When you go months without exercising and then resume, it can be a painful experience. My body was so sore from the days I exercised! It was a grim reminder that I am terribly out of shape. But, I have to start somewhere, so I managed to exercise three days this week. This is what I did:
Day 1 – Strength Training
- 30 squats – holding 8 pound dumbbells
- 30 shoulder presses – holding 5 pound dumbbells
- 30 sit ups
Perhaps not the brightest thing to do for my first attempt at exercise. These exercises can be high-intensity, especially with weights. I was so sore after I did this that it took me three days to recover. It hurt to walk. It hurt to move.
Day 2 – Cardio
My husband talked me into playing Punch-Out!!
on the Wii. I was apprehensive because this kind of game is just not my cup of tea, but he insisted that it would be a good workout. Punch Out!! is a boxing game where you move through the ranks of progressively difficult opponents. I was on the Balance Board
, so my character moved every which way I moved to avoid being hit, and then to punch my opponent. It wasn’t long before I was sweating, swerving, and punching. These guys are tough to fight. I’m wiling to bet that once I start taking Kickboxing again, I’ll be better at delivering those uppercuts. I made it only to the second guy before my heart was racing and my legs were trembling. I could not believe how sore my abdominal muscles were, just from trying to avoid getting punched!
Day 3- Yoga
After still hurting from playing Punch Out!!, I knew I desperately needed to give my body a break and do some yoga. I craved the stretching and release of tension from my sore muscles that yoga would provide, so I searched through Netflix to see if there were any Yoga titles available through instant streaming. There were, in fact, dozens of titles to choose from (some of which looked awesome), but those were only available on DVD. Argh! One of the titles that was available was Yoga for Health: Depression & Gastro-Intestinal Disorders with Jenny Cornero, which consisted of two episodes. I did Episode 1 (55 minutes). It felt great to stretch and relax, but Jenny does throw in some poses that are challenging when you are as sore as I was.
As far as diet, I did increase my protein intake like I set out to do. I made myself a protein smoothie nearly every day, which proved to be a rather popular snack with my husband and children. Next week, I can’t wait to do Pilates. I browsed through Netflix and found that there are lots of Pilates titles available through streaming, so that made my day.
Don’t miss out on this series! You can read all of the posts in Losing the Baby Weight right here.
Recommended Reading:
Yoga in Bed DVD – Cristy Candler (a Broadway actress known for her role in the musical Wicked) stars in this DVD. Read my review of Yoga in Bed! A brilliant concept really, but a lacking production.
Wii Daisy Fuentes Pilates Game – Pilates on a yacht? What a splendid combination. Completely customizable, this Wii DVD will satisfy all of your Pilates desires.
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