Jan 15 Weekly Challenge: The Missing Piece
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themedalist
Posts: 3,212 Member
Theme: Exercise and Movement
Challenge: The Missing Piece
I love my treadmill. On most days, I use it several times a day. I use it to exercise, to read Kindle books, watch videos, answer emails, and scan MFP and Facebook. There are so many things that I used to do sitting down that I now do while walking slowly on my treadmill. I’m walking on it now, and “writing” our weekly challenge by using the microphone feature on my tablet.
But I also know that I can be too reliant on my treadmill. Yes, cardiovascular health is important , but I don’t want to neglect the other prongs of fitness: strength training, flexibility, and balance. For optimal health, we need a balanced fitness routine. This year, my main fitness goal is to develop a yoga routine that works for me and practice it several times a week.
I think many of us become too silo-ed in what we do for exercise. So this week, let’s branch out and try something different. What’s the missing piece in your exercise regimen? What would you like to try this week that might be a good fit for you?
This week’s Suggested Resources list was challenging to put together. There are so many ways to exercise and an almost endless list of good quality resources that could be included. But I wanted to include some starting points; resources appropriately for beginners. Since I’m no expert, I reached out to a few of my very knowledgeable friends. The yoga resources came from two long-term yoga teachers and the strength training resources were suggested by my good friend, certified health coach and personal trainer Jen Sturm of Get With It for Life.
Please add to these web resources! If you are a yoga practitioner, what websites do you recommend? What was helpful to you when you started strength training? Do any of you practice tai chi or another exercise that helps your mind, body, and spirit? Please chime in and help us all!
And if your missing piece is that you don’t have an exercise routine in place, that’s also a great focus for this week. Exercising consistently by doing things you enjoy has so many health benefits. Dietary changes are huge, but weight loss, weight maintenance, and better health are all closely tied to exercise and sitting less throughout the day. Keep trying new exercises until you find something that you enjoy or is at least acceptable to you. A 10 to 15 minute daily walk is a terrific starting point.
This Week’s Challenge: Identify the “missing piece” of fitness you’d like to work on this week. Then, at least 3 times this week, take 15 or 20 minutes to practice what you’ve selected. The resources below may help you get started, but please ask the group for recommendations on anything specific you are looking for.
I look forward to hearing what “missing piece” you’ll be working on this week. Please share any websites and other resources that you use for your favorite activities. We can all learn from each other!
Make it a great week!
............................................................................................................................................
Suggested Resources:
Walking:
Walking Resources for Beginners:
https://www.verywell.com/walking-beginners-4014313
Leslie Sansone’s Walk at Home Group on MFP (all walkers welcome)
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/335-leslie-sansone-walk-at-home
Yoga:
The Best Free Yoga Videos for Beginners
https://greatist.com/move/free-online-yoga-videos
Online Yoga Classes from Yoga International (30 Day Free Trial)
https://yogainternational.com/classes/
Strength Training:
Girls Gone Strong:
https://www.girlsgonestrong.com
Nia Shanks:
https://www.niashanks.com/
Nerd Fitness:
https://www.nerdfitness.com
You Are Your Own Gym:
https://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Your-Own-Gym-ebook/dp/B004GTLFNW
Balance Exercises:
Beginner exercises for balance:
https://www.fitnessblender.com/videos/beginner-exercises-for-balance-15-minute-beginner-balance-workout
Advanced balance exercises:
https://www.verywell.com/advanced-balance-exercises-2696235
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Challenge: The Missing Piece
I love my treadmill. On most days, I use it several times a day. I use it to exercise, to read Kindle books, watch videos, answer emails, and scan MFP and Facebook. There are so many things that I used to do sitting down that I now do while walking slowly on my treadmill. I’m walking on it now, and “writing” our weekly challenge by using the microphone feature on my tablet.
But I also know that I can be too reliant on my treadmill. Yes, cardiovascular health is important , but I don’t want to neglect the other prongs of fitness: strength training, flexibility, and balance. For optimal health, we need a balanced fitness routine. This year, my main fitness goal is to develop a yoga routine that works for me and practice it several times a week.
