Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Readers' workouts ~ back in class

Melissa had handouts for our exercise class today.  All of them are from Go4Life.  Click the links to see what's inside each one or to order your own free copy.
My first goal for 2017 was to get started back in an exercise class or two.  Since they meet downstairs in the building where I live, it's only an elevator ride away.  I've learned that good intentions don't always work when I plan to exercise alone in my apartment.  When I'm with a dozen friends and acquaintances, however, I'm more likely to follow through.  So I have started the year by attending two different classes:  Fitness with Melissa and Fitness on Demand.

Hosted by Joy's Book Blog
I already have a few books showing various exercise routines, which I've done on my own. Now I have Melissa's handouts and will read through them as well. This is, after all, "readers' workouts" and I'm a reader.  Besides exercising and reading, I plan to link up with other readers on Joy's Book Blog.  Doing that will keep me focused on my goal of staying as healthy as possible.  Want to join me?

This new exercise book explains the four kinds of exercises that I wrote about in July and then has an entire chapter with sample exercises for each of the four.
"Exercises generally fall into four main categories:  endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility.  Though we describe them separately, some activities fit into several categories.  For example, many endurance activities also help build strength, and strength exercises can help improve balance" (p. 12).
The categories (p. 13):
  • Endurance — aerobic activities increase your breathing and heart rate.
  • Strength  — resistance training improves your muscle strength.
  • Balance — these exercises help prevent falls, a common problem in older adults.
  • Flexibility — stretching can help your body stay flexible and limber.
I'm off and running (well, not literally).  All I can say now is "get thee behind me, Daffy Duck!"

2 comments:

Joy said...

A class can be so helpful in establishing consistency and pushing just a bit harder than I'd do on my own.

I got back into some light strength-training a couple of weeks ago and I'm amazed at how much easier some of the daily movements are already.

Helen's Book Blog said...

It's great that your community provides the classes and that they are so close to your apartment. I think many of us will exercise more if it's close by and easy to access