Welcome back to my blog! This post is for the first Action Project of the STEAM class, Social Entrepreneurship. Throughout this unit, we have been learning about human behaviors. Understanding the behaviors of ourselves and other people can be crucial in seeing how businesses run with the guidance of several different kinds of people or how people react in certain situations. To learn more about our behaviors, we took a few personality tests, such as the Meyers-Briggs, DiSC, Big Five, and the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Management test. These revealed several pieces of my identity that surprised me or affirmed what I already knew. Next, we spoke with researchers from the Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation. This research organization specializes in an aptitude test that can help test takers derive more satisfaction from their lives by discovering their natural potential. For this AP, we have been asked to identify an idea for improvement, either within ourselves or GCE Lab School.
I have chosen to follow work on a self-improvement goal, which is creating a fitness schedule that will build my endurance and strength. As you read, you will learn more about what I am trying to improve, its current problems, and a proposed solution to help me reach my goal. It was also necessary to interview at least two people that could provide quotes to support the position. I spoke with my father, who has frequently been exercising to stay healthy and fit at his age, and a neighbor of mine who is a certified personal trainer with a long fitness history. You will find their words in this AP as well.
The problem I am trying to solve is the need for a schedule or routine for exercise. For the past few months, I have told myself that I should spend more time doing something productive, such as working out. One consistent activity I have tried is doing push-ups every night before bed. I started with 10 push-ups, and when I felt comfortable doing those, I would increase the amount I would do, bringing me to reach 30 push-ups a night. I would also use some hand weights to complete multiple series of reps at random. This exercise method wasn’t very effective in improving my strength. I would only think about using the hand weights a couple of days a week, and I did many exercises in bad form, which could have injured me. Identifying the time to follow routines has been the biggest challenge. My schedule often interferes with my workout plans, and I only exercise multiple days later. Another obstacle is how I prioritize working out. For example, I will likely prioritize watching a movie or playing video games over-exercising, making any routine inconsistent. Unfortunately, my inconsistency has led to little or no progress in looking physically stronger and building my endurance.
This organizational map helps me plan the best course of action to create a better fitness routine. The main problem I have at the moment is an unstructured fitness schedule. Some solutions to fix this problem are using resources on Peloton, getting a gym membership, or using online resources. Each of these solutions is accompanied by negative effects that I need to be aware of. Peloton can set a training schedule that directs the user to follow certain routines on specific days, but my outside schedule can get in the way of the Peloton workouts. I can also become tired of doing the same exercises multiple times or listening to instructors I don’t like. Getting a gym membership will cost me money and I do not have a partner to exercise with, which makes the experience of going to the gym intimidating. The number of fitness routines or workout plans online can be overwhelming because there are too many to choose from and an inexperienced person might not know what to start with. I also will not have access to in-person professional guidance when exercising using online resources.
The SWOT analysis assesses the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of an organization or myself. I used my goal of finding a structured fitness schedule to identify my current position and the steps I need to take to reach my goal. I can build on committing to routines I set for myself, trying new workouts, and the motivation to improve my endurance and strength. I can also work on prioritizing exercise over other activities, finding an exercise I enjoy, and knowing what is safe to decrease the risk of injury. Some aspects that are out of my control are the unpredictability of my schedule, distractions that may come up, and limited space for exercise. However, I can use my access to resources to find a routine that can be flexible with my schedule and change my current sleep and work schedule for the better.
On Monday, January 30, 2023, I started doing the Just One workout and will continue following it for the next few weeks. I have included pictures of myself doing each exercise step by step to show and hopefully guide you through the Just One workout.
1. Low lunge mountain climber x 10 / side
Start in a plank position with your feet together and arms below you, shoulder-width apart. Move your right foot next to your right hand while your left leg stays in its original position. Bring your right foot back to the starting position and alternate to your left foot next to your left hand. Bring your left foot back to the starting position and continue alternating, bringing each foot to its respective hand 10 times.
