S8 Fitness Club

[Doreen Peri]

Who wants to join in on this thread as a commitment to better fitness? Just an idea to have a fitness club where those who are interested can be accountable to each other by logging in their exercise or physical activity for the day.

I miss swimming. I was swimming several times a week and I haven't gone to the pool in months. I need to get back to it. I also like dance and stretching and working out with hand weights. I also enjoy gardening and walking and spring is here so now is a good time!

Anyway, thought it might be a good idea to help each other stay healthy and fit by having a thread where we talk about our physical activity in addition to healthy eating. Maybe include healthy recipes, our plans for eating smaller portions more often rather than huge meals, etc.

I have fitness goals. I want to get back in shape.... Actually would love to get in the best shape of my life and maybe start a second career in the fitness industry. I don't know yet but I do know that I haven't been feeling well and I know that:

1) Exercise gives people more energy and is good for overall health.

2) Weight control and eating healthy meals is imperative for a long-lasting health.

3) If you aren't healthy, you can't do the things you want to do as well or as often.... including writing, artwork, performance arts.... whatever your goals are!

4) Sitting at a computer all day is NOT healthy. We need to MOVE both for our physical and our mental health!

Who wants to join me and post on this thread as to what exercise or physical activity you've participated in?

I woke up inspired
but now I'm feeling tired.
Going to take nap and dream about it.
I'll be back to join in the team about it!

What do you say? Want to join a S8 Fitness Club? Dumb idea for an arts website? Or NOT?

heh

[judih]

if there's a stretch headband involved, i'm right there

(that's my only condition)

[Doreen Peri]

Sounds great! You look cute with a stretch headband on, judih!

[judih]

it's because of Nate - SooZ posted photos of him in his birthday headband and wristbands - and i wannem too

it's not the look so much, rather the feel that i'm after

[neologistic]

let's do it, i'll exercise with you guys

[Doreen Peri]

Great James! Glad you're in!

Get 'em! Yeah! You'll look real cute, Judih! I just know it!

OK... here's my fitness report for the day. I got up out of bed. I walked to the kitchen (what's left of it). I opened the refrigerator door. got a Starbucks Frappuccino (vanilla) and I twisted the cap off!

After that, I opened the front door for MOLD MAN and his companion FUN GUY and WALKED around my house POINTING and showing them where the mold was.

Then I came in my room and I've been typing typing typing all day day long!

I'm exhausted!



Tomorrow I have an even more rigorous routine scheduled.

[judih]

the only way to start a routine is to simply find a regular time to do it, and then do it again the next day at the same time.

i know you know, but still it's true.
me? i usually get up, drink coffee, write a haiku, check my e-mail and studio 8 and other forums, then shower and exercise.
If i'm lucky, i get to bike to school and back.
If i'm really lucky, i walk an 8 km walk around the kibbutz (till now it depended on getting home before dark, but with daylight savings - timing's gonna be easier, so it'll depend on me!)

Also twice a week or so, i work out in our outside gym on the kibbutz.
once a week, i formally do t'ai chi.

it's not enough but it's good.
i want more! that's why i've signed up for the studio8 fitness club.

time for a walk - the weather's right, the timing's right and i only have to change my shoes.

see ya
oh, and maybe i'll spot some storks - they're in the hood these days

[Artguy]

I go to the "Y" 3 - 4 times a week...4 more...3 more...that's it puuuuuuush...

[Doreen Peri]

Judih & Kurt... sounds like you both have a good fitness routine going!

I have an idea to report here what we did that day fitness-wise. Just to keep some energy going. I need encouragement and a team effort. I have a goal to get in the best shape of my life!

Today, my plan is to mow the lawn, edge the gardens (which entails shoveling) clean out the garden beds (I have quite a few) and go to pick up 10-20 bags of mulch and possibly some flowers. Might go back tomorrow to get the flowers.

It will be a workout! It's going to be a beautiful spring day in Virginia and I'm very much looking forward to it.

But first, I have to take a nap. Hahaha!

I'll report back here as to how much of this I got done today.

