Sticking to Exercise

Born To Run
Originally uploaded by Cathy G

I'll admit it -- last week, I only walked one day. To make it worse, the day that I did walk was only because I wanted to get out of the lunch room and didn't have anywhere to go before my lunch ended. I did find a neat abandoned road that leads to a dead end so it has seen more traffic from geese lately than from cars.

I walked today and my plan is to keep at it since, according to a recent study, an irregular exercise pattern may add pounds. While the study focused on runners who move a lot more miles per week than I do, the advice can't hurt. Hopefully by walking more regularly, I'll build up to huge numbers like 30 miles per week.

When commenting on the study, Paul Williams of Berkeley Lab’s Life Sciences Division said:

We are getting fat because we don’t exercise sufficiently and consistently. The real solution to the obesity epidemic is getting people to exercise before they think they need it, and to stick with it. The ounce of prevention is indeed worth a pound of cure.

Best to Be Skinny to Exercise

life's dirty little secret
Originally uploaded by debaird

A few of my coworkers went to a pick up game of basketball last night and their tales made for a very humorous lunch hour. Aside from the one guy who plays regularly, everyone else quickly found out just how out of shape they are. They said that by the end of the night, they were just wandering from one end of the court to the other, trying to keep up with the ball. I proudly was able to say that I saved myself from humiliation by not going -- that I know that I am out of shape.

And thus, the weight loss paradox. I know good and well that if I went and played basketball for a few hours, I would have burned more calories. But besides humiliation, I also risked injury and utter exhaustion. Apparently, fat rats have the same outlook on exercise that I do -- they phone it in every once in awhile, but they leave the real work to the skinny mice. Recent research found that as weight goes down, the motivation to run goes up, as does the rewards of running.

But still, I know I have to exercise. I haven't tried jumping rope again because the only real place to do it is outside and people might see. The same excuse has explained why I'm not doing the shovelglove or hula hooping. I guess for the time being, I'm regulated to walking and the treadmill -- hopefully my motivation will go up as my diet takes care of some of my extra baggage.

Tracking with a Pedometer

1963
Originally uploaded by Jasmic

I got a pedometer for Christmas and since then, I've kept it tucked in my pants to see how far I walk every day. On days that I get outside for a twenty minute walk, I average about 4,500 steps and on other days about 2,000. As you can tell, I lead a pretty sedentary lifestyle - my daily routine is bed, car, desk, car, desk, bed.

According to a recent study, to get on par with people who are of normal weight, I need to walk about 12,000 steps per day. Effectively, that means that I need to take 4 twenty minute walks per day. I could also walk faster, which is what I'll probably end up doing.

My first goal will be a specific number of walks per week. At the moment, I typically only walk when my stress levels dictate it. I'll start off aiming for 4 twenty minute walks per week. Only a seventh of the end goal, but it is a definite start!

Fitness Tunes to Get You Going

music
Originally uploaded by phil h

If they ever make a movie about my weightloss journey, I have to admit that Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger by Daft Punk will be part of the soundtrack. I was first exposed to the song by Kanye West's remix, Stronger, but I like the original better. It and Technologic by the same group are staples in my workout mixes, but lately I've been looking to expand that playlist.

Today I stumbled upon SkinnySongs, an album of music written by Heidi Rozen, a successful business woman who one day decided to slim down before turning 50. She sampled the diet music that was available at the time, but didn't like what she heard since most of it focused on the dreary aspects of dieting.

Taking it upon herself and building on her creative-writing degree, she worked with two established music producers to make ten songs, including Use It to Lose It, The Incredible Shrinking Woman, and I'm a Hottie Now. Some critics of the album have pointed out that the songs focus on the vanity of losing weight instead of the health benefits. Keith Ayoob, a nutritionist in New York City made one such comment.

The tunes are catchy and short, but they are focused on superficiality and cosmetics instead of managing weight for health. From a useful standpoint, I don't know how much they are going to help anybody.

I'll have to disagree. While my main focus of losing weight is to be around a lot longer for my family, I can't help but want to look better too. Even if my only motivation for losing weight was to fit into a specific pair of jeans, that wouldn't mean that I wouldn't also achieve better health at the same time.

I Can't Jump Rope

BIG Ball Of Rope
Originally uploaded by Big-E-Mr-G

Today I was out for lunch and saw that there was a sporting goods store in the same strip mall, so I stopped in and picked up a jump rope. I got the cheapest one to start off with since I didn't know if I could actually jump rope. As it turns out, I can't. That doesn't mean I'll give up, but it is going to take some practice.

