Now that I'm on week 7, some weight has been drastically lost over the weekend, but that may have been due to eating at different times and perhaps too much activity on my part. I expect to gain that back within the week, as it likely was an unhealthy loss. That said, at the time of this post (Tuesday, August 21, 2012), I now weight 171lbs. That's a 6lb loss since i started.
Although I am using Wii Fit Plus and EA Active More Workouts on the Nintendo Wii for my primary method of exercise, I also play Dance Dance Revolution and In The Groove occasionally to help my exercises. I'm also trying out different games that can help with exercising or just keeping active.
So far, Wii Fit has mainly been helping me remain flexible with its yoga while EA Active has been mostly helping with muscle building for me. My weight loss seems to have come from a weekend of activity, but it could have been an unhealthy weight loss. At this time, I think EA Active and Wii Fit are both good ways to get in shape, but one must remain active outside of them as well. Before, I would just do my usual exercises and then sit or lie about doing nothing. So I need to walk around, hang with friends, or otherwise do something to get my blood going more than being at a state of rest for several hours. Even some video games on a console that get your adrenaline going seems like a better idea.
I'm listing common exercises that I use. Anything that deviates from it, or isn't a set work out will be listed on days I do them. Also, except for the EA Active videos, none of the videos are mine, but found around on YouTube.
My Usual Warm Ups
The first 4 warm ups are done on my own in my room and not on Wii Fit Plus. The reason is because the Wii is in the cellar which has a low ceiling, and the first 4 Yoga poses require me to fully stretch upwards. Exercises in italics are yoga poses, and those in bold are strength exercises.
- Sun Salutation
- Tree
- Half Moon
- Palm Tree
- Standing Knee
- Chair
- Warrior
- Triangle
- 10 reps of JackKnives
- Downward-Facing Dog
- Grounded V
- Cobra
- Bridge
- Spinal Twist
Exercises in Italics are "warm up" exercises. Those in bold are "cool down" exercises. Rest are normal strength exercises unless otherwise noted.
- Knee Tucks
- Split Squats with Reaches
- Windmills
Good Mornings- I omit it because it requires me to reach straight up, which I cannot due to cellar's low ceiling.- Bent Arm Side Planks
- Reverse Crunches
- Stride Jumps
- Push Ups
- Mountain Climbers
- Fitness Trail - Sprint (Medium)
- Boxing - Combo Station 1 - Light jabs and hook shots
- Straight Arm Plank
- Crunches with Punches
- Skipping
Bent Over Rows- Omitted because I don't like exercises that require a stretch band.- Mountain Climbers
- Fitness Trail - Sprint (Medium)
- Boxing - Combo Station 2 - Light jabs and uppercuts
- Reverse Crunches
- Leg Raises
- Stride Jumps
- Push Ups
- Mountain Climbers
- Fitness Trail - Sprint (Medium)
- Boxing - Combo Station 1
- Straight Arm Plank
- Bent Arm Side Plank
- Pretzels
- Heel Drops
- Figure 4's
- Sideway Ankle Pulls
Originally, I was going to just do my usual warm up, then play Just Dance 3 with my friend, Sierra. However, my cousin Olivia called me up and we got to talking. After an amazing weekend I had, I needed to talk to her about a lot. In the end, we decided to hang out later. I ended up only having time to do my warm ups before she came by, so I'll save Just Dance for my next aerobics or wild card day.
We ended up walking around the mall a lot, got over 3000 steps with my 3DS, so I think that will suffice for an activity. Tomorrow, it'll be back to EA Active's Crunch & Core for strength exercises.
August 22 - Wednesday (Strength)
Was time to get back to the usual exercises. Did my usual warm ups, plus added Dance pose again. I don't think it is too far from being added into my usual warm ups despite not being my best Yoga pose.
After all that, I went right into the Crunch and Core workout. I feel Bent Arm Side Planks sometimes don't get me the stretched feeling, but just hurt my elbows. The game kind of rushes me into doing the pose so I can't get comfortable in time before it starts.
I started to try engaging my abs more as I did my exercises for a better effect after that. I sometimes loosened my grip on my abs a bit because it makes it hard to breathe on certain exercises while forcing my ab muscles out. That said, Reverse Crunches were much better today. I also pushed myself more with stride jumps, stretching my legs out more.
When it came to Mountain Climbers this time, I put on some shoes so I wouldn't bounce around as much. Doing that had the rep counter actually come close to accurate with my reps! First time it messed up by five, second messed up by two, and third time, it accurately got my reps right! Looks like while doing this routine, shoes will be a must!
The shoes helped make the Fitness trail hurt my ankles less, keep my balance a little better when doing Push Ups and Straight Arm Planks, and added a little more weight to my Reverse Crunches and Leg Raises.
