Monday, November 30, 2009

Exercising


Going nowhere fast

I've been noticing a lot of my blogging buddies lamenting about the difficulty of exercising in the winter in various parts of the country. There's no doubt it's harder. The picture above was taken from the internet, since I feel embarrassed about actually taking pictures of my fellow YMCA enthusiasts working out. At our local Y, we have a long string of treadmills and elliptical machines like those pictured above. They are not hard to use, but they are so boring!

I notice many people with earphones listening to either music, news, or maybe even learning a foreign language or something similar. It's the only way to make yourself do this solitary exercise. I find it does help to be surrounded by people who are also working out; it gives me incentive. I don't think I could ever ride that treadmill long enough to have that butt. And you wouldn't find me dressed in a bright red clingy outfit, either. For obvious reasons.

For me, I love the camaraderie of the exercise class. The Y has one every weekday at 9:00 am, which works perfectly into my morning routine. I catch the bus at 7:50, quaff my morning latte while reading the local newspaper, and walk the few minutes to the Y in order to change and be ready to work out by then. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we show up for Joanne's class, which has a loyal following of perhaps 40 people, even when it is raining, like today.

Just like in any class, everyone who shows up regularly ends up migrating to the same spot in the room. I like the south side, not very far back. Joanne has a set warm-up routine, and then we bounce around to what is called "low impact" aerobics. Some people barely move their arms and feet, and others are in danger of bouncing off the ceiling. I love to watch in the mirror what others are doing behind me. We do the aerobics part of the class for 40 minutes and then we cool down with some slower music and spend another 15-20 minutes doing floor exercises, working on abdominals, butt muscles, a little light weight stuff, some push-ups, and finish off with maybe five minutes of stretching.

I wear ankle weights and wrist weights, not much, only a pound each, adding an extra four pounds, but it sure makes me sweat a lot more. I also try to maximize the arm and leg movements, since I'm disappointed if I don't work up a bit of a sweat by the end. Our women's shower room has a sauna (which is usually very hot) and a steam bath. I shower and dry my hair and am out of the Y by 10:30, head to the bus terminal and am home by 11:00 am.

On Thursdays, I head up to the hills with the Senior Trailblazers. All summer long we go to the High Country, but during the short rainy days of winter we stay close to town. This Thursday we will hike up to Raptor Ridge, up 1,600 feet elevation and a round trip of about 8 miles. By the end of the day I am spent but very happy and feel a great sense of accomplishment. Our leader just sent an email today saying that the weather report "stinks a little less than usual" because we will most likely not get rained on.

Without this routine I would really not be enjoying myself. I find that on days when I can't get my usual workout, I feel rather depressed and grumpy. Sitting at my computer and watching the birds while I blog is so much more satisfying when I've had my workout. When the holidays close things down, I need to find another outlet.

Today, Monday, everything has returned to normal and I am smiling as I write this. What do you do for exercise? What are your options?
:-)

15 comments:

  1. I too, have noticed that on days I don't exercise my patience wears thin rather quickly, and I am more easily irritated.
    I think that it is much easier to exercise in groups; it's easier to stay motivated. Unfortunately that's not always an option for me. I try to walk two miles a day (with my neighbor as we walk our dogs) and also do a little bit of a prenatal yoga workout. Pre pregnancy I tried to do at least a half an hour of Pilates each day. Of course, all of this has to be squeezed in between nap time and chores:)

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  2. You are my hero, DJan. You are what I aspire to be in my heart and mind. :-)

    Right now I have a terrible chest cold. A by-product of hugging all those family member just getting over it, I suppose. But I think this winter will find me at the Rec Center where we have an olympic size swimming pool. I have bought the gear, and my intention is to heal and then get back into laps. Otherwise we have a walk around the golf course during the winter - about 1.8 mi. Not far, but at 6500 feet it feels further than it is. We have a Wii Fit and as soon as I figure out how to use it I might do something there, or I noticed a Pilates Studio that I might try. But, unlike you, it is still in the planning stage.

