BS: Daily Exercise

Subject: BS: Daily Exercise
From: WiggyMagPye
Date: 30 Apr 07 - 09:39 PM

How many of you exercise on a daily basis? What kind of exercise do you prefer? For me, I prefer to walk a few miles each day on a treadmill. I walk every day unless I am not feeling well and allow myself to have a weekend day off. It fits my schedule and I can walk year round on it. I love to walk outside when the weather is reasonable, say in the 60s or 70s.

WMP

Subject: Perceived Exertion Scale
From: wysiwyg
Date: 30 Apr 07 - 10:45 PM

Husband Hardiman the Fiddler and I each have a year-round program that includes two seasons for each of us-- a main season and an offseason program. The variety is important, both for cross-training and for keeping it fresh enough to counter boredom and burnout. We chat often about our programs, which have certain features in comon although they are quite different programs.

Rest days also are vital in allowing for body recovery and muscle growth, as is deep sleep on a regular basis. No day "off" is a total rest-- but we both have learned the hard way why it's recommended to alternate types of movement on different days.

Hardi and I learn from each other. And we each log what we are doing.


Hardi's primary pursuit is road cycling, as soon as it's warm enough and as long as it is warm enough; roughly 20 miles per ride about 4x a week, with longer rides on vacation. His offseason exercise includes strength/resistance using a Bullworker and weights, indoor rollerblading, and cross-country skiing, at least an hour a day 5 days a week.


My primary season is aquatics, 7 months: May 1 - Nov. 1, peaking in October at 3 hours per day in 1-hour periods broken by mini-meal breaks. There are other aquatics thrown in there as needed as well, but the jogging gives me strength, aerobics, flexibility, and endurance. I use music routines on a waterproof MP3 player to pace routines, from a slow start of the season to the ramp-up to peak, going from about 90 beats per minute to 160+ BPM at peak (plus faster interval-training, well upwards of 200 BPM). Since mine is a rehab-followup progam, my offseason pursuit has varied from year to year as fitness has increased.

Last year's log is proving especially helpful as I enter the main season for this year; I will be spreading last year's intense 3-month program (it was health-crisis-driven) over 7 months. This year I can afford to be a little easier on my aging body, but I will keep or surpass the same high-end goals I achieved last year.

As intensity changes during the year, so does target heart rate; I use both the HR scale and the Perceived Exertion Scale to keep an eye on that. I can't find the link where I got this great version but it was from somewhere in About.com:

Perceived Exertion Scale
When exercising, you should monitor your intensity to make sure you're not working too hard. One way to do this is by using a Perceived Exertion Scale. For most workouts, you should stay somewhere between Level 5 and Level 6. For high intensity interval workouts, your recovery should be around Level 4 or 5, and your intense interval should not go above 9. For longer, slower workouts, keep your PE at Level 5 or lower.

Level 1: This is so easy I could do it all day.
Level 2: I'm working up a little sweat, but could still maintain this pace for a long time.
Level 3: My muscles are warming up and I'm sweating lightly (this is your warm up level)

Level 4: I'm sweating, but feel good and can carry on a conversation effortlessly.

Level 5: I'm sweating more now, am a little breathless, but could maintain this pace for a while
Level 6: I can still talk, but am breathing harder.

Level 7: I can still talk, but I don't really want to.
Level 8: I can grunt in response to your questions. I can only keep this pace for a short time period.

Level 9: I am probably going to die.

Level 10: I am dead.


After a long search, the model I have found most applicable to my "orphan sport" is the NHL Officials' regimen in terms of intensity and duration. I also have borrowed quite a lot from cycling theory and practice, as well as adding aquatic forms of Tai Chi. I do not use a canned program for aquatic aerobics, but adapt and improvise from the movements the Aquajogger people demonstrate in their videos; samples are HERE.

This year my offseason will be mostly treadmill, which I am adding now to work up to a level commensurate with the 2-3 hours of aquajogging that will again be the norm in the weeks preceding the changeover. There's some stair-climbing planned as well-- real stairs, not tame stairs.


I find that unless I put activity level first, all the nutritional changes in the world do not make an impact on a body recovering from a variety of medical mismanagement episodes. Putting activity first, the rest follows.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: Daily Exercise
From: heric
Date: 30 Apr 07 - 11:03 PM

Funny this should appear here, as I just got off the treadmill and came to put it in the diary. The diary says that the last time I did it was 16 months ago! But I feel great and I will keep it up. 150 bpm for 40 mins every day. For me that's a little under 4 miles.

I will continue. I feel great. I would love to do it outside but I can't keep up the pace without a heart rate monitor calling the shots.

Subject: RE: BS: Daily Exercise
From: Rapparee
Date: 30 Apr 07 - 11:09 PM

Jumping to conclusions, running off at the mouth....

I fence.

Subject: RE: BS: Daily Exercise
From: mack/misophist
Date: 01 May 07 - 12:06 AM

Daily...? No. Until recently I went to the gym 3 days a week for vhat I'm told was a very aggressive 1½ work out. But then I was sick for a month. It's so nice not aching all the time that I've yet to start up again.

