Working Out

So almost everyone I have been working with has a different opinion about what I should (or should not) do in terms of exercise.

Massage therapist: advised me for years to try yoga for flexibility and lengthen my muscles and reduce stress

Neurologist: (after MRI) no yoga because some of the poses could hurt my neck, but Pilate's might be good; he wants me to build up some muscles

Physical Therapist: doesn't recommend exercise beyond light cardio because if you need to use muscles on a regular basis you will build them up; and then if you stop using them regularly they will go away anyways...

Chiropractor/Acupuncturist: a good balance of everything sounds good - just start light and easy - and don't hurt yourself

Me: well, nobody can agree... and I know what hurts and what doesn't... so I'll try....

I had been doing a little walking already... here and there... nothing consistent, but I did realize that with walking, the light swinging movement of my arms usually would release a lot of the tension in my shoulders.

I started by going back to www.SparkPeople.com.  I had used this site in the past, but I decided to try it again.  It is a great site for tracking well any and everything thing.  It tracks meals, fitness, exercise and other goals (even glasses of water drank in a day).  They boast being a weight loss tool, but for someone like me that just needs to track everything it's helpful and the other thing I love is all the resources that are available!  Workouts, videos, motivational articles, general well being, nutrition, diseases, recent health news, and the list goes on...

So in April I started using this site again and doing some research and I decided I wanted to start doing some very light strength training - and I decided that resistance bands is where I wanted to start.  Easier said that done.  I went shopping 3 times before I bought anything and even on the day of my purchase I spent at least 30 minutes standing in Walmart's fitness section trying to pick resistance bands.  I finally decided on this kit by Gold's Gym.  It is a great beginner's start with light and medium resistance short and long tubes with door attachment, a medium resistance band, a medium resistance ring, and instructional DVD.

Now that I was fully equipped (ok only partially, but at least ready), I needed to find out what I was going to do with these bands.  My target area is upper body, chest, arms, back, etc.  I went back to my Spark People site and they have short workout videos with bands specifically for upper body!

Last week was my first week of semi-consistent working out!  The most consistent I have been in... well, longer than I can remember!

On Saturday May 12th I walked for 30 minutes and went 1.28 miles (which is a pace for a 23 minute mile).  Oh that is another awesome feature of Spark People - they have a "Map Your Route" where you can just put in your starting address and make the points in your walk/jog/bike and it will calculate how far you went.  I have even zoomed in close and used the satellite view to find the path around a park.  I think they use Google Maps for it, but don't quote me on that!

On Sunday May 13th I walked for 25 minutes and went 1.46 miles (a 17 minute mile pace).  By the time I was getting close to home I could it in my calves!  2 walks in 2 days!

Tuesday May 15th I got adventurous.  I tried to jump rope.  I made it 4.5 minutes and my calves were burning for about 5 days afterwards, but it was worth it to try!!!  I also did my first day of strength training using a Spark People video (this is also available on YouTube so I will provide it here) 7-Minute Upper Body Resistance Band Workout  And I wasn't done here!  That evening during Kyra's soccer practice I walked around the soccer field and playground for 50 minutes of her hour practice!  I did 1.86 miles at a 26 minute mile pace.

Thursday May 17th I did some more strenght training.  I repeated the resistance workout above and included and additional workout 7-Minute Seated Resistance Band Workout for Upper Body.  After those two; my arms were definitely feeling jello-y.

My current goals are walking 3-4 days a week and resistance bands for upper body 2-3 days.  Soon I hope to be able to add to this, but as my mother says "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time."  And so I will do the same with this; one step at a time, especially because with me the consequences of an injury are so much more severe.