Category: Creative Exercise

When the weight loss going gets tough, the smart and safe get savvy

Wouldn’t it be simply peachy and mango-y if all you needed to do to lose weight is simply eat less and sit like a couch potato?

Alas, life just isn’t fair (if it was, those white chocolate macadamia nuts would burn up 849 calories upon consumption), and to really lose weight effectively, you simply must exercise. Get up and go, move those muscles, get the blood flowing and the energy moving…..it’s a plain fact of life.

Exercise works.

But! What happens when you’re on track with your exercise routine and suddenly….life happens, and you have to turn on a dime?

That happened to me last month, actually…and let me tell you, it’s quite a difficult thing through which to work.

You see, I have a lousy bone structure, so intense jogging is out for me. Instead, I used to love becoming one with my beloved elliptical machine at the local YMCA – I had it down pat! HIIT activities, slow paces, fevered dashes, why, I could even do my karate blocking drill while walking backwards!

In a word, I had my exercise routine down perfectly for my particular body and shape.

Well, over the past few months, my weight loss has produced an astonishing negative side-effect – all of that disappearing fat seems to have aggravated a bone tumor I have on my right femur. Joy! Not! All of a sudden, going from sitting to standing started to cause physical pain – it’s gotten to the point that I have to hold in my thigh whenever changing positions like that.

Now…think about this on the elliptical. Knees go up, knees go down, tendons snap over my exostosis, and pain erupts. Wah! No more ellipticals for me!

But….but…..but. It would have been ‘way easy to simply sit down and give up…my delusional healthy view of myself has been shattered by reality!

I gave myself some time to feel a ton of self-pity…and then picked myself up and looked for alternatives. It turns out that the treadmill doesn’t aggravate my condition at all….and so now instead of ellipticalizing, I simply walk on the treadmill at a 15 level incline for 30 minutes, and spend the rest of the 23 minutes at various speeds/levels/etc.

End result? I get drenched in sweat, my cardio workouts seem to get easier and easier….BUT! Because I didn’t choose to give up, I’m still on the right path for my overall health.

Which brings me to my point!! Life….it happens. And when it happens, sometimes you have to simply accept the fact that you’re no longer in the same peak of health you used to be. But that doesn’t mean you must roll over and give up!

Instead, let out the inner warrior in you…give yourself permission to say, I might be down now, but I sure as hell ain’t out! And then pick yourself up and make your success happen. After all, if you cave into fear….nobody else will be there to make things right for you for the future.

The future….it’s in your hands, and your hands alone. Meet it boldly….your body will thank you for it.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – Want to see treadmill goodies? Consider:

Resources for step aerobics workouts

Ever get an insane urge to beef up your aerobics routines?

If so, did you know there are bunches and bunches of places where you can download free workout music and uncover new choreographed moves?

’tis true! Here are some useful sites for you.

TurnStep.com

John’s Aerobics Routines

Expert Village Videos

iTrain

There are many different types of aerobics you can do! Step aerobics, even chair aerobics, ball aerobics, lots of aerobics. You can even get free previews (or even entire sets!) from YouTube like so:

YouTube Step Aerobics

Should you try the above out, do let me know what you think.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – need more great aerobics stuff?

Shapely Secrets, lose weight by breathing … is it for you?

Morning,

Over at one of my favorite forums, the question about Shapely Secrets still rages.

For those not in the know, Shapely Secrets uses isometrics to help tone/exercise your muscles in 7 minutes.

That’s the exercise.

If you look at the website disclaimer, you’ll also notice:

*RESULTS VARY. TYPICAL RESULTS ARE 1 SIZE AND 6 POUNDS IN FIRST 14 DAYS. RESULTS BASED ON 7 MINUTE EXERCISE AND 7 SECRETS DIET/LIFESTYLE PROGRAM. CONSULT A PHYSICIAN BEFORE BEGINNING THIS OR ANY EXERCISE PROGRAM. NOT INTENDED FOR USE BY CHILDREN OR PREGNANT WOMEN.

