So many people say that exercising makes their stress levels go down. For me, I feel stressed out just worrying if I've exercised enough or strenuously enough. It doesn't make me feel relaxed, but it does make me feel quite virtuous when I do it on a regular basis.

Do you exercise? How does it make you feel? Do you have a hard time motivating yourself to do it?

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2000

Answers

Currently, I don't exercise in any organized way (just run around after two pre-schoolers). I find that in order to exercise regularly, I have to join a class - paying for something makes me feel obligated to go. So, I usually exercise in 3 month spurts when I force myself to join something - and even then I try to get friends to join too so we make each other go. I'm lazy.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2000

I started going to aerobics about 9 years ago. Believe me when I tell you that I am one of the most uncoordinated people you will ever see, so this wasn't an obvious choice for me. But, at the time, I worked at a law office with two of the instructors and they helped me through the first couple of months. I've never stopped doing it, more out of force of habit than anything else. Then about 2 years ago, I started running because my graduate school schedule was interfering with my aerobics classes. Now I do a combo of both. (3 days running, 3 days aerobics if I'm good, 3 days running, 2 aerobics normally).

Exercise is a stress reliever for me because, for one, I've been doing aerobics long enough that I don't even have to think about it. I go on auto-pilot. (You know how you can get in your car and drive 50 miles and not realize you've been listening to a Linda Rondstadt marathon?--that's what it's like). Same for running. I make mix tapes and I sing along out loud... (which is why I have to do it early in the morning or late at night). It just gives me at least 30 minutes a day to do nothing else but think (and flail, I guess). Plus, I really like to eat good food and drink beer. I hate to diet. This gives me a way to eat as much as I want without completely screwing up my body. It also helps me deal with the fact of getting older, and by that I mean, it helps me mentally to be able to still do the same things, physically, that I could when I was 20 even though I'm almost 30. Bad grammar aside, I hope that makes sense.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2000

I feel much better when I exercise regularly. However, some kinds of exercise are better than others for me. I used to go to aerobics classes, but quit when I realized they were stressing me out. (I was getting annoyed with space hogs, scary instructors, and mirror queens.) So, now I work out by myself. I do weights and your basic boot-camp calesthenics 2-3 times a week, a little jogging, some Tae- Bo, some yoga.

I've found that once I'm in an exercise routine, it's much easier to stay motivated. The hardest part about exercise is getting started, in my experience.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2000

Actually, when I took ballet, it was like meditation for the body or something. Getting motivated is the hardest part. I mean, I'd LOVE to take ballet again, but I find ten billion reasons not to, the first 5 billion reasons being that I'm 40lbs heavier than last time I took it, and even THEN I was the Fattest Girl in the Class. Uch.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2000

Dwanollah, are did you take an adult dance class, or did you join in with teenagers? I did both - the first was a class I was told had women in their late teens, early 20s. After the second class with my friend and I, both 25 at the time, and four other girls with ages 10- 12 (one girl literally only came up only to my armpits) I told the instructor that she was a lying sack and would say anything to get people to join her dance class, and my friend and I left for a different dance place. The second class had five women, all with different ages, sizes, and abilities, and I loved it because we were all trying to get in shape and were very supportive of each other. I would probably be still taking those classes if the teacher didn't have to leave town.

I would love to go back to dance class, if I could find a decent teacher.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2000

I go to Yoga classes, which is the only kind of exercising that I've ever stuck to. I feel relaxed during and after every session (even though my teacher does get a little corny). You could probably find a great teacher in London, if that's where you are.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2000

I do aerobic things, such as walking and bike riding or stairstepping, and I do some light weightlifting. Exercise is a miracle drug, honestly. Damn near everything improves when you exercise regularly. I won't bore you with the long list, but a few benefits are sleeping easier and more restfully, being able to walk anyplace and not get so winded you can't enjoy yourself, being able to splurge with food and drink from time to time and not instantly gain pounds and inches (because your body will burn it off), lowered blood pressure, stress reduction, stronger, denser, bones, and on and on...

The single most important thing about exercising is to START. Just BEGIN, already, even if you start small. The next most important thing is to keep going. It will take time, but you need to make it part of your life, a habit, part of your routine. It really doesn't take as much time or energy as you think, but the benefits you reap, short term and long term, are astounding.

Don't worry about exercising "enough" or strenuously enough. Just start with walking for 30 minutes (or less, even, if you're way out of shape), but never walking so strenuously that you're out of breath and can't carry on a normal conversation at a normal level. That's all it takes to get started. Nothing to worry about, it doesn't take long, and it's not hard. You just have to get started. And don't worry about what time of day is the best time to exercise, either. The best time of day is whenever you will actually do it. If a particular time doesn't work quite right for you, don't try to exercise then because you won't stick with it. Your goal is to reduce stress, not increase it.

