This ain't no Globo Gym
I am sooooo sore today. I was at a workshop all day yesterday on healthy eating and exercise, and boy did I ever get a good workout. I forced myself to take a bath last night even though it cut into my sleep time because I knew I'd regret it today. Now I wish I'd taken FIVE baths. I didn't notice how killer my legs were until I walked up the stairs. And other areas I won't mention. Oohhhhhhhh.
But it really was an awesome session - inspiring, and very useful. We were given some routines to work on at home, which I find exciting and empowering because, hey, free! and convenient! The focus really was on fun, and what better motivation?
There was a section about nutrition which was a good overview. In all honesty, since high school I've ignored the Canada food guide* and label reading. It seemed like one of those mainstream health things that didn't really matter, and I pay more attention to alternative health recommendations and practices. But I think I'm now willing to give it a try (hey, it's another tool among many, if nothing else), and the session went over how many servings a day you're supposed to have, what a serving size looks like, and how you're supposed to have meals from 3-4 of the food groups (1-2 for snacks), as this will keep you full, longer. Other recommendations I liked: eating whole wheat pasta and bread because it fills you up longer, and always keeping water nearby and sipping throughout the day (rather than trying to figure out how many glasses you're drinking). We were given useful handouts, and the nutrition one tracks how many servings of each food group we have each day, so that we can be aware of what we over- and under-eat, and adjust our diets accordingly.
The suggestion for home exercises we could do were great, too. The instructor said he likes to focus on home exercise because it takes away the excuse of not being able to go to gym class, and if you get into that routine, everything else is easy. I try to walk a lot (which hasn't been much over the past month while housesitting), since gyms are too expensive. The routines we were given are great to do in addition, or on days where I didn't get a lengthy walk. I got in the habit of walking at least a half hour every day two summers ago, but it's difficult to keep up. I would like to go back to getting some kind of physical activity in each day, though.
At the beginning of the session, the instructor threw a ball at us and got us to pass it around. He explained afterward that it was an exercise to provoke a state of anxiety in us. I laughed to myself, because that was probably the first time I've ever been the rare person in a room of anxious people thinking "YAY BALL, PICK ME, PICK ME!!!" My grad school residence floor mates could tell horror stories about me and my ball-bouncing affliction. ;)
After getting the ball back, the instructor picked up a wrench and pretended to throw it into the crowd for a joke. I made a Dodgeball joke, but no one got it. :( The session kind of reminded me of Dodgeball in a way, actually, in terms of the emphasis on fun and trying to get everyone more physically active, no matter what you look like or your current fitness level. This ain't no Globo Gym!
The company that put it on was excellent, and is a local business. If you want to hear more about them, check out their website.
*Though I hear they're updating it with different communities in mind - making a version for vegetarians (soy, milk substitutes!) and South East Asians (soy, fish!), both of which would be much more relevant to my diet.
ETA: Now I'm all teary: Michael Muhney (Sheriff Lamb on Veronica Mars) is now a Firefly Browncoat.
But it really was an awesome session - inspiring, and very useful. We were given some routines to work on at home, which I find exciting and empowering because, hey, free! and convenient! The focus really was on fun, and what better motivation?
There was a section about nutrition which was a good overview. In all honesty, since high school I've ignored the Canada food guide* and label reading. It seemed like one of those mainstream health things that didn't really matter, and I pay more attention to alternative health recommendations and practices. But I think I'm now willing to give it a try (hey, it's another tool among many, if nothing else), and the session went over how many servings a day you're supposed to have, what a serving size looks like, and how you're supposed to have meals from 3-4 of the food groups (1-2 for snacks), as this will keep you full, longer. Other recommendations I liked: eating whole wheat pasta and bread because it fills you up longer, and always keeping water nearby and sipping throughout the day (rather than trying to figure out how many glasses you're drinking). We were given useful handouts, and the nutrition one tracks how many servings of each food group we have each day, so that we can be aware of what we over- and under-eat, and adjust our diets accordingly.
The suggestion for home exercises we could do were great, too. The instructor said he likes to focus on home exercise because it takes away the excuse of not being able to go to gym class, and if you get into that routine, everything else is easy. I try to walk a lot (which hasn't been much over the past month while housesitting), since gyms are too expensive. The routines we were given are great to do in addition, or on days where I didn't get a lengthy walk. I got in the habit of walking at least a half hour every day two summers ago, but it's difficult to keep up. I would like to go back to getting some kind of physical activity in each day, though.
At the beginning of the session, the instructor threw a ball at us and got us to pass it around. He explained afterward that it was an exercise to provoke a state of anxiety in us. I laughed to myself, because that was probably the first time I've ever been the rare person in a room of anxious people thinking "YAY BALL, PICK ME, PICK ME!!!" My grad school residence floor mates could tell horror stories about me and my ball-bouncing affliction. ;)
After getting the ball back, the instructor picked up a wrench and pretended to throw it into the crowd for a joke. I made a Dodgeball joke, but no one got it. :( The session kind of reminded me of Dodgeball in a way, actually, in terms of the emphasis on fun and trying to get everyone more physically active, no matter what you look like or your current fitness level. This ain't no Globo Gym!
The company that put it on was excellent, and is a local business. If you want to hear more about them, check out their website.
*Though I hear they're updating it with different communities in mind - making a version for vegetarians (soy, milk substitutes!) and South East Asians (soy, fish!), both of which would be much more relevant to my diet.
ETA: Now I'm all teary: Michael Muhney (Sheriff Lamb on Veronica Mars) is now a Firefly Browncoat.
- I was very intrigued how so many intelligent, articulate, snarky, and downright funny people could love a show so much. It was actually meeting the people who adore the show that drove me to find out just why they are so passionate about it.