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Disc Golf

So, I’m thinking about adding this sport to my summer workout/entertainment repertoire. I’ve never played the game, but it seems quite enjoyable and of course, cheap. Something the whole family can participate in while enjoying the outdoors. And apparently there are several courses within only a few miles of my home. Who knew?

I’ve been exploring several other obscure activities this year. My husband and I took in a roller derby game a few months ago. I never even knew that game existed until I had a friend who joined a team. I don’t think I’ll be joining a team myself anytime soon though. I’m not sure I’m ready for those “interesting” uniforms.

I’m also considering letterboxing or geocaching. I probably would have fallen in love with these ventures as a kid, so I think it would be neat to treat my son to an adventure.

Have you ever tried disc golf, and what did you think? Are there any other “out there” fitness activities you’ve tried or considered?

Running Alternatives

There’s nothing like a great run to make me feel truly delicious. But sometimes, one gets burned out doing the same exercise every other day. So, once in awhile, I trade in my running kicks for bare feet and chlorine. But I am very picky about running alternatives. There are only a select few workouts that have a comparable intensity to me or leave me with that lung-expanded feeling like running does. If I don’t feel like a workout is as much of a challenge as running, I can’t justify substituting it for my passion (and hard-earned endurance level). My alternates to running include:

1. Kickboxing. Not the sissy stuff, the hardcore punching and kicking that leaves me winded.

2. Boot Camp: I found a great video at a rummage sale that kicks my butt every time. Try out The Method: Cardio Bootcamp.

3. Step aerobics: Take a trip back to the 80s. I once had a step instructor at the Y that changed the routines every single class and offered a fully modern workout that didn’t bring back memories of hot pink striped biking shorts. But Kathy Smith will do in times of need.

4. Swimming: something about the water, the buoyancy, the use of every muscle fiber to propel the body forward makes me feel like a million bucks and really does work the lungs to capacity.

5. Jump rope workouts: if you’ve tried one, you know what I mean.

6. Jillian Michael’s 30-Day Shred: even as a hardcore exerciser, this one still brings me to my knees every time.

I am 26, but feel like I’m 20.3

Take the RealAge(r) test at the Realage website to see how old your body is in terms of how you take care of it, how healthy you are, and other contributing factors. I am happy to say, I am feeling 6 years younger today.

After you take the test, you can find out what’s making you younger and older. There are Health, Habits, Relationships, Diet and Fitness recommendations you can follow to help improve your score. It’s amazing what flossing, drinking red wine with dinner, and owning a dog can do for your body! But it also told me to buy that silver SUV we’ve been looking at (larger vehicles provide more protection and apparently silver vehicles are 50% less likely to be involved in serious accidents. Who knew?) I don’t know if we can swing that since unemployment checks don’t fly as income.

Here’s something else I had a sneaky suspicion about. The quiz results say I work out TOO MUCH. It says, “In fact, your workout is at the level of an athlete” and then offers strategies to slow down a little bit. I’ve programmed myself to find exercise opportunities in all those extra daily minutes, like one segment of the 10-minute Solution DVD before work, then walk to work, walk briskly with a friend at lunch, walk home, and fit in a more intense workout and strength sessions MWF, and then sneak in a few more walks and workouts on the weekend. I loathe sitting around, what can I say?

But it seemed like after I had my baby, breastfed, and walked slowly with him, weight fell off my body faster than it ever did before. Perhaps less is more.

It’s kind of funny, because after a health assessment at work one time, the nurse insisted that I get more exercise. I repeated how much I worked out several times and she kept saying I needed to do more. I just rolled my eyes. I always knew it was the food holding me back, not the exercise.

I also learned from the quiz that my target heart rate for working out is about 194 (220-age). I think I’ll try to keep track of this tomorrow and request a heart rate monitor for Christmas:)

Married to a Potato

Well, I used to be a potato too, a couch potato that is. I never really had a very active upbringing aside from dreaded gym classes and recreational volleyball and softball. So, I completely understand the “Potato Mentality.” I picked up a fitness habit around 2001 and have stuck with it ever since. I later added the healthy eating part of the equation, and still work on this part to this day.

