Bringing back the get up and go

comments 5
Life

Currently I’m trying to put in some extra effort to get healthy. I reckon I’ve got a pretty healthy diet. However, on the exercise side of things I fail. It’s a combination of laziness and really disliking the gym. To me exercise is about being outdoors playing sports or doing something active outside. Not pounding a treadmill for half an hour.

I used to go swimming a few times a week before work. Loved it. Until I saw something I couldn’t un-see at my local public swimming pool. Also the state of the showers first thing in the morning was not nice. Oh and they started charging for the car park! So until I have my own private swimming pool, I won’t be swimming.

I used to go to pilates classes. Once a week for nearly three years. I enjoyed it. But, the classes got a little boring for what I was paying. So, I’m picking it up at home. I’ve learnt a lot in the 3 years I went to classes. Enough to be able to do a little every night.

I’m going back into the outdoors. Well, outside of my door. I’m attempting to go walking on the weekends. For an hour. Jogging around where I live is a bit of an uphill battle. Literally. Walking’s a good second best with all the hills I seem to have to climb! Also, I’ve got Google’s My Tracks on my phone. That instantly has made walking a whole lot more exciting. Don’t ask me why, but it’s nice to know that my maximum elevation was 500 ft.

Now for the slightly crazy. I’ve bought myself a skipping rope. We all know the Internet never lies. So I trusted the Internet and all its users who said that using a skipping rope was a good cardio exercise. Looked up a few tips and started a few days ago.

Lots of places said to start out slow. Aim to skip for about 15 minutes but in the beginning work your way up to that. My aim was to skip for 20 seconds and stop and keep that up. For at least 10 minutes.

Harder than I would have ever thought!

I think after 5 minutes I would worn out. Either I’m painfully unfit (yes) or skipping rope is harder than I remembered it was (yes). Skipping was so easy when I was little!

I’m not put off. I’m going to keep at it. Least I have a goal of what I’d like to do. I don’t have a specific time frame to be able to skip 10 minutes without stopping. I’d just like to be able to do that some time before the end of the year. My skipping rope came with some more hints and tips on creating a routine and keeping the skipping interesting.

Let’s just hope I don’t break myself while jumping.

5 Comments

  1. I bought a Schwinn upright exercise bike (shown in a photo here: http://www.schwinn.com/) and put it in the den so I can turn on the hi-def and cycle to shows. It plays a huge part in being able to watch as much TV as I do. I was put on blood pressure medication this last week and I’m not happy about that, at all. I, too, need to “up the game” a bit. I already eat fairly well and I keep the sodium down, most of the time. I need to increase the exercise and find a stress management regimen (probably meditation or learning Tai Chi). Why can’t scientists hurry up and develop a pill that achieves 7-10% body fat and the benefits of a cardiovascular workout WITHOUT the “work”. *Grumble*

    • I’ve been toying with getting an exercise bike – the idea of being able to just watch TV and exercise is what gets me!

      My mum’s been telling me I should meditate. I just can’t seem to find time or be able to switch off enough.

  2. Skipping is MUCH harder as an adult than as a child! I remember I used to be able skip practically all day and do tricks! Now, I can’t even manage 10 seconds without feeling like a failure! Good for you for having a goal, and yes I read somewhere that 20 mins of skipping is equivalent of 1 hour of running. Plus it’s cheap, easy to do and maintain once you get the hang of it. Good luck!

    • Thanks! I’m going to need all the luck I can get.

      I think I managed to whip myself in the eye when I tried to do something I used to be able to do with a skipping rope as a child…

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