U and I went on a short hike on Saturday that turned out to be very expensive.
First of all, we didn't actually hike most of the way to the top of the mountain, instead wimping out and taking the overpriced cable car.
Then, as we were clambering up to the peak and I was complaining I wasn't wearing the right type of shoes, U finally decided he had to do something about his shoes. He's admitted for months that his shoes were falling apart and it was time to replace them, but hasn't done anything. We came down of the mountain and went shopping, where U bought a new pair - brown suede Merrel slip-ons that are super comfortable and great for every-day wear (he wore them out of the store and just about refused to take his old ones with him!)
But that wasn't his only purchase, as our short "hike" made him realize that we are both out of shape. Sucking back air as we climbed U decided that perhaps it would be better to make attempts to get back in shape and then go hiking, as opposed to just heading to the nearest mountain. He's been muttering recently about getting a Wii, but it wasn't until he dragged me into Toys R Us yesterday to "look" at Wiis, and then picked up a purchase tag, that I realized he was actually serious. 10 minutes later we were wlking out of the store with a Wii console and WiiFit (and a Toys R Us point card, because you must have a points card!)
Since he has a very small room in an all-male company dorm (that I am not even allowed to enter) it has been decided that th Wii will live with me. We had good fun last night setting up our individual settings (our 'Mii') and trying out the WiiFit games. I was't too sure just how much help a video game console would be in getting us back into shape, but after trying a few of the games I'm beginning to see that if done religiously, this could be a good thing... now we just have to get into the habit of using it!
Wii fit is loads of fun, and I definitely think it can help keep you in shape if you keep at it! I like doing the step/jogging while I watch TV or a DVD as I can forget that I'm exercising ;) Hope you can both enjoy it together - I have a pretty hard time getting S on there!
ReplyDeletegood luck!
ReplyDeletei like mine a lot, but it's hard for me to keep up with it every day.
Thanks guys! I'll do my best to keep it up.
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah, This sounds fascinating! I've also been trying to get into better shape - a neverending task! The warm fall this past year helped, in the sense that we were able to do more outdoor hikes, etc. But I've got a weather-proof routine that's also very helpful, if you have a set of stairs in your apartment building. Basically, you start at the bottom of a stairwell, and you go up one STEP and come back down, and you do that ten times. Then take a 20 second break. Then you up go up two STEPS and come back down again, and you do that ten times, and take a 20-30 second break. You then go up three steps, come back down again, do that ten times, then go up two steps, come back down, do that ten times, then go up one step, come back down, do that ten times, then rest for a minute. Then go up four steps, etc. It's really good if you can do this up to ten steps. I've managed so far only to do it to seven steps, but that's because I haven't been doing it regularly enough to build up my capacities. I would start just by trying to get up to 5 steps, and resting in between a lot if necessary. After doing this three times a week, for a couple of weeks, you'll really notice the difference in how much you can do and how fast you can do it. But your Wii gadget sounds more entertaining and fun - you'll have to tell me all about how it works! love and hugs, Cath
ReplyDeleteCath - your suggestion sounds much cheaper! Unfortunately however, I live on the first floor so no steps. The building is only two floors, and the stairway is an exterior one, so if I were to try your exercises I'd have the entire neighbourhood wondering what the heck the crazy foreigner was up to (not that I don't now, especially since I occasionally go out and take copious amounts of photos of knitting draped on greenery!)
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