4 posts tagged “exercise”
No clue how long it's been since I posted, probably sometime shortly after getting the Wii Fit, which is almost 6 months ago! Really, until recently, there's not been much exciting to write about. My weight hadn't changed much and I was still exercising several times a week and trying to eat well.
Mid May Andy surprised me with an awesome present. A personal trainer for my Wii! While I still pulled out the Fit once in a while it wasn't near as exciting as it used to be and there were a few things about it that bugged me (several of which might be changed with the new Fit Plus, we'll see).
EA Active was like a breath of fresh air! Right off the bat I started the 30-Day Challenge and though I certainly did not finish in the 30 days (more like 40, but who's counting) it's been great. My pants are fitting looser and I've lost a few pounds along the way as well. Maybe not many, but at least SOMETHING!
After playing for a month and a half, and starting the 30DC again today with the other trainer (maybe I'll do it in 30 days this time??), here's my brief review of the game.
PROS
- While I've never had a real, live personal trainer, this game is the next best thing (and significantly cheaper too!). You don't just have to do the 30DC to get that effect either.
- There are many workouts designed within the game to target just about everything. For someone like me who doesn't really know what to work and when to work it and how much of this to do with that, having pre-set workouts in the 30DC that vary activities and keep things fresh has been great.
- You can work out with a buddy. I haven't been able to do this much, and it doesn't work with the 30DC or register in both people's profiles that you did the workout, but it's always more fun to have a workout buddy!
- There isn't as much lag time between exercises (unless you have to watch the how-tos).
- You can pick your intensity, low-medium-high, and no matter which one I've always ended tired and sweaty.
- The trainer encourages you along the way to hang in there and do your best.
- On days when I go to the gym and do cardio I can easliy uncheck all the activities where "running" is involved.
- I really want to do this most days and like that with the 30DC there are rest days built in so you don't push too hard.
- Once you have a feel for the game and the activities you can design your own workouts and vary the intensity of different activities within the workouts.
- When I decided to try the 30DC again, I chose the female trainer and she says different things to encourage/motivate you and it seems like a whole different experience.
- You can get other resistance bands to up the intensity of the resistance for the upper body workouts if you need to.
- As part of your journal you have to keep track of things like how many small meals you've eaten, how much water you drink, how many servings of veggies you've eaten and how many sugary beverages. It's been pretty effective at getting me thinking about what I'm eating and making positive changes ... since I have to document everything.
- There's no shaming aspect. If you miss a day they don't make you feel bad. You don't have to weigh yourself each time and be told you are obese every day (regardless of certain physical characteristics). While I still weigh myself once a week or so with the Fit, it's much less intense.
- I just discovered a whole website for the game designed to help encourage and motivate you. It also has tips on living healthier.
CONS
- There's no way to do the 30DC with a friend.
- I HATE RUNNING IN PLACE. While you can do jumping jacks or jump rope or something else, there's a lot of "running" involved in the 30DC.
- Hard at first to get into a rhythm when you have to mess with the equipment and watch all the how-to videos.
- There aren't many exercises that incorporate the balance board (which can also be a good thing because it's one more thing to manage during workouts).
- Sometimes the exercises are tricky to get right and it gets frustrating when you have to hold things really long because it doesn't realize you are doing it.
- There's no way to change from right to left handed so even as a lefty I'm stuck doing all the exercises with the Wiimote in my right hand.
- There's no way to say that you are pregnant or have some other health condition where you might need the 30DC modified in some way (you can go in and uncheck certain exercises though).
So maybe this will be a monthly thing …
Lately, I’ve not been the most consistent with the whole exercise thing. My goal is to do something every day. The gym. The Fit. Something. Unfortunately, I’ve been great at excuses lately. I had a few library books I needed to read, Stephan wants to stay home and play, playdate with a friend, errands to run, I’m freaking sore because I forgot to stretch yesterday. You name it, I use the excuse. I need to get back on track now, no more excuses.
We now have a scale, thanks to the Fit, and the numbers bounce around some, but for the most part don’t really change. That is discouraging, but I have a seriously awful vice. Chocolate. It’s kind of an addiction I think. We’ve also slacked a bit in the fruits and veggies at every meal thing. We try but it’s been pretty sporadic. So no great news this week/month/whatever.
In light of that, I’m going to clean up Stephan’s toys and pull out the Fit so I get in some exercise today. AND, I’m going to stretch when I’m done so my thighs don’t scream at me for the next two days.
Here’s to better news next week/month …
I went to Target last night to get some necessities and a couple gifts.
On a whim I decided to check out the clearance exercise clothes. I think I've paid full price for one pair of pants. The basic black pants rarely go on sale, let alone clearance, and I need tall which makes getting anything like that on clearance all the tougher. I have been able to get several pairs of capri pants and tanks though, for very little cash.
I found a load last night, though had to return the pants and tanks today because I'm too tall and my chest was a little big for the cute deep v-neck tanks :) I still came away with a long sleeve jacket for $7 (reg $28) and a tank for $4 (reg $15). Another pair of pants I've been eyeing was on sale $20 instead of $30 and they had a tall so I got em. Over the past couple months I've really been able to build my workout wardrobe, mostly thanks to the clearance racks. I now have two jackets, two long pairs of pants, three pairs of capris, one pair of long shorts and five tanks. All for less than $100!
I like that I can finally go to the gym several times before I run out of clean clothes to exercise in.
well, great news. i got in two walks this week. i'm excited that i met my goal. in thinking about which days i could fit in a morning walk i had eliminated most days since there were things going on. however, i realized that i was using my haircut on friday as an excuse when i really did have time for a walk if i went early enough. so i went ahead and planned my day around my walk, not my haircut. i felt better since i had my walk and met my goal! onward & forward ... i'm ready for this coming week. tomorrow is stephan's birthday (hard to believe he's already a year old) and friday, saturday and sunday i get to walk/hike up in the beautiful rocky mountains!! i love going up to the mountains in the summertime, especially when we don't have to pay for it (andy's boss covers just about everything for his conferences). hopefully this week i'll get in more than two walks.
