I’d like to take my health commitment a step further and pair, increasingly, exercise with the healthier food choices I’ve been making throughout the past year. To make the choice to include more exercise into my daily routine more tangible, I decided to write about it here at Yak Attack. This way, my commitment’s more solid with the public declaration, if you will =).
My other goal in making my exercise commitment public is to build a network of exercise buddies. Sunni, from Sunni and the Conspirators, indicated an she was interested in being one of my exercise buddies, so we can encourage each other in our quest for better health and endurance. I’d love to have more people join us; it’s easier to struggle with a group of compadres than go it alone. For some people, exercise is like breathing. It’s a natural part of their basic being. For others, well it’s not. I raise my hand here——those are my kind of people, as I’m definitely part of the group whose exercise routine is a conscious effort.
Now please don’t think I’m completely sedentary. Here area few things I’ve included in my life for more exercise:
- parking as far away from my destination as possible
- walking the dog at work
- walking on a local boardwalk when I can get there
This is a good base, but it’s time to kick it up a notch.
This page has a comment section. Please use it to share your goals and achievements. To be clear on my intent, I don’t plan on sharing weight loss figures much, if at all. I’m striving for increased stamina, endurance and a decrease in my asthmatic symptoms. The more I exercise, the loss of pounds and inches will be a delightful benefit I’m sure. For me, when I’ve concentrated on weight loss as the single goal of exercise, I’ve been unsuccessful because the rewards were slow and unsatisfying. Let’s face it, I’ve never been supermodel material =).
I’m trying to figure out how to start a side bar of posts for this page. I’m not sure I can do that. If I can, that area will be under construction soon. Stay tuned!
Edit: It turns out that I can’t do a special sidebar just for this page. I did, however, start two new categories in the sidebar regarding exercise:
If this subject interests you, I encourage you to check back here often to see what progress has been made!
Well, I’m definitely interested, and I respect you for what you’re doing, lady.
I’m on a raw-food kick this month with a focus on juicing and detoxing (liver/gallbladder flush coming in a few days, woohoo!). And I’ve been meaning to put a daily walk in the mix, but have avoided it so far. Stupid of me, because the weather’s been nice for several days now.
A cyber-buddy system for exercise sounds perfect for us INFJs, too…although I have the feeling it’d be enjoyable to work out with you in person too.
Anyway, thanks for the reminder and the motivation.
Hi Taran! I know what you mean about the walking— I love it when I do it, but many days I let slip by without a nice walk. The weather has been pretty stinky here which makes it easier for me to let good opportunities go.
I don’t know what a liver/gallbladder flush is. If it’s not too intrusive, would you mind sharing a bit what you’ll be doing?
Raw Food Kick Do you mean you are eating all foods uncooked or no processed foods? I’ve heard of both referring to raw food diets, although more so for the uncooked variety. That would be hard for me to do in the winter. Warm soup feels so wonderful on a cold day. Good for you for making a commitment to better your health! I’m pulling for you. Tee enjoys juicing and smoothies. He makes those a lot.
I like the core workout I’m doing. I feel good after doing it. I may have overdone it a bit last night– I increased my reps and added one more exercise. I’m almost up to all 8 on my initial core exercise sheet.
I’d love to work out with you. I’m positive we’d have a blast. To dream…. well, being cyber buddies will have to suffice. We INFJs need to stick together =).
Take care.
Sunni … indicated an she was interested in being one of my exercise buddies …
And then seemingly disappeared! Sorry about that. However, in the time I was gone I realized that I have been overeating in response to a lot of stress, and for other reasons. I’ve stopped, but still have a fair amount of weight to lose. (Thank you for focusing on results rather than numbers!)
My goals are to increase muscle mass and increase stamina. I figure the latter will necessarily entail a reduction in asthmatic symptoms.
Things that I do now to get more activity in my daily routine:
– generate extra trips up and downstairs
– fold laundry one piece at a time (lots of bending over to fetch things from the basket)
I haven’t developed an exercise routine yet … but if I do, it will focus on abdominals and arms. I have an interesting-looking yoga book, but it’s arranged in such a way as to make it nearly impossible to create a routine from it.
