Since I've been feeling somewhat better(since my doctors got my meds straight and I've been eating better), I've had more energy for working out. I may look like a couch potato, but I knows my workouts, and most of the workouts that are recommended are either too easy or too hard for someone like me. For example, I've got pretty strong muscles in some groups, compared to other people; some isolation exercises are easy as pie for me. But I've been deconditioned for so long that for me, I'm extremely weak- most importantly, my core and the muscles that tie it all together are weak, so that compound and bodyweight exercises are tough.
Anyway, I invented a program for myself called Awesome! I start out every day with some Awesome Walking. Then, I alternate days between Awesome Workouts and Awesome Yoga. I finish up with some more Awesome Walking later in the day. I'm wondering about working in Awesome Dancing, although maybe I should give it a while. To be fair, I will be taking every fourth week off from the workouts, so maybe some dancing would fit in there. Rest time is very important here; I can't afford to stress out my body excessively or hurt myself. So just three days a week and every fourth week is a rest week.
This is the system I came up with for doing the workouts and alternating them without getting too confused. I made up a list of essential exercises that work the whole body, starting with basic exercises likes pushups, pullups, squats and plank and including lots of core and hip strengtheners, since I have back and hip pain regularly. So I'll do these essential exercises each time, always looking to reach a goal; once that's reached, I'll move the goalposts.
There are also lots of other fun exercises that work all sorts of muscles, and I made them into a deck of cards. Every time I'll pick a new exercise from the deck and incorporate it into the routine. All these exercises, essential and otherwise, require little or no equipment and are mainly bodyweight, compound exercises that hit a number of areas.
For the yoga portion, I also created my own yoga practices in lieu of trying to keep up with someone else's ideas. The yoga is focused on gentle, restorative stretching and strengthening without the strong focus on putting on muscle that the workouts have. I do have the goal of getting back to where I used to be in yoga: comfortable swinging into down dog from a forward bend, intimately familiar with my feet. But, concurrently I have the goal of accepting myself where I am. Lots of gentle backbends and twists.
Anyway, that's where I am with working out these days! I'm looking forward to hiking and swimming more in the warm weather. I'm on a medication that has caused an unnatural weight gain, and I don't know if I can or need to lose the weight per se, but building muscle and being more active will certainly make me feel better!
What about you? Where are you with moving these days?
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