The trouble is, my husband is a true couch potato. There are noticeable markings on the area of the couch where he always sits indicating that he spends a lot of time there. This can be very discouraging. It’s also difficult, when you understand the high value of healthy habits, watching your partner not take care of themselves. It’s difficult when you don’t have the same goals and you feel as if you’re missing out on having the perfect workout buddy.

There’s a difference though between acquiring your partner’s participation and acquiring his support. My husband has always supported my fitness habits. True, there was a time when he offered me an unhealthy serving of cake right after I worked out, but for the most part, he’s very supportive. Just two days ago, I was on the treadmill for maybe 10 minutes when I turned if off and said “I just can’t do this tonight.” He encouraged me, well…nearly demanded, that I get back on. It worked! I stayed on for a full 35 minutes and felt much better afterwards. So, the support is very important. You need only ask.

By being a role model, perhaps one day you will inspire your significant other to begin their own healthy habits. You can offer little nudges, perhaps by showing them interesting articles you’ve read or relaying other tidbits. My husband has an injured back, so when I come across articles about how exercising decreases back pain, I like to gently remind him of how he could “cure” himself or at least feel better, which he is understandably highly receptive to. Also, hearing it from a source other than me improves the likelihood that it will get through, but that’s a whole different story. Just please promise you won’t nag! This will make health-ifying that much more of a chore for your partner. And it’s a very private, personal choice that a person has to make for themselves.

Aside from being encouraging, maybe you are able to control the weekly menu to help your partner at least in the diet arena. Find a healthy cookbook that remakes some of your partner’s favorites. You need not mention what you’ve done lest they refuse the food on principle. Some secrets really are healthy!

The good news is, my husband has agreed to run a 5k with me in April. Well ok, maybe he’ll walk it with me, but that’s a wonderful change either way. It seems he has been finding more and more excuses to walk and fit in extra exercise. So, I signed the registration, sent in the money, and smiled at the thought of crossing the finish line with my new fitness buddy.

Skimp Your Way Thin

You hardly need to spend anything to get fit. If this is your excuse, you can’t use it anymore. Motivation is probably the biggest stumbling block of all. But money should not matter.

I am the queen of working out on a budget. I am also the type of person (Gemini?) who gets very bored very easily with workouts. I need something different all the time that doesn’t cost me anything. It sounds impossible to please me, but it is not. For eight solid years, I had and loyally used my gym membership, but due to recent money constraints and logistics, I had to quit. I was really worried I wouldn’t be able to work out at home, but it has actually worked out quite nicely and I have been able to maintain my faithful habit. The only hurdles I have at home are a 1-1/2-year-old who enjoys sitting on me during ALL floor exercises and a pup who sometimes compromises my form by getting underfoot. Oh, and the dishes and other distracting messes, but I’ve learned to hold off until after my workout.

Here is my list of budget-friendly workout helpers:

1. I have rummaged, thrifted and craigslist-ed my way to a stocked workout video collection. I don’t think I’ve paid more than $1.00 for a used workout video. You can never predict what you’re going to find, so you have to practice being open-minded when going the second-hand route.

2. I also got a sweet treadmill for just $100 at a rummage sale. We have gotten WAY more than our money’s worth.

3. A $2 thrift store stair stepper is great for step aerobics and also works as a makeshift weight bench for chest presses, leg lifts and all sorts of other exercises.

4. I have a $1 jump rope that gives one of the best workouts ever. I compiled a list of jumps to try on my sparkpeople blog.

5. I got some inexpensive weights at the store. A 5lb and 8lb set will do for a lot of women. I found my husband found some 15 pounders on craigslist for $15.

6. I have magazine subscriptions to Self and Shape Magazines, which cost something like $12 each for a full year. I have hundreds of workouts pulled from these magazines, and filed away by workout type, that I can always turn to. At best, you can log on to these or other health-related magazines’ websites to learn something or print workouts. Self has some really good workout videos you can follow along with as well. As a side note, Self Magazine was one of the first major health motivators for me way back in 2000. The upbeat, anyone-can-do-it attitude really got me revved to start a fitness program.

