Walking Ain't Cuttin' It

[being]

My first Exercise post :)

I just went to the gym today, and forced myself to stay for 30 minutes. I really do not like the gym - it smells like stinky people and I feel uncomfortable whenever I notice someone looking at me :(

Anyhow the point here is I weighed myself today for the first time in a year.

I weigh 169 lbs, and I have very little muscle (as I found out when I attempted some arm strength machine and couldn't do more than 8 on the lowest setting :eek: ) I am about 5'8" and my last stable weight when I felt really good, was active and eating well I was about 135lbs. So that's my goal.

All my fitness regime has consisted of for a looooooong time, think 3 years, is walking. I need something more, and have just begun doing some sort of exercise each day...

I did a pilates/ballet inspired type routine at home the other day for 40 minutes and felt slight muscle soreness the following day!!! How long since I've felt that! Oh it felt good :D

I've checked out some recommended links from other threads here for bodyweight type exercises, and honestly, I couldn't do any of them even half way :( It is super intimidating and frustrating when I tried a few and basically collapsed to the floor :rolleyes:

Anyway, I need to step it up because along with trasitioning to 100% raw, I think adding exercise will help my energy levels go up and my % of bodyfat go down. I love to walk, which is why I go daily for an hour.

What else can I do, that keeps me out of the gym? Any ideas?

I thought about exercise videos and have one to try, but my living room is so tiny I can barely stretch out and kick my leg up - caution is key so I don't bust some lamp or something!

I"ll keep browsing these exercise threads for inspiration too though. I feel overwhelmed at the incredible feats some of you are able to perform.. which has motivated me to get up off my butt and be able to do the same. As soon as possible I hope!

I'm off to stretch and do some beginning body weight exercises ;)

[rawpriestess]

I HATE exercise, but I love to dance, I love to walk, I love to day hike, I love to garden, all that diggind, stretching, pulling weeds, I get something accomplished, and no gym.


I also like to mow the lawn, it gets me out there, does something that must be done,and it looks good when I'm done, I feel great while and after doing it.

I also love to dance, and move around, for hours, this too is fun and can be done at a club, at home in a small space etc.

if you don't have a yard, pull someone elses' weeds, go to a park, and bend over, pull weeds, pick up trash, each piece run to the trash bin, then go pick up more, the bending and stretching and running and walking all are so good for you.

just know that you can also do housework, dust the tops of curtains, that will make you stretch, scrub the floor on your hands and knees, or bend over and wash it with a cloth, again, stretching and bending

take a hot bath and wash everywhere, this is stretching and bending too.

there are alot of ways to exercise without going to the gym, lift canned soups as weights over your head, go to the grocery store, and walk down every aisle 10 times, this is a way to train, go mall walking, and do that several times a day

just use your imagination, and make it fun, not tedious, and who cares who looks at you, just smile as you walk buy, knowing that you are becoming more and more healthy with each step.

[being]

You make it sound so FUN RawPriestess! :D

These are all wonderful ideas - really, thank you so much!

I smiled at the part of picking up trash in the park, running to the garbage can, dropping it in, running to get another piece... I can totally see myself doing that! :p

And I don't dig cleaning house, but it could sure use some cleanup, so combining that with your mention of dancing means I'll put on some music (LOUDLY when no one is home) and let 'er rip. Clean, dance, wiggle, boogie..

I know I need more playfulness in my life, so your ideas are not only perfect for fitness, but perfect for letting my self lighten up a bit.

Thankyou!

[Fruitarianone]

If you love to walk ...have you thought of finding a place where you can go hiking....if not try to find a place where you can relax and go somewhere with plenty of hills, twists and turns.....then if you are consistant with that you can add a weighted backpack to the mix......

My advice to you is to not be intimidated because that is stopping you from taking steps to where you wanna go!....if your a beginner...then begin at the beginning!

with the bodyweight stuff...if that's what you enjoy....you gotta start from somewhere if it's one rep then it's one rep!...no one is gonna laugh at you....you work at building up....don't be scared of starting from scratch....and stick with it.....don't just quit because you can't do it.....this is where the fun of working at achieving your goal comes in.... :)

There's nothing to fear but fear itself!!

