Audience Participation

[ellyssian]

So late, late last night (or early this morning, depending on your point of view), I posted source information on the Exercise Framework that I'm working on.

Anyway, I was curious... for those of you who actually do so, what kind of workouts - gym, yoga, martial arts, what have you - does everyone out there do? Even if you know I already know about it, post anyway to share with others, and take a look back later to chat with others who might share an interest in similar activities! =)

Comments

[femmefrets.livejournal.com]

Right now, yoga and bellydancing. Once the weather breaks, I'm looking forward to getting my sport on with some biking, skating, and taking up golf!

[ellyssian.livejournal.com]

Any particular style of yoga?

I'm fairly incompetent on my inline skates - I just never did it enough to get good. aequitaslevitas, Mr. B, and Deb go skating every Thursday, though.

I've really got to get my bike up and running, but the PA roads are nasty for biking. Beautiful scenery in places, but narrow, with a population that is either afraid to death to pass you or wanting to put the fear of death into you. The lack of road maintenance has also caused problems, and I've had more trouble with tires and wheels here than I did biking in Boston. And when you're on a bike, the mountains really don't some like the hills they are. =)

Figures Bicycling magazine is based near here...

[tawandaspirit.livejournal.com]

General workout throughout the year is always Bikram Yoga. If I ever find myself in your neck of the woods, or if you find yourself in mine, I'll take a class with you.

Seasonal workout - skiing (winter), swimming and walking (summer).

[ellyssian.livejournal.com]

So you go for the whole hot room and all that? If I remember correctly, that was one of the aspects of Bikram Yoga. I was looking into that style and Ashtanga, but I never really achieved an expert level in the basics, and didn't feel comfortable moving to more of a power yoga style.

I really have to find that book, because even with the small number of poses I knew, I noticed a difference in the depths of the stretches I could do. I was on the verge of doing a lot more, and then I went to a chiropractor and I still haven't regained that flexibility.

[tawandaspirit.livejournal.com]

Yes, Bikram is done in a hot and humid room. The basis behind it is the warmer the muscles, the deeper the stretch. Every bikram class has the same 26 postures. There is no deviation. The poses were put together in such a way that beginners and advanced students could take the same class. Just the more advanced you are, the deeper into the posture you get. It is very beginner friendly. And you get used to the heat and humidity really quickly.

I don't have any experience with any other yoga, so I can only speak about my bikram experience and it has just changed me. And spoiled me, I should add. I don't have shin splints anymore, my once fallen arches on my poor aching feet are properly arched and my heel bones don't hurt. My knees don't crack and I no longer get pain when walking down stairs, my dislocating hips stay in place, I've lost a majority of the baby weight, and I feel very energetic and very centered.

The only thing it has not managed to cure, and I feel that I should add this for balance, is my dislocating left shoulder. But I think that is because it was so far gone by the time I got to yoga that the only thing that really is going to help it is surgery.

I'm surprised that going to the chiropractor didn't help your flexibility since a big part of yoga is alignment. Did you do them concurrently? Did you go to yoga after the chiropractor and found that you were limited in your postures?

[ellyssian.livejournal.com]

The chiropractor told me to stop the workout I had been doing, which included yoga (and martial arts and lots of other things). He didn't want it interfering in what he did. As I worked out under his physical therapist's direction, I noticed my range of motion was decreasing and not increasing.

When we stopped going to the chiropractor, I tried to get back into my workout and found I was no longer able to do some of what I had done. The noticeable loss of range of motion was only one of the reasons why we stopped - we discovered the chiropractor was also doing questionable billing with the insurance company.

He may have been an exception, more criminal than chiropractor, but he's definitely convinced me to stay away.

[bluesgirly.livejournal.com]

Kickboxing 5x per week. And, I eat foods that don't need labels (fruits/vegs/nuts/lean meats) and that seems to keep me in good shape since I am 44 and gravity is a bitch LMAO!

[ellyssian.livejournal.com]

Do you do more of a fitness kickboxing or a kill-em-all take-no-prisoners style?

[bluesgirly.livejournal.com]

The place I go to is very "kill em all."

It's a big room with punching bags, a huge floor mat and music - that's it. No frills. Which is what appeals to me about it because all the perky gym dwellers are fighting over treadmills at 24-Hour Fitness down the street and I'm not there yay:)

It's the best work out though, and I am in the best shape of my life.

[jadecat9.livejournal.com]

Alright, alright, I get the hint :-P

Biggest thing: fencing, and not the wooden, chain, or barbed wire kind. The kind with long steel sharp things. That's 3-4x a week @ 3-4 hours a nite.

In addition to fencing:
1) going to the gym. Gotta keep things in balance as fencing is one sided. I figure 3-4-5?x a week @ 1-2 hours per. And I've worked with some very good physical trainers over the years to refine my technique. It's been more than once I've been asked to become a trainer.

2) yoga: incorporate yoga into stretching. I used to take a bunch of classes as part of cross-training.

Other things I've done, but not consistently or in a while, although I might still do stuff occasionally

qigong
kung fu (5 animals style)

and occassionally, going out to dance. Love to dance. :-D

[ellyssian.livejournal.com]

I still want to find a fencing school - and unfortunately, the only thing in the phone book for this area is a school that teaches the wooden, chain, and barbed wire kind.

There are a couple of colleges that offer classes to the public (I think), but they're really too far to be practical - it would turn into a two hour round trip commute for what would likely be an hour session.

I kick myself for not taking classes when I lived in Watertown, which had a fencing academy. And these guysmay have existed since 1858, but I don't remember them being at that location...

[dreamingcrow.livejournal.com]

Walking.
Walking.
Walking.
Walking.
More Walking.

You already knew that, though. :p

[ellyssian.livejournal.com]

No, I thought you had some walking mixed in there as well. =)

[elaine-today.livejournal.com]

I run anywhere from 3 to 10 miles whenever I can (when things make sense in my schedule that's about 4 times a week) and stretch. Currently I'm welding, so the running has taken a back seat to the upper body exercise that is forced by doing such things. I'm going for a run now though -forget welding for today - It's my birthday and I'm going to enjoy the sunshine!

[ellyssian.livejournal.com]

Many happy returns of the day!

I had a teacher try to encourage me towards track, but I've never been good at it. Sprints, maybe, but nothing of any distance.