Okay, I have a lot of energy around this topic, so I will stop now before I babble on too much more. :-)

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2000

Exercise just for the sake of exercising sucks. I've always thought people who had to exercise, probably didn't have much of a life. What happened to hiking, or gardening or actually doing something to get excercise? Fishing,etc. I'm sorry, but I see people running down the road in their cute little running togs (acessorize, acessorize!)I always think: "There's a road pizza candidate...but won't they look fashionable to the EMTs." Of course, I live in the country and there's always something that needs to be done...chopping wood for the fireplace, trimming trees. Unglamorous stuff you can do without buying special clothes to do it in. See? I really am a rube.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2000

I agree Bub, to an extent. But fishing??? Last time I went fishing I sat on my butt for 8 straight hours and got a sunburn.

and for the record, my workout clothes are very ugly. :)

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2000

I guess I don't have a life, but since I don't live in the country anymore, pretty much the only exercise I get in day-to-day life without making the effort is when I clean my house. I go for walks, but I definitely don't wear special outfits for it or anything.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2000

Nicole, I took classes for over 3 years through the local community college, so there were all kinds of people in there. The teacher, Heidi, was just the coolest woman... she was partially the Typical Ballet Mistress with the foriegn accent (she was German) and the stick... but she was also so encouraging and sweet and funny; she made every class a joy. Finding a class as good as her's would take some doing....

I actually found my pointe shoes a couple weeks ago. For kicks, I tied them on, tried a releve... and MY GOD, am I out of shape! :)

Have you tried any videos? Any recommendations if you have?

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2000

Ballet kicks ass. I took it for 4 years as a teenager. (And I was a size eight, and the fattest chick in the class. But still.) It's funny y'all are talking about that coz today my voice teacher and I were talking about how we were thinnest when we took dance classes.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2000

I don't have any videos, and would also like some advice on good ones. Especially since the weather is turning cold, I won't really want to go out for walks and having something to do indoors (heh) would help.

I have 5 pound barbells that I have started use while I'm watching t.v. so I don't feel like such a couch potato.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2000

I've read that if you try to walk 10,000 steps a day, you'll lose weight. I have a pedometer that can track steps. It's not as easy as it sounds.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2000

Word on the ballet. I took it in college and loved it. I wish I could find adult-novice classes though because I was one of the only girls in the class who hadn't ever taken dance lessons as a kid so it was a little intimidating.

I ran cross-country a few years in college, and can vouch that heavy duty exercise really does make you feel *fantastic* afterwards. As good as too much coffee with the sweating and shaking, as good as your second cocktail...better even. My problem is I don't seem to have the discipline to work out hard enough to feel so great afterwards without a scary coach yelling at me.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2000

I like The Firm videos. I get burned out on videos too quickly, though. I'm probably going to buy a treadmill coz that's my favorite machine at World Gym.

I wish I could just rollerskate all the time.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2000

Gardanna, you're right about the fishing. I guess I should have said "catching fish." See, I ACTUALLY don't like to just sit and fish. If I haven't caught a fish in 10 minutes in one spot, I walk to another one and then another one, etc. I always think that the shady spot down the river or across the lake is where the fish are. People tell me "you got to be patient." For what? Fish have to make up their minds? Fish are dumber than dogs and if I hold a steak bone in front of the dogs, they either grab it or they don't. I throw it out there, then give 'em a few minutes to find it. If you wanna do it with me...you gotta act like you want to. Or throw some bait at me.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2000

I want a treadmill, and Ian's like, 'Go outside! Walk to your heart's content -- for free!' But it's freaking cold out, and it rains a lot here and having to carry an umbrella slows me down.

As my Dad says, I would have made a very bad pioneer.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2000

Oh! this could be a whole other topic: Things That Don't Really Sound Like Exercise, But They Really Are. For me, that'd be Teaching My Dog to Fetch. My dog does not like to Fetch. Or Play. Or do Anything that requires getting off the couch. At the dog park, she sits on the picnic bench and goes to sleep. I read this book that said that sometimes you just have to demonstrate for them by chasing the ball yourself (bad book, I might add). I think I lost 3lbs one afternoon running after a damn tennis ball and the dog still doesn't fetch.

More on topic, I have some aerobics videos that I hate. I have a yoga one that I watch sometimes, but have never been motivated to get off the couch and try any of the moves. I need the stimulation of being in a group of people or being outside, but that's me.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2000

My wife got an exercise video and watched it twice. I watched it a lot more than she did. There was this part where the cute gal doing the exercises bends wa-a-a-a-y over and she's chewing cloth and it looks like that little ol' leotard is gonna get swallowed by her fuzz taco. Hey, it was great! Me and my brother-in-law got caught watching it one day...doing the reverse with the remote thing...and we were snorkin' and snufflin' and well, my wife deep sixed it. But I'm all for exercise videos. Unless it's Martha Stewart.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2000

Bubba, darlin', don't get nasty with those of us who get our exercise in a gym or gym equivalent. Not much of a life, indeed! I *enjoy* lifting weights. It's recreation for me. Lots of people enjoy running. And I don't live somewhere where I can go out and chop a cord of wood to build up my upper-body strength, 'kay?