On the eating side, we’ve started growing our own sprouts. I didn’t know there were so many varieties and blends; they’re delicious and quite versatile. We’re also eating more vegetarian meals, and I am being very diligent about listening to my body’s hunger/satiety signals. Oh, and I’m drinking green tea regularly, which is supposed to be good for weight loss.
Thanks for starting this!
Hi Sunni! Thank you for your response.
My goals are to increase muscle mass and increase stamina.
Those are terrific workout goals. Have you thought about including simple upper arm, weight bearing exercises? When I was readying myself for Bowron, I bought two 2# hand weights and did a series of upper arm exercises to strengthen those muscles. Before I had the weights, I used a couple of 16 oz. canned food items.
I have an interesting-looking yoga book, but it’s arranged in such a way as to make it nearly impossible to create a routine from it.
You might look up a beginner yoga workout or one that concentrates on the abs and see if any of the suggested poses are also in your book, that could help you develop a routine.
What do you use to grow your sprouts? Lew’s mother used to sell a type of sprouter in her herb shop, but I never bought one. I love sprouts, but the ones you can buy in the store get slimy too quickly.
Welcome aboard!
[...] Exercise Buddy [...]
Whoops, I forgot I was supposed to check back at this page. Sorry! Now to answer your inquiries…
Liver/gallbladder flush – There are many old-fashioned methods for doing this, some still used in the health spas in Europe and elsewhere. Basically the purpose is to flush out hardening bits of bile and cholesterol before they calcify into gallstones. Here’s a link to the method I tried: http://www.ehow.com/how_12680_liver-gallbladder-flush.html
I just did the Epsom salts part last night. It was unpleasant as to taste, for sure, but not unbearable. So far, though, no noticeable results, which surprises me. I might try again in a couple of weeks.
Raw food kick – Well, I’m not being a purist about this, because I like warm soups and such myself. But I am taking in either raw fruits, raw veggies, their fresh juices, other raw foods like pumpkin seeds, almonds, and coconut, avocados, a few sprouted wheat tortillas – or, every few days when the urge sets in, a homemade vegetable soup. Tonight, for instance, I made onion soup with sliced carrots and some red lentils.
I do use a few condiments like mayo and Bragg’s liquid aminos, and RealSalt, and olive oil to dip the tortillas in. I’m also enjoying herbal tea with raw agave nectar once or twice a day. And I usually have a smoothie in the morning, with some frozen fruit and a banana, and sometimes some salad greens added for extra nutrition.
I don’t have a scale right now, so can’t provide numbers, but I’ve lost a little around the middle for sure. My joints and muscles are feeling more flexible, and most days I feel “up” and energized – in fact, it’s been hard to get to the point of sleepiness at night.
Now it’s time to add the exercise component. What I want to do is to add a 45-60 minute walk daily, plus 20 minutes of either yoga/tai chi or weights on alternate days. Starting tomorrow – that’s Friday the 18th.
How do you want to handle the “buddy” thing – checking in every couple of days maybe?
Oh, btw, I grow sprouts occasionally too – either in one of those sprouters from Walton Feed with the white divided tray, or in a large jar I found at the health food store, with three different plastic mesh lids for various sizes of seeds. You just have to remember to rinse and drain them morning and evening until they’re ready to eat, then keep ‘em in the fridge.
Okay, just checking in re yesterday. I didn’t manage a morning walk, but I did a 25-minute walk in the evening, followed by about 10 minutes of fast dancing and 10 of stretching.
Oh, and a bit of abs work – having sat on my butt for too long, my lower back muscles were getting quite tired just from the fast walking, because the abs are apparently weak and so giving no real help to the lower back group.
But no worries, I shall continue to plug away with consistency and determination – and enjoy it too…what a concept.
“But no worries, I shall continue to plug away with consistency and determination – and enjoy it too…what a concept.”
Enjoyment…That is always the key. You have to enjoy what your doing, or you won’t stick to it. For years, I tried to do the treadmill, jogging, and exercise bikes, and I was always miserable. Of course, I never stuck to it.
