Seems like I'm always on the verge of "thinking" about exercising. Last week I walked on a treadmill 5x for 1/2 an hour. I really liked it so I'm not quite sure why I don't MAKE myself fit it into my day. This is a good topic.

I walk--like REC I try to get at least one good walk in a day and depending on my schedule and weather I sometimes can get a walk in before work. This has been a good form of exercise for me and has been a great way to maintain my weight loss.

Melissa
161/142/142

I do workout videos. My favorite are the FIRM videos!
Jill

Jill, what FIRM video do you recommend for someone who has been doing the FIRM basics and is ready for the next step aerobically -- but definitely isn't ready for the really tough stuff yet? Are there any "intermediate" FIRM videos? I've been very impressed with the results I'm getting from the beginner level ones.

Thanks,

Lauren

I'm with Helen B.
I love Jazzercise. Been doing it on and off for 8 years. It is such a motivator. The music gets you pumped up to where you have much more energy than before class.
It works too!! I can see results within 3 weeks of going 3X per week. I am on WW but since started Jazzercise I haven't seen a weight loss even gained 1/2 lb. I figure it is PURE MUSCLE!!!

Hi -- great thread -- I think that if yoiu really want to keep the weight off, then you have to incorporate some sort of exercise!

I jog 3 -4 times a week between 3.5 to 4 miles each time and then for 3 days aweek, I do an hour long high intensity aerobics class.

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Julie (in Guatemala)
265/179/155ish

[This message has been edited by Juliarh (edited 02-16-2001).]

Hi to all my buds! I knew I'd see you guys come out for a thread about exercise.

Running rules, as far as I am concerned. Nothing else gives me a better workout. You've gotta work up to it slowly, and go at your own pace, but many people who never thought they could run actually CAN. Take me, for instance. A year and a half ago I weighed 266 pounds and could barely walk up one flight of stairs. Now I weigh 146 and am planning to run the Chicago marathon this fall.

I also lift weights regularly and incorporate other cardio activities as time permits. After awhile, you start needing a hard workout the same way you need dinner or sleep.

And I'm sorry ... there is no substitute for rigorous exercise that I'm aware of. Parking at the end of the parking lot just isn't going to cut it, for most people.

--Diamonda
266/146/135

Jilly's Mom - yes, you're right - go for that PURE MUSCLE! Doesn't it feel great?

And I don't know what I'd do without the fun music to move to - you really do forget that you're working out.

Helen

Ah, how I wish I could run, or even jog! But my ankles won't let me; I've messed them up so badly with all the abuse I gave them in my 20's that I feel fortunate to be able to even hike at all; even that will make them blow up if I overdo it. I spent about 4 months and $180 dollars in copays for physical therapy, with no real improvement. Now I can go for brisk walks with a little pain (icing and advil are my best friends ). I also work in whatever I can: swimming, elliptical trainers, yoga, anything that doesn't involve impact on my ankles.

Diamonda, I agree that to be really fit you need some intense workouts, but the fact is that for many people, parking on the far end of the parking lot and taking the stairs is a lot more activity than they've ever done. And not all of us want or need to be really fit. I got to goal on the first WW 123 program and never did more than walk--2-3 times a week for 20 minutes at work, and 2-3 times a week for an hour up and down hills in my neighborhood. The key was doing something every day.

Medical findings support this. I can't quote you one right now, but in general just getting out of your car and moving on foot is a lot more than most Americans do, and is enough to improve most people's cardiovascular health and increase their metabolism.

I'd hate to see someone get discouraged from their moderate exercise plan because they might think they could never do it "right"! As a 41 year old lawyer and former athlete, I've come to terms with the fact that I'm basically a sedentary person who works exercise in whenever I can. If that means a walk instead of a Pilates class, so be it.

I figured someone would call me on that comment. You're right, of course. It's much better to do something than nothing, and not everyone wants to become super-fit. As for me, I marvel every single day at the amazing resilience of the human body. Mine had a pretty bad 30 years before I finally started treating it right.

--D

[This message has been edited by Diamonda (edited 02-17-2001).]

And don't underestimate the physical challenge of some of those "everyday" chores that go beyond cleaning the house. Mowing the grass, heavy gardening, shoveling snow, and playing with the kids or dog can be very aerobic if you do them at a brisk enough pace...I, too, lost most of my weight without a "formal" exercise plan. But I was really active doing many of the things previously listed and I think it helped. Now that I'm at goal, I'm finding it fun to go the extra step and have a more formal exercise routine and try new and different sports.

Does anybody here have kids and/or work? No matter how hard I try, I simply can't find time to go anywhere to work out and I just can't get the enthusiasm up to start walking again when it's so cold out. Even walking with the dog is useless, he constantly wants to stop to smell something or the other and slows me down.

One thing I have tried that has worked pretty well is wearing a pedometer all day. I try to get up to 10,000 steps per day (not that easy). It's almost like journaling in reverse -- when you know you're accountable for how many steps you take each day, you try to add steps any way you can. The people in my office know that if anything has to be taken anywhere around the hospital, I'll run it around. That helps. Also parking furthest in the lot, running upstairs to fetch things at home instead of asking the kids, etc. etc.

Wish I could get my lazy busy butt to a class, though, you guys make it sound like a great idea.

[This message has been edited by HospitalWriter (edited 02-17-2001).]

Although we should do it more, my hubby, my 8 yr old daughter and I walk 2 miles 2 to 3 times a week. At times its hard to even get in that much and there are times when we don't but we try. Also I just got a Tae Bo tape that I am going to give a try. It looks like fun. Take care everyone....Sis

I really enjoy walking. And since I adopted a retired racing greyhound this past summer, I have had no choice but to walk! Whether it's nice or freezing out, we still walk. We walk 2 miles per day, every day. Additionally, I walk a 3.5 mile loop at my place of work 2x per week (this gives me a chance to really sweat and get a good workout without having to worry about the hound stopping and doing his business.) And when I have the time, I try to incorporate a class or two of Jazzercise into my schedule.

If the only way I can exercise is mopping, doing windows or raking the grass I will be the reigning "Ms Couch Potato"!:lol

I walk on the treadmill and at the neighborhood track, I do TAEBO Live basic (I have 9 tapes), I have recently begun using the FIRM series (thanks to Jill and Audrey) and I play around with my family of athletic men.

There is no substitute for exercise in my life. I have just rebounded from a horrible case of bronchitis accompanied by a lymph infection. I was out of work for 5 days and couldn't exercise properly for about 12 days. Talk about miserable. It wasn't until I could work up to a dripping sweat that I began to feel better!

Give me exercise or give me death!

Naylene