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I have never been the sporty type. Between my clumsiness, lack of coordination and the general daydreaming state in which I often find myself, sports never really appealed to me. Particularly not team sports, where balls often landed right in my face. During high school I took tennis lessons and I also remember enjoying athletism, but I never really did more than what was required, I didn't even try. It's true that I've always tried to be active: take the stairs instead of the lift and walk a lot, but I guess it's not enough.
Lately, the boy has been trying to push me to incorporate exercise in our routine in some way or another, and I agree, it is important to stay strong and fit. We've tried running, but we both find it boring and since I have no condition whatsoever after each try I'd get dizzy / nauseous and just never wanted to try again. We have also tried to exercise in the living room, together, which is actually quite nice, but we are, ahem, not disciplined enough, so we often forget.
And so yesterday
Ja, ja, ja. La historia de mi vida. Me hubiera encantado jugar futbol, pero había muy poco en dónde en "nuestra época" (ja); por lo que no pasó de jugar en el parque con amigos. Me encantaba nadar, pero no siempre es lo más accesible. El ballet muy pequeña, peor siempre huía en el futuro de las clases de jazz, aunque lo intentaba, por descoordinación total. Aunque tenía buena flexibilidad. Tuve mi época de basket, pero tampoco funciono, y algunos meses de gimnasio sólo porque estaba en la escuela y no había que caminar.
ReplyDeleteTambién trato de salir, pero me pasa lo mismo me ahogo a los minutos y no me gusta. Y hacer ejercicio en casa, bueno me dura dos días.
Así que te comprendo totalmente.... "¿ejercicio?"
Ah si.... yo tambien iba al ballet y nadaba, me acuerdo que cuando llegamos a Queretaro lo deje porque durante mucho tiempo no habia academia de danza. Luego, tuve mi fase de jazz y de hip hop, pero era descoordinada igualmente, ya que le agarraba la onda a un paso iban todas como 4 pasos mas adelante. Que haremos? Caminar por las ciudades !
Delete¡¡Me encanta la idea!! Caminemos por las ciudades :)
DeleteMy husband loves to exercise, but I don't. I have to do it though, I gain weight so easily and since I'm a little on the short side it's quickly noticeable. Unfortunately, because of my condition, I can't do anything too strenuous, but I love to listen to music or a podcast on the exercise bike, followed by some pilates-esque stretches for tummy, legs and arms etc.
ReplyDeleteI yet have to try a class like pilates or yoga, some people swear by them.
DeleteI actually really like it as you've read on my blog before... Unfortunately, I've been slacking lately! I was gone for a week for "vacation" so I vegetated, and this week has just been too hot to move. I really need to get back to it. I'm not a fan of running though, and I usually forget about the workout videos I have at home so the gym works great for me and I can spend quite a long time there.
ReplyDeleteHave you tried Zumba? That's the one home-based exercise I actually stuck with when I was in school and it was a lot of fun. The Wii actually works pretty well for me (specially for my arms) on days when I don't want to go to the gym and it is a lot of fun.
Zumba seems lots of fun, it is, together with Yoga one of those group classes I would like to try. I am so so lazy to get out of the house for the purpose of exercising.
DeleteYou and I are kindred spirits when it comes to exercise. I know it's good for you, and on the rare occasion that I do exercise, I feel good afterward, but actually getting myself to schedule exercise into my schedule just doesn't happen!
ReplyDeleteAs you know, I used to dance, and I loved it. I think it counts as exercise, but because I thought of it as something fun, and not as exercise, I really enjoyed it. Maybe that's the trick? Find something physical you enjoy doing that you don't think of as exercise?
I have to say, I do enjoy how I feel after a yoga class, but because I don't do it regularly, it's always a pain in the beginning of class when I do go. If only I could find the motivation and discipline to go to class regularly... sigh.
Yes definitely, if I found something I liked / enjoyed / looked forward to I think I could do it.... for now everything seems boring and then it is such a core.
DeleteAre you still dancing? (We quite enjoyed the classes and dancing, but our teacher was not very good, full chaos)
That's too bad about your teacher! It's true that the quality of the class depends so much on the quality of the teacher.
DeleteI originally planned to keep up with dancing during pregnancy, but after going to a couple of classes during first trimester, and getting nauseous and having to sit out most of the class (plus pulling some unidentifiable hip muscle), I've stopped going. It's kind of sad that I wasn't able to keep dancing during pregnancy (some women definitely do it), but I've been going to prenatal yoga classes periodically, and that works better for me at this time.
I am sorry that you had to temporarily stop dancing, knowing how much you like it. But I am glad to hear that prenatal yoga is working better for you, and maybe when your baby is here you can start dancing again. Also, babies love to dance :)
DeleteI love spending time outdoors, whatever the weather, and I think that is my main source of physical activity; we don't own a car, walk everywhere, and try to get outside the city as often as possible (including when we holiday) for hiking, climbing, etc. When I was younger I was quite bookish, and am still a person who enjoys solitary pursuits tremendously, so being surrounded by nature feels both rejuvenating and calming at the same time. Going to the gym, or participating in organised sports? Not so much... So I'm like you in that respect. I think I have a hard time with the idea of spending my time exercising under artificial lights when a normal, active life will give you almost the same benefits, if you pursue it regularly. Yoga might be the exception for me; I benefit from doing the breathing exercises as part of a group, but still prefer doing it outdoors, weather permitting (which is not often here in the UK)!
