Tell me about your exercise routine

I run every morning Sun-Fri, usually about half an hour, some mornings longer. On Sundays, I usually run an hour or so. I do Strong Curves on Mon, Wed, and Friday. I also walk a lot during the day every day. Saturday is my rest day, and I usually take a long walk that morning with a lot of little jaunts during the day. I foam roll/stretch every morning first thing out of bed.

I workout 6 days a week for 30 minutes to an hour. I lift a full body routine M/W/F and run C25K T/R/S or U. As I'm a beginner in both these areas I like to take a rest day between each type of activity. Then I also have a free day on the weekend to do whatever. I find walking and gentle yoga helps loosen up crampy uncooperative muscles. They seem to get worse when I sit down and rest them.

Cave_Goose wrote: »

First I strap on a thong under my tights. Then I spend about 20 minutes trying to dig the wedgie out. Heart Rate gets up into anaerobic, sweat pours, it's hard to breathe. After that, I'm too tired to do anything else, but I've lost over 30lbs with this routine. So why quit now!

Just get the tights with the cotton gusset. They cost a little more, but no thong needed.

NorthCascades wrote: »

bketchum1981 wrote: »

@NorthCascades or any others who have an interest...Will you give a little more info about your ski experience? I'm thinking of doing the Michigan DNR HeartMISnow virtual 5K. The activity I choose is up to me. I want to do cross country skiing.

I ran 3 - 5Ks and did a Tough Mudder this summer. I continue to workout regularly. Just wondering if cross country skiing a 5K is doable without significant training? It's not that I've NEVER XC skied but I have no means of judging how much stamina/endurance is necessary for a 5K.

I'll write more later if you want to hear more, but as long as you use classic technique and gear (not skating) I think you could ski a 5K tomorrow, and have enough energy to do a victory lap when you're done.

Also, cross country skiing is incredibly fun.

But I've got to take off.

Thank you!

Would love to hear more. I have wanted to take a free one hour lesson with some girlfriends who are reluctant due to their level of fitness (I think?).

I think I have them talked into the lesson. After our lesson is when I want to do the 5k. I'm hoping they will be so daring to join me for that, too.

I do wonder how any minutes for a beginner on trails described as "flat" it would take to do the 5K? I say this because it will be dark and I'm not sure if the trails are lit. I will be checking with the place before I commit completely.

So badly want to incorporate a winter outdoor activity in the rotation of workouts.

P.S. OP please excuse my butting in on your thread. I just wasn't certain how to contact NorthCascades for more info.

I run one day, use FitnessBlender two days, then rest a day. My rest days still in include a walk with my dog and my 10,000 steps.

Works for me. Plenty of recovery, workout 5-6 days a week.

bketchum1981 wrote: »

NorthCascades wrote: »

bketchum1981 wrote: »

@NorthCascades or any others who have an interest...Will you give a little more info about your ski experience? I'm thinking of doing the Michigan DNR HeartMISnow virtual 5K. The activity I choose is up to me. I want to do cross country skiing.

I ran 3 - 5Ks and did a Tough Mudder this summer. I continue to workout regularly. Just wondering if cross country skiing a 5K is doable without significant training? It's not that I've NEVER XC skied but I have no means of judging how much stamina/endurance is necessary for a 5K.

I'll write more later if you want to hear more, but as long as you use classic technique and gear (not skating) I think you could ski a 5K tomorrow, and have enough energy to do a victory lap when you're done.

Also, cross country skiing is incredibly fun.

But I've got to take off.

Thank you!

Would love to hear more. I have wanted to take a free one hour lesson with some girlfriends who are reluctant due to their level of fitness (I think?).

I think I have them talked into the lesson. After our lesson is when I want to do the 5k. I'm hoping they will be so daring to join me for that, too.

I do wonder how any minutes for a beginner on trails described as "flat" it would take to do the 5K? I say this because it will be dark and I'm not sure if the trails are lit. I will be checking with the place before I commit completely.

So badly want to incorporate a winter outdoor activity in the rotation of workouts.

P.S. OP please excuse my butting in on your thread. I just wasn't certain how to contact NorthCascades for more info.