I think many of us become too silo-ed in what we do for exercise. So this week, let’s branch out and try something different. What’s the missing piece in your exercise regimen? What would you like to try this week that might be a good fit for you?
This week’s Suggested Resources list was challenging to put together. There are so many ways to exercise and an almost endless list of good quality resources that could be included. But I wanted to include some starting points; resources appropriately for beginners. Since I’m no expert, I reached out to a few of my very knowledgeable friends. The yoga resources came from two long-term yoga teachers and the strength training resources were suggested by my good friend, certified health coach and personal trainer Jen Sturm of Get With It for Life.
Please add to these web resources! If you are a yoga practitioner, what websites do you recommend? What was helpful to you when you started strength training? Do any of you practice tai chi or another exercise that helps your mind, body, and spirit? Please chime in and help us all!
And if your missing piece is that you don’t have an exercise routine in place, that’s also a great focus for this week. Exercising consistently by doing things you enjoy has so many health benefits. Dietary changes are huge, but weight loss, weight maintenance, and better health are all closely tied to exercise and sitting less throughout the day. Keep trying new exercises until you find something that you enjoy or is at least acceptable to you. A 10 to 15 minute daily walk is a terrific starting point.
This Week’s Challenge: Identify the “missing piece” of fitness you’d like to work on this week. Then, at least 3 times this week, take 15 or 20 minutes to practice what you’ve selected. The resources below may help you get started, but please ask the group for recommendations on anything specific you are looking for.
I look forward to hearing what “missing piece” you’ll be working on this week. Please share any websites and other resources that you use for your favorite activities. We can all learn from each other!
Make it a great week!
............................................................................................................................................
Suggested Resources:
Walking:
Walking Resources for Beginners:
https://www.verywell.com/walking-beginners-4014313
Leslie Sansone’s Walk at Home Group on MFP (all walkers welcome)
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/335-leslie-sansone-walk-at-home
Yoga:
The Best Free Yoga Videos for Beginners
https://greatist.com/move/free-online-yoga-videos
Online Yoga Classes from Yoga International (30 Day Free Trial)
https://yogainternational.com/classes/
Strength Training:
Girls Gone Strong:
https://www.girlsgonestrong.com
Nia Shanks:
https://www.niashanks.com/
Nerd Fitness:
https://www.nerdfitness.com
You Are Your Own Gym:
https://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Your-Own-Gym-ebook/dp/B004GTLFNW
Balance Exercises:
Beginner exercises for balance:
https://www.fitnessblender.com/videos/beginner-exercises-for-balance-15-minute-beginner-balance-workout
Advanced balance exercises:
https://www.verywell.com/advanced-balance-exercises-2696235
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Replies
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I think I will try the yoga I tend to be like you and focus mostly on just walking or a stationary bike3
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I am going to add some free weight arm exercises while using my stationary bike, and I would also like to give yoga a try. Hopefully I'll be coordinated enough.3
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I am getting back to strength training this week. Three times a week to start. Eventually I would like to do yoga and/or tai chi. I just need to find the right "fit" for me. Thanks for posting this challenge. I really needed it!3
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My plan is to keep walking ( that is my quiet time) and add elliptical and strength routines. Also keep working on my meditation. Thanks for the links. My main goal is to take control of my food.3
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2017 I added yoga to my workout routines and really love it. Here is my favorite beginner yoga challenge. It took me about 3 months to get through the 30 day beginner challenge. I let it slip over the holidays so I want to get back to that. I'll think about what I'd like to add in. The longer I work on health and fitness the moire I appreciate having many different kinds of exercise to use. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zzonBs06mX83
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2017 I added yoga to my workout routines and really love it. Here is my favorite beginner yoga challenge. It took me about 3 months to get through the 30 day beginner challenge. I let it slip over the holidays so I want to get back to that. I'll think about what I'd like to add in. The longer I work on health and fitness the moire I appreciate having many different kinds of exercise to use. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zzonBs06mX8
Thank you for posting this, @77tes. I’m going to check it out!1 -
I’ve fallen in love with Classical Stretch and feel like i get a full body workout when I do it so that will continue every day (most days, anyway). I’d like to get back to the basics of when I started MFP 5 years ago so I will dig out my old dvds and give them another shot. I also have a kettlebell that’s been collecting dust since I bought it a year ago.4
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I used to love doing yoga years ago, cannot think why I stopped, probably time lol! I will dig my Barbara Currie DVDs out, get up a bit earlier and get the show on the road, cannot wait! Love all the positivity of you all!4
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I've been doing 15 min of yoga after work 3 times a week and will continue to do this and I think my missing piece is just getting a sustainable exercise routine back.
