The Exercise Motivation Thread - 2016

[Columbine]

Norachan and Winchester :heart3: Thank you both. I just get frustrated, and feel lazy compared to all of you superwomen and men!

Did 1 hour 20 mins of yoga today. Really struggled with my back though - getting in and out of forward bends was SO hard :frusty: On the bright side, I used to really struggle strength and energy wise with the 'class' I did, and today it felt pretty easy....apart from the spasm/pain issues. I've definitely gained strength and stamina The downside is that my legs look HUGE now (wore shorts for the first time in forever, and was cringing every time I was in down dog :slant: ).

Spent an hour and a half sorting out my wardrobe and bedroom drawers too - they were a mess, and a fair bit of stuff needs donating or throwing out. Its scary how clothes mount up over the years :lol3:

 

[jtbo]

1 hour and 10 minutes of bicycling, it was too hot really.

It seems that even my shorts take more than 2 days to dry at this humidity.

 

[artiemom]

@Columbine  

If you do not feel up to exercising, please do not do so. This is the time when you can really hurt yourself. take it easy... and you do not have huge legs!! just toned...

OMG, a bird just crashed into my balcony door!! I have lived here for 10 years and that never happened to me!! It hit the door, continued flying into the tree and then off again.... OMG!!!   I am on the second floor of an apartment building!! 

It hit head on!!! concussion!!   I can see a small wet spot on the glass!!  Not blood...

 

[Columbine]

artiemom Thank you hun :heart3: It's a bit different with fibro though - if I rest too much, the pain and stiffness actually get worse, and I lose flexibility far faster than a 'normal' person. I went to my gp with a really extreme back spasm once (I could barely walk, and the pain was indescribable), and he actually told me to keep doing the yoga....just carefully. It's not like an injury that's going to heal with rest

Poor bird! At least it sounds like it was more or less ok :cross:



Ok - question for everyone:- Has anyone used textured rollers or balls for myofascial release or dealing with muscle knots/spasms? I got one of each recently in the hopes that I can home treat more of my pain/fibro symptoms. I'd love some extra info on how best to use them The main areas I want to treat are lower back/sciatic pain, shoulders (especially the muscles under the scapula) and neck. Any and all tips would be much appreciated

 

[Winchester]

I did my upper body exercises, squats, and lunges last night.

3.5 miles on the treadmill this morning.

Did some thinking, too, last night. I cannot continue doing the full regimen of exercises on one night. I'm up to 90 minutes of nothing but exercise 3 nights a week, til I do the trunk exercises, the arm exercises, squats, calf raises, lunges, ab crunches, and then all of the stretches that I'm supposed to do for physical therapy for that butt muscle. Figure in, too, that I'm on the treadmill for almost an hour every single morning and well, it adds up. And I'm doing the pt stretches in the morning before I ever get out of bed. That's 2-1/2 hours of exercise. Once the cooler weather hits, I'll be back outside walking during my lunch break. I can't do it and I don't want to do it. I love to walk; I hate to exercise. 

So I think I'm going to break it up a bit. I'm doing the treadmill every day (it's rare for me to take a day off from walking...I do, but not that often at all). That's an hour every day. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I'll do the upper body stuff, along with the squats and lunges. On Tuesdays, Thursdays (and Saturdays when I can), I'll do the ab crunches, my leg exercises, and my pt stretches.

The good thing is that I'm not doing too much on one night....that is getting old quickly. The bad thing is that I'll be exercising six out of seven days a week. 

 I hate getting old. No matter what I do, I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle. You think I'd be nothing but skin and bones by now. Alas, not so.

 

[foxxycat]

That sounds like an AWFUL lot for you!! I thought you couldn't do the squats n lunges? You don't have knee/back pain?

Why don't you scale it back to weights three times a week. believe it or not-more rest is actually better for building strength. I see guys in the gym only 3 days a week and they don't spend all that much time on weights. maybe just do arms one day. back and squats another and legs another. then stop.

its TOO HOT TO PUSH YOURSELF!!!!

