since sporadic workouts you may have relied upon in your 20s are losing their effectiveness, it's time to develop a regular routine to head off bone density loss and decreasing flexibility
In your 40s -
ramp up cardio to fend off the insidious encroachment of belly fat
In your 50s -
because you may burn approximately 150 to 200 calories fewer per day due to decreasing estrogen levels, slash 200 calories a day utilizing a high fiber, low fat approach
Despite being ready to get back moving, I'm off to a turtle start. Oh well, this might be the best way after all. Didn't go for a ride but have been walking. Going to start tracking my activity/exercise month by month in the side bar*. It'll be interesting to see how it corresponds with any weight changes.
In other news, finally tried sauteed kale the other night. I liked it a lot. It was also good finely chopped and added to eggs for breakfast the next day. Since it's our Saturday and there doesn't seem to be any tornado sightings or quarter sized hail today, we're heading down the hill for a bike ride.
*Totally ripping off this idea from The Merry at Sheesh.
Long time, no post. I finally got the all clear to resume physical activity a few days ago and believe me, I'm ready. While I might be psychologically ready, I've lost a lot of ground in terms of fitness. My weight has essentially stayed the same at ten pounds extra. I'm not going to be obsessive about the scale says: my focus is going to be on fitness. When I get back to my former fitness level, I'm sure I'll be happy with whatever the scale reads.
My biggest challenge is to re-establish exercise habits. We're going for a ride today.
Change in the weather, change in the weather, Somethin's happenin' here. ~ J. Fogerty
Fall took its time coming to the Sierra foothills this year, but there's no denying there's been a change of season lately. Days are shorter, mornings stay cool, longer, and there's snow on Sierra peaks. I wore a jacket on my last ride. It was a very lightweight jacket but still a wake up call that my usual biking attire (Keen sandals - which have created some interesting looking tan lines, shorts, sports bra & sleeveless shirt) is not going to cut it much longer. I need to figure out what to wear to continue biking in cooler weather.
This video from ABC's guest personal trainer on their morning show goes over some clothing tips and some exercises to do indoors if the weather prevents riding or running. I found it helpful.
Say goodbye to fresh locally grown tomatoes, blueberries and corn and say hello to the Top Ten Superfoods for Fall. Pomegranates and pumpkins, oh my! Looks like I should probably learn to overcome my aversion to beets. Any suggestions?
It seems like the heart of summer but for teachers and kids around here, school's going to start pretty darn soon. Still, this song (Summertime Thing by Chuck Prophet) has been on my mind the past week as I've seen tons of people heading to the river with their rafts. Sure seems like the summertime thing to do when temps hit the triple digits. We might take the kayaks up to Tahoe tomorrow for the first time this summer.
My exercise is limited to bike riding and using 5 lb free weights for my arms. Both my arms and legs are looking athletic (we're talking muscle definition - holy kick ass, batman) now. I like it!
Reading "The Tortilla Curtain" by TC Boyle for the neighborhood book club. It's an interesting story and well-written. May check out more fiction by this author.
A while back, I listened to the Fresh Air podcast of Terri Gross's interview with Woody Allen. One question she asked toward the end was something like, what are the films by others that you love or that you've watched more than once. This got my attention because I don't usually watch films more than once or reread books. The number of films I've purposefully re-watched can be counted on one hand. Of these films, it's Allen's "Annie Hall" that I've seen the most times. Anyway, the film he first mentioned was "The Bicycle Thief." This film has been stuck 3/4 down in my long netflix queue forever. I moved it up and we watched it the other night. Great film.
Eating is going well and so is the bike riding. I rode 119 miles this past week. Took my bike in for its free first tune up and adjustment. They also cleaned my bike. This is a nice service from the local business where we bought the bike. Is it my imagination...? My bike seems to be riding even more smoothly than before its tune up. I expected the gears to shift like magic after being expertly adjusted but didn't think it would seem to roll even easier than before. Love this bike.
In other news, there is still some lingering drama involving my husband's family. We're in the process of preparing my mother-in-law's house to be sold. Brother-in-law turns fifty today. He still denies his addiction to prescription pain killers. Is living in his car...the whole family is taking a crash course in trying to understand the difference between help/support and enabling.
Enjoy summer -- it seems to go by faster every year.
Jillian's fitness suggestion for today is the wall squat or wall sit. It's an exercise I've been interested in trying since it seems to be easy to have correct form, I have a wall or two, and, it's not hard on the knees if done correctly.
From Jillian:
Get Strong by Squatting If you're new to exercise, working out can be intimidating. The trick is to begin with exercises you can build on. Let's start with the legs. After all, they help support our bodies in the most basic of activities — standing and walking! Try wall squats, the building block of all squat variations. Here's how to get started right now.