For the record, anybody is welcome to PM me at any time with a question. I like having good karma.

I skied cross country when I was a child, this is my third year skiing as an adult. About 20 years went by in between.

I took a lesson before I started. Hired a professional, and I'd guess it lasted about 30 minutes. We went over all of the very basics, and then I was competent to head out on my own, on easy trails. And so I did, later that day.

My first trip out after the lesson, my GPS failed and I don't know how far I went. I'd guess 3 to 5 miles. Can't tell you the pace from that. My second ski was two days later, so I'd had some time to rest. Little over 6 miles, at 1.9 mph. I got to ski one more time that year, this time on a flatter and easier trail, and covered 4 miles at 2.4 mph. I'm trying to give you an idea what to expect as a beginner.

I'm sure you've ridden a bike. Skiing (cross country) is very similar. The motion is like walking, but with each step, the skis glide, the way you can pedal a bike and then coast for a second. Skiing a 5K is less work than walking one. (I skied 15.5 miles with about 3,000 feet of elevation gain, and feel a lot better today than I would have if I'd hiked it instead.) It's still work, though. You can break a sweat in very cold weather, most people dress minimally because it's an aerobic exercise and enough work to keep you warm.

cldale0728 wrote: »

How do y'all so y'alls workouts? Daily or every other day? I've been trying to about 20 mins daily. But yesterday I did a lot of leg and core workouts so I'm cramping. Would it be good to still do a little today? Just not as much leg stuff or stay at the same exercise? I don't wanna fatigue my body.

Sounds like you're just starting out, or maybe re-starting. 20 minutes daily is a good start! But if you're weight training, and not using some well-regarded program that changes up the exercises from day to day, I'm suggest making it a point to do different things (different body parts) on alternating days.

If you're literally cramping (like charley-horse stuff), get some good nutrition (especially veggies/fruit for the vitamins & such) and adequate water to drink today, and do something mild, like stretching, or easy walking. If you sit still, things will tend to tighten up. You could also do some self-massage on the cramping parts (by hand, or by rolling a tennis ball over them, or even rolling with a kitchen rolling pin atop a towel, if you don't have a foam roller available). A warm bath may also help relax things, with Epsom salts if you've got 'em.

Since you asked, my routine varies by season. I've been quite active for about 12 years, even while obese.

All year long, I take a spin class (45 minute ride plus some stretching) twice a week.

In Spring through Fall, I row on the water usually 4 days a week (those long skinny boats like in the Olympics, only mine is slower ). Occasionally I throw in a 2-5 mile exercise walk (in addition to whatever random walking the day already has) or a 5-15 mile bike ride if it's a beautiful day.

When it starts being too cold to row, and the river gets icy, I try to shift my routine, but I definitely do a little less volume. I row on a rowing machine usually at least once a week, sometimes more. I try to get going with a full-body off-season weight program. I do more walking for some fresh air (maybe couple of days/week) if the weather makes it enjoyable (not raining, at least somewhere near freezing temp or above (say 28F or above). I've been trying to swim once a week to keep skills up (rowers need to be able to swim).

All year long, I aim for doing 30-60 minutes of something six days a week, but I'm not gonna lie, I slack off some when we're not rowing on water, especially over the Christmas/New Year holidays.

I used to do some video aerobics, but don't much anymore. Partly it's that my aging knees don't love it, partly it's that it's tough to get my heart rate up enough with low-impact aerobics.

But this routine is what I've arrived at over the course of more than a decade being active.

You're doing great - just put in place a routine you can keep up, and expand on over time if you enjoy it. Try to pick activities/exercises you enjoy so much that you'd do them just for the fun, and now great they make you feel. That makes it so much easier to keep up a routine.

Best wishes for success!

@northCascades Thank you for your insight!

I do 30 minutes of yoga most mornings. Boy, do I need that!
Tennis takes priority. So, on those days when I have someone to play with, I play tennis.
On those days when I do not have tennis, I run or do Crossfit. I run probably three times a week, about 5-7 miles, and do Crossfit (or some kind of lifting) one time a week.
I do not take as many off days as I should. But I am trying to get better about rest.