Pump You Up: The Fitness Thread

[JustSkipIt]

Trom – Wow, that’s so great. I think I do a lot of what you’re saying as far as “yes, thank you for the cookie” especially this week with so many snacks at the office every day. But I do feel somewhat guilty. Usually I try to make myself a deal that if I didn’t work out, no treat but if I did, enjoy. My figuring: 500 calories approximately burned on the NT takes care of the cookie or whatever it is.

Jackie – Trunk strengthening? Hmmm. I feel pretty sure that there are probably some good Yoga poses (Sally and Russ?) for trunk strengthening. Also, something as simple as sitting on an exercise ball when you’re on the computer or watching TV can do a lot. While sitting on it, occasionally lift your feet and you will use your central muscles to keep yourself balanced. I have a friend who can balance on it on her knees and she said that Anjaka (sp) Sorenstam (sp) – a female golfer – can stand on the ball and swing a golf club. Now that’s balance. Anyone else have good suggestions?

Gatito Grande – Oh how exciting you delinquent! I Nordic Track but I have no idea how similar to cross-country skiing it really is. I mean if I strapped on some skiis (I’d have to leave Texas first so I don’t appear crazy), how would I do? Of course, I hate the cold so maybe not so well.

Sally – Yay for running. I’m glad that you’re getting back to your workouts after being sick. You’re of course welcome for starting the thread and I know how great you are at keeping your resolutions. Well done.


Well, I had a pretty not-so-great week workout wise. I didn’t do anything Thursday /Friday (except walk to and from lunch) because I was just feeling exhausted. Part of me wants to believe that it’s important to listen to my body and just rest when I’m so tired but the other part of me wants to go go go. Of course I guess I should console myself that I’m now at the point that I look at a 3-workout week as slacking. There have been times when I would have patted myself on the back so maybe I’ll do that.

Today’s update – Did the 8 minutes program which was overhead presses & kickouts today. Then did 40 minutes on the Nordic Track (3.97 so a little faster). It all felt great!

Thanks to everyone who is posting or reading.

[JustSkipIt]

Trom – Wow, that’s so great. I think I do a lot of what you’re saying as far as “yes, thank you for the cookie” especially this week with so many snacks at the office every day. But I do feel somewhat guilty. Usually I try to make myself a deal that if I didn’t work out, no treat but if I did, enjoy. My figuring: 500 calories approximately burned on the NT takes care of the cookie or whatever it is.

Jackie – Trunk strengthening? Hmmm. I feel pretty sure that there are probably some good Yoga poses (Sally and Russ?) for trunk strengthening. Also, something as simple as sitting on an exercise ball when you’re on the computer or watching TV can do a lot. While sitting on it, occasionally lift your feet and you will use your central muscles to keep yourself balanced. I have a friend who can balance on it on her knees and she said that Anjaka (sp) Sorenstam (sp) – a female golfer – can stand on the ball and swing a golf club. Now that’s balance. Anyone else have good suggestions?

Gatito Grande – Oh how exciting you delinquent! I Nordic Track but I have no idea how similar to cross-country skiing it really is. I mean if I strapped on some skiis (I’d have to leave Texas first so I don’t appear crazy), how would I do? Of course, I hate the cold so maybe not so well.

Sally – Yay for running. I’m glad that you’re getting back to your workouts after being sick. You’re of course welcome for starting the thread and I know how great you are at keeping your resolutions. Well done.


Well, I had a pretty not-so-great week workout wise. I didn’t do anything Thursday /Friday (except walk to and from lunch) because I was just feeling exhausted. Part of me wants to believe that it’s important to listen to my body and just rest when I’m so tired but the other part of me wants to go go go. Of course I guess I should console myself that I’m now at the point that I look at a 3-workout week as slacking. There have been times when I would have patted myself on the back so maybe I’ll do that.

Today’s update – Did the 8 minutes program which was overhead presses & kickouts today. Then did 40 minutes on the Nordic Track (3.97 so a little faster). It all felt great!

Thanks to everyone who is posting or reading.