[neologistic]

I'm going back on an old exercise plan one of my buddies gave me, don't know how good it is but it works ok for me. the first few days is for seeing where to start in different repetitions and getting back into exercising. you have certain exercises that you have to attempt at least once a day and you just do however many you feel like doing before getting worn out. after that, you set small goals to increase the minimum repetition for each exercise until a max for that exercise is reached (i have no idea the max but i'm certain i haven't neared it )

these are the exercises he had me do:

-pullups from a brace or sturdy door frame (if you can't do a pullup for whatever reason, consider lightly jumping up while pulling your body up and letting your body down from the frame or brace)

-sit ups (there are different situp positions, whichever works best for you)

-jumping jacks

-running in place

-lifting weights (phonebooks in bags can even help)

-pushups

-changeups (this involves doing a set of 5 repetitions or 5 seconds of any of the above exercises, then without breaking changing up to a set of repetitions of your choice and so on for a set amount of time. if your repetitions are already low, try just doing sets of 1 or 2 repetitions or seconds and then change to a different small set of exercises)

here's what i've done so far today:

stretching: 10 minutes
basic yoga and breathing: 20 minutes
pullups: 25
jumping jacks: 50

[Doreen Peri]

James... geez... sounds ambitious! I got tired just reading it! LOL I think that's great! Are you sure a door jam can hold you? You're like 6' 4"! I have a pull-up bar. Want to borrow it? I can't even pull myself up once and I only weigh 118 pounds.. hahahaha

OK well today, I raked out the garden beds, mowed the back lawn, piled up tree branches that had fallen in the backyard, trimmed some tree and shrub branches, now moving to the side and front.... but I can't get the lawnmower to start again.

Sighh... still a good workout so far... 2 hours. If I get it started and work in the front today, it will be another hour or 2 .... yay me! Breathing in and out. Breaking for some water. Maybe the lawnmower's flooded. Will try again in a few minutes.

[Doreen Peri]

Boy am I going to be sore tomorrow! ... Still working in the front yard. Got the neighbor to help me restart the lawn mower, raking out last year's leaves from under the bushes, trimming bushes, cleaning out weeds from the garden beds, filling up bags full of yard debris and it's starting to look really NICE! Tomorrow I'll edge the garden... (the grass grows into it like 6-12" every year so I have to get a pitchfork because I'm not strong enough to jump on a shovel.. haha.. One time I tried to use one foot on a shovel and that didn't work so I JUMPED on the shovel ... well a shovel/spade with a pointed tip.... with BOTH feet and it still didn't break the ground! I fell backwards on my ass! hahaha! Oh boy...) ... anyway, so now i use a pitchfork and two good jumps on the pitchfork, I can pull the extra grass from the edge of the garden and re-edge it for the year. Then I'll need to go buy my annuals and about 20 bags of mulch. That's tomorrow. I'm done for the day. I'm covered with dirt and bleeding in a few places.. haha... got stabbed by a stick on my knee (it's not so bad, just a scratch really) and then the rose bush attacked my hand but .. these are just surface wounds. I'm good! I'm covered with dirt all over my hands everywhere else and I feel healthy and great! Time for my shower.

[neologistic]

OK, I got my exercises done for the day. Here's what I'm looking at on day one:

stretching: 10 minutes
basic yoga and breathing: 20 minutes
pullups: 25
jumping jacks: 50
running in place: 2 minutes
situps: 25
pushups: 25
lifting weights: 25 repetitions for both arms, 25 pounds
changeups: 1 minute of 5 repetitions (for running in place I did 5 seconds)

I'm sticking with a set number of pushups for now until I get used to the new routine, not doing the playing card pushups

[Doreen Peri]

Great workout, James! Thanks for checking in. That's VERY inspiring!

.......
Today it was pouring down rain, so no gardening for me unfortunately. I WATCHED the construction crew today. Boy they wore me out. They did a lot of WORK.

After they left, I cleaned the windows and wooden blind slats in my bedroom which really made me know I have to STOP SMOKING which is part of my fitness plan. It was a bit of a workout but not much, really.

Right now, I'm working very hard on RELAXING after a long day of trying to BREAK UP FIGHTS on the internet on another site where I'm an Admin. Sighhh...

After I relax, I hope to force myself to get on the treadmill and walk a couple of miles. Maybe lift some of these 8 lb hand weights. We'll see. I'm writing it down so that's sort of the first step of a commitment.

[judih]

good work, james - sounds like an excellent routine
doreen - a treadmill! yes - go for a walk. Perhaps a little stretching before the weight-work. It'll be good for your referee brain

me?
usual morning exercises - stretching, tons of stomach crunches in various guises (taken from calanetics - small movement for intense work)
weights (i'm using 1 1/2 kgs like 3.3 lbs in each hand)
leg work, pushups

and an 8 km walk - it was super hot today outside - 34 degrees C - hot in fahrenheit as well

i had a ton of work to do but luckily for me, my daughter commandeered the computer to get her project ready for her college entrance exams (fashion design and textile)

& my referee job was to deal with the fight between her and my printer. not easy.