 

[Winchester]

The therapist started me back on squats and lunges for my butt (that always sounds so wrong, but well......). Therapist told me to give them a try and, if the pain starts up with my lower back, then stop them. So far, it seems OK. I'm up to three sets of 12 for regular squats (holding a 10-pound dumbbell between my legs as I squat) and three sets of 12 for each leg on lunges. So far, my lower back seems to deal with them. I am VERY careful though; believe me, form is everything!

The therapist also suggested that I do the stretching exercises for both legs, to alleviate the pain in my left butt muscle and to try to stop any potential problems on the right side. So now, I'm doing the exercises for both legs, not just one. It all takes so much time! Not that I'm this overly busy woman or anything, but geez.

The worst part now for my lower back seems to be things like lying on the mat and trying to bicycle in the air. Lying on the mat and bringing both legs up to my chest (I do one leg at a time), even bringing my legs up a couple of inches from a supine position . Anything that's putting more pressure on my lower back. I used to be able to do exercises like that without a lot of pain. For some reason, I can't now.

I'm having trouble on my hands and knees on the mat. It's difficult for me to "kick back" my right leg into the air because that puts pressure on my left knee (bad knee) and that's bothersome. 

It's hard to find exercises that I can do sometimes, but I keep trying.

 

[foxxycat]

Im betting some of the discomfort is this humid air. I am so PROUD of you!! you are getting STONGER!! plus squats are really good for helping you to do work around the house-its an all around good core building exercise.

Have you searched on youtube for standing ab exercises? there are some that I find work better than laying in the floor. Some you can add legs at the same time to cut down on time. I know how frustrating it is to be stopped by pain. I have been bad this week and not done anything other than light jogging at lunch. I am distracted by Floey and her latest illness which we have no clue what is going on=I think the heat is making her melt. so I need to get my butt back to the gym.

I wasn't able to go over 75lbs for squats=it doesn't even feel like this much because the smith machine balances the weights for me and its cheating in my eyes but that's what they have. They only have barbells premolded up to 60lbs. they should have a power rack with premolded barbells up to 100 lbs. but that's way it goes.

 

[jtbo]

 I hate getting old. No matter what I do, I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle. You think I'd be nothing but skin and bones by now. Alas, not so.

Hey, but you are fighting, think about how many are not, things are good, who cares about winning a battle, fighting is too much fun to do

 

[Norachan]

The only exercise I got yesterday was from housework. The kitchen cupboards were starting to smell mouldy so I took everything out, wiped all the insides of the cupboards out with bleach solution and re-organised everything. Oh, and threw away a pile of empty jars and out-of-date stuff. I have so much space now!

 

[jtbo]

The only exercise I got yesterday was from housework. The kitchen cupboards were starting to smell mouldy so I took everything out, wiped all the insides of the cupboards out with bleach solution and re-organised everything. Oh, and threw away a pile of empty jars and out-of-date stuff. I have so much space now!

Oh, that is only so if no pointy eared friends can claim the space before you can! :lol3:

 

[Norachan]

Oh, that is only so if no pointy eared friends can claim the space before you can!

At least half of my cleaning time is spent moving curious pointy eared creatures out of the way. What's so interesting about the inside of a slightly mouldy cupboard anyway? 

 

30 minutes on my bike and then an hour walking with the cat today. Cat caught a grasshopper. Cat is proud!

 

[tammat]

Columbine did you search you tube for demonstrations on how to use your foam roller thingy?? There is bound to be lots on there.
Winchester I agree that's too much time spent exercising. If you don't cut it back you run the risk of burning out or getting fed up with it. We need you to stay here. I need you to motivate me to walk faster!!

