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Carrying on from all these plans I made last August…
I did pretty much stick to that schedule, except I never did start doing the “machine routine”. Still, going to the gym five days a week to do either yoga or pilates and then half an hour on The Bike is a pretty good fitness regimen. But after the new year things started to go askew when my pilates instructor, José Carlos, went off to work at a specialised pilates place and then some time after that (April?) my yoga instructor Ana was hit by a truck while riding her bicycle and ended up with her ankle totally wrecked. And well, I knew that after trying just two pilates classes with the new instructor that she was crap and it wasn’t worth my while going, which meant I stopped going to the gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays. But I stuck it out with the new yoga instructor even though I didn’t enjoy her classes because I kept expecting Ana to come back, which I found out isn’t going to happen until September.
Then about a week or so ago (perhaps due to the fingernails?) I decided that I didn’t need a crap yoga class to get me to the gym and that I should become more pro-active about my fitness routine. And so, I have now become a gym rat. I’m all over that place! First I start off with some yoga/pilates mat work and free weights for half an hour, then I do a half hour on the dreaded bike, and this week I am adding another half hour upstairs in the weight room (Manu gave me two machine routines last Friday and showed me what to do).
I reckon I’ll go back to the Mon-Wed-Fri yoga classes when Ana comes back in September, and do my new routine Tues-Thurs-Sat, just to mix things up a bit. Also, I do really enjoy Ana’s classes and feel good after them. But the rest of the summer I’ll be working out on my own. Go me!
casa azahar 
I can’t tell you how much I admire anyone who manages to stick to an exercise regime. I have an elliptical walker in my outhouse/utility room and I’ve used it once in 6 months. I also have some light weights I want to use. In my defence, I do walk the dog for a minimum of half an hour twice a day, more in the summer and at weekends.
The trouble is there always seems to be something else to do which seems more important at the time. Of course, exercise is super-important so I shouldn’t use that as an excuse. Must try harder!
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I have an exercise bike in my livingroom that I haven’t sat on in over a year! And I have light weights at home too that I don’t use. Somehow it’s easier for me to do the routine at the gym – I can’t get distracted by anything else and I reckon that, since I’m there, I might as well just do it.
Anyhoo… just got back from my first session on the machines and I have no doubt that tomorrow morning I will be painfully aware of muscles that I didn’t even know I had. It works well with the “yoga/pilates” and bike sessions though, kind of finishes things off nicely.
Walking an hour a day is great, Deb! How about taking some small hand weights with you and power walk a bit while you’re out. That way you are getting some extra training that doesn’t take up any extra time.
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Yea! Next up, a trip through the videos at muscleandfitness.com 🙂
Even a fanatic like me finds “keeping weights around the house” to be a little futile. In your own home space there is always way too much distraction. It’s a better place for yoga than the gym, at least for me, but really digging into a strength workout calls for saturation in weight equipment.
Do a few of your more challenging yoga poses after you finish with the weights and the whammy the next day won’t be as bad.
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I actually like the yoga room at the gym – light and airy with a nice wooden floor – and I bring my own music with me. Will do some post-weight yoga today and see if that helps (though I’m not as stiff as I thought I would be).
One thing I have to be careful about is getting on and off (in and out?) of the machines – some of them are like fairground rides and are awkward to get settled into, which strains my lower back a bit. Once I’m set up and doing the exercise I’m fine.
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You’ll have to take a “before” and “after” shot of your upper arms. 🙂
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Shirley you jest.
Actually, I did take a “before” shot of me in the yoga room mirrors with my iPhone last week, but that’s only to show Sled after I lose 10 kilos. It won’t be for public display.
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Go you!
I wish I could get myself to go, too. It’s been far too long since I’ve had an exercise routine. I should really make it a higher priority. Maybe you will inspire me!
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I reckon that running around after those two kidlets all day helps keep you in shape. But yeah, having a nice exercise routine can also be some nice “me” time, which you would probably enjoy.
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Even walking regularly has fallen by the wayside due to my inability to have a routine of any kind. I can’t count on doing anything beyond breathing somewhat regularly what with the vagaries of work, the house, family, Mom, sleep, and regular as well as surprise medical crap…. Every time I plan something, yet another delay/interruption means sleep, eating, work… whatever, gets pushed or broken up.
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Start small … find a 15-minute routine you can do anywhere/anytime and without having to change clothes, etc. I’ve seen a couple of really good ones on DVD. These are mostly stretching and toning, so you don’t work up a sweat or anything, but still a good place to start.
I quite like having no set classes to go to (until September), so the only constraint is having to get to the gym before 2pm – I have a morning gym pass that lets me in from 8am – 2pm. This way I am getting used to exercising any time of the morning. Before if I had to miss a class for any reason I’d end up not going to the gym at all. So I think if you get used to enjoying your 15-minute routine every day then you will soon find other free moments during the day to do a bit more.
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