Fitbit or C25K, Anyone?

My knee still isn't at 100% but I'm dealing with this

when trying to fasten ALL my jeans, not just my favorite pair that I was lamenting last spring.

So I ordered a Fitbit One at Thanksgiving. I do have a regular pedometer, but it's huge and I kept knocking it off. It was also hard to wear in the summer, because it made an unsightly bulge under my t-shirts and tank tops. The whole reason I don't wear tight pants and shorts is to cut down on the unsightly bulges.

Fitness Challenge Wrap-up

From what I'm hearing, the challenge went much better for you than it did for me. LOL I was just getting to the point at which working out was something I wanted to do every day... or at least remembered to do every day. Then, on Day 20, I sustained an injury that brought everything to a screeching halt. 

I tried on the jeans last night. Those still don't fit. I tried on a dress this morning that I purchased a few months ago. It would have fit back when I was working out three years ago, and it was my "goal" dress. It still doesn't fit, either. It's as annoyingly close as the jeans. I took measurements this morning, and none of those have changed, despite the fact that I can see more definition in my arms, calves, and waist. I have no clue if I've lost (or gained) any weight, because I don't own a scale.

I have noticed that since I stopped working out, my energy level has tanked again. :-(

So, while I didn't reach my ultimate goal (get back in those jeans!), I did meet two of my goals:

1) Make exercising a habit

2) See enough progress to keep me moving

I'll keep up with the arm workouts, and start stretching soon. In a few weeks, I hope to be back to regular workouts. I'll have to start all over with building up my time. Maybe I'll have another challenge. I can't use "spring" in the title, though. Maybe "Summer" something. How about "Summer" Us Need to Get in Shape. Or maybe that's just the Southerner in me coming out....

How did you do? Did you see any progress in any areas? Did you enjoy the group challenge (although it was a small group)? Do you have any suggestions for things to do differently if I host future challenges (exercise or others)?

Fitness Challenge: Day 29

Well, we're almost there! This didn't quite end the way I'd planned, but over all, I'm happy with it. I'll try on the jeans tomorrow and take my measurements again and see if there's any change. 

I almost didn't get it done today, because other things kept coming up, but some time after 9PM, I finally did my 10-minute arm workout on the Sparkpeople DVD. I'm hoping that in another week or so, my knee will be recovered enough that I can at least do stretches with the other leg. I don't think I'll be ready for anything on the left for a few weeks. I'm planning on giving it the six weeks or so usually required for healing a serious injury.

I only got 1,870 steps yesterday, but I got 2,838 on Saturday. I was definitely ready for bed Saturday night, though. LOL

How are you doing? Ready to wrap it up?

Fitness Challenge: Day 27

We're coming into the final days of the challenge. I kept saying that I wasn't yet excited about working out, but now that I can't, I'm really missing it. *sigh* LOL

I did do the 10-minute arm workout on the Sparkpeople DVD today. It's the only thing I have on all my various DVDs that don't involve any leg work. I'm only doing it every other day, because there is no purpose in working the exact same muscles every day without letting them rest.

I did get two more stretching DVDs from the library today. I don't expect there will be much I can do without using my legs, but I can at least watch them and see if I want to try them. And I may be pleasantly surprised.

I did get 2,117 steps yesterday, passing 2,000 for the first time since last Friday.

How are you doing?

Fitness Challenge: Day 25

I did do most of the 10-minute All About Your Arms segment on the SparkPeople DVD this morning. I couldn't do the pushups or tricep exercises that used the chair. (You know the one where you "dip" and use your triceps to lift you up?) Yeah, I couldn't do those because they do use the legs a bit. I did do something, though, so I feel better.

I got 1,391 steps yesterday. *sigh*

Just a few more days! How are you doing?

Fitness Challenge: Day 24

Gah. That is all.

Okay, maybe not. Day 23's post didn't get lost on the interwebs; I just didn't post yesterday. I was kind of in a "why bother?" funk. I'm mostly over it (the funk, not the exercising). There is no way I'll be back to working out by the end of this challenge. Not for 30 minutes a day. I'm walking as little as possible, and have my 11-year-old and 4-year-old running extra go-fer duties. On Monday, when I found out that it was just my tendon, and not a dislocated patella, I was very relieved. I still am, because I don't have to be as paranoid about how I move. However, I was thinking that I just "pulled" or strained or whatever happens to tendons. It has since occurred to me that it may actually be torn. I'm not going to an orthopedist to find out. He'll just want me to take drugs and/or physical therapy that I can't afford, and therefore won't do. 