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  3. O DJAN...

    You put me to shame! What do I do for exercise? Precious little, I am ashamed to admit. However... you inspire me.... maybe tomorrow?

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  4. I think I have been reading those same posts. I used to walk on my treadmill 30 minutes a day until my balance got too bad. All these posts are motivating me to find an alternative. Far Side has got me interested in the elliptical machine. Swimming is my favorite. I just hate the swimming suit part. Wish I could do it in something that covers neck to ankle.

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  5. Well, let me see... I sometimes drive by the gym... I regularly see people walking up and down stairs at work, (you can see the stairs from the elevator doors,) I lift food to my mouth and oh yeah! I open the truck door and shut it! I'm so proud of progress. Last year I just watched it all on TV!

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  6. I swim 3/4 of a mile at least five days a week. I used to run but arthritis in my ankles put a stop to that about four years ago. I haven't been able to swim for the last week and a half due to an ear infection (my first in my memory). I should be back in the pool by the end of this week. I do miss it when I can't exercise...I'm always afraid I will stop and never start again.

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  7. I think I must do some exercise at least three times a week if not more..it keeps me going! I am also much happier when I exercise..you do great Djan ..you are an inspiration! :)

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  8. Oh gosh! I need to get back to it. That asthma problem kept me away from doing anything active most of the year and now I feel it! Right now, my daily exercise is carrying buckets of mash to the barn, mucking stalls, walking horses... It's a lot more fun than the tread mill!

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  9. Great DJ, and you're right treadmill is soooo boring! You can't see anything, just yourself and your fellow gym mates LOL!

    I will stick with my running routine, just like yesterday after the floods and that the lake has subsided...I ran for the first time after the floods and I was very delighted to see farmers farming veggies and fruits again, ducks, goats were right there again aaah how relaxing!

    AL
    AL

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  10. Exercize is definitely a great boost for the mood. I have a gym at home and we fully intend to use it but we are lazy! I think you might have just inspired me to get back in there!

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  11. Who would have thought, people would need to "exercise" to stay alive. In the old days when I was growing up, people actually worked pretty hard and were dog-tired by sundown. They took a bath on Saturday and washed their hair then too. And once a month or so, especially in the winter, and they got their underwear washed up.

    Nowadays, people move but from one chair to the next or to the toilet. The dirt doesn't cling to their bodies and they don't smell bad. Their hair is washed and pampered and cut and curled and their teeth are made white as new fallen snow. They can't chin themselves, run or walk a mile in any kind of weather and nobody can throw an 85 bale of hay up onto a hay wagon.

    I guess progress is how much exercise we pay for.

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  12. When Winter hits Minnesota, I hit my stairmaster. Maybe I'll work out today in honor of D-jan. I have to lock up my cat Hana because she is determined to get crushed under the movement of the stair part. Naughty rascal.

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  13. We used to go to the gym regularly but lately with the flood, the trip and my colds we have not been there. I am afraid to say that I exercise my brain more than my body – so much to read, so many blogs to catch up with and new posts to write, but I shall get back to the gym soon. I’ll have to read you post again to get motivated – like every morning!

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  14. Torture, sheer torture. You would not get me doing that for all the tea in China! I can think of better ways of putting on 4lbs too!! I get my exercise walking, swimming and gardening and that's quite enough thank you. Sometimes I dance along to my music, which is quite loud and furiously fast on occasions.
    I admire your tenacity but I'll keep to my own, thank you very much.
    Blessings, Star

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  15. You have a wonderful routine DJan, I admire your ability to keep such a schedule. I spend a lot of time doing yard work, I am still raking leaves thanks to all the wind. I try to get to the park at least twice a week for a brisk walk around the grounds which is roughly two miles. I have a home gym and when the weather gets really bad I use either the mp3 player or videos on the computer for workouts.

    At the moment I have a nasty head cold/ear infection so not much of the above is happening.

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