I took a shower today!. number 2

Not bad, Bizi. If you do not work a job that involves dirt and do not sweat through exercise, once a week is completely decent.

Took a shower at the gym. Washed and conditioned my hair. Moisturized most of my body.

I took a bath today

Took a quick showed after personal training at the gym. Did not wash my hair. Moisturized most of my body and face afterwards.

took a shower and washed/detangled my hair after a workout at the gym

did not have time to moisturize because the gym was closing

I took a shower for the first time since Thursday. I got a bit stuck getting out and I was worried I was going to fall. But I got out just fine.

A super quick shower after swimming in the community swimming pool. Did not wash my hair and did not moisturize

A long pleasant shower today at Orangetheory fitness, after a workout in which I really pushed myself. Washed and detangled my hair and, importantly, after that I was able to make the shower cold, with cold water pouring on my hair and on my body. I finished with that cold shower. So invigorating.

Took a shower at Orangetheory fitness after an intense workout. It was very pleasant. Did not wash my hair and did not moisturize afterwards because I was in a rush to see my eye doctor for an annual check-ip

Hi @bizi,

I now see that you did not start this thread "I took a shower today! number 2", but have been with it almost since its very beginning in 2018. This thread has helped me a lot. I cannot find it now, but at some point, when I thought I would be able to build the habit of taking a shower by doing so not at home, but in the clubhouse of our apartment complex, next to the tiny gym where I would go exercise, you wished me success and said that "whatever works". Well, that exact idea did not work for me but an extension of it did. Why that one did not work: the shower did not have a lock on it, which made me feel uncomfortable. There is this area in the clubhouse with the gym, two half bathrooms, a sauna, and one shower stall, and the shower stall is on the way to the sauna. Usually there is nobody there, but once when I was taking a shower, somebody walked by. I did not like it, to say the least, even though I was behind a frosted glass door.

I also eventually realized that the gym was not enough for me. It has three pieces of outdated equipment: a treadmill, a rowing machine which does not offer enough resistance even on the highest resistance setting, and an elliptical. But it was more than insufficient equipment; what I realized was that when I would get home from work, I would be distracted in my apartment by the proximity of the computer (that included MSF...) and I would fritter away time. I needed an environment where I would not have access to the computer. I also realized that I needed an environment where other people would exercise by my side as that would be a motivating factor; in the little gym in our complex, I would often exercise alone.

I made these realizations right before Thanksgiving and thought that I would look into local gyms, compare them, try them, and then purchase a membership in January when gyms offer sales as they chase people who make New Year resolutions. But it turned out that Black Friday deals at gyms were even better. So I looked at 6 full service gyms, 4 speciality fitness studios and 1 yoga studio. All of this was free, either via free day passes given out by gyms in hopes of attracting new clients or via a free fortnight membership in ClassPass, which gives you free passes to a certain number of specialty fitness classes.

As a result of looking around and trying various things, I selected:
- one full service gym
- one yoga studio
- one specialty fitness studio called Orangetheory fitness.

I have been going to them since the beginning of the month. Yoga studio and Orangetheory, once a week each, and the gym, I try to do more than once a week.

The gym and Orangetheory have showers onsite. I have been taking showers there. And it is very easy to do so. During all of December, I probably took a shower at home only once (I posted about it) and I found it very hard to do. Even now, when I look at my shower at home, I feel that I detest it. So it is not that I have changed my attitude towards taking a shower at home, it is just that taking a shower in an institutional setting and especially after a workout, being hot, being sweaty, is so much easier and so much more pleasant.

You probably wonder if I have lost weight. I haven't. I have become hungrier from all that exercise and the number on the scale has not budged. But I did not start this rather intensive exercise program to lose weight; what I wanted was to get stronger and more flexible, to feel better physically and mentally, to invest in preventing injury and inactivity as I grow older. If I eventually lose weight, it would be icing on the cake.

