exercise regularly

I’ve been working on getting through this cold for over a week now. It seems the worst is over, perhaps I can ease back into activity with a walk on Monday. Then I’ll be vacationing up north for a week and a half. The gym probably won’t see me until the end of the month, we’ll just have to live with that.

tonight I did an hour of cardio and an hour of strength training. the gym was quiet, I like exercising on the weekend when everyone else is out eating dinner. and last night I had a great funky friday yoga/dancing class for two hours. I’m actually able to see definition in some of my muscles now, I’m getting into this workout thing! seems silly now that I was in a rut for awhile and unable to motivate, now I crave that feeling I get after a great workout

I did an hour on the elliptical, then did lunges with weights and upper body resistance on the machines. I am pleased. I have ramped up the cardio this week and added more strength training, now to continue on! I can already feel my tush firming up a bit, lunges really do work!

I didn’t do much exercise on vacation, but all the rest and relaxation has me ready to get back into a routine. Actually, I usually feel alot better after having totally relaxed and fully rested on every level. So, Friday I did my favorite dancing yoga class, sunday I hiked in the hills for two hours, and tonight I had a great little cardio/weights/lunges/squats combo! I’m rockin! Now to cook a little fish for dinner. Yeah me!

Now, I want to focus on increasing the intensity of my cardio workouts and pushing myself to do more challenging strength training. So far, the weights I have done have been more for toning. I usually use a weight that I can do more than ten reps of. So, I want to increase the weights where I struggle to do ten or cannot finish ten reps and try to build more muscle rather than tone. I took the real age quiz and two recommendations for me were to increase the time and intensity of both cardio and resistive training. So, that will be the next level to work towards. Yesterday I successfully stayed on that rotating stair climber machine for 35 minutes! That is a personal record for me as I’m usually bombed after 20 minutes. But the guy next to me shared with me how he had lost 40 pounds and worked his way up to an hour on the stair climber. I thought, if this guy can do that, surely I can challenge myself. Also, the movie Mrs. Doubtfire was on and it had me cracking up, so I did a 55 min of cardio total, plus some lunges that are still leaving me sore the next day.

But I have managed to get my three times a week in, even if I didn’t always manage a full hour. But I think it’s been great to get through the holidays and a stressful time at work and still keep at my beginning routine. I got a shuffle for christmas and I’m going to load it up with upbeat workout music, and last night I did two sets of lunges with weights this time, and I’m sore already this morning. I feel better during and after working out, and it has helped me release the tension after stress at work. I must say work has been horrible for a straight two weeks now! But things will get better in another week when everyone is back from vacation. I’m going to revise this goal in 2008 to take it up a notch!

I’m going to the gym, a bit low on energy, but I’m trusting that just getting there will do some good. Especially post thanksgiving.

last night I went and did an hour at the gym. they have this vibrating thing called the Power Vibe Plate, so far I”m really liking it. It feels like one of those massage wands except it makes your entire body vibrate, I do my lunges and crunches on it. Then I am trying mainly to focus on cardio. Most all the equipment has a television screen and I was able to watch a nature special on octupus and squid while walking on the treadmill.

I am now a member of the spectrum club which is half a mile from my apartment. I can walk there in ten minutes or drive in two minutes. I usually only drive when I go late at night. So far, I”ve worked out twice this week, and I went to yoga tonight. I feel so much better! I’m very pleased with my decision and I”m excited to get back to that feeling of being an active person. I think this was a smart move on my part for the winter months when it is too dark to get out in the evenings. Yay!

some stretching, breathing, and relaxing can make! my muscles feel so much more at ease, my breathing is more full. I see how the week’s stress has been layered onto my shoulders. thankfully, I went to yoga despite a strong urge to sit on the couch and drink wine.