I discovered that hiking in the woods was a great deal of fun for me. Fortunately, I live near a great hiking site called Cougar Mountain. Unfortunately, I can’t get there right now, since I’m playing 24/7 nurse to my mother who just came home from the hospital. When she gets stronger, I’ll return to Cougar. I’m getting plenty of exercise just taking care of her right now.
As far as foods go, I’m trying to cut out all the preprocessed foods out of my diet. The HFCS and other mystery ingredients were killing me. I’m cooking at home now, and with real foods, not preprocessed crap. The microwave is strictly for heating water for tea right now. So far, my mother thinks that I’m a pretty good cook
This week’s update:
In writing previously, I’d forgotten about all the exercise I’ve been getting shoveling snow! Things seem to be working okay so far—my abdominal area is noticeably slimmer, and I have been able to shovel for longer periods before getting short of breath. I have also been able to maintain control of my eating with very little effort—that’s the accomplishment I’m most proud of.
Have [you] thought about including simple upper arm, weight bearing exercises?
An excellent idea! The shoveling is good exercise for now, I think; and I’m doing a few pushups too. One of the problems with weight-bearing exercise for my arms is that my wrists are already overworked; but I think the weights are a good idea.
You might look up a beginner yoga workout or one that concentrates on the abs and see if any of the suggested poses are also in your book, that could help you develop a routine.
D’oh! Hadn’t thought of that. The book I have is Light on Yoga, which is supposed to be one of the best … it sure looks thorough.
What do you use to grow your sprouts?
MAL bought some plastic trays specifically designed for the purpose a while back … I think many online resources offer similar ones. Stackable trays are the best, for minimizing mess. I gave him several “sampler packs” of sprout blends from sproutpeople.com—they have an amazing variety and their customer service was excellent. (He got his sprout seeds from another online source, but I don’t remember it.) As Taran said, they require just a few minutes of care each day, and provide lots of delicious, raw nutrition in return.
I love sprouts, but the ones you can buy in the store get slimy too quickly.
It varies with the type of sprout(s), but none of them keep very well, even home-grown. Drain them very well after each rinsing, and once they’re done, store them in a covered container in the fridge; but even so, they can become bitter or lose flavor after just a few days.
Taran, do you have online yoga and/or tai chi resources you recommend?
Presto, welcome aboard! Getting rid of all HFCS is tough [it's in every ketchup and bread brand I've checked!], but an excellent move. I’m glad to hear things are going well so far with your mother; hope you’re back on Cougar Mountain soon!
Hello, Hello!
First, Presto welcome! I love the Cougar Moutain area. It’s been a while since I’ve been there. Thank you for jogging my memory. The hikes there are a terrific workout. Also, I am so excited for you that your mother is healing up. I wish you both the best.
To answer Taran’s question— I’m thinking a weekly update. What do you guys think? My opinion is if we set out to update more than that if we can’t keep up with the update we’ll get discouraged and quit. Since Sunni gave her weekly update today, shall we nominate Sunday as the update day? And if you’d like to do more frequent updates, I say for it. My goal is for this to be fluid and something that is a motivator rather than another burden to carry around.
My update: This past week hasn’t been a good workout week. I did my cores 3 times, biked two times and that was it. My asthma symptoms have been worse in the pasrt week and early Saturday morning (12 am to 4 am, there about) I had a major attack. It appears that the inhaler I was using is out of albuterol. I didn’t realize it could be without medicine in it but still have shakeable liquid in it. I switched to a brand new inhaler and I’m doing better. I look forward to this week’s workouts very much. I’ve felt very defeated the past week =(.
Taran, your walk sounds lovely! I think that walking is not only good for our health but good for our soul. Lew heard on a radio station a dj joking around “no child left inside.” We’re encouraged by that quote (despite the icky politcial connection). We’d like to be outside more as a family. Check out the ab and lower back exercises I posted in an earlier exericse post. They will help alot and no special equipment are needed.
Sunni– shoveling snow is a workout by itself. Excellent exercise. How does your asthma do in the cold?
Take care!
