Got my day off to a great start with Circuit this morning. Quick warmup with Valslide type gliders to get the body moving. 3 circuits. Knee dance w/kettlebell; Bosu burpee; squats w/kettlebell. Double crunch abs; banded bear crawl; kettlebell lunge w/one arm press. Front and lateral arm work w/resistance bands; kettlebell squat on flat side of Bosu, kettlebell swings. Repeated all 3 circuits and then finished up with some cardio - a few rounds of squat jumps and then some stretching.
My legs are beat today. Hoping that I make it through Pilates tomorrow. Good weather ahead for the weekend, planning on a short run AND a rest day.
The new programming this week is tough, but I’m enjoying it. Good for Fitness ADD’s. You get both an “elite” and “mere mortal” version. I’m trying (in vain) to do the “elite” version, but I end up modifying it to fit my time schedule. I just don’t have 3-4 hours to spend in a gym each night and I’m really pooped after about 90 minutes.
Tonight’s HIIT is called “Tread Water.” :-SS It begins with a 2K meter row and then it really goes down hill from there.
@Ranipetgirl I track food pretty religiously with the My Fitness Pal app (Lose It also gets good reviews) and believe that most of my weight loss is due to eating fewer and better quality calories than before. I don’t follow a particular plan, just stick to lean proteins and lots of veggies, some fruit and whole grains, minimal added sugars with the occasional treat. I generally don’t drink my calories. We eat out less often but have Sun Basket meal kits three times a week (gives me a break from having to plan and shop, I don’t mind the actual prep).
Peloton (or any other workout that you like well enough to do consistently, but this has been ideal for me because I didn’t feel comfortable leaving the house in spandex but needed support I found through various Peloton Facebook groups and the motivation of an instructor) has generated endorphins, firmed and strengthened muscles, improved my aerobic fitness and confidence, and helped keep me on track (after a hard workout, I don’t want to blow it by eating crap). I’m sure the calories I burn on the bike help me offset the occasional big meal, but more importantly for me, I get rid of stress during rides that I used to cope with by eating or drinking. The bike isn’t cheap, but I will celebrate my 300th ride next week after getting the bike in late July 2017 and have never used it as a clothes rack.
If you live near a Peloton showroom, you can go in for a test ride (there are bikes that aren’t in the window, and I went first thing in the morning to minimize onlookers). I did not get a high-pressure sales rep, just a pleasant woman near my age who adjusted the bike settings for me and got me started on a 15 minute beginner ride. PM me if I can answer any questions for you - I try to avoid being obnoxious with my Pelopassion
@yauponredux
what an amazing feat! I am 10lb down from my high since February, 2018, dreaming for another 10 lb gone this time next year.
@sabaray
I really wish my local y has the Pilates reformer class, since regular Pilates are not challenging enough for me now.
Got the reflective gears from amazon and did an early morning run outside in the neighborhood for the first time today. Noticed three of my neighbors leaving house before 6 am! Lol.
Have a good weekend my inspirations and virtual fitness buddies!
Hot and sunny day here. Joined the group run this morning- ended up with a bit over 6 miles. Lots of hills. Couple of walks with the pups and a walk with my mom to our co-op. I’m thinking about some hot yoga tomorrow. Of course I’m also thinking of just lying on the couch!
I spent about an hour and 45 minutes getting thru most of the “elite” version of my workout, which included a 1 mile run with a 30-lb bulgarian bag on my back, which was fun. 8-|
Run-only day tomorrow, length will depend on how I feel.
About my fitness ADD…I am fighting it now as I train for a half marathon. Too many of the fun things I like to do can leave me injured and unable to run, so for now, just running and swimming for me.
I like Zumba and general fitness classes that involve a little TRX, weights, lunges, Bosu, etc. Great fun and challenge me in new ways. But too vigorous Zumba (the undulation and booty shaking) has pulled back muscles and too many lunges done too quickly hurt my knees. Once I get through running season, I’ll be back.
I stick to the same activities -running, walking, yoga, OrangeTheory because they work for me. It’s all an individual thing but I have reasons that I don’t try other activities:
-I am extremely uncoordinated (proprioception issues) so it’s hard and stressful for me to learn a new activity.
-Working full time and commuting. If an activity is not conveniently located and at times I can attend (early AM, evenings) I can’t do it. (this is why I haven’t tried barre classes).
-I don’t want to invest in clothes/equipment for additional activities
Of course this is just me. I think it’s great that others here do a variety of fitness activities.
Nothing wrong with just one or two fitness activities - or a plate of desires - unless you have specific goals/aspirations for one of them that you can’t achieve because the time/energy/expense/injury potential of the “many” activities takes you off course or unable to keep up! That’s what I think anyway.
The mental game is sometimes only second to what your body will/can take in terms of meeting or achieving a fitness goal.
I personally spend my time running, walking, spin once a week and then inserting other randoms (like the home bike, a YouTube workout or weights when weather or time won’t permit one of the above. The cardio is what I like best and the time on pavement is part of RX for osteoporosis. In the summer I’ll add in a little kayaking and swimming for upper body strength when we are at the lake.
My fitness goals are not extreme. Just good health and longevity in being able to participate in fitness.
Zumba is completely out of reach for me. The thought of shaking my booty - especially in view of others - is a frightening one. I live in a smaller community so my longest drive is to the gym - 10 minutes in heavy traffic. Pilates, TRX, Barre and Circuit are a 10 minute walk away, less than 5 from my office. Like Lizardly, if I’m training for a race, I will of course cut back on other activities to focus on running but I want to keep a baseline of mileage. In the past I’ve just kept running the same mileage and not really training because I’ve been in perpetual run my body into the ground mode. I’d like to be a little smarter about it.
Sabaray, thanks for posting the article. I may not agree with his thesis, but I’m not 88 years old either. Maybe at that age I’ll have a different perspective. At the moment, I’m both happy and unsatisfied. I can always improve. A higher goal. There’s nothing like the feeling of crossing a finish line or finishing a tough workout. Yesterday, as I laid on the floor of the gym after my HIIT, I was content. Within the last week, or so, I established a PR and tied and old one. Happy.
Enjoyed reading the NYT article Sabaray–thanks for posting.
I tend to stick to the same group of 3-4 activiies (yoga, Pilates mat and reformer, walking, and weight training)–I find that there’s always a challenge in yoga (new classes/new poses or mastering ones that are difficult for me); it’s the same in Pilates. With weight training, I’ll work on increasing the weight or reps. I also found that working with a trainer, taking an ongoing class, or meeting up with a friends to walk is what works for me because I’m basically lazy and find all sorts of excuses to not do anything if I’m on my own. I know I need to do more cardio and I keep looking for a good spin class near me. I think people need to find what works best or them and just do it (LOL).
Guess I had a different takeaway on the nytimes article. You can still compete at 88 and learn to be satisfied and content with your performance. It’s one thing I’ve had to learn competing in national masters track and senior olympics. At that level, anyone can win. If you’ve trained properly and competed with your best effort you can come away content.
