Gas prices are killing me……or are they?

There is definitely an upside to gas prices.  They have reached a point where one thinks before hopping in the car for any one trip.  Some people carpool, some decide not to take vacations as far away or as often.  Many trips are delayed and combined with another planned trip.  We may decide to stop on our way home from work at a store that is in the route instead of making a special trip.  Our household has started encouraging the use of bikes on a regular basis or walking to places close by.  These ideas were not part of our everyday vocabulary before rise in gas prices.  Upside number 1 is we have learned to be greener due to our awareness of how dependent we are on our gas guzzling cars.

I am a walker and have been for years.  I regularly take 3 to 5 mile walks with our dog Sammy.  Rarely, however, did I walk out of necessity.  It was for my health and to get Sammy out of our house which always makes for a better dog.  With gas prices, I started to rethink this.  Can I find common ground in getting in my exercise and running errands and sometimes take the dog as well to satisfy that requirement?  The answer is YES! 

Of course there are times that having a dog with you can be a problem.  Like going to the store for an item or the library without someone to wait outside with the dog for a minute or two.  After a little thought, I learned to be creative.  Is anyone in the family going that way for anything else?  I grab the dog, hop in the car and get dropped off.   I return my books, grab the ones waiting on the shelf for me, grab the dog from the car and walk home.  My family goes on their merry way and I have saved the earth and walked 3 extra miles in the process. (and on a new route that keeps things interesting)  If my car needs an oil change, I just drop off the car and walk home.  When done, I walk back and pick it up.  All of a sudden I am ashamed to think of all the times I felt like I had to have a car.   We are fortunate enough to live within 1-3 miles of a fair number of grocery and department stores as well as the post office.   This is truly a gift that should not be overlooked!

It's Time that Wii Begin

We received a Wii a few years back and for the most part, the kids used it.  Every once in a while there would be a family competition but I always viewed it as another robber of time.  That is until………we purchased the Wii Fit with the balance board.  It seemed like a great Christmas present.  After all, there is nothing like the approaching New Year to motivate oneself into stepping out and trying something new. 

The kids went wild with the games.  I decided to check out the yoga, strength and aerobic section.  I made my Mii and vowed to do the body check everyday.  Basically, this charts your weight and BMI.  You can also do some coordination exercises to see how fit you are in years.  As a beginner, I did it all but eventually opted to weigh and end the process to save time. 

So here I was, ready to dive into a daily routine of the unknown.  A decision was made to take it slow and to be truthful it is very slow at first when one is watching tutorials.  I scheduled an hour a day and had no preconceived ideas of where this would take me.  Doing something everyday was more than doing nothing. 

I watched video’s with zest and then executed the moves with my Wii Fit personal trainer.  Next I would be scored on my performance.  I worked on improving my score every day.  Eventually, I got discouraged with how much time it was taking to get through the moves.  This is when I decided to make my own routines.  (this eliminated getting scored after each exercise). Beginning routines consisted of 1 row of yoga, and strength exercises for a week and then adding on 1 or 2 in each category every week thereafter to make a change.  I also dabbled in some fun aerobic games randomly.

The result…..Slow and steady does win the race.  I found I really enjoyed yoga and felt like I was taking care of myself.  Fitness experts will tell you to mix aerobics with strength training.  The Wii enlightened me on what strength training really was.  I didn’t need to join a gym and the best part is that I was moving in ways I would have never done on my own. 

To my surprise the best part of the Wii was that, although a machine, it recognized how many days I was working out, what kind of activities as well as calories burned and noted these milestones.  I found this rewarding and validating on my journey to change.  If I missed a day or two doing the body test, it reminded me of how long it had been and encouraged me to stick with it.  Is it for everyone?  No, but it was a perfect start for me in an effort to change my lifestyle.

Pros

• The Wii is utilized by my family in a wide variety of ways
• Tutorials on everything
• I moved in ways I would not have without it
• I felt like I was taking care of myself
• I felt the emphasis was on mind and body and not spot exercising
• A great beginner tool – Motivating interaction with positive reinforcement
• I felt more energy and more motivated to make changes
• I didn’t feel alone in the process
• No need to spend money on a gym and driving to it.
• Activity outside the Wii can be tracked.
• It tracks weight and activity and graphs it for you over time. 

Cons:

• Not for a hard core exerciser who is used to expending a large amount of energy in a short amount of time.
• Some may not have the patience to stick with this if they want results fast.