So much information...so little time

Welcome back! Welcome back! How are you today? I’m well, thank you for asking.  So…how about how hot it’s been the past couple of days, hm?

Alright, now that we have the idle chit-chat out of the way, let the blogging commence. But first, before I forget, I have a disclaimer. I will be talking about Fitness for Dummies  by Liz Neporent and Suzanne Schlosberg. In no way do my opinions/interpretations of the book reflect the authors’ opinion in any way.  So now we can move on.

For today’s blog, I actually did some research. However, as I went with my typical, procrastinator ways, I missed out on getting to read a really good book. The goal of my research was to find two books that would help me learn about weight training for weight loss. I Googled both the ACSM Fitness Book and Fitness for Dummies. I found both of them on Google Books and was able to look at a couple of pages in both. ACSM was much more scholarly than Fitness, making the later the more interesting read. My plan for later on today is to grab ACSM out of the library and read some more of Fitness at a Barnes and Noble (unless somebody wants to give me twenty bucks to buy it!). Also, did you know that a Barnes and Noble location search gives you all the Barnes and Nobles for fifty miles? Why would I travel fifty miles for a book? Crazy.

Fitness for Dummies: What I liked

·         It was really funny from the first page

The first section in the book is called, “Get your butt off the couch – Pt. 1.” I thought this is great because this is exactly what I have to do. I am completely capable of starting an exercise routine, I’m just too lazy to get up and do it. This section gives the reader tips and motivation to get up and get moving.  Besides having funny anecdotes to help with this, the general feel of the book is light hearted. Fortunately for me, I was able to view part of the section on weight lifting on page 171 and it said “If you can unfold a lawn chair, you’re more than qualified to operate a weight machine.” This was pretty funny to me and slightly encouraging. First, it was funny because it is not always easy to open lawn chairs. It was slightly encouraging because while opening lawn chairs can sometimes be slightly frustrating while at the beach, they aren’t difficult to figure out. If the book is likening the two activities, then I probably won’t have too much trouble figuring out the machines.

·         It had a lot of information, seemed to know it’s stuff, and had everything organized.

The book had a lot of information – I could find information on any type of exercise that I wanted to learn about. It even had a special section for beginners like myself.  What kind of exercise do you want to do…Here are all the different types on fitness routines… etc. One thing that was perfect for me was that it also gives tips on how to use the book in conjunction with the internet and even suggested that I join an internet fitness community. They even have a website that I can visit that I really love! I feel like I’ve found my weight-training for weight loss for class bible.

It seemed to know it’s stuff – In the very beginning of the book, there is a section that explain all the little pictures that appear on the side of the page. They have icons to indicate tips, debunk common fitness misconceptions, and to share information laden anecdotes. The different icons let you know what type of passage is going to follow it. The icon that I liked the best, however, was one that indicates where they are going to add in technical information and some science, just so you can skip the “boring” parts if you want.

Everything was organized – The book was created so that anyone reading it could pick up the book at any section and be able to understand it without having to read the previous sections. Each section also introduces what the reader can find in that particular section and then expounds on it in the following pages.

 

Fitness for Dummies – What I learned

From the few pages that I was able to read, I learned a lot.

I learned that I personally should combine cardio and strength training to get the most out of my work out. Strength training rips your muscles, so you should not work out the same muscles every day. The cardio is easier on your muscles and helps you lose weight, which helps you with achieving some definition. When you alternate between the two, you are giving your muscles time to heal. Then book suggested the following workout schedule:

Monday: Upper body (back, chest, shoulders, triceps, biceps)

Tuesday: Lower body (gluteals, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, abdominals)

Wednesday: REST

Thursday: Upper body (back, chest, shoulders, triceps, biceps)

Friday: REST

Saturday: Lower body (gluteals, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, abdominals)

Sunday: REST

This was in the book, but I also found it on the website: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/creating-a-weekly-weight-training-workout.html#ixzz1NZ4xSCOZ

I thought that on Wednesday and Friday I could do a pool work out and on Sunday, I could rest. Yes, no? Opinions? I think it sounds pretty good, but then again I know very little about working out.

What else did I learn?

I learned that you should work out your larger muscles before you work out your smaller muscles. This is great information! The book said that the smaller muscles help the larger muscles move. If you tire your smaller muscles out before you’ve targeted the larger muscles, you will probably be too worn out to give your lager muscles the workout they need. Now all I need to do is get the book so I can figure out which are the larger muscles and which are the smaller.

I also learned that I should really set some goals. The book cited a study that showed that when people set goals is helps them have more success than people who did not set any goals. So, the book suggested, I should set multiple goals and rewards for myself. The goals should be long and short term and the rewards should not be food. Darn it… how did they know?

OK well here are three goals for myself:

1.       Improve my one mile walk by 20 seconds

2.       Use every machine in the gym at least once

3.       Work out for one week straight without skipping a day.

Will you guys hold me to it? I hope you will. Hey, you should work out with me! I dare you.

Did anyone really expect anything different?

Progress on starting an exercise routine:  very little...okay, none at all. 