Methinks that “AND” is a pretty huge AND. If you’re on a good diet and lifestyle program, of course you’ll lose inches as well. It’s common sense.

Here are more resources for Shapely Secrets:

Fitness Infomercial Reviews

Makeup Talk Shapely Secrets

Bella Online Shapely Secrets

What’s that, you want to lose weight by breathing? Check out:

Breathing Exercises

Tree of Fitness

Oxycise

Ah. The joys of wanting to get something for the least little bit of exertion….it truly is inherent within us. But having now been on my weight loss journey for 11+ months, I really do believe that the most optimal way to get healthy…is the one that forces you to confront your personal barriers/limitations and break past what you thought you could never achieve.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – here’s what Oxycise looks like!

I can do a 20 pound assisted pullup!

Morning,

This is major news for me!

You see, back in early 2007, I made a promise to myself that by the end of summer, I’d be able to do one (only one!) pullup by myself.

At the gym, we have this super cool assisted pullup machine – when I started, I worked against a 90 pound offset (‘course, I was 170+ in weight).

I’m now 133, and am able to do an assisted pullup against 20 pounds! This means that instead of lifting 80 pounds, I can now lift 110 or so via my beloved biceps, triceps, deltoids, etc.

I really enjoy trying pullups. They’re quite a super exercise for strength training!

Need a good site? Consider Mistress Krista! She writes:

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Pullups are a cool exercise. They look tuff, they feel butch, they’re low-tech, and they are one of the best exercises for all-round upper body strength. Not only are your back, biceps, forearms, and shoulders involved, but you may also feel them in your abs. (Gawd, my abs were sore for a week after my first attempt at pullups… felt like I’d pulled my ribcage out through my nostrils)

Pullups are also darn hard for the average woman to do. Most untrained females who are older than 10 and heavier than 50 lbs can’t do them. The good news, though, is that most trained women CAN do them. It just takes practice, patience, and time. So, if you’ve always wanted to do a pullup, or you have to do a few to pass a military or police fitness test, this article is for you!

The first thing to mention is the role of strength relative to mass. The heavier you are, the more weight you’re going to be pulling up. If you need to do pullups for something like a job-related fitness test and you have excess body fat to lose, then consider dumping some of that body fat overboard (of course, using a sensible nutrition plan of moderate caloric restriction and perhaps some interval training, as recommended elsewhere on this site). The lighter you are, the better your chances. That being said, the heaviest woman I’ve ever seen do a pullup was nearly 200 lbs., so it can be done even if you’re bigger. It’s just that this is one of those areas of physical unfairness where it’s better to be smaller….MORE….

And here’s another inspiring article:

….

On January 1, 2001 – I set a goal to be able to do five chin-ups and three pull-ups by December 31, 2001.

A chin-up is when you pull yourself up with your palms facing you (using a lot of biceps) and a pull-up is when your palms face away from you (using a lot of back muscles). Most people find the chin-up to be the easier of the two.

Looking back to when I first set my goal I remember that my course of action was to gather as much information as I could, make a plan, commit to it, and then make the necessary adjustments along the way.

I gathered information by speaking with several different people including, exercise physiologists, personal trainers, fitness trainers, and athletes. Some thought that a girl wouldn’t be able to do a pull-up, others thought that a girl shouldn’t worry about doing a pull-up; others simply knew a girl could do a pull-up and gave suggestions on how to go about it.

One trainer told me not to worry about doing chin-ups or pull-ups from a dead hang. He thought it was too hard for a girl to do because of her physiology. Does that also mean….MORE….

Now, true, it has passed the summer…and I still cannot do one pullup by myself. Oh well! I can honestly say I did do my best….and there’s always next year as well. Every day is one step closer.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – want a pullup bar?

Making treadmill workouts fun

Morning,

Today’s workout at the gym was most enlightening. True, while I took it ‘way easy (yesterday’s kendo class had completely toasted my wrists, so I chose the ‘super slow’ method of weight lifting today), it was commented to me in the locker room that ‘oh, you can use the treadmill? I get soooo bored on it!’