For right now, I just plan on resting my knee as much as possible until it can heal. My left calf and ankle, and right knee, have started hurting, too. I'm assuming it's because I'm walking funny and it's putting a strain on everything else. Fun. So I have both knees and my left ankle wrapped. *sigh* It works.

I got a new stretching DVD from the library yesterday. I do think I'll really like this one if I can ever do it. I tried to do the upper body segment this morning, but so much of even that involves the legs, that even sitting down, I did very little. It did help a bit, though. The DVD does have some yoga, but I'm not sure there's anything out there that doesn't. Most of it isn't yoga, so it'll have to do.

Tomorrow, I'm going to try the Upper Body workout on the SparkPeople DVD. I think it's only five minutes, but it's all seated dumbbell work. I think I can manage that.

I got a whopping 1.476 steps yesterday. First day I've topped 1,000 since Saturday.

How are you doing? Less than a week to go!

Fitness Challenge: Day 22

I went to the chiropractor this afternoon (for the first time in almost five years) and learned that my kneecap is not dislocated. I do, however, have a problem. The tendon at the top of my patella is severely strained. Maybe sprained, I supposed, although he didn't use that word. All I know is it really hurts, though not as bad as yesterday.

I need to start going back to the chiropractor, which isn't going to happen for a couple weeks. Until the pain is gone, I have to rest it, ice it, use arnica, all that stuff.

So the question is, do I keep posting so you can post your progress? I'm also thinking about giving it another two days to heal, and finding those limited-mobility exercises I mentioned yesterday, now that I know I won't be injuring it just by moving it. Which means no exercise tomorrow, but I would start back on Wednesday. I really hate to break my momentum this far in.

Any input? And how are you doing? No injuries, I hope.

Fitness Challenge: Day 21

Well, if you're friends with me on Facebook, you already know that I'm not likely to be working out today or tomorrow. Possibly for the rest of the challenge time.

I'm pretty sure I dislocated my kneecap yesterday. And it really, really, really hurts. And of course, it's a weekend. It did feel better when I woke up this morning, but it turns out that was just because it was able to rest overnight. As soon as I was up and moving around, it started hurting again. You should have seen  me in Walgreens. And why do they put the knee and ankle braces and wraps at the very back of the store? Let's think about this for just a moment, shall we?

*sigh* So, it's wrapped, with ice on it, and I'll call the doctor tomorrow. I did consider looking up some limited-mobility exercises and just doing some upper body stuff, sitting in a chair. But I don't want to do anything that might make my leg move, even accidentally. 

I only got 1,535 steps yesterday, because I couldn't walk for most of the day. I don't expect today will be any better.

How are you doing? No injuries, I hope.

Fitness Challenge: Day 20

Yes, I said "Day 20"! We're 2/3 of the way through! And in case you're wondering, after thirty days, you will want to exercise every day. Or at least, you'll remember to do so. I just finished the April A-Z Blogging Challenge on my main blog, and after writing a post almost every day for a month, it feels like I'm missing something if I don't write a blog post every day. So, don't give up! There is a point to all this. :-)

The weather forecast wasn't wrong, and it rained all morning, so no walk today. I did 27 minutes with a TaeBo DVD, and about five minutes of stretching after. That will be pretty much all the exercise I get today because I need to work all weekend, which means a lot of time in front of my computer. I'll get up and take a walk around the house every couple hours, though.

I got 5,802 steps yesterday.

How are you doing?

Fitness Challenge: Day 19

Is it just me or has this been the longest 19 days ever? LOL I know this is good, and I know I need to doing it, and I'm already looking forward to a time in a couple months, when I feel like I'm in good enough shape to start doing some 5Ks and 10Ks. I'd love to do a half-marathon, but I don't have the time to train for that.

This morning, I did the stretching/workout on a video I got from the library. It was made in 1994, but funky outfits aside, I always worry about fitness videos from that long ago because things change in the fitness world and some exercises or practices that used to be common are no longer so, because it's been determined that they do more harm than good. 

I own about 10 fitness DVDs, and I've owned and sold several more, as well as borrowed quite a few from the library. I also started studying to be a personal trainer about three years ago. (I've never been any good at biology and trying to learn all the body parts was too much for my non-science brain.) But nothing on this video rose any red flags, except a hair-do or two.

What did bother me was that one of the main things the doctor (did I mention it was a back-care specialist?) said at the beginning was that twisting, as well as twisting and bending were very bad for your back, and to avoid them if at all possible. So what's the last exercise she has you do? Lie on your side, with feet up in almost-fetal position. Then keep your knee down while you twist your elbow to the ceiling. Which, if I'm not mistaken, is quite a twist on the old spine. I didn't do that one.

