MISCELLANEOUS MONDAYS - FOCUS ON EXERCISE

Most people hate Mondays. I love them. A brand new week is almost as good as a brand new year. :-) Mostly, I just like the routine - school, regular housework, etc. Weekends seem long and boring to me now that my girls are older and mostly independent. I keep up the housework during the week and, besides a bit of laundry, there is really nothing much left to do on Saturday and Sunday. I wish we had a church, but since we don't, Sundays are really the worst. I always wonder what in the world I am going to do with myself once my girls are both finished schooling.

For this fresh, new week, I am starting back with my weights for exercising, which I haven't done in almost a year. (Don't get too impressed. I am starting with 5 pound dumbbells.) I have been working out on the mini trampoline a few days a week for this past year, and though I notice many benefits (one being bladder control improvement) and am keeping in shape as far as cardio is concerned, I also noticed lately that I get sore or hurt easily, when I never did before. If I reach for something wrong, or lift something unusually heavy, I am sore the next day. It didn't use to be that way when I was using my free weights regularly. So here is my new plan.

Monday - Warm up for 10 minutes on rebounder; full body routine with dumbbells and squats

Tuesday - Half hour workout on rebounder

Wednesday - Off

Thursday - Repeat Monday

Friday - Repeat Tuesday

From everything I have read, this is the best schedule for weight training (unless you are a body builder and trying to get huge muscles). It is best to have at least 2 days off between weight workouts for your muscles to actually recover. Also, from tests they have done, 2 days yields more than 80% of a 3 day per week routine, especially as you get older.

There are great benefits in weight training for everyone, but in particular for the not-so-young. It builds muscle, obviously, which uses more calories to help you keep your weight down. It even strengthens your bones. But one of the biggest things for me is that once you strengthen those muscles, you are much less likely to hurt yourself doing regular everyday things (or even not so everyday things). I figure if I have to be an old lady, I'd rather be a strong, in shape old lady. :-)

Anyhow, I am hoping that I will be able to walk tomorrow. After the squats this morning, I feel like I have spaghetti legs. Can't believe how out of shape I am in that regard! I am hoping by next month, it will be easy again. :-)