[russ]

Congratulations, Trom. Nothing like that feeling of undergrowing your clothes. The article you linked was interesting. My only problem would be that it's not hunger that makes me overeat. Boredom, depression, or just habit can have me wondering how I got to the bottom of the ice cream carton. Trying these days to be mindful of what I eat; there's no problem with one piece of cake or scoop of ice cream.

Jackie, I think lethargy and sleepiness are pretty common this time of year. Crawling into a cave and sleeping until spring seems like a good idea. Strangely enough, getting out and moving is a great way to overcome it. As Debra suggested, there are a lot of yoga poses for trunk strength. You can check out a lot of them here: http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/index.cfm?ctsrc=tnav There's some basic and fairly simple poses, as well as some quite advanced ones. It's probably better to get a video, where they demonstrate and help you to work safely. I recommend Yoga Zone (available at Amazon, if not on tv in your area).

Slept in today, so no time for morning yoga. When the body wants an extra hour's sleep and it's a weekend, I'm not going to argue. Saturday is gym day; I had a good chest & back workout. It feels really good to hit the weights heavy once in a while.

Russ

[JustSkipIt]

I totally agree about the weekend sleeping in thing. Today was a good sleep day which for me means I got to sleep until about 7:00. I waited for my wife to get the baby into the nap to see if she wanted to work out first but she didn't so I got on the Nordic Track. I was worried because I knew I needed to a. make more chocolate covered pretzles b. finish a present and c. shower before the baby wakes up so we can meet friends for dinner and seeing the lights. So I asked the wife if she would make the pretzles but she said no. So I went about 22 minutes on the Nordic Track (2.10 - not fast) and then figured I better get off so I could get that all done. Of course I shut down the computer on the machine, turned off the tv and dvd, and came out and there was my wife finishing up the pretzles that she decided to do to surprise me. A nice surprise but if she had told me, I would have done the full workout. Still sweet...

[Trom DeGrey]

Just a quick link...

Ab exercises from BodyBuilding.com

[FineyMcFine]

I just got back from a morning run and went a little further than last time. It was easier, too. For much of the run I was cruising along instead of laboring. With the time change and the nights getting longer it was still dark this morning at 6:40 when I set foot outside, and it wasn't even really light when I got back. It was about 29 degrees.

At one point I stepped on a patch of ice that I thought was water but luckily I didn't fall, just skidded a little. I also realized that my running outfit is black pants and a black shirt covered by a dark grey shirt. If I'm going to be running in the dark I should get some reflective tape or something. Safety first, people!

Whenever I'm having a hard time during the run I visualize Joan Benoit in the Olympic marathon one year when she was having a hard time at the end on the track. This might have been 1988 or 1992, I don't remember which - it wasn't 1984, the year she won the marathon. I think this was before she was Joan Benoit Samuelson. Anyway, I think that she was terribly dehydrated or something because she was lurching all over the track and seemed like she would collapse at any moment, but she just kept on going. And she eventually finished. It's an image that has stuck with me all these years.

[JustSkipIt]

Yay Sally for running and if you don't mind my saying, 29 degrees!? When I say I would like to walk this afternoon if it's nice, I am thinking 50 at least. I remember the marathon you are talking about. I'm pretty sure that was the first year that marathon was a women's Olympic event because lots of people were like, "see women's bodies can't handle running that far" even though there were men collapsing too. Actually though, there is an extreme sport called super-marathoning and women have a huge advantage over men because men don't have enough body fat to do the runs.

Anyway, someone was asking about trunk strengthening. This month's Yoga Journal actually has a tear-out section with 10 ab exercises. You may want to pick it up even if you don't usually do Yoga.

Yesterday I did a good workout of my 8 minutes and then 40 minutes on the NT. Today I did the 8 minutes but haven't NT yet. If the weather is nice, I'll walk this afternoon. Today's 8 minutes was lunges and hamstring lifts. Lunges are the hardest exercise I've ever done. I don't even understand how my left leg can be that much weaker. I mean I walk around on both! (that's rhetorical).

