The New Workout Plan

After I graduated, I lost gym priviledges not only to VCU because I'm no longer a student, but also to the gyms on the military bases near my house. With $20,000 coming my way in 6 months to start being paid off, buying a membership to the overly crowded YMCA wasn't really an option either.

So, to rectify this problem, I started getting up at 6 a.m. every weekday and walked, jogged, or brought my dog Reagan along to do a mile and a half or 2 miles. This is great and dandy, but I like feeling like I've really worked out, you know really broke out a sweat. That's when I feel the most accomplished.

Well, I discovered this app for the iPhone or iPod touch called the NikeWomen's Training Club. You create an avatar (mine looks nothing like me), set your goals, and then select a certain area you want to focus on. I chose cardio for the moment but there are other options like strength, and balance. You can also chose the type of level you want to work out at. Casual gives you 2 times a week, Committed gives you 3, and Intense gives you 4. I started with committed because I was going to committ to it.

Truth be told, I forgot about the app until this past Wednesday. I went looking for my Tae Bo tapes, yes tapes, but couldn't find them. So I went and re-disovered this app. It gives you video of what you're supposed to do, and then it gives you a timer so you know exactly how much time you've got left. It gave me a 20 minute workout, and I could already feel soreness from it that night.

Well, I did it again, last night, but the nice thing is, is that it switches up the workout so it's not the exact same as the one you did a a day or so ago. I did some of the exercises outside on my deck because there was more room, and the movement, along with the humidity had me pouring sweat.

Of course, it's not just working out that gets you in shape and living a healthier lifestyle, it's the food you eat as well. I use another app for that called Lose it! It had food in there so you can record what you eat, it also lets you create a goal for yourself and will calculate your caloric intake per day. A nice perk is that it has a lot of fast food and restaurants in its database, so you can still record what you eat, even if you are dining out.

The best part about both of these apps I've mentioned is that they're FREE!

It's not easy for me to admit or be ok with weighing 202 pounds at this moment. There are times where I feel super fat, and others where I think I'm ok with the way I look. However, I realize that now is the time to focus on getting healthy since I don't have to worry about school in the fall taking up my time, and since I don't work in the evenings because of my current 8-5 job, there's no excuse for me not to.

Until next time.