Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have all the gym equipment at home? As nice as it sounds, it is not an option for most people. Since exercise is important, you need to find exercise that is effective. So how do you exercise at home?
Yesterday morning I wanted to get some exercise so I decided to go for a morning walk. After checking the thermometer, as is wise to do in Manitoba, I discovered that it was right around the freezing mark. That would be 32 degrees for you folk who think in Fahrenheit temperatures, and right around 0 degrees for those of you who think in terms of Celsius. Regardless, Fahrenheit or Celsius, it seemed cool for May.
I Put on My Walking Shoes!
I put on my walking shoes. New Balance makes lightweight, breathable shoes. They are excellent for exercising in warm weather—yet they are still sturdy and supportive. They are just the thing for anyone who wants good support for their feet while walking.
I used to have so much foot pain, but a good pair of walking shoes helps remedy the pain.
Orthotics Help
I went to a shoe store where they measured my feet and I got the proper size and type shoe for my feet.
After getting shoes that fit properly and orthotics to place inside my shoes, I felt like I was walking on air!
You can get custom orthotics, but I just bought the ready-made ones that were recommended to me. They made such a difference. Now I can be on my feet for long periods of time and not mind it at all.
10,000 Steps a Day?
You may remember I wrote a post on walking 10,000 steps in a day. If it is not always easy to get in 10,000 steps a day for any reason, I try for 6,000 or 7,500 steps a day.
Non-weight bearing exercises, can also be a good way to keep fit. Some suggest bike riding and swimming as good options as well.
A Pilates Chair Gives Variety
There are many variations of exercise you can do using the Pilates chair. I find that the Pilates chair can be a great way to get non-weight bearing and weight-bearing exercise.
I enjoyed using my Pilates chair before I went grocery shopping this morning, and I find those 2 pieces of equipment, the Pilates chair and the exercise bike, quite useful when the weather is bitterly cold during Manitoba winters.
Time to Get Outside in the Spring
I want to get outside every day that I can when spring arrives, since I don’t get outside as much in the coldest weather. True to my word, I have been outside to walk almost every day this spring. Today I went for a walk twice, once in the morning and again this evening.
Watching from a Distance
As I was passing the park, a mother and her young daughter were in the park flying a kite in the cold brisk wind. It was a great wind for kite flying, but just a little nippy on the ears and cheeks!
I walked past and of course kept a social distance. It was fun to watch. The mother was quite good at keeping the kite soaring. Needless to say, the little girl still had to learn how to keep that kite in the air.
Bungee Cords or Metal Springs?
I have not yet gotten a rebounder, or mini-trampoline, as it is sometimes called. It is not because I don’t want to. I want to very much. It is on my bucket list of things to do. It just hasn’t happened yet.
I want to get a rebounder with bungee cords this time. We have had several mini trampolines in the past with springs. They have a firmer bounce and are noisier when you use them. I would like to have a noticeably quieter one, so I can use it early in the morning or late in the evening without disturbing anyone.
I also have learned that a mini trampoline with bungee cords gives a softer bounce then one that has metal springs.
My Timex Ironman
I checked my Timex Ironman and realized that today I got in 11,379 steps and the day is not over! My Ironman may not keep track of every detail that a Fitbit does, but it does keep track of my steps.
Meeting with My Friends Online
Since we have been social distancing, my TOPS pals and I have been getting together once a week to have our meetings online. One of the girls was gently complaining that her treadmill had finally given out. She felt, however, that she had good service from it as I believe it was over 20 years old.
Many of us have some type of exercise equipment at home to use when the weather is not nice outside. How do you exercise at home?
Keeping on Track
Since the end of February, 2019, I lost quite a bit of weight. As I expected, I did not lose much weight over the winter, but this spring I want to begin losing weight again.
When it was 20 below outside, salads were not that interesting, and I found myself turning to warm, comfort foods.
It was rewarding to know that I maintained a weight loss over the winter. Now to continue that weight loss journey since warmer weather has arrived. If I lose the weight slowly it is more likely to stay off.
Intermittent Fasting
I have been using the intermittent fasting method. I wanted to control A1C levels and not to be faced with diabetes. My numbers were creeping up, so I decided to take it seriously and do something about it.
