T O P I C R E V I E W
faifai
Member # 17971
posted 03-14-2006 07:27 PM
People frequently post here about how to get into a healthier lifestyle. There are plenty of threads about favorite foods, favorite healthy snacks, etc. And while eating right is a big way to get started, physical activity is also a big one. We're not talking about losing weight, but simply to enjoy better overall health. So, what kinds of things do you enjoy doing that get you fit (intentionally or otherwise)? It could be hardcore cardio and running or something gentler, like walking your dog everyday. Every little bit helps. Mine is stretching for about 15 mins, followed by lower-body exercise to crazy energetic music...or to TV. Getting in my Simpsons fix and my exercise fix all in one! What could be better? [ 03-14-2006, 07:37 PM: Message edited by: faifai ]
karybu
Member # 20094
posted 03-14-2006 07:36 PM
Yay for exercise! I might be a bit biased here, having been dancing for pretty much my whole life, but any kind of dance is great. It doesn't have to be an uber-stuck up ballet class - one of my favourite things is going swing dancing. In warmer weather, I also love inline skating. There's some great parks in my city, a lot of them right along the ocean, and it's a great feeling to be able to be outside and be moving.
kitka
Member # 22756
posted 03-14-2006 07:39 PM
Great post, faifai. I do the same thing in the mornings. I stretch and watch the Golden Girls. I'm in the "hardcore" category - running, biking, lots of weightlifting and upper body work, horseback riding. But there are lots of changes one can make on a daily basis to increase the amount one exercises. The average woman takes about 6500 steps a day... it should be closer to 10000 to maintain good blood pressure and an adequate, bare bones level of cardiovascular fitness. Some ideas: taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking your car farther away from school/work than usual so that you walk instead. A lot of college campuses have low-cost or free exercise/swim classes. Blasting "Jump" (the Pointer sisters) and bouncing around your bedroom is also a good way to go, as faifai suggested.
karybu
Member # 20094
posted 03-14-2006 07:41 PM
quote: Originally posted by kitka:Blasting "Jump" (the Pointer sisters) and bouncing around your bedroom is also a good way to go, as faifai suggested. And hey, what could be better than pretending to be Hugh Grant in "Love Actually"?
origami_jane
Member # 27369
posted 03-14-2006 07:48 PM
I happen to like DDR (Dance Dance Revolution)--I can put it in "workout mode" and just go like that for a good 45-60 minutes. I forget it's exercise. In the summer, I swim laps and play "pool basketball" and a simpler version of water polo with my little brother. However, nothing beats choreographing dances to 90's pop music and Eastern European boy bands. (Destiny's Child and O-zone all the way!) From that alone, I dance maybe 6-8 hours a week.
ookuotoe
Member # 5375
posted 03-14-2006 11:36 PM
I <3 skiing. I was talking about the muscles in my legs in another thread and skiing put them there. While I'm usually pretty lackadaisical about exercise I ski for hours at a time several days a week every winter. In the summer I like to kayak or take the occasional walk but I need to do more. I'm planning to buy a bike with my tax return so hopefully that will motivate me.
ax50607
Member # 27650
posted 03-15-2006 01:03 AM
I run long distances. I started running competitively in high school, but now that I'm in college and our team is way too good for me, I just run every day for fun. It clears my head and gives me self-confidence.
magpie
Member # 2340
posted 03-16-2006 08:18 AM
I love swimming! It's great because I don't feel sweaty and gross afterwards, since all the sweat goes into the water. Plus, it really helped my ankle heal after I sprained it. (Fell in a hole while I was taking my cousins to the park... I felt pretty stupid) I also try to use my own body to get me around as much as possible, so I walk and bike a lot of places.
Miz Scarlet
Member # 3
posted 03-16-2006 10:40 AM
I lovelovelove boxing and kickboxing, both training and teaching, but I gotta say... ... it's even nicer riding my bike. And best of all on the days when I'm not using it to get somewhere (it's my transportation), but rather when I can take even just a half hour to go get lost, find a great trail, enjoy the weather and the light, go fast and go slow, and land at the end in a sweaty pile on the grass and a have a much-needed glug of cold water.
JamsessionVT
Member # 17924
posted 03-16-2006 03:17 PM
Horseback riding is actually a wonderful way to better overall body control. Believe you me, there are so many people out there who think horseback riding isn't a sport, or takes no physical skill. But while you may no notice a difference immediately, doing light riding can strengthen your legs, back, shoulders and stomach, as well as improve you balance and coordination. Not to mention you get the companionship. That's always a plus
blueveggie
Member # 26508
posted 03-16-2006 08:26 PM
No kidding Jamsession- I ride and compete and so ride at least one horse every day- would ride two every day (instead of every other) if I had time, but school.. yeah. My response to people who say I can't possibly be getting enough excersize? You can't get this fit (point to arms, legs, back/stomach if i'm wearing a tank top or bathing suit or something) without WORKING for it. Seems to work well [ 03-16-2006, 08:29 PM: Message edited by: blueveggie ]
sportchick
Member # 27063
posted 03-17-2006 07:49 PM
During the school year I play 3 sports, but during breaks and the summer I'm pretty much up to my own devices. I love running...but my problem is that its hard for me to get motivated to do so. I do have a tredmill, but its in the basement (not much fun) and the roads around where I live are totally steep ( i know, not a good enough excuse) how do you guys get motivated to keep up with your workouts?
