Exercise. For some people, this should be a four-letter word. For me, though, it has always been something I enjoyed. I'm not really sure why, but thankfully, it has not been a huge struggle for me over the years. I like pushing myself, I like working up a sweat, and I'm ultra-competitive--with others and with myself.
Last year when I made the investment to make some serious eating habit changes, I knew I had to start working out differently, too. Over the last few years, a very popular trend in the fitness community has been a certain type of gym. I visited one, once, with our daughter because her 1st small group met at one. The moms were invited one time and I thought I was going to die. At that point in 2014, I had just accepted that I was a little heavier than I was when we got married in 1999 and I was okay with that. I reassured myself that it was because I could no longer run because of arthritis in both my knees. My exercise routine consisted of walking in our neighborhood and a few sit-ups a few times a week. We canceled our YMCA membership for several reasons--I enjoyed the Spinning classes and the Y-Cross classes, but I could not justify the ongoing monthly expense when I was the only one in our family utilizing the facility.
In 2015 things had settled down a bit in our business and I finally found myself having some more free time. I felt like I had the time and money in 2016 to make some changes. After doing a lot of research and visiting several gyms in the area, I settled on one.
The program lasted about 8 weeks. I followed the program and did everything that was required. I did not get the complete results I wanted during that time, but I knew I could continue on my own with everything I had learned. I made the decision to start buying equipment I could use at home and keep in our garage. The best way to describe these workouts is HiiT--high-intensity interval training---aka--muscle confusion at its finest. It's a combination of cardio and weights with several sets of multiple reps. And, I can finally say, at 43 years old, I am in the best shape of my life. When I started the program, I really didn't think it was possible. But healthy eating combined with the right exercises will burn fat and tone muscle.
Do I complete HiiT exercises every day? No. That would be boring to me. I do get some form of physical activity in every day, though. In general, I work out 3-4 days a week, for 30-45 minutes....working up a good sweat.....using a combo of cardio and weights. If I can make it 4-5 days, that's good, but that doesn't happen often.
The program ended last May, but I have kept the weight off and have continued to exercise on my own at home.
Here's what you'll find in our garage: I have three sets of dumbbells: a 5 pound set, an 8 pound set and a 10 pound set. I have two kettle bells--15 pounds and 20 pounds. I have a yoga mat and a step.
Last year when I made the investment to make some serious eating habit changes, I knew I had to start working out differently, too. Over the last few years, a very popular trend in the fitness community has been a certain type of gym. I visited one, once, with our daughter because her 1st small group met at one. The moms were invited one time and I thought I was going to die. At that point in 2014, I had just accepted that I was a little heavier than I was when we got married in 1999 and I was okay with that. I reassured myself that it was because I could no longer run because of arthritis in both my knees. My exercise routine consisted of walking in our neighborhood and a few sit-ups a few times a week. We canceled our YMCA membership for several reasons--I enjoyed the Spinning classes and the Y-Cross classes, but I could not justify the ongoing monthly expense when I was the only one in our family utilizing the facility.
In 2015 things had settled down a bit in our business and I finally found myself having some more free time. I felt like I had the time and money in 2016 to make some changes. After doing a lot of research and visiting several gyms in the area, I settled on one.
The program lasted about 8 weeks. I followed the program and did everything that was required. I did not get the complete results I wanted during that time, but I knew I could continue on my own with everything I had learned. I made the decision to start buying equipment I could use at home and keep in our garage. The best way to describe these workouts is HiiT--high-intensity interval training---aka--muscle confusion at its finest. It's a combination of cardio and weights with several sets of multiple reps. And, I can finally say, at 43 years old, I am in the best shape of my life. When I started the program, I really didn't think it was possible. But healthy eating combined with the right exercises will burn fat and tone muscle.
Do I complete HiiT exercises every day? No. That would be boring to me. I do get some form of physical activity in every day, though. In general, I work out 3-4 days a week, for 30-45 minutes....working up a good sweat.....using a combo of cardio and weights. If I can make it 4-5 days, that's good, but that doesn't happen often.
The program ended last May, but I have kept the weight off and have continued to exercise on my own at home.
Here's what you'll find in our garage: I have three sets of dumbbells: a 5 pound set, an 8 pound set and a 10 pound set. I have two kettle bells--15 pounds and 20 pounds. I have a yoga mat and a step.
I have a 12 pound slam ball and an 8 pound medicine ball. I have a pair of sliders and an ab roller; 2 sets of exercise bands and a jump rope. All this equipment is much less then a monthly gym membership would cost over the course of just a few months. Oh, and I have a white board where I write down my exercises for the day. There are dozens of websites that post sets of exercises for free. Very, very thankful for these resources!
This is the verse that I claim for this area of discipline:
1 Corinthians 9:27 (NKJV)
27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
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I'd love to hear your thoughts or help you figure some of these things out for yourself if you're needing some encouragement. If I can do it, so can you!
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