Maintenance and Exercise

[sxy29]

For those maintainers..how often and how much do you exercise? What is your routine and how often do you do it? I generally run 30 minutes a day then follow it with 30min-1 hour of vinyasa yoga, but since restarting induction I have cut back. Just so sleepy and lathargic. I know this changes as you go through the rungs in owl. I already feel better after getting through the first 2 weeks of induction. My energy is through the roof, so I am gonna start my routine up again.

Just wanted to hear some of your experiences and thoughts. Thanks!

[Jonahsafta]

Ok maybe mine isnt the most thorough and efficient form of exercise, but I bike ride for an hr 4-5 times a week and I LOVE it! To me, it makes ALL the difference!

[Dodger]

I do a combination of biking and walking. I get out about 5 days a week (more in the summer and less in the winter).

[bkloots]

I'm 59 yrs old, and have a long-standing exercise habit.

I do strength training at least 3X week--total body, or upper and lower on different days. 30-45 minutes. The other four days, I do a cardio workout in the morning--step or hi/lo, power walking or running on weekends.

In addition, I try to do about 30 minutes of cardio every day at lunchtime--walking or (in winter) ice skating.

With all this moving around, you'd think I'd be a stick. NOT! But a fit chick anyway.

[Kristine]

My only exercise is simple, practical stuff that fits into my daily routine. I have no car, so I walk everywhere. I do yoga off and on as well as simple resistance training.

[MeBLady]

My usual routine is 40 min. on a treamil (30 second intervals of walking/jogging between 4-4.5 mph), and 20 min. floor exercise/stretches five days a week.

I am currently taking a break from that, and getting exercise just by being active (I walk briskly everywhere these days). My body started feeling a bit worn out and I have been struggling with not getting enough potassium....a sign that I may be have working myself too hard.

I'm hoping to start a Yoga class after the first of the year, and at this point, want to focus solely on resistance rather than cardio.

[Enomarb]

I walk for at least an hour 4xweek, and lift weights 2xweek. I have been doing this for more than 20 years. On LC I find it works better for me to lift, then walk. I feel like I am losing steam if I walk, then go to the gym and lift- just not enough carbs I guess.
E

[Dodger]

I have no car, so I walk everywhere. I do yoga off and on as well as simple resistance training.While I have a car, it has been over three months since I last used it. I bicycle or walk almost everywhere. It was difficult (mentally) at first to convince myself that I did not need to drive to get around town. Once I started using a bike as a transportation tool, instead of just for exercise, I found out that driving doesn't really save that much time. I have also discovered some shortcuts that are not possible with a car. The last time that I went to the grocery, as I was attaching the groceries to the bike, a man and woman showed up on a tandom recumbent bike. That thing was really long, but they said it was great for carrying large loads. It was then that I noticed that the woman had only one leg. It didn't stop her from doing her shopping with a bike, so no more excuses for me.

[Jonahsafta]

I am impressed with all of you!!! My husband rides his bike to work everyday. A little treacherous now that snowbirds are arriving,he admits.But he loves it. He fortunately has a shower at his work. We bike to restaurants..out for coffee and to the store. ..we take the grandchildren on adventures, in a bike trailer when they visit . They always ask when we are going to ride. I also notice if we do drive , we park further away on purpose. I love being so active.

[Bandito]

I just posted this over in general LC but it fits here too.....

I have NO formal ecxercise plan.

I have a pretty active lifestyle. I am constantly runnning around and careing for patients 2 nights/week at the hospital, and I run my butt off 1-2 night/week waiting tables too... I walk the dog once or twice a week on average, and I have the standard household chores. 3/4 of the time I take the stairs, and I don't waste my time looking for "princess parking" so I just park far out and walk.

The result? I look great. I'm not talking "perfection" here (whatever that is). I look healthy and have some curves in the right places. When I see myself naked, I have a little extra fat here and there, but it is SUPPOSED TO BE THERE. I am a woman after all and I was designed to have a little extra here and there just in case. ( I just love the 30's, self acceptance at last!!!!).

[bkloots]

Bandito, you're blessed to arrive at self-acceptance in your 30s. Most of us took a lot longer! :lol: But I consider it one of the chief benefits of the LC lifestyle.

