What kind of exercises do you do to get fit or get your steps in?

[CRSunrise]

Right now, all I'm doing for my steps, or to get fit, is a lot of walking and using my elliptical. There's only so much you can do with walking, especially when you're stuck at home. As far as the elliptical, I just reached to where I could do 30 minutes in one sitting.

I'm slowly working myself up so I have that option to do for those days that I can't get outside, for one reason or another. Once school starts up, I'm going to start doing those walking exercise DVDs that I've seen around, but I'm also looking for other things I can do that will help me with my fittness venture...especially things that I can do in the house once the weather gets nasty and stuff.

[USAF-Larry]

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@CRSunrise wrote:

Right now, all I'm doing for my steps, or to get fit, is a lot of walking and using my elliptical. There's only so much you can do with walking, especially when you're stuck at home. As far as the elliptical, I just reached to where I could do 30 minutes in one sitting.

I'm slowly working myself up so I have that option to do for those days that I can't get outside, for one reason or another. Once school starts up, I'm going to start doing those walking exercise DVDs that I've seen around, but I'm also looking for other things I can do that will help me with my fittness venture...especially things that I can do in the house once the weather gets nasty and stuff.

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One of the biggest hindrances to getting fit, or maintaining fitness, are statements like these: Once (something changes), I'm going to start doing (some type of exercise), but I'm (using excuses for now).  Fitness, exercise, and weight loss or maintenance is a lifestyle which has to be maintained in spite of other events, not because of them. Either find time, or make time to take care of yourself. Set a schedule, and stick to it. An hour for a walk after dinner. A lunchtime walk. Other scheduled times/events?   If there are small children at home, take advantage of their afternoon nap to jump on the stationary bike or treadmill to get an hour or two of exercise, rather than sitting down on the sofa to watch a soap opera. Or, put the child in a exercise cart and go for a walk.

[Judgetribe]

G'day CR Sunrise, I started training with a Crossfit Box, 1 hour of fun and accountability. Give it a go and you will not look back.

Cheers

Robbie

[WendyB]

Sorry I agree With @USAF-Larry

You sound like you are making it a chore. Not fun. You really need to like what you do or you will never stick with it.

I love to walk outsdie and I will never miss it because I enjoy it

[GershonSurge]

CRSunrise,

Your step count has been steadily going up, and at close to 20,000 steps a day, you are doing great. I don't see your waiting until the children start school as an excuse. I see it as planning to productively use the added time you will have then. 

In my opinion, the difference between nasty weather and good weather is wearing the right clothes. The only thing I avoid is walking along roads while they have snow on them. I don't feel like getting hit by a car when they slide off the road. Fortunately, I have a bicycle trail nearby to walk on.

[CRSunrise]

I wasn't intending to make what I'm doing a chore, but I'm trying to get ideas of other things I can do to get fitness in without getting bored. I'm especially looking for things I can do when I can't go outside since the winters can't get messy in our area.

I was just looking for more of a variety in my workout though. Sorry if I was a bother.

[CRSunrise]

I wish I had the option of a bike trail. I live in a small town, and the only "trail" I have is a pathway that goes through our park, which is not that long. I have to zig zag through town to get even half my daily 10K.

My oldest (11) keeps an eye on her brothers (8 & 5) while I'm walking throughout town during the day. I don't go really that far, and I have my phone if I there are any problems.

I was thinking about the weather we had two and three winters ago. We had temperatures so cold that it wasn't adviseable to go outside the house for a few days, and I was looking for inside things to do when I could get out. I'm sure that when it's 20 and 30 below, you're not going to outside walking.

[GershonSurge]

CRSunrise,

Personally, I would go walking if it was 25-30 below, and I've gone backpacking when it was that cold. The only thing that stops me is snow on the roads and winds above about 60 mph. However, that's not for everyone.

You will find your own exercise niche in time. All I can do now is suggest some things that work for me. Walking is a big part of my exercise plan. I'm taking a bit of a break now because of a muscle strain. 

One turning point for me is I read in an old book that housework is the best form of exercise. Then I saw a guy singing "Waltzing Moptilda" when he was mopping a floor. On the average, it's about 4 calories a minute, but it adds up.

Another turning point was realizing I'm chasing calories and not steps.

I Zen wash my floor on my hands and knees. I use a spray bottle and rags. While Zen washing, I do cat stretches. If I used wax, I would "nun wax" it on my hands and knees. People lose the ability to work this way if they don't use it.

When I clean my walls about once a week, I play with cleaning with a damp cloth in one hand and drying with a damp cloth in another. 

I take my vacuum cleaner out to dance about every other day, and I quickly steam clean the carpet after I vacuum. 

It doesn't need it, but I'm painting the outside of my house with a brush doing quick figure eight meistro strokes. This winter, I may paint the inside in different colors for the exercise. Heck, I may even paint the garage floor this fall after I clean it.

There are cabinets that need waxed. I found a drop of olive oil works as well as wax, and it's non-toxic.

Right now, I'm baking bread. It didn't burn many calories, but I had to run out to the store to get flour, so there was 100 calories walking around the store.

Try hanging some laundry instead of putting it in the dryer. I have a line in my basement. Outside is even better.

Washing windows is good exercise. I use vinegar instead of other chemicals. 

Play catch with the kids. Play basketball with wads of paper and a trash can. Make a snowman. Wash the car together. 