ETA: Just finished 45 minutes (4.23) on the NT. Not a bad workout.

[Emms]

Tori and I toured a gym a couple days ago. And if I can get past my inability to finish the things that I start (there's a year commitment clause ) then we're going to join. That's a start in the right direction, I'd say.

xoxo
Emms

[JustSkipIt]

Hey Emms,
Yay for looking at getting started. Working out with Tori will definitely help. The only advice I would give is to make sure that you will enjoy the activity. People think that they'll just do something because it's good for them but if you don't enjoy running, lifting weights, aerobics, or whatever, you won't do it. So make sure you like it. You may see if the gym offers a 2 week trial period and remember that gyms are notoriously overcrowded throughout January and the beginning of February. Good luck and keep posting here.

My workout today. I wasn't as sore as I expected from lunges but still pretty sore. Tired legs. Did 40 minutes on the NT but only went 3.36. Just felt tired and sore throughout. Nonetheless: I worked out anyway!!!

[JustSkipIt]

Ok, I'm eating lots of junk food and general Christmassy goodness but I went for a good walk. Probably about 3 miles in serious wind. Yay for East Texas Farmland. Woo hoo.

[russ]

Back at the exercise today, in an attempt to start correcting some of the excesses of the season. Did yoga today (and did that ever feel good!) then went for an hour walk, through an inch of new snow and the half-frozen slush under it. Terrible footing made for slower going, but it felt great to be out and moving.

Russ

[FineyMcFine]

Hi from mid-vacation in a place with wireless internet, yay! I have been running every other day on vacation, still about a mile, and it has helped immensely for me to remain mentally stable while visiting my in-laws, and just to feel good all over. My spouse and I haven't bickered at all even on the 12-hour drives, and I'm sure it's because the exercise is making me non-moody. YAY RUNNING and YAY EXERCISE THREAD ON THE KB!

[Gatito Grande]

The good part of being stuck out here w/ my parents for the holidays, is being able to use my mom's health club (gym). With facilities like these, and someone to come w/ (actually, I have to drive her, because she can't drive anymore), I could become very buff, very fast...

GG Now, I just have to transfer that discipline back to the Land of the Sane (which is to say, anywhere that's Not Here), and I'm good to go! Out

[hin768]

I just want to give a big thanks to you all. I was browsing the board a few days ago and came across this thread and was inspired to get myself back into shape. Let me say...it's been quite a while since I've actually been "In good shape"

So yesterday I took myself for a 40 minute walk around my neighbourhood, which is very hilly, and I admit I went to the flattest route I could find, which only had two hills, steep but short....and today I dusted off my pedometer and went for another walk, only manged just over a kilometre...but hey it's a kilometre I wouldn't have done otherwise. And it was hot today, close to 40 degrees here in Sydney....and when I got back I went for a little skinny dip in my pool....

I have put on quite a lot of weight over the past twelve months and am NOT happy with how I look, or more importantly feel. Like some of you, I too have suffered from depression and have felt it pulling me back in again recently. Soemthing to do with the holidays..grrr. Anyway, I know exercise helps me balance my moods and just wanted to leave a note to thank you guys for giving me the inspiration to start again.

thanks for listening and good luck to everyone in their efforts.

hin

[FineyMcFine]

I just got back from my last run in Iowa - we are leaving to go back to DC tomorrow morning (and we're going to try to leave at 5pm since it's such a long drive). I went a little further today, probably about 1.25 miles in total. I stretched out afterward - quads, groin, calves, and hamstrings.

My brother-in-law did these things called "6-minute abs" so I started doing it too, although I can't do it for the whole 6 minutes yet. Here's how it goes:

Lie on the ground with your legs up in the air from your hips at a 90 degree angle; keep your knees bent at another 90 degree angle. So basically as if you were resting your calves on a chair or on the couch, except there is no couch.

1. Do crunches for 1 minute - go slow and make sure you squeeze the muscle, try to touch your elbows (behind your head) to your thighs. This works your upper abs.