Weight: waaaay too much

To be honest, I'm not really surprised, but I am a little disappointed in myself. Today was supposed to be my day to do some research and get a little bit of exercise in. Instead, I focused entirely on the nutrition part of exercising. I am very fortunate to have parents who often throw some grocery money my way. That being said, I still only really have several cans of soup and some eggs here at my apartment to eat. Although this provides me with some sort of food to eat, it's definitely not enough to be of help in my attempt to get healthy. In order to burn calories, one must have the energy from food to workout. So how did I fix my sustenance problem? Well first I..cleaned out my closet. Then I watched a movie...then another movie. They were both on HBO and free! Don't judge. Then I finally got around to clipping coupons out of last Sunday's paper to add to my collection of coupons. The whole attempt ended with me visiting the grocery store that I work at. I went to every isle, checked prices and sales, and tried to make a plan of what I should buy to keep myself fed and ready to burn calories. After two hours of that, I realized even with the great deals with my coupons, I really don't have the money to buy some new food. I really should read that cooking on a budget blog... Anywho, I came home and made some dinner from something  I found in my freezer and continued being lazy and unproductive for the rest of the day. Honestly, I could have fit a trip to the gym in there very easily. Long story short (too late), I did not. 

The fact that I refused to find  the time to exercise on the ONLY day of the week where I have neither work nor school really made me think about what "outsiders" ( i.e. people who do not regularly exercise) feel about exercising. Many people assume that they simply do not have the time in their busy schedules to pencil in an exercise even if it is only once a week. They also assume that dedicating themselves to a routine would not only be a huge hassle, but time consuming as well. They simply cannot fit exercise into their lives. I think these assumptions are rooted in the idea that exercise must be planned and must be in a gym. I disagree with all of these assumptions. I believe that exercise can be ingrained into anybody's life and that the definition of exercise is not confined to what is done under the roof of a gym. 

Things I already do to try to get healthy: (the non-gym version)

1. I always take the stairs when my classes are not on the first floor.

2. I almost always take the stairs up to my apartment. I always walk down the stairs when leaving.I live on the fourth floor.

3. I walk to and from class.

4. My drink of choice is water, and I drink around 8 glasses a day.

What I want to accomplish before the summer is over

1. To continue doing what I am doing now, in terms of fitness, but add the gym into my routine

2. Learn to eat healthier. I tend to gravitate to anything deep friend, greasy, sugary, delicious.

3. Eat more often. 

3. Loose some weight. It's starting to get ridiculous.

4. Learn what kind of exercise works best for me.

5. Become actively involved in a forum that will provide me with support and suggestions.

6. Convince some of my friends to join me in my torture workouts.

7. Stop thinking about exercise in terms like torture. 

I really don't know why I think that exercising in the gym will be torture. I'm pretty sure that some of those "outsiders" follow along my train on thought. Yay! I fit in! I'm hopeful that the workout is only torture in the beginning. Actually, I'm certain that once I get over the initial "wow my muscles hurt!...Oh my Lebowski I can't breathe!...I'm so out of shape!...I'm sure I look ridiculous to these guys with huge muscles in here... well...at least while I die I can watch their nicely toned bodies surreptitiously in the mirrors..." phase, I'll start to like it. I know this because in high school I used to be in pretty good shape. I swam on the varsity swim team all throughout my time in high school and after I got over the initial pain, I would feel great after our two and a half hour practices. I'm really looking forward to experiencing that feeling again.

Well everybody, time to get my beauty rest. Hopefully, I will definitely get a workout in tomorrow. Thoughts? Suggestions? Let me know! 

Much love from me :)

And so it begins...

So I've been sitting here for about twenty minutes trying to figure out what the heck I was going to write for my first blog post. My apartment complex is testing out the fire alarms in the building and they've been going off about ever other minute since 10 am...aaaaand I'm a little hungover/sleep deprived. Did I mention that I am supposed to have this post up in about an hour and a half?

Hi, my name is insert name, and I'm a HUGE procrastinator. And that's really my problem when it comes to getting off my butt and actually working out. Don't I sound like the perfect person to embark on an "exercise experiment?" I'm always full of excuses when it comes to trying to create an exercise routine. "Well...I have too much homework, I went to sleep too late to wake up that early, I worked a long shift today...too tired....blah blah blah." However, I don't think that I am the only person to do this. I think a lot of people struggle with trying to find time and motivation to exercise.

So what is this blog about? This is my motivation to actually get healthy. When my ballooning weight and gradual overall fitness decreasing over the past couple of years isn't enough to motivate me, perhaps being held accountable to someone other than myself will help force me to get into shape. Anyone willing to read about my various adventures in the gym/pool/whatever thing I'm going to try to do to do get healthy will be able to laugh with me (or at me) and hopefully add some encouragement or tips. Because...to be honest here, I know very little about how to exercise. Protein shakes? Nada. When to use certain machines in the gym? Nothing. How many reps? How long? What's the best way for me?


So, please join me on my little adventure. I promise you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll give me five hundred dollars. No? Well one out of three isn't bad. And now I invite you to relax, let us pull up a chair as the internet proudly presents - my blog! (5 points to the person who knows what movie I "borrowed" that from).

P.S. My thoughts tend to be everywhere at once. It gets some taking used to. But I promise that everything relates back to everything in some way. The light at the end of the tunnel is that I will eventually get to the point of my story..no matter how many lame puns I have to throw your way.