Exercise! Love it or hate it, let's motivate each other to just DO IT!

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Old 06-23-2005, 06:09 AM   #1  
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Default Walking advice?

I want to keep up the good habit I started while I was in England of walking all the fluffin' time, but I'm running into a problem.

I work an evening shift, leaving my home at around 3pm, and not getting back until around 1am. This makes finding time to walk very difficult. Going right before work is out of the question, as it's been at least 90 degrees here every day. Getting up early in the morning also isn't workable, as I get home far too late at night to be able to do that. And walking anytime after dark is absolutely not an option in this neighborhood.

In addition, a treadmill is impractical (my apartment couldn't hold one even if I could afford it), and joining a health club is far outside my financial circle at the moment.

I've thought and thought about this for the past week, and the only solution I've come up with so far is to stop off at the local 24-hour Wal-Mart or grocery store, and walk there. But I'm pretty sure they'd kick me out after the first couple of times. :P And I'm not all that certain walking near that much food is a wise idea.

Any other suggestions? I'm already trying to build up steps here at home by stepping on and off of thick books, but that's uncomfortable and a little dangerous since they slide sometimes. I need to find a solution as soon as possible before the motivation dies off and I go back to being content with my large posterior.
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Old 06-23-2005, 07:35 AM   #2  
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Have you tried the Walk Away the Pounds tapes? I've never tried them, but a lot of people rave about them. And you could do them safely in your own apartment.

Alternatively, you could head over to a mall on the way to work and walk in air conditioned comfort.
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Old 06-23-2005, 08:38 AM   #3  
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Yes, I was also going to mention the WATP videos. I have 1 and love it! Also, do you have a mall nearby? Perhaps you could walk up and down that for a while.
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Old 06-23-2005, 08:55 AM   #4  
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I walk at 24-hour stores sometimes, and I know people who do it regularly. They won't kick anyone out for that. Lots of malls even put mile markers in for people who walk. If you're worried about walking near food, do laps around the produce section

Break it up if you can't get the whole walk in one go. I used to think I had to do my whole walk at once, and therefore skipped when I thought I didn't have the time. Now, I'll walk short stretches of 10 minutes or so just to get myself moving, and I feel better.

At work, I'll get up from my desk every so often and walk up and down the hall a couple of times. Even if it's for a short amount of time, walking whenever the opportunity arises will keep up your motivation.

I haven't tried any of the Leslie Sansone videos yet, but I just purchased one of them. I do other videos, but they're just not the same as a brisk, relaxing, mind-clearing walk.
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Old 06-23-2005, 10:06 AM   #5  
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Yup, the mall early morning, when the doors opened but before the shops opened, was a walker's paradise. And if you don't have WATP tapes or can't get them, another option is to simply march (preferably with some hand weights) in place in front of the TV while watching a movie. Beats sitting on the couch watching it. Make it a point to walk whenever you're talking on the phone. Park far away from all entrances and always return your shopping carts. That's 4 times across a large lot, especially if you park with the tractor trailers at Wal*Mart. LOL Always opt for stairs over escalators/elevators. Always go visit a neighbor or co-worker on a subject rather than call/intercom them. Walk at lunch (dinner in your case) if it's not too dark at that time.

Personally, walking in 90 degrees doesn't bother me. I figure the added sweats good for ya. Though I must say when the heat index was 100 to 105 for a couple of days, I did NOT go walking those days. LOL
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Old 06-23-2005, 01:16 PM   #6  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by almostheaven
Personally, walking in 90 degrees doesn't bother me. I figure the added sweats good for ya. Though I must say when the heat index was 100 to 105 for a couple of days, I did NOT go walking those days. LOL
Heh, yeah. That's exactly it. With the gawd-awful humidity here, anything above 80 is going to be nearly unbreathable.