After losing weight, my A1C levels did go down. It will be interesting to see if they stay down as I would like them to do. I would like to see them go down even more!
The dietitian said that whatever weight loss method I used had to be sustainable. The weight that I lost has stayed off, but I have reached a plateau.
My Dilemma
I decided to share this dilemma with you, my blog friends. I need to kick weight loss into gear and watch the scale to continue to go down. If I put it out in the open, maybe I will get back on track and continue this weight loss journey.
One thing I did learn, though I knew it all the time, “Weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise.” I also find that I need to watch the clock carefully to make intermittent fasting work.
Occasionally I will sneak in some extra treat here and there. Not much, you know, but it is just enough to make a difference. And that extra keeps the scale from going down. ☹
Today You Learned a Little More About Me
Most of the posts I have written in the past have been about topics I have been interested in. This post I have been telling you more about myself. Now you get to see a little of the person behind the computer!
I Will Keep in Touch
I will try to keep you informed occasionally, as to whether the scale keeps going down like I want it to. It is said that if weight loss is to be a permanent thing, it will have to result in a lifestyle change. If something disrupts my schedule, then it disrupts my eating and exercise habits. So, I need to be in control of my habits.
When you are younger, your metabolism is not so sensitive. At least mine was not. I could cheat here and there, and the scale would never know. Now that I am older, it made a big difference, especially if I am more sedentary. And that is not a good lifestyle choice!
In Conclusion
What I would like you to take away from this post is:
- It is not so important where you are in life, it depends which direction you are going.
- You do not have to be an athlete. Just do the best with the health you have. Preserve it and make it grow better, to the best of your ability.
- It is not OK to be a couch potato. Be active. Do not sit on the sidelines and watch the rest of the world go by.
- Even when you are at home, there is something you can do to make your world a better place. If your world is a better place, it will encourage others to do the same to theirs.
All the best, my friends!
Please Leave a Comment
As always, I love to hear from you, my readers. This post is a little about this and that. Do you have anything interesting from your experience to add to the conversation? I would love to hear from you. How do you exercise at home?
Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist, or a doctor. Always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional if you have any concerns or questions about your health.
Thanks for sharing your experience on working out from home. Walking is a great way to engage in exercise, and it helps you to get away from the house now and then, especially if you have been couped up in the house due to the covid 19 pandemic.
Temperature is an important aspect to take into consideration when engaging in outdoor activity, but as you mentioned Carolyn, that having the proper jogging shoes are also a very important part of your exercise routine, the wrong shoes can damage your feet and wreak havoc on your joints.
Your health and physical happiness are way too important to jeopardize due to not using the proper gear.
I really enjoyed reading your post and liked the aspect of getting to know your own personal side of you and your training experience.
Take good care of yourself and I look forward to reading more of your content in the near future, thanks.
Hi Neil, and thanks for stopping by. I find having friends who are also interested in taking care of their health by eating right and getting fresh air and exercise is a great motivation for me. Until you have a real desire to make a lasting change in your life, you often will not stick with it.
All the best, and stay well!
How Do You Exercise at Home?
I agreed with this article. Yes not everyone is able to have a gym at their house, but there are many options that one can choose to get started. My suggestion to you is to have a purpose. Do not exercise for your husband, boyfriend, or friend; exercise for yourself, because you want a healthy lifestyle.
In addition, one must take a baby step approach do not rush yourself into an intense exercise. The first rule of exercise is to start by stretching and a great warm-up. There are many different exercises for a new beginner, you must find your interest. My interest is jogging, so my advice is to have a great running shoes. Some people do go to an orthopedic for shoe recommendation, and that is great.
Simply put it you do not have to be an athlete to workout. Exercising should be everyone’s way of life regardless of what activity you may like.
Welcome to my website and thanks for the comment. I loved it. It sounds like it comes from someone who has had some practical experience in healthy living!
You do not need to spend a lot on expensive exercise equipment. If you have a few basic things, and one is a good pair of walking shoes.
In reality, you will not succeed in making life changes if you do not have a good reason. Just doing something because someone else wants you to, is not always going to be good enough for a lasting change. If it is motivation from the inside to the outside, it will often help you make a lasting change.
All the best.
Your post was quite interesting. True stories hold my interest even if they seem uninteresting to the writer.