Wall Squat Stand with your back about 1 1/2 feet from a wall, feet hip-width apart, your weight on your heels. Lean back until your shoulders and upper back touch the wall. Now slowly lower yourself (as if you were going to sit on a chair) until your thighs are parallel with the floor and your legs form a 90-degree angle. In the seated position, your back — from the shoulder blades to the lower rib cage — should rest lightly against the wall. Hold this position for as long as you can, stand back up, and repeat.
When you've mastered the form, kick it up a notch by adding resistance with hand weights. Once you've developed quad, glute, and hamstring strength with this beginner move, you'll be ready to tackle more advanced leg exercises.
Here's a no nonsense video that breaks it down:
Think I'll try wall squats as a warm up for bike riding. Have you tried these type of squats?
MizFit has a great post today about National Start! Walking Day. Best things about walking every day: you don't have to sign up and pay a fee before you can get started; you don't have to buy certain trendy and expensive clothing; you don't have to wait for a start time or make a reservation; you can do this alone and think your deep thoughts or walk with a friend or friends. And walking is something you can do your entire life! The only thing you really need to have is a decent or even good pair of walking shoes.
Currently, I'm using a pair of Ryka walking shoes. Sadly, they're pretty broken down as I've had them for more than a year now. Anyhoo, I like them. I used to use Asics running shoes for walking but the last pair I used never seemed to fit correctly.
Here's the participation segment of this post...I want to know what kind of shoes you recommend for walking. Do you use inserts? Also, are you going to get out and walk tomorrow?
- Today - Walking: 3 miles on trail Yoga: 28 minutes Wii Fit
The weather has turned a bit chilly so there weren't very many people on the trail today. Haven't walked the trail for 3 weeks and I felt different, lighter. Good feeling.
I tried my new exercise band the other day and pulled something in my shoulder. I mentioned this to my husband and it turns out that he adjusted the band before I had ever used it! Good grief.
Once, about five years ago, we were on our way to an appt. with our realtor and running a tad late. He was driving badly IMO and I kept pointing out cars to him as in "watch out." I was also using the invisible brake pedal on the passenger side. I couldn't help myself! After a while of this, I thought he might pull over and order me out but he didn't. He just finally looked over at me and said "Honey, don't help me so much." This made me laugh and suddenly I wasn't so nervous with his bad driving.
Well, I'm definitely irritated with him for adjusting MY exercise band but I guess this is just what happens in a long term marriage. We take turns being irritating as hell or as some might say, being too helpful.
Finally sat down and watched the step aerobics DVD. I liked it. Tried some segments and was grateful to do this in complete privacy let-me-tell-you sistah & brotha. The DVD that came with the Reebok step was almost as good so it'll do just fine. Not sure how this is going to play out with my right knee but I'm going to give it a shot.
I did 30 minutes on the treadmill today. Felt great. If hubbysan was home I'd ask if he'd take a "sweaty pic" of me. Another time.
Overall, feeling ready to get serious about getting fit.
Confession: my step back (setback) was eating the rest of the Haagen Dazs Extra Rich Light Vanilla Bean last night. About 400 calories. I know!
I've watched both the frontside and backside dvds and today I'm going to actually try it. Think I'll start with the frontside. Here's a link to a clip of this dvd. What do you think? Have you had any success working out with a dvd?
I liked this dvd enough to buy it because it truly seems geared to beginners. Jillian also addresses modifications for those of us with knee issues along with ways to amp up the workout as we get stronger.
I did 45 minutes on the treadmill and I feel better. Advil + water + treadmill = good. I've been thinking about step aerobics. I gave it a try in class that was supposed to accommodate beginners a gazillion years ago and I never felt like I was doing what everyone else was (and that's because I wasn't!). It was a good workout though even if I looked like a freak. I'd like to try it at home this time -- no embarrassment.
Any tips on where to buy a step or about good dvds for true, uncoordinated beginner types? Or about step aerobics in general. I just added this dvd to my netflix list based on very little info.
While I haven't been active here, I've had a ton of stuff going on. Going out of town to visit relatives over the holidays; home improvement projects (mainly painting); holiday socializing & eating (yep); cooking & baking; and recently, not feeling very well --very sore neck, stomach upset and fatigue - bleh. In between all this, I've been following Karen's reports of her "dreadmill" progress. Inspiring! So, I've taken up using the treadmill. I haven't gotten into an everyday habit yet, but that's the goal. I feel great after I do it. Right now, I'm going at a speed of 3.7 for 45 minutes. I will build up to what I used to do: 4.1 for 3 miles with "hills." Hills are what I call it when I increase the incline -- not by very much because I don't lower my speed. I alternate five minutes at no incline with five minutes of slight incline. This seemed to really make a difference. I'm working toward getting back on track with this.
There's a minor problem though with the treadmill, I watch the Food network! I need to find the Fit network and at least alternate.
Neck is still sore today but I'm going to take some advil and drink a lot of water and see how it goes.
