23 Days ’til 40: My Bike and I (AKA Exercise Relationships)

Life is like riding a bicycle.  To keep your balance you must keep moving.              ~ Albert Einstein

 

148 Days ’til 40: Tolerating Exercise

My cat has offered to assist me in a demonstration of the type of exercise I most enjoy – the photo says it all!

 

171 Days ’til 40: Why Diets Don’t Work

Okay, okay, I know that I am probably not going to babble about anything you haven’t already heard…. but today I am in a mood to talk about diets, so I suppose you are going to have to endure what I am saying, even if you have indeed already heard it.  So here it is, straight from the mouth of someone who has lost 14 kilos (31 pounds) over the last 8.5 months – diets DO NOT WORK.  Why?  There are many reasons.

 

266 Days ’til 40: Healthy Snack Options

I have a confession to make.  I am a habitual snacker.  I could go the entire day without eating a proper meal and be fully satisfied, because I love snacking, or rather, “grazing” all day.  Some health professionals argue that this can actually be healthier for you – I suppose it depends on what you eat.

 

327 Days ’til 40: You ARE What You Eat!

You ARE what you eat.  Many of us have heard this age-old adage throughout our lives.  Yet, how many of us take the time to truly internalize it?  If I really am what I eat, is it so horrid that I might be a chocolate bar, bowl of ice cream, or a four-cheese pasta dish?

 

342 Days ’til 40: REDUCE Your STRESS (before it kills you!)

STRESS – we have all felt it from time to time.  STRESS – we have all heard others complain about it.  STRESS – an all-encompassing descriptor of anything in life that causes us to want to run, hide, scream, or smack someone.   STRESS  – What do we do about it?????

 

348 Days ’til 40: A Walk in Nature

Have you ever noticed how calming it can be to take a break from the rat race of our fast-paced lives and immerse ourselves in nature?  I find that a walk through the forest or a stroll down the beach can be very relaxing – they allow us to spend a few golden moments at a different pace – and this is so healthy for us.  Yet,

 

364 Days ’til 40: Addiction Versus Habit?

Addictions.  We All have them.  Many of us hate them.  Many of us love them.  And, yes, many of us LOVE to HATE them.  Addictions are a tough subject to tackle because there can be a fine line between a healthy habit and an unhealthy addiction.   The reality of the spectrum ranges from health-promoting habits to death-inducing

 

385 Days ’til 40: One Size Fits All???

Okay, how many of you out there have heard about or read those infamous sizing labels that claim to be “one size fits all”????  Really???  REALLY???  The thing that I find so hilarious about these labels is that one size does not even come close to fitting all…in fact, they often do not even come close to fitting a normal size human being!

 

387 Days ’til 40: Can’t Mention Diet without EXERCISE

Which word is worse???  Diet or Exercise???

I find with both that my motivation is often the key factor to success…. or sometimes it is my willingness to battle with my LACK of motivation that is the key to exercise success.

One of the first things I learned was to pick a realistic time to exercise.  There are many wonderful morning people out there who are happy to get out of bed to run a mile or ride a bike.  Not me, nope, NO WAY.  I am not getting out of bed for anything….. not even breakfast!  I hop out of my bed at the last minute possible in order to shower, throw on clothing and make it to work on time.  Breakfast comes at morning snack break.  Therefore, setting a goal to get up early to exercise would be futile.  I prefer to exercise at night.  This mostly works for me, even though it cuts into my knitting, lounging, and email catch-up time.

Another key is to start slow and do not overdo it.  I started with 15-20 minutes per day.  I slowly increased to 40 minutes a day and then 60.  I started off riding my exercise bike on very low tension and have slowly increased the tension for a harder workout – all in moderation.  I now ride the bike for 60 minutes daily and about half of that time is riding with a higher tension for a better workout.

Finally, I have minimized my workout boredom and helped to pass the time by finding good videos and TV shows to watch while on the bike (since knitting on the bike turned out to be a catastrophe – I need my hands to be holding the handles…. darn it!)  I think that TV while biking has made the time more tolerable.  I do not watch a lot of TV, so this makes exercise time a treat.  If you are a TV watcher, well there is no excuse!  You might as well be on a stationary bike or treadmill or ski machine while watching your favorite TV shows.

Changing my diet helped me to feel much better and did rid me of my blood sugar highs and lows, but that was only part of the equation.  Adding the exercise also contributed to my feeling healthier and having more energy.  I feel my muscles growing and I also feel it when I walk – my entire body feels lighter (and not just because I lost a few kilos).  What a sense of accomplishment when it is clear you feel better from all the hard work to stick with a healthy eating and exercise plan.

It is possible.  You can do it.  STAY THE COURSE!

In health~

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