Making a Plan

Given my hectic schedule, I have always found it hard to find time for exercise. I like sleep too much to force myself to get up before 6:30 a.m. I rarely have enough time to eat with all of my work commitments outside of the regular 8-5 office time. But I am no longer using these as excuses. I have spent hours researching different programs, which is how I came across the Couch to 5K program. During my search, I also came across different articles regarding strength training.

I have a gym membership. I'm lucky if I go to the gym once a month. That's going to change. Why? Because I have a plan. Want to know what it is? See below:

Saturday - C25K Cardio / Abdominals

• Stretching
• Warm-Up
• C25K
• Cool-Down
• Stretching
• Medicine Ball Seated Twists
• Crunches
• Ball Rollout

Sunday - Chest / Neck / Shoulders

• Stretching
• Cardio
• Bench Press
• Dumbbell Pullovers
• Incline Dumbbell Press
• Incline Flyes
• Push Ups
• Shrugs
• Arnold Press
• Front Raises
• Side Raises
• Stretching

Monday - C25K Cardio / Abdominals

• Stretching
• Warm-Up
• C25K
• Cool-Down
• Stretching
• Air Bike
• Crunches
• Medicine Ball Wood Choppers

Tuesday - Back / Biceps

• Stretching
• Cardio
• Back Hyperextensions
• Lat Pulldown
• One Arm Row
• Seated Row
• Concentration Curls
• Hammer Curls
• Preacher Curls
• Stretching

Wednesday - C25K Cardio / Abdominals

• Stretching
• Warm-Up
• C25K
• Cool-Down
• Stretching
• Side Bridge
• Crunches
• V-Up

Thursday - Legs / Triceps

• Stretching
• Cardio
• Squats
• Hamstring Curl
• Leg Extension
• Leg Press
• Calf Raises
• Lying Triceps Extension
• Triceps Pulldown
• Overhead Triceps Extension
• Triceps Kickback
• Stretching

Friday - REST
This week I am going to start my plan. I am going to make time in my schedule every day to fit it all in. I will adjust the plan as needed.
Feel free to join me in this quest for overall fitness.

Welcome to the Active World

The first step in making this blog successful is to post. So here we go! I just wanted to provide a little background on how this was started.

A few weeks ago, our fellow contributor, Tara, started the Couch to 5K Plan. This is designed to get even the most inactive people up, out, and running in about nine weeks. When I heard about it, I was immediately intrigued. I have always envied runners, but could never get into it myself. After much debate with myself, I decided to join her in the adventure. We figured that even though we live in different states, we could still be motivators for each other.

I started doing it after completing the nine week challenge on EA Sports Active - More Workouts. I loved the original Active as well as the new version. However, for the summer, I have a good amount of traveling to do. I figured the Couch to 5K would not only (hopefully) get me to enjoy running, but it would also be a workout I could do anywhere while I traveled. All I need is my running shoes! I may be a little crazy for starting to run in the summer in Florida, but I have been running early in the morning. It hasn't been too bad, yet.

As I started the plan two weeks ago, almost every time I mentioned I was starting people either said they had done it, knew someone who had, or were interested in doing it.This included our other contributor, Susan, and some friends and coworkers of mine here in Florida. I now pass a friend of mine who lives in my neighborhood every morning, and even went with her and another friend to buy running shoes last weekend.

All of the talking, and need of support and motivation, gave me the idea for this blog. This way, those of us who want to share and find support can do so even if we do not all live in the same place. I also figure that with so much out there about getting active now, it may be good to have a more down-to-earth spot to talk about what is working or not working for us. We certainly are not here to tell people how to get their butts moving. We just know we are trying to do it, and sharing never hurts!

If anyone is interested in contributing, let us know! We are open to adding anyone interested in adding to the fun!