I might try hitting the mall since there are two on the way to work. I worry a bit that this would be during the busiest part of the day, so it'll probably be very crowded, but won't hurt to check it out and see.
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Old 06-23-2005, 01:16 PM   #7  
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Lunameow-
It sounds like you work about the same hours I do. I agree with the other suggestions of the WATP videos. They're very easy to do in my apartment. Now that its been nice outside, I have been going out for a walk whenever I wake up.
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Old 06-23-2005, 03:30 PM   #8  
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Lunameow,
Very cute kitty by the way! I love Leslie Sansone's workouts and they have been a lifesaver for me. I had one of Leslie's workouts sitting in a drawer for years. I bought it on a whim and just never used it because I thought the idea of indoor walking was just silly but about 5 years ago I popped it in and did it and discovered I LOVE THESE WORKOUTS. I have almost all of Leslie's workouts and they are the only ones I go back to and use consistently. I can walk whenever I want and go as far as I want without being worried that I can't make it back once I get there ! I would suggest you start with her Walk Away the Pounds with the weighted balls set. I is a 1 mile, 2 mile and a 3 mile walk so you can control how much you want to walk. She also has several 4 mile walks when you want more of a challenge. They are worth a try!
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Old 06-24-2005, 03:41 AM   #9  
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Hrm. Walking in place? I dunno. I like the feeling of a long, full stride, and you just can't get that with a video. I have discovered that the corridor between the companies in our building is a good place, though. I finally found a perk of working the late shift... I can walk back and forth on my breaks without people looking at me funny.
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Old 06-24-2005, 08:56 AM   #10  
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It's true, nothing takes the place of a long, satisfying stride, but just keeping moving is good for motivation. It keeps you WANTING to walk more.

The other thing that revved up my motivation when it was lagging was wearing a pedometer. I went looking for ANY reason to raise that number, and it was a great habit developer.
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Old 06-24-2005, 09:04 AM   #11  
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Aaaaaaaaaaaargh.

I have a pedometer (inspired, oddly, by the insane amount of walking I did while on holiday), but I found out today just how horribly inaccurate it is.

I walked at least 2.5 miles. I know this because I've driven it in my car and measured it on the odometer. For my stride, this should be around 9,000 steps. But no. My pedometer only read 3,100. One mile. AARGH. I knew it was off, I checked it periodically and found that it only had another 100 steps on it, even though I'd walked at least 40 yards.

Annoying. I shall have to look into purchasing a new one.
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Old 06-24-2005, 10:19 AM   #12  
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No no no, don't go out and buy a new pedometer, change your setting on that one. You have to enter your strides into the pedometer. I've had 2 (lost one the first time I took it running...ARRRRRRGH!). Anyway, going by their calculations (both the same) for setting my stride, it never was accurate. What I did instead was to hop on a treadmill in 15 minute increments and adjust the pedometer stride up and down until it perfectly matched the miles and time on the treadmill. If you don't have access to a treadmill, you can measure off a section of the neighborhood for walking one weekend and walk up and down it with a watch and set your pedometer until it matches the distance and time you actually walked.
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Old 06-24-2005, 10:25 AM   #13  
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I'm pretty sure it is the pedometer, not the strides. Because no matter what my strides are set to, it should still count my steps accurately. And I can pretty much guarantee that on my short little legs, 2.5 miles is quite a bit more than 3,100 steps. Mind, this is the same pedometer that had me at 7,500 on an ordinary day where I mostly just sat at work. So, yup. Time to invest in a new one. Fair enough, really. I only paid about $3 for this one, just to make sure I'd actually use it before I shell out more money.
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Old 06-24-2005, 10:31 AM   #14  
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It sounds like it's too sensitive. Before you buy a new one, though, you might try clipping it on a different spot, just to be sure it's not too high/low/etc.
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Old 06-24-2005, 10:34 AM   #15  
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Yup, did that. I think it's 'cause that's where my fat roll is. Hard for it to sit vertically when my tummy pooches out right underneath.

I may give up on the walking idea altogether and go with a bike instead, though. Depends on whether or not I really want to carry a bike up two flights of stairs every morning, I guess. For now, though, walking does just fine.
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