[sxy29]

I just posted this over in general LC but it fits here too.....

I have NO formal ecxercise plan.

I have a pretty active lifestyle. I am constantly runnning around and careing for patients 2 nights/week at the hospital, and I run my butt off 1-2 night/week waiting tables too... I walk the dog once or twice a week on average, and I have the standard household chores. 3/4 of the time I take the stairs, and I don't waste my time looking for "princess parking" so I just park far out and walk.

The result? I look great. I'm not talking "perfection" here (whatever that is). I look healthy and have some curves in the right places. When I see myself naked, I have a little extra fat here and there, but it is SUPPOSED TO BE THERE. I am a woman after all and I was designed to have a little extra here and there just in case. ( I just love the 30's, self acceptance at last!!!!)..

Yes, it is true that something changes when you hit your 30's (well for most it seems). I have people commenting on how confident I seem, hence they use the word 'sexy' to describe me often. That all started to evolve these past 2 years (31 now). I am at my heaviest weight ever, but overall I feel better and stronger than I ever have. I guess I just got to a certain point, not that I think I am perfect but the days of obsessing\stressing (this is why I don't weigh myself) over what I don't have, I tend to focus on what I do have. I am still trying to work on the certain issues with food (and drop a few pounds). I think for some of us, certain food issues, don't ever go away (completely). We just learn by trial and error what works for us and do our best to live by it.

[Bandito]

sxy,

I do have some lingering food issues too. Sometimes they are less visible than others. It is a continual process. Right now I have mostly good days with a "bad day" here and there (two days every two weeks-increased food intake/munchies). Nothing real major, but just enough that I am telling myself to "knock it off!". I should say that a good day is anywhere from 20-60 grams. I'm pretty flexible. I don't count anything, I just try to eat balanced LC. I have a pretty good grip on what foods trigger me. I have been LC since April of 2003. Sucess for me is to intuitively eat in equalibrium with my lifestyle.

I don't weigh myself either. I was sick of having the magic box on the floor miraculously tell me what kind of day I was going to have. I began to feel a lot better about myself when I threw that thing away.

Oh BTW, I was thinking (I don't know about you) the reason I feel more confident about my self now is because I am a decade removed from the teen years. I was very thin as a teen (and teased). I was also a late bloomer. When my body began to change in my late teens and early 20's, I tried to hold on to my overly thin body image. In the 90's when heroin chic became all the rage :rolleyes: , the body I was once teased for was now in style. I wasted a lot of time chaseing some stupid ideal.

Anyways, for me it was the whole coming of age thing. My body was changing and I wasted my 20's trying to revert back to the me of my childhood. The issues with food stemmed out of a cycle of famine and the inevitable feast. It really messed with my head.......

[Seto Kaiba]

For those maintainers..how often and how much do you exercise? What is your routine and how often do you do it?

When I was in maintenance I would strive for cardio 3 days a week - at least 45 minutes, yoga 4-7 times a week, and weight training 3 days a week alternating upper and lower body. For me, my routine and dedication to exercise increased once I hit my goal weight.

[rachelratz]

This is driving me nuts....but I have to know. How many people (besides me) walk to work? You know, as in no car, five days a week, no matter what the weather. Excersizing is annoying anyway. Might as well kill two birds with one stone. Get this, on weekends, I still take a walk. So I figure 4 miles 5 days a week, 1 mile Saturdays and Sunday, When I'm not walking I'm cleaning the house...in burning calories like no tomorrow....no wonder I am still skinny. Our nearest gym is 20 miles away. I told my husband I plan to join. Walk the 20 odd miles and then proceed to work out.

[sxy29]

This is driving me nuts....but I have to know. How many people (besides me) walk to work? You know, as in no car, five days a week, no matter what the weather. Excersizing is annoying anyway. Might as well kill two birds with one stone. Get this, on weekends, I still take a walk. So I figure 4 miles 5 days a week, 1 mile Saturdays and Sunday, When I'm not walking I'm cleaning the house...in burning calories like no tomorrow....no wonder I am still skinny. Our nearest gym is 20 miles away. I told my husband I plan to join. Walk the 20 odd miles and then proceed to work out.


