What's your exercise style?

[Mary Ann]

There sure are a lot of different ways to get exercise! With the study Sheryl mentions on another thread, it seems to take some of the heat off of those who just don't like it. But I wonder. I see how getting enough exercise affects my dog's mood. When exercise is varied and plentiful, she's much, much happier. When she doesn't get enough, she gets depressed. Are we really so different?

It sure does seem essential to mental health. I wonder if that isn't part of the root of cabin fever. That and light levels.

There are so many ways to do it! Alenka's ball is one way. Training on machines is another. Or going to a gym, or swimming, or jogging, hiking, etc.

What's your exercise style? How do you like to get it?

I'm one who doesn't get motivated by devices. I like to go and 'do.' I like to take walks with my dog, ride horses, work in the garden, throw hay, or even *gasp!* do housework before I like machines. I like to do activities that feel productive to me. I don't own an electric can opener for that reason. Not like we eat all that many canned goods, but I feel that in many ways the little day to day ways of getting exercise have been removed from our lives. It seems like a funny paradox of our culture that we invest in so many labor saving devices, only to have to go work off our savings in the gym. But I guess the point could be made that labor saving devices save labor where one doesn't want to work. I'm glad I don't have to cut my lawn with a rotary push mower. It saves me time so I can go do something else.

Like ride a horse!

What's your exercise style? How do you comfortably fit it in your life?

[Sheryl]

Well, sometimes my style is no exercise (:

I am happiest doing very intense exercise. I suspect it relates to triggering endorphins. Going for 30 minute walks is pleasant but a much higher intensity 40 minute session on the eliptical makes me feel better. Sadly, I injured my knee many many years ago or else I think I would have stayed a jogger. I also like strength training, and the reason is probably similiar, can be high intensity. I also like that I can so easily measure progress.

I admit I love the gadgets. After I lost my first 30 pounds, I bought a heart rate monitor as a reward. It has been the best thing because #1 it makes me realize that I am not pushing myself that hard and I feel safe stepping up the intensity and #2 it gives a lot of historical data so I can see my progress and #3 I will often keep going that extra 10 minutes to make it to a certain calorie expenditure. This really helps me because I always want to stop after about 15 minutes of any exercise, it starts feeling really great after about 20 minutes.

You would just be amazed at how much your cardio fitness can change in 3-4 months, especially if you started out really bad. You don't need the gadgets, but it can be fun!

The other thing I like doing is activity like ground driving Don where the time passes. It seems that I haven't done much and then I realize we were at it for 90 - 120 minutes!

My son likes doing team sports. He much prefers to run sprints or play soccer with a group of kids then work out.

[Mary Ann]

LOL! Sheryl, my hubby loves the gadgets, too!

[Marci]

I would prefer getting my exercise doing stuff around the place. That way I can look out with satisfaction at what I have done when I am sore. But yeah it doesn't get the heart rate up like the machines do. And that IS healthy for us even if it doesn't make us lose weight. Nor does it help strengthen my knees like 30 minutes on that elliptical machine does.
But to tell you the truth my favorite way to exercise is to ride horses, or to swim. But alas we don't have a public pool or I would have probably have joined a masters swim team. LOL The pool at my moms clubhouse is jealously guarded by the yahoos who run the joint.
And yeah I have noticed that "little high" you get when you exercise, makes you feel really good. Almost like the high you get from a good massage.

[cherokee]

I, too, like exercise that is camouflaged into other things like housework, cleaning stalls, and even shopping

We have a treadmill that I rarely use. I feel like I'm wasting time. Eventually I'd like to get it in the living room...although we really don't watch all that much tv, so it'll just sit in there as well.

[Sheryl]

You guys are smart - finding ways to get your fitness in with your daily life is the best way. It is more likely to stay with you over a lifetime. MA talks about the little old ladies in the nursing homes, I can assure you they were the ones that scrubbed the floors, dug up the dahlias and mowed the lawn for their exercise!

I once read a diet book - I think it was dieting by blood type (read so many, I am not sure which one). Anyway, whatever catagory I fit in, was described as people subject to overweight, but who also thrived with high intensity physical activity and high protein diets. I am blood type O, which is apparently the "caveman" blood type...lol

Anyway, I try to meter the extremes, but the truth is I love hard physical work. Just wish my body could hold up to it!

