Hey Everyone -

I'm setting up my gym log tonight. I've been LC-ing for about three months, and I'm finally ready to get serious about exercising, too. I did work out at first, but then it trailed off before the holidays.

I will be doing Selene Yeager's Perfectly Fit (but I'll do it as an cardio interval training session) on MWF followed by a good 20-minute walk down and back up the hill on Fore Street. THs will be a walk around the local park - for 20 minutes at first (I know, I'm a wimp ), and I'm adding yoga back in on Tuesday nights. This will mean I'll get 5 days of aerobics, 3 days of resistance training, and one yoga session a week.

My big problem is not overdoing it, so we'll see if this is maintanable. I was once a fit and perky lil' girlie (well - not so lil' really ), and I've never done walking for aerobics. I've always thought it was too wimpy. Of course, trying to do regular workouts after a fair number of years of inactivity means that I would always overdo it. So here's to moderation! Whee!

Til tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!
-Lona

WHEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!

First workout has left me on a huge endorphin high.

Here's what I did:
from Selene Yeager's "Perfectly Fit", Weeks 1-4

Wood Chop - 1/10 - 3kg weight
Dumbbell Side Swing - 1/10 each side - 1kg
Dumbbell Press - 1/10 - 2kg
Seated Back Fly - 1/10 - 1kg
Lat Pulldown - 1/10 - band
Simultaneous Dumbbell Curl - 1/10 - 2kg
Behind-Your-Back Arm Raise - 1/10 - 1kg
Seated Straight-Leg Lift - 1/10
Lying Leg Curl - 1/10
All-Fours Kickback - 1/10
2-Second Floor Crunch - 1/10

OK - so one set of 10 reps is NUTHIN', but I'm cautiously starting slow. In between each set I did 2.5 minutes of aerobics. At first, I hopped on DH's old exercise bike. Well - the thing is a piece of junk really, and I hated it. The seat is stuck and I can't adjust it higher, so after four aerobics sessions, I abandoned it for stepping. And I found my "Shapes" Walking CD - Disco. It got harder and harder to just step, and once Funky Town came on, I was free-forming it all over the music room. It must be a damned funny sight to see this 250-lb. gal of Polish descent funk around the room, but I swear that between this afternoon and New Years Eve (see journal), there's a funky diva inside just bursting to get out.

OK maybe not. I'm just glad the neighbors weren't looking in the windows.

Oh yeah - I walked down and back up the big hill in Totnes this morning with DH. More tomorrow....

Just back from my walk today. I did:

5 minutes warm up around the park
10 minutes power walk around the park
10 minutes walk home up hill (this was the hardest part!!)
2 minutes recovery

That's really only a 20 minute workout, but again, I'm starting slow. To be honest, it was enough! I'm sleepy now. And that walk up hill!!

I got this email from Oprah (haha) in my hotmail this morning, and her trainer, Bob Greene, says in order to lose weight, you should work out aerobically 6 times a week. He doesn't count cardio resistance training as an aerobic workout (even though my body temperature went up and my breathing quickened yesterday - definitely). It worries me that I might be wasting my time doing only what I can handle. I know that if I try to push it too hard at first, I'll quit. Argh.

Well - losing weight on Atkins is easy anyway, so I guess physical activity can only help.

Cardio-Resistance today.

from Selene Yeager's "Perfectly Fit", Weeks 1-4

5 minute aerobic warmup
Wood Chop - 1/10 - 3kg weight
2.5 minutes aerobics
Dumbbell Side Swing - 1/10 each side - 1kg
2.5 minutes aerobics
Dumbbell Press - 1/10 - 2kg
2.5 minutes aerobics
Seated Back Fly - 1/10 - 1kg
2.5 minutes aerobics
Lat Pulldown - 1/10 - band
2.5 minutes aerobics
Simultaneous Dumbbell Curl - 1/10 - 2kg
2.5 minutes aerobics
Behind-Your-Back Arm Raise - 1/10 - 1kg
2.5 minutes aerobics
Seated Straight-Leg Lift - 1/10
2.5 minutes aerobics
Lying Leg Curl - 1/10
All-Fours Kickback - 1/10
2-Second Floor Crunch - 1/10
stretch

Just a quick note as I'm out the door. I've found a way to combine my practicing with my exercise. I'm power walking the half hour to Dartington college (lots of uphill!!) where I will practice until 6 tonight. Whee! Wish me luck so that I don't get lost.

Will check in with times and such tonight.
-L

OK - so here are the numbers.

I walked 15 minutes to the driveway of the school (it's a longgggggggggg driveway), so that was a bit of a warmup, really. Although I didn't stroll.

Power walked (and just plain old walked up hill) for 17 minutes up the drive, and then did 2.5 minutes roaming around the building before starting rehearsal.

So a fairly difficult walk (for me) for 30 minutes. Not bad.

Another day - another workout. But today I went easy on the cardio as I was feeling worn out from yesterday (what a day!) and wanted to preserve some energy for my cardio tomorrow. Here's what I did:

5 minute cardio warmup (to Funky Town OF COURSE!!)
Wood Chop - 1/10 - 3kg weight
Dumbbell Side Swing - 1/10 each side - 1kg
Dumbbell Press - 1/10 - 2kg
Seated Back Fly - 1/10 - 1kg
Lat Pulldown - 1/10 - band
Simultaneous Dumbbell Curl - 1/10 - 2kg
Another 5 minutes of cardio - more disco!
Behind-Your-Back Arm Raise - 1/10 - 1kg
Seated Straight-Leg Lift - 1/10
Lying Leg Curl - 1/10
All-Fours Kickback - 1/10
2-Second Floor Crunch - 1/10
5 minute aerobics with cool down
stretch

I'm ready for more weight next week - or more sets. I wonder which one I should do first? Maybe both!?

