Triumph! The first 30 days of fitness training

​Today is day 30 of my program of near-daily workouts. I began exercising as a person with no prior success in initiating or maintaining an exercise program. This time was different. I redefined myself as a person who exercises at least 5x a week, every week, for life. Some of you wanted to follow along as I reach my goals and grow stronger. I have a really great personal trainer who is tailoring exercises to my capabilities and limitations. I love working out at the Y. Here is my progress:
Elliptical: On day 1, I could only do 0.11 miles. Today I did 3.7 miles in 50 minutes at a moderate pace.
Rowing. I could do 1.5 minutes of rowing on the rowing machine on day one and thought I would die. Now I can do three consecutive 8-minute rows with 2 min breaks inbetween.
Circuit training: I do the leg, trunk and back machines 2-3 times a week. I can’t do the arm machines at all, either because they are too heavy or because the injured arm does not have sufficient range of motion.
Arms: I do arms 2-3 times per week. On day 1, I could bicep curl 1 lb on the injured arm in 2 sets of 8. Now I can curl 3 lb in a set of 10 reps and 2 lb in 2 sets of 15 reps. I lift light weights while sitting on the ball for core and balance. I do the TheraBand exercises and bar pushups (cant do one on the ground, never could). I do the exercises assigned by my physical therapist to stretch the arm.
Core: I do some core every day. I am doing bridges, marches, crunches on the ball, squats, “dead bugs” “bird dogs” leg lifts on the ball, and hula hooping.
Swimming: I am strong enough to do a quarter lap without stopping, one time, using a kickboard. Im building endurance with a kickboard and doing floaty “weights” to build strength. I want to be able to do laps someday.
Hiking: At least once a week I do brisk hike of moderate difficulty between 1 and 2 miles.
Fitbit: I hit 10,000 steps or more about half of the days, and 6,000 steps or more on almost all of them. It really keeps me motivated, I love seeing my data.
Protein: As it turns out, it isn’t too hard to get enough protein if I make protein powder smoothies every day. I get about 100 g a day or more.
Water: It is very difficult for me to get enough water. I must have been chronically dehydrated all of these years. It is difficult to reach my 100 oz goal, particularly when I am at work. Nonetheless, I reached my goal about 85% of the time.
Calories: I previously had trouble graining because I wasn’t eating enough. I want to gain very gradually, muscle not fat. I figured out that I can increase the calories in a smoothie by adding coconut milk, which is nutritious and high calorie and very digestible. When I need more calories I add more, when I am gaining too fast, I add less or don’t use it at all.
Effects: I have adapted to workouts surprisingly fast, and am astonished by how quickly I am gaining the ability to do cardio. I do feel healthier overall and feel the pride of accomplishment after each workout. Last fall I had a slumpy, round-shouldered  posture when sitting and walking, due to a weak core that was not holding me upright. My posture has definitely improved and I feel like my core supports  me on a more vertical plane. This morning I felt the tiniest hint of a muscle developing in my upper arm!
I try to focus on the positive effects of each workout - feeling proud, feeling vibrant, feeling accomplished, and that fuels motivation. My Fitbit also fuels motivation when it displays encouraging messages when I hit 10,000 steps or drink 100 oz of water. These are the rewards that keep me going. That and the knowledge that quitting is not an option. This is my path now.