<p>Have I told you all that I really hate working out? I have. Okay, never mind.</p>
<p>Missypie, what do you do during your workout? (i.e., what machines, routine do you hate?)</p>
<p>^ You need to try different things for working out. I have tried different activities and some I simply cannot do (running), others I do not like (swimming in indoor pool). I have chosen exercises that I actually miss while I do not have chance to do (like swimming in outdoor pool, rollerblading). These two are my favorites. I also enjoy a lot walking outside with my H. every day in any weather, sometime it reguires boots instead of walking shoes. When I have to walk by myslef, it is not fun, I do not like to listen to anything, like musik or radio. </p>
<p>I bet that anybody can find what they would enjoy if they give themselves chance to find out. I actually learn to swim in my 30’s and rollerblade in my 40’s. My 3 years old D. was holding my one hand and my H. was holding my other hand and everybody in neighborhood had great entertainment with that and I did not care. Now they are envy that I can rollerblade and do it on a regular basis and even falls (had fallen many times, I know it is dangerous) will not stop me.</p>
<p>I do the stairs and the treadmill. Those are the only things I can do while reading. Even then I get tremendously bored. </p>
<p>I don’t mean this as a slam at all - I really want to know the answer: How does an intelligent person swim laps for 30+ minutes? What are they thinking about all that time? I remember that in college they played rock music so loud at the pool that I could hear it under water.</p>
<p>For swimming, I think you just get in a mode, a groove. Though back in the day, I did laps for swim team, it is not my choice of exercise anymore. </p>
<p>Otherwise, I just LOVE my 30 minutes a day with my Ipod. Whether I am working out inside or walking outside, it’s like my time to crawl into my music (usually faster, upbeat music is my choice) and kind of block everything else out. I use to try reading, but I’m annoyed by the movement and trying to keep my eyes on the right place on the page! Plus, these days I need reading glasses to read and will not wear them while exercising.</p>
<p>missypie, you need to develop some kind of sports fantasy to get you through the workouts. For me, I’m not running on a treadmill or using an elliptical; I’m winning the Boston Marathon, running up a hill with no end successfully! Coupled with a great playlist that gets me through almost anything.</p>
<p>Boy, don’t know if I’ve ever had a sports fantasy. Listen folks, I’m even horrible at Wii Sports.</p>
<p>mp…have you tried music?
I def don’t have a sports fantasy but I LOVE my music. I have different playlists for exercise…walking, yoga, weight lifting, running (use it for fast walking now since my body is rejecting running!) It gets me through and I actually enjoy it.
I’m also thinking about trying the different classes at my club like Spinning and Zumba. I do try to stay away from machines…they ARE boring. But music makes the difference for me…no matter what I’m doing. Also walk a lot with dear H and our dear old yellow lab. A nice break…</p>
<p>Go ahead and laugh, folks, but it works for me! Appeals to my competitive nature. Easy to win when there’s no direct competition.</p>
<p>missypie-To put up with the crushing boredom of swimming laps daily, it helps if you can Zen out- focus on your swimming form, how your hands enter the water, controlling your breathing, tightening your core muscles, your flip turns, your kick, how cut your arms and biceps look, how long and lean your torso will look…but I digress…</p>
<p>missypie, not even a teeny tiny sports fantasy?
When I swim, I think that I’m Lynne Cox and I’m going to make it to Antarctica (of course, unlike her, I swim in clean, warm pools, and “Antarctica” means finishing my workout). Lynne fits the bill really well, since I don’t have the grace or the body to pretend that I’m Summer Sanders, Jenny Thompson or Amanda Beard (:D), and she could swim and swim and swim… That keeps me going.
When I run, I think of my days as a HS XC runner, and I want to get stronger to be able to beat my younger self - not gonna happen, but it keeps me going. 
When I work out with my weights, I think of Olympic female weight lifters - hey, they are not that young!</p>
<p>No sports fantasy here, either.</p>
<p>Maybe will have to start imagining Tim McGraw at the YMCA…</p>
<p>Burned 300 calories this morning on the treadmill. The most so far. Saw lots of naked old women in the locker room…just a little uncomfortable for me. Seems to be many more older folks there during the day than at night.</p>
<p>Tonight I begin Disaster Action Team training with the Red Cross. (Not because of Haiti - I started becoming involved before Christmas.) Absolutely cannot wait to help people.</p>
<p>sabaray- I can relate! I often fantasize about the finish lines of my races while I’m training (and in the early miles of a race). As for the hills that have no end- I run up those suckers for REAL it seems. </p>
<p>I have been in my usual January slump, only worse since it’s been 8 degrees here in the SOUTH!! I’m running, but hating the cold and dark and treadmill. Not sure which is the lesser evil. Anyway, today for the first time ever I ran at noon from work because it was sunny and 40 degrees! I don’t have a great route, but it was acceptable. I also had to “shower” in the sink when I got back, but I wasn’t all that sweaty. My point is that it felt good to change it up. Run done and I didn’t have to get out in 13 degrees this morning or deal with it after work when I just want to go home.</p>
<p>“saw lots of naked old women in the locker room…just a little uncomfortable for me.”</p>
<p>Not so much at my club…lots of youngins. </p>
<p>But last year, I went to a mineral waters spa in California. Very cool but lots of old folks there. And the ladies locker room was incredible. Wow. I got a new appreciation for why folks need clothes…and I also felt pretty darn svelte for once!</p>
<p>eddie, you are doing great. I am really impressed that you are also doing the Red Cross training. </p>
<p>I really do believe that visualization is a powerful tool. Glad to hear I’m not the only daydreamer!</p>
<p>I enjoyed doing dance aerobics for years, but I never pushed myself the way I do if I go running or use an elliptical or a treadmill. I swam for years. You have to treat it a bit like meditation. Just zone out. I finally learned to stop counting laps and just swim for a certain amount of time. </p>
<p>I really like to have good music on the ipod. I’ve got a good mix, but I need to add some new stuff to it. I put together a special mix just for the gym.</p>
<p>Excellent job, everyone!</p>
<p>Showering with naked old ladies at the local Y sent the best anti-tattoo message to my Ds! :D</p>
<p>MOfWC, I feel your pain. Running in 13 degree weather is not my cup of tea either, but I think I’ll take that over running on a treadmill, as long as there is no ice on the road.</p>
<p>Dance aerobics is great and can be done at home in place of a lot of things in cold weather. You probably need to use light weights, maybe 5 pounds, held above your heart to achieve and sustain your target heart rate.</p>
<p>I don’t have sports fantasies and while music always helps, many of my workouts are driven by the thought of how mad I’ll be at myself if I don’t do it. I think it helps if you’ve had a health scare or even just seen too many fat old ladies at the gym! Days that I don’t work out I’m sure that I see myself growing when I look in the mirror!</p>
<p>Her Room dot com is a great motivating tool! Of course, I’m kidding, but I noticed that if I browse the beautiful lacy pieces on that website for a couple of minutes, I can go on and on with my weight-bearing exercises! And I run faster, too :)</p>
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<p>May I blame every PE teacher and every girl who was ever mean to me in PE class (and there were many)?</p>
<p>Do any of you know what it’s like to be tremendously uncoordinated? In college, a group of us thought it would be fun to take fencing. No one in the class had ever fenced. But yet, I managed to be the worst fencer in the class, by far. I just can’t *do *things. Never learned to skate or ski. Can’t figure out how to operate most of the machines at the gym. I can walk and I can read. (I also have no confidence that I could figure out an iPod either.)</p>