Oh yeah - and I also walked down and back up most of the big hill on Fore Street. I think that kind of thing does me a LOT of good!

Today, I did a 2 hour walk!!!!!! I'm not kidding. It wasn't power walking, and it wasn't necessarily solid walking for two hours. I was delivering papers. (No I'm not secretly 13 or something!) I did a good half hour up and back down a steep hill. Then we hopped in the car and went around town (a bit of a cheat, but you could double that time if we hadn't!!!!). There were 2 other big streets that were at least 20 minutes of walk each. So that's like an hour and 10 of some pretty solid walking.

EEK!

Hey everyone -

I didn't work out today. It was my off day. I went for a short walk, though. It wasn't intense at all, but at least I got some fresh air.

Can't wait to move my body tomorrow. Wheeeeeee Funky Town - here I come!!!

Just completed today's workout:

5 minute warmup
Wood Chop - 2/10 - 3kg weight
Dumbbell Side Swing - 2/10 each side - 1kg
Dumbbell Press - 2/10 - 2kg
Seated Back Fly - 2/10 - 1kg
Lat Pulldown - 2/10 - band
Simultaneous Dumbbell Curl - 2/10 - 3kg then 2kg
Behind-Your-Back Arm Raise - 2/10 - 1kg
Seated Straight-Leg Lift - 2/10
Lying Leg Curl - 2/10
All-Fours Kickback - 2/10
2-Second Floor Crunch - 2/10
stretch

It was a short one today - only 30 minutes. But I have to run and put dinner on!

I did a BfL style aerobic workout with a step this morning:

Level (1 min) Activity
5 warm up
5 warm up
6 toe taps on step
7 basic step
8 alternating knee
9 run
6 toe taps on step
7 basic step
8 alternating side kick
9 run
6 toe taps on step
7 basic step
8 alternating hamstrings
9 run
6 toe taps on step
7 basic step
8 repeater - knee, side, hamstring
9 run
10 double-time toe tap (this kicked my butt!)
5 cool down
stretch

ahhhhhhhhhhh - done!

Today's workout:

5 minute warmup
-2.5 minutes floor aerobics
-2.5 minutes step aerobics
Wood Chop - 2/10 - 3kg weight
2.5 minutes step aerobics
Dumbbell Side Swing - 2/10 each side - 1kg
2.5 minutes step aerobics
Dumbbell Press - 2/10 - 2kg
2.5 minutes floor aerobics
Seated Back Fly - 2/10 - 1kg
2.5 minutes step aerobics
Lat Pulldown - 2/10 - band
2.5 minutes step aerobics
Simultaneous Dumbbell Curl - 2/10 - 3kg
2.5 minutes step aerobics
Behind-Your-Back Arm Raise - 2/10 - 1kg
2.5 minutes step aerobics
Seated Straight-Leg Lift - 2/10
Lying Leg Curl - 2/10
All-Fours Kickback - 2/10
2-Second Floor Crunch - 2/10
stretch

It was POURING down rain today, so I didn't do my long walk to Dartington or even a walk around the park. But I did combine some quick grocery shopping with a walk down and back up the hill on Fore Street. That was about 20 minutes of exercise with one very brief (couple minutes) stop at the butchers shop.

Then I did a few yoga postures - no more than 10 minutes. It wasn't much today, but it felt like enough.

Today's workout:

5 minute warmup
-2.5 minutes floor aerobics
-2.5 minutes step aerobics
Wood Chop - 2/10 - 3kg weight
2.5 minutes step aerobics
Dumbbell Side Swing - 2/10 each side - 1kg
2.5 minutes step aerobics
Dumbbell Press - 2/10 - 2kg
2.5 minutes floor aerobics
Seated Back Fly - 2/10 - 1kg
2.5 minutes step aerobics
Lat Pulldown - 2/10 - band
2.5 minutes step aerobics
Simultaneous Dumbbell Curl - 2/10 - 3kg
2.5 minutes floor aerobics
Behind-Your-Back Arm Raise - 2/10 - 1kg
2.5 minutes step aerobics
Seated Straight-Leg Lift - 2/10
Lying Leg Curl - 2/10
All-Fours Kickback - 2/10
2-Second Floor Crunch - 2/10
stretch

5 minute warmup
-2.5 minutes floor aerobics
-2.5 minutes step aerobics
Wood Chop - 2/12 - 3kg weight
Dumbbell Side Swing - 2/10 each side - 1kg
Dumbbell Press - 2/12 - 2kg
Seated Back Fly - 2/12 - 1kg
Lat Pulldown - 2/12 - band
Simultaneous Dumbbell Curl - 2/12 - 3kg
Behind-Your-Back Arm Raise - 2/12 - 1kg
5 minutes step aerobics
Seated Straight-Leg Lift - 2/12
Lying Leg Curl - 2/12
All-Fours Kickback - 2/12
2-Second Floor Crunch - 2/12
5 minutes cool down
-2.5 minutes step aerobics
-2.5 minutes floor aerobics
stretch