Her exercises all seemed quite gentle, things that I've done with other programs, or toned-down versions of moves I've done before. So I don't know why my back has been hurting since I did them this morning. My back wasn't hurting before. It hasn't hurt since I did the one day of yoga last week. I haven't needed to do any more. I guess my body is finally getting used to working out, and also I've been making sure I stretch more after.

Needless to say, this video will be going back to the library tomorrow.

After my 30 minutes of back exercises, we took a 15-minute walk. I wanted to walk tonight, but the weather is getting ridiculous again. I probably won't be able to go out and walk tomorrow, either, so I suppose it'll be a DVD in the morning.

I had 5,813 steps yesterday.

Fitness Challenge: Day 18

This morning, I did the first three (allegedly) 10-minute workouts on the Sparkpeople Fit, Firm & Fired Up DVD. Turns out the segments are only nine minutes each (WHY do fitness DVD producers do that? Now that I have a player that shows the time, I can see how off all these times are.) so I did that for 27 minutes. I did take a 15-minute walk with the boys, so it's okay.

I'm not getting many steps in this week. I need to work out a system for getting more steps in even on days when I spend most of the day working on the computer. I only got 4,143 steps yesterday.

How are you doing?

Fitness Challenge: Day 17

We're rolling right along now. Despite my on-going jeans issue, I am seeing some progress. I can see the definition in my calves when I walk or stretch. Yay! That's the kind of thing I need to see to keep myself motivated.

This morning, I did the lower body workout of the DVD I started yesterday. Kathy Smith Lift Weights to Lose Weight. It's about 25 minutes. I didn't realize until we were already into it, that because it's not the first track, the timer doesn't start at zero. Other DVDs have, but I also hit the wrong buttons to start it, so that may have had something to do with it. Hopefully by the time I get back around to this DVD, I'll be able to do the whole thing in one day.

We took our 15-minute walk this morning, and I got 4,780 steps yesterday.

How did you do today? If you're blogging, feel free to leave your link in the comments.

Fitness Challenge: Day 16

This morning I did a 25-minute workout on the Kathy Smith  Life Weights to Lose Weight - Upper Body. And my arms are jelly now. Makes it a little hard to type.

The boys and I went for a 15-minute walk this morning, and also yesterday after I wrote my post.

I only got 4,908 steps yesterday.

How did your day go?

Fitness Challenge: Day 15

We're halfway through! And my jeans are actually tighter than they were when I started. I have no idea why. I didn't expect to see any changes this quickly, but getting bigger was certainly not anywhere in the plan. It's a bit frustrating. I'm starting to enjoy working out, though.

I did 30 minutes of the Abs of Steel DVD this morning. And I can still move, so that's something. LOL

I had 9,844 steps yesterday. I thought about walking around the house until I hit 10,000, but I just didn't have it in me by then.

How did your day go?

Fitness Challenge: Day 14

We're two weeks into the challenge, and I'm almost to a point where I actually want to workout. Honestly, if I could take a long walk every day, I'd be happy, but that's not possible, and it wouldn't do much for my arms or back.

I walked my regular route at the park this morning for 46 minutes. It was a little weird, because there was hardly anyone there. I thought the weather might keep a few people away (we were in between storms), but this was more (less?) than I expected. There were one or two other walkers and joggers, but there were several groups there playing frisbee golf, so at least I wasn't in the park alone. I wouldn't have stayed if that were the case.

I did rescue an amazing number of worms today. There are always a lot out after a rain. The brainless little things start crossing a street or sidewalk while it's wet, and get stuck as the pavement or concrete starts drying out. I pick them up and throw them back into the grass. It only occured to me yesterday that they may not fare well as they land. I may need to reevaluate my rescue strategy.

I ended up with 11,864 steps yesterday. 

How did your weekend go? 

Fitness Challenge: Day 13

I need to get back to posting early in the day. I've been going strong all day, and only sat down an hour or so ago, and I've been moving through all the stuff I need to do online.

I walked at the park this morning. The weather was much nicer than last Saturday morning. I walked for 44 minutes, and even got a tiny bit of jogging in there. And I mean a really tiny bit. 

I have over 10,000 steps by 4:30, and I have more than 11,233 now at almost 8:00, so that should tell you what kind of day I've had. And I'm not done yet. A nap would be good right about now, but if I lay down, I won't get up until morning. LOL

I got 7,021 steps yesterday.

How did your day go? If you're blogging, feel free to leave a link in the comments.