2. Alternating bent-over row x 10 / side
Start with your weights raised up next to your head. Have your feet shoulder-width apart. Squat to where your knees are bent, similar to the picture, and bring yourself back up to the starting position. Raise the weights above your head, keeping your arms straight, and bring them back down to the starting position. Continue this exercise 10 times.
4. Plank row x 10 / side
Start in a plank position with your feet wide apart and arms below you with the weights close together. Bring your right arm up to your chest, keeping your elbow parallel to your body, and bring it back down to the starting position. Alternate to the left arm, bringing it up to your chest and back down to the starting position. Shift your center of mass to whichever side you are supporting yourself from so you do not fall. Alternate bringing each arm to your chest 10 times.
5. Floor press x 10
Without letting your arms touch the floor, raise the weights above you and back down to the original position just above your chest. Continue this exercise 10 times.
6. Push-up x 10
Keep your body as flat as possible and complete 10 standard push-ups. The weights can be used to keep your bent elbows parallel to your body but are unnecessary if you prefer not to use them for your push-ups.
That was only one circuit of the Just One workout. Complete 6 more of the circuit, and you are done with the strength training. In my schedule, I do this workout on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. On Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, I ride on my Peloton for 30 minutes for some cardio which the Just One workout requests in between the strength-building days. With my limited equipment of 5-pound and 10-pound weights, I can do this workout routine and get the level of exercise I was hoping for. I hope this can be helpful for you as well if you want to do something similar.
A side objective for this project is to see how implementing a workout program into my schedule can affect my time management and sleep. I spend more time than necessary on work and entertainment, and I can get distracted easily. The set schedule will help me get work done by a specific time, so I can exercise afterward, clearing up any stress and giving me a better mood for sleeping.
For my improvement plan to work, I must be entirely on board. I will need to focus on scheduling workouts during the week. This improvement plan can be beneficial to others. I know a few people that would like to exercise but need help. I believe this workout plan can be rewarding for me and others, so I will be active regularly and demonstrate its effectiveness.
I enjoyed working on this Action Project because I could focus on improving myself through my schoolwork. Telling myself to create a workout routine outside of school wasn’t enough for me to commit, but now that I have spent time developing a plan, I believe I will stick to it. This AP challenged me to think about where I was falling short, not just in fitness but also in time management and sleep. This is an excellent time to get into better habits in preparation for college and the life ahead of me. I hope this workout plan can be helpful for others trying to get into fitness alongside their current schedule. Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you in the next post.
I have chosen to follow work on a self-improvement goal, which is creating a fitness schedule that will build my endurance and strength. As you read, you will learn more about what I am trying to improve, its current problems, and a proposed solution to help me reach my goal. It was also necessary to interview at least two people that could provide quotes to support the position. I spoke with my father, who has frequently been exercising to stay healthy and fit at his age, and a neighbor of mine who is a certified personal trainer with a long fitness history. You will find their words in this AP as well.
The problem I am trying to solve is the need for a schedule or routine for exercise. For the past few months, I have told myself that I should spend more time doing something productive, such as working out. One consistent activity I have tried is doing push-ups every night before bed. I started with 10 push-ups, and when I felt comfortable doing those, I would increase the amount I would do, bringing me to reach 30 push-ups a night. I would also use some hand weights to complete multiple series of reps at random. This exercise method wasn’t very effective in improving my strength. I would only think about using the hand weights a couple of days a week, and I did many exercises in bad form, which could have injured me. Identifying the time to follow routines has been the biggest challenge. My schedule often interferes with my workout plans, and I only exercise multiple days later. Another obstacle is how I prioritize working out. For example, I will likely prioritize watching a movie or playing video games over-exercising, making any routine inconsistent. Unfortunately, my inconsistency has led to little or no progress in looking physically stronger and building my endurance.