[Marci]

What we really need is a computer that only works if you pedal. LOL I'm sure we would get enough exercise that way that dieting would be a moot point. I notice that the last 25 is due to being on this darn machine so much, (yeah and the broken ankle too) But you know I probably could have pedaled a little bit even with that cast on.

[LoriB]

I like tapes, (LOVE my new Slim in 6 series...what a butt whooper!) and love my treadmill.

I watch the portable dvd on the treadmill, and catch up on things I'd like to see.

[DorothyB]

When I can figure out how to fit it in, I really like the gym - being a nerd, I can see how many miles, est of calories, etc.

However, in reality, most of the time I just do what I MUST do.

[cherokee]

Oh Marci what a fabulous idea!!!

They sell little dealios that are like stair steppers except they only have the feet pedals, you just stand on it and move your legs. I suppose we could put one of those under our desks and be at least working our lower legs

[snaffle]

my life is so busy.. I never have time.. nor make the time to excercise.

if building fences.. stall cleaning...horse back riding or work with them... and other work we do isnt enough excersice...

I used to make myself take a walk.. that really helped.. but good heavens it was 45 minutes out of my day when I could have been using that time to clean the house.

If I didnt spend so much time on the computer!!!! I could walk more...

LIFTING WEIGHTS!! is the best thing I ever did.. I kept my 2 or 5 pound weights in the kitchen.. and would grab them and do any and all arm excercises I could think of or was shown. I didnt want to have the flab arms after I lost the weight.
muscle burns calories...

I really should get back to the arm weights. it takes 5 minutes or less a day

[LoriB]

If I didnt spend so much time on the computer!!!! I could walk more...

All of us, LOL!

If you spend an hour on the computer, split it in half. 1/2 hr on the computer, 1/2 hour walking instead.

It's all about making the time for YOU. We are so good about making time for others, but rarely ourselves.

[cowgirlkate]

Ok, Your gonna laugh, but, I do the old Richard Simmons record that I put on a cassette tape. Yep, you heard me right. It was his first album- none of that sweatin to the oldies stuff. Its a real excerise tape with leg lifts and butt crunches! I was doing this every morning on and off since the 80s and some evenings. I had to quit since my surgery. but I started again and realized I'm not quite ready for the leg and butt stuff, cause my insides still hurt. but I have been doing all the other stuff. side crawls, toe touches etc. Its all to dorky songs he sings himself! Are ya all laughing yet?

[Deleted]

Uh, well, I treadmill three days a week and I belong to a gym which I hate! Not going to the gym but the people at this gym SUCK! Arrogant screwballs! Hubby and I go together. We enjoy that. In the warmer months I usually work a horse before going

Winter months pretty much rely on the gym, stall cleaning, house cleaning and stuff like that. In the winter I tackle stored projects...like the hall closet or the kids closets. Which in turn works into weight lifting and many trips up and down the basement stairs and trips to the Goodwill bins.

Warmer months get all the outside chores. I take care of the entire home. Unless it requires more then I can handle....but mowing, weed eating, weed pulling, mulching and this year I MIGHT put out a veggie garden. We'll see how that goes Maybe just some containers might be more doable for me? All the barn duties are covered by me as well and fence work. So I stay REALLY busy and still go to the gym. The two or three months that I'm limited outside are very difficult for me. When I put it in writing like this I can't figure out why I'm so damned fat

Anyway, that's my work out in a nutshell

[denise]

I do the gym 4-5x/week. I do my housework, my yardwork and my horsework on a daily basis. I try to ride 3-5x/week and I try to get my dog out for walks if we haven't ridden that week, harder to do during the shorter winter days. The one thing I am not is inactive. I rarely watch tv and about the only time I read books is the last 30 minutes before I go to sleep at night. I am also like MA, I would rather exercise with just my every day activiites, preferrably outside, than be at the gym but I need the harder workout the gym gives me.

I will say that I find my exercise at the gym to be far more intensive and effective if I do no more than listen to my MP3 player. I noticed right away that my intensity decreased if I started listening/watching the tvs, not so much with the treadmill since it is going to go anyway once you set the speed but with the elliptical and stairstepper.

And Lildot, I find people at the gym to be a lot like people involved in the horseworld, from super nice to super snobs. So just like the horseworld, you do your own thing and don't worry about what anyone else thinks, right?