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Exercise
By JLP | October 25, 2005
I turned 36 on October 15th. I can’t believe I’m only FOUR years away from FORTY! YIKES! Thinking about that fact made me realize that I am out of shape and that I need to be taking better care of myself.
In that vain, for the past several nights, I have been walking our dog. I used to like to jog but my knees have been acting up and I don’t want to run the risk of messing them up for good. Anyway, on the way home I pass a school with a great place to do chin-ups. I’m embarrassed to say that I could only do 3 chin-ups! THREE! I’m really out of shape!
I remember when I was younger, I could easily do 10 chin-ups. Of course, back then I was 40 pounds lighter and in better shape. So, I made a goal for myself that I would be able to do at least 10 chin-ups by Thanksgiving. I figure if I can improve my numbers by one chin-up every two days, I should have no problem reaching my goal.
By-the-way, I’m looking for a cheap workout routine. So, if you know of one, please let me know.
Topics: Miscellaneous | 8 Comments »
October 26th, 2005 at 9:52 am
Just add a couple of more ‘ups’ and you’ll be down to your fighting weight in no time.
I would suggest doing push-ups and sit-ups during the commercials while watching tv. Its cheap and you won’t miss
any part of your favorite shows. Good Luck!
October 26th, 2005 at 12:46 pm
I applaud you for wanting to get in better shape and I hope you reach your goals. That being said, I think you need to adjust your timeline. It is possible for you to get up to ten chin-ups by Thanksgiving but I think you will soon realize that it will be very difficult to increase your total by one every two days. My suggestion is to try and do two or three sets of chinups to failure every other day for two weeks. Thus on the first day you would likely do three chin-ups the first set and two for the second and third set depending on how quickly you fatigue. If this is something you are not used to doing, you will likely be sore after the first few times. Try to stick to the routine but if the soreness just doesn’t seem right then back off until your body recovers. After the two weeks, take three days off and then make your attempt at ten. If you get there, that is great and congratulations. If not, repeat the workouts for another two weeks and try again. The second try should be right around Thanksgiving so hopefully this time you will definitely be successful.
Again, good luck and I enjoy reading your blog.
October 26th, 2005 at 1:07 pm
J,
See, that’s why I write about personal finance and not about exercise! Thanks for your comment. I’ll take it to heart and report back on my progress.
October 26th, 2005 at 3:02 pm
Do you have Netflix? If so, put some fitness DVDs in your queue. It’s a great way to try out new fitness routines before you buy them. I used to go to a yoga studio once or twice a week (paying $10 for each visit – yikes!) but now I do yoga at home using DVDs that I purchased after I rented them from Netflix. Savings: over $500/year.
October 26th, 2005 at 9:26 pm
Want some motivation and ideas? Check out:
http://www.maggiewang.com
She is pretty hard core but also has a lot of food items on there as well. (She’s also in to Personal Finance, which is how I found her site in my referrals)
Hazzard
http://www.everybodylovesyourmoney.com
October 26th, 2005 at 10:28 pm
Hazzard,
Thanks. I actually have her blog listed in the Miscellaneous Blogs section under the title “Caustic Musings.”
October 27th, 2005 at 1:46 pm
One of my favorite ways to get in a little exercise is the old-fashioned Charles Atlas way. It consists mainly of using opposing muscles to strengthen each other.
For example, put your palms together in front of your chest, and push them together as hard as you can. It should be working your chest muscles, if you’re doing it right. The reverse would be to clasp hands and try to pull them apart.
That’s all the exercise I used to get, and it kept me lean and muscley (is that even a word?). If you need more info, there’s a website that sells the old Charles Atlas course. Just Google it.
November 29th, 2005 at 10:23 pm
Hey, did you end up reaching your chin up goal? This sounds stupid, but I’ve recently started ‘bench pressing’ my kids. They love it and bug me to do it every night, so it keeps me motivated.