Now, it may sound like I'm describing "woman's work." It's the most important work in the family. It's also good exercise. With the right mental approach, it can be as fun as any other job and more fulfilling. 

[Dominique]

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@CRSunrise wrote:

I'm sure that when it's 20 and 30 below, you're not going to outside walking.

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Do you live in Alaska, or what? How many days in your winter are there with temperatures in the -20 to -30F bracket?

I live in Finland and winters can get quite cold. My record so far (for walking outside) was -26C (-15F), see details here. However, this was unusually low for Southern Finland. "Normal" winter temperatures are more like -5 to -15C.

Ahead of my first "Fitbit winter", I was considering getting a treadmill. I’m glad I didn’t bought one, as walking on a treadmill is sooo boring. Instead, I’ve invested in good gear that allow me to walk/run outside all year round.

[CRSunrise]

I live in Ohio, and while our winters aren't all together bad, I'm just keeping in mind the winters we had 2 and 3 years ago. Those winters were bad.

[USAF-Larry]

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@CRSunrise wrote:

I live in Ohio, and while our winters aren't all together bad, I'm just keeping in mind the winters we had 2 and 3 years ago. Those winters were bad.

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I, too, live in Ohio, and it is very unusual for us to get a winter when outdoor walking is not possible. This past winter was so mild, for example, that it was like we never had winter. And, compared to the 4 years I spent in Fairbanks, Alaska, where I loved winter activity, the winters in Ohio are always pretty mild. Bundle up and get out there - your body will love the fresh air & exercise!

[Dominique]

Just had a look at average temperatures in Ohio (OK, it’s for Columbus and may be colder in some other areas), displayed in Celsius (but you can get the same in Fahrenheit😞

 

It’s really not that bad in winter. I guess -20/-30F must have been during exceptionally cold winters, and then during a limited period of time. During such episodes, you can always try to find a mall or some other temporary solution. Otherwise, I would plan for the "regular" winters and not use cold temperatures as an excuse not to go out.

[USAF-Larry]

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@Dominique wrote:

It’s really not that bad in winter. I guess -20/-30F must have been during exceptionally cold winters, and then during a limited period of time.

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We occasionally get a -20ºF to -25ºF, but it is very unusual and only lasts for one day, sometimes 2 days, before it returns to normal.  Our normal lows during the winter is around 0ºF.

[CRSunrise]

I guess I just started this post to get exercise ideas for variety - not condemnation. Sorry I even bothered with .

[GershonSurge]

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@CRSunrise wrote:

I guess I just started this post to get exercise ideas for variety - not condemnation. Sorry I even bothered with .

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CRSunrise,

Everything I suggested, I do myself, except I don't have three kids. Having kids does make it harder to get out. The reason I pointed out I go out in the cold is you brought it up as an obstacle. It's not an insurmountable obstacle if you want to overcome it. There are good clothes for cold, and as for the heat, the body adjusts. If you prefer to avoid the cold, by all means, avoid it. 

I suppose I could watch old workout videos on YouTube, but at the end of the day, my house wouldn't be clean and my chores wouldn't be done. Although I do have a formal exercise plan, my "Miyagi" chores are an important part of burning calories during the day. They give variety and satisfaction.

There are many exercise machines, and usually they end up unused in a corner. If you get one, I suggest a thrift store. A seven minute treadmill break gets about 1,000 steps. Do that each hour for 12 hours and you have about 12,000 steps plus other lifestyle steps.

Now that you are thinking of alternative exercises, it's a good time to search on YouTube. Perhaps you could do five minutes of jumping rope, five minutes of jumping jacks, and five minutes of step exercises. In between do some light weight dumbell exercises. Take a 30 second break between each one and don't work too hard. 

My exercise routine for today was an hour of lifting at Planet Fitness, an hour and a half of painting the house before lunch, and I'll do another hour and a half after lunch. Somewhere in there, I washed the kitchen floor.

[CRSunrise]

@GershonSurge - no, you did give me some good ideas, and I'll be able to use those. And I wasn't trying to use the cold as an excuse. I just hate the cold, especially when it's a wet cold.

I'm already over 10K, which is my goal, but I'm going to go out for another walk here in an hour or so for a really long walk now that my husband is home. I did almost an hour of walking when it was cool out, and just finished up 30 minutes on the elliptical.

[Mukluk4]

Ignoring everything above.

What is your goal? 

Getting healthy shouldn't be the goal but the by product of what you are trying to achieve.  Figure that out and then spend some time on google to determine the right activities to help you reach your goal.

[CRSunrise]

@Mukluk4 - which goal are you asking about? If you're talking about steps, my goal is to average between 14 and 16K a day if not more. If you're talking calories, I'd like to burn around 3500+ and walk over 6 miles a day.

[Mukluk4]

Nope, I'm talking personal goal or long term goal with physical fitness.

Calories burned and steps are activities are numbers to assist in driving to that end result.

As an example, my goal is to be quicker on the basketball court and to get back to dunking at the ripe old age of 40. 

The activities I do (walking, running, weights, strength/conditioning) are the tools used to get to that goal. If you just set goals based on activities designed to get you to a certain place in life, then you'll never know fulfillment. 

[CRSunrise]

@Mukluk4 - My goal is to get down to 175 before my 20th class reunion in summer of 2018. I did lose almost 10 pounds this last week or so, but now the scale is creeping up on me. My aunt tells me is because I'm gaining muscle.