Which Workout (part 1)
In the L.E.A.N. approach to healthier living, E represents the exercise component. Depending on age, time allocated, facilities available, and goals, there are many approaches one can take to meeting workout goals. There has been recent research published regarding the P.R.I.S.E. protocol (developed by Paul Arciero, PhD), which I believe provides a great balance, but more on that later. Over the years, I have tried several exercise options and formed my own opinion. There is a wealth of data around the benefits of each type of exercise. My willingness to try new forms of exercise has expanded as my confidence in my body's ability to perform new challenges has also grown. With so many options to choose from, it's important to find one that works to address your goals and schedule at that point in your life and those will likely develop over time, so be open to different options and know that an obstacle to one form of exercise just might be a window opening to try a new form.
Basic Beginner Level
This is the exercise which I was first introduced to and for most people who go to the gym see it as a group exercise class. It happens to be an area where I struggle. It often requires the ability to quickly learn moves, understand terminology, juggle different weights (which you need to have a clue ahead of time which ones those should even be), and you must be coordinated enough often to watch the instructor and frequently, navigate a step, while staying upright. The vision I get of myself when I went to those classes, which of course I tried multiple times is more of what I see many comedy writers trying to play out in an episode of Will & Grace. I could either watch the instructor, move my body the way I was supposed to, move around the step, or stay upright, but not all at once. That's not one of the talents God gave me. I went with very good friends on different occasions who knew me well, cared about me, and wanted to see me succeed. They also wanted to make sure that nobody in class was a liability, especially the person next to them, so even they agreed it just wasn't my thing.
That's what led me initially to say forget it, I will walk and do exercise videos at home. There is a tremendous amount of benefit to walking and there are many wonderful home workout videos available for order and online. There are even facebook pages with loads of free workouts, you just have to know where to look. (I might have to look into a few of these for a future blog post.) I found home workouts to often be a great solution for me for time, embarrassment factor, the need to modify, and having many options right at my fingertips. I loved several of Jillian Michaels's videos. I even tried P90X (not such a fan at that point in my life). Working out at home is a great option if you are willing to schedule the time just like any other appointment, you aren't easily side tracked, and don't mind a child or animal trying to participate or demand your attention. My daughter and I enjoyed many home workouts and it was a fantastic way to teach her the importance of loving and taking care of our bodies. She loved it and wanted to do everything that Mommy did. That also meant that she wanted her own exercise mat, set of weights, and to use what I was using, often while I was using it. There's also the dog that believed bringing out the exercise mat meant time for her to lie down in the middle of the living room. While these were a great option in my younger years, eventually I realized that as a mom juggling so much, I needed the structure of a class and the allocated commitment to time to consistently get in a good workout and the home workouts could be supplemental.
The Independent Options
While we're on the subject of options for the internally motivated or independent, I also tried the go to the gym on my own and even tried running. I worked at a gym as a receptionist my second year of teaching. It was fantastic for meeting tons of people and having a great social life. Working at a gym does not however mean that one suddenly knows what they are doing in the gym. The only way I could seem to work through the intimidation factor over the years was if somebody was walking me through the workout, a friend, guy I was dating, etc. Since there's nothing consistent with that, just having a gym membership wasn't the right fit for me either.
What about running? I have fond memories as a child of my dad finding his place with this sport. I did my first 5K at age 8 or 9 with him, for the sake of enjoying something along with him. Read a few articles, get some good supportive shoes and just hit the road. Yes, I tried that too. I even signed up for a half marathon to really commit myself to doing it. Even though this is something that many people do on their own, there are reasons that running clubs pop up to help people have an accountability group and encouragement when things get really hard. I couldn't seem to get my work and mom life schedule synced up with the running clubs' so this just went to the wayside. I still have an interest in tackling that half marathon goal, but let's take things one challenge at a time.

Dance Classes
Dance classes are an area in which adult females in particular are finding their place of enjoying workouts. I believe this might have started with the Jazzecise trend. I personally have never done one of the Jazzercise classes, but have heard from friends that to this day, they enjoy them. I started out with belly dancing in my mid 20s and quickly fell in love with the tribe, embracing my inner goddess, and being able to learn about a different culture. Of course not all belly dancing teachers are created equally and I was blessed to take from a wonderful lady named Donna, who married a man years before, when she was dancing in Morocco and always took time to educate us on the culture. Belly dancing was such an important part of my life that I even incorporated it into my first wedding reception. I ordered a white costume to change into and everything. I enjoyed this for years, even during my pregnancy. After several years of having it on hiatus, I attended a belly dancing class recently and remembered just how much I love it.

Zumba has become another popular form of dance among adult women and even some men. While there are some preconceived notions about the intensity of this workout, I would say that there is a theme here regarding the instructor's skills, knowledge, pace, and ability to gauge the flow of the class. After seeing my friend Precious posting for around a year about how much she loved it, I decided to give it a try and took a class she led. Did I mention that between zumba and running she also had a rather impressive body transformation? There were moments when I had flashbacks to making an absolute fool out of myself in step aerobics, but in my forties, I have learned that instead of getting embarrassed when I mess up (as long as there isn't a risk of injury), go ahead & make a full on a** out of myself and laugh, just make something up to relieve the tension that I initially feel for messing up. Her class was fun, fast paced, and I loved seeing her shine completely in her element. I had a blast.
Yoga & Pilates - Not as Easy as Many Believe
Yoga is something that I was blessed to experience in kindergarten of all times and I remember loving it. Getting back into a few classes and seeing how our children have to function these days, I will say that I think this is something that would definitely benefit our youth to have some experience with this. I have recently added a weekly yoga class to my routine, remembering those benefits and getting excited to find a free weekly class offered locally. The instructor is somebody with training and teaches at a local gym, but also offers this class I am enjoying. I have learned that I keep an incredible amount of tension in multiple muscles, especially in my hip flexors. Frequently as we are going into a stretch, I can hear the voice of Jen Sincero talking about her yoga class experiences (from her book You Are a Badass), I just need to relax into the stretch. Read her book to fully appreciate this reference. It's definitely worth the work after class is over. I haven't YET ventured into the hot yoga experience, but it's on the list.
Pilates, ah the body changer for me. I will forever be grateful for my years of pilates and the continued benefits of core strength and stability. I absolutely miss the workouts, but it was time to push my body in new and different ways, to work through some fears and previous "I can't mentality." Pilates is something I started a year after becoming a mom and reading how beneficial the exercises were for leaning the body out. It absolutely transformed my body and provided core results like nothing I had ever experienced. The results I saw turned into me choosing pilates over belly dancing, due to time constraints. Even though I haven't been to a class in over a year (explanation below), pilates taught me core strength, stability and awareness that I now can use in daily aspects of life. Hauling 14 bins of Christmas decorations up a narrow attic drop down without somebody to spot for safety has only been done successfully because I know how to engage those muscles and stabilize myself while carrying the boxes up. When I do other workouts, I know there are areas that are challenging, but I can usually smoke the abs portion compared to what I was previously capable of.


***At the risk of keeping this from getting excessively long, stay tuned next week for part 2.