I made it a habit to do something physical every day.
Going to the gym on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays had become an albatross around my neck. Every week, it was more and more difficult to force myself out the door. My hack of listening to an audio book while using the weight machines was not enough. Going to the gym took almost two hours!
It was too big. Rather than feeling energized, I was feeling rushed and irritated. I was focusing on the activity and hating it.
One of my favorite games to play with the kids when they were little was called the two-minute tidy. I made it up. I would set a timer, and for two minutes we would race around and clean the house. It was amazing how much we could get done. My goal at that time was to have a clean house, not to be a cleaning woman.
My goal now is to be a healthy person. Not a body builder.
I love to make coffee every day. Using the same approach I used for cleaning the house—it takes about two minutes for the coffee to brew—I added a resistance band and hand weights to my morning routine. Rather than stand around waiting for the coffee to brew, I did a set with the resistance band and a set with the hand weights to strengthen my arms and shoulders.
The first morning I didn’t finish both sets before the coffee was ready, and that was okay. I folded the band and stacked the hand weights in the cabinet under the coffee maker and poured my coffee … with honey. At least, I’ve been able to stick with my experiment to replace the sugary sweet, flavored coffee creamer and reduce the amount of sugar in my diet.
By the fourth morning, I completed both sets and felt so good, I kept going, so I did two sun salutations with five pushups between the sets. I felt a little taller that day. Not stressed out and not rushed, like I felt after going to the gym. And another thing: I didn’t have to change out of my PJs, comb my hair, or even look in the mirror! I stood in my kitchen without the pressure to wear the right clothes or shoes. I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I also put on makeup before I go to the gym.
With my new two-minute routine, I was showing up for myself.
That mind shift had me looking for extra opportunities for two minutes throughout the day. I parked my car as far away from the front door to my work as possible and that added a short walk at the start of my day. I walked up the stairs instead of taking the elevator. I added a standing desk conversion to my workstation so I could stand up while reading my emails. And I wear my weighted vest as much as possible! Standing in the kitchen for an hour to make dinner and brushing my teeth twice a day are not activities that I HAVE TO DO! They are activities that I’m choosing to do, and now I’m showing up for myself to be a healthier person.
The way I did it. Home Gym.
This is part of what I’m calling Expeditionvision—my quest to find what a meaningful life looks like. One experiment per week: Possible strategies for a happier life. Trying things on purpose and paying attention to what happens. I’m not offering advice or giving instructions. I’m just sharing the way I did it. If there’s something that you’ve been wanting to try—but haven’t—I’d love to hear about it. I’m open to reader suggestions for future experiments.
Field Notes: For Paid Subscribers
Paid subscribers, I’ve added a short field notes section below with what surprised me the most, what I didn’t expect, what I might do next time, plus things I’m still working on.