I do look better after only a month of frequent exercise and my clothes fit better as my muscles are more toned, so there are benefits even at the same weight, and since you and I have discussed at length how unpleasant and sad it is to look at one's naked belly (which one cannot avoid doing when one takes a shower), I wanted to share with you that the belly, too, becomes less lax (it is tighter). I hope that factor might one day make its contribution if you consider a fitness program for yourself.

At this point I see that when I do exercise away from home, taking a shower afterward comes effortlessly to me, and there is no sense in recording that on this thread any more as it no longer is a special achievement. So I won't: I do not want to dominate and spam the thread. I would rather leave space for people who actually struggle. If I feel depressed as undoubtedly will happen from time to time, I might come back to record the first couple of showers coming out of a depression.

Note that if I do not exercise away from home, taking a shower is just as difficult as it was when I started reading this thread and posting to it. So nothing has changed internally: I have solved the problem not by changing my attitude but by changing my environment. And that is fine: changing the environment as first line of defense is actually sound advice from BJ Fogg, the Stanford behavior design researcher who wrote the book "Tiny Habits" which shows how to build habits without relying on motivation and willpower.

Plus, as you wrote "whatever works". Taking a shower outside the home works for me, so I will do it.

Thank you very much for being a buddy on your thread (I pretty much considered it yours, even though I now see that you did not exactly start it), for commiserating with me and cheering for me, and for being so meticulously transparent and honest about your difficult experiences. I will keep my subscription to this thread and will visit from time to time to see how you have been doing.

I wish you a Happy New Year and hope that the year brings you joy and happiness.

TCJ

I just discovered this thread!

I considered yesterday a success because I managed to get my fat *** in the shower last night. Yay! Now I don't have to worry about taking a shower today.

I don't know why it's always so difficult for me to get in the shower. It's really frustrating.

Congratulations on your new routine. I think it is great that you are going to be joining a gym. Perhaps you already have. We were on vacation for 2 weeks then I came down with the flu. I think I caught it from hubby. he has been coughing for weeks.
I wish you much luck in your journey. fall down 7 times get up 8.
bizi

I have been averaging one shower a week and that included the time on vacation traveling from one place to the next. Then I came down with the flu caught from hubby I think he has been coughing hard. I retreated to the back bed room as I was told to isolate my self. I would come out for bathroom breaks and meals that hubby prepared. He is so sweet to take over all of the dutys/chores.
I was diagnosed with the flu Type A and strep, having just eaten I need to take my noon meds.
bizi

Thank you! It is a new expression for me: fall down 7 times, get up 8. So true. I hope you recover from the flu and stay healthy.

I took a much-needed shower this afternoon!

I took a much needed shower and washed my hair yesterday. I try to make it to once a week but my hair looks so greasy. I am sticking to once a week though.
It is on sundays most weeks.
I get to sleep in and then leisurely get up and hit the shower.
before psyching me out, or have time to talk me out of the shower.
sigh
Bizi

You have found a good strategy and you have developed a reliable cadence of doing it on most Sundays.

I took a shower today too! I miss this thread, used to come here all the time.

I am having a really hard time getting in the shower lately, because of all the weight I gained. I feel disgusting, and look even more disgusting, so I can't even bring myself in the shower.

But I am forcing myself every day, and I took one today even though I find myself skipping some days.

I too take my showers on Sundays. I try to sleep late. Then enjoy a leisurely tea, brunch and get my shower and bed changed before 5 pm. Then I’m all ready to enjoy PBS for the night. As a rule I make no plans for Sundays. It’s my day off. I am in PJs all day. I just put fresh pjs on after my shower. My hair especially thanks me for not washing it too often. I don’t use any other chemicals and I air dry it. I miss Sir though. Every time after my shower he would climb on me and lick me whenever I used the lavender wash. He always joined me in the bathroom as I showered, not sure if it was the humidity or the lavender he liked.

I finally took a shower about an hour ago. I think the last time before this was on Sunday, February 4. I do feel better afterwards. I didn't wash my hair today, but did on Sunday.