12 Week Health Challenge: Week 2 Update

This week is all about being more active.

Day 7 Monday May 27

How many times a week do you exercise now? If not as often as you’d like, what stands in your way?

My fitness routine is an exercise DVD Mon.-Fri. for 30 min-1 hour I have been averaging 2 or 3 morning a week but my goal is to do 5 days per week, lift weights for 15 min. most evenings, and a 45 min. yoga class on Monday nights. I am currently doing The Biggest Loser: The Workout - 30-Day Jump Start DVD for the past couple weeks which I borrowed from my local library I will return it and pick another one when my limit expires.

My biggest obstacle is feeling too tired or lazy in the morning and putting off exercising. I do well for a few weeks to a month and slowly slip into not exercising and then start up again just to repeat the cycle. I know that I would prefer a buddy or class but time, and money means I need to motivate myself to exercise alone most days at home.

Day 9 Tuesday May 29

Make an effort to schedule sweat time.

I have a workout schedule but would like to ramp it up more. I don’t write it down or use any fancy record keeping. When I was losing weight in 2010 I used the everydayhealrh.org website to track my exercise, food, and weight and if I feel the need I will use that again.


Get busy even when you’re on the go. Try Calf raises, Glute clenches, or Leg lifts

I like to sneak in little bits of exercise during the day as I work around the house along with what the tip suggests I also do stretching, running in place, pushups, a few yoga poses. I borrow the book Denise's Daily Dozen: The Easy, Every Day Program to Lose Up to 12 Pounds in 2 Weeks several weeks ago from my library and it had a section in the book devoted to small exercise to do throught the day without much time. I think I will get it again and add a couple new ones into my life.


Form a workout group.

I can’t fit in more than once or twice a week with a group class and I am currently doing yoga and am looking into a Zumba class. I would like for my husband and I to start our walking/running 5 days per week that we have done the last 2 summers together or P90X like last summer but it has yet to happen. Maybe next week I can motivate myself and husband to start.


What do you do to keep yourself motivated to work out regularly?

My biggest problem is motivation and boredom with my workouts but I mix it up with new DVD’s for my morning workout with ones from the library. I just force myself to do it even if I don’t want to and then I get to the point of enjoying doing it and that motivates me to keep going. One thing that helps with motivation is a picture of before I started my weight loss in 2010 and a current picture.


Day 10 Wednesday May 30

What are the benefits of exercise?

I know that working out can lift your spirits but I have also found that it makes me feel better physically. If I haven’t exercised in a few days I usually feel like my body just moves slower and I have less energy and feel lazier. I am usually glad that I workout even if I found it hard to motivate myself to do it and usually feel like I have more energy. Even though I have not started to exercise at the level that I want I have been doing a lot of projects on the house such as cleaning out and painting the shed and barn, gardening, and lots of other things that are active and are physical labor types of exercise along with my morning workout.. As suggested I will start keeping a log of how I feel before, during, and after bouts of activity and see if I can find more benefits. I will just use a sheet of notebook paper and not worry about it being fancy or anything.



Day 11 Thursday May 31

Get up and move!

I usually have no problem with having to sit for long stretches of time during the day. If I had a job at a desk all day I could see this tip as useful but I am at home all day so I get plenty of movement throughout the day. If I am working on the computer, reading a book, or doing a craft that would have me sitting for a while I do usually get up and move around to change out the laundry or do the dishes so that I am not sitting too long. My personality just doesn’t let me be sedentary I always feel like I need to get up and move around a little.


Day 12 Friday June 1

Motivational Music/ Put together a Playlist

I often do not listen to music when I am exercising but when I do I like Christian contemporary artists. When I workout to DVDs I listen to whatever music they have on them. While out walking, I am usually with my husband so we are talking or I just use that time to think, plan my day and relax. When I am at yoga class I listen to whatever the teacher plays. I have found some exercise music at my library that I have listened to and liked which I plan to use while walking at some point. I will probably just use some of the music on my ipod.

Curves Freedom Fitness Music Volumes 1-5

Walk & Worship

Praise Workout with Kim Alexis: My Redeemer Lives

Maximum Workout: Workout Mix


Day 13 Saturday June 2
Would you consider this week a success? Why or why not? Which of the get-fit strategies worked best for you? (Scheduling your exercise sessions on your calendar, Forming a workout group, Toning up while you tackled your to-do list, or Setting a timer to remind you to move?)

I would say I had an average week I didn’t do as well as I wanted with my workouts or any of the previous tips as I would have liked. I need to start thinking of it as a personal challenge to do the tips everyday instead of just reading as forming ideas and plans. I did all the tips just not as consistent everyday as I had hoped I would be.