If you search under my category Sweating on Sunday, you will find other fun videos that I have shared. Today, I am adding a few more from two of my favorite Youtube channels that offer low-impact walking videos that are great for people with CKD, like me. Remember, to always ask your doctor before you begin working out. In general, walking is safe for everyone.
Try setting a step goal for the month of November. I have gradually added to my hourly step requirements. Initially, I began with 250 steps every hour. This gets me up and moving every single hour. For November I am setting the goal of 7 minutes on my treadmill, every hour, at the speed of 2.4 miles per hour. This gives me over 700 steps and almost a 1/3 of a mile walked. These hourly step goals are on top of whatever 30 min exercise I decided to do on any given day. When I work, I do not worry about this, because sitting still is not really part of a nurse’s life. I also don’t count the days that I am not home most of the day, but rather pick up for the hours that I am at home. You do not need a treadmill to do this. I also take the dog out and do laps around the backyard while playing ball with him, until I reached the required steps, or minutes.
Make your goal small so you don’t give up if you can’t meet it, then build from there monthly, or whatever timeframe works for you. Whatever you do, do not start with HIIT, or high-intensity exercises. These are not beginner workouts.
There are 5 videos below. One of them is a 4 mile walk and great goal to have.
Hello, Sunday readers! I hope your day is going well.
Yesterday, I talked about Menopause in relation to how it shifts fat deposits more to our waistlines, and can impact a lady’s chance to lose weight. I hope you watched the very good video I shared with you and read the tips I gave.
In that video, and I have talked about this before, they mention that cardio is not the healthiest exercise for women in their peri, and menopausal stages. HIIT is definitely a no-no after 50, unless you are already an established athlete. Remember, exercise, and neat are two different topics. Getting in your daily step goals is your neat. Exercise is a period of time you set aside each day, or how many days you decide to exercise, and then do that exercise. Yes, exercise can be walking, which will go towards your step count, but neat is more of an intention to move some every hour. Women in peri, and menopause should be focusing more on weight training, balance, and stretching exercises. Weight training should be done 3 to 5 days a week, with balance and stretching incorporated in. I currently do 2 days a week, I am 52 and have completed the menopause process. I need to pick up my own game, as I am still of the mindset that cardio is the way to lose some of this midsection drift.
There are lots of good reasons to build muscle, and keep bones healthy, especially to avoid Osteoporosis, Osteopenia, muscle wasting, weakness, etc.
Below, you will see 3 videos. The first one explains three exercises with weights that people over 50 should not do. Please watch it, because there are trainers, mostly younger, that say their videos are for over 50 age group, but have these exercises in them. You can also read my blog post on this topic, here. What they are saying about the shoulder exercise, is so true. I had calcific tendonitis last year, in my shoulder joint. When they say you can not lift a spoon to your mouth, they are not kidding. The pain is awful, and it takes a long time to completely heal. Just don’t do that to yourself. Bursitis, rotator cuff injuries, impingement, tendonitis, can all affect that shoulder area. The second video is truly for beginners. It is slow and teaches you the correct form. Please start out with light weights, that is 1 pound, or no weights, until you have the movements down. There is nothing wrong with using your body weight, and no hand weights. The third video, looks easy, but I can tell you it will challenge you. I always watch a new video first, before I do the video. These videos are a great place to start if you have no idea where to start. You can get light dumbbells on Amazon, or pick them up at Walmart. Remember, if you can not do 10 reps with whatever weight you choose to start with, with good form, control, and swinging for momentum, then your weights are too heavy for where you are at.
Let me know in the comments where you are in your menopause journey. Are you lifting weights to lose weight, improve balance, build or retain muscle, or for bone health?
I am going to set an intention for this week to 3 days of weight training, using the videos below.
My disclaimer is short and sweet. None of the information on this blog is intended to be medical or nutritional advice. It is for informational purposes only and to spark a conversation.
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Yep, today is my 52nd birthday! It was a beautiful day and I finally was able to get in my pool after getting all sweaty and gross with the treadmill, yardwork, and gardening. Then some family fun! We went to my favorite Japanese Steakhouse and I had Filet Mignon. It was 4 ounces of pure perfection. I only eat steak once or twice a year. So I really enjoyed it. It is way too hot to bake a cake, and I didn’t want all that anyways. We picked up some fresh deli chocolate chip cookies, and they were perfect. I may even have some vanilla ice cream later. Dairy is another thing I do not have very often, but I do love ice cream every now and then. If you read here then you know my reasoning for the eating lifestyle I have chosen. It is not body shaming, fat shaming, or any other negative self image. I am on a weight loss journey, but I also am on a fat loss journey, and journey to end CKD.
Since Sunday is the day I typically talk about exercise I thought I would discuss it in relation to age. Keep reading.
