Following the Steps: Variety, Part Two

I outline a number of steps to following through on exercise on our Fitness Motivation page. On this blog, I talk about applying those tips.

Yesterday I talked about variety. I want to add one other example of variety today.

More variety: walking around Sutter's Mill, where the gold that sparked the '49er rush was first found

Yesterday, I not only speed-walked for variety, but I took advantage of some advice from, um, I'm not sure who.

We're staying in an RV, and I'm usually up at least an hour before the rest of my family on the weekends. So I drove over to Starbucks this morning, which opens earlier than all the other coffee shops in Auburn. (There's several good ones, but Courthouse Coffee is the best.)

Anyway, I opened my computer there, and there's a "terms and conditions" page you have to get past in order to use their wi-fi. That page had a link to an article on 4 "fat-burning" exercises to help all of us get through the Thanksgiving weekend. I clicked on it.

They got the fat-burning idea right. The exercises are weight-bearing and required rapid movements. They will burn fat.

They messed the safety up bad. They forgot to say anything about warm-up, which would be desperately needed for exercises like these, especially for over-40 folks like me. (Actually, next summer I'll be over 50!)

Anyway, I exercised my brain a bit, too. I closed my eyes and pictured each exercises carefully so that I would remember all 4 of them.

When I got home I tried them. I really like the mule kick one. You get in a push-up position, then thrust your legs in the air, kick your butt with your heels, and drop your feet down below your hips, so you're somewhat in a squatting position, hands still on the floor. You then leap back up, kick your butt again, and and land back in the push-up position to complete one repetition.

The others weren't that great. I liked their little twist on a jumping jack, but I couldn't do it without pain, so I'll explain it in tomorrow's post on safety.

This is the actual saw mill where gold was found. Workers were clearing out a channel for the runoff when they found gold.

Today's point is not to miss those opportunities. It was something different to add to my repertoire. I save the good ones. I keep track of exercises that:

• ... are fun
• ... seem to provide better results than others
• ... work a lot of muscle groups at once
• ... can be done repetitively without being too boring to provide aerobic benefit
• and sometimes exercises that make my daughters think I'm weird, just for  fun

You may have different reasons to like an exercise. Keep track of the ones you like that can either be part of a routine that is not dreary or that will motivate you to get up from your desk or TV for a couple minutes of flexibility and strength building.

I just thought you might like this picture of the river near the mill.