I used to dance a lot so I'll try and do a ballet Barre at home this week! Whip out my old slippers lol
www.doyogawithme.com is a great website for free classes and they have progessive programs too!!!5 -
I signed up for Weight Watchers today. I am hopeful and excited to add this to my routine.6
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Hi, I haven't added a new exercise this week, but I did sign up for a tracking program at the Y that prints out your weight room workouts each day and lets you enter your results, then tracks everything and adjusts your next workout accordingly. It will be interesting to see how this goes after working on my own (following programs and recommendations) for quite awhile. I'm hoping it adds a bit more interest and variety to what I'm doing and helps me take advantage of all the equipment available. I can also log other workouts, like swimming, and get a cool calendar that shows everything I did that month! Kind of like getting "stars" in school, lol.6
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I don't currently have a fitness routine, so this week I will attempt to come up with one! Treadmill and hand weights is my plan. I also have a subscription to Body Groove, a dance workout, so I will try that this week too. This is a great challenge. I needed this kick in the butt! Especially in January in Wisconsin. COLD and Snowy.5
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I really just need to get exercising again. This week my goal will be to do at least 15 minutes of strength training three days.5
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It has been really cold here lately, so I haven't left the house much. That's my goal for this week - to get out of the house and do something... anything. Bonus points for that "something" being the gym.2
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Thanks for another great challenge, Denise!
Two things are definitely missing for me - consistency with walking at least 3x a week, and getting back in the pool. So, my goals this week are to take at least three nice walks and to go to the pool once. It's been months since I've been swimming myself (sitting in the bleachers at the pool for my kid's swim practices/meets does not count as 'going to the pool' in this context ). And I really, truly have been missing swimming.4 -
2017 I added yoga to my workout routines and really love it. Here is my favorite beginner yoga challenge. It took me about 3 months to get through the 30 day beginner challenge. I let it slip over the holidays so I want to get back to that. I'll think about what I'd like to add in. The longer I work on health and fitness the moire I appreciate having many different kinds of exercise to use. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zzonBs06mX8
Thank you for this 77tes! I am going to do this as I am soooo stiff! Tried Barbara Currie DVD but didn't get far, I remember now I stopped doing yoga after a knee injury a couple of years ago so will go at my own little pace with this!3 -
I am adding cardio again to my workouts. Due to my chronic pain I was going to focus my entire winter on yoga and Qigong. I am hanging on to a few pounds from the holidays so more cardio is necessary.
I have doing yoga for 6.5 months now daily. I do not miss a day. Yoga is also my strength training since it uses body weight. Qigong is something I do about 5 days a week. This has really helped me with balance and mediation.
I follow Yoga With Adriene. I am on her True Journey at the moment. This is the video where I started my yoga journey.
https://youtu.be/oBu-pQG6sTY
For Qigong I follow Marissa.
https://youtu.be/IyINAjEoTIs
For my cardio I do follow Leslie Sansone and The Walk At Home program.
Yesterday I did a 1 mile walk and today I did the 2 mile Walk This Way.6 -
I'm going to try adding Yoga to my routine. I have not spent nearly enough time on flexibility and stretching. I usually only spend about 5 minutes on any kind of stretching, but I'm going to try these longer sessions. thank you for all the great resources.5
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I've been considering yoga myself. Maybe this is the little nudge I needed. With multiple health issues just standing and walking without assistance is a big challenge but I've be looking at a local studio to start.5
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Been a member of mfp for a while buy have recently seen. Change in my metabolism that added 8 lbs. following my traditional plan hasn’t helped, so figured I would try joining the community. Hopefully i can find inspiration through all if you. Pulled out my yoga studio app today by Giam and did 15 minuets. Felt great since I haven’t done since summer. Looking forward to at least three more times.8