Outcome of Team Stride’s 2018 Movement Goals

The year has quickly past and it’s time for our team to reflect on how we did with out personal movement goals.  Last January, Stride publically announced our movement goals in our winter newsletter as a way of motivating others to consider their own SMART goals.  So here are the outcomes of what we set forth to do:

Susanne Michaud
Owner, Physical Therapist

2018 Fitness Goal:  run to work 52 times and bike to work 26 times in 2018 in order to maintain fitness and reduce Seattle traffic by not driving.
Outcome: I ran to work 53 times and biked 13 times.  I was ran in 2 races – a ½ marathon trail run and a 15K run.
Thoughts:  Not needing a car to get around had a great psychological boost along with a physical benefit.  I hit a speed bump in goals in May, having sustained a mild injury in my knee that slowed me down. I missed the cycling goal by quite a bit but attribute this to more time needed with my aging/ailing dog.
2019 Fitness Goal: Do 1-3 training rides per week for the next 26 weeks in order to take a bike-touring trip this summer

 

Laurie Gribschaw
Physical Therapist, Certified Posture Restoration Specialist

2018 Fitness Goal: To mitigate the increased tension in my body from additional kettlebell training I will perform restorative breathing as a focus of my yoga practice 2x/week for 10-30 minutes.
Outcome: Through the year I had to deal with a gym closure that was assisting my Kettlebell training; so I switched about 9 months ago to a CrossFit Amped in Shoreline. Since this was physically more taxing on my body and required more recovery, I ended up doing 1-2 restorative breathing exercises pre/post class, and managed to average 1 day/week of movement/breathing for active recovery. I also layered in some soft tissue self care with a 90 minute massage every 4-6 weeks to mitigate some increased tightness. Overall, I averaged 3 days of CrossFit, 1 day of Kettlebell self guided workout, 1 day of mobility/breathing and the other 2 days were active recovery like walking/running, fun movement, or sometimes a nice lazy day off!
Thoughts: CrossFit can be very physically demanding on my body and required a slow ramping up of class 2x/week for the first month to get used to the new, high repetition stresses on my muscles. Now I’m enjoying attending class 3-4x/week and have dialed in which skills require extra practice. I attended a Power Clean/Snatch clinic through Ballard CrossFit that helped my skill development to perform Olympic Lifts safely with good form. Investing in my body and consistently checking my ego has kept me injury free and loving the change in workouts!
2019 Fitness Goal: A few: 1. Be able to perform 3 unassisted strict pull ups.  2. Barbell conventional Deadlift 1.5x my body weight (about 230-240 lbs). 3. Get over my fear of doing an unassisted handstand push up.  4. Remain injury free.

 

Alexis Eusterbrock
Physical Therapist, Pelvic Floor Specialist

2018 Fitness Goal: to run first ½ marathon postpartum by June in under 2 hours.
Outcome: I accomplished my goal and ran a 1/2 marathon in May in 1 hour 41 minutes and felt great!
Thoughts:  I have trained for many distance races, but training postpartum with a young kiddo at home forced me to add more flexibility into my training (both mentally and physically), which I believe was very healthy. I was able to still work in the necessary mileage and strength training, but did not stress if I didn’t run an exact mileage on a specific day.
2019 Fitness Goal:  Incorporate strength training into my normal fitness routine at least 2 days per week for 30 minutes minimum for the next year.

 

Erin Soderstrom
Office Manager and Client Care Coordinator

2018 Fitness Goal: to workout at the gym 2x/week in 2018
Outcome:  Went to a local gym once to try it out, did not love the atmosphere, and am still looking for a good gym/pool for my needs.
Thoughts:  Unfortunately, I did not have much luck with my goal for 2018 of working out at the gym 2x a week. I am still looking for the best way to incorporate regular exercise into my busy work schedule and social life, but what I am really still looking for is a great local pool! If you know a pool with some good flexible hours for lap swimming that is clean and around Wallingford, Fremont, Ballard, or Greenlake, please let me know! Good luck on your goals for 2019!
2019 Fitness Goal:  More reasonable this time- to go swimming once a week in 2019!

 

Levi Hare
Client Care Coordinator and Marketing Specialist


2018 Fitness Goal:  To swim 2 times a week for 2 hours … to swim a 100 yard breaststroke in under 2 minutes (also, to be able to hold my breath underwater to become a merman)
Outcome:  STILL not a merman.
After switching gyms and moving three different times within the year, I wasn’t able to find a descent facility to consistently swim for my workout. Thus, I have switched to running twice a week and focusing on strengthening my core.
Thoughts: When you’re in the midst of life transitions, it became a challenge to consistently keep up with my movement goals. When I wasn’t meeting my personal goals, I was hard on myself, which emotionally didn’t put me in a great place to stay motivated and committed to my movement goals.
2019 Fitness Goal: To be kinder to myself when it comes to my health and fitness goals. Instead of setting measured expectations, my goal is to be active in some form at least 2 to 3 times a week, whether that being running, swimming, dancing, etc…
2018 was a year that made me realize that an important part of my physical health was to also focus on my mental health, as well. So, 2019 will be the year that I marry the two and find solace with my mental and physical health.