I Keep Mowing, and Mowing, and Mowing…

Saturday, August 7, 2010 by Dea.

Seriously, some days I really hate having a lawn.  I’m considering paving the whole yard.  Of course, then I’d have to do something else annoying as upkeep!

I try to remind myself that I burn 833 calories per hour pushing that lawn mower around.  I’m sure it goes higher or lower, depending on how long or wet the grass is.  It was long and wet, so I burned easily that 833 calories!

That means my day is off to a very good start.  So I’m looking on the bright side of it, and reminding myself that I enjoyed listening to my iPod, I burned all those calories, and I got fresh air.

But, yeah - I still would love to mulch the whole yard and use RoundUp in vast quantities!

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Making Waves

Wednesday, July 28, 2010 by Dea.

I tried out the evening water aerobics class at my gym last night.  I really liked the teacher and the other ladies in the class were very nice.

I was really nervous about going to the class.  Most aerobics classes are somewhat intimidating, since the same people take them each week, and become friends.  It was like being the new kid at school.  Do I have the right swimsuit?  Am I in the right place?  Which are both silly questions, obviously, since first off, the pool at our gym isn’t so big I wouldn’t be able to quickly find the class, and secondly, it doesn’t matter what suit you where in all honesty!

So there I was, nervously waiting the 15 minutes until class because, of course, I’m ALWAYS early places.  I didn’t want to get into the hot tub or the therapy pool because I knew that water was going to be cold.

I remember making fun of my mother and aunts for how long it took them to get into the pool.  Now I know that it’s because as adults we have more skin, and out “parts” are much much more sensitive to temperature.  It’s just not right that it’s so hard to get used to the water.  Let’s just say I let out an unladylike word, but thankfully that was underwater, so no one heard.

It’s a good thing the water is cooler, though, because halfway through the class I was WARM.  I’d forgotten how easily you can get your heart rate up in the water.   I’d also forgotten how tough some of those moves get when you’re trying to stay upright or afloat!

I was nice and fatigued when I finished.  The best part, though, was my knees and ankle were not hurting.  So nice!  I even woke up pleasantly sore through the abs and arms this morning.  That’s the sign of a good work out, to me.

So I do believe I’ll be heading back on Thursday!  The strengthening will only speed up my healing and help with the weight loss.  And the more I lose, the better all those “bad” parts will feel!

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Water Work Outs

Wednesday, July 21, 2010 by Dea.

I’ve decided to fight back against my traitorous joints, but sometimes that is easier said than done.  Last week I tried to swim as a work out, and wound up with my neck all jacked up and a horrific migraine.  That’s not exactly positive reinforcement, if I think about it.

I used to teach water aerobics, back when I was a babe of twenty years.  I really enjoyed it, and even had a few “tough guys” from our gym try it, and pronounce it much harder than they’d thought.  That’s what they get for making fun of me for water aerobics!  So water aerobics is a no-brainer.  I enjoyed it, it’s a good work out, and it is virtually no impact at all.

Of course, it helps to have available water aerobics classes.  At my current gym, it’s a pretty sad offering.  I found a plethora of them offered at a different gym, including ones specifically geared towards my specific body problems.  Only problem with that is it’s an expensive place, it’s a pain in the butt drive, and I already belong to a gym.

So I do believe I’ll give the meager offering at my gym a try.  I can always do harder moves if I find the class too easy.  In the long run, it’s better to give it a try.  And it’s less likely to cause negative feedback from the ol’ body.  I’ll keep you posted.  Who knows, I might just go get re-certified and create some new classes at my gym!

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Fabulous Finds - EA Sports Active

Monday, January 4, 2010 by Dea.

I got the EA Sports game, Active, for the Wii for Christmas this year.  I didn’t even crack the box until after New Years, of course.  I just finished day 3 of my first 30 Day Challenge.  And I must say, I really really like this game.

You answer some questions, enter your weight, and pick music style, and you’re up and running.  The game combines cardio with toning exercises to give you a good full-body work out.  It also adjusts the work outs for lower and upper body concentrations from day to day, to give muscles a rest.

