Take a Groove Walk

I made up some delicious iced tea, but haven't partaken yet. I'm still drinking my good, old water. I don't know about you, but I've become a little slack in my exercises. Some of it was due to my hip being out of place and spending several days a week at the chiropractor's office. When I wasn't there I was concerned if exercising was going to take my hip out of place again. So the only exercises I did regularly were the stretches from the chiropractor. Now that I'm only going once a week I decided to get back into walking.

But here's my deal with walking. I can't walk around my neighborhood, because I live on a highway. So I have to get in my car and drive somewhere to take an outdoor walk. Then I worry about rain, getting cold or getting hot, am I hydrated enough. Now I don't think it's worth the effort to go to the park or where ever to walk. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

But last week, I changed my attitude. And in the process that followed I think I created something new. I like to call it Groove Walking. Here's how it started. I pulled up my iTunes and created a playlist of songs I thought were upbeat and I'd like to listen to while I walked. Luckily, I have a decent play and a pretty big house. So I plugged up my computer to external speakers and set my timer for 20 minutes and started walking in my house. These songs were so good, though; I ended up in a half dance and half walk. By golly, I think it was a Groove Walk!

The first time I Groove Walked I felt a little silly. But who cares? I didn't have people peeking in the windows. And I looked. Getting through 20 minutes wasn't a piece of cake either. I'd check my timer in hopes of it almost ready to ring. I'd groove by my water and take a few sips while I walked. But after a few times of Groove Walking, I found myself going even after the timer when off. Today, I Groove Walked until my playlist was done. That's about 35 minutes. So if your exercise routine is boring you, you might want to consider taking a Groove Walk. It's the newest, most enjoyable way to get some exercise and get funky!

Let me know if you Groove Walk. I might have to patent the name and make a video demonstration. Maybe even a book, "Groove Walking for Dummies".

Relatively Simple

Ah, there's nothing like peach tea in a beautiful cup. The day started at 54 degrees and right now it's 27 degrees. That's a cold front in the winter for you. School had an early release today due to potential winter weather so now I'm home.

I came home to a package at my door. It was my new simply fit board. After yesterday's discussion you probably think I'm crazy. Resolutions are unreliable, etc, etc, etc. And I do believe that. At the same time I'm always wanting to exercise in a fun way. If it was up to me I'd dance for exercise, but I haven't found a class or DVD that I love. If you know any dance exercises that are fun, please share.

 One day on Christmas vacation I saw this board advertised on television. One of the women from Shark Tank was promoting this fit board and it looked fun. I went online and found it on Amazon for almost $30. I was interested, but not that much. I watched a video about how to use it. I will say it looked easy and enjoyable. But I blew it off. Later when I wanted to search for it again, I forgot the name. Ha! That will teach me to use online bookmarks. Eventually I did find it online at a basic department store. "Aha!" I thought. I should do some searching. And I did. The best buy I found was an orange fit board at Target. As I read the reviews I really was starting to think this might be fun. So I ordered it about a week ago.

Notice the curve. It's a balancing act along with a twist. I mean a real twist. You twist. I popped in the DVD, got a chair beside me and stood on it. It wobbled forward and back as well as side to side. The reason it does this is to work your core muscles. The core includes muscles in the pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen. Although that's not all the muscles you can work on this board. But hey, it's a good starting place. I had to get off a few times and rearrange the board. I guess I was leaning one way or another. After a few minutes my legs were tired and I got off and rested. Later I found myself getting back on and I was a little better. I put the chair back and twisted some more. I'm nowhere near proficient on it, but it is fun and I expect to get some good use out of it.

I'm pretty sure the old adage holds true. Practice makes perfect. That will be me soon. Maybe not perfect, but much better than I am today. For those of you working on your health and exercise goals, good luck. It's never too late to try something new.