| LEM1955
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Are there others on the board who are interested in exercise for increased strength, fitness and performance? I post on another board I find too competitive, but I get the feeling that most people here think of exercise as a chore that propels weight loss forward but otherwise is something to get over as quickly as possible.
I love physical activity. If I could, I'd spend 3 or 4 hours a day hiking, cycling, skiing, mountain climbing, paddling. Are there others here who feel similarly? |
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Tue Jan 25, 2005 10:17 pm |
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| jck2626
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I'm IN therapy, but I still love to get my exercise. For that hour and a half per day, I get to clear my mind and just focus on me! It is such a good feeling to sweat a horrible day out. Or, when I go in the mornings, I get such an energy burst for the whole day.
Great poll! |
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Tue Jan 25, 2005 11:03 pm |
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| Vancouver Lori
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Quote: Are there others on the board who are interested in exercise for increased strength, fitness and performance? I post on another board I find too competitive, but I get the feeling that most people here think of exercise as a chore that propels weight loss forward but otherwise is something to get over as quickly as possible.
I love physical activity. If I could, I'd spend 3 or 4 hours a day hiking, cycling, skiing, mountain climbing, paddling. Are there others here who feel similarly?
I too exercise for strength and fitness, but mostly because I really enjoy it! I try to do between 45-60 minutes of aerobics every day and alternate upper and lower body weight training. Sometimes interval, sometimes circut, I like to mix it up (have about 30 videos). I also play golf and try to play at least 18 holes (sometimes 27) 4-5 days a week (always walk).
Also, my moring exercise routine is my "me" time, and gets my head straight for the rest of the day. |
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Thu Jan 27, 2005 2:01 am |
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| Ramona
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| I love exercise just for itself and have never gone through long periods of time when I didn't workout. Even through my pregnancies I worked out. |
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Thu Jan 27, 2005 4:06 am |
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| RedPanda
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You're not alone, LEM1955. I joined a gym in August 2003 because my weight loss had stalled. I am VERY uncoordinated and had always hated exercise (those high school gym teachers have a lot to answer for!). I expected to go only 3-4 times a week, but enjoyed it so much I went every day.
I now run about 35km/22m a week and am training for my first marathon later this year. As well, I do three hours of pump a week, three hours of spin classes, one hour of intensive aerobics, and an hour of tai chi/pilates/yoga. Running before breakfast sets me up for the work day, and if I have a cr*p day at work, I get rid of all my tensions before I go home to Mr RedPanda - who now has to put up with far less whining from me!
Oh, and I'm a totally different size and shape, so much so that old colleagues and aquaintances often don't recognise me! |
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Thu Jan 27, 2005 10:53 am |
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| LEM1955
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| RedPanda - If you are doing high intensity aerobics, you can't also claim to be uncoordinated. There's an awful lot of choreography in aerobics. And adding in a rapid heartrate, and challenges to all muscle groups - well, watch me fall flat on my face! Thanks for a great story. -Linda |
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Thu Jan 27, 2005 1:15 pm |
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| Tracy_in_MA
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I started exercising about a month after I started South Beach because I knew that I should. But, it has become a part of my life that I really enjoy.
Seven months ago, I could barely walk around the block (about 3/4) without collapsing. Now, I'm walking 4 miles in just under 65 minutes and am registered for a 1/2 marathon next January. |
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Thu Jan 27, 2005 1:22 pm |
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| JessicaRabbit
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LEM1955: I'm with ya on this one. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't get outside and MOVE. I sold my last house because there weren't any forests or parks nearby with enough trees-no place I could go and feel like I was being "hugged" by nature.
Congrats on your success. You appearance is quite different and so obviously more healthy. I've thought of your after picture as motivation quite often-THANKS. |
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Fri Jan 28, 2005 1:26 pm |
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| audreyh1
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LEM - that's a great poll and topic! I'm very much with you on this one.
I selected "increase fitness so I can do more" which is definitely true. DH and I are wildlife photographers which means we sometimes need to lug heavy equipment out in the middle of nowhere. When DH started weight training with me in 2003 we knew he would see definitely some benefits here - he has the heaviest equipment to lug about and it has really helped him!
We do a lot of hiking now, and I hope to do even more once we go mobile (we are moving into a motorhome this spring and then hitting the road for probably 10 years at least).
But there is a REAL reason (or an even deeper one) that motivates my exercising today. I want to be very physically active well into my 70s - or even further if possible. I'm 45 now. So for me a big part of exercising, of strength training and the reason I picked up yoga a couple of years ago was to actively minimize the effects of aging. Build muscle today to limit future bone loss once I hit menopause - that's a big reason for my strength training. Yoga is something I hope to do until I am ancient, so learning it now and incorporating it into my life now is part of a long term plan. Yoga brings balance, flexibility, as well as strength. And maintaining balance and flexibility is really important as we age - that really helps prevent injury.
Audrey |
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Fri Jan 28, 2005 2:20 pm |
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| audreyh1
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Wow - I had to go track down LEM's (Linda's) before and after pics after reading JessicaRabbit's post above.
Wow - very inspiring. It's great to see someone so inspired about their active outdoor lifestyle and having life begin at 49!
When we start traveling in our motorhome one of the things I MOST look forward too is that I should be able to do long hikes almost every day, because we'll spend most of our time camping at state parks and other natural areas.
We've been working with a personal trainer on weight training for almost 2 years now. It's been expensive. We see this as an "investment" both in getting into terrific shape before our extended journey, and in learning what we need to in order to maintain the fitness once we are on our own.
Audrey |
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Fri Jan 28, 2005 2:33 pm |
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