I really like the variety of exercises in this game.  So far, the only thing I’ve done all 3 times I’ve worked out is walk/run in place.  The toning band included with the game is decent, though I’m sure I’ll need to buy a harder level in the near future.  Which is fine, as I can let my kids use the easier band when they work out with me.

So far, my only complaints are the leg strap and the sensor.  The leg strap either falls down, or if I wear it tight - it started to rip already.  I’ll be contacting the manufacturer about that one.  The sensor, though, is a bit annoying.  I have knee problems, so I can squat or lunge as low as most people.  But I can do a modified version, which is fine, right?  Wrong, according to the game.  It wants me deep, despite my status as a “beginner” and my weight.  You’d think it would work up to a full squat during the challenge.  I’ve fixed this by taking the one remote out of the holster on my leg and “faking” the full bend position in mid-air while doing my modified squats and lunges.

Otherwise, this is a really nice all around trainer.  It’s not just a static work out - you do different exercises each time you turn on the game.  And to me, that’s perfect - boredom is a big problem for most people starting out a work out regimen.

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Butt Buster - the Saga on Summit

Monday, November 9, 2009 by Dea.

A friend of mine was talking about her morning walk at school pickup the other day.  She and several other moms called the hill on one of our town’s streets the Butt Buster.  My ear immediately perked up and I started to pay attention.  I love a good butt workout.

The street is appropriately named Summit.  I’ve driven there, and honestly had never even thought about it.  For a prairie region where the highest elevation in my county is a former garbage hill lovingly named Mt. Trashmore, hills are not common.  So walking is, generally, a little flat.

I went out the next morning, figuring it would be a nice change from my bike routine.  The weather here is gorgeous, especially for November.  I decided ahead of time I was going to do the Butt Buster 5 times.  Not a bad goal, I’m walking, not running a marathon.

It was about halfway up this monster of a hill that I realized 5 was a pretty lofty goal.  I was huffing, and sweating despite the 50 degree temperature.  I saw a few other moms walking the neighborhood, and they saw that I was doing the hill more than once, and they laughed.

I made it all five times, albeit slower each successive time.

The next morning, I was to meet 2 mom friends at 6 am to walk together, and we were going to include the Butt Buster.  Let’s just say that I am not an early riser.  It also did not help that my butt was, indeed, busted.  I did, however, get myself out of bed and to the meeting point.

We’ve been meeting and walking for 3 mornings now.  I love it.  It keeps me accountable, because I am meeting people.  The fresh air is fabulous.  And my butt is consistently being busted.  Fantastic!  I sure hope the weather holds, and we don’t have early snow this year.

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Fun Theory

Saturday, October 17, 2009 by Dea.

Would you take the stairs over the escalator if it were fun and silly to do so?  Volkswagen tested what they call the Fun Theory in this viral video.

This video got me thinking about every day work outs and ways to be healthier. Would we all develop better habits because we’d made those habits fun? It’s an interesting concept.I like to mix up my work outs by using different equipment, different music. But I know I really enjoy my work out when I bellydance or play the Wii Fit games. I’m sure that we all have ideas that could test the Fun Theory. And I would bet we’d all do these healthy little habits more often because they’re fun.

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Walking Workouts

Wednesday, October 7, 2009 by Dea.

One of the simplest ways to get more exercise into the daily routine is to simply walk.  There are smaller ways to get more walking into your day, and there are more complex workouts you can do to rev up your fitness.

The easy ways to add walking into life are silly, at times, but they help.  Every little bit helps.  Things like parking further away from a building, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and taking the long way around a block instead of cutting diagonally across can all add steps to your day.

However, there are some wonderful ways to ramp up the simple act of walking, something we’ve all done since we were about 1 year of age, into a great work out.  This site lists  different kinds of workouts, like walking for health, fat burning, cardio challenge, and economy walks.  All of these types are good for anyone interested in becoming healthier.  In fact, I intend to fit more of these into my day.  With this fabulous, crisp fall weather, I want to be outside whenever it isn’t raining.

There are a lot more sites with great walking workout information, and if any of them inspire you to lace up your sneakers and hit the trail, please let me know.  The most important thing is that this is a great fitness boost for FREE.  I love no-cost movement!  It’s good for your heart, and your wallet!

