Exercise – sweating just thinking about it!

I’m lazy, as lazy as a person can be. For a couple of years, Paul and I would go for regular walks, every evening (weather dependent), sometimes going for a good few miles, other times, just doing two miles, that was great, got us out of the house, got us chatting. It did feel good, and it is a fantastic form of exercise.

This time round though, I’ve surprised myself with how I’m getting into home exercising more. I think in my quest for Superme, I’ve decided to heed the advise about mixing both strength and aerobic exercising.

Now, as you know, I have absolutely no qualifications in health and fitness (i mean, look at me!) but I keep reading that just getting fitter and healthier is fantastic for us, regardless of what we do. So, if you fancy a walk, even a ten minute walk, that will be better than doing nothing 🙂

It turns out that losing weight is an approximate 80% of healthy eating and 20% exercise. We’ve probably all heard this or figures close to it. But if we can lose weight without gaining a sweat, why can’t we just go on with a diet?

Simple answer, we can, of course we can, but there are some GREAT benefits to getting fitter, that exceed just the weight loss.

What should we be doing?

Each and everyone of us should be moderately active – by that, our bodies are feeling warmer, breathing fast and we can talk but couldn’t sing a song, for 150 minutes a week. Broken down, that’s Monday to Saturday 20 minutes of exercise, Sunday 30 minutes of exercise. This can be broken down – for instance, we might like the idea of going for a brisk walk for 10 minutes, a couple of times a day. By brisk I mean our own version of brisk – I’m moderately exercising when Paul and I go for a walk, whereas he’s taking a relaxing amble.

Ideally we’ll be doing strength and aerobic exercising.

Strength training – also known as resistance or weight training and does not need weights – our own bodies can provide the resistance. This type of training will improve our bone density and increase our muscle mass. This also helps our posture.

Aerobic training – can include so much activity including cycling, walking and swimming. This type of exercise helps increase our overall fitness, stamina and strength.

Benefits of regular and long term exercising

There appears to be so many benefits to incorporating exercise into our lives, below is a list to a lot of those benefits:

• lower risk of diabetes
• lower risk of heart disease
• lower risk of stroke
• reduces risk of stress
• reduces risk of dementia
• reduces risk of Alzeimers
• reduces risk of depression
• helps boost self confidence
• helps boost sleep quality
• helps boost energy
• helps boost good moods
• can increase metabolism
• improves general brain function
• builds muscle mass
• helps reduce blood pressure
• helps reduce bad colesterol
• helps manage weight loss

Simple ways to move a bit more

• park further away so we need to walk further to destination
• walk up and down stairs rather than use lifts and escalators
• go for a walk during lunch time
• stand up every hour and move about a bit
• when a song comes on the radio we like – have a little dance
• when standing in a queue, move a little – not to much, maybe a slight sway side to side, we don’t want to worry people around us 😀

And my suggestions if you want a bit more structured exercise

Maybe we should be looking a getting a bit of fitness routine going on, something a bit more energetic. I’ve noticed I like the idea of exercising, I don’t like preparing for it, I don’t mind doing it, I love that sense of achievement after I’ve done it.

And, gross I know, but I like the sweat – makes me feel like it is worth the effort i’m putting in – don’t judge me and my sweat!! A poster on the wall of one of the youtube exercise programmes I follow says “Sweat is just fat crying!”

As you know, I’m currently 16st 4lb (228lb/104kg) and I’ve been trying to get into regular exercising for a few weeks. I’ve been using youtube – what an eye-opener! so much for the old exercise videos – or in my mum’s day – Jane Fonda record and book! I wanted exercises that wouldn’t involve loads of jumping around – my knees won’t like that. And I didn’t want to do any floor work. Neither did I want to be doing any routine for a long period of time, given my fitness level isn’t brilliant – so too long and I might have given up.

There is nothing particularly difficult about any of the programmes I use, easy on the joints, can go at my own pace, not too long individually. There is planking on the floor, in the 3rd routine. But each one does make me feel as though I’m working for the greater good. Showers are definitely a must for me! BTW – i do my exercises bare foot – recently had new carpets, so it’s a no shoe house! I expect trainers would probably help with cushioning. And, as the days have gone on, I’ve noticed I do seem to be getting a bit fitter and better at doing all the exercises – including the plank!

So here’s the videos I like

My latest find to my routine is this standing cardio routine – a nice 7 minutes long, which is now at the beginning of my 3 programme routine. All you’ll need is a bit of space, a bit of time and some water handy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x4OP0yDE90

The first routine I used was easy step routine – thinking I would like that because years ago I liked the step bit of wii fit. This is now the second video of the three in my regime. I surprised myself by being able to do this routine twice through. You will need a step platform to do this, however they can be picked up for under a tenner, along with 10 minutes and a bit of space. I couldn’t go at the same pace as the instructor a couple of weeks ago, so I did the exercises at my own pace and concentrated on getting them right. I can now keep pace with her, just. I now do this routine once now as i do the other routines as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0dUuUTe4jQ

And lastly, my strength part of my routine, this is a 3 x 5 minute routine, so actually feels quicker than the other programmes. The coach talks a lot as well, so your time for each exercise (excluding the dreaded plank) goes very quickly. Again, a bit of time, space and if you have them dumbbells, if not, I started out using two 400g tins of beans! Again, the exercises get easier with time and practice, so if you fancy giving this one a go, please do let me know how you get on. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0bhE67HuDY

So, my aim is to do my exercises 3 to 4 times a week, then a bit of walking thrown in for good measure.

I would love to hear if anyone gives these a go, or has any other youtube videos you use.

Information links

NHS website – loads of useful information – there’s even fitness videos and downloads for all levels: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/exercise-health-benefits/

British Heard Foundation – again, useful information and personal stories: https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/activity/what-happens-when-you-exercise

Mayo Clinic – even more useful info: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/aerobic-exercise/art-20045541

Anyway, that’s enough of a ramble session from me today.