Subject: RE: BS: Daily Exercise
From: Sorcha
Date: 01 May 07 - 02:13 AM

I run my ass of (not that I have much of one) making pizza. That is quite enough, other than letting dogs and cats in/out/in/out/in/out......

Subject: RE: BS: Daily Exercise
From: Catherine Jayne
Date: 01 May 07 - 05:26 AM

I like to swim, cycle, horse ride and walk. At the moment it's more waddling but once the baby arrives then I'll be back walking and pushing the pram! The good weather makes me want to be outside and doing things!

Subject: RE: BS: Daily Exercise
From: gnu
Date: 01 May 07 - 05:37 AM

I enjoy a good brisk sit.

Subject: RE: BS: Daily Exercise
From: Bee
Date: 01 May 07 - 06:25 AM

Wood Stove. Constant source of exercise.

Subject: RE: BS: Daily Exercise
From: kendall
Date: 01 May 07 - 07:48 AM

Whenever I get the urge to exercise, I lie down until it passes. (Mark Twain)

For the past week or so, I've been busy working on a new bathroom. Laying tiles, making new mop boards and door frame trim, chair rails and painting.
Now, after a month or more the guy who we asked to do the plumbing says he can't (won't) do it, so, I'm tempted to do that too.
After all, the plumber's exam here for a license consists of three things that you need to know, they are:
1. Hot on the left.
2.Cold on the right
3.Shit won't run uphill

Subject: RE: BS: Daily Exercise
From: gnu
Date: 01 May 07 - 08:02 AM

Hehehe. And, #4. The minimum service call charge is $40.00.

I believe Mark Twain also said about exercise, something like, "If you are healthy, you don't need it. If you are sick, you shouldn't take it."

Subject: RE: BS: Daily Exercise
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 01 May 07 - 08:08 AM

You're supposed to do it daily???

I know they said regular excercise is best... once a year is regular isn't it?!

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Daily Exercise
From: jacqui.c
Date: 01 May 07 - 10:18 AM

I've started taking Seamus to the beach first thing in the morning. We get about 3/4 hour exercise - he runs and I walk - out in theopen air.

I used to go to Curves on a regular basis until I developed an incisional hernia from my hysterectomy. After that got fixed I didn't get back into a regular routine again. Unfortunately, it looks like the fix didn't take and I'll have to see the quack again, so walking is all I'm doing right now, and I'll be asking his advice as to what exercise I should be doing if they can fix this again.

Subject: RE: BS: Daily Exercise
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 01 May 07 - 10:50 AM

I have the body of a Greek god.




Unfortunately, the god is Dionysus


(Bacchus to the Romanly inclined)

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Daily Exercise
From: Folk Form # 1
Date: 01 May 07 - 10:56 AM

I spend many an evening lifting weights with my right arm-usually a pint. After that, to exercise my legs, I stagger home.

Subject: RE: BS: Daily Exercise
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 01 May 07 - 11:18 AM

Gym 4-5 times a week...walk at 4.5mph on highest gradient of the treadmill and do upper body workout for about half an hour each visit.

Subject: RE: BS: Daily Exercise
From: wysiwyg
Date: 01 May 07 - 11:39 AM

Just to claify, BPM is a music term referring to the speed of the music-- beats per minute-- not a Heart Rate reference. Like adagio, allegro, etc.

It also can equate, jogging in the water, to steps per minute, but that many steps per minute on land is not a transferable number; a translation calculation would be needed.

When the music option is not possible for whatever reason (traveling, MP3 player broken, too much pool noise, etc.), I use a little poolside electonic metronome (BPM) to pace the cadence, and to gauge fitness as compared to the Perceived Exertion Scale shown above.

Also I forgot to include this detail: Most of my aquajogging is done on a tether so that I only use a very small amount of pool space; plus I get additional resistance and intensity from working against the tether. My home-pool tether is a rubber tarp strap connected to a nylon web belt; my traveling kit includes a pair of lighter-weight, waterproof cords to use instead.

And both of our cars are equipped with travel kits, from toiletries to suits to equipment; when I drive Hardi to a faraway meeting I have the option of visiting a local Y or health club pool while he's meeting, to get the day's workout in.

Regarding motivation: I try never to ask myself if I want to get dressed, pack a lunch, arrange the dogs for my absence, go sweat, hurt, and get messy-- I ask myself if I want to keep my commitment to myself, to be stronger, and to feel better. I make the unpleasant aspects the mere details, not the main event, and I keep the motivating factors up front in my mind. I don't ask myself if I am going to the pool. I go, and THEN, once I'm in the water, I ask my body what it's up to for that day's workout-- the same as the day before, or more?

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Daily Exercise
From: *daylia*
Date: 01 May 07 - 11:48 AM

I practice Ba Duan Jin, the "Eight Sacred Exercises" that form the basis of Tai Chi, every day or as often as possible. Takes about 10 minutes, relatively easy, and feels great!

