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Lighten Your Limbs With Friends
Hello all. I have Diabetes 2 and have avoided exercise for over 2 1/2 years. I am overweight and know that I need to get moving and lose weight. I have always had excuses not to do anything much before. I have a treadmill, and I look at it, but I never use it. A few weeks ago, I decided that it is time to lighten my limbs. I received my Mayo newsletter. and it included a twelve-week Exercise Plan. It was like fate that I had decided to exercise and Mayo dropped the perfect routine in my lap. Because it's 12 weeks and not years and years, as some plans are, the Mayo is doable. They're not asking me to run a marathon!
It's a way to get stronger and healthier. However, one part was missing: I need to be accountable to somebody else. I would love for other Connects to join me so that we could celebrate our success each week. I don't want to wait to January when all we hear is "New Year, New You." So I thought it would be good to start before the bombardment of ads for gym equipment and promises to lose many pounds too fast (and gain it back even faster). I needed a plan that will work for me and anybody else, and Mayo has given it to us.
Let's get a jump on 2019 by finishing strong in 2018. If we start the first week on Friday, November 2, 2018 (only four days from now), it will propel us through the weekend and keep us going. Just think: By January 25th, we will have completed the 12 weeks. Just when other people are trying to keep their exercise resolutions, we'll have finished 12 weeks. We'll be lighter, heathier, and stronger. We also will have gotten into the habit of exercising and hopefully, do another 12 weeks. Doesn't that sound good? To be able to say, "I'm healthier and feel so much better and have lighter limbs." For the first time I am excited to exercise, but I need others to come along with me. I need the accountability.
Please join me and give it a try. Come along with me so we can say it's not just my 12 weeks, but it's our 12 weeks. The first week asks us to do 5 minutes of warm up, five minutes of brisk walking, and five minutes of cool down. That's only 15 minutes. I can do that! The walking is the speed that you are comfortable with. The warm up and cool down are just slower walking. It can be outside, in your house, at a gym—wherever you feel comfortable and whatever time of day is convenient. Nothing required except determination and desire to make it 12 weeks.
I'll post the exercise times for each week once we get started. Let's give this gift to ourselves and improve throughout the holidays. If you have any questions, send me a note, and I'll answer what I have from Mayo.
Everybody's walking! Sounds great to me.
@retiredteacher
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@marvinjsturing I am so proud of you for sticking with this. I tried to find your post earlier and was called away from my computer. Now that I am back on, I am so happy to see this post from you. That's the way to do it. If it's too much, find your own pace that's comfortable for you. I'm impressed; you've already done five days. I'm just going one day at a time so I'll have to catch up, or you may lead the pack all the time. I hope you already feel better. I know I do. Be proud of yourself; all of us who are not exercise people should be. I am proud of myself. I made an Excel chart for each day of the 12 weeks and when I could check off a day, it was with a great deal of flourish!
Did you go to the link I posted to go to the Mayo chart so that you can increase in increments when you are ready? If you didn't see that, let me know, and I'll send it to you.
Today, four of us are participating. I think we are a special group that we'd be willing to give this a try. If you need to chat or tell me of more successes and how you feel, just send me a post.
As a professor I had always said, "Keep on keeping on." That's what I'm going to do.
I'm so glad your are with me.
retiredteacher
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2 Reactions@colleenyoung
I am so glad that Marvin joined us too. Only two others who wanted to exercise haven't posted, but they may not have been ready. I am delighted that Marvin posted. I am so proud of everyone who got on the road to better health and being stronger.
I hope I said the right things to keep the group moving.
@retiredteacher
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2 ReactionsI like the idea of a check off on a calendar or Excel sheet and to do it with a flouish! I did go to the link and copied the weekly times to a note on my tablet so I can find the information quickly. I will "Keep on keeping on" or as Willie sings, "On the road again…"
@retiredteacher as I mentioned before I did the treadmill on Thursday, using the 5 minutes slower, then 5 minutes faster, for 25 minutes. Yesterday I was in the pool so my “walking” was pool jogging. I went to the gym today and was tight for time so I did the prescribed 15 minutes. During my treadmill session my L shin got really sore. I wonder if that’s a sign that I need new sneakers. It has not happened before with those sneakers. Interestingly I bought expensive sneakers ($130) and they bother my shins a lot. The ones I love are sketchers that I bought in marshall’s for about $30! They have been great but maybe the cushioning has broken down, I’ve had them for quite a while.
JK
@retiredteacher you claim to not be computer proficient, but you made an excel chart? I’m impressed!
JK
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1 Reaction@contentandwell, the chart on the Mayo page was already printed with the other info. I didn't make it. I am not proficient on the computer with all the operations that are complicated to me, and I still have no idea about filters and other basics that are used on the Connect site. However, from teaching. I know Microsoft Office, which I used in the classroom. I used Excel for spread sheets to grade and evaluate or whatever I needed them for. I made my own Excel spreadsheet for the walking plan. Each person can do his/her own and put on it what they wish. I just like to have a chart for the beginning and ending of the 12 weeks. I can count off the days, and I can check off my progress. I use Word all the time because I write, sometimes for myself and sometimes different forms of letters or documents, depending on the need.
However, the Mayo Chart works for keeping track of the weeks.
@retiredteacher
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1 Reaction@retiredteacher I use excel for a number of things. I used it when I was dieting to track my weight daily, along with formulas to show how much I had lost. I will always have problems with formulas though, it’s tricky I think.
JK
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1 Reaction@bb729
Have you been able to do any walking yet? I know you have challenges, but I wondered if you could do any of the 5-5-5. Those numbers are not written in stone. You can adjust it to 2-2-2, and get a start. I have just been thinking about you and hope you could do a little walk to lighten your limbs. If there is anything I can do, please let me know. Can I help you adjust the times or whatever you need to give you a goal to attempt some walking?
@retiredteacher
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2 Reactions@retiredteacher Hi Carol,
I am planning on starting this week and I will probably make adjustments to the schedule. As I live in the midwest and we are beginning to have colder weather I may look for an inside walking path and because of heart valve problems, Parkinson's and a rare form of cancer, I many cut the time down to 3/3/3 for the first five days and perhaps substitute a bike at the gym for one of those days. I'll keep you posted on my progress!
I will get started, though, I'm just getting off to a slower start!
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1 Reaction@bb729. I think the hardest part is getting started. I have to get it fully in my head and then convince myself. Those first steps aren't easy. Absolutely adjust the time. You could do just the slow walking for a week or more. There is no magic in 5-5-5. The magic is in walking to feel stronger and healthier. Maybe you could do 1-2-1. Can you try that?
@retiredteacher
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1 Reaction@susu2. That's the only place I've seen it, but I get most of what I need from Mayo, so when this was in the newsletter, I didn't look for anything else. I'm sure there are other similar programs. Did you get the link I sent? That is what was on the page. The email Mayo Newsletter is short and has three, maybe four topics that are suggested in brief. I assume they do this so that the inbox isn't overrun.
Do you need more information?
@retiredtecher
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1 Reaction@hopeful33250, That's another plus for this Plan—you can go at your own speed and start when you want to. I think of the story of the tortoise and the hare. The turtle took his time and still won! Whenever you begin and whatever speed works for you makes you a winner!
Let me know when you start and if this works for you.
@retiredteacher
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