After that, I did 20 minutes of Free Step. I did take more frequent break with the EA active today, which is something I should work on a little. According to a Wii Fit Plus exercise tip, working out is generally only effective if done in a minimum of ten minute intervals. Maybe I'll time myself to take break only after every ten minutes, or at least make it a goal. if I'm really thirsty or tired, I won't overdue it. At least when I do aerobics on Wii Fit, I get 10 minute intervals with some exercises. Until tomorrow!
August 23 - Thursday (Aerobics)
I started late since I woke up late. For whatever reason, I can go to sleep early but then wake up an hour or two later.
Anyway, did my usual warm ups and then the dance pose. I did pretty bad this time; spaced myself away from the tv so I couldn't hold onto it whenever I felt shakey. Then, started my usual Wii Fit Aerobic exercises. Started with Super Hoola Hoops and did 10 minutes of them. Spinning right, I got the nice feel of a burn in my abs. Spinning left, it didn't always register my movements right and thought I was slowing down. I didn't step off the balance board this time, so I believe it is due to my ankles being sore.
Next, I jumped into Rhythm Boxing, 6 minute mode. I did much better, only getting confused once when it came to stepping back with a foot. Scored 712, highest yet, and unlocked Expert Mode! Wonder how challenging that will be. After finishing up, I jumped straight into Obstacle Course Advanced so I wasn't taking a break for too long; trying to work out for ten minutes straight in each area. I messed up once during this run, misjudged my jump at one point, so my score was a lower 584 this time.
After those games, I did a 10 minute Free Run in my shoes to see if they made as much a difference as it did in EA Active yesterday. It did. Think I may even do a 20 minute run next aerobic day!
Skateboard Arena Advanced was next, which made my ankles sore. I got to Stage 8, but was by then my ankles were so sore, it was hard to go on. Scored 141, I really need to beat this sometime... Next I jumped straight into Birdeye Bullseye Expert (10:22) next. Unfortunately in my first game of it, I ran out of time. For whatever reason, I was unable to land right, and I generally was getting frustrated with the game. Only scored 217 this time.
I then finished up with 30 minutes of Free Step, which for every 10 minutes passed, I increased the step speed.
Tomorrow is a wild card day, which I plan to play Just Dance and see how it is for exercising. I've played it before, but it was for a short period. It may become a new cardio day exercise!
August 24 - Friday (Wild Card Day)
Warmed up all right. Weighing myself in, I gained a little bit of weight. Probably because I had a little it of ice cream the night before. Then, jumped right into Just Dance 3. I gotta say, a lot of fun and great way to work up a sweat! Played at LEAST 30 minutes to an hour of it, but I probably did more. Some of my favorites were California Girls and No Limit. California Girls was easy enough to get into and I practically can always 4 star it now, and No Limit was a favorite song of the past, I had to keep playing it.
Admittedly, it was difficult for me to realize what I was supposed to do at first, so the first few songs I did were done terribly, but eventually I got the hang of it. I tried to mimic the dancer entirely in the beginning, which is a bit too difficult to do as a starting thing. Now that I have the basic ideao n how to do things, I may try memorizing a few of the dances.
Also, I looked (and look) like a total spazz while I first started, but I think that's part of the fun! It's one of those things that made the game more enjoyable as I laughed at myself totally messing up. Sierra came down to watch me too, and we laughed at my mistakes and such. I didn't mind her company cause she didn't make fun, just laughed when I laughed or accidentally hit the ceiling. Yeah, the low ceiling is a factor, but I can adjust my arm so I don't have to stretch my arms straight up for the moves.
I even downloaded Just Mario since I had leftover Wii Points on the system. THAT is a pretty good song for exercise, even though I was hitting the ceiling more when I needed to mimic the hitting-the-coin-block action. I just may add this game at the end of all my work outs exercises, if I feel up to it.
The only bad part of my "Just Dance" session was my sister barging into the room to wrap some thigns cause she couldn't be bothered to either knock or wait till I was done with a song. I refuse to have her in the room cause she can't help but comment on everything... and I didn't want her ruining my game experience so I had to just stop what I was doing.
Tomorrow will be Wii Fit strength exercises. I may try a new exercise to see if I can do it!
August 25 - Saturday (Strength)
I started early doing my usual warm ups, and the Dance pose, which I got a rather nice score of 82 on, and wasn't leaning on anything! I did, however, not go fully forward but that's progress for you.
I started with a set of 30 JackKnives, and did another set later on. This time around, I forced my torso up more than usual because I believed I was lifting my legs up much more in the past. I really felt it this time! A 6 rep Torso Twist exercise followed after. I'm still not sure how much that really helps muscles, but did my best to tense my abs as I did it.
Single Leg Twist came next. I was getting slightly annoyed because I was rather shaky, but did decent enough. Finished off the 10 minute set with a 30 second Plank. I did well on the planks, scored somewhere in the 80s. I think I'm better off doing them on my own though.