7. If you’ve heard it from me before, you’ll hear it from me again. Sparkpeople is one of the best free health sites I have ever come across. Here you can log workouts, log what you eat, and look up health articles on almost any topic. There are health calculators, health calendars, community forums and so many things I can’t even list.

8. Free workout videos in a variety of different practices and time limits are provided by exercise TV. Also Yoga Today provides a free hour-long Yoga workout every day and offers over 200 downloadable videos for cheap.

9. The library is a rich resource for workout videos, health books, healthy cookbooks and more for free. Or check out their CD selection for fresh workout music.

10. Check out your local video store as well. We have a local one where educational videos, which includes workout videos, are free to rent.

11. For parents, playgrounds offer a really nice workout opportunity that allows you to play like a kid again. Do a Google search for playground workouts to find something like this.

12. A good pair of running shoes provides plenty of workout hours, whether you prefer free local trails, the sidewalk, the treadmill, or the track.

13. For around $300 each, my husband and I each bought a kayak. We have definitely gotten our money’s worth out of these too. We barely have to plan when we want to go out for a row and we can drop them in the water almost anywhere that’s open to the public. For the cost and the experience in nature, it sure beats slaving away in the gym!

14. I also recommend a set of stretch tubing and a fitness ball. For around $10-$15 each, you get more workout options than you can imagine for your money. If you’re lucky like me, you might happen upon these at a rummage sale or inside a workout DVD itself for even less!

Home gym Complete!

Melting into the Sheets

No, I’m not talking about sex. I’m talking about a soothing nightly ritual that puts me in the mood for…sleep. My ritual feels so indulgent, I sometimes trick myself into thinking that I shouldn’t do it all the time like some other extravagant luxury. But really, it’s the best and easiest thing that I’ve found to do before bed that costs nothing and takes only a few minutes.

I did a Google search for morning and nighttime exercises and came across a few that I return to time and again. My ultimate favorite thing to do is breath-regulating, stress-relieving Yoga. Something like Fitness Magazine’s 8-Minute Workout: Yoga for Better Sleep. I have a few of these routines printed off and stored within reach in my bedside table. In addition to calming the body through breath, these routines nix any leftover kinks from the day with gentle stretching. And stretching my back and other tight areas is the next best thing to a nice massage or being rocked to sleep as a child.

I can feel the difference between going to bed after not doing Yoga versus doing Yoga. It’s easier to melt into the sheets after doing a gentle nighttime routine. Something even that simple has the ability to leave the mind a little calmer and the body decompressed. It also changes my energy, giving it a more positive glow that primes my body for perfect sleep. Ahhhh…

Join the Club

Today I will be working on paperwork to join the National Weight Loss Registry. This is a group of thousands of people who have lost 30+ pounds and kept them off for over a year. I am proud to say that I can now call myself a member of this club.

They ask you to send in before and after pictures of yourself if you don’t have medical records to prove your before and after weights. As I was leafing through the shoebox of memories, I came across a whole lot of pictures of my larger self. Written in my “beautiful face” were insecurities so deep, they were actually paralyzing. I don’t like to revisit that place in my life very often because it opens old wounds and still has profound effects on my current demeanor, but I also felt a sense of relief. Thank goodness I pulled myself out of that funk. Thank goodness I can fit into the regular sizes of clothes that stores carry. Thank goodness my health accomplishments have made me realize my potential in other areas of my life. Thank goodness I can finish a 5k strong any day I choose now.

So, wish me luck as I sign myself over to science. I am excited to become a member of a society in which I’ve never felt a greater sense of belonging. And I am so glad to be part of a team that is dedicated to analyzing and discernign the best ways to lose weight/become healthy and keep it that way.

This Will Make You Uncomfortable

Don’t worry, I’m not going to divulge some gory details about myself or anything. I’m just going to tout the benefits of breaking out of your comfort zone.

