Good morning everyone!
And what a lovely morning it is!! It is pouring with rain - again.
Apparently, to be expected though, as today is Lammas Day. For all you non-Scots out there,and all you Scots who have forgotten your heritage - Lammas is the 3rd quarter day of the year (the day everyone paid rent to their landlord). My Dad used to tell me to watch for a change in the air, as this day was the start of Autumn.
So where was the Summer?????
Look at me, I'm off the point again.
Brain failure.........is exactly what I've been suffering from.
I'm on workout #3 on my third (remember that number) rotation of The 7 Minute Workout, and today's session is entitled "Shoulders and Abs". For the first two rotations, I've been doing exercises called Bent Flies, Circle flies, and Seated Shoulder Press (my personal favourite), amongst others.
Let me explain a little - There are a series of short vids to watch where they explain technique etc.
I've been wondering what these exercises had to do with my abs, imagining miraculous, spontaneous flattening of my podgy stomach.
This morning, I scrolled down to check out the last video, and as I did so, I went a little too far, and noticed a title line "Exercise 2". Below that a video, title Beginner Bicycle Sit-ups, and below that "Exercise 3", video, title "Leg Raises"! Arrrrgh! So much for miraculous, spontaneous flattening!
But, duty has been done, and despite the flab getting in the way, I managed 12 bicycles(left and right), and a whole 5 leg raises - I imagined I'd be able for 3 at the most. In 10 day's time, I'm going for 7, but I'll keep you posted. But I'm still 20 days behind with my abs!
It is about one tiny achievement at a time, and I am starting to notice definition in my arms for the first time in years! The bingo wings are a little bit less, well, flappy.
And the moral of the tale?
Just like an instruction manual - make sure you read it all so you don't put door on upside down, in other words, I'm going to scroll down to the bottom of the page so I can have a flat stomach......
Wednesday, 10 August 2011
Wednesday, 27 July 2011
Workout Review
I thought I'd have a glance at other workouts on the internet. Cheeeeeeeze! It seems that everyone would have you cavorting round, and they all make the claim that they are the best.
What is the best? I think that's a very difficult question We are all different shapes and sizes, ages and abilities
.
In my twenties, I was still fat but regularly killed myself with high impact aerobics and step. I absolutely loved it. Twice a week I could hardly walk, but the adrenaline made me a junkie. One of my daughters is addicted to Zumba the same way that I was to my beloved aerobics. I see her immediately after her class and she glows - I remember the look. At its height, my addiction led me to the gym every day; I'd do a circuit, a step class, then another circuit.
BUT I was 30 years old, eighteen years later, and about 15 years since I did any serious exercise, I am looking for something a bit more gentle.
I know, because everyone tells me , that I need to do some exercise. It will help me lose weight obviously, but there is more to it. My Dad was a paid-up member of the 'healthy body, healthy mind' lobby, and expended a lot of energy lecturing me on the principal. On a nice summer's day, I would be sitting inside reading, or something, and he'd start. I needed to be outside enjoying the fresh air, getting some healthy exercise. It didn't take me long to realise that he didn't want to cut the grass himself, and would much rather I did it! We had one of these ancient push lawnmowers, which sat out all year long and had notoriously rusty, blunt blades. If you didn't catch the grass before it got too long, then the mower just bent the grass over! He used to lead with "Do you want to be white and fat?"
Anyway, back to the subject. It was an unhealthly mixture of scepticism and laziness that led me to investigate The 7 Minute Workout. I'm doing a bit of listening to motivational speakers (you can tell it's working, can't you?), and they all talk about exercise as being important in an overall healthy and successful life. I do walk the dogs every day, but they are very tired animals, so don't like to be away from their beds for long. I suppose bending to pick up the poo counts as stretching, and dragging them round the block is good for my 'bingo-wings', but I can't really kid myself. I have also been delusional about my ability to exercise because I have a sore back.
In a previous post, I talked about my backache, and possible links to aspartame, the artificial sweetener.The truth is - and no-one is more surprised than me - I have not had a sore back since I stopped ingesting that poison, and so I've no excuse there.
So, I'm back at the beginning, searching for an exercise routine to suit me. I cant remember how I came across The 7 Minute Workout, I'm a marketer's dream and will always open emails that promise me infinite wealth, my own Learjet etc, so when someone sent me an email saying I could be thin and rich, it would have been irrestistable!
I've just started my second round of exercises, and even in that 7 minutes, I get a little buzz. I'll just start there..........
What is the best? I think that's a very difficult question We are all different shapes and sizes, ages and abilities
.
In my twenties, I was still fat but regularly killed myself with high impact aerobics and step. I absolutely loved it. Twice a week I could hardly walk, but the adrenaline made me a junkie. One of my daughters is addicted to Zumba the same way that I was to my beloved aerobics. I see her immediately after her class and she glows - I remember the look. At its height, my addiction led me to the gym every day; I'd do a circuit, a step class, then another circuit.
