Weighty Wednesday--The Dreaded 'E' Word

Yep, it's time to talk about it. The horrible 'E' word -- EXERCISE.

But before I go any further, I want to point out that I lost almost 40 pounds simply by WALKING.

It can be done. You can do it, too.

First off, if you are morbidly obese or have other health issues, please see your doctor first. It's my intention to encourage, not hurt anyone.

If you haven't done any exercise other than lifting the TV remote control, start easy by walking and build up your time, speed and incline. If you don't like to walk, but you love to dance then join a zumba class or dance while cleaning the house. Just start moving!

There are a number of reasons most people fail at an exercise program:

1. They hit it too hard, too fast--using heavier weights won't make you stronger if you are flabby to start with. All it will do is built up the lactic acid, making you sore. Or jack up the incline or speed on the treadmill won't make you lose weight faster. .
2. They pick a style of exercise they don't enjoy--just because someone tells you that you need to cycle doesn't mean you need to cycle if all it does is make parts of your anatomy go numb. Don't lift weights if you don't want to lift weights. When I started walking, hubster told me to start lifting weights to work on my upper body. I didn't want to. Just carrying my full water bottle is TWO POUNDS. I can do bicep curls, deltoids lifts and triceps stretches with my stinking water bottle!  
3. They injure themselves -- see #1
4. They expect instant results -- see #1
5. They quit -- see #3 and #4

There is a reason people join gym's in January only to quit going by the end of February. Though I belong to a gym, I HATE going to the gym. It's smelly. The lighting is abysmal. I don't feel comfortable there. The technology on the equipment changes faster than I change my underwear.

So I decided to start walking. It was summer. I could walk early in the morning. It was cheep. I didn't need any special clothes. I love the outdoors. It was ideal.

--though I would recommend you spend some $$$ money on a good pair of shoes. I don't wear walking shoes (they press on my bunions and are too stiff and hot), but I wear running shoes (larger treads, lighter weight, wide toe box, made from breathable material) with a metatarsal insert.

Chose a location. Plan a period of time. And start walking. Even if you have to park at the North Forty at the mall and walk in, then you've accomplished something that you didn't the day before.

There are a few things you should notice:

• you will feel your muscles as they warm up and stretch. If you feel it in your joints, stop and get checked out by a doctor. I must confess that I have a bum left knee (previous aerobics injury that caught up to me in my old age), and yes, I have had it checked by a doc--it's bursitis--I walk through the stiffness and soreness. My feet will warm up, too. Not like forming a blister warm, but a happy warm.
• your respiration will increase. You will be taking deeper breaths more times per minute than at rest
• you will feel your hear rate increase. You can have all those new fangled gadgets monitoring it, but you don't need them (unless you have health issues and your doc wants you to wear one). You can feel it beat quicker. If you want to time it, then take your neck pulse for 10 seconds and multiply times 6. If you want to do this, you need to know what your resting pulse is too.
• you will sweat. Yes, even in below freezing weather, you should be sweating--armpits and back for sure.

If you don't notice any of these, you need to push yourself a little bit more--a slightly longer walk, increase your pace, find a hill to climb.

It doesn't take much to get moving. Go enjoy what nature has provided for you.

Later, peeps!