It’s easy to go home, cuddle under a blanket and watch television for the evening, perhaps even in a different room than your significant other because you have significantly different tastes in entertainment. If you’re only aspiring to get nowhere, this plan is fine. But if you’re sitting there looking at the TV thinking you could make up the next invention for the Shark Tank or sweat as much as the next contestant on Biggest Loser, you’re cheating yourself by falling into these comfortable patterns.

Losing weight and making a healthy lifestyle change are going to be uncomfortable for a time. I’m sorry to break it to you, but there’s no magic involved. No fairy dust you can buy on an infomercial. If you plan for a little blood, sweat and tears, you’ll be much more prepared to plunge through it. You’ll begin to create your own little first aid kit to clean up the damage. But don’t worry, it’s not that scary either, especially when you make small changes one at a time.

You’ll feel a little out of breath doing cardio, you’ll feel that “good burn” the day (or two) following strength routines, you’ll try fitness classes that make you move in ways you never have before, you’ll feel out of place in the gym, you’ll want to stop halfway through some days, you’ll indulge in guilty treats once in awhile. But I promise you, if you’re a little bit uncomfortable, you’ll turn your nondescript life or body into something extraordinary.

By the time you’ve established a healthy lifestyle, you’ll notice a big change. Now you’ll be uncomfortable when you see a stack of deep-fried onion rings being served to the table next to you at the restaurant, because you sure as heck didn’t order heart damage. You’ll be the one that’s uncomfortable watching the overweight woman holding her thighs trying to make it up the stairwell, because you’ll know all too well the deep dissatisfaction this feeling caused you in the past. Most importantly, you’ll be uncomfortable just sitting still.

This really applies to many things in life, including your relationships, work life, hobby pursuits or anything you can think of. Showing up in a room where you don’t know anyone, approaching your partner with a subject you’ve never broached before, or taking on a work project you feel unqualified to do will leave you a little on edge. But the rewards you will reap for your uncomfortable-ness will be beyond compare. You’ll be glad you stepped out of your bubble. You’ll rejoice when you cross those finish lines you never imagined you’d be crossing.

After all, would you rather be a little uncomfortable and working towards achievement, or comfortable and stagnant, receiving nothing in return for nothing? Prepare to be uncomfortable!

Open a Can of Whoop-on-my-own-a$$

A big thanks to Yoovie on sparkpeople.com (if you’re a health-nut or want to lose some weight, if you haven’t checked this site out, you are definitely missing something) for this wonderful idea.

Note to Self: Read this every time you feel like skipping the gym

Dear Self,

You already know the benefits of working out and how you feel afterwards and all of that. But I know you will forget about them when you are feeling a strong pull towards the couch instead of the treadmill. You may think you will remember all of these reasons, but they will inevitably not get through to you. Because if you really did remember, nothing–I mean absolutely nothing–could stop you from working out.

So, listen here lady, you are required to read this list whenever that resistant mood strikes.

1. Think of that instructor that called you a beginner and handed you 3-lb weights. Think of how much you want to show people like that that you are sooooo not a beginner.

2. Remember those pipes you can feel on your arms. You can feel them, but you can’t quite see them in all their glory. Don’t you actually want to see them? Each day is progression towards that beautiful sculpted look that no one can help but be envious of.

3. What would you rather your son see you doing: jumping around the living room or sitting on the couch, eyes glued to something mindless flashing across the TV or computer screen?

4. Think about how you feel after not working out. You feel like a sloth, withering away into a blob. Now, think about that refreshed feeling after working out. Like your lungs are brand new and your heart has received a tune-up. Your blood seems to pump with renewed energy and your muscles feel victorious.

5. Remember how your ankles used to hurt when you were less-than-healthy? Remember how you haven’t felt that since you’ve started working out? You don’t want crappy ankles again, do you?

6. Exercise brings about a better mood for the rest of the day and into the following day. It’s a free way to feel good without help from prescribed chemicals. It’s the best way you know how to make an average day feel fabulous.

