Extra Efforts

Walking is good. I like it. Some days I like it more than others. But the truth is sometimes it gets boring. And sometimes my routine needs a BAM to break the monotony.

Here are some other things I do to switch it up a little.

Leg lifts. Lay on floor on your back. Bend one leg up so your foot in on the floor. Lift the other heel a few inches off the ground and hold it for as long as you can. Or, swing it side to side or pick it up and down, never allowing your heel to touch the ground.

Sit-ups on the exercise ball. I can't do sit-ups on the floor. I'm not coordinated enough or something ... it just never feels right. But I can go all day on that big blue ball. I started doing 50 or 75 of them. But now I can do 500. Bear in mind that I only do 500 once in a while. I feel OK the morning following, but by late afternoon I'm so sore I can't stand it and hurts for a couple of days. Yes, it would be smarter to do 200 every day or something. But smart isn't always my strong suit. I used to do them in the morning before I showered when I was working out at night. Nice balance.

Tick Tocks. My friend Tina taught me this one and I was completely surprised at how hard it was. Stand behind a chair/couch. Or next to your chest of drawers ... something to hang on to that's about waist high. Stand on one leg and swing the other out to the side (like a pendulum), and then back to the middle. You can switch left to right to left to right ... tick tock, get it? Or I usually just do 25 or 35 on one leg and then switch to the other. Again, I have no idea what it works, but it hurts, so I assume that means it's good.

Front and back kicks. When I'm doing tick tocks, I add front kicks and back kicks to round out the butt/leg ensemble. Again, just stand there and kick your leg out front 25 or 35 times, never letting it touch the floor. Switch legs. Do it to the back, kicking your leg out back behind you. Sometimes I kick and hold that one, imagining that it will make my butt look high, tight and round. (It's not working so far.)

Hand weights. Yeah, sure, bicep curls. On the exercise ball for extra umph. I also put the weight by my ear and push up. And then I put the weight at my side and lift out to the side or straight out front. Or, with arms outstretched to your side, twist your wrists back and forth.

Squats. Squats make me nervous because my left knee still wiggles when it's not supposed to. But I have started doing a few when I'm stretching before I get on the treadmill. Or, this morning I heard the exercise dude on the Channel 3 morning show say to do them while you're brushing your teeth. I thought that was a great idea and started today.

Treadmill Karate. I imagine this looks incredibly stupid. But to increase my heart rate in short bursts, I'll add some arm movements to my normal walking. PLEASE NOTE: I can't watch TV while I do this because I'll trip and fall. Enter at your own risk. But at the start of a quarter mile, I'll do 50 reps of something. Like cross/jab punches out in front of me. Or uppercuts. Or punches up at the sky. Or I lift my arms straight out at my side and bend at the elbow to karate chop at my chest, palms down. (Kind of like a cheerleader move.) Feel free to make up your own.

Butt Lifts. Lay on your back on the floor. Bend knees and put your feet on the floor. Lift your hips toward the ceiling and repeat as many times as you can. Then, lift hips up and hold it, squeezing your butt cheeks, for as long as you can. I have no idea what, if anything, this does. But it entertains Jim. (Cracks him up, actually. Not what you were thinking!)