Monday, November 30, 2015

Christmas gift

I did some stretching this morning.  I realize that I may have burned only 2 calories at most, but it is better than burning none at all.  I realize that if I wanted any thing for Christmas, it would be exercise equipment.  Sadly, I am afraid of not using it.  I am afraid of wasting money.  I know me.  I just don't have the willpower or the fortitude to exercise.  That is something else I would like to change.

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Being inspired

I confess.  I am a procrastinator.  I would like to stop this.  How will I stop this?  How do I get out and just do it?  I am inspired to go out to go out there and do it.  I remember exercising on a treadmill with a bunch of senior citizens and I found myself a bit amazed as to how much strength they have. They are an inspiration to me.  I wonder if they just went out and did so.  I wonder if they were procrastinators themselves.  Maybe I should just keep that in mind.

Saturday, November 28, 2015

Reflection of the past few days

If only I had reminded myself to dance.  Today, I didn't have to.  I spent over two hours doing yard work.  The good thing is that I realize that I could do it.  The bad thing is that I realized that I am in bad physical shape.  I even thought about it.  However, because of my weight, I probably burned at least 400+ calories, per hour, which should at least give me some comfort.  I know I should not complain but lifting, raking, and doing some work before raking will burn quite a few calories.  I am not complaining, now, but I didn't feel so great about things knowing how out of shape I truly was or still am.  There is no hope wishing or wanting to just look at exercise infomercials.  Watching television will not help me lose weight, but inspiration and just doing it are.  All I have to do is to plan to do just any kind of movement.  The hardest thing may be to go out there and do it.  All of that aside, it is time to "get back" on the bike and start again.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Mental benefit of exercise

Maybe I should take the time to dance like Ellen Degeneres.  Dancing is a good exercise especially for the mind.  It is quite fun.  It helps build confidence though it seem weird to say that.  Maybe building confidence has nothing to do with dancing.  I wish I knew if that were the case.  Lately I am going through issues with obsessive thoughts and I feel like I am on a high that I don't want.  Maybe it is also the bipolar, since I have that as well.  Whatever the case may be, exercise at least seems to "solve" whatever issues I face at the moment.

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

This past weekend

I did five minutes of dancing this weekend.  Sadly, I have burned less than 100 calories.  It is okay.  It is better than burning nothing at all.  Too bad I didn't wear my watch.  I feel a lot better just walking and dancing for a few minutes out of the day.  I have come to realize that calories do matter but so does the quality of the food I eat.  No amount of exercise will work off 3000 calories per day.  I just don't see ten or 15 or even 30 minutes doing that.  Correct me if I am wrong.

Monday, November 23, 2015

Weight-loss: Benefits of Cardiovascular Exercise and Ways to Achieve It

Weight-loss: Benefits of Cardiovascular Exercise and Ways to Achieve It
According to the American College of Sports Medicine’s (ACSM) Guidelines for Exercise Prescription, recommendations for weight-loss as a result of exercise are that we aim for 60 to 90 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day.
Initially, your goal is to aim for 30 minutes each day, which promotes health, and then gradually build-up to the recommendations. You can do this by splitting up your exercise sessions while also aiming to have a more active day, getting extra steps for things you normally do.
Measuring Your Exercise Intensity
Exercise is measured by a term called, Rate Perceived of Exertion (RPE). Imagine a scale of one to 20, or even one to 10. One being the easiest; like lying in bed, while 10 is the hardest; where you feel like you have to stop because you are working too hard. You should exercise at a rate around six to seven.
If you are walking with someone, this will be at the point where you can keep a conversation going, but where you need to take regular deep breaths and you would not be able to sing to your friend. If you are working too hard, you will not be able to talk.
Low Intensity — This will feel like work that you can continue for a long period of time. These are activities like shopping, slow walk or a bike ride on a level surface.
Moderate Intensity — This will get your heart rate up to a place where you feel like you are working and it takes
an effort to maintain the intensity. This intensity of exercise will help you maintain your health.
Vigorous Intensity — This will feel like an all-out effort, your heart rate will be high and you will not be able to speak complete sentences without taking several breaths. This improves athletic conditioning.

Benefits
The benefits to cardiovascular exercise are boundless. Exercise that increases your heart rate to a moderate to vigorous range can impact changes in the body, including weight-loss. Moving more means more calories burned. The more intense the exercise, the higher number of calories burned per minute, and the less time required achieving benefits.
See full article here:
http://www.obesityaction.org/educational-resources/resource-articles-2/exercise/weight-loss-benefits-of-cardiovascular-exercise-and-ways-to-achieve-it

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Should You Take a Break from Working Out?

Former gym rat Gwen Stefani has thrown in the towel on exercise. “This past year, I kind of stopped working out. I think my body just needed a break. And so I did that and focused more on feeling good as opposed to beating myself up,” she recently told Marie Claire UK in an interview.

