January 6 - Exercise

I've held off speaking to the issue that bothers me the most...exercise!!

As I mentioned in a previous blog, joining a health club has not worked out so well for me in the past. I've been a member of at least three health clubs and, in each case, I signed up for a one year contract and slacked off after 3-4 months and ended up paying for the remainder of the year with little or no use of their facilities.

Dr. Lokken recomended at least 3 days/week of of 30 minutes or more of cardio exercise. He also suggested at least 5 days/week of some type of exercise, be it biking, walking, or whatever. I have a walking/hiking path within two blocks of my home and I also have two dogs and a son that love to go for walks. I figured I could easily get my exercise in by going out for walks.

Wrong!! It is easy to think about but harder to do when the temperature is below zero with a good wind blowing. I also get home from work after 5:30/6:00pm and going out for walk in the dark is not the first thing on my agenda of things to do.

I feel I've done a pretty good job this past two weeks watching what I eat. If this thing is going to work (by that I mean making changes to lower both my weight and chosterol), doing some form of exercise to raise my heart rate on a routine basis is important.

I've decided that giving the health clubs one more try is most likely in my future. I'm reluctant to hook myself into a 12 or 18-month contract and checked out some of our local clubs (YMCA, New Beginnings, Anytime Fitness) to see if they offer any month-to-month options. New Beginnings seemed the best fit for me. They have what looks to be a clean and spacious facility with modern equipment. I also feel comfortable that the owner of New Beginnings (Blaine Buseth) will set me up with a program to meet my personal goals.

I'm planning to stop by New Beginnings this week to get things started. Will keep you informed on my progress.