What are your fitness goals?

[Dave_BlogWorldExpo]

My short-term goal is to lose 13lbs and get in great shape!

What are your short-term goals?

[Jason Falls]

Thanks for starting up some chatter, Dave.

My fitness goals have always been (at the start of this whole Twit2Fit thing anyway) to just do it ... exercise. I don't want to put a number on weight loss or run a marathon or anything that can get side tracked so easily. My goal, while simple, is difficult because it requires an entire mindset and life change. I haven't exercised regularly in 20 years, so to simply say, "I just want to exercise," is realistically a BIG goal. So far, so good.

I'll admit, though, I've always had the number 200 in the back of my brain as a target weight if I were to have one. It'll still put me 25 or so pounds heavier than the USDA or whomever says I'm supposed to be, but I think me at 200 pounds would look and feel good. My top weight so far has been 283 and that was around the time Twit2Fit was born. So we'll see.

[Richie Escovedo]

I want to accelerate my running routine. In other words, start a running routine to get back into shape.

[Dave_BlogWorldExpo]

Good to have that goal "just to exercise", Jason. It's as good as any other, and everyone has a prelim goal like that when they get going. I got my mother-in-law to start exercising this year after being inactive for well...probably 30+ years (she's 60 now). I was beginning to worry about her. Now she's on a light exercise routine at a gym called Curves (got her a prepaid year membership), and it's a start anyway. Changing eating habits and finding something enjoyable to participate in with exercise is the next step. I'm of the mind that if you don't enjoy it, you won't maintain it. That's not to say all exercise is like play, just that it's important to find forms of exercise that don't seem like "work". :)

[Dave_BlogWorldExpo]

Ritchie, do you have dirt trails nearby? I started running about 15 years ago, after realizing sitting behind a computer for too many hours each day was making me look and feel much older than I was. Anyway, I was running on pavement, and while the weight loss and cardio benefits were great, the pounding started to hurt my hips and back a bit...so I switched to trails. I run trails a couple times per week, and it's not only much easier on the skeleton and joints, it's much more scenic (and no risk of getting hit by a car!).

[Dave_BlogWorldExpo]

Btw, a little background on me: My ancestors on both sides were heavy, and if I don't exercise and eat a pretty healthy, low-fat/cal diet, I put on lbs naturally---and fast. My uncles on my Mom's side are both about 300lbs, and my Dad's side had heart disease (which took my Dad and his brother both in their early '50s).

With that background in mind, my motivation has been to keep active, keep weight below 200, and to try to set myself up to live a lonnnng time if I can. Additionally, I love participating in sports and trying to be a superhero for my kids to play with and emulate. Too many Dads sit around and watch their kids play without participating. Not me, I'm out there with the kids...they can't hog all the fun! :)

[Aprille]

Ultimately, I'd love to be a kick-butt chic - you know, the whole "I may petite, but you REALLY don't want to mess with me" thing. That's a bit further away.

In the meantime, I've recently crossed into the "overweight" realm, I think. A couple of years of not hitting the gym and I got too lazy and complacent. So, here I am. My goal is to lose 15-18 lbs., but I'm willing to take a bit to do it, to do it right and in a way that will fit into my schedule well enough that I'll actually keep it up. And I think it'll take a while, because I'm down a net of 1 lb so far.

The added bonus I hadn't really been aiming for is the renewed energy and general feel-goodness you get from getting active again.

[Dave_BlogWorldExpo]

Hi Aprille...well, if you want to be a kick-butt chick, what about trying martial arts? It's a great way to exercise and turn yourself into a formidable person all at once. :)

My family is into Taekwondo, but any martial art is good as long as you have talented teachers.

As for finding something you can fit into your schedule, and something you can keep up, think also about what you enjoy doing. If you hate being on a treadmill, don't like weights, but you enjoy yoga, tennis and swimming....go with your fun quotient! I'm a firm believer that if you combine exercise with an enjoyable activity, you'll stick with it much, much longer. Sometimes you have to work hard to reach fitness goals, so finding a balance of hard work and fun will make it more of a lifestyle change than a task. That's my opinion, anyway.

[Dave_BlogWorldExpo]

Hi Holly, how're you going to approach it generally? Do you have an activity and diet plan? If you have questions, ask away and we'll all contribute and help each other with our own knowledge and experiences. :)

Holly said:

My goal is to lose 14 pounds and tone up.

[Cecilia Pineda Feret]

I'd like to lose 15 lbs (gained in the past year and a half), feel more energetic, and look more toned. I would also like to have more strength and endurance. I am doing Pilates Mat exercises, swimming, elliptical, floor exercises, exercises with large exercise ball, yoga, and weight training and seeing a personal trainer twice a week. I am going almost every day for at least an hour, sometimes 3. But my kids are away for the summer and I am about to start a full-time job, so . . .let's see how fast I achieve my goals! Cecilia

[Aprille]

Makes sense - right now I'm on a tight budget, so it's what I can do without a monthly fee. I do have 1 kickboxing workout on "tape" - yeah, need to pick up a DVD. I loved to swim, but due to some health stuff earlier this year that's not an option any more - and I never really got the hang of lane swimming anyway. I'm hoping to get my husband to bike more with me this summer, maybe hike too. We'll see.

Dave_BlogWorldExpo said:

Hi Aprille...well, if you want to be a kick-butt chick, what about trying martial arts? It's a great way to exercise and turn yourself into a formidable person all at once. :)
My family is into Taekwondo, ....

[Dave_BlogWorldExpo]

If you like to work out at home, you might want to try some Rodney Yee yoga DVD's or tapes too. Really good for flexibility, some strength and the cool down at the end is very relaxing.

[Dave_BlogWorldExpo]

Sounds like you're really having some great results, good job!

What are you doing on the days you're not in Capoeira class?

2-3 hour sessions are really long for anyone working out (unless you just have lots of time, or you're a serious athlete). Is that a normal program for your Capoeira school, or are you just on a hardcore schedule for now to make big changes to your body in a short time?

Stephen Winkler said:

...I've since started taking capoeira classes 2-3 days per week for 2-3 hours each session...