While recording and promoting No Doubt’s sixth studio album, Push And Shove, the singer, clothing designer, wife, and mother of two decided that working out, something she once felt she “had to do,” had to go. Last year, Stefani claimed she was addicted to exercising, according to the magazine.

However, that all-or-nothing approach to exercise is what Stefani and other exercisers really need to rid themselves of, says Barbara Bushman, Ph.D., a professor of kinesiology at Missouri State University.

“Rest can be just as important to fitness as working out,” she says. Why? Your body doesn’t get stronger during exercise. It gets stronger while it’s rebuilding itself from that exercise. Overtraining deprives your muscles of the time they need to heal, diminishing results and risking injury. What’s more, people who work out too hard for too long may be less healthy than people who don’t work out at all, according to a review recently published in the British journal Heart. During excessive exercise, the body releases more free radicals than the body’s antioxidants can handle, risking harm to internal organs and tissues.

“However, rest doesn’t mean lying in a hammock. Rest should be part of your workout, not an alternative to your workout,” Bushman says. Unless you have a medical condition that prohibits you from exercising, physical activity should always be part of a healthy lifestyle. Putting exercise on hold for more than two weeks can lead to loss of muscle mass and a decline in fitness.

Have you been beating yourself up with exercise? Here, five ways to make rest part of your workout, improve your fitness gains, and love the gym again:

Full article here:
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/should-you-take-a-break-from-working-out

Friday, November 20, 2015

Results for 11/20/15

It is amazing how different my watch is compared to the Spark people exercise.  Which one is right? Which one is correct?  I would like to know.  Maybe if I were to average the two of them out?  The answer would be 259.5 calories.  Maybe I need to recalculate my watch?

Medium intensity
Exercise: Cardio dancing
Time: 10 minutes
Pulse Before Exercise: 88
Calories burned: 378
After exercise pulse: 111

Spark people results
Cardio dancing
Time: 10 minutes
Calories burned: 141

Thursday, November 19, 2015

My results for 11/20/15

My results are based on the Zumba workout for beginners.  Here are my results for this fun workout:

Low-medium intensity
Exercie: Cardio dancing
Time: 10 minutes
Calories burned: 189
After exercise pulse: 109

Spark people results
Cardio dancing
Time: 10 minutes
Calories burned: 141

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Reflection for today 11/18/15

It is only past 5:30 PM.  Maybe I can take a few minutes today exercising.  I have been told that it may take about 3 weeks to build up the habit of exercising, or at least exercise.  I have never felt better.  Of course, it has been a while since I have taken some action.  I have lost 4 lbs this week.  My goal is to right now weigh 295 lbs.  I know it will not be easy with Thanksgiving coming up, so I will have to make a plan or two.  I have learned to take action, which is all I wanted, and needed, to do.  I knew that I needed to lose weight.  However, I have decided to start off slow.  A little exercise, even at only 10 minutes, can do at least some good.


Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Today's reflection 11/17/15

Today, I took a break from exercise.  I plan to exercise for 10 minutes, for 5 days per week. However, my plan was to exercise, but instead I took a break instead.  I have consumed enough than I would think for a day or two.  Unfortunately, I have no results to share today.  I now wonder if I can exercise on a full stomach.  However, there is conventional wisdom that says either exercise within an hour or 2 after one eats or before one exercises.  I would work my way up in minutes.  But for now, I am starting to exercise and it feels great.  

Monday, November 16, 2015

Results for 11/16/15

I exercised this morning and I feel better already.  However, I have been anxious lately.  I have been anxious because weight loss and setting the goals to live a healthy lifestyle is hard, very hard with the anxiety.  My weight has been an issue most of my life.  Food to me is a celebration.  Allow me to explain this.  To me, food is a symbol of "wealth", celebration, and eating food that are of great taste. I felt like whenever I could eat anything I want, there was a "sense of freedom", or at least that is how I felt.  That was why I had free days.  I had to realize that anxiety as well as eating food, at least eating unhealthy food, have not been kind to me.  I have just explained my relationship with food and now, it is scary to have to change my diet and my mindset.  Here are my results below:

Low intensity
Time: 10 minutes
Calories burned: 60
Before exercise pulse: 71
After exercise pulse: 83

Spark people results
Low intensity walking
Time: 10 minutes
Calories burned: 129

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Exercise results for 11/15/15

Today, I thought that I was going to procrastinate today.  However, I did not procrastinate and exercise.  I did some ab stretches or rather a 10 minute ab exercise.  It only burned a few calories according to Spark people.  However, I do feel a little bit of burn after 10 minutes of ab exercise.