Bored? How on earth can you be bored on a treadmill? There are lots of ways to ensure you get a good workout and allow the time to fly by, including:

  • TV! I always watch The Discovery Channel or the History Channel while doing my workouts. It’s difficult to be a clock-watcher when you’re entranced with the programming on the screen! ‘How It’s Made‘ is one of my favorite treadmill shows.
  • Personal challenges. If I find myself getting bored, while I never do, mind you, but if (just if!) I did, I can lose myself in my mind and craft the most elaborate scenarios for adventure (which always involves running). Bump up the level to 15, pack on the speed to over 5 mph, …. it all adds to the variety.
  • Homework. I always prepare extra mommy work for my kids, so I can use the treadmill time to work my brain and decide what math/creative problems I can give my kids after school.
  • Singing. Singing makes everything go faster! I have a set repertoire that I can sing thru again and again (my current favorites are songs from Beauty and the Beast and Fiddler on the Roof).

The above are just some ideas to help you make your treadmill workout fun! Push yourself. You have the ability – you only need to let it be free.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – some neato treadmill goodies are:

Fighting past the fear part II

Well! Today is Kendo class, my favorite martial arts weapons activity.

Last week, I was beyond utterly decimated in sparring; I was toasted past recognition. It was quite a character building experience, and I did make certain to use it to teach my kids rather valuable ideas about fear, bravery and the like.

Today, I have committed to myself that I will participate with 110% enthusiasm again. I have been analyzing my lack of skills, and realize that I need to improve my speed and coordinate. Towards that, I took a cane with me on my 2.4 mile circle walk, and practiced over-head strikes during the majority of the distance.

Yes, even I couldn’t justify swinging a wooden sword out in public. :)

So my arms are quite tired but hopefully the muscle memory is building. One of my kids loves nunchaku, another lives for sais…I’ve decided that the sword will be the martial arts weapon that I shall master. You heard it here first. :)

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – Kendo hails from the Way of the Warrior or the Samurais. Check out these neat things:

Corporate exercise ideas

Morning,

Long long ago, back before the earth’s crust cooled, I worked at a large telecommunications company…in a building surrounded by park-like lands complete with MacGyver geese and other assorted wildlife.

One of the neat things I noticed was many employees would walk around in groups outside during their lunch break. True, I never joined them (what, me, exercise?), but still it looked like quite a good idea.

Sometimes companies will provide workout stations along paths that are carved outside their building. These stops allow you to do jumping jacks, stretches, pullups, etc., assuring your body of a rather decent workout.

The opportunities for adding exercise to your desk-bound routine are many if you work in a large corporate center! Some ideas include:

  • Shunning the elevator up and down
  • Taking a 5 minute quick walk down the hallways every hour, carrying some heavy books
  • Volunteering to help move items from office to office
  • Joining an employee fitness club

Speaking of employee clubs, quite often you can find many extracurricular activities that will benefit your health! For example, I was a member of the Jujitsu club, the Lion Dancers Club and the Singles Club (president of that, actually….); it was a great way to meet folks with similar interests and enjoy fun activities.

Here are some examples of corporate employee clubs:

Who knows what interests you’ll uncover?

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – True, while I only played the cymbals, the Lion Dancing club was one to remember!

Acupressure, muscle rub, weight lifting and karate, oh my!

I’m intense.

Yes indeed, I finally have accumulated enough self-knowledge to realize, I throw myself in 110% whenever attempting new and/or challenging activities…to the point one simply has to wonder about my sanity.

Take yesterday. Please. Yesterday, I took my boys to Sesame Place and let me tell you, discovered that what is easy as pie to small boys is agonizing torture to dignified mommies like myself. I refer, of course, to the Bridge of Eternal Doom, otherwise known as the Nets n Climb – a delightful (she said, snorting her coffee in disbelief) 3 story structure made of ropes, nets and various assorted knee-bruising extras. My boys happily scampered thru this monument of shoe-lace knotting, requiring me to dash in after them.