Hmmm...I could walk to work I suppose, but I am about 17 miles away. In heels and a suit down a major highway might be kind of tough. I do try and walk remster (my dog) as much as possible. I must say though i am partial to my running. I can't get enough of the 'runner's high'. I agree though if you can walk do it!!! Grocery store, drug store, movie store, etc...I am fortunate enough to live in a small city so everything is in the vecinity or nearby, so walking is very doable and easy to 'kill 2 birds with one stone' perse.

[rachelratz]

I do a round trip 4 miles to work. I live 2 miles away. I change my shoes when I get to work. I would rather die then work out in a gym. There are other excerise....cleaning the house, burns plenty, walking up stairs instead of the lift. On the Oprah show , another women claimed vigorious sexual intercourse. Possible I suppose, I'm not sure how much fat that will burn off. Perhaps as much as plowing the lower 40. I should start a seperate thread on that.

I work at a major universtiy. I walk through a residential neighborhood to get there. I am rather lucky, if you want to walk to work. Some years ago, there was an article on people who walk to work. Much more then you think. One wormen walked 5 miles each way, sometimes on the shoulder of busy roads.

[sxy29]

On the Oprah show , another women claimed vigorious sexual intercourse. Possible I suppose, I'm not sure how much fat that will burn off[/QUOTE]


:lol: Funny you should mention that. My girlfriends always comment on how very active and creative my sex life is (sorry if tmi). Maybe there is something to what that woman said on Oprah. Well aside from maybe burning a few cal.s (not sure on the fat either), I know it def. helps my mental well-being and puts a big smile on my face:D

You're right though, that's a whole other thread.

[sxy29]

Oh BTW, I was thinking (I don't know about you) the reason I feel more confident about my self now is because I am a decade removed from the teen years. I was very thin as a teen (and teased). I was also a late bloomer. When my body began to change in my late teens and early 20's, I tried to hold on to my overly thin body image. In the 90's when heroin chic became all the rage :rolleyes: , the body I was once teased for was now in style. I wasted a lot of time chaseing some stupid ideal.

Anyways, for me it was the whole coming of age thing. My body was changing and I wasted my 20's trying to revert back to the me of my childhood. The issues with food stemmed out of a cycle of famine and the inevitable feast. It really messed with my head.......[/QUOTE]

You know I never thought about that...it is true now a days it seems it is ok and preferred for a woman to look like a woman....not rail thin, but curvy...interresting. Look at Jessica Simpson, Britney Spears (although not a fan), Jennifer Lopez, and many more in the public eye...they are curvy beautiful women and most of the men I know drool over those types than the waifs. Images of women still in some ways are distorted by the media(magazines are airbrushed, touched-up, etcc.), but things have definetly changed. The change in the decade could've assisted my growing confidence. Not taking away from the fact that me maturing and becoming comfortable with myself took alot of self-reflection and work on my part.

[Jonahsafta]

I was amused to find that on Fitday, in the activities section, where you note your specific activity and length of time spent, one of the categories is sexual activity......! My husband is the official timekeeper...:)

[rachelratz]

Most curvy women are that, but also thin. Underwear models most certainly are...many actresses too. Many obese women describe themselves as curvy. (I call it the obesity backlash). Afraid to lose weight because they might lose their curves. How obesity and curvy got to be one and the same is beyond me. Jessica Simpson is curvy, but she is also 103 lbs. Britney Spears is not thin, just dumpy. When she gets older, that will come back to haunt her. Lopez has one curve, her bottom, yet she is thin.Tastes have changed for a long time in the description of curvy. We certaintly don't want to be the plump milkmaids that was the height of female beauty in the 19th century. Obesity is a disease, not a curvy body.

[Jonahsafta]

Exercise to me is about strength, endurance, health and that glorious feeling of moving your body thru space. The trimming my butt and thighs is merely a bonus. Whether it is vigorous housework, yard work, biking, running or walking, whatever
you are challenging your body to expand its limits. We all do the same with our minds and our spirits..but we tend to neglect the body.