Wednesday Writer Workout Tip: Shop Local

I haven't posted on this subject in a while. That's very telling to the state of my body. You know it's been too long since a workout when cleaning the floors leaves you tired and sore.


Sigh. Floors 1, Shiela 0. Not my proudest moment.


The Wii's been relocated to my son's room since Christmas. They kids got new games as gifts and it was just easier to let them play in their rooms than in the living room. Moving the system back and forth is so inconvenient that I haven't used it since. That's as good excuse as I got.


Fortunately, it's not all doom and gloom. I did lose those 10 holiday pounds, strictly through dieting. But that turns out to be another excuse for not exercising. I don't like to work out when I start eating less because I'm already hungry. Add in the metabolism boot from moving more (weight loss = eat less + move more) and I'm starving. Not a good mix at the beginning. It's hard enough as is.


Now that the extra pounds are off, though, that excuse gets a swift kick in the pants. A good exercise, btw :)


So I wanted a change of scenery - get out of the house to work out. There's only so many Wii tennis games you can play. I can't afford a gym, but I found something within my budget. It's nearby, too, across the street from my kid's high school. Our local Rec Center: the Red Mountain Multigenerational Center.

There, I can take a Zumba (ZUMBA!) for as low as $2 per class. I went. I loved it. I went back. I still loved it. Every bead of sweat (there was lots), every sore muscle (lots of those, too), every stitch in my side from the Latin hip dance moves (lots, and lots). I loved it all.

Of course, I am the only one there wearing a Slytherin t-shirt, but that's how I roll :)


Will it replace my Wii work out? Prolly not. But it's a nice change of pace. And anything that keeps me moving is a good thing.

My new goal, because I always need a goal, is to lose 7 more lbs by Memorial Day Weekend. Why that weekend? That's the Phoenix Comicon (we have William Shatner AND Patrick Stewart!) and I like to be feeling my best for the hardest working weekend of the year.

TIP: Check out your local options. You can probably find something affordable that you just may love.

Happy moving and ¡Buen Provecho!

Wednesday Writer Workout Tip: Wee Steps

That's right, wee. Not Wii. As in baby. Baby steps. Baby steps on the bus. 10 points if you know what movie that's from!

But seriously. There are those days when baby steps are the equivalent of leaps and bounds. Like when the workout, or the words, just won't happen. Notice I didn't say can't. Can't implies that the workout/words are out of our control, and they are not. But some days are definitely harder than others.

Right now, I just can't, um, I mean won't, pick up another Wii remote or play one more game of tennis. Or even look at a treadmill. Or an exercise bike. Or yoga video. Get the picture?

I also won't open one more note book or type another consonant or vowel, let alone string them together to form an entire word.

This is where the baby steps come in.

The quantity isn't always the goal, workout or writing. These days, for me, it's not even the quality. It simply is the doing. The baby steps.

So my baby steps for working out are donning my spiffy new Shape Up shoes
and parking in the furthest spot at the Wally World. Or the grocery story. Or the library. Getting the picture again?

My baby steps for words: letter writing. Connecting with friends I haven't written in a while, electronic or otherwise. That way my words don't have to be perfect, or even correct. They can just be.

And you know the funny thing about baby steps? They grow.

So take a baby step with whatever you're struggling to do. You never know where you'll end up.

¡Buen Provecho!

Wednesday Writer Workout Wii Tip

It's Wednesday. Are you moving? Everyday? Ok, me neither. But I'm trying. I aim for 4 days a week so that I move more days than I don't. I am noticing small changes. The pews at church don't hurt as much. I can stand more comfortably for longer periods of time. And I'm getting this little bump above my elbow that the doctor assures me is a triceps muscle. Now I'm focusing on the great divide, the ponderosa spread, the wide load – what I affectionately refer to as Writers' Butt. Believe it or not, I can minimized it, and maximize it, in all the right place with a simple step added to the Wii workout.


TIP: This tip works best when playing 9 holes of wii golf. In between holes, do 10 deep knee lunges, five on each leg. By the time you get to the last (ninth) hole, you'll have done 80 lunges! Believe me, you'll feel it the next day. And the next time you do it, it'll be worse, but I promise it gets better after that. You'll work muscles you didn't even know you had! Don't forget to stretch.


Now if I could just stop eating the kids' leftover pizza crusts.


¡Buen Provecho!

Wednesday Writer Workout: Wii!

Now that the kids are all back in school, and the lazy days of summer have come to a screeching halt, it's time for me to get moving again. Yes, it's so hot here in Phoenix, that we move as little as possible June through August. Sometimes into September. But my on-the-wrong-side-of-forty writer's body can't wait. So move I must.

As much as I believe in walking, the air here is awful. This summer's haboobs (it's a monstrous dust storm, but much more fun to say haboob) didn't help. And with high gas prices, driving to the mall just to walk is not doing my wallet any favors. Neither does the gym. My solution: I head to the Costco, stock up on AA batteries, and plug in the Wii.

You'd be surprised at what a good workout you can get from a video game. I prefer the original Wii Sports, which you can buy separately now for $20. First, I use my right hand to play Wii fitness, then a best three out of five tennis match, power hitting baseball, and finish up with a round of golf or ten frames of bowling. Next, I switch to my left and start all over again. The whole thing takes a good hour, and for the first week, my arms kill me. But I'm moving and feeling better. And discipline in one area (working out) spills over into another (writing). Now I'm ready to sit and write.

TIP: do not measure this workout on the scale. Muscle weighs more than fat. Use a measuring tape or how your clothes fit. I can tell it's working for me because now my shorts no longer cut off the circulation to my brain. Another writing plus!

Come move with me. If you don't feel better, I'll treat you to a zumba class.

¡Buen provecho!