All this month, to celebrate my birthday month, I will be talking about fitness after 50. It is perfectly possible to get and stay fit after age 50. Granted there are more things to consider as we age, namely injury, but it is very doable. Most importantly to prevent injury is to warm up properly, cool down properly, and listen to your body. It will tell you if you are over-working it.
If you read here a lot, then you know I had a goal to do a 15 minute mile on the treadmill. I achieved that some time ago, and do it regularly. But, now to increase my endurance I want to do a 10 minute mile on the treadmill. This will mean I will have to jog, or run, I am sure, rather than speed-walk. I tried it this morning. I was speed-walking, but could only get 3/4 of a mile in 10 minutes, though I can not say that is bad. Having goals is good! As long as my heart rate stays in the moderate target zone, I am good. I do go over a bit sometimes when it is really intense, but as long as I can talk and breath, and keep it short lived I am ok with it. My blood pressure has not been effected by it. According to a fitness test I looked at, it was for men, not women, if you can run a mile in less than 7 minutes and 20 seconds, then your fitness age is 25. Wow! So, maybe once I can walk it in 10 minutes I will go for the run. It is really fast, trust me, and intense. I couldn’t find an age fitness test, like the men’s one, but on average a woman age 50-54 would run 1 mile in 13 minutes and 20 seconds. So, any time faster than that would make your fitness age younger.
I do not particularly like exercise, at least not long, boring, intense exercise. I quite enjoy walking, swimming around in my pool, gardening, yardwork, and I love dancing. But, these shorter, more intense workouts get me results in a quick amount of time. I also do not enjoy long weight training routines. Weight training is vital as we age, however. More on that in a future post.
How fast can you walk, and or fun a mile? Share in the comments. Use the contact form at the end of the post if you would like to ask about my Walking Plan, or any other Health Coaching services.
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Hello, and welcome back to another Sweating on Sunday topic. I finally am back to regular workout routines after a shoulder injury sidelined any upper body work, and then I was sick with what seemed like Covid, but I tested negative 3 times. I do still have a lingering cough and actually think it was Covid as I was directly exposed by a coworker. Anyhow, I had to quarantine and no one else was exposed by me. My husband and daughter also got sick, and also tested negative. If you are vaccinated you can get a breakthrough infection though it will be milder and you may not get enough of a viral load to test positive, and supposedly you can not spread it. This post may contain affiliate links.
This time of year, in Florida, I could literally do yardwork every single day for at least an hour. Between the garden, mowing, weed whacking, and all the trimming that constantly needs doing, my daily workout could be yardwork. Or, could it? Is yardwork exercise, or just being active? I know for me it is definitely exercise. My heart rate goes up, I get plenty hot and sweaty, and I burn calories according to my fitness watch. Now, for me I like to stay in the light to moderate intensity. range of exercise due to my Kidney Disease. I try to never hit the high or maximum heart rate zones. To find your maximum heart rate zone for exercise subtract your age from 220. I will be 52 in a couple of weeks so that makes my maximum heart rate 168. If you would like to read more about heart rate zones, click here.
Not only does your heart rate increase, but you also will be working various muscles while doing yardwork. Check out this Pinterest image to see which garden tools work which muscles. Or, this one to see the muscles used when mowing grass with a push mower. As you can see different tools work different muscles. It is best if you can do yardwork for at least 60 minutes. That is super easy for me. We have almost an acre of land, and half of it I use a push mower to mow. The other half my husband does with a riding mower which of course is not exercise at all.
The two short videos below explain it even better. The first video is from a homesteading gentleman who shows how he stays in shape working the homestead and using the various tools mentioned. The second video the gentleman actually shows his stats from his fitness watch after he mows his 3/4 of an acre yard, and figures out whether it was exercise or just activity. Be sure and watch it.
You may not need that expensive gym membership, after all. But, you may need to supplement if you only do yardwork once or twice a week. Health Buddy Melissa has not tested or used any of the products mentioned in the second video.
Make sure you rest if you need to and then start back up, drink plenty of water, and then cool off and relax when you are all done.
Hello all my fabulous readers! I am still nursing this shoulder injury, but at least today I can type. I did not realize that I did not share move 2 for week 2 of the May Health Challenge which is to strengthen the calfs. So, this week I am posting both exercise 2 and 3. These exercises have helped me immensely on my run days. If you remember I am prone to shin splint type pains and cramping in the calf area when running. Only one day did I still have cramping and I am not sure why. I do the exercise before running on the treadmill. This post may contain affiliate links.
Are you working on your calfs? Leave me a comment and let me know how it is going.
So, move two is toe raises. I do them with the seated calf raises and then I do pulses of just toe raises. This is a fabulous exercise for targeting the Soleus muscle which is my main nemesis when running.
