The Exercist

also, i dont plan on doing any of these outside the house: so no running.

i predict jess' "exercise regimen" will last for no more than 8 days.

i don't FEEL any better but i've lost seven pounds!

This was a long time ago. Continuing that zero policy for decades has had its effects...

Ah, so that was what it was, and not the walking five miles a day at all!

walking will probably be for the best, but this is less about losing weight than that my body has the consistency of a lump of dough with toothpicks sticking out of it at odd angles.

it is the only logical beginning

(But when I was in the best shape of my life I went to the gym three times a week and did yoga, so apparently there is something to this exercise business.)

we chubby indie tarts do seem to take up a horrible lot of room.

(i'm watching you, mark p.)

oh, and jody beth....aren't a lot of yoga positions easy on the joints? there's also aikido and bicycling on flat land.

whatever you do, just remember that resistance training and cardio are equally important.

i don't presume to know what you eat, but declaring a moritorium on refined sugars (including pop) and extra carbohydrates will lose you a lot of weight.

nancy tell us scandalous things.

and now i'm being a good girl and getting back to work. ugh.

1) Use a Swiss ball for sit-ups, not the floor.

2) If you are weight lifting (which I've read actually helps you burn MORE calories, if you do it regularly):

a) The emphasis should definitely be on form/execution, NOT on proving to yourself/others how much weight you can lift. One rule of thumb is to choose weight where you can do 10-15 reps with some degree of challenge/difficulty.
b) Start with targeting larger muscles, then move to smaller muscles.
c) Be sure to mix it up and vary your routine from day to day; don't just choose the same two or three exercises/machines.

but running is very very good for you in ways i didn't realize until i stopped (more flexibility, energy, etc.), even though you have to go outside. situps are no good in my experience but push ups and jumping up and down eventually get painful enough that they've got to be worth something.

running + pushups + situps = hard bod jess

if you REALLY serious and want to get a bit bigger rather than tone... buy a set of dumbells to do extra exercises as pushups dont really hit your back or biceps. buy a protein powder to mix with milk to help muscles grow and recover better(drink it straight after exercising and before you go to sleep), if $$$ is a problem buy normal low fat milk powder+ cocoa and mix it with milk its similar to a protien powder. eat healthy shit, smaller meals throughout the day.

when doing resistance exercise(say a situp) focus on controland on correct form and do the exercise really slowly, really concentrate your mind on the muscles youre working. if you dont go the point where you are hurting or struggling its a waste of time. I normally gain about 10 kgs of muscle over summer for rugby season, but do heavy weights low reps plenty of rest. the tapeworms probably sound like more fun.

there's a bike in the house but the wheel is flat right now and i can't be arsed to fix it and even if i did it's nancy's and she'd probably want to ride it anyway. besides, i see how people drive around here (despite an excessive number of bikers) and frankly i dont want either of us biking.