BUT I was 30 years old, eighteen years later, and about 15 years since I did any serious exercise, I am looking for something a bit more gentle.
I know, because everyone tells me , that I need to do some exercise. It will help me lose weight obviously, but there is more to it. My Dad was a paid-up member of the 'healthy body, healthy mind' lobby, and expended a lot of energy lecturing me on the principal. On a nice summer's day, I would be sitting inside reading, or something, and he'd start. I needed to be outside enjoying the fresh air, getting some healthy exercise. It didn't take me long to realise that he didn't want to cut the grass himself, and would much rather I did it! We had one of these ancient push lawnmowers, which sat out all year long and had notoriously rusty, blunt blades. If you didn't catch the grass before it got too long, then the mower just bent the grass over! He used to lead with "Do you want to be white and fat?"
Anyway, back to the subject. It was an unhealthly mixture of scepticism and laziness that led me to investigate The 7 Minute Workout. I'm doing a bit of listening to motivational speakers (you can tell it's working, can't you?), and they all talk about exercise as being important in an overall healthy and successful life. I do walk the dogs every day, but they are very tired animals, so don't like to be away from their beds for long. I suppose bending to pick up the poo counts as stretching, and dragging them round the block is good for my 'bingo-wings', but I can't really kid myself. I have also been delusional about my ability to exercise because I have a sore back.
In a previous post, I talked about my backache, and possible links to aspartame, the artificial sweetener.The truth is - and no-one is more surprised than me - I have not had a sore back since I stopped ingesting that poison, and so I've no excuse there.
So, I'm back at the beginning, searching for an exercise routine to suit me. I cant remember how I came across The 7 Minute Workout, I'm a marketer's dream and will always open emails that promise me infinite wealth, my own Learjet etc, so when someone sent me an email saying I could be thin and rich, it would have been irrestistable!
I've just started my second round of exercises, and even in that 7 minutes, I get a little buzz. I'll just start there..........
Sunday, 24 July 2011
The 7 Minute Workout - End of the first cycle !
Wow! I've managed to stick to a workout for ten whole days!
It wasn't the hardest thing I've ever done, in fact it took longer to watch the videos than it took to do the workout.
The videos are about 2 minutes long and feature Joel or Scott demonstrating the moves, quite cute really, especially the wee hole in Joel's T-shirt! You are shown what to do, and common mistakes like bending at the wrong time. At the end of the day, the only person you let down is yourself if you don't put the effort in. It only takes 7 minutes every other day, its not worth cheating! I remember when I used to go to aerobics (sometime in the early stoneage), the back row crowd wouldn't even break a sweat while laughing at the poor fat bird at the front. Well I was the same colour as a beetroot, and anyone in my immediate vicinity stood to share a shower of perspiration - lovely - but I got my money's worth. That's what I intend to do with this system.
Do I feel any different? I think it's too early to tell. Joel says that as we repeat the exercises, we'll notice that our muscles get progressively stronger, and we'll need more weight to achieve muscle tiredness. It's important to increase the weight rather than the reps for this program, and I'm promised that I will not begin to look like a body-builder. Body-builder v's Sumo wrestler? I'll be happy with somewhere in the middle!
So now that I've finished the first cycle, all I do is rinse and repeat, and always remember to have my rest days, not that that will be a problem!
You know I actually look forward to doing the exercises.
I haven't done the food bit yet, well one thing at a time! Home has been a bit busy, with my youngest celebrating her 14th birthday this week, so that meant cake and eating out. There has to be 3 courses and wine, but I was proud of myself when I said no to extra fries, nor did I have popcorn/Ben & Jerry's at the cinema. Harry Potter was fab, by the way. I don't think the scales will have changed when I've plucked up the courage to stand on them again - tomorrow morning, I promise.
Can I recommend it?
It's sooo easy, it certainly can't harm.
Is it effective?
Watch this space.......
Please check it out by clicking the link..
THE 7 MINUTE WORKOUT
It wasn't the hardest thing I've ever done, in fact it took longer to watch the videos than it took to do the workout.
The videos are about 2 minutes long and feature Joel or Scott demonstrating the moves, quite cute really, especially the wee hole in Joel's T-shirt! You are shown what to do, and common mistakes like bending at the wrong time. At the end of the day, the only person you let down is yourself if you don't put the effort in. It only takes 7 minutes every other day, its not worth cheating! I remember when I used to go to aerobics (sometime in the early stoneage), the back row crowd wouldn't even break a sweat while laughing at the poor fat bird at the front. Well I was the same colour as a beetroot, and anyone in my immediate vicinity stood to share a shower of perspiration - lovely - but I got my money's worth. That's what I intend to do with this system.
