Session 13: Jump Start Your Activity Plan

Here we are on Session 13 but first, how was your week? Did you keep a record of your weight, food and drink, fat grams consumption and the number of minutes of physical activity? Did you find a situation that tempted you to eat more and exercise less? How did you deal with it?

Folks, this works as long as you do your share, you can't help but lose weight. It is happening to me, although not as much weight as I wanted to lose. But it is a good start for me because without this program, I probably would have gained more. Now with the Physical Activity I am doing, I can’t help but lose a bit of weight.


Now let's deal with the boredom that could settle in with our activity plan. How do you do your activity? Do you run in place? Are you getting tired of the way you're doing your activity? Oh, I know, to get over the boredom try something new. Why not go swimming every once in a while instead?

And if you're tired of running in place, why not do it some place else. Do it in the laundry room or outside under the trees while you commune with nature. Just don't go on a burst of energy and run in place while you have guests. I tried that once, and boy, I almost landed in a psychiatric hospital.

Make it fun. Play badminton or some other new game. And this is the best, make it social. Invite a group of your friends for a run-along fest. As you run, you can gossip as much as you can as long as you don't put anyone down. Find out what Senators Clinton and Obama's latest antics and talk about this with your friends.

Make it a challenge. Learn a new kind of sports. I did and now I golf three times a week. My challenge is to break a hundred but that is nowhere near the horizon, but I did score a par once. The trouble was, just as I thought I was wonderful, I tripled bogey the next hole. What a let down!

Remember to be aerobically fit, you should follow the principles. The frequency should be five to seven times a week, the intensity should be to the point you can still talk but not sing, the time of activity should at least be ten minutes, gradually increasing to twenty and then sixty minutes. As for the type of activity, it should be one that strengthens the heart and muscles in arms and legs.

For homework, keep track of food, fat grams, exercise, weight and calories. Take your pulse while exercising. Check if you are in your target heart rate range. One test for this is exercise hard enough that you can still talk but intense enough that you cannot sing.