There are a lot of ways to get, or stay, in shape. My boyfriend is a fan of dancing (hip hop, street/dub stepping, etc)
I just did 20 minutes of hooping to some great music and a 40 minute beginners yoga video. I'll admit, I feel like jello.. But the best kind of jello, for sure. (:
insomniasexx and I rockclimb. Also other less mentionable exercise for core-strength :P.
I started doing the whole #fitness thing about 4 months ago after I was diagnosed with depression, and it's really helped a lot. The thing is my gym's a 40 minute bus ride away, so it's really easy to say I don't have time to go. I have still gotten stronger from the times I do go however. I got a Fitbit Charge HR about a week ago. Since then I've been using it as motivation since I'm extremely interested in data. I've been using it for running, since that's a really convenient exercise I can do in only 20-30 minutes. I challenged myself today, and managed to do a 20 minute run, managing about 9.05 km/h. Before last week I hadn't ran since track and field in grade 5. I'm pretty impressed with my results. I won't lie, I hate exercising. I hate being tired, and I hate continuing anyways, but I've also gained an appreciation for how I feel a half hour after my workout, when my body's recuperating, and my body's giving me the feel-good chemicals. There's really nothing like a good workout before a long night. It makes everything so much more pleasant.
Definitely get out and at least walk or run everyday, if you can't get to the gym. It'll really help your outlook.
Totally get where you're coming from. I hate getting tired and sweaty, if I can't get a pose right or keep my hoop up for an extended period of time, I can get down on myself.. But today I didn't! And my roommate actually came into the living room while I was doing yoga and I didn't stop from embarrassment. I'm quite proud of myself. I've always started and never continued things. I think that's my biggest de-motivator, really. Gymnastics, track, karate, dance, sports.. Nothing has stuck for me. Maybe I was too young to appreciate it, but oh well. Better late than never I suppose. Really loving the jello feels right now. Its a head rush, definitely. And congrats on the 9k/h! Keep it up.
Wow, I totally get where you're coming from. I used to get shy and embarrassed when people would see me exercising, but I managed to get over that when I decided that they probably never exercise, and I'm going to be in far better shape than they are. If they see me exercise, they should be embarrassed, not me. Though it's a really smug way of looking at it, it keeps me going. When I was a kid I did track until I was 9 or 10 and decided cool people (as per the stereotypical "cool person") don't exercise and move as little as possible. I never had the opportunity of gymnastics, karate, dance, etc. I did enjoy soccer and basketball, though that fell through as well when I wanted to be cool. Gosh I am such a try-hard... Thanks for the encouragement! As per your 20 minutes of hooping, I assume you mean hoola-hooping, in which case 20 minutes is 20 minutes longer than I could do. Never could get the rhythm down for that. :P
I've always been self conscious, no matter what the situation.. I haven't gotten to the point where anyone could walk in on me and I'd be okay with it, but hopefully soon! I did track as well, even placed silver and bronze in a few provincials back in my day. It was great, but I fell in with the wrong crowd and did the whole "cool kids scene" as well. Looking back though, I could have gotten scholarships for that shit, man. It kinda irks me, and I'm rather hard on myself about it, but I live with it. Edit: 20 minutes was a very generous estimate.. I imagine 15 was spent picking it up. :B
20-mile daily commute on my bike and weekend long rides are conspiring to make me fit as hell, but pretty one-dimensional in the fitness arena. I need to do some other activities, especially with my upper body. The only pumping my arms do is when I inflate my tires.
wrestling at school after 7-8 moths lifting got me in the best shape of my life- got me a couple torn ligaments in my upper back too! Now I run track short-distance while slowly trying to recover dem pre-cripple gainz with calisthenics and classic deadlift/bench/squats at the gym. Working out makes me feel like I've got my whole life in order. cool feeling.
I have a disease that makes me lose weight. Trust me its really good at all, I would prefer if I didn't have it.
I was in Karate for about 4 years in my youth. I know it's not as intensive as Judo, but martial arts in general are definitely good for the mind and body. I learned quite a bit of self dicipline and structure back then, and I am grateful for that.
Lately I've been enjoying flat water kayaking. I rent here in town and can go from my desk to in the water in under 30 minutes. It's a great change of pace from other activities I do like running, hiking, cycling or walking. But my favorite activity is snowshoeing. It's like hiking but with no bugs, fewer people, and the terrain is easier to cross.
My job. I work for a shipping company loading trailers. On a good day, I'd estimate I pick up 20+ tons of packages. I'm guessing an average package weight of 25lbs, but I don't really have a way to know. Even if I didn't have an active job, my bicycling habit would probably keep me in shape. Although, I don't ride as much as I used now that I live in a reasonably walkable area. I don't really think that the fact that I trend towards eating a vegetarian diet has much effect. I weigh the same now as I did before that happened.