So! You know those cute little rope tubes? Did you know there’s corrugated metal that supports them? And while little boy knees stay happily above this ferocious metal beastie, buff mommy knees produce metal-attraction-sensors that magically attracts black and blue marks?

No?

Aren’t you glad you’re reading this posting and learning? :)

That by itself wasn’t too agonizing. It was today that did me in, it was. This morning, I figured, golly! I didn’t get enough exercise except for bruising my body yesterday! Why not do my beloved 2.4 mile circle walk but add the unmitigated thrills of jogging 1.8 miles of it! Wheeeeeeeee!

Even that, gentle reader, was peachy. I was still alive and bleeping! But no oh no, I had to realize that today is ‘bash the body day’ (ie, become one with the iron at the gym), and tra-la-laed my way there with me hubby.

Now that….that…..that…..was utter exhaustion! So much so to the point that I dropped my intensity down 23 notches…which still wasn’t enough. My trapezius muscles were in utter fatigue, so I stopped my workout and applied some quick-fix acupressure. That provided some relief…and I completed my workout.

After I crawled to the locker room, I had enough sense to slather my body with menthol muscle-rub and give myself permission to slow down. Muscle rub and acupressure are truly gifts of the gods when your energy level is flatter than a steam-rollered breadcrust.

Which brings me to the point of this blog posting!! Acupressure rules and massage! Never be afraid to stop your workouts or your karate or your whatevers to take good care of your own aching muscles – that can grealy alleve pain and give you the fortitude to continue.

Here are some great acupressure and massage resources:

I’m lucky; I’ve learned one heck of a lot about acupressure and massage over the years, and can take care of my family/friends whenever pains get too much. It’s something you should learn too! Your loved ones will thank you for it.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – some neat acupressure goodies are:

Why Calories Are King – Eat more to lose weight?

Morning,

One of the toughest things dieters have to realize is that eating less junk food is GOOD! But eating too few calories is BAD!

It certainly sounds counter-productive!! There are folks on weight loss forums who will declare they’re eating 1,200 calories or so…but the weight just doesn’t come off. Why oh why oh why oh!

The answer is actually pretty simple (not to mention horrifyingly maddening). Your body has a baseline requirement of calories for daily functions. You know those things, right? Breathing, heart beating, body digesting, liver liverizing, right?

Well! Put in too few calories, and your body will say, EEEEK! I don’t have enough fuel to be efficient!! I need to regroup and hunker down and slow down the metabolism (and hence, your weight loss) as much as possible!

There are some excellent postings about this such as:

I have personally experienced a success in breaking a weight loss plateau by eating more….so for me, it definitely does make sense!

Remember, when you craft your own personal weight loss plan and things “stop working”, don’t be afraid to research and test out different ideas. The world (ideally!) won’t end in a day…you should have plenty of time to always tweak your plans to optimal performance.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – want some nifty ideas about calories? Consider:

Exercises to get rid of a double chin

Alas, but it’s true. There is no such thing as ‘spot-reducing’. Heck, if there was, all of my weight would have first disappeared off my tummy, leaving me a robustly Rubenesque wench of wonder!

I actually have a fondness for double-chins, much like people have a fondness for an accident that force them to take better care of themselves. My double-chin was very much part of the catalyst that got me on my get-healthy kick; I simply could not stand the physical feeling of them flapping about.

But I digress. :)

So! Over my 35+ pound weight loss, I witnessed my double chin going bye bye (and you have NO idea how utterly wonderful that is!!). It did take time….probably about 6 months or so, I reckon, for me really to see a difference. Nowadays, dare I say it, when standing up straight I actually have a rather neat jaw line (and chin bones! They emerged! I haven’t seen those since the last Ice Age!).

But what if you are like I used to be, and confident you CAN spot reduce your chin? If so, please do enjoy the following resources I’ve uncovered for you.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – did you know some makeup supposedly can help?