Calisthenics: My Quest For Functional Strength

This year I have vowed to give up my membership to the gym. More for the reason that I would like one less bill per month, but also because I would like to learn to use my body and my surroundings to create a workout.

Me, holding a handstand with good alignment!

My Fastest Mile Ever! 10:13 Pace

You may not know this about me, but my husband and I enjoy thinking about "survival". So, in my adventure of gym-less fitness, I thought to myself: "Wouldn't this be a wonderful way to train my body for survival?" I mean, how could I be expected to make it on my own in the wild if I can't run a few miles at a good pace, or pull myself up a tree, or hike with a weighted backpack for many miles?!  So, here starts my quest for what I call "functional strength".

I made a list of the things that I would like to work on. They include:
Push-ups, Pull-ups, Rope Climbing, One-Leg Squats (Pistol Squats), Rock Wall Climbing, Hurdles, 10 Minute Mile for an extended distance (maybe 13 miles?), Heavy Carries, Balances, Long hang times (actively hanging from a bar for an extended period of time), High Jumps... and the list could go on and on!

Now, this is a hefty list of skills that I would like to achieve. So, I will take it slowly. I have been working on this already for a few months and have already made some progress! (See attached photos, where I accomplished a nice formed handstand that exercises my balancing skills and stabilizer muscles. & the screenshot of my last mile, where I achieved my fastest pace ever! The running accomplishment just tickled me pink.)

The Good & Bad of Consistency

Keto & Running: My solution to a year-long plateau.

Summary: last posted workout was nice, I have been at a year-long weight loss plateau. I am trying a new way of eating. I am going to start running. Going to be positive that I will see results with this new routine!

Woah! Okay, I took too long to post again. That is the bad type of consistency. But, I feel assured that my (non-existent) readers will forgive me as I get used to this new routine.

Last time we spoke I was aiming to follow an at-home workout guide that was 1 week long. You could also put it on repeat and get multiple uses out of it. My review: I enjoyed it. It did get my heart rate up and really didn't take long at all. Most days it took somewhere between 17-20 minutes. That's not too bad considering 0 minutes would be better.

So for the last year, my weight has held steady. That sounds good, right? It is since I didn't' gain weight. But, it's not so good when your real goal is to LOSE weight. That's the worst kind of consistency. I had met my plateau. I have counted my calories and I have not. I have worked out 2 hours a day and I have not worked out. Nothing seems to get me through to that next level of fitness.

Experiment #1000: Keto & Running. After much research and talking with my husband (he's a fitness fanatic) I have decided to follow this way of eating. I'm highly intrigued and 2 days in. I know that running does really well for my body. The one time I was at my lowest weight I was running 3 miles a day.

Okay. So here it goes! I have to give it a few months before I say it doesn't work (here is where consistency is key!).