Do I feel any different? I think it's too early to tell. Joel says that as we repeat the exercises, we'll notice that our muscles get progressively stronger, and we'll need more weight to achieve muscle tiredness. It's important to increase the weight rather than the reps for this program, and I'm promised that I will not begin to look like a body-builder. Body-builder v's Sumo wrestler? I'll be happy with somewhere in the middle!
So now that I've finished the first cycle, all I do is rinse and repeat, and always remember to have my rest days, not that that will be a problem!
You know I actually look forward to doing the exercises.
I haven't done the food bit yet, well one thing at a time! Home has been a bit busy, with my youngest celebrating her 14th birthday this week, so that meant cake and eating out. There has to be 3 courses and wine, but I was proud of myself when I said no to extra fries, nor did I have popcorn/Ben & Jerry's at the cinema. Harry Potter was fab, by the way. I don't think the scales will have changed when I've plucked up the courage to stand on them again - tomorrow morning, I promise.
Can I recommend it?
It's sooo easy, it certainly can't harm.
Is it effective?
Watch this space.......
Please check it out by clicking the link..
THE 7 MINUTE WORKOUT
Monday, 18 July 2011
Day Three - 7 Minute Workout
What happened to Day 2? Day 2 is designated a 'rest day', so I did just that!
It seems really strange that I'm resting the day after starting an excercise program, but apparently it's an important part of the regime. On Day1, I worked the chest and triceps, and I wont go back to exercise them again for ten days! During that rest period, the muscle will build and grow stronger.
So far, the exercise videos have been easy to understand, and simple to follow. Today, there were 4 videos on back and biceps, and just as advertised, my workout was done and dusted in less than 7 minutes. In fact, after breakfast, before heading out the door to work, seriously short, so not long enough to get bored!
As I said, I was classified a beginner without equipment, and that's fine for now, because I can use a tin of beans to do my excercises. However, as I progress, my muscles will get stronger so I will need heavier weights to tire the muscle. I suppose I could use a four pack!! I can see the sense in buying hand weights shortly, probably keeping my eye out at the car boot sales, and benefit from someone else's abandoned dreams of a toned body! Still, I'm not going to rush into anything, I bought an exercise bike once, about a million years ago, and after the initial ten second burst of enthusiasm, it remained in the bedroom, an ideal clothes horse, with the handle-bars sooo well designed for hanging my jacket on!
My next rest day is tomorrow, and my plan is to check out the Food Section. Now I know I said that I wasn't too interested in dieting, but it wont hurt to look. Other members rave about it, but I generally shut off at the very mention of low-fat yogurt, so I'm not promising anything.
I'm going to stop typing now, because my wee biceps are a bit sore and I need a cup of tea and a doughnut.
Stay tuned.......
It seems really strange that I'm resting the day after starting an excercise program, but apparently it's an important part of the regime. On Day1, I worked the chest and triceps, and I wont go back to exercise them again for ten days! During that rest period, the muscle will build and grow stronger.
So far, the exercise videos have been easy to understand, and simple to follow. Today, there were 4 videos on back and biceps, and just as advertised, my workout was done and dusted in less than 7 minutes. In fact, after breakfast, before heading out the door to work, seriously short, so not long enough to get bored!
As I said, I was classified a beginner without equipment, and that's fine for now, because I can use a tin of beans to do my excercises. However, as I progress, my muscles will get stronger so I will need heavier weights to tire the muscle. I suppose I could use a four pack!! I can see the sense in buying hand weights shortly, probably keeping my eye out at the car boot sales, and benefit from someone else's abandoned dreams of a toned body! Still, I'm not going to rush into anything, I bought an exercise bike once, about a million years ago, and after the initial ten second burst of enthusiasm, it remained in the bedroom, an ideal clothes horse, with the handle-bars sooo well designed for hanging my jacket on!
My next rest day is tomorrow, and my plan is to check out the Food Section. Now I know I said that I wasn't too interested in dieting, but it wont hurt to look. Other members rave about it, but I generally shut off at the very mention of low-fat yogurt, so I'm not promising anything.
I'm going to stop typing now, because my wee biceps are a bit sore and I need a cup of tea and a doughnut.
Stay tuned.......
Saturday, 16 July 2011
The 7 Minute Workout - Woohoo!
Today is the day!
I took myself to the scales, and stood on them. Yikes! 89.5kg - I'm not going to convert it to stones for you, I've done it already, and had to have a wee cup of tea to recover. I needed to know so I could fill out my fit profile at "The 7 Minute Workout". I joined the program 2 weeks ago, but have been putting off the evil hour. I knew I was heavy, but .....
It doesn't set a goal for you, weight-wise, but it gives you a choice of programs to follow, varying amounts of diet and exercise. I've opted for muscle building.