I decided to look around for some tips on jumping rope and the most common one seems to be regarding the height of the jump.

Don't jump too high off of the ground. I find this to be the single-most problematic part for people who try jumping rope for the first time. The key is to get a nice bounce off the balls of your feet, probably no more than a few inches off the ground.

I have to find a good place to jump at since it seems like concrete and asphalt aren't good surfaces for jumping rope. We have low-nap carpetting but the ceilings definately aren't high enough for me to do it inside.

Winter Fitness

And ...stretch those arms
Originally uploaded by dirk huijssoon

This week in Pennsylvania it has been down right freezing outside. I get cold just walking from my car to the office in the morning -- I do park at the back of the lot to fit in a little bit of exercise, but it's still not that far! So I've been using that as an excuse not to walk this week. I did stop to get gloves tonight with the hope that keeping my fingers warm will let me get back on track. Thankfully, Science Daily has some tips for getting into shape without leaving that house.

Get a Fitness Assessment I honestly don't remember seeing anyone recommend getting a personal trainer to design an at-home fitness routine before. And as always, it is a good idea to check with your doctor before starting any exercise routine.

Purchase the Right Equipment For any large purchases, I'd recommend renting the equipment first. A treadmill or eliptical might cost fifty dollars to rent per month, but if you stop using it after two months, you can return it instead of letting a large investment collect dust. For smaller purchases like resistance bands and jump ropes, just make sure you get something of quality and not a dollar store knock-off.

Be Creative Whenever I have to carry a gallon of water or tea in to the house, I take the opportunity to heft it about a bit. At eight pounds each, two in each hand is as good as fifteen pound weights.

Embrace the Outdoors It seems silly to have this on a list of tips how to get fit inside!

Maintain a Support System This is one of my biggest problems. When I don't exactly feel like exercising or eating right, I don't have anyone around me to remind me to do the right thing.

Change Up Your Routine One of my favorite things about using walking to exercise is that it can be different every time. Take a right instead of a left and you're discovering new things. A few weeks back, I found a one way road that leads to a dead end. I wonder how many people accidentally drive down it and then have to break the law to escape.

Realize that Weight Loss Won't Happen Overnight It's important to set realistic goals. You can only safely expect to lose one percent of your body weight per week. Anything beyond that is water or muscle weight, not fat.

I'll be doing my best to exercise this winter, but I can't wait for spring to come. There are a lot of places I want to walk and I also want to start the Couch-to-5K program.

Jumping Rope Pays Off

Box of jump ropes
Originally uploaded by momboleum

Recently, I've been thinking about picking up a jump rope and adding a bit of jumping to my work out routine. Jumping rope appeals to me since a rope seems nearly as cheap and portable as walking. I've been finding a lot of time to walk, just by fitting it in where I'd normally be sitting idle -- usually while waiting for my wife. In my web search for more information on jumping rope, I found that a boxing club in New York recently had a jump rope competition.

Jump roping is a basic training of boxing and it's something that's easy and fun to do.

Pearl Kim, the Korean-American owner of the 10-month-old K2 Boxing Club, held the contest to promote his club and boxing in general. Nearly three dozen competitors were given ten minutes to show off their stamina and speed to a panel of judges. Just three mistakes meant that they were disqualified.

In the end Gill Soo Choi, age 47, jumped ahead of the competition and took home the prize of $1,000. Peter Samolis, age 18, dazzled the judges and audience with his fancy footwork to win the $300 "coolest jumper" prize.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

st mary's subway stop in the rain
Originally uploaded by jspad

Today was the first day since I started walking regularly that it was raining outside and while I got my walk done, it sucked. It wouldn't have been so bad if I wasn't doing my walking during my lunch break -- I ended up with wet slacks. It looks like it may be raining and snowing for at least the next week, so I dug up some useful tips for walking in the rain.

1. Visibility is reduced during the rain, so wear bright colors or reflective clothing especially if walking near or across roads.
2. Keep a change of dry clothes and a towel in a bag so that you can change immediately after walking. This will keep you from getting chilly afterwards.
3. Look in to investing in waterproof shoes. Many different types exist, from expensive waterproof boots to sealant for your current shoes. Water proof socks and gaiters are another option.
4. Layer your clothing and include a water proof jacket or poncho. Layers will allow you to avoid being too hot or too cold. Look for a jacket with underarm vents or zippers to allow perspiration to escape while keeping the rain out.