Workout Wednesday - Targeting an area

Courtesy of Downtownn.tumblr.com

Things are going well. I'm taking my vitamins, I'm walking a mile every day, I'm drinking tons more water than I ever have in my life and I'm feeling great! Now comes the true test. . . targeting the areas I really want to improve. Because I truly believe I need to go at my own pace, I've found I am more motivated. I'm not listening to any outside forces telling me how many times and how long I should be doing anything. I'm doing my research, finding my time and getting it done. I'm seeing results, so I'm motivated to keep going.

If you look back on my post about Goals, you'll see that my main focus is to get my mid-section to a place where I feel comfortable. In the research I've done I've found a "catch-22" that says, you should target an area, but all the targeting won't do a thing if you aren't doing an overall exercise routine to burn calories. So, after thinking that I could get where I wanted by just walking, I realized it was only the first step. Therefore, I'm finding more "minutes" to squeeze into my routine targeted work.

On Pinterest I have a board called "Get Moving" where I pin websites, motivational quotes and exercise plans that I think will help me reach my goal. If you're on Pinterest, I encourage you to follow that board. On that board I have several images (like the one above) that give a whole list of things to do for a certain number of days. It's great because they start you off nice and easy and slowly get you moving faster and harder in the direction you want to go. The Tumblr site where this image was found has all sorts of training boards like this one to help you reach your goal.

On Monday (2/13/12) I started this level (there is also a starter plan) because I've already been walking for a month and I need to make sure I'm pushing past my comfort level every day. Whatever your level make sure to do something that is helping you reach your goals and pushing you. This morning I did the "Day 3" after I did my walk and I'm finding that having my blood moving like that really helps to start my day off well. Crunches aren't too bad, but I do feel the muscles working. Because I wanted to make sure I was doing the workout properly I found a video on YouTube on Doing Crunches Properly and it made a big difference in how I held my body. I don't have a personal trainer so I need to do the extra work of making sure I'm not hurting myself in the process. Crunches are a key exercise in my targeting my "issue" area. So far. . . so good!

If you're just joining the conversation on getting healthy in 2012 click here to be taken to the previous posts. Getting started and getting moving is the idea. Health is all the little steps culminating in the achievement of your goals. Let me know what you're doing to keep on the healthy bandwagon for 2012!

Next week: Snacking