2. Without stopping to rest, after 1 minute switch to the bicycle - keep your hands behind your head, stretch one leg out flat and bring the other leg up and touch your opposite elbow to your opposite knee. Do this for 1 minute. This works your obliques.

3. After 1 more minute, put your palms flat on the floor by your bum, and lift both of your legs up in the air from about 3 inches off the floor to as far up as you can get them. This works your lower abs.

Repeat everything one more time at 1 minute intervals. Take your time and don't cheat. You'll probably have to work your way up to doing the whole 6 minutes, says my brother in law.

I have to do a modified version of this because of my back surgery - the crunches are okay, but I have to put my hands on the floor during the bicycle and basically just do heel slides while having the other leg on the floor for support. And I can't do the third one at all - I tried and it hurt my lower back a lot, so I rest one leg on the floor and lift one at a time. I'm sure I don't get as much of an ab workout as others, but that's okay.

I'm supposed to be doing daily crunches anyway for the rest of my life, and I wasn't doing them, so at least this routine is short and slightly interesting and a challenge.

ETA: Remember to breathe while you do this, because the effort is such that you might try to hold your breath. Breathe in on the muscle-contracting activity and out on the release (in on the up, out on the down).

[JustSkipIt]

Russ, way to go. Be careful but good on ya for getting back into the swing.

Sally, you have kicked ass throughout your vacation. You’re my hero running so consistently. I totally get what you’re saying about the sanity and not bickering with the exercise. It’s so good for that.

GG, Yay for getting to use the gym. That can be such a nice break from whatever else your routine is.

Hin, You’re so very very very welcome. I’m happy to hear that reading this thread has inspired you. A 40 minute walk is nothing to sneeze at. Walking is a great exercise and basically free. Don’t worry about something being only a kilometer. Ok, I can figure out how far a kilometer is but don’t really remember the formula to figure out how hot 40 degrees is. Anyway, one thing to do if you find yourself far enough out of shape that you can’t walk for long is to do more short sessions in a day. If you can’t walk more than 15 minutes, walk it 3 times. I totally understand about your mood and your exercise/weight. The best thing you can do is keep at it. Keep it up and check back in with us frequently.

Sally – ooo, 6 minute abs. Cool.

My update. I just went for a pretty good walk. My sore throat seems to be gone so I’m bookending my vacation with walks. Yes, I wish I’d done more but I did some and I’m ok with that. I probably walked 3 miles or a little more. Yay for that and yayyer for going home tomorrow.

[russ]

Sally - that sounds like a killer ab workout. I think most people would have to gradually work up to it, or do modified versions. Good for you keeping up the running while on vacation; it's easy to let the program slide while away, but the benefits make it worth the effort.

hin - way to go with starting the walking. It's one of the best ways to fight depression and get you feeling good. In extreme heat it's a good idea to get out early in the morning or in the evening--less risk of heat stroke.

Debra - 40 degrees is hot, damn hot! A little over 100 F.

We just got back from the "Resolution Run," a 10 km. (6 mile) New Year's Eve run. My wife's the runner; I usually just go along to cheer her on. Since I'm trying to do something about those extra 5 pounds that have appeared in the last 2 weeks, I decided to walk one lap of the course (5 km.) It's a beautiful evening, and the event was a great way to end the year.

Happy New Year, all.

Russ

[FineyMcFine]

All of you kittens are doing so great! It's really an inspiration - I read about all the working out that everyone is doing and it makes me feel proud of y'all and like I'm part of a working-out community. It's very motivating.

russ - very cool about the walking at the Resolution Run. hin - great about the 40 minute walk! GG - yay gym! Debra - great about the walking and welcome home to your Nordic Trac! Emms - let us know if you join the gym!

Oh yeah, in my last post about leaving Iowa at 5pm that should have said 5am. Did anyone wonder why the heck I was complaining about leaving at 5pm? Heh.

I went for a run yesterday at around 4pm. I had thought about skipping it because my back was a little sore from the drive but I was kind of cranky so I went for the run anyway, and went about probably 1.25 miles. It was effortful - I'm increasing my distance little by little.

