Follow the Trail

December 18, 2010

Workin' It Out



Let's get this straight, that photo isn't me...but it could be.  I laid in bed for a half hour, trying desperately to get back to sleep.  Eventually, I gave up.  Part of the HMR program is that we need to build up to burning 2,000 calories a week through exercise.  If I were to work out seven days a week, that means I'd need to burn 285 calories a day.  Even if you've never met me, you can probably guess that there's no way I'm going to work out seven days a week. 

With all of that said, I finally stopped fighting myself and got out of bed, grabbed my sneakers and my headphones and walked 50 feet down the hall to the gym in my building.  Yes, I am really that lazy.  It's not like I have to pay for a membership or drive through miserable New England weather to get to a gym.  I literally have one at the corner of my hallway.

I opted for the elliptical.  I know that I can get a good, full-body workout and burn about 300 calories in a half hour.  I also know that with the osteoarthritis in my knee, I really can't do high impact activities, especially at my current weight.  I chose the 'fat burn' setting and changed the visual so that I wasn't watching a boring quarter mile track.  

Thirty minutes later, I'd burned 325 calories and increased my distance by 55%.  What was cool about it was that I wasn't pushing myself that hard.  My speed only averaged like 3 mph, but the resistance was high.

I'm meeting a friend tomorrow and the plan is to run some errands, including picking up some DVDs so I can vary my workout throughout the week to prevent boredom.  Maybe tomorrow I'll try the stationary bike!

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