GS, Image 1, 2023
This organizational map helps me plan the best course of action to create a better fitness routine. The main problem I have at the moment is an unstructured fitness schedule. Some solutions to fix this problem are using resources on Peloton, getting a gym membership, or using online resources. Each of these solutions is accompanied by negative effects that I need to be aware of. Peloton can set a training schedule that directs the user to follow certain routines on specific days, but my outside schedule can get in the way of the Peloton workouts. I can also become tired of doing the same exercises multiple times or listening to instructors I don’t like. Getting a gym membership will cost me money and I do not have a partner to exercise with, which makes the experience of going to the gym intimidating. The number of fitness routines or workout plans online can be overwhelming because there are too many to choose from and an inexperienced person might not know what to start with. I also will not have access to in-person professional guidance when exercising using online resources.
GS, Image 2, 2023
The SWOT analysis assesses the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of an organization or myself. I used my goal of finding a structured fitness schedule to identify my current position and the steps I need to take to reach my goal. I can build on committing to routines I set for myself, trying new workouts, and the motivation to improve my endurance and strength. I can also work on prioritizing exercise over other activities, finding an exercise I enjoy, and knowing what is safe to decrease the risk of injury. Some aspects that are out of my control are the unpredictability of my schedule, distractions that may come up, and limited space for exercise. However, I can use my access to resources to find a routine that can be flexible with my schedule and change my current sleep and work schedule for the better.
I aim to work out for at least 30 minutes a day for 6 days a week. Through proper time management, I would try to keep up this routine till the end of GCE’s winter term, which ends in the middle of March. I can ensure my goal is achieved by tracking my progress at the end of each week. Having this set schedule will allow me to focus more on it and eventually build it up to work out for extended periods. In the past, I have developed small fitness goals and wanted to commit to a schedule, so my motivation will be higher knowing that I will see the results I’ve been looking for.
I searched online for some fitness programming a beginner with limited equipment like me could follow. In my search, I came across HUMANFITPROJECT, a fitness and wellness platform that produces fitness plans targeting workouts for strength, conditioning, weight loss, and more. Through this platform, I found a couple of workout plans at the beginner to intermediate level that could match the schedule I want to follow and focus on the workouts I want to do.
The Just One workout plan targets strength-building and conditioning through full-body circuit training. I can do this workout on 3 non-consecutive days per week with rest or cardio days in between for 1-3 weeks. While it is a short-term plan that only makes up about half of the time until the end of the winter term for school, similar workouts can continue afterward, and changing the routine can be beneficial. My neighbor, the certified personal trainer, told me, “find a workout, do it for a stretch of time, then find something different. The more you change things up, the more you can be interested in them. Your body adapts, and the workout will lose efficacy if you do the same workout every time.”
A few of the exercises in this plan are new to me, so I am excited to try them out. One of the goals for doing this workout is to get faster with it, and I think I will be able to do all 7 rounds of the circuit in 30 minutes. If I can’t, however, I’ll work to improve my time, and when I can do the whole workout without timing being a concern, I’ll add to it and give myself more of a challenge. Making the circuit more challenging will be a good incentive for me because I like the feeling of accomplishment afterward, and I’ll enjoy working harder knowing I am pushing myself. My father told me about his workouts on Peloton and how different exercises or trainers work for him. He said, “just find something you like and enjoy because if there is something that you hate doing, you're not going to do it. If you see something you like doing, you can keep it up.”
I searched online for some fitness programming a beginner with limited equipment like me could follow. In my search, I came across HUMANFITPROJECT, a fitness and wellness platform that produces fitness plans targeting workouts for strength, conditioning, weight loss, and more. Through this platform, I found a couple of workout plans at the beginner to intermediate level that could match the schedule I want to follow and focus on the workouts I want to do.
The Just One workout plan targets strength-building and conditioning through full-body circuit training. I can do this workout on 3 non-consecutive days per week with rest or cardio days in between for 1-3 weeks. While it is a short-term plan that only makes up about half of the time until the end of the winter term for school, similar workouts can continue afterward, and changing the routine can be beneficial. My neighbor, the certified personal trainer, told me, “find a workout, do it for a stretch of time, then find something different. The more you change things up, the more you can be interested in them. Your body adapts, and the workout will lose efficacy if you do the same workout every time.”
