Category Archives: frugal exercise

The ups and downs!

frugal exercise, frugal weightloss, Uncategorized

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Hello Dear Reader,

Once I used to have fat days and thin days, now I just have fat days and I’m OK with being fat days. We endomorphs, pear shaped with the predisposition to put on weight have to be careful with what we eat. If I’m really really good then I can keep weight off but anyone who knows me knows that I can be good for quite a while and then, I don’t slip, but dive head first into the active dismissal of any dietary rules and let the belt out a notch and then another…….

I had a moment yesterday when I tried to wear size 14 jeans and struggled. It’s no good feeling cross with myself as I know what I’m like. There’s no good feeling dismissive or thinking about that dietary roller coaster but just accept the inevitable. Anyway, recent research has proved that fasting diets really don’t do us any harm and we can rein ourselves back in if we put on weight by decreasing our food intake for a while and recalibrating our weight again. Men do it quite happily. They put on weight and then just really cut back until they lose it without any of the drama that some of us women feel, they also step up the exercise and drink more water quite happily too.

So, those few extra pounds have to go. I did try Slimming World. Although the group were lovely, it worked for the majority and the focus of the weekly weigh motivated me, I didn’t like the ‘clubiness’ of it. Nor did I like the smelly feet when people took their shoes off to be weighed and standing close to people in the queue with poor hygiene really put me off too. My intolerance to humans being humans, so as the colloquialism goes….’my bad’. I should get over that but somehow I struggle so you’ll just have to forgive me on that one.The only bit I enjoyed was being weighed. I also wish that the fiver a week paid for a bollocking as celebrating half a pound off (frankly, that’s less than the weight of the average poop!) really didn’t motivate me whereas that look of disapproval along with a ‘you can do much better than this’ works better for me personally.

There we are Dear Reader, who else needs some ‘these trousers are a bit tight’ motivation? If you’ve got any then feel free to leave some. I think I’ll set up a walking diary so we can increase our movement together. I’ll immediately aim for 10,000 steps a day and maybe we can try together. I could blame this long wet winter but in truth, I’ve just used that as an excuse. I know we’ve been here before haven’t we?

Who’s up for the walking diary? May be then we can move on to the ‘how many miles?’ diary.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxx

 

Can you stay fit on a budget?

frugal exercise


Hello Dear Reader,


I’ve recently rediscovered exercise. In short, I feel better, happier, healthier and I love it. I weighed myself this morning and it had a 12 at the front……and not long ago I peaked at 14 stone and 4 lbs! I know I’m in a fortunate position that there is an affordable gym within walking distance of my job and I don’t have to rush home, giving I have to time to go. It has got me to thinking, can you stay fit on a budget? I thought I would throw my ten pence worth into the ring and start the debate that I believe you can.

You don’t need a massive budget to eat healthily. I fill myself up on vegetable soups, veggie stews and keep costs down by eating tinned fruit (in fruit juice) and frozen fruit in porridge. I eat meat but I eat a lot less than I used to. I eat bread but only a little bit occasionally. I think you can eat well with a reduced income or just with a lower cost because you choose to. The only expense I have occurred in trying to eat healthily is the purchase of digital scales as I now eat meat, porridge or bread in amounts as low as 30g. I would go so far as to say that eating healthily is cheaper as I just eat less.


My ambition is to join the ladies on Plymouth Hoe next year and run the race for life. I still feel heavy, lumpy and tire easily when I exercise and have built up to being able to physically exert myself for thirty minutes without stopping. It was only a few months ago when I was out of breath within five minutes of exertion. I always believed that I was healthy because I walked a lot. In fact, I was kidding myself. I went out for a walk occasionally. I now turn myself into Sweaty Betty for an hour a day, every day and keep my heart rate appropriately high for the duration. My next target is to run occasionally and work towards running frequently. I suppose that costs trainers and some comfy clothes but you can wear them at any time to get your money’s worth.


I’m also a great fan of swimming and in my case in Cornwall, that means sea swimming. It’s not as cold as you think. If you are lucky enough to have a public swimming pool in your area then can I encourage you to use it when you can. Public facilities don’t stay open when people don’t use them. Some public pools have off peak rates, or rates for retired people or children and some don’t have time restrictions. Some local pools have season tickets or memberships and you can then go as often as you please. They can be really good value for money if you make the most of what you’ve paid for.


So, for what it’s worth, here’s how I exercise and stay fit on a budget.

Exercise every day for an hour so I’m out of breath (I can talk but only just)
I go for a run walk, run walk when I get home in the evening (mainly running down hills………it’s a start!)
The bulk of my diet consists of non starchy vegetables (no spuds)
I’ve reduced the amount of meat I eat.
I’ve reduced my calorie in take.
I ‘ve increased the amount of water I drink.
I get eight hours sleep a night.
I only occasionally drink wine - a glass a month or even less recently.
I fit small bursts of exercise into my day (as well as they gym - squats, press ups, sit ups, lunges - a few minutes here and there)
I sit less and move more.
I use You Tube to find easy exercise I can do at home.



Enough of me. Over to you. Can you keep fit on a budget? Are there any runners, power walkers or run/walkers who can share their thoughts? Does anyone have a local swimming pool that they use? Does anyone not exercise at all but would like to start? Who has a dusty bike in their garage that they want to own up about? Who would like some motivation? Do you need money to keep fit or can it be done for next to nothing?

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxx

Oh go on then!

frugal exercise, frugal weightloss

Hello Dear Reader,

I certainly got my mojo back today and got on with it. The house has been cleaned. The dogs have been walked twice and I tried something I saw on the TV last night. I had a go at the very short burst of very high intensity exercising. I read someone’s blg a few days ago and they mentioned a four minute work out. Now, to me, getting up stairs, in and out of the shower and into my jimjams is about all the work out I’ve been getting recently and I need to get a grip and take more care of myself. I had a good day amusing myself for free.

I did my research and found some very easy to Tabata workouts on Youtube, downloaded a free tabata timer app for my phone and went out onto my newly scrubbed and lovely patio and got on with it. I just did it in my normal clothes. It rather reminds me of the PE lessons from hell, when it rained and they got out musty gym equipment and made us do circuit training. Moody goth torture for us bookish types, who much preferred cross country as I could go home for a fry up and a few ciggies half way round.

Any way, I’m in one piece and it did make me feel very oxygenated and it seemed like seconds when I was doing it. Who knows what I’ll try tomorrow. To put the nosey out of their misery, my time is my own for a short while and then I will be doing something ‘else’ full time, five days a week. But, just not for now.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxx