Sweating, breathing hard, watching the timer, cursing under my breath, aching, running out of steam, wishing to be somewhere/anywhere else, bored to tears, embarrassed by the scene in the omni-present mirrors, watching the timer some more, intimidated by the all the other "exercisers", who make what we are doing look like child’s play.

Now that we are back to the daily exercise routine on our pre-holiday schedule, and striving to get back to our 30 minutes minimum on the treadmill, preceded by at least 10 almost agonizing minutes on the dreaded "elliptical"; I thought I might share with you some thoughts.

Oh sure, I know that the heart strengthening results of such efforts far outweigh the downside; but, I certainly don’t have to revel in that knowledge. Exercise has always been work. Hard work. Age and obesity only increase the effort; so, at age 61 with an extra 80 pounds to carry around, exercise is a four letter word, no matter how you spell it, or perform it.

And granted, I do feel better at the end of each workout session than I did at the outset—at least after my heart rate and respiration normalize—anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes on a "good" day.

Now I’ll need about ten minutes or so in a all too welcome shower… followed by at least a ten minute "cool off" period before getting dressed. It’s cold and rainy today, so the trek through the parking lot to the car, followed by the fifteen minute drive home won’t do my cold much good.

So, here I am. Back in front of my trusty computer in just under two hours…still sweating…with legs that still think they are on the treadmill. Walking normally again will require another bit of adjustment.

That’s pretty much been the routine since the day after Christmas; resulting so far in a discouraging net loss of one of the nine pounds I regained during the Thanksgiving to Christmas "eating marathon", that occurs in a family of excellent and creative cooks.

Certain that, for all of my efforts, I deserved a lot more than a one pound reward, I did a "google" for ALTERNATIVE EXERCISE; and was presented with a an overwhelming number of options (859,000 "possibles"). Everything from belly dancing and yoga to martial arts and "water exercise for non-swimmers". Nothing immediately caught my fancy till I hit the page about Isometrics; and was reminded of the almost historic
astonishing results achieved by my high school wrestling team when they switched to using the Isometric exercise routine exclusively, and started winning match after match.

Isometrics has been practiced since even longer ago than my high school years….for thousands of years, in fact; used by athletes and health conscious civilians alike. There are probably even biblical references—cave paintings at least, though I can personally vouch for neither.

Thinking to narrow the search, I did another "google". This time for "isometrics define" and was treated to 565,000 results. Not much relief there.

So, it’s one more search, this time going right to the source—a search for "isometrics" yielded a little over four million results. That is if you can consider 140,000 to be a "little over".

And as usual, a significant number of those results have been created by someone with something to sell. One gentleman in particular seems to be everywhere with a "super-deluxe, one-of-a-kind, guaranteed results GIZMO". His pages are well done, and are actually kind of entertaining; especially when you know as an absolute fact that a major advantage of Isometrics is that it can be done anywhere, anytime, by nearly anyone…with absolutely NO SPECIAL EQUIPMENT REQUIRED.

Sure, the GIZMO with the funny name, might be fun; and if someone gives you one, don’t throw it away. Just put it in the closet where it was probably destined to end up anyhow.

For now, here’s a free "intro to Isometrics lesson" that you can expand as you see fit:

(1) Put your palms together in front of you at chest height.

(2) Push; and count slowly to seven.

Well done! You’re off to a great start.

Check back here regularly as we add more exercises and share some of our own personal results.

Our websites currently deal primarily with Weight Control; but we will be adding Isometrics information on a regular basis.
Stop by when you get a chance:Weight Control

For a Sales Page that doesn’t sell; but does provide a wealth of information about Isometrics, visit: Isometric Training

We’ll leave a light on for you.

Till next time,

Fred

P.S. Read about build your immune system and other useful tips on the quoted blog.

Guest Post

No doubt, everything at the table looks incredibly delicious, and it’s can become very easy over fill your plate 2-3 times so that you can sample everything. An easy way to combat this urge is to simply reduce the portion size you normally would take of your favorite dishes you’re most interested in, especially belt-bursting desserts. Split a piece of Chocolate mouse or cheesecake with your significant other, friend, or any other relative who may be watching his or her waistline.
Fitness Tips
3. DRINK AROUND, DURING, AND BETWEEN MEALS
Drink a fair amount of water or other unsweetened beverage before each meal, as well as during and between them. The liquid in your stomach will help trick your mind into not feeling as hungry, which reduces the tendency to over eat fattening foods.

4. POSITION YOURSELF AWAY FROM THE SNACKS
Think about this for a second. If you take a seat within an arm’s reach of the snack table, you’re going to have a tough time keeping yourself from socially grabbing handfuls of party mix, candies, and the like and grabbing at them all day. By placing yourself into a activity such as a card game or charades, getting to the snacks involves a conscious effort into getting up and walking over to get at the snacks.
5. It’s Okay To Take An Exercise Break
If the weather allows for it, go out and take a quick walk around the house or block. If your Holiday celebrations is taking place in a colder climate, you’ll be more inspired to walk faster and burn a few extra calories in the process. If the weather will not allow for this activity, do 10-20 squats, stretches, simply turn on the tunes and get everyone dancing to some fast paced music, it will be fun!. You only want to do enough to raise your heart rate, but not break out into a sweat. Chances are, no one will know what you are up to, and later you will not have to feel self-conscious about trying to maintain yourweight loss.
Firm Wave Exercise Equipment
However, if you just happened to place on a few extra pounds, don’t stress over it. If you’ve been following a healthy diet and exercise plan, most likely any weight you did gain is water and it will come off when you resume your healthy diet and exercise after the holiday party.

Guest Post