A few of the exercises in this plan are new to me, so I am excited to try them out. One of the goals for doing this workout is to get faster with it, and I think I will be able to do all 7 rounds of the circuit in 30 minutes. If I can’t, however, I’ll work to improve my time, and when I can do the whole workout without timing being a concern, I’ll add to it and give myself more of a challenge. Making the circuit more challenging will be a good incentive for me because I like the feeling of accomplishment afterward, and I’ll enjoy working harder knowing I am pushing myself. My father told me about his workouts on Peloton and how different exercises or trainers work for him. He said, “just find something you like and enjoy because if there is something that you hate doing, you're not going to do it. If you see something you like doing, you can keep it up.”
On Monday, January 30, 2023, I started doing the Just One workout and will continue following it for the next few weeks. I have included pictures of myself doing each exercise step by step to show and hopefully guide you through the Just One workout.
1. Low lunge mountain climber x 10 / side
GS, Exercise 1A, 2023
GS, Exercise 1B, 2023
GS, Exercise 1C, 2023
Start in a plank position with your feet together and arms below you, shoulder-width apart. Move your right foot next to your right hand while your left leg stays in its original position. Bring your right foot back to the starting position and alternate to your left foot next to your left hand. Bring your left foot back to the starting position and continue alternating, bringing each foot to its respective hand 10 times.
2. Alternating bent-over row x 10 / side
GS, Exercise 2A, 2023
GS, Exercise 2B, 2023
GS, Exercise 2C, 2023
Keep your knees slightly bent and shoulder-width apart while keeping yourself bent over and back straight. Alternate bringing each weight up to your chest 10 times, keeping your elbows parallel.
This form can be difficult to get at first. As you can see, my back is not very flat, but doing the exercise repeatedly should improve my form to be what is most comfortable and effective.
This form can be difficult to get at first. As you can see, my back is not very flat, but doing the exercise repeatedly should improve my form to be what is most comfortable and effective.
3. Deconstructed thruster (squat + press) x 10
GS, Exercise 3A, 2023
GS, Exercise 3B, 2023
GS, Exercise 3C, 2023
GS, Exercise 3D, 2023
4. Plank row x 10 / side
GS, Exercise 4A, 2023
GS, Exercise 4B, 2023
GS, Exercise 4C, 2023
GS, Exercise 4D, 2023
5. Floor press x 10
GS, Exercise 5A, 2023
GS, Exercise 5B, 2023
6. Push-up x 10
GS, Exercise 6A, 2023
GS, Exercise 6B, 2023
That was only one circuit of the Just One workout. Complete 6 more of the circuit, and you are done with the strength training. In my schedule, I do this workout on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. On Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, I ride on my Peloton for 30 minutes for some cardio which the Just One workout requests in between the strength-building days. With my limited equipment of 5-pound and 10-pound weights, I can do this workout routine and get the level of exercise I was hoping for. I hope this can be helpful for you as well if you want to do something similar.
A side objective for this project is to see how implementing a workout program into my schedule can affect my time management and sleep. I spend more time than necessary on work and entertainment, and I can get distracted easily. The set schedule will help me get work done by a specific time, so I can exercise afterward, clearing up any stress and giving me a better mood for sleeping.
For my improvement plan to work, I must be entirely on board. I will need to focus on scheduling workouts during the week. This improvement plan can be beneficial to others. I know a few people that would like to exercise but need help. I believe this workout plan can be rewarding for me and others, so I will be active regularly and demonstrate its effectiveness.
I enjoyed working on this Action Project because I could focus on improving myself through my schoolwork. Telling myself to create a workout routine outside of school wasn’t enough for me to commit, but now that I have spent time developing a plan, I believe I will stick to it. This AP challenged me to think about where I was falling short, not just in fitness but also in time management and sleep. This is an excellent time to get into better habits in preparation for college and the life ahead of me. I hope this workout plan can be helpful for others trying to get into fitness alongside their current schedule. Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you in the next post.
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