Tweek it Tuesday

[taurusmoon]

Is there something about your fitness plan that's not going quite the way you want it to?

If so, there's got to be a way around that problem.

If it's been raining too much, perhaps it's time to prepare an indoor workout plan. Just in case.

Having problems getting to the gym? Are your favorite classes being cancelled all the time? Improvise at home.

Not getting around to it? Maybe you should find some kind of motivation for yourself? How about a nice reward?

Not meeting your goals? How about some more realistic goals?



You're not going to get fit and healthy just thinking about it. You need some action. If your action plan isn't working tweek it It can't hurt (as long as your tweek is within your reasonable physical limits). In fact, the worst it can do is revitalize your commitment by giving you something new and different to obsess about.

Of course, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Why ruin a good thing?

So, do you have a good thing going? :thumbs: Or could it use a bit of tweeking? If so, start coming up with some fun alternatives.

Ladies and Gentlemen, put on your tweeking caps.


Sara

[pluckyduck]

"Tweek! Tweek!" said the little bird.

Agree :thumbs: with our resident bull muchly. I needed more steps last night and was tired of walking around the coffee table. I threw in my Susan Powter tape, and tweeked the heck out of her routine. Hey, she makes a big deal about how you can modify the workout.

Last night, I didn't have any aerobic energy in me at all, I was just going for steps. I forgot about trying to copy almost any of her moves, and just went with a couple variations of simple stepping that she does. I left out the arms, but I left in the interval weight training slowly, I went slowly, no Sara I'm not going to throw my back out with it, I promise. It was after 11 when I started so I couldn't even finish the whole tape, but it got me an extra 3000 steps.

I thought, I can do this. This I can do.

I've been really disappointed and frustrated that I haven't been able to get my long (for me) walks in the last two weeks. It is really good to have indoor, at home, options though.

Have I mentioned how much I love stepping yet?

Andrea
who loves stepping

[jenninca]

I am actually starting to develop routes and routines. Can you believe it? I've got various routes picked out that give me a certain number of steps. I've got the 1000-step mailbox route, the 2000-step church route, the 4000-step library route, and the 5500-step library-plus-another-loop route. I'm as bad as my parents, who go for a walk each night and decide if they're going to take Walk A, B, C, or D.

Actually, I have to say again that I love Plano for its park system. There's a path running directly behind my apartment that follows the path of a creek. The path runs along both sides of the creek, so you can have a different route both ways. They strategically placed the creek crossings so you can only cross every so often. The 4000-step walk is if I cross at the first crossing, 5500 steps is the second crossing, 7500 steps (I think) is the third crossing. I haven't made it beyond that point.

What was my point? Oh, yeah. I'm starting to feel like a real exerciser. Thanks, guys. :thumbs:

Cindy

[lynnzop[$]]

Okay, I think I need some serious tweaking on my food routines.

For three months, I was down and serious on what and HOW MUCH I was eating. I lost weight.

Then I started exercising more and more and got real serious about that. I lost more weight.

BUT....(you knew there was going to be one of those)....I can feel myself slipping in the food department. With the summer gone, and all that fresh produce no longer beckoning me from the open air market, I'm not eating as many veggies. I've also noticed my portion sizes are starting to slip.

WW has journals that you are supposed to use; I have been very lax about using mine. I'm hoping I will have a good weigh-in today, but I am determined.

I will use my food journal.

But I need to use my support system (I have a naggy friend at work) to make sure I don't slip again.

Lynn

[hypotenuse]

Yah well, I'm going to have to get serious. I'm almost ready to interview and guess what?

Can't fit into any of my work clothes.

Working at the PO was great in that I didn't have to *dress*. School is the same. Show up in what I'm in at the time.

Can't do that on a job interview.

And I spent ALL my money on this really cool attache case, which leaves none for an interview outfit. Plus I know I'd feel better during the interview if I didn't have to go buy a larger size outfit.

So, gotta get serious.

Ok. I'm serious now.



Lynne

[cyndilouwhoo]

Hmmmmmm....

I will have to think on this. The fact that I never have anything planned out when I wake up in the morning could indeed be a problem for me. However I notice that if I don't start right out first thing in the morning with a walk, the whole thing gets shot to hell...

I got in tons of steps yesterday because I had to walk the kids to school--there was no one else around to do it! Once I got out and started walking it seemed easy to add an extra non-school walk into the day.

Hmmmmm.....Maybe it's a case of motivation. Maybe I need to just say to myself "self, you need to walk around the block"...or "self, even though your youngest daughter hates to walk in the morning, you should make her so you can go too."

I don't really mind walking in the rain. I don't mind walking in the heat. I don't mind walking in the cold.

I just hate getting started--but once I do I am good to go for the rest of the day.

Hmmmmmm....

Any ideas?

Cyndi

Who is itching to try out her new sneakers and is making her 5 year old walk today. Can't you hear the whining???