Then I did abs at home when I was done. russ, you're totally right, the 6 minute abs is a killer and I can't do the whole thing for the entire time. The first couple times I did it I jokingly called it "60 Second Abs". Anyway, slow and steady and I'm sure I'll make it up to 6 minutes eventually.

[MemsMapper]

Well, I'm enjoying reading about who does what for exercise. Walking is my thing. I live close enough to work to walk every day, it's just over a mile one way. I try to walk 2 or 3 times a week at lunch, usually around 40 minutes. Saturday is my big walk, usually around the Experimental Farm (a lovely, large green space in the middle of Ottawa) or up by the Ottawa River. Before winter I was up to around 2 hours (~10 km) but that's been reduced due to cold / ice / wind / snow / boots / etc. And if anyone has any suggestions for winter footware for walking/running, I'd be interested in hearing them. I don't like to wear my big boots if I'm out walking for exercise, they're just too heavy. I'm thinking of getting a pair of trail running shoes with Goretex to help keep my feet dry and warm.

Here's a URL that might be useful for those who wish to measure how far they've walked/run/biked/skied; a very nice use of Google maps. I find the satellite view more useful since it has trails that might not show up on the map, since it usually just shows roads.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/

I also like to use a (fairly cheap) pedometer to count my steps. There's an initiative afoot (pun intended) to get people to walk 10,000 steps a day (~ 7 km/4.5 miles for me) for better health. Difficult to accomplish when you have a desk job, but something to shoot for.

http://www.thewalkingsite.com/10000steps.html

Mems

[JustSkipIt]

I have only a minute so I'll just give my day's report. Did the 8 minutes which was frog kicks and then leg lifts. Actually got tired legs from it which surprised me. Then 40 minutes on the Nordic Track (3.83).

[FineyMcFine]

MemsMapper, that pedometer thing is totally cool! I figured out that my run was 1.28 miles, and I had estimated about 1.25 miles. NEAT! Also my daily walk to the Metro is 1.12 miles, so 2.25 round trip.

ETA: I read a thing about Gmaps that it doesn't take into account elevation so the 1.28 is probably slightly longer since there are uphills and downhills.

[k-prime]

After going to the gym steadily for three months, I became a sloth and pretty much missed the last month and a half. Between NaNoWriMo and then the Christmas season, it just didn't happen.
Luckily, today the girl I'm crushin' on decided to join my gym and insisted on becoming my workout buddy. I did twenty minutes on the exercise bike, forty minutes of upper body strength training, twenty minutes of ab exercises, and five minutes on the row machine.
I feel good now, but tomorrow, I'm gonna hurt.

[hin768]

I've been keeping up with the walking most days, yesterday I did 2kms and today I am sore...but it's a satisfying feeling.

[HalfCamel]

Debra, Russ - Thanks for the yoga suggestions, I've been checking into it and I'm hoping to start doing it.

Today I started up my tennis again and I went for like 45 minutes but I wasn't feeling into it, so I left. Hopefully, it'll be better tomorrow.

[JustSkipIt]

Congrats to everyone who is doing anything or even reading this thread and thinking, "what could I start doing?" Heck, park at the end of the lot and walk farther to Starbucks. Take one flight of stairs. Anything helps.

I don't like to wear my big boots if I'm out walking for exercise, they're just too heavy. I'm thinking of getting a pair of trail running shoes with Goretex to help keep my feet dry and warm.

I'm definitely not your information-girl here. It was 85 yesterday and scheduled for the same today. Supposed to be 70s all week. The pedometer thing is cool because you can find out your steps. Last year one of the girls wore hers when we walked over to the Capitol (that's where the cafeteria is) and it was 1400 steps there and back. Really "stepped up" the count for the day. I used to do more steps when I rode the bus because I would get off at the first stop and walk the rest of the way. Now I drive and park in the garage.

