After years and years of living the good life, not worrying about what I eat, or what I drink I finally realized that it is time to “get in shape”. What a great term, getting in shape, I already have a shape, but it is not the one I suppose I should have.
So, how am I going to achieve this dynamic change in my “shape”. I started walking with my two dogs (see previous posts) and this winter I decided to put some exercise equipment in my basement. I found a treadmill on Craigslist (the incline doesn’t work but bricks do) for $25, I was given a Gazelle, glider thingamagigi and then I splurged and bought a recumbent exercise bike.
So, now I have the set up, the location, the non conforming shape, I am all set to do damage. I was losing weight walking the dogs, and I was doing great until November of last year, when the holidays reared their ugly fat filled heads and I fell backwards a bit. Then a brief vacation in January and here I sit at the beginning of February and I feel I haven’t accomplished anything.
I am blatantly soliciting advice from all my fit, or not so fit, readers on what works for them given the equipment listed above. What routines, what system, etc. have you found works great. Oh I know I have to cut back on the calories and I have that pretty much under control, I just need the work out suggestions, and I will entertain the “sell it all and drink beer” suggestion if it gets enough votes.
Ramblings,Reviews and Interviews 
I’ve used some of the equipment in the past for a place to hang clothes that I need to dry! I can’t provide any good suggestions but I wish you luck and admire you for trying. No matter what, always keep walking, dogs are great motivators.
LOL I love that alternate use for the equipment ~snickers~. Yes the dogs are motivators, they make me feel guilty when I don’t take them outside for their walk.
Well, first, hide the scale! Don’t rely on it for your progress. Muscle weighs more than fat and as your muscles tone up, the numbers on the scale go up and not down, which discourages people.
Walk every where! As for the exercise bike and treadmill, I’ve done both and eventually, eh. I have a friend that does the treadmill every day while watching her favorite tv show. Walk or exercise before you eat, not after. If you wait till after, you are more likely to say, too full, too tired, I’ll walk twice tomorrow, besides exercise before you eat actually helps curb your appetite not increase it as some believe. To keep at it, you have to put it in your schedule, just like everything else and have a motivation, like I really want to look good in my string bikini by July! Good luck!
Oh also, I gave you the Versatile Blogger award yesterday on my blog, check it out here.
http://differentcornersinmylife.blogspot.com/2012/01/i-got-versatile-blogger-award.html
Hi Karen, all great advise but I will keep the pictures of me in the string bikini to my self *nods*. I have the motivation and I just found out I have been doing it all wrong, as I have been working out at night, I should be doing it when I first get up, sighs.
Thanks for ALL the tips and for the nomination, I need to get to that quickly.
cardio before breakfast is a little trick that’s always worked for me… then I follow it up with 45-60 mins of strength training later in the afternoon… and of course your choice of fuel is about 80% of the battle… I could go on and on about this topic, maybe shouldn’t have started! 🙂
Hi Stacia, no, go on and on, I need the advice, I have been so bad for so long I may not be reversable. I just did find out the morning thing, which I will start tomorrow, means I have to get up at 4:30 instead of 5:00 am but worth it. Fuel is my problem right now, I go for high test and probably should be using unleaded 😦 but baby steps, right?
I’m not great with energetic exercise, I’m afraid to admit. The best that I do is walk the dog daily and yoga once a week. I did buy a Cher exercise video once (when we still had videos – I’m that old), and hubby and I sat and watched it with a glass of wine. She looked like she was having fun, anyway:)
LOL Jane that is funny. I have watched a Richard Simmons one, got so annoyed with his voice I couldn’t do the exercises. I tried to explain to my 12yo what the cassette tapes were in the basement, he still thinks I was bs’ing him.
Hi Peter — I feel for you — I’m in the exact same boat (maybe in steerage), and started doing swim class three mornings a week, added to the dog walking, and the ever-shrinking portions on my plate (all take willpower and discipline) and I’m in for the long haul. Good luck & know you’re not alone. Don’t know much about exercise equipment except that anytime we get something like that it becomes a clothes-hanging sculpture.
Hey Justin, thanks for the encouragement, and you are the second vote for clothes hanging. I can’t open our pool until May, but when I do I will swim daily as well as the exercise and dog walking. Willpower and discipline, I have a bit of both so I am hoping for a long run of this. I will keep you posted.
As long as the pool water isn’t too cold I can brave it three times a week (still not losing anything much since I chose bad food to eat this week). Good luck always.
well once it warms up here, I swim every night, at least an hour, between swimming and playing catch with the boy. Advantage to having the pool 10 feet from the back door of the house.
Swimming, that’s what works for me. Less impact on the joints as well. Good luck with this!
Hey Garry, yes, I can’t wait to get the pool open in a couple of months, do some laps.
Ride a bike (outside of course, not stationary). After the soreness goes away, you can experience a real mind-expansion-thing. It’s great.
Oh my, a mind expansion thing? That sounds kinda like Timothy Leary and the 60’s LOL. I have the bike, both mobile and staionairy, but I cant ride the outside one during the week as it is dark when I get home and I do NOT trust the drivers in this city. I will dust it off for the weekends though, thanks for the tip and I can’t wait for the expansion.
You can do it and still have beer sometimes. Everything in moderation 🙂
Well I agree, so I am doing the exercise in moderation first, see how that goes LOL. Thanks for the encouraging words though Amberr, you are sweet.
I would suggest rotating through each of the cardio type exercises on a weekly basis to prevent muscle memory from inhibiting your progress. Also, for weight loss, you want a slow burn at a steady heart rate within your maximized zone. It’s a little known secret that the low, slow burn also does more to burn cholesterol than any other type of exercise.
Yes, I have been rotating to avoid boredom LOL but it also does as you say about memory. I have been doing the 1 minute of slow (bike, treadmill, gazelle) then 1 minute of fast, then back to slow up to fast. It seems to help, but I like the slow burn in the max zone, will give that a shot, thanks ~hugs~