April Fitness

[Azure]

Even if no one else wants to participate I want to use this to help me keep moving.

I had an AHA moment last week. I had decided that I would like to leave work and stop off at the lake to do a lap (walking not swimming lol) around it by myself. Then after I got home I would walk the dog out there. That would give me 3 miles a day instead of 2. And I could actually walk steadily instead of our usual Beagle pace of race walk. Stop and sniff. Race walk. Stop and sniff. Well the weather has been either freezing cold or raining for weeks now it seems. So I haven't been able to get out.

Then it hit me. DUH :doh: I work across the street from the MALL. People WALK in the mall. So last week I walked at the mall 4 times after I got out of work. The mall walk is 1 mile and I did 3 laps each day.

Today for the first time I walked at the mall after work and then walked the dog. I am really tired today so I wasn't sure if I would make feel up to walking the dog. But I did it! 2 miles at the mall and 2 miles with the dog.

My feet issues are not completely gone but much improved and I am babying them along. Icing them even now.

Goal is to walk 5 days a week. Shooting for 4 miles per day but not taking any chances with my feet.

There is a 5 k on June 8th here in town. I can walk it easy but I am thinking I'd like to try to be the first woman walker to cross the finish line.

[gmpg54]

You go girl!!!!!

[Azure]

Thanks gmp!

Only 2 miles today. Not wanting to over-stress my feet.

[Rosemary]

Zumba today.
I have been less motivated to exercise in the last week; before that I was doing really well. The return of cold and gray winter weather was incredibly demoralizing.

[fidgiegirl]

Awesome job, all! The sun is out today and so I am considering an outside run in a bit. We'll see!

[Azure]

Did you run FG?

One mile by myself. 2 dog miles. Cool, sunny but overcast so it was a great day to be walking.

[jennipurrr]

Woo Azure!

At the beginning of the month I forced myself register for a 5k so that I would pick up the pace on my jogging. It is all mental with me...I am not a fast jogger but I really want to improve from my last time in November (34 min) so the prospect of having a slower time is enough to kick me into gear. Eventually I would like to be under 30 minutes but that is a long term goal.

Another mental thing is that I signed up for this service called Earndit where if you track your excersise on your phone they give you points for each 10th of a mile walked/ran. I wrote a review on my blog, but the jist is that you can do various things with the points like get discounts at (fairly useless) stores, give them to charity, or use them as sweepstakes entries. They also have weekly contests where if you hit certain excersise levels then you get entered for a prize from a sponsor, usually something athletic themed. Its kind of gimmicky but I can push myself to go a little further so that I get to the next level of that week's contest. I haven't won anything from the contests and threw all my extra points in for a European bike trip and didn't win that either, oh well! But, I did get a running ID band for just a few dollars with my coupon from the points combined with a coupon I found online. I have been wearing it when I am running in the street.

I have been being much more active since the days have been longer and warmer. I always feel so much better when the seasons change.

[Azure]

How is the Zumba, Rosemary?

2 miles yesterday. 3 today. The weather has been too yucky to walk the dog.

[Rosemary]

I love Zumba.
I have rarely said that about other forms of exercise. I do love to hike, on a perfect day with no insects. I used to love running until I had incredibly painful shin splints, knee, and ankle pain. But I do love Zumba and have been doing it for 3 years now...it makes me feel like dancing all the time. I have a great instructor who makes me laugh every class. She's in her late 50s and has such a great attitude about everything.

I am just in Zumba once/week now that it's spring. Because MOST years I am working all day in the garden during the month of April, not waiting for yesterday's 9 inches of snow to melt.
*sigh*
But although I've not had a lot of intense exercise this week, I have been on my feet most of the time which is good. My cousin is in town for an art show and I helped her set up the booth yesterday. Cooking a lot, walking a lot in incidental activities. And I'm really sticking to my whole foods diet which helps me to feel really good and keep my weight in the acceptable-to-me window as well.

One day, soon, the ground will be green, the trees will be green, and I can get that load of compost delivered for my garden so that it can start growing things for me.

[fidgiegirl]

Oh Azure, I did not :(

As Rosemary noted we are once again buried in snow. So hard to keep the chin up. I just want to hide in the covers. You may (or more likely, not :) ) have noticed my absence in the weight loss thread as well. The carbs are just so comforting . . .

We've been busy in the evenings, and then I let that be an excuse for not working out. And I'm having a lot of neck pain, so that tells me even MORE that I need to get moving.

Maybe I should try using my health insurance health activity as a motivation as well. I am supposed to log either weight, activity minutes or calories weekly for eight weeks for the activity I chose. Activity minutes have been a positive motivator in the past, and I have to get it done or face higher copays next year.

You all have been inspiring me . . . . let's hope for some melting soon!! SOOOOOOOO soon!!!!!

[Azure]

Sunday I walked 1 wheelchair pushing mile :D We picked up Deja from her group home and walked around the mall just so she could get out.

Monday 1 mile.

Today 2 dog miles. But we got it done before the rain started!

[Gardenarian]

My exercise for this month is painting 100' of picket fence. An trying to remember to keep stretching while I'm at it!

[Azure]

Ooh, Gardenarian, that sounds like good exercise to me!

2 Mall miles today. No dog walking due to baking cookies and freezing my behind off at the track meet. Shivering has got to burn calories - doesn't it?

[Azure]

Finishing up the month of April. Not as good a finish as I'd like but I'll take it :) . Walked 2 dog miles on Saturday and 2 yesterday. But I rested my feet on Thursday & Friday. And Sunday I was just plain ole lazy lol