Since I started this workout adventure I have been asking everyone around me about the ideal "recipe" for exercise. And while I give a lot of credit to my trainers/health coaches for providing new challenges at each and every workout, the one thing I've learned is there are many different ways to make a cake! As a result I've taken a "pinch" here, and an idea or "dash" there, and a "cup" of movements here, to piece together a weekly routine that works. Here is my current plan:
• Mondays and Wednesdays 6-7:15pm Group Workout led by a Trainer. These "circuit training" sessions include warm-ups, weight-training, cardio and stretching exercises, and are the most strenuous of all. Two to three additional colleagues participate along with me. The trainer always challenges us to try new things, even if it is just to perform one exercise, to get a sense of how it feels. These sessions are "must do's" for me.
• Thursdays 6:30-8:00pm Individual Workout. I use everything I learned from my trainers, Cardio Rehab, Trim & Fit and Group Workouts to patch together my own workout sessions. For the Cardio part of the workout, I complete 10-15 minutes on the Windjammer, 10-15 minutes in NU-Step intervals, and 10-20 minutes on the Treadmill (rate of a 20-minute mile). I follow this with two sets each of 25 squats, 25 push-ups and 25 sit-ups. I end the session completing aHuman Sport weight training routine that was set by my trainer, culminating with 10 minute stretch.
• Saturdays 5:30-7:00pm Individual Workout. I repeat the Thursday evening workout on Saturday.
• Sundays 3:30-5:30pm Water Aerobics Workout. My colleague Deb leads us in 60-70 minutes of water exercises that include warm-ups, cardio exercises and stretching. We follow the workout with a hot tub and lots of pampering.
I am still very new to exercise, and still very curious about how strength, core, flexibility and cardio activities benefit me physically, medically and mentally. This weekly routine was created based on what works now...it is the absolute best recipe available to me at this time. Most certainly, though, this plan will change, as I still have much to learn.
Submitted on Sunday, January 23, 2011.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Sacred Spaces, Sacred Time
I am surprised at how much of my new exercise life feels sacred. I feel safe and protected in the spaces where I work out. Having completed a weekly routine or a special workout makes me feel accomplished. It is like a deep meditation and a long sigh of health soaking every corner of my being. The spaces where I work out have a history that influence me to this day. These are sacred spaces and sacred times.
The Cardio Room - This is where I started working out and first learned about at Lifepointe, in the summer of 2009. It is the place where I completed 18 sessions of cardiac rehabilitation, where I was closely monitored (blood pressure, blood sugar, heart rate) and got used to regular, timed workout sessions. In the rehab sessions I used the treadmill, Nu-step and windjammer for 45 minutes of cardiac exercise two times a week. In Trim & Fit we often completed the cardio portion of our workout, and this is where I learned about the concept of "intervals" using the Nu-Step machine. Here, I also learned to ever-so-slightly increase the number of minutes in cardio exercise using intervals. Now as I incorporate these cardio exercises into my routine, I have really come to love this space. This "womb" is where I feel most comfortable, listening to NPR on headphones, and closing my eyes, concentrating on my body, and letting the sweat soak in - completing 40 minutes of cardio exercise as part of every workout.
The Pools - This is where I meet my friend/colleague Deb for regular Sunday afternoon water aerobics sessions. The pool is refreshing... and my body responds differently to movement in water aerobics. There's no "sweating" like there is in "land-based" workouts. (Even though it is an equally cardio-full workout!) Deb and I spend an hour in the pool - using noodles, kick-boards and weights, and lots of water walking simulating many exercises/workout routines that I also learned in Trim & Fit or in group workouts. Time in the pool is capped with a hot tub or a chat in the warm pool, and pampering - including a long luxurious shower in the "family room."
Stretching Area - This small triangular shaped area, alongside the track, is flanked by a half wall and lined with four or five floor mats. Here I can relax and unwind after each workout. This has special significance - it is where I first learned to get down on the floor and to stand back up - my first really big exercise challenge. This is where I stretch, stretch and stretch. I am cut-off from the noise of exercise machines and blaring television lights of the main gym, the heart of Lifepointe energy. During stretching, I center....center in the luxury of sacred spaces and sacred times.
Submitted on Saturday, January 8, 2011.
The Cardio Room - This is where I started working out and first learned about at Lifepointe, in the summer of 2009. It is the place where I completed 18 sessions of cardiac rehabilitation, where I was closely monitored (blood pressure, blood sugar, heart rate) and got used to regular, timed workout sessions. In the rehab sessions I used the treadmill, Nu-step and windjammer for 45 minutes of cardiac exercise two times a week. In Trim & Fit we often completed the cardio portion of our workout, and this is where I learned about the concept of "intervals" using the Nu-Step machine. Here, I also learned to ever-so-slightly increase the number of minutes in cardio exercise using intervals. Now as I incorporate these cardio exercises into my routine, I have really come to love this space. This "womb" is where I feel most comfortable, listening to NPR on headphones, and closing my eyes, concentrating on my body, and letting the sweat soak in - completing 40 minutes of cardio exercise as part of every workout.
