Body, Mind, Spirit
Summer vacation is here! Yay!! The boys are home and already staying up far later than they should. I’m walking 2.5 miles almost daily, and if I don’t I walk around 1.5 miles. On Father’s Day I put on a pair of shorts I couldn’t fit into last summer and on Friday I did the same with a pair of jeans. Okay, sure, the waist was a little tight. Not tight enough to give me a muffin top (my body isn’t shaped that way) but tight enough that my lower back felt ever-so slightly uncomfortable after a few hours. You know what I mean?
My weight is sort of the same–more on that on a later day–but what I’ve realized is that I need to up my game as far as my upper body is concerned. My legs are getting stronger, more tone. My stomach, arms, back, and stomach still look like something that has been sitting in a proofing basket.
I’m looking for are upper body exercises I can do every day after or before my walks. Whatever I do has to be low intensity since it would be a daily exercise, and just like my walks, I’m perfectly okay staying ordinary. I don’t need magnificent arms or a washboard stomach or shoulder blades I can use to crack walnuts. All I want is for my upper half to match my lower half. My goals and expectations are low, but I honestly think that’s why I’ve been able to go as long as I have. Sunday was day 167, in case you were curious. I’m only a couple of weeks away from the half-way point!
Hi Jules, great work on keeping up the walking! Have you considered carrying hand weights and swinging your arms as you walk? Killing two birds, and all that :)
I was going to suggest the same thing. Other than that, pushups. Pushups work your biceps, triceps, shoulders, and abs (if done correctly). They don’t take long and can be done anywhere.
Great progress! Try walking with 1-3 lb hand weights. Its the arm motion that runners use that trims the midriff. When I started running yrs ago the midriff bulge melted off. I stopped since my knees couldn’t take it after 15 years. But doing something with your arms while walking would be good for upper body. Even 1 weight alternating arms would help. Lots of different exercises you could do on your walks.
I would prefer to avoid hand weights because I hold my phone in my left hand. If I can’t figure out anything else to do, I guess I’ll have to get a pack or something to hold my phone. I’ve been afraid to use hand weights because I have this idea that it will take away from my distance!
I think they make little weights now that you can strap around your hand or wrist. That way you can look like a superhero AND hold your phone. I don’t think 1- to 2-pound weights will take away from your distance, and, like someone else wrote, you’d be able to do both exercises at once so you won’t have to make more time.
I am super duper impressed with your consistency. You seem to have picked a routine that is sustainable for you, which is something I struggle with. Two weeks away from the half way point? Wow.
Ditto Katherine. Last summer I got into a routine that worked for me and I loved it. When school started, I hung onto some pieces of it. I clung to them until January, when a 3-month barrage of migraine killed it. And it wasn’t just the exercise that got killed, but eating better, sleeping better, the whole thing. Losing exercise was so frustrating/discouraging for me, I felt like “why bother?”
But, school’s out and every day is a new chance to do better. I’ve learned a lot by watching you on Mondays. So I want to say, “Woo-hoo! Keep going!” and “Thank you.” And, “I’m going to the gym today.”
Leaning-on-a-wall pushups are good. They seem pretty easy but you will feel it the next day. You can go lower–like a counter or chair or step–as you get stronger. If your form is correct you’ll be working lots of good places.
167 days is absolutely magnificent — way to stick with it! Very inspirational.
This could be useful, Jules.
http://www.anoregoncottage.com/2012/06/simple-easy-workout-routine-plus-free/
One word: kettlebell. The first few days will make you feel like you’ve been hit by a bus, but after that you just feel yourself getting stronger.
Congratulations on establishing such a great habit! This feels like a stupid question, but it’s my biggest obstacle to exercise, so I’m going to ask. How do you fit in your walk when your husband is travelling and the kids are home? Do you take them with you? My husband doesn’t travel much, but he leaves early and comes home late (commutes from suburbs to city), and I feel my younger two kids (close in age to yours) cannot be left at home alone. They are rarely in the same activity at the same time, so I can’t drop them all off and have 30 minutes to myself. I dunno–maybe I need a sticker chart (for me)?
When my husband is traveling I make every effort to walk while they are in school. Taking them with me is not ideal. I’ve done it a few times, and it sucks. It’s stressful because they want to ride bikes and I can’t keep up with them. Or it’s annoying because they’re walking and complaining of boredom.
Now that school is out, I will have to resort to what I’ve done on those few times I couldn’t walk while they were at school: I leave them at home. Mikey knows how to use the phone and knows to call me if there is a problem. I change my route so instead of walking far and wide, I just circle the block repeatedly so if they need me I’m only a few minutes away. I also call them once or twice to see how things are going.
