Can I Still Jog?

This evening I went for a walk with Bruiser to get some exercise for the both of us. He wasn’t in it for the long haul as he didn’t even make two laps. I brought him back to the house and took off again by myself.

Then I had this strange thought, one I have not had in a long time. I wondered if I could jog any at all. So, I decided to take off I made it about fifty yards before I had to stop for two reasons. One was that I couldn’t breathe and the second was my shorts were about to fall off. Since I have lost 39 pounds I still haven’t bought any new clothes. I walked the rest of the way down the street and turned around.

I had some breath back so I broke into a trot again, this time also making about fifty yards before my shorts nearly fell off. I decided to just walk the rest of the way before I put on any kind of show. Coming down the home stretch I decided to jog one more time. I pulled up my shorts pretty high and took off. This time I made it nearly a hundred yards before my lungs gave out.

Can I still jog? Well, right now only in small bursts. Thirty nine pounds ago it would have been totally out of the question. I’ll continue to walk mixing in some jogging along the way. Who knows, maybe I can even work back up to a spinning class.

Week 21 Status Update

This morning I was looking for good news when I weighed in and that’s just what I found. The needle on the scale almost went around just as far as it did last week, but not quite. It stopped one pound before it got there. A 38 pound loss is where I stand after 21 weeks on a modified Weight Watchers diet. I say modified because I have never been to a meeting.

For the third night in a row I have gone for a walk after work. Bruiser and I walked for about 30 minutes. Next week I want to hit that 40 pound mark.

A Quickie Before Weigh In Tomorrow

Well, I have gone from no exercise to walking two days in a row. It felt really good even though it was really hot. I made a couple of blocks with Bruiser and then went looking for hills after leaving him back at the house. Hopefully I can keep the momentum going in the coming weeks.

Weigh in is just about nine hours away. I feel pretty good going in but the scales will announce their verdict in the morning. I know a few of my readers also weigh in on Wednesdays so I wish good results for all.

A Little Exercise Couldn’t Hurt

I have had a much easier time staying away from the Pizza buffet than getting some exercise. But last night was a little different. My wife, daughter and our puppy Bruiser took a little walk last night. Bruiser couldn’t make but a couple of laps so after we dropped him back off at the house for the air conditioning I kept going.

I’m not sure how far I walked but I intentionally walked up hills at times and really got my heart rate going. I know I need to do this on a regular basis but there are tons of other things I want to do also. We have been taking Bruiser to puppy school at Petsmart for the last few weeks and the trainer suggested that we take him for walks in the morning and evening. Maybe I can use that to motivate myself into walking on a regular basis.

The weight that I have lost so far has been without an exercise program. In the past when I have done Weight Watchers I have either walked a lot or played full court basketball three days a week. I really feel that the rate I am dropping the pounds has been slowed because of my lack of exercise. I firmly believe that no matter how well you stick to the calorie count there comes a time when you hit the proverbial wall and need to do some cardio.

What do you do for exercise? From reading some of your blogs several of my readers are very active.
Good luck and continued success.

Video Games for Exercise ???

This past weekend my daughter was home and brought with her the Nintendo Wii she got for her birthday. The Wii is not your ordinary video game for the couch potato. I was surprised to learn that the Wii can be a good source of exercise.

The Nintendo Wii is not a game console where you get to exercise your fingers; it is a chance to work out your whole body while playing a game. After playing for just a short time I realized that I was sweating and both my heart rate and respiration were up. This game gets you involved physically in what you see on your television screen.

I also discovered that some games were able to isolate muscles and simulate movements you would find in the gym. For example, bowling is a great game for lunges. You actually make the same motion as you would bowling in real life. Boxing works your arms and you get some leg work out as you bob and weave to avoid the punches of your opponent. Tennis works your arms and you can move side to side as you direct the action on the screen.

If you are having trouble getting active as I am the Nintendo Wii just may be a great tool to get you up on your feet and moving around.

Exercise – Do I have to?

I have lost 21 pounds in seven weeks. Like most people I lost more weight at the start of my diet. This past week I had my lowest weekly weight loss of only 1 pound. To this point I have not added exercise into my weight loss tool box yet. That will need to change now.

When I successfully lost weight in the past I walked regularly from the start. Walking is my preferred method of exercise. I’m not big on going to the gym but I have in the past. The trouble with the gym is it seems to really eat into the amount of time I have available for the day. Walking allows me to be able to just get up and walk any time, any place.

You may enjoy the whole gym experience. The biggest advantage the gym offers is the variety of activities you can participate in. Most facilities have every kind of cardio device imaginable to add to the old stand by of weights. Many gyms offer group training classes revolving around a myriad of exercise mechanisms. When I was going to the gym my favorite activity was spinning. For those of you not familiar with spinning it is a special stationary bike with adjustable settings to simulate different conditions. Spin classes revolve around music with your trainer instructing you as you pedal. Its not for everybody as it is a pretty intense workout.

This weekend the new daylight savings time takes effect. Now I won’t have anymore excuses to not walk around the neighborhood after work. Now that I have had that initial surge of weight loss I have to get moving.

Whether you are a walker like me or an adrenaline junky pushing yourself to new limits you’ve just got to get moving. Experts will tell you it’s about diet and exercise if you want to see healthy long term results.