On weekends, I try to workout in the morning and I generally extend out my workout to the 2 hour format. Why? Because I have more time. Today, I didn't get to the club until 3:30, partly because I was a bit lazy. During the work week, I generally don't check in until after work, which could be 7 or 8 pm. I usually work out for 1.5 hours. I'm not a morning person, and working out before work is difficult because the downtown club is far from where I live.
Now read carefully, here are two keys if you want to remain loyal to your exercise program resolution in six weeks:
- Purchase a club membership plan that allows you the flexibility to go to more than club location under the same membership. A platinum membership, as opposed to the regular membership, should provide that flexibility. This allows you to go to a club near your home on the weekends and go to another club in the chain near where you work during the day.
- Rent a locker at one of those clubs (preferably the club near your workplace) to leave your change of exercise wear (i.e. your running shoes, gym shorts, t-shirt, water bottle, etc.) If you are like me, lugging your gym clothes in addition to your office work back and forth to your workplace can be a real drag sometimes.
Today was chest and back day. For yourself, try to schedule 3-4 days a week at the gym and work on two body parts each visit.
Folks, it gets harder every year. With each passing year, I get more and more sore, but as I try to tolerate the pain, it is hard to ignore that I have a left hip that seems to want to go out more than I do. I can really relate to a cat's life. They really do have nine lives. Every year, when I think this will be my last year being able to walk, I seem to be able to rise above the ashes and find a way to get it done.
iPods and cardio machines just seem to go together - like salt and pepper. Cardiovascular exercise (i.e. treadmill, stepper, stair master, elliptical) is the first critical component of any exercise program. The others are resistance with weights and flexibility with stretching. I'll talk more about these components in future posts.
For me, cardio is fun!!! I can engage in my classic rock music party in my head while watching TV and get a fantastic rush of adrenaline from raising my heart rate. I usually try to do 45 minutes of cardio on the weekends and 30 minutes during the week.
I don't usually go crazy when I do my cardio exercise. I only try to reach the level of slight exertion. In a future post, I will explain what I mean by slight exertion and how to calculate your correct heart rate given your age.
Yes, I agree. Cardio can be really boring. I believe that is why God created the inspiration for the iPod (yes, He created everything); He wants us to take care of our health, so he gave us a good friend, courtesy of Apple. While I do my cardio, often many thoughts pop into my head. I enjoy writing and I usually use the time to think of topic ideas.
Today, I was watching a sports channel while I was pumping on the elliptical. It was a darts championship game. With no offense to people who like playing darts, I can't believe that the networks have the audacity to call this pastime a sport. Middle-aged men sporting boilers that expand a yard beyond their belt lines fire darts with a look of intense concentration on their faces. There seems to be a lack of drama in the course of a game of darts, except when the camera focuses in on the "athlete" while a bead of sweat trickles over his furrowed brow during a moment of intense concentration. The commentary speaks in a low voice, so as not to disturb the athlete's concentration.
I'm thinking there has got to be a way to make this more exciting. Perhaps the event organizers could arrange to have human decoys walk back and forth in front of the dartboards while play is going on. It would add an element of risk to the sport, wouldn't it? The same with cardio exercise. Listening to music on my iPod makes the effort more fun and pleasurable, even when I don't want to do it.
After 45 minutes of cardio, I proceeded to the mat and did some light stretching to heat up my muscles to make them more pliable so that they can handle the weight and bending I will be imposing on them shortly.
The third component is resistance exercise. As I mentioned earlier, today was chest and back day. I methodically work through about 3 sets of 12 repetitions at each machine. Generally, I try to use up to two different machines for my chest plus push-ups on the mat and up to three machines to work my back.
I'm quite happy with my chest exercises. I feel that I can go to the outer limit there. However, I will have to be more careful with back exercises because of the close proximity to my spine. When you are on a roll, it is so easy to get careless and want to lift too much weight. For my back exercises, doing it slowly with less weight is very important. Proper form is very important. I'm still learning that.
In future posts in my blog, I will give you a glimpse of my confessions of what it is like to be a gym rat. I'll share my successes, my frustrations and my random thoughts that have nothing at all to do with improving one's fitness level ... and when I can get over my cravings for Tim Horton's cookies, I will reveal what I'm learning about nutrition.
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