I trained with Rohan on Tuesday. Shoulders and then a bit of top up on my chest. Today I trained my legs by myself. Yikes. Try going down parallel in a squat and holding it there for 15 seconds. 5 reps hold 5 reps hold 5 reps. I love my new programme though.

Keep working hard everybody

Oh and Norachan- don't you just love cleaned out cupboards. JTbo was so right. My babies would be in there snooping around.

 

[Winchester]

Hey, but you are fighting, think about how many are not, things are good, who cares about winning a battle, fighting is too much fun to do

Thanks, JTbo.....I think I needed to hear that right now!

Foxxycat, I will check YouTube. Thanks!

Norachan, I love clean cabinets! I need to get into the pantry closet to do that. (And I usually end up fighting the cats when I'm working in the lower cabinets!)

Tammat, sounds like your new program is going well!

3.5 miles on the treadmill this morning.

Did my exercises last night.

Still starting out slower on the treadmill. I start at 3 mph, for about ten seconds, take it to 3.3, then 3.5. I let it settle in for a while, then take it to 3.8. About 1-1/2 miles in, I go up to 4 mph. By 2.75 miles in, I'm around 4.3 mph and I let it there for the rest of the period. Still only at 1% incline, though. Therapist told me to work on incline last. Get my speed back up, get the distance back up, then work on incline. (I was worried that I wouldn't get a good workout at only 1% incline; the therapist said that with the way I walk, I would definitely still get a workout. Well, I know it's because of the heat, but when I come back upstairs from the treadmill, my t-shirt is soaked and the sweat is dripping off my face!)

C'mon, people....let's GO! 

 

 

[jtbo]

At least half of my cleaning time is spent moving curious pointy eared creatures out of the way. What's so interesting about the inside of a slightly mouldy cupboard anyway? :happy3:  

30 minutes on my bike and then an hour walking with the cat today. Cat caught a grasshopper. Cat is proud!

If you put a door in a box that opens automatically, it is going to be forever new place for a cat, no matter what door it is, there must be world's best place behind it, why else door would be closed? So every time door opens it is a must exploration trip, I mean it is world's best place right there, behind that just opened door!


1 hour 33min bike ride, I fell down twice, you can see blue speed dropping to 0, I didn't hurt anything, just got bit dirt on me:

bike_ride_27_7_2016.png

• jtbo
• Jul 27, 2016

Continued with 17min run straight after that, average pace converts to something like 6.9 minutes per mile:

run_27_7_2016.png

• jtbo
• Jul 27, 2016

I was sweating so that it would of been same if I would been at swimming, thanks to spandex and modern technical fabrics it is not a problem though, Cotton is something I refuse to wear, it is cold and heavy when one sweats like me.

After run I had to stand in sauna for good while to let sweat drip off before getting indoors, I think I will warm sauna later and have a good cleanup.



What is this vaseline I hear many talking about, would it prevent rubbing when bicycling? I get rubbing issues of such level that it is limiting amount of riding I do.

 

[Columbine]

1 hour of yoga yesterday, and the same again today. Wanted to do more, but ran out of time

 

[Winchester]

4,132 miles. That's the length of the Nile River. 

That's also the number of miles I have walked since I got my first Fitbit, about three years ago. I got my Nile Badge this morning.

That's also 9,049,810 steps. On my way to 10 million!

Those 3.5 miles every morning add up after a while. 

badge_lifetime_miles4132 (1).png

• Winchester
• Jul 28, 2016

 

[Norachan]

A long 2 and a half hour walk today, without the cat. Saw a few deer, loads of rabbits and a tanuki.

 

[jtbo]

I did ride a bike for 20 minutes and pushed scooter for 10 minutes as it failed to start.

 

[Columbine]

Nothing so far today, and it doesn't look likely unless I skip dinner to do yoga (and that's after sleeping through lunch :anon: ). Not even hungry. Spent almost all day in bed today. Hate being this lazy. Will do better tomorrow.

Congratulations Winchester on your Nile badge :hobbes: What a great achievement