 10 times, I would increase the number by 1. Eventually, I found that I could do two sets of exercises and did my first before I ate breakfast and my second before my run. In the beginning, when I was doing relatively small numbers of each activity, I tried to do four sets spread throughout the day. Still, I didn’t have appropriate triggers for 2 of them or 3 of them on non-running days, so I periodically forgot to do them all. Still, my before-breakfast set was reasonably easy to remember. I kept up with this set and have done it daily for over 200 days, gradually increasing my counts to 10 pull-ups, 10 pullovers, 20 pushups, 10 triceps pushups, and 1 minute 50 seconds of planking. There have been non-running days that I’ve missed the second set, but those have been rare enough that I haven’t worried too much about it.

So, after you’ve built and established a habit, consider using it as an anchor for expanding it into an entire routine. In making this routine, I prioritized rooting the practice over starting with higher/more challenging numbers. In the beginning, doing a single pull-up felt underwhelming, but I built the habit of slowly increasing the repetitions in my mind. I’m pretty confident that 10 successful sets aren’t optimal, but it’s easy to keep track of, and it’s working for me now. 

If it stops working, I must find a way to fix it. However, what matters most is that I am progressing and getting stronger.

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The Power of Small Goals: Achieving Big Results Through Consistency

One of the lessons I keep discovering throughout my various habit formation is that small goals done consistently over time can lead to pretty startling results.  

I want to accomplish a goal in one herculean effort, and I often fail when I attempt such a thing. Last year, I ran over 1,000 miles. If I had set out to run 1,000 miles all at once or even in a single month, I’m confident I would have immediately failed; however, by splitting the 1000 miles into more manageable albeit still challenging parts, I could achieve this more significant number. 

I also recently committed to maintaining our front yard better, and the first objective was to weed our planted areas. When I first decided, weeding the entire area would be nearly impossible, but I decided to find a mere 20 minutes to work on it every day. 

I expect it to be finished sometime this week, and I’ll have to maintain it. Again, had I tried to strip the areas of weeds all in one day, it would have been miserable and potentially unwise as it’s pretty hot outside.

If you need help to complete your goals or even get started at them, try to make them smaller. Don’t try to run 1000 miles all at once. Intellectually, I know it’s better to set goals this way, but I still feel an urge to try and do it all at once. 

In my goal formation, I remember to make the habits smaller and plan to practice over a more extended period. Starting earlier and going longer is a safer way to approach many activities.