The key, though, is to not leave them playing. I put in a favorite movie or TV show that will keep them entertained. So far this has worked really well. I’ve never come home and found them doing anything different. Granted, I’ve only left them at home 2-3 times. I’ll have to update you on what I do when my husband travels this summer.
Thanks for sharing. Yeah, I’d have no problem leaving my 10 and almost 8-yr-old home…it’s the 5-yr-old who’s the wild card, and the older two are not mature enough to respond calmly when he gets crazy and annoying (as only a little brother can).
I’m going to set myself a goal of walking 3x a week over the summer (either when the little one is in an activity, or in the long summer evenings–after they’re in bed, even). Then I can ramp it up when school starts (kindergarten! yay!). If I get the habit started, maybe I’ll be motivated to continue and take a class or something during the cold winter months.
A 5 year old would make me nervous, too. What has been great about the time change is that I can walk when it’s 7:30 at night, my husband is home, and I still have plenty of light. Walking in the fall/winter will be a different story. I’ll have to use my time wisely.
I know this might not be an option for everybody, but I had the same problem, and I bought a used treadmill about five years ago and put it in the garage. It is the only way I managed to exercise when I had three children under the age of four. I still use it now, because if I don’t exercise before 9 am, it won’t get done, and since my husband leaves for work at 6 am, there aren’t that many babysitters willing to come to my house for an hour at the crack of dawn. Its been a lifesaver for me.
ps. yay you, Jules, for sticking with it!
The third picture reminds me of Forrest Gump.
Also, funny questions, do you still like your shoes? Like are they comfy on longer walks? I need new “exercise” shoes, and yours are cute, so if they are also comfy and supportive, I might have to track some down.
Just want to chime in and say how inspiring it is to follow along with your workouts. I dislike working out i.e. *sweating* and I’ll find any excuse to skip a workout, so seeing your consistency and lack of excuses is really inspiring.
For upper body workouts, I would suggest a 5 or 6 lb medicine ball. Google “medicine ball workout” and you will find lots of different types of workouts you can do with it. You don’t have to do them all in a row… just one or two sets when you have time or a few in front of the TV at night.
I would avoid the hand weight while walking approach – my yoga lady told me that it can cause alignment issues and doesn’t help the arms as much as we’d like.
Super simple arms – tricep dips (using a kitchen chair or bench), pushups. Plank is a super “simple” one for abs too.
Sadly, I made it 24 days and then fell off the wagon when I forgot my shoes and we went out of town. Starting back up though.
Have you looked into using resistance bands? That is low intensity and you can get them in different levels of resistance when you get stronger. They don’t take up much room and can easily be stashed away when not in use.
There were a number of good suggestions on here for exercises (pushups, tricep dips, lightweight dumbbell exercises) but my problem is always having a trigger to do them so I would do them consistently.
I wanted to tie it to some action I do during the day and I decided to start doing five squats every time I go to the bathroom. The frequency was good, since I always had a few hours between sets, but I still routinely got 25 in during the day. I do them besides my tub so I can use the edge to verify my form is good. It literally takes less than thirty seconds every time I do a set. And if I miss one set during the day, I can always do a couple of extras the next time I go.
I have now progressed to doing ten every time I go to the bathroom and I can definitely tell a difference. Maybe you could try it with five pound arm curls?
I second the plank suggestion. Form is super important so you’ll need to do it in front of a mirror. It works the core a bit more than the push-ups do. The other option is the push-up and triceps dip combo. I like the plank though because of how it engages your entire core. And as you build up your endurance there are tweaks you can do to make it more difficult.
And walking with weights is a good one as well. I have a very inexpensive arm band I keep my phone in when I run so my hands are free. I prefer it to holding the phone or ipod – it doesn’t get as sweaty :-)
I do love your photos! I’ve started walking again–on the weekends. I keep thinking I’ll take a photo, but always forget my phone.
As for upper body, you know, I can’t let myself know that I’m actually exercising. Exercise makes me grouchy. So, planks are good. Also, I got this little 10-minute kickboxing video–I was amazed at how so little, could do so much. Not to mention, it’s kinda fun! :)
I’ve been so out of shape, or in a more rounded shape, as I’ve been battling asthma this spring. I’m hoping to start walking again. Like you, I plan on keeping my expectations low!
Okay, I’m totally kidding here and I’m guessing you’ve already seen this, but if not, enjoy! You have to agree she does have some great moves. :)