[cyndilouwhoo]

And Lynn....

This is the voice of the ghost of weight problems past....

Use your food journal. Use it this morning. Use it every meal, every day until next monday

Remember...People who are successful at Weight Watchers, attend meetings and use their food journals.

They lose more weight than those that do not...

OK Lynn, it's me: Cyndi. I am emailing you a nag...er, um... reminder every morning to use your food journal.

Watch for it. You need to do it. You know you need to do it!

That is all.

Cyndi

Brought to you by the "better weight loss through nagging council"

[quasar]

I gotta get rid of those 15 flights of stairs

Seriously, for the most part right now I'm just going about my business and trying to do one extra thing a day. I think I've been able to do that for the most part, and the reason it's working is because I am not constantly thinking about it, or stressing out over not getting exercise or because I accidentally missed a meal etc. And also mainly because I am not trying to go out of my way (literally) to go to the gym or do this or that. Going out of my way is a hard thing to do at 8pm after having put in 10 or 11 hours at work. Mentally hard to make myself do. Then when I don't do it I get depressed about not doing it. But walking home, no problem. Stopping somewhere within a few blocks of being on the way to grab something to eat, convinvcable most of the time. Deciding to walk to the drugstore rather than wait for the one on the way to work, doable.

If I think about "ugh, I need to go all that way out of the way to go to the gym tonight" or "I haven't had enough fruit today and oh yes, I need some protein too" when trying to assemble a meal at work I will both fail and get frustrated.

That doesn't mean I don't check my steps throughout the day, or that I don't do anything extra for some extra steps, but those things are generally spontaneous. Most of the time I'm not stressing out if I have fewer steps today than I did yesterday or trying to come up with a wild plan to meet a quota of steps.

So my tweak isn't really a tweak. It's a reality check that I'm not doing anything to undermine my ability to do this without getting depressed and frustrated. And I'd have to give myself a big thumbs up right now.

Maybe later when I'm more confident I'm not going to screw this up I'll do some tweaking.

Janice

PS Whoever told me my thighs were going to ache today was, unfortunately, dead on. My poor hamstrings And today is a user group meeting day so a heavy walking day

[murasaki]

I'm planning to lift weights today. I have an appointment after my class that hopefully won't go to long. The weight room closes at 2pm, and I like using it more than the fitness room, but if I miss getting into the weight room, the fitness room will be open continuously until 9pm. So I have no excuse.

It's also raining, so I'm glad today is a lift day instead of a run day.

--naomi

[Redlass]

I have to admit, I'm stuck.

{whine}
We take my son to school at 8:30, I arrive at work by 9 a.m. I usually get out and walk at lunch if it isn't raining or if my workload doesn't dictate eating at my desk. For the past month, I've left work at 6:30 and gone directly to rehearsal. I then get home at 11 p.m. and drop into bed.

I'm willing to count rehearsal as exercise, but the aerobic exercise is minimal. Rehearsals end this week, but last night I didn't leave work until 10 p.m. and that's probably the earliest I'll leave for the next two weeks.

Weekends are crammed full with family stuff, though I am able to get some exercise then.

So where do I squeeze in exercise time?
{/whine}

Sorry. It's that whole priority thing, isn't it? Perhaps I should find a less time-consuming hobby or job.

It is why I've liked the stepping--it helps me be aware of my lifestyle steps and push those up where I can. It's also something I can combine with my hobby--walking is a great way to memorize as it keeps my body in motion and helps make the memorization more of a physical thing.

[pluckyduck]

Bridgette -

I hear you. Keep with the stepping. All steps count.

Read this!

The Surgeon General's Report puts moderate exercise in the reach of everybody.

Andrea

[taurusmoon]

If you're stuck in the office for an extended period of time, try squeezing some exercise in over there. While you might not be able to get any aerobics in, you can still step away from your desk for a couple of minutes of stretching or toning exercise.

Check out Andrea's Butt thread for a few good exercises you can easily perform at your desk. Or, if you don't have enough privacy there, try a small exercise routine when you just happen to be alone in the ladies room.

On weekends, try starting the day off with a workout. Get it out of the way early and you don't have to stress over giving up family time. Plus, you'll benefit from being more energized for the activity packed day ahead.

Whatever you do, don't beat yourself up over the hours you're committed to working. The bills have to be paid, after all. Just promise yourself that when things calm down, it'll be Bridgette time.

Sara

[Redlass]

You guys are too fast. I was just experiencing poster's remorse and was coming back to delete my whining.

I'll read both the link and the post--thank you.

[cyndilouwhoo]

Originally posted by Redlass
You guys are too fast. I was just experiencing poster's remorse and was coming back to delete my whining.

I'll read both the link and the post--thank you.

Well goshdarn it Bridgette...

If you can't whine here where can you whine I'd like to know!