Today I did my 8 minutes which was butterflys and bent-over rows. Not too hard but not easy either. Then did 40 minutes on the NT (3.88). It was a good very sweaty workout. The only thing is that I finished watching Lost S1 and now I'm watching movies while I workout and it's much more interesting to watch TV shows than movies. A friend made me TAR s1 & s2 from downloads but only on WMP format rather than DVD. He says he can make them DVD but it takes a while and I don't want to be a pain since he's doing me a favor. I'm trying to weigh the cost of NetFlix against the convenience and ability to have shows to watch while working out...

ETA: Ok, I signed up for Netflix (2 at a time). I put L word S1, TAR S1, and Finding Neverland in the Queue to start. We'll see how it goes. I was also thinking this morning about what the count would be if I put a pedometer on Asher. I mean he runs everywhere with this little hopping run that takes about 38 steps between the couch and the table. I bet he would go 16000 steps a day if he actually kept the thing on.

[k-prime]

Just got back from day two with my new work out buddy. Twenty minutes on the exercise bike, and forty minutes of weight training focused on my legs. I normally like to do about 100 sit-ups spread through out my workout, but that was not happening today. I did twenty and thought I was going to throw up.
...But pain is good, right?

[JustSkipIt]

k-prime, Pain isn't good but it's ok to feel uncomfortable while working out. You want to stretch what you can do but I"m assuming you were joking when you used the word "pain." If it causes pain, don't do it. Anyway, way to go and I hope things are good with the workout buddy.

My today: Did my 8 minutes but I modified it. The first exercise was bent over lat raises. I just can't do them. I don't know if it's because I had shoulder injuries when I was younger or if it's just too hard for everyone. Anyway, I did shrugs intead and the other exercise was crunches. Then 40 minutes on the Nordic Track while crying most of the way through the last part of Field of Dreams. 3.88 even though I felt like it was a really good workout.

[FineyMcFine]

JustSkipIt: Is this heaven?
SallyMcFine: No, it's Iowa.

I just got back from my 1.28 mile run at 6:40am. It was dark throughout but it started getting lighter when I got back to the house at 7am. I guess since Dec 21 or 22 the days are going to start getting lighter earlier, which is good for me.

I got new running shoes for Xmas which is great - they are better than the other ones I was wearing, which were starting to wear out, and they have a lot more support. I'm happy about it.

I used to run 3x a week on MWF, but over break I did it every other day nevermind taking 2 days off the weekend (because it was all like the weekend on vacation). So I can run Friday and leave for a work trip that day at noon, must be at the airport at 11am, and I'm trying to figure out what to do about running Sunday in Denver. I will bring my workout clothes regardless but might go to the gym in the hotel instead of trying to figure out running in a new city (at altitude, no less).

You all are totally inspiring - I was talking with a friend at work about running (she has run marathons before) and she recommended writing down how much I ran because it's kind of motivating to know while you're running that you can write down how far it was, how you felt, what the weather was like, etc. I said "That sounds like a great idea" but I didn't tell her that I post in the workout thread on the kitten board, because I'm her boss. Heh.

[JustSkipIt]

Yay, Sally for running 3x a week rather than MWF.

I mostly blew off today. We stayed up late (11:00 - gasp!) watching the Rose Bowl. Unfortunately went to bed and missed the end but that's another story. Then bad baby sleeping night so I skipped Nordic Tracking today. Did my 8 minutes: tricep kickbacks and seated curls. I'll try to go for a walk to and from lunch today...

[JustSkipIt]

Well double posting but a day apart. Hey, is it really my fault if Sally isn't back from her run (or maybe is in Denver)?

My 8 minutes was good--those leg kick things where you kneel and bend and unbend one knee and then standing on one foot and doing the same thing. Of course both are 12 on each side things so that's a lot of weightless reps for the price of 2 exercises. Not too hard. Then I Nordic Tracked 40 minutes 3.84. I definitely could have gone longer but I needed to wake up my wife to work. Got my first Netflix DVD: L word S1. No close captioning which was a bummer but I could hear mostly pretty well. I probably now know 3 characters's names which for me is a breakthrough.