tips for working out?

[ericaj]

Can anyone help me with what you do to stay in shape and get regular exercise? My Cardio wants me to exercise atleast 4-5 days a week but with the cold weather here in WI I am having a difficult time getting myself psyched to work out and/or exercise. Just looking for any creative tips or ideas on things I could do!??!

Thanks,

Erica

 

[Gnusgal]

I've been doing a pilates routine that I got from a tape for about 5 months now. I do it about 5 days a week. It's very low impact and doesn't get my heart rate up too high, but it seems to have trimmed my tummy some .

Also, even though the weather isn't conducive to walking outside, have you considered walking in a mall? My grandparents have been mall walkers for as long as I can remember. If you get there before the stores open you don't have to fight any sort of crowds at all. And there are pleanty of places to sit down if you get tired or winded. As a matter of fact, at the mall they walk at the local hospital has organized a group of mall walkers. Okay, I know that the fact that I'm saying my grandparents do it makes it seem like something for "old" people, but the "weather" is always nice, you don't have to join a gym, you don't have to worry about safety, and once you're done you can go shopping .

I'm sure others will be along with good ideas. Good luck in your pursuit of motivation. I compltetely understand. I've been pretty bad the last two weeks about getting out of bed early enough to get my 20 minutes of exercise in...

 

[Harpoon]

Was gonna suggest the same thing, mall walking. Just leave your wallet and/or pocketbook at home!

You can bring a few bucks to buy a bottle of water or some other "lite" beverage to enjoy during or after your walk...


In the absence of malls, you might try contacting a local school district and asking if they have walking groups in the afternoons after school. Some places do that. I know our school system does. We have several buildings with a LOT of long hallway spaces.

You might also try signing up for a membership to use an indoor pool at a hotel (some places have programs for such things so the community may use the fitness center as well as hotel guests) or again, contacting a local school district that might have swimming facilities and an open swim night.

My wife and I used to take our son to a hotel pool for a while during the sumer. It was great for us both (she has CP and the water resistance is great therapy for her) but we got too busy to keep going unfortunately. I never really swam much in the pool, just moved around a lot, like a "power walk" with my head just above water so my body was pushing against as much water as possible for the resistance. It was great and I really felt like I was getting some decent exercise with it. Plus the place we went to had a nice little sauna in the locker room and a hot tub. And some fitness equipment which I never used, though I would have liked to try the stationary rower....

Open up the yellow pages in the phone book and call around some, get a little creative.

You amy want to think about mentioning your heart condition though, some people might say no to you in fear that you might drop dead in their hallway... An unreasonable concern no doubt, but then they tend to err on the side of caution, justified or not.


Oh yeah, we have a nice ice rink too here, though I haven't really skated on it in a few years. It's nice for a change of pace though.

 

[Gnusgal]

Oooh! Harpoon reminded me of a great workout I used to get when I had a free membership to Gold's Gym through the apartments I lived in when I was in college. They had a water aerobics class for those with health problems. Yes, the majority of the people in the class were WAY older than me, but my roommate went with me and we had a lot of fun. There was a "normal" water aerobics class after ours, but there was no way I would have been able to keep up with them. I was so glad they had the special needs class set up. I was so sad when they took away our free membership.

 

[ericaj]

Niki, Harpoon

Niki, Harpoon

Hi Niki and Harpoon,

The mall here in town is pretty rinky dink but maybe U will look into walking out there once or twice a week, and also we have a YMCA here in town so maybe I can convince my sister to go there with me once in a while or have her get me a membership to the fitness center that is connected to the mall.
She asked me what I wanted for X-mas as her and I exchange gifts each year and i didnt know what to ask for but that sounds like the perfect thing!!!
It is a very nice facility, affiliated with the local hospital lots of work out equipment, various classes, and trainers to work with. I think the cost is about $25 and not sure how much for a year but gonna check it out i think.

Niki, what are your pilates movies or exercises called?

Thanks both of you!

Erica

 

[Gnusgal]

Niki, what are your pilates movies or exercises called?

I'm don't remember what all they are called. I got a tape called "Pilates for Beginners" and once I learned how to do the moves I wrote down the moves, so that I wouldn't have to watch the tape every time. Now I've been doing it long enough to not need my list. They have names like "the seal," "scissors," and "rolling like a ball." I also have a book called "Pilates for Dummies" that shows the moves, plus some more. I'm sure there are a lot of books and tapes out there for learning Pilates. It's a pretty popular type of exercise.

Again, good luck!

 

[Abbanabba]

Another great "at home" exercise is a "fit ball". I was amazed at how many different things you can do with them (I was recently staying with a personal trainer who was showing me some things.... now I just have to get my own (..Dear Santa,..)). It's another low impact exercise and you can beef it up with some light hand-weights if you're up to it.

Something else I was looking at doing was water aerobics at the local heated pool. I did this a few years ago and LOVED it. Very low impact, but you can really feel your muscles getting a work-out - then afterwards you can do a few laps for your cardio work-out.

Cheers
Anna : )

 

[Gail in Ca]

pilates is great for core strengthening, we do some in aerobic class and they make you feel stronger after a few times.
now that I work at 11 each day , I go to the gym and do the machines , some pilates and ab work,and for cardio I walk my dog at least 3 times a week. I used to do step aerobics 3 times a week, and I do miss the class.
Gail

 

[chilihead]

I just got back from my one year follow up with the surgeon that did my Ross procedure. He said I looked good and I mentioned that I had started back to lifting weights in the gym. He told me that since I had had my aorta sutured with a dacron graft that I should definitely not do any heavy lifting. Low weight and more reps were ok, but not to really strain. He said my aorta could tear and it would be bad news. I don't know if this hold true for those who have only had a valve replaced. At any rate, exercise your heart and it will get stronger and develop more collateral blood supply.

Happy holidays,

Jim

 

[McCln]

I just recently joined a gym and it is wonderful. It will be warm for winter and great for summer. No more freezing to get a walk in, and no more melting in the summer. It is better than getting into the elements that is too harsh for cardio patients. good luck.

 

[Marguerite53]

Hello!

Hello!

Erica. I just had a visit with my cardio. She was happy that I'm walking 10 miles a week but wants to step up my regimin. I'm somewhat nervous since I really get to feeling like I'm going to explode when I get revved up at all. Thus, my inclination has been to stay "safe" and not really push myself. She had offered once, to "help me". I declined at first, but at this last visit, I asked for some help. She has set me up with a physical therapist for, basically, some training. I'm hoping this will be a good thing. No fear, medically knowledgeable cardiac rehabilitation person desiging a weight loss/strengthening program. Sounds great. And it's a prescription (Rx) from the cardio so I know my insurance will cover some of it.

Good luck!

Marguerite