August 18 I set a goal to exercise 5 x/week, including ab exercises. I’m happy to report that since then, I have exercised 5x/week, 2x toning exercises and 3x cardio. Occasionally, they have been “low intensity” workouts, but most have been “moderate” to “high” intensity. That’s 30 workouts in 6 weeks! I’m proud of myself for accomplishing that goal. I definitely feel stronger and more toned. I can bike better (in higher gears), too.
But I didn’t do abs 5x/week. My abs are strong; I can do really difficult ab exercises, but they don’t have endurance. You know how you wake up with the flattest stomach of the day? Well, mine is hanging out by noon. The ulterior motive of my goal of exercising more often was to fit into my clothes better, and I fit into some a little better.
In the end, although I often had to think about how I was going to fit in a workout that day, I am happy to have accomplished my goal. I know I am a stronger, healthier person for doing it that often and I feel better overall. I also know it’s not over. I can’t just stop now; I have to continue exercising 5x/week. The goal was just to establish the habit. Now I have the habit, and I know it’s a good habit to have. . .
Next time, my goals for October. . .
Showing posts with label toning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label toning. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Balance Exercises
In my month of 5x/wk of exercise, I have come to realize I need to adjust my toning workouts to address my personal needs better. My core needs more toning, and my legs and shoulders need less bulk. I still need to keep them toned, but I’ll focus less on them and more on my core.
I’ve recently had my Personal Training clients do a balance exercise every session because as we age, falling can result in more serious injuries. As they balance, I tell them to keep their knees soft to absorb and adjust to the wobbly surface they are standing on and keep their abs tight to keep their bodies upright.
So I decided to do balance exercises myself. I’ve cut out leg-focused exercises and instead balance every time I do upper body exercises, engaging my legs and core while working my upper body. I’ve also cut out shoulder-specific exercises, and I do exercises where my shoulders are used as secondary muscles instead. I do lots of abs, using balance and focusing on all the different ab muscles, and then stretching to keep my muscles long and lean. The next day, I could feel it in my legs and upper body! The day after that, I could feel it in my abs!
Meanwhile, Nick noticed the amount of balance that could be used on BART. He calls it “BART surfing.” If you stand without holding on, you use a lot of balance to keep from falling over! It’s a great challenge and keeps you awake! But stand near something in case you need to hold on!
I’ve recently had my Personal Training clients do a balance exercise every session because as we age, falling can result in more serious injuries. As they balance, I tell them to keep their knees soft to absorb and adjust to the wobbly surface they are standing on and keep their abs tight to keep their bodies upright.
So I decided to do balance exercises myself. I’ve cut out leg-focused exercises and instead balance every time I do upper body exercises, engaging my legs and core while working my upper body. I’ve also cut out shoulder-specific exercises, and I do exercises where my shoulders are used as secondary muscles instead. I do lots of abs, using balance and focusing on all the different ab muscles, and then stretching to keep my muscles long and lean. The next day, I could feel it in my legs and upper body! The day after that, I could feel it in my abs!
Meanwhile, Nick noticed the amount of balance that could be used on BART. He calls it “BART surfing.” If you stand without holding on, you use a lot of balance to keep from falling over! It’s a great challenge and keeps you awake! But stand near something in case you need to hold on!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Exercise Alone or With the Kids?
After dropping off Zoe at daycare and Maya at her first day of preschool, I spent some time, alone, thinking about what I want to do during those 3 hours 2x/week of alone-time. I listed all the things I do, divided into groups of things I can do with the kids vs. alone.
I’d always thought I needed to exercise alone, yet I felt I was wasting my alone-time doing it then. Confusing contradiction there. Once I broke down “exercise” into specifics, it became clear that I could do it with my kids around. For example, I can bike with the girls in the bike trailer. I can do toning exercises at home while the girls and I watch a 30-minute video. Maya gets a kick out of watching me exercise and enjoys trying to “help” me by sitting on me or pushing me up from underneath while I do a plank. My other option with the kids is to put them in the HBC daycare while I work out, which costs much less than their babysitters do. Really, the only exercise that I need to do alone is running.
So now I have fewer excuses not to exercise, and I realize I can do it with my kids, saving my precious alone-time for things I really need to do alone.
