Notes to Self XV

It’s almost a week after New Year’s Day, and my past several days have been memorable. But I don’t want to blog about all of them at once. Why? I just finished my first workout of 2025.

One of my resolutions this year is to keep exercising as much as I want to keep writing in my journal and here on The Diary. Today, I restarted my fitness journey by following Body Project’s 30-minute fat-burning beginner workout. And in the first few minutes, Mr. Daniel Bartlett (the coach in the video) reminded me that I could pick my place in the workout. I can pause, catch my breath, and keep marching in place if I can’t do the workout. But because I truly wanted to push myself, I followed how Mr. Bartlett works out exactly… and then my legs shook and I was breathing heavily. (And this is from following a low-impact workout. It has been so long since I had a proper workout other than walking and jogging.) I just had to pause, rest for a while, and gain the energy to exercise again.

And when I finally gained that energy back, I played the video again and Mr. Bartlett said something that hit a nail in my head. This is my 15th Notes to Self.

It’s about progress, not perfection.

Daniel Bartlett of Body Project (March 25, 2019)

Mr. Bartlett is right. I’m just a beginner and my conditioning is not perfect. So when I continued working out, I followed Mr. Bartlett’s instructions and pushed my body to the limit. But when I met that limit, I had to stop and slow myself down. And 30+ minutes after working out, I feel the endorphins flowing through me. I feel so tired yet happy because I pushed myself without wrecking myself. Good job, Dewey!

And Mr. Bartlett’s quote can be applied not just to fitness. I was supposed to blog on New Year’s Day and last January 3 to follow my blogging schedule, but that didn’t happen. With that, I beat myself again for failing (one of my bad habits). But after working out and hearing Mr. Bartlett’s quote, I had to remind myself that I’m no machine. I’m not perfect; I’m only human. But the important thing is to be consistent – to keep on writing, to keep working out, to keep everything I have to do to reach my goals. Once again, “progress, not perfection.”

Thank you, Mr. Daniel Bartlett and Body Project, for giving me a workout I can stick to for a while (before I can do more advanced ones) and for the motivating words while doing the exercises. Here’s to exercising more and doing my other resolutions this 2025!

And to those who want to watch and follow the workout video, I embedded it below. This video is perfect for beginners like me and people who are returning to workout.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Ω