SINCE THERE IS ANOTHER FOLLOWER...

MORE INFO ON WORKING OUT WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS

Even with my gouty tendency, I am not mistaken in thinking it is the same as suffering from arthritis. So when I got this Spark Page talking about working out with arthritis, I snatched it up and brought it here. One of the things that helps with range of motion is stretching.

Ideally, you would want to spend about 15 minutes warming up with a variety of stretches before working out IF you suffer with arthritis. This helps loosen up your joints and tendons before a workout.

For non-arthritis folks, there have been conflicting findings on the benefits of stretching prior to exercise. I happen to belong to the 'go slow and speed up' school, meaning that you do what it is you are going to do, but not trying to sprint out really fast or lift up the world with your first set. You do a warm up set or you start out with at a light jog and let your body get warm that way. The reason being that your can literally warm up as you go and avoid injury by stretching when your muscle tissue is cold. At the end of a workout, the stretch is part of your cool down activities.

Another thing-- always consult your physician before engaging on a new workout routine, especially if you have never had any previous experience with maintaining a fitness regimen.

KEEP IT SIMPLE, SILLY!

There are so many different hooks to getting a fitness routine started that the big problem is where to begin. Of all the different routines and aids that are available, the only one that I consider spending my money on is the P90X training routine. Watched a couple of the infomercials and they seem to be balanced, effective and results driven. I see old sets of the dvd's on EBay at good prices. You don't need to spend a lot in additional equipment and you can get your work on in the privacy of your own home.

Now that I have a bike and I am back in the gym, the rule of 'you lose it if you don't use it' is so very true! I think that a lot of people lose their enthusiasm for staying with their routine because of two factors. The first is unrealistic expectations. They want to see a dramatic change in a matter of weeks if not months.

The ads for most of the weight loss products do include but 'fine print' the amount of time it took 'Suzy' or 'Stanley' to lose all their weight. It is always been at least 5 months of staying on the diet and working out. And that is why for me, keeping it simple is about eating less, exercising more and being patient.

I went for my first long bike ride this week and it wore me out. That is to be expected since it has been MONTHS since I have even ridden a bike as far as a mile in one direction. As far as lifting weights, I am not at 'the girlie level' I was at last year, but I am not where I left off when I stopped in Virginia. It is going to take a little time, but I will get there!! In fact, I do have some pics to give y'all a hint of what I am working with, and I will post those on my other journal.

Anywho, I will be getting an analysis of what kind of exercises I need to do in order for me to reach my goals. That has always been a challenge for me and I am piqued by what the fitness instructor will have to say. Ciao for now (ooh ow, ooh ow!!)