7. Exercise allows you to sleep better at night. And when you don’t work out, it’s just the opposite. It’s so much more worth it to work out than to wake up feeling exhausted the next day.

8. Since working out, you have significantly lowered your cholesterol, have rarely been sick, lowered your blood pressure, decreased body pain, and done so much more good for your body than you’ll probably ever know. This feels amazing.

9. There is nothing more sublime than working out–or moving about in any manner–outdoors. The clean air, the vastness of space, the bird noises, the wind whispers, the cloud movements, the changing scenery, and the towering trees all seem to cleanse in a way that can never be replicated elsewhere.

10. It’s so refreshing to be able to run up the stairs at work and not get winded at the top.

11. This is one of the few habits that have become solidly implanted in your repertoire. It’s an established habit and a record you’ve made for yourself that you do not want to break. Your fitness habits are one of the things you’re most proud of yourself for achieving. Don’t give it up just because you feel a little blah.

12. Take that little girl that used to be chubby and misfitting by the hand and tell her that everything is going to be OK for her later in life. She will go on to do things she never thought possible. Even though the 1-mile testing in gym used to be the worst day of the year for her, she will later hold ribbons for running a Half Marathon and several 5Ks.

13. Look to that woman in her 50s, 60s, 70s and tell her you’re paving the way for health and blissful contentment in the future. She will thank you for all the efforts you are making now.

14. Remember people who have asked you for advice about fitness-related issues. It’s a strength of yours. Never succumb to a sedentary lifestyle. Never make fitness a weakness. Do you want to be the role model or the bad example?

15. Remember you sit in a chair in front of a computer all day at work. You require a workout session to combat that motionlessness!

16. Running takes stress and squeezes the life out of it until all that’s left is angels singing.

17. It gives you that wonderful glow and feeling of warmth, especially in the winter, that keeps you going in the evening. Nothing makes you want to lie still more than a cold body.

18. It’s fun to wear those cute moisture-wicking shirts and performance leggings. Decked out with a cute water bottle, crisp white sneakers, an iPod and a pink headband is almost as fun as playing dress-up.

19. You get to be one of the most productive people you know of. Don’t let anyone pass you up.

20. When you push yourself to achieve things that didn’t seem possible not long ago or that take you to a whole new level, you are proving to yourself that you have the ability to achieve what you set out to achieve. This awareness of your potential leads you to fulfill other dreams as well.

21. You are not content just being mediocre! You are not content being stagnant!

22. Get your money’s worth out of your magazine subscriptions, stock of videos, treadmill and other equipment. Don’t be one of those people that only hop on the treadmill to dust it.

23. How else are you going to keep up with your son when he develops lightning-inspired speeds and is drawn to particularly heavy traffic sites? How else are you going to teach him healthy habits?

24. Name 5 better ways to spend your evening!

25. If you don’t work out, that feeling of guilt will linger for days until you work out again. This often culminates into one giant bad mood-fest that you really don’t want to participate in.

26. At least just change into those workout clothes and go somewhere. Anywhere. Sometimes just getting ready is the biggest part of the battle. Don’t even think about it–do it mindlessly so you just do it.

27. “Self-actualization feels like glowing in the dark” (this is my fave, straight from Yoovie herself).

28. Think about swimsuit season coming up and family vacations. Think about taking your son to the beach. Do you want to hide? Or do you want to wear a wrap off your hips and a tank with just a little skin showing?

29. Working out and catching the latest fitness news gives you something more/something interesting to talk about.

30. Hard work is the only way to guarantee real results. You are soooo worth the best end result.

31. You get to read your favorite magazines while you work out.

32. This is one of the only times you get valuable “me time” that’s worth every drop of sweat.

33. It’s more fun to do crunches with a baby sitting on your stomach than doing them alone or not doing them at all.

34. Since you’ve begun working out, your whole body image and confidence level has been boosted. That measly 1/2 hour-1 hour of working out doesn’t even compare to the worth of the positive boost!