Okay....so I have noticed the exercise tickers and decided yesterday to try to get in 750 minutes of exercise for the rest of July. I have already gotten it down to 645 so I am feeling pretty good.

My question for all of you is how do you decide on the "magic" number? I just chose 750 and would like to have a little more direction.

Also, do you consider that ANY exercise counts? LIke yesterday I helped my husband with his lawncare business and did some serious yardwork. We worked for a little over an hour but since the work was not continuous *we would stop to survey the next area before we moved on^ I counted it as 30 minutes

Any thoughts?

I think you'll get a variety of answers to this one, because it's really up to you!

I chose my minutes based on my goal of working out 60 minutes, 5x/week. That's 300 minutes/week, so 1200 for the month. I should actually go over by a bit b/c of 31 days... so maybe I will up mine to 1320...

I only count my actual workout -- for me, the rest is gravy. So if I walk the kids to the park or the pool, that's just part of my day. But really, it's up to you. There's yard work and then there's YARD WORK! Some people count housework because they turn up the music and really get moving. I also don't count the yoga I do because it's the restful, relaxing kind. If I ever move up to the "power" yoga, I might count that.

For me, it is about planning in advance what I want to achieve, putting that goal in writing, and working toward it.

The yard work I did was the cardio kind. Practically weight lifting dragging that mess from the yard to the truck However, I do count walking the dog which does not make me break a sweat.

Your progress, by the way, is AMAZING Congrats!!

Yes, I think any exercise and movement counts a great deal!

I've been working on finding balance in movement and exercise. Here's the current activity:

Callanetics routine 28 out of 30 days. I do more repetitions and challenge myself more on good days, fewer repetitions and demands on days I need less. I really like Callanetics.

Walk four or five days each week, sometimes only 20 minutes, sometimes for more than an hour. I stroll or go a bit faster, sometimes to keep my heart rate up for awhile, sometimes stopping to watch a hawk or a goldfinch, or say hello to a neighbor.

Gardening, including mowing my lawn with a reel mower (the kind with only blades, no motor). I carry water buckets, prune, carry branches and buckets of debris, pick up lots of things out of the yard, etc. In the fall and winter, raking leaves and carrying buckets of them to the dump pile. There is much bending, lifting, kneeling, and strength required.

Hanging laundry on the line. Really good for arm and back muscles.

For enjoying moving without feeling like it's hard work, I do gentle bounces on a rebounder (tiny trampoline) or do the routine on Angela Lansbury's "Positive Moves" video, or ballet exercises and improvisational dance in my living room. I enjoy doing ballet stretches, too. I use these movements and stretches in the evenings, for rewards to myself, and for starting those days when I'm not quite up to Callanetics or a brisk walk.

Someone younger or much more athletic would find my movement and exercise too little or too light, but for me, it works well.

I don't force myself to do a certain number of minutes or hours each week or month. I just make sure I do something each day that is strenuous, and something that is soft, gentle and flowing.

I so enjoy finding balance in this.

Charmtime, all the best to you.