Cyndi

Who has come to rely on this place as her own personal "whining wall"

[Redlass]

Well, I am married to a saint...

...and he'll poke fun at me until I stop whining.

[quasar]

I didn't think I would make it to the office today. My legs were like jelly on stairs. I honestly had little control and at every step I thought I'd fall.

Janice

[cyndilouwhoo]

Oh dear Janice...I think it's time to take it easy. Any way you can put your feet up?

Cyndi

[conradd]

Originally posted by cyndilouwhoo
The fact that I never have anything planned out when I wake up in the morning could indeed be a problem for me. However I notice that if I don't start right out first thing in the morning with a walk, the whole thing gets shot to hell...

Oh, me too girlfriend. If I don't put on my shoes and head out the door before I hit the kitchen, I'm history. We've had a lovely end of summer and it's been very nice leaving at 6:30 for my morning walk and returning at 7:30, just in time to take my son to school. Today, it's pouring rain and I thought about it but decided that I wanted to stay dry. Despite my best exercise video intentions, it was just too easy to roll over and go back to sleep this morning. .

At noon, I usually walk the dog. The odds of convincing her to walk in the rain are slim. She'll whine the whole way.

After dinner, I've been going for a walk around the lake. The odds of getting me out after a day of correcting papers to hike in the rain are slim.

I need a major tweek. Or a climate change.

Deb
thinking that Arizona sounds lovely in the wintertime

[AmyLEnsor]

I've sort of been tweaking it. The biggest part of my exercise routine for so long was aerobic walking. I'd strap on my heart rate monitor, throw my daughter in the stroller (gently place her there, actually) and take off for nice long walks that could take up to two hours or more. But as the sun became more omnipresent (it is nice and overcast in spring) and my daughter became less cooperative, it became much more difficult to do the long walks. Even if my husband was home and I could leave Molly with him and start out on a walk, he wasn't too happy when I'd tell him I'll be back in two hours.

After that, I joined a gym thinking I could use the childcare facilities, the machines and take classes. So far it hasn't really worked out. Molly doesn't like being left in the nursery, so the workers call me to come get her within 15 minutes. The last two times I've gotten her to stay there, I had to take an older child along to entertain her. When I'm at the gym doing the weights, I like to warm up for 10 minutes or so, stretch, do all the machines and the many reps, make sure I get all the muscle groups, stretch some more. By the time I'm done, two hours has gone by and that is with no cardio.

I have some little free weights at home and until recently I had a big exercise ball and I was finding a lot of different exercises to do that I would really feel in my muscles the next day. I took them with me on vacation, deflating the ball, and now the stopper to the ball is gone.

After vacation, I got off my exercise routine in a big way, going a week or more with no workout. That's why I figured I should check into this board and maybe get some motivation! So now I'm back to my old behaviors. I figure that there is no reason why I can't walk for 30 minutes on the treadmill every night while my husband watches the little one. A few days ago I did 30 minutes while she was napping, and 30 minutes when her dad came home. So I might just have to break it up into intervals. I've still got my dumbbells and plenty of exercises to go with 'em, so I just have to start doing them in the evenings instead of building with blocks or doing the Teletubbies puzzle one more time. The problem is I get so caught up in feeling like I have to do more and more or else I'm not doing it right, so I have to remind myself that every step counts. And I'm going to see if I can get another plug for my ball or a new ball.

[AmyLEnsor]

Originally posted by quasar
PS Whoever told me my thighs were going to ache today was, unfortunately, dead on. My poor hamstrings And today is a user group meeting day so a heavy walking day

hee hee, that was me! Or more properly, I! I've had those downhill, down the stairs experiences before, and they really give your thighs a workout.

[AmyLEnsor]

Wow, a lot of you here have said some of the same things I've been feeling. Janice, I know exactly what you mean with telling yourself you have to do it and then getting depressed and not doing it. I've felt that way often, and I hate feeling like I have something hanging over my head. But I also know that exercising when I first get up just doesn't work for me most times, so I just have to tell myself that I can't wait until I can get my walk in. Before I just had this feeling of dread like it was some impending doom. I think it is great that you can walk home from work, because purposeful walking seems easier. That's why I like to walk to the store or post office when I can. I always walk to the park now if I can--it seems stupid to drive a mile or half a mile.

My tweaks are pretty easy:

1) Eliminate all crackers and bread from diet. Crackers mess with my stomach, and bread is just filler.

2)Loading up my Rio player takes a while, so I'll make a habit of setting up my playlist the day before or that morning and let that work while I do something else. Then, I can sync the phone and walk out the door for an hour or two.

3) Buy more thick socks for these walking shoes. I bought three pair as a test, they work, and I'd like to reduce the need to wash things quickly to get my workout in.

4) Eliminate route areas where there's constantly squishy ground.

5) Add 20 or so sit-ups to end of walk period.

I've already removed drinking gatorade after walk... now just water and ice.