Next set of three exercises I did were Lunges (20 reps), Arm & Leg Lift (20), and Side Lunge (15). Lunges were incredibly hard for me, having to force myself to do the last 3 reps on each leg. I also kept nearly falling off and had to adjust myself. Wonder if shoes for that would help... Arm and Leg Lift was a great work out as always. Side Lunge wasn't as bad this time for me, but I opted not to spread my legs out too much. I still got my thighs stretched and working, just it wasn't killing me like usual.
After throwing in the second set of 30 jackknives around here, I also did 20 reps of Sideways Leg Lifts and on my own, 10 reps of push ups. Not feeling enough burn, I finished off with Bird Eye Bullseye on Expert. During the Jackknives is when my parents sent down Sierra to pass a message about coming upstairs to take care of Faith. Told them 6 more minutes before continuing. Sideways leg lifts left my left leg really aching in the hip area, and didn't feel like a good ache either, so that was when I did 10 push ups on my own to keep myself going. I did them rather fast, so a nice birdeye bullseye was a good breather yet arm workout. I also got my best score on it this time: 360!
After this, I would have normally did one more 30 rep set of JackKnives, but mom wanted me upstairs by now. Basically, all I did was sit around, watching Faith sleep. I asked Sierra if she had this under control, and when she said yes, I said I wanted to head back down then. I had stopped for about 2 hours which ended up making me feel sore and not very active. I opted to watch Netflix whiel I did some exercises on my own.
While watching Torchwood, I did some my my usual warm ups, such as Standing Knee, Chair, Warrior, Triangle, Cobra, Bridge and Spinal Twist, on my own. I had to do something to get my body moving again. Then, I did about 20 slow crunches, and attempted to do both straight arm and normal planks. Unfortunately, those hindered my ability to watch the show so I only last about 30 seconds. Eventually I was just marching in place while the show went on.
When it finished, I felt disappointed, so forced myself to do about 30 minutes or more of Just Dance 2 this time. It has a few songs i really love, such as Rasputin and Wake me up before you go go, but not as nice a collection as Just Dance 3. This way, I still got to sweat it out some! I think I may have bruised or slightly hurt my leg while doing it, but it's minor enough to not matter. This way I got at least an hour and a half of exercising, but likely more than that.
Tomorrow is aerobics. I think I may do the same as I did last aerobics day THEN add in Just Dance to the equation... if there's time. That long break really messed me up for strength today though.
August 25, Sunday (Aerobics)
Today, I really didn't have much of a chance to exercise because I had to go to Olivia's housewarming party. I wouldn't have much time to exercise AND shower and get ready so I waited until afterwards, which ended up being about 7pm. Before that, I did walk Faith a little, but she wanted to turn back really early. At best, I walked about a block.
Before dinner, I managed to do my usual warm ups all right, plus the dance pose, which I did really well on! I managed to stretch my leg up higher than normal and only faltered a little! After that, I had to eat dinner. After waiting about 30 minutes after eating, I went straight into my aerobic exercises.
Started off with Super Hoola Hoops for 10 minutes. Spinning right, as usual, gave me a good ab burning feeling, with spinning left being slightly off. Left wasn't THAT bad this time, but slowed down randomly for no reason. After awhile, I stopped caring what it said and just spun for fun. Ended up getting my second highest score.
Next I did what I was most proud of tonight: a 20 minute Free Run! The first 10 minutes had me getting tired, but I kept a steady jog, and around 12-13 minutes in, I got a bit of a burning feeling in my legs. It didn't hurt really, just could tell I was getting sore. I kept going, and it was like my legs were on autopilot! After I was done, I was tired, but felt really good in my legs! Apparently I jogged 3.1 miles according to wii fit, and ran over 3000 steps according to my 3DS.
After a 5 minute water break, continued on with Rhythm Boxing on Expert (10 minutes long, though it credited me for 13 minutes...). I did really well, only messed up a few times, but scored 1244 on it! It really had my arms working and had me sweating! Definitely was a good decision to add this into the aerobic rotation!
Wasn't sure what to do next as I was feeling rather sore, so decided to do a round of Snowball Fight on Advanced. I apparently was super focused or something, I scored the best I ever did with a 62! After that, it was around 10pm, and didn't want to work out too late without having a chance to shower, so decided to do 3 songs on Just Dance 3. I figure the songs last at least 3 minutes each, so figure I get a 10 minutes out of it. Felt good as usual!
Tomorrow, assuming I'm not too sore, I think I'll do Just Dance again for wild card day. Assuming I'm not going to the arcade for DDR/In The Groove.
August 27 - Monday (Wild Card Day)
Did my usual warm ups plus the dance pose, which I did very well with today! Then, my friend invited me to the arcade again, so Dance Dance Revolution, Pump It Up, and In The Groove were my exercises tonight! Unfortunately, it was rather crowded so I only got three games on In The Groove, 1 game on DDR, and one game on Pump It Up. I normally do more, but sadly, tonight just wasn't the night.
Tomorrow, I actually am applying for a job! It's simple package handling, but it's something! And I really need the money! So because of that, there's a chance I won't get to my strength exercise tomorrow.
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