| Archive for The Magic Bus Trip Never get off the Bus! |
| Manaloa |
adviceOK, I'm finally ready to start a real exercise program again. This is what I have access to. I have at home: free weights, a bike and two feet. Also I have a lifetime membership to 24 hour fitness which has basically everything I could want, including a pool and I just got a new swimsuit. (shudder)
Monday through Friday, I have only about an hour in the morning (if that) for a workout. I have about 2.5 hours in the afternoon during my split shift (but I will also have my daughter around and will have to go back to work, so not that thrilled with the idea of getting sweaty and having to take another shower in the middle of the day) and it's starting to get hot out and could probably squeeze in a half an hour to an hour in the evening. So I've looked through all the exercise posts and would like some advice on how much, how long and what kind. I'm not in great shape, but can plug along for a while at a low pace or for a short while at high pace. Thanks!! |
| Dean |
Manaloa,
That's great that you want to get into an exercise program! I would advice you to start an Exercise Log here on the Bus. It will help you track what you are doing. My personal biased is to do a Random Rotation thing. Figure out all the various things you like to do, and then you can find a way to pick from these at random. It seems like you have a bunch of different options at your disposal, and you are interested in a variety of things. That super! Check out this site: http://www.random.org/ They have a lot of randomizer things you can use. This one is by far the most useful: http://www.random.org/lists/ You can copy and paste in a list of exercises to do (a "Do" list), and it will randomize them. Then you can just pick the one that comes out at the top to do that day. Then move that workout to a "Done" list, and then you can rotate through ALL the different workouts you have. You will never get bored with what you are doing, and you will have something to look forward to each day. Your body will also never be able to adapt to what you are doing. If you rotate through your list, you will always assure yourself of something different to do, until you start over with the list. But, you won't know what is coming up, and that will keep you very interested in exercising... cuz it will be a mystery each day. I love doing this! I have found that the best exercise regimen is one that YOU design for yourself. And the only way to do it is through trial and error. For instance, go to your gym and pick out like three exercise machines, and get assistance in how to use them if necessary. Then, figure out the proper form (very important) and the amount of sets and reps and weight you can handle. Then eventually you will be able to turn that into a workout of some kind. It takes time to arrive at these things. But, the best exercise regimen will be one that you arrive at through personal discovery. And it becomes FUN when doing that! 
Figure out a safe route to bike, and find out how many miles it is. You might want to time yourself on it. There's another workout for you to do. Swimming certain strokes for a certain number of laps. There's another. The main thing with working out is to mix it up, and not get bored. Don't fall into a routine, cuz your body will adapt very quickly to it. And, your mind will get bored even more quickly! Listen to your body and make sure you don't over train. Take it easy at the start, focusing on form and what it is you want to develop for exercise workouts. Then, start pushing the envelope each time, being careful to not overdo things. You want to be stressed, but you don't want to injure yourself or over train to where you are being counterproductive. Once again, this is all very individualized. The main point is figure out workouts that YOU like to do. Figure out ways that YOU can do them. Get assistance from any sources you can when you run into questions, but adopt things for YOURSELF. That is the ONLY way you will be able to really embrace what you are doing, and STICK to it. Otherwise it is just somebody else's drag that you are trying to drag around. Make it your OWN creation, and you will adopt it with zealousness... and you will  it! 
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| Dean |
As far as cardio type workouts. The HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) stuff seems to be the ones that are most beneficial. You basically go a short time at a "recovery" heart rate, and then go for a short time at an intense heart rate. You can start out gradually, and work your way into more and more intense workouts. For instance, you could walk one block and then jog one block, etc. Eventually you could work this up to running one mile and then walking a quarter mile, etc. It's all about the Intervals. I love these. I loved them when I was in high school, and I love them now!
I hope this helps. Keep asking questions. There are people here that have answers for you. 
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| Dean |
One word of advice. I think one of the most important aspects of developing a workout regimen is habituation. If you want to get into the HABIT of regular exercise, then DO IT every day (unless you really need the rest). And, don't wait around to start working out until you have it "all figured out"... "all planned"! You will NEVER have it all figured out. You will always be tweaking things... FOREVER! It's all a part of the process. And, as you grow into your physical development, you will HAVE to constantly change things anyway... you will have to go with the flow. But, it's fun to work on this. Keeps things interesting! So, just go for it... get the ball rolling by experimenting each day with different exercise workouts that you wanna develop. If you wanna see what I've been doing, read through my Exercise Log. It may give you some ideas on how to proceed.
It's MUCH more fun to make it a "work in progress", believe me. That's the beauty of NOT "designing" some "scheduled" workouts. If you plan that out... you are planning to fail! IMO and from my experience, THAT was my downfall before. I would "design" some schedule, and then after a few weeks of sticking to this schedule, I'd get sick of it... I would dread certain days that I was going to do certain workouts. DON'T fall into this trap! MIX it up... make it FUN... keep your mind and your body guessing what is coming next. Throw curve balls at your body, and it will NOT be able to adapt... and it will grow! And, you will end up sticking to your exercise... you'll get into the HABIT of regular exercise. You will become habituated!
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| jeff |
Geez, I guess I got here late. Looks like Dean covered it pretty well. |