ReplyDeleteYep, walking everywhere is something that I do, we own a car but we try to use it only for "far" distances / other cities and I do not drive anyway (my mexican drivers' license is not valid), so that is something I can do , take the stairs and all of that. I really have to try yoga, everyone craves about it.
DeleteA ver, a ver... que buen comienzo!
ReplyDeleteUno a esta edad ya no puede seguir buscandose excusas (además de que está de moda)! Hay que hacer algo por el beneficio físico que pronto descenderá gracias a la gravedad (si, grave es que nos volvamos viejos).
A mi me gusta ir al gym. Desde que vivo aquí voy frecuentemente, aunque estos últimos meses han estado bien apretaditos de tiempo y lo que siempre sacrifico es la hora del gym para poder descansar un poco frente al televisor. Pero mi membresía siempre está activa. Pago todos los meses automáticamente aunque no lo use. Así por lo menos me aseguro de que al menos un par de veces debo ir para justificar la inversión.
Antes hacía BodyPump. Una clase con pesas super chévere. De verdad sentías al día siguiente cómo habías trabajado todos los músculos. Me gusta, pero ya tenía más de un año yendo todos los sábados, y me aburrí. Y hasta los momentos no me ha animado ninguna clase más. Así que ahora lo que hago es una rutina propia. 30 minutos de intervalos en la trotadora y unos cuantos abdominales y listo. Mi meta siempre ha sido hacer la hora entera en la trotadora, pero como no lo hago regularmente, no desarrollo condición! grrrrr
Vamos Amanda, hacer ejercicio no es usar todos los aparatos del gym, o ir a una clase que te deje chorreada de sudor. Hacer ejercicio es ser constante y conciente de la rutina que hagas para beneficiar al cuerpo... Una media hora diaria de caminata fuerte, ayuda!
Suerte!
Jajaja gracias por el reganyo.... si tienes razon el todo, creo que el punto, aparte de la disciplina es que lo encuentro aburridisimo. Pero lo de caminar si que lo hago.... no se si 30 minutos. Igual creo que probare ir con Mark al gimnasio y hacer lo que dices.
DeleteEh, this is always a tough one for me. I think it's a combination of finding something you actually enjoy(zumba maybe? pilates?) and then also just being disciplined enough to keep going long enough for it to become a habit. Once you form a habit, it feels weird to break it. But that takes time and those first few times then is just an exercise in stubborn commitment :)
ReplyDeleteYes exactly, I have to find a way to make it fun.... at least going together with Mark makes it doable and we can motivate each other.And you are so right about creating habits until they are something natural.
DeleteIt depends on the type of exercise. I don't really like going to the gym but have been able to stick to it for months at a time. My exercise regime now is walking my dog for at least 30 min every day, yoga and fun things like hula hooping class or other dance classes :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Fiona that you need to find something that you enjoy (at least a little!) and then make it a habit.
Wow you do have quite the routine, and you and Sadie have me curious about yoga, I have to find a way to make it fun.
DeleteOh I am with you in this one. I am really clumsy, and have never been good at sports. I learned how to bike about one year ago (forced by Matt), and I kind of learned how to swim (more like doggy paddle) not long ago either. Surprisingly I find both swimming and biking quite relaxing.
ReplyDeleteIn high school I used to do Tae Kwon Do, I actually used to enjoy it a lot; I chose it because I am also very bad at anything that involves balls. I've only had a gym membership once, and I used to enjoy the group classes, but not the machines. I normally only used the gym machines as an excuse to watch the TV channels that we did not have at home :)
Hahaha I see you there watching TV at the machines, I had friends that took their notes to study at the gym, I am not sure it worked.
DeleteI think a lot of it has to do with what other people have said, which is to find something you enjoy (at least a little) but another big part is to make it a habit. I read somewhere that it takes 3 weeks of regularly doing something to make it a habit. When I am in the habit of exercising I can't imagine not doing it. When I fall out of the habit, it is really hard to get back in and I wonder how I made the time.
ReplyDeleteAlso exercise doesn't have to be fun every minute (especially in the beginning), since if it is you are probably not going to get to the next level of fitness. I've been taking an urban fit class (meet in a city park for lots of plyometrics) with some work friends and there are moments during the class where I just hate it. And I often dread going. But I always am glad I went and after three months of doing it I am noticing a difference (toner, and more importantly--stronger). It also helps that I am taking it with work friends (including my boss) so even when I want to bail I often still go as to not to disappoint them.
Also having a dog helps motivate me a lot. I walk them at least 30 minutes a day but I also am really motivated to take my younger dog for a run because he loves it so much. Sometimes doing it for him is the only reason I get out there.
Good luck, hopefully you will find something that works for you.
Your urban class sounds fun. I have started a mini workout in our living room, and hope to keep it up. And maybe a class (yoga? zumba?) could also be fun, I will also try to go with a friend, as then, we can motivatae each other.
DeleteThanks for the tips, you are definitely right about habits.