I team that up, about 4 times a week, with 10 minutes of basic stretching and 30-60 minutes of walking or biking (or shovelling snow or pushing my 10-ton lawnmower or raking leaves etc etc), followed by a couple minutes of stretching / cool-downs plus a total relaxation/meditation exercise, and I call it good nuff!

Subject: RE: BS: Daily Exercise
From: Bill D
Date: 01 May 07 - 11:57 AM

I have hills in my neighborhood for when the weather is clement, and a mini-trampoline (3ft circle) and a sort of pumping/cycle thing for bad weather....I don't have a rigid schedule for them, but I need to increase the time I spend on them, as my 'work' involves getting tired without any real aerobic exercise. (standing up at a lathe, straining back & legs)...

Using the machines or walking between sessions in the shop can really reduce my pain.

Subject: RE: BS: Daily Exercise
From: jonm
Date: 01 May 07 - 11:59 AM

First thing every morning, raise and lower the left, ten repeats. Then the same with the other eyelid.

Actually, 1000m a day in the pool, plus regular dog walking.

I visited the gym part where I swim, but I know too much about mediaeval torture instruments and the punishment methods of the Spanish Inquisition. I regard walking/running and swimming as forms of escape rather than forms of torture.

Subject: RE: BS: Daily Exercise
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 01 May 07 - 12:06 PM

Seriously, I do walk some distance each working day, I sneak in some Pilates based excercises, I have an excercise bike/cross trainer that isn't just used to hang clothes on, and I try to do some upper body lifting - piles of files at work does that nicely!

Now if I could only a matress that lets me sleep properly, I'd be happy.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Daily Exercise
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 May 07 - 01:23 PM

I have so much yard work to do and remodeling around the house to finish up that I can't imagine wasting the time and money to go to a gym to burn calories and waste time in non-productive activity. I belonged to a gym for a little while about 20 years ago, and realized how stupid it was to drive to the gym to exercise. I should have kept my money and walked to and from the gym every day.

People pay others to mow their lawns around here, then they go to the gym to do comparable exercise. How dumb is that? My lawn, under ideal conditions, takes about 2 hours to mow, front and back, with a gas-powered push mower.

My son complains that he wants to do chores for me to earn some extra money (paying for an electric guitar) but that I always do the stuff I said needing done before he gets to it. We have reached an accord--I have him go out with my every so often and I give him chores along side me to help with whatever I'm working on at the moment.   

I have two dogs who need a walk every day, and we try to go between 30 and 45 minutes each walk. They're outside all of the time in a large yard, so it isn't like they get no exercise because they're playing much of the time, but this is a good social situation, and as we approach the hot summer months we'll push our walks to earlier in the day.

This isn't taking into account anyone else's physical impairments. I'm not apologizing for thinking gyms are stupid and Americans are pampered. They are and we are. If you don't have enough to do at your house, go help and elderly neighbor dig a garden. But why waste time and money on empty exercise? Someone's getting rich, running all of those places. Think about it.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Daily Exercise
From: dianavan
Date: 01 May 07 - 01:38 PM

I have a garden. Lately it was getting to be a chore instead of pleasure so I took up Yoga.

I do an early morning yoga/meditation and go to classes twice a week.

As a result, I have given up coffee and now enjoy a health breakfast(which I would often skip). All in all, I have a more healthy outlook on life and my body is loving it. My flexibility has improved greatly and now I work in the garden with ease.

I also walk a great deal. I sold my car about five years ago.

Subject: RE: BS: Daily Exercise
From: wysiwyg
Date: 01 May 07 - 02:49 PM

SRS, nobody gets rich in our county. I used to approach exercise that way too, and ran a demonstration farm one year to get exercise. Now I have to work on things differently, but chore time is still very much part of my rehab.

Today for instance I slew the mighty groceries-- at the big store, on foot, for the first time in a long time. I could not have done that last year, and went to the smaller store as well as using scooters at the big ones. By the time I was done I had to have help loading the car, but it was a milestone to be able to walk that whole store twice without resting.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: Daily Exercise
From: kendall
Date: 01 May 07 - 04:11 PM

I joined one of those health clubs, went on a two week diet and lost 14 days.

Subject: RE: BS: Daily Exercise
From: WiggyMagPye
Date: 01 May 07 - 04:20 PM

Whew Doggie. We just returned from a lovely day at the zoo. No treadmill for me today, no siree! The zoo is large and sits on a big hill. I was up and down the pathways all day, enjoying every minute of it!

I'm tired but my body is happy!

Kudos to your trips around the store. Movement forward is progress.

WMP

Subject: RE: BS: Daily Exercise
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 01 May 07 - 06:07 PM

I used to go to the gym twice a week, for 6 months. I stopped going and immediately lost a stone - I'd go excercise, get hungry and eat baked potatoes with tuna... stopped excercising, didn't get hungry, didn't eat 3 meals a day.

LTS