Need to Get Restarted

Monday, February 1, 2010

It has been a very cold winter so far. I just can't seem to get motivated to get out and walk. I know I need to but it's been so very cold.  I can't wait for some milder weather so I can get back into my walking routine. It makes me feel guilty not walking but we have had so much snow and ice I don't want to fall out there. Been trying to exercise inside but am falling short on that as well. Need to get some more self discipline. Hopefully soon I will get my act together.

The Bean Part 2

Saturday, December 12, 2009

I have been using the Bean for 10 days now and I am noticing a difference in the way my arms look. I am starting to get some definition in my shoulders. Cool Beans. Oooops, no pun intended. I have a tender back since I was very young and the shoulder pain just kind of goes along with the back pain. Since I started using the Bean and doing their total body workout, my shoulders are not nearly as painful as they usually are. This is good news. I have been living with the sore shoulders and back for decades. Nothing that needs surgery but painful nonetheless. The Total Body Workout on the dvd that came with the Bean is the one I have been doing. It works every muscle in your body and I am starting to feel better everyday. Before I got the Bean I was working out but sometimes would go 2 or 3 days without working out and that's not good. A sure way to put the weight back on. Since I got the Bean I have worked out almost everyday. I think I missed one day. I also really love doing the workout to the dvd. It makes me want to stick with it and its like having someone work out with you. The crunches are brutal but I am able to do more everyday than I did the day before. The have an exercise where you keep part of your body on the Bean and do push-ups. I really like this exercise because I feel like I am getting something done and the push-ups are easier to do than the conventional ones on the floor.

Exercise the Right Way

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Some time ago I read an article that said that you don't have to exercise everyday to get results. That got me to thinking about this statement. I thought well if I can get results only exercising 3 or 4 days a week imagine what my results would be if I exercised everyday. So I had a daily routine that I followed everyday in the same order. I soon noticed that I was not getting results and I was very confused as to why. This is what I learned. When you do the same exercises day in and day out your muscles become used to this exercise and it's a normal use of the muscle. The muscle becomes used to this exercise and pretty soon you get no results. The muscles need to be stimulated in a different way. It's kind of like if you eat the same food everyday you become bored with that particular food. Same goes for your muscles. If you exercise the same muscles in the same way every day the muscles become bored. The workout of you muscles is what is expected. So I found in an article about muscle confusion. If you want to work out everyday make it a different routine a few times a week. Exercise a particular muscle with different workouts to use the muscle in a different way. Using a different exercise. So now I do different routines on a weekly basis. This seems to have worked as I am back to getting results. So try this and see if it helps you as well. One more thing I learned. I used to burn more calories than I was eating and couldn't lose a pound. So make sure that you eat enough calories to be able to burn calories and lose weight. And if you really really want that candy bar just burn it off after you eat it with exercise.

Take a Walk Today

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Take a walk today and improve your health all at the same time. We all put on many miles in a normal day. If you add a little extra walking to your day you can lose a bit of weight and make your self healthier at the same time. Walking for pleasure and in no great hurry, you can burn 238 calories in an hour for a person who weighs 150 pounds. The more you weigh the more you burn. This is the method I used when I first started my diet and exercise plan. It's easy and very inexpensive and very good for you. If you are going to use walking as part of an exercise plan, I would suggest a good pair of walking shoes. We all need shoes so next time get a slightly better pair so you don't get sore feet. I started to walk about 1 mile a day and it was brutal. I didn't rush but was determined to walk the mile. My lower legs were burning. As I progressed my legs started to feel better and better. As this happened I would go a bit farther each day. Today I can go 6 miles without any problems. There is some equipment that over the past year I have added, to make my walk more enjoyable and safe. I have a couple of friends who walk with me occasionally but most days I walk alone. So to help me feel safe I now carry a walking stick. I got this stick for 11 dollars and I feel more protected when I carry it. I only walk in town, not in the woods or anywhere I feel unsafe. Mostly I carry the walking stick because there are a few dogs in town that are running lose and I don't want them to bite me. Thankfully that hasn't happened but you never know. I also just recently purchased an mp3 player and listen to music as I walk and this makes the walk more enjoyable and seems to make the walk not seem so far. I don't always walk the same distance or route so I also have a pedometer because I like to know how far I have walked and how many calories I burn. All of this equipment was very cheap and I don't leave home without them. Take a walk today you might be surprised how good it makes you feel.

Resistance Bands

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Resistance Bands are a wonderful addition to your home exercise equipment. They are very cheap these days and are easy to store taking up very little space. Some of the top brands have resistance bands that are very costly, im my opinion you are paying for the name. But you can find them in some stores for affordable prices. I would suggest buying the cheap ones to make sure this is the type of strength training that you are interested in. The first resistance band I purchased cost an amazing 2 dollars in a reduced area within a retail store. I got lucky, and that resistance band is still going strong today. I needed more resistance so I recently bought a resistance band that has 3 removable bands with varying degrees of resistance. You can start with one band and as you get stronger you can add one or more bands for a tougher workout. Most resistance bands come with different exercises that you can do working on different parts of the body. So if you don't want to spend a ton of money on a set of weights, resistance bands are the way to go, they are much cheaper and very easy to store, taking up little or no space.

The Bean

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

I recently got a new piece of exercise equipment called The Bean. This inflated device is similar to an exercise ball just a different shape. It is an amazing piece of equipment in that it supports your back when doing certain exercises like a crunch. The Bean is shaped like a bean and is rounded on the bottom for a rocking motion. This makes the crunch just a bit easier to do, which in my opinion is a good thing. The University of San Diego did a study on the best crunches and determined that the 3rd best crunch is done on an exercise ball. Doing a crunch on an exercise ball or The Bean is great because it doesn't hurt your tail bone. The Bean also comes with a dvd with 6 different workouts and doing the exercises with a video is great. You don't have to think much just do what is shown on the dvd. One of the exercise workouts is a back strengthening and Relief workout and the program guides you step by step through a series of stretches and exercises that will improve your back and make it stronger. The stretching exercises are wonderful. The other exercise workouts target different parts of the body as well as a pilates workout. I really love this piece of exercise equipment, it has turned into my favorite piece. For more information on The Bean you may visit their website at www.bean.com.

The Holidays

Friday, November 20, 2009

I have been so darn busy writing on HubPages and InfoBarrel but thought I better get back over here and do a bit of writing here as well. So how do you stay on a diet when the holidays are coming and all the good food and cookies are everywhere. Well I think that if you do extra exercises before and after you eat you should probably be ok. Sometimes you just have to go off the diet for your sanity. I know I do. Just today as a matter of fact we had a huge book sale in our town. We have a book warehouse business in town and once or twice a week they hold a sale to get rid of books they can't seem to sell. I got 4 different dvd's on exercise which I love cos I can just put them in and do my work out without much thought. What a great thing, exercise video's. One of the videos came with a small exercise ball so I will have to give that a try. Sounds like fun.