I think your encouragement to do something to make things better in your life is important, even if it is a small step. With the adjustment to the Pandemic changes in our lives, standing still instead of going forward is a normal kind of development in staying in control of our weight. It is so easy to use food to settle ourselves from things that upset us.
I have also just warned my husband that we are returning to the intermittent fasting. As we no longer have children at home, it is a lifestyle that works for us. Slowly, but does work. Once you are past 45-years old, fast weight loss is harder to maintain. Also, there is the clothing thing, by the time I have lost 10 lbs, most of what I am wearing is ready to bite the dust, so naturally going to a smaller size is an encouraging step as well. Reminds me to not take the extra serving, slice that piece of toast in half, the little things that add up to healthier eating. I am firmly a believer in the idea that small changes can be maintained, bigger ones seem to choke the whole program down. Thanks for your insights, Sami
Hi Sami and thanks for stopping by with a comment!
When we are cooking just for ourselves it should be easier to decide to eat in a healthy way. We do not have children’s appetites and taste buds to please.
I have found that intermittent fasting has been the only way that I can lose weight, and even then it comes off slowly. I mentioned going to TOPS. There walking is a big deal and the we are always talking about how many steps we got in that day or week. It really does make a difference. There are many success stories in the TOPS magazine of those with large weight losses and the health benefits they got by increasing the steps they took each day.
Just this week I went shopping for some new clothes. That is always a reward in its own right, to get down a size or two.
All the best in your journey to healthy living. Stay well!
When it comes to exercising, most of us take it for granted. I am guilty of that too, start today and forget the other day. It’s not just about losing weight, exercise is healthy and they should be a part of our lifestyle.
like taking certain number of steps every day. We all want to settle into the good life, drive everywhere we go, and relax which is not really healthy. I think we should all create time to exercise no matter how busy we are. It is for our own good. For it to work we have to be deliberate.
Healthy lifestyle should be our watchword in everything we do including what we eat.
Hi Manuel and thanks for stopping by with a comment. When I was young and lived in the city we walked most every where we went. Then as I married and moved away, we used the car as a primary source of transportation. In recent years I leave the car parked in the driveway and once again find myself walking more. Perhaps it is because I do not lead such a busy lifestyle, and I don’t feel the need to get everywhere so quickly.
Sometimes we find that the labor saving devices that we rely on so heavily today, are not really the best for our health.
Hello there, thanks a lot for sharing this wonderful piece of information here with us. I must say i really did enjoyed going through your article as it contains valuable information’s one can hold on to. I find this really encouraging and motivational in taking this first step in exercising at home, i will be sharing this with a couple of friends now. Thanks a lot for sharing
Hi, and thanks for stopping by with a comment! It is always nice to hear from my readers. It is easier to get motivated to exercise when we have others to encourage us. You do not need a gym full of equipment, either. A few basic fitness equipment pieces will do.
All the best.
Hello thanks for this very detailed and inspiring post, your story is really amazing as it really challenging, I have always had plans on doing some work out and all but most I get very lazy and I just go back to watching Netflix lol, this period of the whole quarantine and lockdown has really made me put on more weight however I’m taking delibrate steps in shedding them down as I need to be better. Thanks for really inspiring me with this post.
Hi Jomata, and thanks for stopping by with a comment! Yes it takes a mindset to begin an exercise program, or even to get outside and walk. If you plan ahead and make a time slot in your day, it is more likely to get done. It does not take a lot of exercise equipment. You can watch YouTube videos, or DVDs or get a set of resistance bands at your local department store.
It is easy for those pounds to creep on us with us hardly noticing, until suddenly our clothes do not fit us very well any more!
It is quite amazing for you to share your own exercise tips. In my own view every morning I do sit ups, after which I walk some miles away then I come back home take a cup of coffee and work begins… I do spend a lot of time on my computer. At the end of the day I will make some time as well for refreshment… I guess everyone has their own way of exercising that is mine.
Thanks for sharing such an awesome post
Hi Evans, thanks for stopping by with a comment. It is always interesting to hear what others do to keep active. I knew several people who put their feet under the bed every morning and did sit-ups while lying on the bedroom floor. Sit-ups are a good exercise to maintain strong core muscles.
Walking is a safe, effective way to exercise as well. It makes your heart and lungs stronger.