I do agree with you that exercise should be something you enjoy, not something you force yourself to do.

-- Anonymous, November 16, 2000

Who's getting nasty? It's just a case of a yokel laughing at city folks, that's all. You ought to see the smirks I get when I go to Houston on business and decide to wear Levis. ("Well, how are things in Hee-Haw land?") etc., etc. It's all in good fun. If I lived in the city in a an apartment I'd probably weigh 300 pounds. Or play tennis or raquetball every afternoon.

-- Anonymous, November 16, 2000

Yeah, I tried walking to and from work every day. It didn't do much good. So it's back to the gym for me. I took a Pilates class on Tuesday which was a lot harder than I thought it would be.

-- Anonymous, November 16, 2000

I exercise. In fact, I've been sick for like two weeks and haven't been able to exercise like normal and I think it makes me a little blue. Scrnwrt (sp) I just got a Pilates tape two weeks ago, I did it once last week and once last night and I can't *believe* how sore it made me! It feels like nothing, right?

-- Anonymous, November 16, 2000

I have installed a little mental drill instructor in my brain that starts yelling at me when I need to exercise. This would work better if the d.i. didn't get all over me for not writing and not working too, because sometimes my schedule just won't allow for all of that to happen at once. If I don't work out for awhile, I start to feel off-kilter ... just not right, physically and mentally.

I just called a boxing gym in town this morning, and I think I'm gonna try that for awhile. Not kickboxing, real boxing (although you don't actually fight other people if you don't want, you can just hit bags and things). I've found boxing to be great fun, one of the best exercises in terms of watching my shape change, and a wonderful way to get out pent-up aggression.

Because, even in Central Texas, this weather has become WAY too nasty for outdoor workouts. Bleah!

-- Anonymous, November 16, 2000

I really want to go for a walk, but it's way too cold outside. I'm cold just sitting here in my house.

-- Anonymous, November 16, 2000

Tracey, I've been tempted to check out one of those Tae-Bo tapes. Are they as good as the infomercial?

I try to get on one of those elliptical trainers at the gym, almost every day for a hard 30 minutes. No real weight loss (cause I eat like the WWF), but my recovery heartrate went down 30 points in 6 months, and my blood pressure is really low. I found it took me at least 6 months before I started getting in "the zone" and really feeling good after a workout. Not to mention crabby when I had to miss it for a few days.

My advice to anyone starting out, get a heartrate monitor. They're getting cheaper and they are so worth it. Why? 1. It gives you something to focus on besides how uncomfortable you are. 2. If you stay in your target hear rate zone, you don't have to "over do it". 3. You'll start seeing improvement and it's encouraging. 4. It's science, which is always fun!

PS - drink plenty of water before and during..it makes things easier.

-- Anonymous, November 17, 2000

Jackie, I like running when it's cold and rainy outside, but I'm weird that way. It's mostly because for 10 1/2 months out of the year it' s dry and 100 degrees here. Plus, think of the flush you'll get on your cheeks!

-- Anonymous, November 17, 2000

Lisa D, I get a very good workout with Tae-Bo. I was amazed at how quickly I saw results, too. However, Billy Blanks can *really* get on your nerves, and some of those students are worse. I find yelling at the tv helps (die, spiral-perm girl! die!).

I'd recommend checking the tapes out at Blockbuster or your local library first (or borrowing them from someone), before you plunk down the bucks. Some people just can't take Billy, and some people find the kicks and such hard on their knees. You also might check out Pamie's forum at Squishy - there are some Tae-Bo threads there.

-- Anonymous, November 17, 2000

Right, Lisa D. Drinking water is very important. Not only should you drink it around your workout but really you should just drink water all day long. And the heartrate monitor is a great idea. It's all about getting into your target zone and holding it there for a brief period of time that really changes your body chemistry and starts making you lose excess fat. You'll find it's not hard at all to get into the target zone for long enough to get a great workout, and you'll never feel wiped-out at the end. The main thing is to just get going on it already.

-- Anonymous, November 17, 2000

idont have to exerciste im one of them poeples who can eat and eat and eat all day long and nevr gane wiegth im so lucky!!!!

-- Anonymous, November 17, 2000

Floosie, you are such a tease! James

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2000

your such a prevert!!!! sicko

-- Anonymous, November 19, 2000