I’d always thought I needed to exercise alone, yet I felt I was wasting my alone-time doing it then. Confusing contradiction there. Once I broke down “exercise” into specifics, it became clear that I could do it with my kids around. For example, I can bike with the girls in the bike trailer. I can do toning exercises at home while the girls and I watch a 30-minute video. Maya gets a kick out of watching me exercise and enjoys trying to “help” me by sitting on me or pushing me up from underneath while I do a plank. My other option with the kids is to put them in the HBC daycare while I work out, which costs much less than their babysitters do. Really, the only exercise that I need to do alone is running.
So now I have fewer excuses not to exercise, and I realize I can do it with my kids, saving my precious alone-time for things I really need to do alone.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Mission Accomplished!
My one-month goal, set August 18, was to exercise 5 days/week, which I’m happy to say I have done for the past 4 weeks! Lately, I’ve been doing double workouts, so it’s better to say that I want to do 2 toning workouts/week and at least 3 cardio workouts/week, rather than counting the “days” I work out.
The results of my workout efforts are many: Some shirts fit better in the belly, which was a big goal. I can see that I’m getting more of a waist and less of a log-shaped torso. That’s really important because, besides it being unhealthy to carry excess fat in the abdomen, I think a round belly makes me look older.
Unfortunately, though, my shoulders have gotten too big for some of my shirts, and my jeans are tight in the lower thighs, which means my shoulders and legs are getting too muscular. I need to cut down on the shoulder & quad exercises and keep stretching a lot to keep them toned but lean.
My goal date is Sept. 18, but I might just draw this one out through the end of the month and start fresh next month. That would allow me to tweak my workouts to focus less on shoulders and quads and continue focusing on abs and cardio. I’d like to slim down, stay toned but lose bulk, which means eating less. Unfortunately, that’s really hard for me, so it’s easier for me to add cardio instead.
In the next couple weeks I’ll think of the next one-month goal.
The results of my workout efforts are many: Some shirts fit better in the belly, which was a big goal. I can see that I’m getting more of a waist and less of a log-shaped torso. That’s really important because, besides it being unhealthy to carry excess fat in the abdomen, I think a round belly makes me look older.
Unfortunately, though, my shoulders have gotten too big for some of my shirts, and my jeans are tight in the lower thighs, which means my shoulders and legs are getting too muscular. I need to cut down on the shoulder & quad exercises and keep stretching a lot to keep them toned but lean.
My goal date is Sept. 18, but I might just draw this one out through the end of the month and start fresh next month. That would allow me to tweak my workouts to focus less on shoulders and quads and continue focusing on abs and cardio. I’d like to slim down, stay toned but lose bulk, which means eating less. Unfortunately, that’s really hard for me, so it’s easier for me to add cardio instead.
In the next couple weeks I’ll think of the next one-month goal.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Double Workouts
Funny that I should happen to do a double workout last Sunday because I’ve been doing that this week too! It’s just worked out that I’ve had lots of time to work out on Tuesday and Thursday, but not on Monday and Wednesday.
Tuesday I did toning exercises in the middle of the day, and then biked to pick up my girls from daycare late that afternoon. The problem was that I was stinky and sweaty all afternoon between workouts. Why shower if I knew I was just going to get sweaty again a few hours later?
Because I didn’t really like being sweaty all day, I changed my plan on Thursday. I met a friend for a fast walk, and then did toning exercises afterward. The toning exercises were really tough, and a few times I felt light-headed when I stood up. What was up with that? Was it the double workout that left me listless?
Then I remembered that I’d eaten a small breakfast 5 hours earlier and I’d only eaten a power bar for dinner at work the night before! Well, no wonder I had no energy! It wasn’t the double workout that made me so tired; it was trying to workout while running on fumes! Yes, the power of food: it gives you energy!
Tuesday I did toning exercises in the middle of the day, and then biked to pick up my girls from daycare late that afternoon. The problem was that I was stinky and sweaty all afternoon between workouts. Why shower if I knew I was just going to get sweaty again a few hours later?
Because I didn’t really like being sweaty all day, I changed my plan on Thursday. I met a friend for a fast walk, and then did toning exercises afterward. The toning exercises were really tough, and a few times I felt light-headed when I stood up. What was up with that? Was it the double workout that left me listless?
Then I remembered that I’d eaten a small breakfast 5 hours earlier and I’d only eaten a power bar for dinner at work the night before! Well, no wonder I had no energy! It wasn’t the double workout that made me so tired; it was trying to workout while running on fumes! Yes, the power of food: it gives you energy!
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