Welcome to my new journal on fitness! I will post it on Fridays. (I liked the alliteration of Fitness Fridays. If you know Bro. Graham, my home pastor, then you aren’t surprised that I alliterate!) I also like the fact that I can report on my activities from the previous week by posting on Friday. This is one of my methods of accountability.
First of all, I praise the Lord that I have no serious medical condition that prevents me from engaging in nearly all types of physical activity. If you do have health concerns, but would like to be more physically fit, then please talk to your doctor. There are ways of getting fit without damaging your health. I have allergy induced asthma, and it often flairs up because of the cool morning air or from exercise. I remedy this by taking a shot of my rescue inhaler right before I begin my exercise. I don’t do this every time, only when I am feeling tight in my chest. Also, I’m not prescribing this for you, this is just what I do. I am not a doctor! Please talk to your doctor before beginning an exercise regimen. Okay, now that my disclaimer is out of the way I can move on.
Today I wanted to tell you about a new workout that I have started. I purchased the Bell Express 15 workout kit from Gabrielle Reece, the volleyball player, at http://www.gotogabby.com/ and I highly recommend it. You receive everything you need for the workout at once, so there are no excuses. There are several DVDs to choose from. I chose the “30 Day Challenge”. That DVD has three workouts: strength, core, and cardio. The kit includes a stability ball and pump, 2-4lb. weights, and a pedometer! It’s great. Each workout is only 15 minutes. Come on, who doesn’t have 15 minutes for their health?? We all do! The workouts are not intense. In fact, the trainer in the workouts tells you to work as hard as you can. On gotogabby.com, he recommends using the RPE scale. This stands for Rate of Perceived Exertion. If you don’t feel the workout at all, your exertion is too low. If you can’t say a complete sentence, then it is too high. If you push yourself, you will feel even a 15 minute workout. I have done it four days this week, and on the fifth day I did another workout. I really love it. You can choose to do the 15 minute workout only, or you can do the workout with a warm up before and a cool down after. If you do the entire thing, it is only 24 minutes total.
Now, you may not enjoy DVDs or video workouts. I do. I enjoy feeling like someone is working out along with me. I also have a treadmill. It’s nice for when I need to do something different, or just want to walk and not think about choreography! ;] Whatever your favorite activity is, then do it. Gabrielle Reece (on gotogabby.com) recommends that you schedule your workouts daily just like any other appointment, and then show up! I’ve done this just this past week and it has helped me. I also enlisted my daughter and husband as my “workout partners”. Terry and I rise at the same time. He goes for a 30 minute walk, and I do a video. (we can’t both leave the house). Lauren and I try to take a walk in the afternoons. On days when he would like to roll over and go back to sleep, I say “Come and let’s go get fit!” On days when I want to forget it, he says the same to me. So far, it has been really helpful. I’ll keep you posted though. I hope I can last. I’ve heard it said that if you do something everyday for six weeks, then it becomes a habit. Okay, one down, five to go!
I also want to mention that I am not trying to lose a lot of weight or get into a size__ . I simply want to be strong and fit. Running or aerobics is good for the heart, but we also need to build our muscles by lifting weights. Muscle weighs more than fat, but it is always moving in our bodies, whereas fat just sits there. Therefore, when you have more muscle than fat, you will have a higher metabolism. This means you will burn more calories doing things like sitting and sleeping! Why? Because the muscle is always moving. Also, while the numbers on the scale may stay the same or barely move, your clothes will be looser because you will be losing inches! Muscle takes up less space than fat. All in all, lifting weights is a good idea. Using 2-5lbs is a perfect. (If you have your doctor’s permission, of course.)

I must close by telling you that my favorite muscle to exercise would be…any guesses? You got it! My jaw muscle!! ;] I love to talk! (Big smile!)

Happy Friday everyone, and I hope you have a great workout!

Coming Next Friday: The pros and cons of Weight Watchers, as told by a former member…ME!