Exercise 3 is walking on the tiptoes. I used to work a lady that had the hottest legs ever. She wore high heels everywhere, except to work of course. Nurses don’t generally work in high heels, lol. If you would rather wear high heels then walk on your tippy toes, that would work too.
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Hello World! The birds are singing outside my window and it is a lovely warmish Sunday morning. I have always wanted to learn Ballroom Dancing, but my husband just never wanted to. I found this cool Youtube channel where you can get ballroom dancing lessons. It is not partner dancing so that is perfect. The video below I have done twice now, and while it is only 15 minutes in length it is a great workout. My hips and abs were the muscles I felt the most after this workout the next day. If you have joint or mobility issues this may not be for you. Always ask your doctor if you are not sure. She also does not do a cooldown stretch after. Please make sure you stretch after doing any exercise. You can also stretch before but I find for me stretching cold muscles is not cool. LOL see what I did there. I have no affiliation with this young lady. It is just a video I found and I like to workout to. Let me know in the comments if you tried it. She has many others you can try as well. Remember, I am 51 and if I can do this, you might be able to as well.
What are the benefits of Ballroom Dancing? Click to read
If you are not ready for Ballroom Dancing but would like to start with gentle walking check out my Walking Buddy Plan.
Have a wonderful Sunday!
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All of that in one post! Happy Sunday! I was expecting a beautiful warm weekend with lots of sun. Instead I got chilly, cloudy, and dreary. I did still manage to get in some gardening. My peas are starting to come up. It is so exciting to see your hard work pay off. The big garden will be the Summer garden and my husband has decided it will be a competition between him and my daughter vs me. I intend to win! Gardening is definitely part of my Self Care lifestyle and routine. I intend to grow as much of my own food as possible in 2021. More on that later in the week, too.
I was supposed to get my first dose of the Pfizer Covid Vaccine yesterday. But, I got a text message saying the governor had pulled back all Covid doses for ALF’s in the state. I was so disappointed and can find no reasoning via news outlets for this decision. So, now I don’t know when I will get it, and more importantly when my elderly residents will get the vaccine. We did go to Sam’s though. More on that in a post later in the week.
The other day Fitbit sent me a year in review of my walking stats. I don’t recall them doing that the year before. I walked almost 5 million total steps, which equals almost 1900 miles for the year. Oh my goodness! I can’t wait to see what I do in 2021! If you want to start a walking plan and need someone to walk with, check out my updated Walking Buddy Plan. This is not a subscription plan like my Meals with Melissa, or Lose Weight with Melissa, but rather it is live walking with me and one on one coaching. It is a monthly, 30 day plan. Wouldn’t you love to be my first Walking Buddy?
My promotion for new customers has now expired. But, if you sign up for my Mailchimp weekly newsletter I will send out monthly specials and promotional codes. Plus you will get my free Popsicle Smoothie recipe, As I continue to work my way through this learning process of starting a business I will be updating my coaching plans and subscriptions. I am finally finishing up my Mindfulness Certificate, so watch for a monthly subscription for that. All subscriptions can be upgraded to one on one coaching plans. I am also working on Self Care Challenges which will be on the blog for free. Each week I am doing social media promotions, and this weekend it is Twitter. You still have time to join in. If you are interested in promoting your website or links, for free come back every Saturday to see which social media I am using and join in.
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I got a stability ball at 5 and Below last week. My teenager loves that store and I decided to purchase one. I have used it a few times since then and I can tell you it is awesome for balance, stability and working your core. It is not as easy as it looks, either. Below you will find one exercise you can work on this week with a stability ball. You obviously need to purchase one if you don’t have one. Here is one on Amazon, and one on Walmart. That is not me in the video. I do not do videos, yet. There is a lot that goes into videos.
I will be posting updated Business Hours and all of my plans will be updated with Paypal buy buttons right in the post. For now continue to use the contact form at the bottom of each post to message me about a Meet and Greet, or leave me a comment.
Tomorrow, March 1, 2021 I will be sharing a very exciting kidney update. Be sure to come back to check it. Welcome back to Sweating on Sunday! I can’t even work up a sweat it is so cold right now in Florida. If I get warm I am happy, lol. It was 27 this morning, and 25 yesterday morning. No warm up during the day either. Today it will be a bit warmer 62 and not as cold at night. We had a very cold Fall, and now start of Winter. After several warm winters, it is kind of shocking.