I walk around the city a lot in my free time. Also Pullups, pushups, and eating vegetarian.
Fear of morbid obesity Excuse time: I just started a new job and am moving into a new apartment at the end of the month, so I haven't been exercising lately, like, at all. But I'm going to do a bodyweight workout when I get done with work today and I accept little victories when I can get them. I also make a point to try and get out and kayak as much as I can, it's the only form of exercise that I've found I really enjoy for it's own sake. The second half of good health being a regularly healthy diet. That I think I've got nailed down pretty well. When cooking for myself (and my ladyfriend) I make a point to focus on colorful veggies and lean protein (Pork bellly being a recent exception to the 'lean' part) , trying to avoid most carbohydrates and sugar that doesn't come from fruit flesh. I am addicted to green smoothies now. Every day that doesn't start with a giant mound of kale, banana, chia seeds and OJ feels like a day half-started.
Pretty much solely weight training at this juncture. Mostly dumbells over barbells, as my right sides likes to sneakily compensate when my left is tired. I could go into more detail, but for now I'll just mention that I do an arms/shoulders chest/back and legs split (3 day split, between 6 and 7 days a week). I've tried a lot else before. I attempted to get into running for a few months. I think my best run was around 16/17 minutes for a two mile circuit. I never really enjoyed it all that much, and so I quit. I do enjoy swimming, pretty much the only cardio I enjoy (besides some sports). Swam all through high-school, and I was on the swim team the town had. Pretty fun overall. Anyway, I got into weight training in college, because I was pretty lanky (6' 130lbs). After a few years of eating a TON of food, and lifting with starting strength, I got to around 170lbs, and I would estimate 9-11% body fat (based on a tape measure and some calipers I have). And that's a pretty good weight for me. So I stick with weight training.
I make sure every single day to leave home, get outside and go walk somewhere. It helps your outlook. I do improv, and if you study or practice with the right people, your coach and team will keep you active when you practice. I jog 2-3 times a week, depending on my schedule and how I'm feeling. I just took it back up a couple months ago so I'm not running crazy distances... just a couple miles at a time, gradually building up distance each time. I like to follow Hal Higdon's plans and just take it real slow when running, so long as I cover the distance. I make sure my meals are rich in protein, and I'm getting enough water to drink.
I run, I hike, and I play disc golf. I should do these more often, but I do what I can. I tend to be hurting from one running injury or another so often doesn't help things.
So I'm surrounded in forest, and the forestry company decided they needed better roads to acesss the trees and laid out a nice gravel track which I ride a BMX bike on for ~20 minutes a day 5 days a week. I found walking/running impossibly boring, I'd recommend it to anyone else who lives in a good location for it. I regretfully took off the stunt pegs and can't find them. Anyone here that can do tricks on a BMX?
I haven't for a while now :( I did bike on the weekend but I have been having trouble finding time lately because of some side projects i have to get done as soon as possible and are consuming all my time when i'm not at work. As soon as that's over, i'll go back to rock climbing (block) at least once a week. I just got into it this winter and it's really fun!
Running and yoga! I can't vouch for them enough. Yoga (especially vinyasa flow styles) combine the best aspects of meditation and athleticism to pacify the mind and develop the body. On the other hand, when you are in 'the zone' during running, you are entirely focused on moving forward. At least for those few moments, all of the worries in your life dissipate as you focus on finishing up those 5 miles... Oh yeah- I also do some work on the elliptical to spice things up.
I lift and bike. Been doing an adapted Starting Strength where I have added in some bodyweight stuff, so I can do cool stuff besides lifting heavy things. For the biking, I've joined my school's mountain biking team, and do my own distance training on my own. Gearing up for my first century sometime this summer.
I tried to join my school's weight training class. It was an extra cirricular that would've replaced my gym credit so I was all for it and the trainer Miss Anders was thrilled. But the boys essentially laughed me out and I didn't try to go back. I went into karate instead, and that was a blast. Good luck with your biking!
I did one in school, and there were some girls on it, and they got along fine, even the ones who didn't really want to lift. But you have to be careful with those classes, because the teacher can really mess you up. Mine had us bench everyday, which is fine if your volume is 200 lb total. But my friends and I would be doing five sets of eight with a plate, and it lead to shoulder problems for me.
I'm not totally upset with it, though. It was a little school (~300 students 6-12) in a really small hick town. I enjoyed karate much more than weights anyways.