Image: kevindooley"I don't exercise. If God had wanted me to bend over he would have put diamonds on the floor"
Joan Rivers
This week I asked this:
Exercise is something everyone should be doing for general health and fitness. Do you have any tips for keeping your exercise routine fun and most importantly sustainable?
Check out the gals and what they've got to say.
Sunny: "Exercise... that is a subject I've been trying to avoid and not think since I began my weight loss journey a few months ago..." keep reading at www.ThatExtra20Pounds.blogspot.com
Joie: "It seems that no matter how fun I make exercise, I have trouble with the sustainability part. Is it a momentum thing?" Read more at Joie de vivre: An amateur gourmet's guide
Friends, flexibility and reality are the three things I try to keep in mind when exercising. I don't really have a routine to speak of, and this, I am learning, is actually my exercise style. Change is what keeps me going and the more I build exercise into everyday activities the more likely it is that it will be something I can maintain.
Exercising with friends is not only fun but sets up a scenario where you have a responsibility to turn up. For the last month or so a group of friends and I have been meeting with a trainer in a local park. We sweat, cheer each other on and laugh through the 45min of 'fun' and then it's done. This is something I can keep doing week after week, mainly because I'm doing it with the girls, it's like we're a team, and I would never want to let this team down.
Flexibility is a must when it comes to exercise for me. Rigid timetables and routines just don't work. I exercise when I can and when I want to. For the last 2 weeks this hasn't been all that often, a mix of not the right time and not really wanting to. But I feel like it's just been a phase to go through and after yesterday's hot yoga class I'm ready to get back into it. It's taken me a long time to realise there are ebbs and flows in all areas of my life, including exercise and sometimes you just have to go with it to find your groove.
Reality is important. For me this means, realistic exercise with realistic goals. At the moment a gym bunny I am not, so to pay the ridiculous joining fees and rock up in my most clean of workout wear would not be realistic at all. So I walk, I walk to work, I walk to the shops, I walk for fun, I walk to clear my head. This is absolutely realistic for me.
I can't talk about fun, sustainable exercise without mentioning The Wonderfully Fandangled Exercise Machine, or the elliptical trainer as it's known in the real world. This piece of engineering genius has been the best investment I've made in years. I have it set up in my lounge room and The Boyf has rigged up a laptop stand on it so I can watch all my favorite geeky DVDs as I sweat myself into oblivion. The best bit is I can do all this in my pyjamas/underpants/apron/dressing gown. I LOVE it.
I think in the past I've had an idea of what exercise "should" look like, I thought it involved lycra and group classes and all things pump and body blast. When I couldn't do that I thought I was failling. Now I'm trying to find the me in exercise, what is my exercise groove, my style, my fun.
What's your exercise groove? Do you have any tips or tricks that keep you on the straight and narrow. I'd love to learn more, this exercise newbie needs all the help she can get!
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great tips bernie love the elliptical and laptop, Rebecca, will link this to me blog
ReplyDeletewhat fun! working out with friends at a park with a personal trainer is such a great idea. that i could see myself doing!!
ReplyDeleteWhere do you find these pictures!? This one totally makes me laugh! I'm so glad you have a support group of friends. I need to find a friend to keep me accountable to walking. Exercise is more fun when it's girl time anyway! I've thought about getting a treadmill and putting it in my living room. This would help especially in the cold winter months when I don't want to venture outside, but then really I'm afraid it would turn into a big, dusty monster in my living room. I'm so glad you are giving yours a workout!
ReplyDeleteDo you think the one brunette daughter was like the black sheep of the family? :)
ReplyDeleteSaw the link on Rebecca's blog(chow & chatter)-and thought I'd share my experience.
ReplyDeleteBefore my son was born,I used to love jazz exercise-fun and a very good workout!Now,we use the apt gym(my son first walks on the treadmill with me for 5 secs,then lets me use it).It's not as much fun-but,listening to my son talk gibberish while I work out is fun:)
I walk/jog for 45 mins,then either use the exercycle/ elliptical or do weights for another 10mins.
I love the Joan Rivers quote. It describes exactly how I feel about exercise.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had friends to work out with but they are thinner/busier/lazier then me, so I have to rely on a personal trainer. Yes, it is expensive, but the only thing I managed to stick with, AND motivates me to make the most of it.
I used to think like you that exercise had to be hard core. Suddenly my exercise became sustainable when I dropped that idea and started doing what I like and doing it every day, even if for a little while. That way I couldn't put it off until tomorrow.
ReplyDelete@Chow and Chatter thanks for the link, the laptop stand is a total winner.
ReplyDelete@Sunny the PT in the park is great, we all have a good laugh and I think even the trainer has fun!
@Joie I forgot to mention my other girl time exercise. I do a yoga class once a week with my sister and one of our friends as well as a walk with a good friend that lives near by one morning a week. It's a great time to catch and up and get outside. I'll email you about the pics. And the brunette sister... such the black sheep... but so the way coolest ;)
@Sweta Hi! Thanks for coming over. Sounds like you've got a great routine going. I've always fantasized about an apt gym, it must be great having all the equipment right there.
@Nurit I think the PT is a great option. I find he pushes me way way WAY beyond what I would consider my limit if I was on my own.
@ Spring girl It's amazing what happens with a shift of thinking isn't it.
Berni, have to say that your BF is quite supportive. Couldn't agree with you more on the the idea about having friends, flexibility and reality in exercising. Although I am not the type of having to exercise with a group in a studio or club, I do think the support from the friends and family is the most important factor in making all the exercise plan work.
ReplyDeleteWhich kind of yoga are you participating now? I love yoga too. :-))
Angie
Hey Angie thanks for stopping by. I've just started doing Vinyasa style yoga in a heated room. It's working wonders with my dodgy knee, and the heat is actually really nice once you get used to it.
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