I have not done a Sweating on Sunday post in a while, so I thought I would try to start them back up. I have Kidney Disease so I am careful about weight lifting. I also have an old right shoulder injury and a left neck injury that will flare up if I choose the wrong exercises, or overwork it. These are old injuries that are easy to forget about once they get better. The reverse grip double arm row with dumb bells, does not aggravate either of these old injuries and that is why I picked it for this week’s move of the week. It is easy to do, and it works the biceps, triceps, back and core which is your abdominals. I use 3 or 5 pound dumbbells, and do 12-15 reps, three times with a few seconds rest in between. I like to add this move to my indoor walking routine when the pace is slow enough to maintain proper form and technique. If you are new to weight training, try this move a couple of times a week. Make sure to not over extend where your natural range of motion is. There is no sense causing an injury. If you feel any pain or discomfort stop doing it. Be sure to warm your arms up by doing a few minutes of arm movements. You can stretch after as well. As your strength and flexibility increases you may be able to increase your range of motion. Start with very light weights, or even water bottles, soup cans or no weights until you have the movement down correctly. You should never start with heavy weights especially if you are new to exercise. You should always ask your doctor if weight training is safe for you. I think most doctors would agree some light weight training exercises have great benefits to increase balance, strength, and flexibility all great things especially as we age. You do not have to kill yourself exercising to see good results. Watch the video below to see how to correctly do the reverse grip double arm row. This is not my video, I borrowed it from Youtube.
I still have not made my meal plan for this week, so I need to get that done today. I am hoping it gets warm enough to get outside and get some fresh air. You can see my walking stats from yesterday, below, and it was almost all indoor walking.
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Welcome to Sunday! I don’t always do a post on Sunday, but I realized I hadn’t done a Sweating on Sunday post in a while. When I began the low carb lifestyle, two months ago, I went back to just walking for exercise. Too much exercise, or too intense, just made me more hungry. Now, that I have the food balance down I feel like I can increase the intensity of my workouts without sacrificing carb intake. I had posted a while back about my daughter wanting to be a police officer. She has since changed that to a CSI detective, but as part of her PE for school she still needs to do the running, situps and pushups. I was doing this with her, until I changed to low carb. She didn’t want to run outdoors initially, and we intend on getting a treadmill, but until then I found this video which is exactly the distance she needs. This is a great beginner video to build up to running without interval walking. I have done this video a few times now, and it is really not too hard. Be sure to stretch before and after to prevent injury. Do the best you can. Walk more if you need to, but keep moving if you can. Do not do this every day, trade it out with less intense exercise such as Yoga, or just walking. It is 15 minutes long, but only do 5 to start if you need to. If you have not exercised in a long time, or are new to exercise, this is not the video to start with. I offer a Health Buddy Walking program, message me if you are interested in learning more. The video is kind of bland, and I play music in the background to keep it interesting.
We had company yesterday, so we ended up eating a lot of the leftovers. So, I went ahead and made a meal plan menu for today through Friday. Friday is a new budget and grocery shopping week. We will probably have a treat and get Subway on Friday. I found some coupons in the Sunday paper for Subway. Remember I only meal plan for dinners. Breakfast and lunch is whatever is available.
Sunday: still leftovers. I will probably have the same thing I had for lunch yesterday as it was so delicious. Once I get the leftovers gone and have storage containers again, I will make some coleslaw using some of that cabbage I bought yesterday.
Monday: Grilled cheese and tomato soup. It is supposed to get quite cold so soup is perfect.
Tuesday: Ravioli with sauce, bread and butter, side salad. For me I will stick to one portion of Ravioli, one slice of bread and have a large salad.
Wednesday: Pork tenderloin baked or slow cooker, coleslaw or salad. I also have some sweet potatoes which I can make. I do them in the Instapot as it is easier.
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: Possible Subway dinner treat
Please remember I am low carb not Keto. I aim for 70-100 grams of net carbs per day. I also have days were I eat up to 150 carbs sort of like Carb Cycling. If you would like to learn about my Health Coaching services to help you meet your health goals, use the contact form after the images to message me.
I had mentioned before that my daughter wants to be a police officer. I also mentioned that as part of her PE education this year she would begin training for the Physical Fitness test to be an officer. It is my goal to do it with her. She has to be able to run 1.5 miles in 15 min. I have completed this goal. I don’t know if it is running, or jogging, but whatever I did it. I am still doing it at least once a week, but I did have to stop for a bit because I have a history of Plantar Fasciitis and it was starting to flare up. Trust me if you have ever had it, you don’t really want it again. I am also 51 and have Kidney Disease, so I have to be sure and monitor for any symptoms of over stress or High Blood Pressure. I did get medical clearance from my kidney doctor to increase my intensity of exercise as long as I have no heart issues, which I do not. As a goal it is a great goal to have, but I must say just plain old fast walking is much more enjoyable and less jarring to the body. High impact aerobics is great, however for maintaining bone health as we age. You should start slow and increase slowly to be sure your body can tolerate it, and always seek approval from your doctor if you have underlying medical issues or have lived a sedentary lifestyle for an extended period of time.
See the image below to see all of the muscles used while running, or even jogging. The original source of the image is freetrainers.com
Living Life With CKD 