I spent the last year trying to stay as active as I could in between dealing with physical limitations due to overall chronic pain along with back and neck issues. I am still not where I want to be in terms of strength and a toned body, but I most certainly have made progress. This year I want to focus on doing bursts of activity throughout the day to stay active and to sit less.
I have been doing Bowflex resistance training, treadmill and Tai Chi. I plan to continue doing all three, but I also want to incorporate some of my Wii games like Wii Fit Plus and Wii Active. I have four different Tai Chi routines that I can do throughout the day. One is hard qigong calisthenics and it can be a good aerobic workout. The other routines are less intense, but they still keep my whole body engaged. They usually take only about ten minutes.
I like the idea of doing a small burst of about ten minute activities throughout the day. The Bowflex and the hard qigong workouts are much longer. But on my Wii Fit Plus, I can do the advanced rhythm boxing and that usually is ten to fifteen minutes. I did it the other day and my arms were quite sore the next day. That was a good indication that something was working. I also plan to incorporate the kickboxing that is included in the Wii Active. I love all the boxing and kicking. It makes me feel strong.
I will seek to walk often. I do believe it is one of the best exercises out there. Sometimes I can spend time walking around the yard with my chickens. When I do my volunteering at the ranch, often I get a lot of walking in during my time there.
I think I have a good game plan and a good amount of exercises to choose from as I seek to increase my activity. I am always open to more suggestions. It will be a good reason to get up from my computer and get moving. I believe all the reports about how bad too much sitting is for health and for our longevity. I want to stay active and work on getting that toned body that I so desire.
Faithful Homesteader 