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At Home Fitness - Great Books!

Saturday, September 19, 2009 by Dea.

I have always wanted to do yoga and pilates, but have felt like there are no classes for people like me.  I’m somewhat clumsy, and I have really bad core strength.  Pilates and yoga are great for getting that core strength, but much like searching for a job, it seems like all the classes I’ve seen offered are “some experience required,” types of things.  It was getting very frustrating, to be honest.

Our new gym room is great.  It does not, however, have a television.  So videos are a bit of a hassle, since I’d have to move furniture every time I want to do one.

I found the solution, though.  Two great books.  One is on yoga, and one is pilates.

First, there’s Yoga for Wimps: Poses for the Flexibly Impaired.   This is a complete book of poses, shown with fantastic modifications for those of us who would fall over if we tried to do Downward Facing Dog during our first stab at it.  All of the modifications are done using things around the house - chairs, towels, books, and old ties, for example.  The instructions are clear, concise, and I was able to do yoga within minutes.  It’s nice to have this ultra beginner instruction.  I highly recommend this book!

Second, there’s The Book of Pilates.   This is also a very good beginner book.  There are a lot of instructions, including how to breathe, how to position your body, and when to inhale or exhale.  There are also three levels of exercises, which is very nice.  There’s Introductory Level exercises (where I am right now) and it shows modifications for doing these exercises without having the balance and strength necessary to do advanced moves.  The next level is Beginner Level, which shows slightly harder moves and different modifications for this level of strength and stability.  Finally, there’s Advanced Pilates.  These are the moves you see in classes and on a lot of videos.

These gradual progressions of both of these types of exercise help to build the core strength and balance required to do the advanced moves.  The modifications are a nice touch, as sometimes, people just can’t figure out how to do a move in an easier way.  This leads to feelings of failure - which obviously leads to quitting the exercise.  These are both such important and beneficial exercises.  These books really help get you to your goals.

Posted in Health, Fabulous Finds, Favorite Things, Exercise | Print | 1 Comment »

Free At Last!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009 by Dea.

What’s the number one, best reason to have a home gym?  No, it’s not being able to work out whenever you want.  It’s being able to work out wearing whatever, even just your sport bra and bike shorts.  If I wore just that to my old gym, as some women there actually do, there would have been mass hysteria and riots.  People would have rushed towards me with towels to cover all my glaring white flesh.

At home, though, no one cares what I look like.  I’m not roasting when I’m on the spin bike because the only shirt that I felt comfortable wearing in public is two sizes too big and the sleeves go past my elbows.  I can pin back my hair at absurd angles, worrying only about comfort, and not how I look.

I had forgotten how absolutely wonderful it was to just do 20-30 minutes of exercise when I feel like it.  I always felt like I needed to put in 2 hours at the gym because of the stress and difficulty in getting two children and myself ready and out the door and through the 20+ minute drive.  Now, I can just hop on my bike for 6 songs, do some crunches, and leave.  I can go back later to do squats and push-ups.

It is so completely freeing.  I was so self conscious at the gym.  I felt like people were looking at me funny, or pitying me.  I actually had one woman in a spin class that I took regularly, where she was the new person, turn to me and ask me if this was my first spin class.  I was aghast!  I’ve done spin since my 5 year old was born, and had done it regularly at least once a week for a  year and a half at that point.  She assumed that because I was heavy, I was out of shape.  After that day, I felt even less comfortable at that gym.

I love my home gym so much, I don’t even miss my office.  I’m happily sharing an office with my husband.  I can’t wait to try out the Pilates book I found.  I’d always been too intimidated to go to a Pilates class because of how tiny and lean the women who went were.  I do miss my Wednesday night spin class (taught by a good friend of mine) - but other than that, I am just so happy to be free and comfortable in my work outs again.

Posted in Encouragement, Body Image, Exercise | Print | 1 Comment »

Celebrity Arms!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009 by Dea.

I’ve been following a blog by Lisa Johnson, and today I saw this video on getting celebrity arms:

I’m going to try this for the next three weeks, since that’s when we’re heading to St. Croix.  Maybe I’ll have less jiggle in time for the trip?  I’ll keep you posted!!

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