Uncle Troy's Health Blog - Issue #4 - The Myth of 'No Time'

Great ideas! I've been trying to plan my days so that I can do at least one errand that I can walk to with the kids in the double stroller. Of course weather often is my excuse for why I don't do it...

Get a dog.  They are relentless.  She stands at the window from 5:00AM until we go out and walk.  It doesn't matter where we are she knows the early AM is walk time.  She will whine, stick to you like glue, wag her tail, stare you down, whatever-- until you walk.  Now that it is nice in the evening we try to also walk at night.  BIG mistake as now she thinks it is our duty to always walk at night.  I am afraid that when she is gone it will be so much easier to just skip the walk and lie in bed. 

Oh and by the way--Brad got his new running shoes.  He got fitted for them and is so excited that they really cushion his run. 

i like the tv-watching workout ideas.  i keep a few weights under the tv stand, and hold them while i do situps and pushups.  and i use my lunch hour for exercise, then eat at my desk.  working out also causes me to not pig-out during lunch.

For me, it is just getting up early, before the kids, to get my exercise in.  During the summer I don't have to get up super early because Levi can baby sit for my run.  But during the school  year I have to get up really early to run before the kids leave for school and Joe leaves for work.  If I plan/do it first thing in the morning, it always happens.  Later in the day things have a tendency to get in the way, especially with little kids, and the best laid plans are laid to waste.  Of course this only works if you don't have an infant keeping you up at night. 

I also like exercising while watching a movie.  Not my cardio, but my stretching/crunches etc.  We don't have TV, or I guess I should say cable, but we still watch quite a few movies through Netflix and Redbox.

I guess i need to get a TV so that I can exercise. When they went digital, they left me behind.

I've started last week trying to do pushups and situps while watching the tube.  But I also run now so I'm getting in quite a bit of excercise already. 

i think the whole gym membership thing is so out of control in this country. Its become so trendy to have a gym membership, and everyone feels like you have to go to the gym to workout, and certain people I know make sure they update their yahoo IM status with "at the gym" when they go just to make sure everyone knows how cool they are by being at the gym. Then, the argument of I don't have time starts to make sense, because it takes so much more effort to pack up, drive to the gym, change into your trendy looking workout gym clothes, drive home, etc. Like Troy said, lots of ways you can exercise without being at the gym.

That's why I like to run, Jay.  Just put the shoes on and walk out the door.  No getting in the car, driving, etc.

I miss the days of just going outside for a run when I felt like it in temperate weather. Now it seems like it's either 95 degrees or 25 degrees with a baby to tote along. These are good suggestions. I need to find a way to make a habit of exercising regularly again. Before I was married one of my roommates had an elliptical machine at our house. I only let myself watch tv if I was on it, so I used it all the time.

My friend just invited me to go to the track with her to run. She keeps her baby in the stroller in the middle of the track and lets her older ones play on the field while she runs around them. I'm excited to go with her.

We've done the track runs together as a family a few times and it's been fun. 

Pam's enjoying her gym membership.  She joined a few months ago since she's can't really get out a run right now.  I'm not sure how much I'd go - which is why I've never signed up.  But, it'd probably be good for me to lift weights a couple times a week. 

I rode to work last week.  60 miles round trip but only made 55 since it was starting to get dark and I totally ran out of calories and had Pam pick me up.  I thought if I could do it twice a month that'd be good.  Still need to get a  bike of my own, though, since I had to return my loaner. 

I LOVE going to the gym.  I do a wide variety of group exercise classes, and I feel like the instructors help me with form, keep me motivated and teach me new things.  And I've become "gym friends" with quite a few people -- I don't see them outside of the gym, but we chat and encourage each other.  

When I used to have my video business, I kept hand weights at my desk, and I would lift weights while I scanned photos.  I read recently that apparently a lot of women do squats while they blow dry and flat iron or curl their hair.  I don't think I could quite pull that off -- I'm not good enough with my hair as it is!

I find that I have to exercise first thing in the morning or too often other things get in the way and it doesn't happen. For me it has worked best to exercise at home in the morning - I don't have to worry about leaving the house and getting somewhere, I can shower afterwards, it's most convenient for me. I generally do various exercise videos at home. The kids are either asleep or have learned to get out of the way so they don't get stepped on :-)

When I had small kids at home I had a girlfriend that came over to my house or I went to her house every other morning just for a quick hour and we had a video we exercised to.  Our girls would play and the video kept us within our time limit so we didn't waste the day.  Sometimes having someone else--like the dog--gives you that little extra push to keep going.  Even before that era I exercised with Jack LaLanne every morning.  HA HA  I have a weight by my phone that I am suppose to do curls with all the time I am talking but it soon blended into the background and I forgot it was there. 

Tossing and turning at night is a great idea for exercise.  If you find that you are really tired one day, just pat yourself on the back.  You did your exercise last night while you were trying to sleep.   And better yet, you don't have to try and fit it into your schedule.

Well Scotty you've solved the mystery of my aching back, I must exercise to much while I sleep. I wish I would concentrate on the abs more, I loved your comment, you're a blast.

I still do pretty regular punching and kicking while sleeping, which is why we have a cushion of pillows between Dawn and me in bed.  I have also fallen out of bed twice in the last few weeks from nightmares of "fighting with bad guys", once hitting my head on the end table and straining my neck.  Does that count?  Chris, good job on the 30 miler to work.  I think u deserve to buy yourself a new bike; one that is fitted to you.  It will make the trip easier and a lot more rewarding.  I still love my bikes, just don't get on them nearly enough.

Wow Scott, does that mean I never need to exercise. I always wake up tired from tossing and turning and feeding a baby all night. New mothers must be the fittest people around!

I am sorry but that is too funny, Clark.  You need to knock of the violent movies.  Do you still try to get your gun out of the closet as the bad man is coming down the hallway?

No, I have my guns locked away in a gun safe so nothing bad happens...  I've never actually gotten out of bed asleep, as we have a high bed and hitting the floor wakes me up pretty promptly.

I know Clark.  I really need to get a bike.  I'm just having a hard time deciding which one to actually get and then get out the door to find it. 

Tyler turned me on to a web site where I bought my mountain bike a few weeks ago.  check out www.bikesdirect.com   LOTS of assembly required, but no shipping fees!!

Congrats on the ride Chris, to and (almost) from work.  That's a long way!  I used to actually enjoy the bike commutes more when they were longer.  Given that you guys have BART down there, perhaps a combo of biking & BART is a possibility?  I'll be down in the Bay Area in a month if you decide to buy a bike, I could either help select or help assemble if you went bikesdirect.

I've toyed with the idea of taking BART to work but the problem is Pleasanton is on the very end of a line.  To get there I have to go into Oakland, down to Hayward and then out the Pleasanton which would take well over an hour.  We're only about 2 miles from Orinda or Lafayette BART and the hospital is about 1 mile from the station so that wouldn't be too fun. 

I have thought about biking one way and leaving my car at the hospital for the day.  Might be easier to manage than the full 60 round trip. 

I'd love some bike help.  At my pace, I'll probably still be looking next month when you're down, Troy.