Hello, everyone, from the newbie on the block! Claude invited me to join last week on our walk around Paris (was it really only two weeks ago Wednesday?) and despite my fear of structure, I’ll take the plunge. I’m not majorly overweight or out of shape, but I have trouble exercising consistently. Walking in Paris is fun but walking here at home in my little suburb is fairly boring. I take my ipod, however — and there may be ways to spice this up that I have yet to discover. I welcome any and all suggestions…
Dancing is my favorite form of exercise but right now I have no partner and don’t really like to go out to bars and make a spectacle of myself dancing solo! I have done the gym thing with the elliptical trainer and may go back to that in the fall. I have a cardioglide machine which works arms and legs with some spinoff benefits for the core muscles — when all else fails I use this, sometimes in the middle of the night if I can’t sleep. (it works! I fall asleep every time) My house has two levels so I do stairs quite a bit. My pitfalls are that I LOVE to sit and read, or do other sedentary things, and I love to eat. On the upside, I have a garden (right now with lots of weeds) and occasionally I max out on bending and stooping while cleaning things up. The last few days I have been scraping and sanding the woodwork in an upstairs study, and I began painting it yesterday — boy, painting a ceiling is exhausting work!
Goals: To walk every day (or nearly every day…). Steps per day — 6000? If I add a regular walk to my everyday count, that is the approximate total. To cut down on snacking (except in times of extreme stress, when one just has to snack or die). To practice singing at least once a day (this is quite aerobic actually) — I am a professional singer but have really stopped practicing in the last 10 years, and I need to begin again. To use the cardioglide every day, for at least 100 reps. To get back to my floor routine of abs exercises, which was working quite well earlier this year.
It will be lovely to have someone to answer to about all this. And there may be times when I really don’t want to be honest, but I WILL, I WILL! Thank you so much, Claude, for starting this group! I’m looking forward to getting to know you all.
Sara
10 Comments
July 6, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Good to see you here, Sara! Welcome to ElderExercise. I think you don’t need to lose any weight, but I’m sure we all need exercising
July 6, 2008 at 11:31 pm
Bienvenidos, Sarah!!!! You are my neighbor to the east since I’m in NE Ohio. You have awesomely ambitious goals!!! I hope you attain them. It’s always nice to see our group grow!!
July 7, 2008 at 5:39 am
Welcome. Anyone who includes dancing and singing in their exercise routine, is a gal after my heart. Too bad we can’t introduce more sedentary routines like cookie dipping in a tea cup, or foot massages. All the best in setting up a regular exercise routine. This group of people have helped me already to become more conscious of keeping active.
July 8, 2008 at 11:50 am
Welcome, Sara. Sounds as if you and Kay have much in common with more
need for moving the body than losing weight.
Do you ever download books to listen to on your walks? I can
understand how it’s less engaging to walk in the suburbs and wonder if
this would help. I look forward to how we can help you figure it all
out and, perhaps, get ideas for ourselves from what you do.
July 9, 2008 at 5:58 am
Welcome to the group. Am working on increasing my moving about more since stopped using my stationary bike. We’re having daytime temps in the three digits and ozone/smog, so find that a great excuse to delay getting out even in the evening. Working on attitude and motivation right now.
July 9, 2008 at 6:18 am
Sara, how about posting a photo of yourself in your profile. I actually have a photo, but can’t post it, as I am not you
July 9, 2008 at 8:29 am
Hello Sara, nice to ‘meet’ you. You may be a ‘newbie’ but you certainly sound fit and active already.
July 9, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Thanks, everyone, for the warm welcome! Since I posted that intro, I have done little but continue this painting job. It’s good exercise, I hurt all over, but it is NOT aerobic! Yesterday I did small touchup stuff before tackling the final coat on the ceiling which is today.
Naomi, the book listening idea might be good — however my budget doesn’t usually allow for this. And I’ve gotta admit I am not the best listener to books, I tend to want to take longer or to go faster than the reader is going, or to get distracted by the tone of voice — weird, I know!
This AM I woke up early so I tried something new. I walked to my local Wegman’s, where I usually buy groceries and coffee. It took a half-hour one way and that was 3300 steps! Now if I have any energy left for that ceiling…
Claude, I tried to put a photo on but it didn’t work. I will try again.
July 9, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Sara, yes it worked! I can see you!
It takes time for the photo to appear a lot of the time, but here you are, smiling at me!
I like the idea of walking to wherever you are shopping, only if you don’t have to carry heavy stuff on the way back! Sometimes I fast walk to the Bon Marché in the evening and buy dinner there. Then I take the métro back.
July 9, 2008 at 8:41 pm
About the photo, at the moment it’s showing in the comment above mine, but not on the sidebar. But don’t worry, it’ll get there. It just takes time.