Just what have you been doing?!? Part 2

The second important aspect of what John and I have been doing to get healthier since early 2013 is exercising regularly.

Together we do DDP Yoga, which a is combination of Yoga, Pilates and traditional work out methods.  All done with a flavor of Professional Wrestling. It is a little cheesy, but fun.  It appeals to my desire to do yoga (which I have often dabbled in and always loved), and it appeals to John's masculine side and love of Professional wrestling.  Those things were enough to get us started, but I have since fallen in love with it.  Diamond Dallas Page has a great knack for putting together workouts with lots of modifications for many different fitness levels and abilities.  You start out thinking, well that pose is just about impossible and then a month or so later you can do it.  I can now do real pushups, and I hove more muscle definition than I have ever had!  I know that we will continue doing DDP (or some form of yoga) forever. It is amazing how great your body feels when your muscles are stronger and you are more flexible.  I don't have as much stiffness or soreness, which I really appreciate as I get older (NOT old, just older). 

John and I both enjoy hitting the gym to do cardio. We are members at the Sewickley YMCA.  I love it there. They provide childcare for free while you use the facilities. If you are a parent, I recommend a gym or YMCA with a child watch program that you feel comfortable with.  I go to the gym, and the boys have fun playing with different toys then they have at home. They also meet new kids.  Not going to lie, sometimes I go to the Y because I need 45 minutes to myself. I will force myself to work out just to get a break.  Then, we all come out refreshed. I try to go to at least one Spin Class a week, but I am not super consistent there. On evenings that we don't have other things going on (which are rare) or on Saturday mornings, John and I can go together which i s always great.  We walk the indoor track together and talk without having to make sure the kids are safe and entertained. Then we do the elliptical trainer, stationary bike or treadmill.  After 30 minutes or so we meet back up do a few more laps, and go get the boys. Great way to unwind after dinner. 

I am also a budding runner.  If you knew me in high school or college this may shock you. I made up my mind I was going to start and did. I have run 2 half marathons (2:34 and 2:24 finishes), a couple of 10K races and several 5Ks. At first it was pretty hard, and I sorta hated it. I felt like I just did not have the breathing down. (Helpful hint: Don't over think it, slowly it stops feeling like you are going to die. There really is not a special breathing method.)  Now, I feel like a runner.  I enjoy it.  It makes me feel like a champion.  If you are looking to start running, I recommend a Run:Walk program like this one. Give it a shot and trust the process. However, unlike DDP Yoga, this is not easy on your body.  If you have knee problems or feet problems it may not be for you. Also, I know I will not run forever.  At some point I will have to stop, but in the mean time I will enjoy it and all the calories it burns!

So total- John and I do Yoga 3-4 times a week.  I run 1-3 times a week.  John and I do a cardio work out 1-3 times a week.  We always have 2-3 days where we rest. Yoga is 21-60 minutes, Spin is 1 hour, Running is 20-50 minutes, and when we do cardio it is about 40 minutes. I would say we are exercising 1-1.5 hours/day, 4-5 days/week.  A sample week for me would look something like this.

Monday: Morning Spin, evening Yoga

Tuesday: Morning Run, evening Yoga

Wednesday: Off

Thursday: Morning Run, Evening Yoga

Friday: Evening Yoga

Saturday: Morning Run, Evening yoga

Sunday: off