Here are the results:
Amount of time spent exercising: 10 minutes
Low  intensity
Pulse: 85
Calories burned: 5 (according to spark people)

Saturday, November 14, 2015

Results 11/14/15

I feel good about my results today.  My watch and spark people obviously give different results. There is nothing like the value of hard work.  Sadly, I didn't realize how out of shape I truly am. I feel disappointed in myself.  I feel so guilty that I have allowed myself to get to the point where I am so out of shape.  I wish to visually see myself as a woman who is confident, which I wish I were. Wishing however isn't going to be of help with my struggle and I have begun to grow tired of struggle.  I weigh too much and it is time I no longer take my health for granted.

Here are my results:
Amount of time spent exercising: 51 min 18 sec
Low-medium intensity
Pulse: 78
Calories burned: 581


Friday, November 13, 2015

7 Habits of Highly Effective Exercisers

7 Habits of Highly Effective Exercisers

Get Motivated, Stay Motivated
Five or six days every week, Sue Wolcott, 41, hits the treadmill in her basement. It's a habit that started after she named her exercise machine Ripley. "It's as in 'Believe it or not, I'm working out,'" says Sue, a teacher in Grand Island, New York. "I would never skip out on meeting a friend, so I decided to treat my treadmill like a person." It's become, ahem, a running joke in her set; one pal now refers to her own treadmill as Dusty. "It's just us being silly, but when I'm asked if I've seen Ripley, I really love answering yes," Sue says.

Despite what you may think, the trick to exercising regularly isn't finding your inner enforcer. Rather, "it's getting creative and tapping your natural motivations," says Kelly McGonigal, PhD, a health psychologist and fitness instructor at Stanford. We asked women who work up a sweat almost every day for their stick-with-it solutions. Check out our seven fail-proof favorites.

1. Don't put away your gear.
From the moment she rises, Kristina Monét Cox, 26, has exercise on the brain. That's because the first things she sees are her sneakers and workout clothes. "I've got them next to the bed in plain sight," says Kristina, the CEO of a communications firm in Houston. "I've also got dumbbells right where I can see them in the bathroom, and a balance ball, a yoga mat, and a jump rope strategically placed throughout the house." Forgetting to exercise is never her problem.

Why it works: Visual cues are a wake-up call to your brain. "We all have competing priorities like work, family, chores. Sometimes we need a reminder to keep exercise at the forefront," McGonigal says.

Do it yourself: If you don't have the space to display your gear (or if it'll mess with your decor), choose just one or two prime locations that you'll never miss. Better yet, "pick places where you spend a lot of time and can use the equipment, like by the TV or the phone," says Amanda Visek, PhD, assistant professor of sport and exercise psychology at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

2. Turn your commute into a workout.
On days that Monica Vazquez, 27, a master trainer for New York Sports Clubs in New York City, can't do her usual run, she stuffs her essentials — keys, cash, credit card, phone and ID — into a fanny pack and jogs home from work instead. "Running is a great workout, but it's also great transportation," she says. "Sometimes I get home even earlier than I normally do taking the subway."

Why it works: Running, walking, or biking somewhere you have to go anyway makes exercise feel time-efficient. "And you don't have to carve out another part of your day for it," says Michelle Fortier, PhD, professor of health sciences at the University of Ottawa. "It's an effective strategy for people who are busy from morning to night."

Do it yourself: Your logistics may be a bit more complex if you drive to work or don't have good public transportation at your disposal. Maybe you can carpool in the morning or park your car a mile from the office and speed walk the distance to and from your job. If you don't have a safe place at work to stash your stuff, invest in a lightweight backpack with waist and chest straps (we like Patagonia's Pocket Pack; $69, patagonia.com) or swap your purse for a fanny pack on days that you plan to run home.

Source of full article:
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/tips/habits-of-effective-exercisers/

Thursday, November 12, 2015

My inspirations

I know that I can do it.  I have been dizzy and have been eating a lot lately.  That is not a good combination concerning my health and my medical history.  In a past blog I burned 830 calories after 73 minutes worth of exercise.  That is was just doing yard work which should not have been just written about that way.  I realize that according to my watch it is medium intensity.  Medium intensity?  830 calories is medium intensity?  Maybe I should buy a new watch.  Anyways, I will not and it is a good idea to keep this watch which has been a reminder lately to exercise and not view it as a chore.  I am more motivated than ever to exercise.  I am a plus size person myself, but I am highly overweight with a huge belly which is not healthy.  I have to learn to set realistic goals which is why I post these pics.  I am a shorter person with a larger, curvier frame, so realistically these would be my "inspirations" as far as how I would look if I were to lose weight.
 
