My exercise physiologist has asked me to keep a log of my exercise for a fortnight.
Well, when you write it down, it is not so easy to fudge what you have or have not done.
The blank row next to a day looks very empty.
It is not enough to do a walk every day. I have to build my core and backside muscles to support my back. While walking helps keep my back subtle, it doesn’t build the muscles where I need building. Also, walking everyday without enough stretches was tightening my quad and hip flexor muscles which added to my lower back problems.
And if you want to lose weight, walking is not enough. Lots of studies have shown that replacing some cardio with strength training burns more calories and builds more muscles which raises your metabolism.
Regular planned exercise or physical activity will also lower the LDL (bad) cholesterol. Which I need to do.
So for strength and weight loss my exercise physiologist has advised me to do weights. At least twice a week. And my hour of Pilates once a week.
There’s no denying the fact that I find the weight exercises very boring. I enjoy my walks. I can dream, think, plan, destress and get some fresh air. Look at this view from one of my walks.
You have to admit that is more interesting than staying in a room doing exercises?
Anyway, here’s my log for the past week:
Day 1: 4.2km walk in 50 minutes. My set exercises. (I will post these tomorrow.)
Day 2: 9.85km bush walk in 2 hours 20 minutes.
Day 3: 2.66km walk in 28 minutes.
Day 4: NOTHING!!!
Day 5: 1 hour Pilates.
Day 6: 5.24km walk in 56 minutes.
Day 7: Lots of walking/strolling – to the Post Office, to the train station, around the city.
And Droptober review of Day 4? No bikkies or cake or chocolate or pastries. Today should be OK, but I might weaken tomorrow with a special day out with my husband.
lucinda sans 
When the sports physiologist that I had to see told me that the walking wasn’t doing me any good I stopped. Stupid! Still trying to get back into it. I find that when I blog about it all I do better but some days, most days now, I don’t even do that. But I do need to… http://fitterbyfriday.blogspot.com.au/
Barb. http://barbsbackyard.blogspot.com.au/
Yes, you have to find something you like doing and can do. I like to walk. It is relaxing. I don’t bush walk as much as I’d like because I won’t do it by myself, and it is hard to fit in with a busy working week. But my regular walk takes me through I bit of bush which refreshes me as there are always new birds to look at. That photo was from a bush walk with a neighbour, over 2 hours, up and down hills, in the bush between suburbs in Sydney.
Meant to also say…Good on you for doing what you need to. You bushwalk do you? That’s something that I’d like to do more of.
Barb.
Wow, this is a great idea. I am impressed by your log, honestly! I wish I walked to work or some more regular daily activity (like when I walked to uni for years), cause that incidental exercise would do me great good. The occasional run and short walks aren’t really enough. Hmmm food for thought.
Sarah, I find it becomes harder and harder to fit in exercise as work takes up more of your time, and then even harder when I became a mother.
You are right, the log is a good idea but I hate it. No fudging, no lying to myself. It is a prompt and a record. Who wants to take an empty log back to their physiologist?