Move it, Move it, Move it!

Let's talk about everybody's favorite subject...EXERCISE!!!  Now believe it or not, I really do like to exercise.  Over the years, I've done a wide range of things, including running, walking, Gazelle, Tae Bo, aerobics, The Firm, etc.  I think my favorites are running and The Firm.  However, both of those are rough on the knees and I have issues with my left knee being very susceptible to tendonitis of the patella (kneecap).    So I really need to do exercise that doesn't put a lot of pressure on my knees.

At Thanksgiving, my parents gave me their recumbent exercise bike and that's what I have been using.  And I love it! 

Because I enjoy exercising, I tend to push too hard, over do and get injured.  A couple of times, I've also hit that wall where I'm building muscle and not losing pounds.  I don't want to get to either of those places this time, so here's the program I devised for myself (again...without any professional knowledge or training, other than what I've learned about my body over the years).

I have to do my main work out in the mornings.  The evenings are just too crazy to count on being consistent.  So I get up at 4:30 every morning, read my Bible and pray, then start my workout.

For the first ten weeks, the focus was totally on cardio and burning calories.  I started at 30 minutes on the exercise bike at very low tension then increased the time by one minute and the tension every week, aiming for 5 - 6 times per week.  By the time I hit 40 minutes, the tension was so high that I was starting to get some pain in my knee.  So I backed off on the tension a bit to where it is relatively comfortable.

Once I was doing 40 minutes consistently, I started adding a little bit of core strength work....mainly some crunches and push-ups.  That lasted about 2 - 3 weeks....cardio plus a little core.

Last week, I made another little change, adding some upper body strength work with weights.  On Mon, Wed and Fri, I do my regular 40 minute ride, leaving the tension where it is, but pushing myself to ride a little harder and increase the calories burned a little each day.  On Tues, Thurs and Sat, I do a 30 minute, low-intensity ride and I do some strength work on my arms with a weight while I am riding.  I am definitely starting to feel the muscle in my arms and upper body!  I also so some crunches and pushups on those days.

My strength work has been mostly focused on my upper body because I am also doing some stretches and quad-setting exercises to strengthen my knee.  I'm hoping that by taking it very gradually and doing all I can to build up the knee and losing another 15 pounds or so, I will be able to start doing some lower body strength work in another six weeks.  I'd love to start doing some of my Firm workouts again and maybe even start running eventually.

I hope that I am avoiding a plateau by changing things gradually and adding something every few weeks. Just when my body "adjusts" to the level of exercise I'm doing, I add on and give my metabolism a push start.

So that's what I'm doing for my main workout every morning.  In addition to that, I'm doing a lot of little things to add more movement and calorie burning to my day.  At least two or three nights a week, I hop on the exercise bike and ride at a low intensity level while I am watching American Idol or reading.  Since it is a recumbent bike, I can just sit back and relax while I'm pedaling! I try to burn about 150 calories during each of those sessions.

Now this part might sound crazy, but I also do a lot of pacing and walking in place.  I always walk the floors when I'm talking on the phone (this drives my husband crazy!).  When I fold clothes, I walk each piece to where it goes then come back to the pile for the next piece.  This might mean that it takes me 20 minutes to put away a load instead of 10 minutes, but that's 20 minutes of exercise that I would not have gotten, so it's worth it.  I march in place or "step-touch" side to side while I'm doing the dishes, in the shower (careful not to slip!), brushing my teeth, drying my hair....anytime I'm standing still, I'm not standing still! I might not be burning very many calories by doing this, but every little bit counts and it helps to keep me reminded of and focussed on the task ahead.

We'll see how I'm doing when I have my first-of-the-month weigh-in next Tuesday!