The Pools - This is where I meet my friend/colleague Deb for regular Sunday afternoon water aerobics sessions. The pool is refreshing... and my body responds differently to movement in water aerobics. There's no "sweating" like there is in "land-based" workouts. (Even though it is an equally cardio-full workout!) Deb and I spend an hour in the pool - using noodles, kick-boards and weights, and lots of water walking simulating many exercises/workout routines that I also learned in Trim & Fit or in group workouts. Time in the pool is capped with a hot tub or a chat in the warm pool, and pampering - including a long luxurious shower in the "family room."
Stretching Area - This small triangular shaped area, alongside the track, is flanked by a half wall and lined with four or five floor mats. Here I can relax and unwind after each workout. This has special significance - it is where I first learned to get down on the floor and to stand back up - my first really big exercise challenge. This is where I stretch, stretch and stretch. I am cut-off from the noise of exercise machines and blaring television lights of the main gym, the heart of Lifepointe energy. During stretching, I center....center in the luxury of sacred spaces and sacred times.
Submitted on Saturday, January 8, 2011.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
A Whole New Language - What is a Perfect Squat?
The last eight months have brought a whole new language into my life. Below are just a few of the many new words (and exercise movements) that I have learned as part of this adventure. In the future I hope to share about strength, flexibility and/or endurance exercises, as well as the kinds of workouts that specifically enhance cardiovascular health. Again, these are all new concepts to me...and the subject of future posts. So back to the new words....
New Words/New Exercises/New Way of Thinking
Plank or Side Plank
Cobra
Squats or Sumo Squats
Push-ups and Sit-ups (thank goodness for some familiar sounding words)
Nu-Step
Lunge
Intervals
Elyptical
Lats and Lat Pull-Down
Bear Walk
Crab Walk
Biceps, Triceps and Qaudriceps (familiar words, but what the heck are they?)
Core
Push the Car
Steps
Not only are all these new to me, but the exercise groupings, the parts of the body impacted as well as the latest workouts are each gaining familiarity. With each new training, I learn something entirely new. I also use different techniques to incorporate this new learning into my own workout lexicon. For instance, every so often, my colleague Deb and I repeat all the arm and leg muscle groups addressed in our strength building sessions - the triceps, biceps and quadriceps. We repeat them out loud, and point to their locations on our bodies, in order to remember them. We tell each other which muscle is impacted by each water aerobic exercise. It's like learning essential math facts in the first and second grades. Practice and rehearsal are absolutely key to remembering!
A training concept stressed by my health coaches relates to the importance of refining each movement so that it is "performed perfectly" - such as a "perfect" squat or a "perfect" lunge. Each trainer works with us individually to demonstrate the proper, or rather perfect, movement, and to refine that movement for the biggest and best impact. Indeed, one of my trainers will not count a movement if it is not performed perfectly. (Perhaps this is unfair to the neophyte exerciser?)
Another way to extend the impact of exercise, is to seek ways to actively integrate this new language into my life, making it immediately relevant. In my work at a regional performing art center I discovered two photos that reminded me of SQUATS - a new movement I had learned in Trim & Fit, and refined in my group workouts. I shared these "Perfect Squats" with my exercise colleagues. Below are the photos of members of the Alvin Ailey Dance company performing perfect sumo squats in their performance of Revelations!
Submitted on Sunday, January 2, 2011.
New Words/New Exercises/New Way of Thinking
Plank or Side Plank
Cobra
Squats or Sumo Squats
Push-ups and Sit-ups (thank goodness for some familiar sounding words)
Nu-Step
Lunge
Intervals
Elyptical
Lats and Lat Pull-Down
Bear Walk
Crab Walk
Biceps, Triceps and Qaudriceps (familiar words, but what the heck are they?)
Core
Push the Car
Steps
Not only are all these new to me, but the exercise groupings, the parts of the body impacted as well as the latest workouts are each gaining familiarity. With each new training, I learn something entirely new. I also use different techniques to incorporate this new learning into my own workout lexicon. For instance, every so often, my colleague Deb and I repeat all the arm and leg muscle groups addressed in our strength building sessions - the triceps, biceps and quadriceps. We repeat them out loud, and point to their locations on our bodies, in order to remember them. We tell each other which muscle is impacted by each water aerobic exercise. It's like learning essential math facts in the first and second grades. Practice and rehearsal are absolutely key to remembering!
A training concept stressed by my health coaches relates to the importance of refining each movement so that it is "performed perfectly" - such as a "perfect" squat or a "perfect" lunge. Each trainer works with us individually to demonstrate the proper, or rather perfect, movement, and to refine that movement for the biggest and best impact. Indeed, one of my trainers will not count a movement if it is not performed perfectly. (Perhaps this is unfair to the neophyte exerciser?)
Another way to extend the impact of exercise, is to seek ways to actively integrate this new language into my life, making it immediately relevant. In my work at a regional performing art center I discovered two photos that reminded me of SQUATS - a new movement I had learned in Trim & Fit, and refined in my group workouts. I shared these "Perfect Squats" with my exercise colleagues. Below are the photos of members of the Alvin Ailey Dance company performing perfect sumo squats in their performance of Revelations!
Submitted on Sunday, January 2, 2011.
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| Perfect Weighted Squat |
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| Multiple Sustained Perfect Sumo Squats |
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