faifai
Member # 17971
posted 03-17-2006 10:23 PM
Make it something you look forward to doing, instead of just another mundane part of your routine for every day/week/etc. Less of a "I have to go work out now" attitude, more of a "let me go dance around absurdly in my room now" feeling. Make it fun! Music helps--if you have an iPod, cd player or a tape player (for us old skool folks ) you can take that with you. Listen to stuff you like and enjoy. Also, companionship helps too if you like. Even light physical activity is good. Leave the $$$ at home and go walk around and around in the mall with a friend (pretty nice if it's too hot to go outside during the day in the summer for exercise), have a race down your street, play tag in the backyard. Anything you like, doesn't have to be particularly strenuous or anything. Just get moving. As long as you do stuff you like, you'll have no reason to put off going out and doing something. [ 03-17-2006, 10:26 PM: Message edited by: faifai ]
ErinK
Member # 1371
posted 03-18-2006 09:25 AM
I got some DVDs of a TV show for Christmas, and I made a deal that I'd only watch them while on the treadmill. So if I'm dying to know "what happens next" or to see the next scene, I've gotta get back on the treadmill! Or, I'll get on the treadmill when a show I want to see on TV is on. Keeping track of my exercise also is a motivator for me, because I can see how much progress I'm making. I have a little spreadsheet that totes up how many miles I've walked this month.
oOo Lea oOo
Member # 26647
posted 03-21-2006 12:03 PM
Awesome topic! I agree with Jamsession! I ride horses every now and again, my boyfriend has tons! I work in an office somewhere in BFE so if I get bored, which I do occassionally (actually quite often) instead of driving to the store to get a quick sandwich or something for lunch, or driving to check the mail at the mailhouse down the street, I will walk. Takes me a good half an hour to do either. (to and from combined). I also have a punk skater boyfriend, so I have recently learned to skateboard. Gotta say, I love it. It takes a lot out of me. I am trying to catch up to him, but it's not happening. The better I get, the better he gets. So needless to say, I am not even close. Let me tell ya, I SUCK. I also love to ride my bike. I live in the sticks so I take nature walks up trails in the mountains. I also love to go to Dolly Sods, WV. We camp there every other weekend in the summer. Rock climbing, hiking, cross country back packing, rock repelling, you name it. . we do it. I love snowboarding. I just started last year and I have gotten pretty decent at that. It's also a work out. Swimming is also among my favorite exercises. I walk to my boyfriends house on pretty days. Doing chores at home can be a work out too. Blast the music, do some hard core scrubbing (the walls, the tub, the floors, etc.) And if all of that isnt enough, I help my grandmother babysit most of her 21 grandchildren. I have 17 cousins who are under the age of 12. (1/2 are 1 - 7.) Its especially a work out when you got 3 two year olds (all boys) running all over the house.
Wierdguy2022
Member # 27930
posted 03-24-2006 12:28 AM
the thing i do to keep in shape is when i wake up i lift some weights for 30 min, and i workout on our ab lounge in the morning and night and also run track for my school and i also did cross country and i run 30 min in the morning also and im lokving my body!!
LilBlueSmurf
Member # 1207
posted 03-25-2006 08:22 PM
I've only been horseback riding once (years and years ago), but boy was i sore the next day. I imagine it is quite the work out! I have to admit, i'm lazy. I am so super lazy, there really is not even words to describe. If i had to choose an activity though, i would say my favourite would be swimming. I like it because it's relaxing AND exercise at the same time. That, and i hate to sweat, and you really don't notice too much sweat when you're submerged in water. (AND i am moving next month and it looks like our new apartment is going to have a pool. Indoors even! Yaaaaaay!)
Paradoxical Enigma
Member # 27994
posted 03-25-2006 08:37 PM
Well, go figure, but that's almost exactly how I am. I'm just pretty lazy and don't like to sweat (nor do I like the tiredness and soreness that often comes with it). For that reason, I don't do a whole lot of physical activity. Still, what I DO like to do are swim and ride my bike, but I sadly have little or no oppertunity to do them when it is not summer. I sort of like racket sports, too, but I almost never have the opertunity to play them aside from gym class.
vocabulary
Member # 28109
posted 03-26-2006 08:15 PM
I gallop horses-gives you great muscle in your arms and legs. White water rafting but I don't get to do it much. I take my dogs for runs(usually consists of them chasing me in field).