I can see your faces, "the fat bird building muscle, what's that all about?". The founder of the program, Joel Therein, has a sound knowledge of muscle physiology, and gives us the reasoning behind it. As we get older, we lose muscle mass- fact 1, therefore, eating the same quantities of food as you did when you were younger will result in a gradual weight gain. Fact 2- using muscle burns calories. So, the more muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn, and weight loss will follow, providing you take in the same or fewer calories.
It makes perfect sense, doesn't it?
The program is called 7 Minute Workout, because it's just that. Everyone can give 7 minutes out of their day to do this, but it gets better - it's not 7 minutes every day, it's 7 minutes every other day, working different muscle groups every time.
I filled out my profile, answering Joel's easy questions, and I ended up as a 'beginner', working at home, with no equipment. Within seconds, I had access to my training schedule, and watched Day1 videos.
I did my training in my PJs, in the living room, and my equipment was the wall and a tin of beans - not at the same time though! Believe me, I can feel I've done something. Those that know me know that I'm fond of a wee drink at the weekend, and I do love food, which is why I'm looking for a lifestyle that will let me do both(in moderation) and still be thinner.
My own goal?
If I can lose a couple of stone - and keep it off , I will be happy, but who knows, I may want to go all the way with this!
I took myself to the scales, and stood on them. Yikes! 89.5kg - I'm not going to convert it to stones for you, I've done it already, and had to have a wee cup of tea to recover. I needed to know so I could fill out my fit profile at "The 7 Minute Workout". I joined the program 2 weeks ago, but have been putting off the evil hour. I knew I was heavy, but .....
It doesn't set a goal for you, weight-wise, but it gives you a choice of programs to follow, varying amounts of diet and exercise. I've opted for muscle building.
I can see your faces, "the fat bird building muscle, what's that all about?". The founder of the program, Joel Therein, has a sound knowledge of muscle physiology, and gives us the reasoning behind it. As we get older, we lose muscle mass- fact 1, therefore, eating the same quantities of food as you did when you were younger will result in a gradual weight gain. Fact 2- using muscle burns calories. So, the more muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn, and weight loss will follow, providing you take in the same or fewer calories.
It makes perfect sense, doesn't it?
The program is called 7 Minute Workout, because it's just that. Everyone can give 7 minutes out of their day to do this, but it gets better - it's not 7 minutes every day, it's 7 minutes every other day, working different muscle groups every time.
I filled out my profile, answering Joel's easy questions, and I ended up as a 'beginner', working at home, with no equipment. Within seconds, I had access to my training schedule, and watched Day1 videos.
I did my training in my PJs, in the living room, and my equipment was the wall and a tin of beans - not at the same time though! Believe me, I can feel I've done something. Those that know me know that I'm fond of a wee drink at the weekend, and I do love food, which is why I'm looking for a lifestyle that will let me do both(in moderation) and still be thinner.
My own goal?
If I can lose a couple of stone - and keep it off , I will be happy, but who knows, I may want to go all the way with this!
Tuesday, 5 July 2011
The Seven Minute Workout
I have been neglecting my task for a couple of months. There are two main reasons for this. Obviously the first one is laziness, the second one, I regret to say, is weight gain!
Despite my best efforts and following all my good advice, I am fatter than ever! I began eating three meals as opposed to my 'sumo-style' one, and all went well to start with. However I now realise that something is going wrong! My clothes are all tight, I'm retaining fluid - I'm sitting here typing away with sausages for fingers, and I've a sore hip.
My saviour has arrived in the shape of Joel Therein, and 7 MinuteWorkout.
Apparently, I cant eat as much as I used to because I don't have the muscle-mass that I used to. I didn't really need to be told this, I do look in the mirror! This chap discusses physiology, and tells me what I should already know, that muscle burns more calories. SO the secret is to build more muscle.
I don't know about you, but I don't want to be a body-builder(fat chance), and this system will not do this.
7 Minutes three times a week? Is this the perfect exercise routine? I will let you know, watch this space.......
Despite my best efforts and following all my good advice, I am fatter than ever! I began eating three meals as opposed to my 'sumo-style' one, and all went well to start with. However I now realise that something is going wrong! My clothes are all tight, I'm retaining fluid - I'm sitting here typing away with sausages for fingers, and I've a sore hip.
My saviour has arrived in the shape of Joel Therein, and 7 MinuteWorkout.
Apparently, I cant eat as much as I used to because I don't have the muscle-mass that I used to. I didn't really need to be told this, I do look in the mirror! This chap discusses physiology, and tells me what I should already know, that muscle burns more calories. SO the secret is to build more muscle.
I don't know about you, but I don't want to be a body-builder(fat chance), and this system will not do this.
7 Minutes three times a week? Is this the perfect exercise routine? I will let you know, watch this space.......
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