Fitness Challenge: Day 12

Sorry I'm posting so late. Fridays are pretty hectic for us. I did get a DVD from the library yesterday, and it's very different than any yoga DVD I've ever seen. It's yoga for athletes, so it has 16 different sports, and 12 different workouts for each sport. Basically, it's for cross-training. It's just a bunch of separate poses, rather than a full routine like I'm used to. I did 40 minutes (it was supposed to be 45 minutes, but I've found that the time isn't always accurate on workout DVDs) of basic poses in the Running category (they didn't have a walking - although they do have Hiking), and I feel SO much better today. 

I hadn't thought of looking for stretching DVDs until a reader mentioned it. (Thank you, Kemi!) I did get on my library's site this afternoon and reserve several stretching DVDs. I'll try them all out and hopefully I'll find one I like enough to buy, because I really need to be doing something.

I did walk for a few minutes with the boys today, but they were both grumpy so we cut it short. I went to the park after I took them to their dad's, and got 24 minutes in there.

I had 8,176 steps yesterday.

Day 11: Fitness Challenge

Have you ever started something then thought, "What on earth was I thinking?" Yeah. The last time I started a new exercise regime from nothing was three years ago. That time, I was energized and feeling good, and not only was I not exhausted and sore all the time, but starting from the very first day, I really had more energy and was staying up for 2-3 hours more than I had been previously. It was great.

So what's going on now? I'm sore, and I'm not even doing the full workouts on my DVDs. I'm tired and falling into bed at 10:30-11:00 every night. No reading in bed for me anymore; my eyes close as soon as my head hits the pillow.

I realized this morning what the problem probably is. I'm not doing yoga. I've recently been reading a lot about yoga and Christianity, and while I've never gotten a nudge from the Holy Spirit telling me to not do yoga, what I've read makes a lot of sense. So I've been looking at a few of the "Christian alternatives to yoga" DVDs. Except that I can't afford any of them right now. So I've put my yoga DVDs aside to sell or giveaway, but I'm not doing anything in place of them. I decided this morning that I need to be doing something until I can replace the DVDs. Except I can't find my yoga DVDs now. So I'll be seeing if my library has something. Because I am pretty much at a point where I can hardly move. A trip to the chiropractor would not go amiss, but I can not afford that, either. I already know that yoga works wonders for my back. (I'm not sleeping on a real mattress right now, either. That can't be helping.)

Which reminds me: if you want to get some exercise in, but are restricted in your movements for some reason, whether it be a wheelchair, arthritis, or some other issue, you can do a search for "limited mobility exercises" and find things that you can do.

Are you ready to throw in the towel? Have you hit unexpected roadblocks?

Update

For the love of Pete. I forgot to tell you what I did today. I did 18 minutes with the Leslie Sansome Power Mile DVD. It's supposed to be a 20-minute workout, but it's not. I also did 8 minutes of a Billy Blanks Cardio Blast. It only lasts 8 minutes or I'd have done more. I did take a 15-minute walk with the boys. 

I only had 2,823 steps yesterday because we didn't walk yesterday (I did walk down to get the mail) and I spent most of the day either on the computer or sitting in the floor helping my 4yo with his reading.

Day 10: Fitness Challenge

This morning, I did 40 minutes of TaeBo. I like TaeBo, but I don't like that he doesn't do any cool-down or stretching at the end. He just stops. I just do stretching after I turn the DVD off, but it bothers me that people who don't know any better might think that just because Billy Blanks is an "expert" and has put out several DVDs, that if he doesn't do a cool-down, then it's not necessary.

We did end up walking yesterday, with no injuries. We haven't walked today, and probably won't since it's supposed to storm this afternoon.

I forgot to report my steps yesterday. (I knew there was something I was forgetting.) 

Yesterday: 5,006

Monday: 6,003

Oh, and the shoes yesterday? I feel compelled to point out that those were accumulated over several years. I don't run out and buy new shoes every month. :-)

We're 1/3 of the way through! How's your week going? If you're blogging, feel free to leave your link in the comments.

Day 9: Fitness Challenge

Okay, I'm slowly getting back to actually enjoying the workouts. Very slowly. This morning, I did 40 minutes of Jillian Michaels' Extreme Shed and Shred DVD. I'm not sure who's crazier: Billy Blanks, Jillian Michaels, or me for actually trying to do their workouts. 

The boys are sleeping late today so we haven't walked yet. I'd wake them, but it's so quiet. LOL

And just for fun, here's a picture I took yesterday of all my walking shoes. If you workout every day, whether it's walking, running, or whatever, you need to have at least two pair of shoes so your shoes can "rest and recover" between uses. I think I have enough shoes to let mine have a very good rest. 

How did you do today? And am I the only one with an insane sport shoe collection?