[Draginvry]

One great thing to get into for exercise is Le Parkour (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkour). It is straightforward, you don't need any equipment, and you can do it anywhere, even inside your own home. It also has the advantage of working out your entire body. The first time you practice, you will be sore in the strangest of places. It also complements other forms of exercise, especially dance.

To see what it looks like, check out the thread I just posted:

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21324

And read up on the Wikipedia entry:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkour

[sungoddess]

Another addition to walking could be a mini-jog. You could walk for 55 minutes and try to add on 5 minutes of slow slow jogging (to start off). It really makes you feel like you have done some hard work!! You also start to really enjoy the joggin part. But if thats not your style, than there are plenty of other fun things you can incorporate. Thats just what I do. Except, I jog and THEN walk at this point. Good luck!

[Raw Magwene]

Got a bike? I got one off Craig's list in late July and climbed on for the first time since I was 12. I don't remember it being so fun when I was little. But now, when I'm riding my bike I always have a big, goofy grin of intense joy on my face. I also tend to sing r&B tunes to myself as I tool around town.

So after about 3 weeks, my legs were getting REALLY strong and my endurance was much better and I never walked up the hills anymore, even if they were gnarly and people were passing me on foot. Huff-puff-pedal-pedal! If you haven't ridden a bike in a while, I highly recommend a hybrid/comfort type model. They put you in a very upright position, which reduces potential for strain on your back and arms.

Maybe get some panniers and a rear rack so you can commute to work or run to the local farmer's market?

For me, I don't think of it as exercise, but as transportation. And what a joyful, liberating way to get from A to B it is!

[NFrawRUNNER]

We are starting a "November Exercise Challenge" Thread....check it out, think about it and join us! :) ;) :D

[SamanthaMaria]

Hi! This my first post any where, any time!

Just starting raw, although I've wanted to go raw for a long time.

I don't like the gym either but I did get good results there. I've been doing yoga for about 35 years, one hour or so every day followed by "Heavy Hands" or something else.

I like the HH because it saves me the time of having to separate cardio from weight training. Giving up yoga for any thing else is not an option for me. They say that HH will burn more calories than just "plain walking" which I did for many years. I've noticed an increase in strength, stamina and energy although no muscle definition as yet. Started with 1lb and now mix it up with 1, 5 & 8 lbs. You can really do any combination of arm movements you want. I like that since it appeals to the free spirit in me. Also it can be done inside in a 4x4 space or so, on a rebounder, walking or jogging outside. I used to feel a little silly walking with the weights but eventually "got over it." The web sight is www.heavyhands.com.

Once I saw an exercise infomercial on Latin Dance which looked like alot of fun but I don't have a web sight for that. Also "The Firm" tapes are awesome but being outside is my favorite. Actually, for me doing different things is the key to prevent burn out & boredom even if it doesn't make me look like a movie star and I'm ok with that. :)

[being]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate your taking the time to reply... I've taken some of these great ideas and put them into practice already!

Next week I start my first yoga class. It's Iyengar, once a week, but a good start, I'm very excited about it. I did one class to try it out, and I loved it. Afterwards I felt like I was floating, so light and alive. (All that stretching and proper alignment is perfect, coming from a ballet background)

I also started adding little spurts of jogging into my walks. It kills my knees and I curse myself for getting so heavy - it's like jogging carrying four 10-lb bags of potatoes draped over my body. :mad: Ugh.. terribly uncomfortable. I chose a random block every now and then and told myself I'd run to the next stopsign.. Got in about 4 minutes of jogging in 60 minutes total walking :rolleyes:

I also got a bunch of sample videos online for bodyweight exercises and checked out some fitness magazines for other ideas..

My goal is to get back to my original weight of 135, but if I can even get to 145 by the end of December I'll be pleased. I wonder if this isn't a bit too aggressive of goal, based on my reading that you should expect 1/2 lb - 2 lbs max loss per week?

If I'm 168 now, and I would like to get to 145 say, by December 25th - That's about 2.8 lbs per week, over 8 weeks. Do you guys think this is possible? I'm willing to work really hard to get it.

Combining high raw, 90-100%, as my final stage of transitioning to 100% with an exercise regime including yoga 1x week, walking 1 hour each night, body weight exercises daily, and ________??? I think I'll have to step it up a bit!

Thanks again. I'll keep y'all updated on my progress ;)