Hit The Waves

Now that the weather is warming up, making a visit to the beach opens up a variety of ways to get in a workout. I went the other day, and let me tell you... I felt like I was exercising even when I wasn't trying to!

Here are some things to do at the beach:

• Swim
• walk or run in the sand - burns more calories than when done on a sidewalk
• walk or run in the water - the deeper you go the more calories you burn
• fight the waves - when the current is good, it's a workout just trying to remain standing!
• fishing
• skiing
• surfing - I really want to learn how to do this!

Just get creative! Even walking down the coast looking for shells still counts as walking and you get to enjoy a bit of sunshine and some beautiful scenery!

For those who don't live near the beach, you can still get exercise at a nearby lake or river!

Photo was taken by me. All Rights Reserved

But That's Not Exercise!

When do you have fun while working out? 

When it doesn't feel like working out!

Sometimes the best forms of exercise are right under your nose and you don't even realize it! Anything that gets your heart pumping and your muscles moving can count. You just have to be creative. Do you want to boost your cardio stamina and maybe your coordination? Take a dance class. My gym offers Zumba classes, but it can be any kind of dance. Maybe you always wanted to learn ballroom or tap dancing. Now is a great time. Dancing burns calories like crazy!

Is your yard in need of care? Lugging around sod and bags of fertilizer is exercise. Digging ponds, planting flower beds, building a house; These all count as exercise!

It's warming up outside. This means that swimming is on the table. You don't have to rely on your indoor gym pool. Go outside. Hit the beach, the river, a pond. Swimming is the best cardio exercise you can do because it has little to no impact on your joints and bones.

Still need more ideas? Try these: skating, bowling, fishing, playing with your dog/kid. The list is really endless. Just find something you love and get moving!

The dance photo can be found here.
The swimming photo can be found here.

Lets Get This Started

 May Our Treadmills Get More Use Than This One!

Before I post anything, let me add in this teeny tiny disclaimer. I'm not an athlete. I'm not a trainer, but I do know a small thing (or two) about working out. Ok, so maybe I don't know all that much. I know what I've read, researched, and done (and I'm learning more all the time), but I'm nowhere near knowledgeable enough to give any real advice to anyone. I'm simply posting what I DO just in case you might need a little more inspiration. If I post something that you don't think you can do, then don't do it. Or check with a trainer or your doc first. Deal? Ok then let's get this show on the road.

The general structure of my routine is pretty basic:

Warm up- You know, get my heart pumping a lil bit.

Daily walk - I like to change the locations of my walks so that the scenery is always fresh and new. But I also like to spice up the TYPE of walk once in a while too. 

Daily Strength Moves - I do strength moves daily. My laziness and procrastination requires this. It doesn't take much for me to fall out of the habit. However, we have to remember the Number One Rule for strength training: Don't do it on consecutive days! So how do we get around this so that we can work out two days in a row? We get creative.The following is an example of what I might do in a given week:

Day 1 - Cardio & Upper Body (arms and shoulders)
Day 2 - Cardio & Lower Body (Legs)
Day 3 - Cardio & Core (Back and Mid-Section)
Day 4 - Cardio Only
Day 5 - Repeat Day 1
Day 6 - Repeat Day 2
Day 7 - Repeat Day 3

Of course, Day 1 and Day 5 of the following week will be days of Cardio Only.

By doing the routine this way, we are still obeying the rules. We are never working out the same muscles two days in a row. One thing to make note of: Some moves work out more than just their main targeted muscle groups. For example, some upper and lower body moves also target the core. However, if you just did the core the previous day (or if you are going to do the core the following day), pick upper and lower body moves that have minimal core interaction. We don't want to over stress your muscles. This could cause injury.

If you have a move that you love that targets multiple areas significantly, you could go ahead and combine those areas for that day, making sure that you don't do them again the next day.

Cool Down - This is usually similar to my warm-up. The idea is to ease your body into less activity while still moving. An effective cool down can limit or prevent soreness the following morning.

So, that is the basic skeleton of my workouts. Since we all know how much I like to change things up, some weeks might look different, but I'm still going for the same goal: Getting my rear off my desk chair and getting outside.



The photo can be found here.