Photo by EarthOwned.
Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Boomer Voices program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.I get bored easily, so I task switch a lot. Maybe too much at times. I do this in several areas of my life ranging from house cleaning to researching to cooking.
I also switch up my workouts from day to day, season to season.
I'm not a personal trainer, but WebMD and others focused on healthy living suggest changing your workout challenges the body and the mind.
Doing the same workout all of the time can result in the body adapting too much, so the muscles, the mind and the heart are not getting such a vigorous work out.
Exercise physiologist Tracy Hafen at Huffington Post points out that
"Your body becomes very efficient at what it does often and routinely. That means you burn fewer calories than you used to with the same activity. Throwing your body a surprise curve ball will charge it up to burn more calories."
FitBit One
I recently started using the Fitbit One as part of my workout routine. It's a pedometer plus a whole lot more. It measures stairs, calories burned, distance and stairs climbed. I also use it to track my sleep efficiency.My Fitbit One has helped me get another view on my fitness.
I'm analyzing how many steps I'm taking in my various daily tasks around the house as well as how many steps it logs when I do my daily exercises.
Here are some quick observations:
Photo by Karen D. Austin
Spinning: At first I was logging few steps during spin class. Then I discovered that I needed to move my device off my waist. Pedaling while seated didn't register, only when standing. But if I wear the device on the cuff of my shorts or on my sports bra, I rack up a lot of steps.Arc Trainer: If I'm very unmotivated, this is my go-to cardio. This machine has fewer settings. I can reverse my gait or increase resistance.
Elliptical: The arc trainer and the elliptical register steps in very parallel ways. However, I can use different settings and speeds to work my heart more rigorously on the elliptical then on the arc trainer.
Treadmill: I accrue more steps if I increase my rate of speed and when I take high stepping strides.
I have a treadmill at home, so if I am short of steps by the evening, time on the treadmill gets me to my daily goal of 10,000 steps. I usually manage 2,000 steps in 20 minutes.
If I'm spending a day writing, I try to take treadmill breaks either 20 minutes or 30 minutes at a time. I have yet to master working while walking, but others have. Maybe I'll try it sometime.
Boot Camp: We have anywhere from 4 to 8 people participate, so it's nice to get more attention from the trainer. I don't log a lot of steps during this weekly hour-long training. Nevertheless, I value this work out. Our group's trainer offers a lot of variety and helps correct our problems with form. I can apply this knowledge in other settings where I can be more effective while logging more steps.
Yoga: After several classes wearing my FitBit One, I decided to just take the device off so that it doesn't get in the way while I'm bending. Yoga is great for mental health, for stretching, and for working a broad range of muscles, joints, and bones.
Karen & Bolt
Walking the Dog: My FitBit One sees this activity as very parallel to the treadmill. However, both the dog and I enjoy getting outside, enjoying my neighbors' well-tended front yards, and acknowledging that fitness can happen in less artificial environment.
Swimming. Can't go there while wearing an electronic devise! But this is a great cross training workout, especially for aging bodies.
Free Style: I attended a Webinar earlier this week. When I checked my FitBit One half way through the meeting, I saw that I was behind on steps for that time of the day.
Consequently, I created my own workout routine using the chair as a prop. (I wasn't on video conference, just audio. I hope there were no live images of my wacky workout!) I will confess that I often invent new ways to exercise in atypical places and in atypical ways.
This gal has beat me at my own free-styling game:
Have you caught the Prancercize Craze?
Over the years, I have tried these forms of exercise plus jogging, aerobics, jazzercize, zumba, strength training and more. I'm interested to see what fitness craze will emerge in the upcoming decades and how this will help me find renewed vigor in my quest for fitness throughout my life span.
Related:
Outrunning Father Time and the Grim Reaper