Sunday is fine with me, but I’ll probably not stick to it very well. :-\
Lewlew, if you use your inhaler regularly but let it run out, that alone could be the cause of your symptoms worsening. What you hear in the inhaler is the propellant … it used to be that they came with pamphlets that showed you how to evaluate how full they were by placing them in deep enough water for them to bob freely. I think nowadays they expect one to keep count somewhere (yeah, right). I’m glad you’re doing better! Oddly enough, unless I’m having asthma problems, the cold weather generally doesn’t bother me—never has.
We’re supposed to get six more inches of the white stuff tomorrow—more shoveling for me! w00t!!
[...] Exercise Buddy [...]
Hi Sunni!
Here’s some beginner yoga information that might be of interest to you:
http://exercise.about.com/cs/yoga/l/blyogapilates.htm
http://www.activefitnessworld.com/articles/yoga/yoga_guide.php
http://beginneryogaposes.com/
http://www.holisticonline.com/yoga/hol_yoga_home.htm
Whew, let me see about responding to all you good people.
Presto, I heartily agree about the enjoyment aspect. You know what I’m enjoying most? Realizing in my own gut, literally, that I don’t usually want a lot of food stuffing me up. I’ve been making allowances for a “cheat meal” every 5-6 days if I want it, and usually I do, but I’m fine after it, ready to get right back to the raw/juice plan. I’m finally coming to understand the concept (and the benefits) of a lifestyle change rather than a mere temporary diet plan. Remaining true to the bigger goal while allowing for natural cravings to be gently fulfilled is working better for me than I would ever have expected. I think something’s changed in me that I can’t explain yet.
Exercise is a little tougher for me in terms of consistency, because it’s physically wearing given some conditions I’m dealing with, but I do enjoy it when I can do it, and I’m working toward being able to do it daily.
Good on ya about the home cooking and hiking – sounds delightful.
Sunni, I don’t know of any online resources offhand – I was taught some basic t’ai chi and qigong moves by friends and yoga poses through various DVDs and books – but if I find any, I’ll post links for you. Looks like Lewlew’s already down with that!
Ah, shoveling snow…haven’t done that in a while! ‘Tis indeed good for the muscles!
Lewlew, a weekend update sounds like a fine plan, and I’ll try to remember to check in then.
Cheers, all, and much motivation to you! Nice to be part of this friendly club.
Thanks, everyone, for the information, and the fellowship. Thanks to Taran, I’ve been more diligent about making sure I get some raw food every day; it might be psychosomatic but it does seem to help me feel better.
I guess my report for this week could be summed up as “holding steady”. I haven’t added any new exercises yet; but neither did I slide on overeating and/or eating less healthfully. And that’s even with making two batches of caramels (including a new, experimental flavor that I think will be popular)—usually I can’t keep a spoon out of the dregs, but not this round.
Don’t know if I’ve lost any weight, but my pants might be a bit looser … My arms and back are definitely better at handling the snow! I’m gonna miss that exercise come spring.
Lewlew, how are your lungs doing? I hope they’re improving, as your doctor expected.
Sunni, that’s great news about the raw food! I’m glad you’re finding it helpful. Good on you too about the looser clothes! Have you tried some yoga?
Well, I’ve been fuffling around a lot in the past 10 days, and not exercising much nor eating as well as intended, so my weight has gone back to its starting point. Grf. I’ve just got to get back with the program. Better weather would help…
Hope you all are faring better than I!
Hi Taran!
I went to the doctor today and the scale said I gained 5 pounds =(. I thought some of it might have been my shoes, which are heavy, which cheered me up for a short time. That is, until I remembered I’d worn the same shoes to the doctor’s office last month.
I got out for a walk several days in the past week but didn’t meet my goal of 5 days. I gardened for an hour or so on Saturday.
Here’s to getting back on the bandwagon! Lew’s hopping on with me.
Have you tried some yoga?
No, not yet. Between shoveling snow and being on my feet (and often grooving to some music, rather than just standing there) for 8+ hours at a time making candies, I don’t think I need more exercise at the moment. (And it doesn’t sound like now’s a good time to remind you that I’ve an unfilled promise to you and T. … truffles, remember?) So far, controlling my eating and getting the exercise I do from my daily routine seems to be working well enough.
I went to the doctor today and the scale said I gained 5 pounds =(.
Some of that might be added muscle mass, right?