Mixing Things Up

 

It’s a great day to be alive. Whether you have been following since the beginning of our 9-week road to fitness, or if this is your first time joining us, I am happy you decided to play along. We are having a great time, aren’t we? Everyone is drinking lots and lots of water. (BRB, I have to pee.) We are taking at least a 20-minute walk a day, or an activity break away from our desk where we move more than usual. Try to add a few more minutes each day. We traded one bad habit for one good habit. Adding more fruits and vegetables to our daily consumption and less carbohydrates and sweets is an awesome habit to change.

All that in one week? Holy cow, that’s a lot to do just to get started. I’d rather sit on the couch with the remote control and a super-sized cheese burger in paradise meal deal. I’m kidding. I should confess, I had too many glasses of wine over the weekend and I had the hungry horrors. I ate almost a whole pizza by myself. I tried to indulge on my favorite candy. I bought a bag of Swedish Fish! I love those things. But they didn’t taste good at all. It made me sad because those were always my comfort sweet treat. I am telling you this so you do not feel discouraged. We all fail at some point. Don’t let that one setback make you give up. Brush it off, and start fresh.

Let’s mix things up a little so that we have a little fun while getting fit and healthy. Hopefully you have someone to talk to while you are walking. Joe and I get caught up on our day’s events. Both of our jobs usually provide plenty of daily stories to tell. The other day we must have had boring days because we weren’t talking much at all. It helps to have some conversation, so I said, “Hey Siri!” He responded. It surprised me because I never talk to Siri. I said, “Play Fleetwood Mac.” He did and it made the walk a little more enjoyable. Try some music in your daily activity.

Daily activity doesn’t have to be a walk. When burning calories you don’t have to sweat so the possibilities are endless. Do you have a pool? Swim some laps. Do you have weights? Strength exercises are very productive. Joe has been doing strength exercising in the morning as well as our walks in the afternoon. I stretch for 15-30 minutes in increments throughout the day. I have wicked sciatica and since I have been doing this routine of stretches, it has helped immensely. I have never felt better.

Start with activities that match your current fitness level, and then build on it from there. Start first with the number of days a week, then add duration to each activity, and from there start to increase the intensity. For example, today when you take your 20-30 minute walk, walk for five minutes at your normal pace. For the next 30 seconds walk as fast as you can. Go back to your normal pace for two minutes, then walk as fast as you can for 30 seconds. Repeat this process as many times as you can to the end of your walk.

Change the time of day when you go for a walk. Get up 45 minutes earlier and take a walk in the morning. Skip the afternoon cocktail hour and go for a walk. This is another habit we changed. Not only is it helping our health, it’s also saving money. We still enjoy a cocktail, just not as many.

 

That’s all for now,