 
 

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Time to take stock

For the past two days I know and realize that at over 300 lbs and just under 5'2", I have a problem.  I need to be of support to others but I also need to be of support to myself and have some support for myself.  I need to hold myself accountable for my deeds, including all of the times when my deeds afford a pat on the back and whenever I make a misstep.  I have come to realize that I have spent a long time wishing, hoping, trying, and being inspired.  All of the while, I have been struggling to take care of myself.  It is time I take a look in the proverbial, not just literal mirror.  I know what is wrong with me.  I do have a self esteem issue and that is why I often refer to myself as lazy.  Mentally I get confusing messages and one of them does border on the "not wanting to lose weight"thing.  I do get inspired by watching others working all the while wishing I could do the same thing.  I have a lot of inventory to take stock of and even more to hold myself accountable for.  I am over 40 and I feel so blah at times.  I now even wonder how hard I really tried to lose weight.  I know I am not old, at all, but I know that I just feel like life has been passing me by.  It is just time to live...to be healthy.  Now is as good a time as any.

Saturday, November 7, 2015

Songs to dance to..Ciara and Missy Elliott

"The Rain"


"Hot Boyz"

"Work It"

"1,2 Step" by Ciara with Missy Elliott

"Get Up" by Ciara with Chamillionaire



Friday, November 6, 2015

Exercise Can Relieve Chronic Dizziness

Exercise Can Relieve Chronic Dizziness
by Joshua Wortman
Coach

Imagine you could not only train your body through exercise, but also your inner ear. Many Americans are affected by a variety of ailments that cause dizziness. Dizziness is quite common in the older generation, but it can affect people at any age. Bouts of dizziness interfere with daily activities and also increase the risk of falling and incurring injury. Often times doctor visits and prescribed medicines can cost patients a good deal of money. However, there may be some financial and physical relief for those who suffer from dizziness. Recent research has revealed that a very cost effective treatment for common causes of dizziness is a variety of simple exercises. A professor from the University of Southampton has devised a booklet of simple exercises for patients.1

Research has shown that an exercise treatment known as “vestibular rehabilitation” or “balance retraining” is the most effective method for treating dizziness related to inner ear problems (a main cause of dizziness), but only about one in ten patients are deemed suitable for referral to this treatment.2

Lucy Yardley, a professor who has been researching dizziness for many years, recently had this study funded by the National Institute for Health Research and published in the British Medical Journal. The study consisted of more than 300 participants, each randomly selected to either receive routine medical care (which usually consists of medication), a booklet on vestibular rehabilitation only, or a booklet on vestibular rehabilitation with telephone support from a healthcare professional.

Most particiapnts of the study suffered from dizziness caused by inner ear problems, but some had dizziness that had been undiagnosed. The study showed that exercises such as turning your head from right to left and back again, or nodding your head up and down, resulted in less dizziness in a matter of weeks within initial exercise. What is even more promising is that these effects lasted for at least a year.3

Nearly twice as many patients who had the booklet with telephone support felt significant relief, or even total relief upon completion of the study, compared with those who had routine care. Those who received the booklet without support still experienced greater relief than those with routine care. Only five percent of patients who received the booklet with support reported worse symptoms, compared with fifteen percent of those who received the routine care.4

Source:
http://breakingmuscle.com/health-medicine/exercise-can-relieve-chronic-dizziness

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Exercise Variation is Overrated

Exercise Variation is Overrated
4/8/14

Stack.com

Many people think they need exercise variation to make progress. They swap out their main lifts during each training cycle, or they include numerous movements in their program. This is necessary because sooner or later, the body will adapt to a movement and stop improving, right?

Not so fast. Upon further review, this thinking could be halting your progress.

Many people think they need exercise variation to make progress. They swap out their main lifts during each training cycle, or they include numerous movements in their program. This is necessary because sooner or later, the body will adapt to a movement and stop improving, right?
Not so fast. Upon further review, this thinking could be halting your progress.

Three Things You Need to Know About Exercise Variation

  1. After repeated exposure to an exercise, your body becomes accustomed to it. This is called adaptation.
  2. Adaptation is a great thing.
  3. Exercise variation limits the time you devote to each movement and stalls adaptation.
When you adapt to a movement, you perform it more effectively. You keep better form, which is important for activating the intended muscles and reducing injuries. Proper form allows you to safely use more resistance. More resistance (e.g., more weight) yields strength and muscle gains.
Performing a movement less frequently can limit you to lighter weights and hinder your exercise technique.
Technique is a skill, and as with all skills, the more you practice, the more you improve. Altering your program limits the time you work on technique for each movement. Olympic weightlifters and raw powerlifters make strength gains with no changes in body weight, because they practice the same lifts multiple times a week. They improve technique; they improve their skill. Who do you think will Deadlift more effectively: a lifter who Deadlifts twice a week, or someone who does it every few months? The less often you perform a lift, the less you practice and the more you leave to chance.

Source:
http://www2.stack.com/a/exercise-variation