Monday Munchies- Fidgeting, Kettlebells and Stride Cycles

I just wanted to share a quick post about a couple things I've been doing for the past few weeks. I don't know if I've lost any weight, (the batteries are dead on my scale) but I have noticed my jeans getting a little looser. I typically find weighing myself to be an inaccurate indication of my overall health. When I am in great shape I actually gain weight. (Probably because muscle weighs more than fat.) When I'm sedentary, I lose weight, but my body spreads out. . . .

Brian was telling me about a study he shares with his classes. The study looked at two men, roughly the same height, caloric intake, and lifestyle. For some reason, one of the men was much, much thinner than the other. The study was looking at possible reasons for this, and found that the thinner man fidgeted ALL the time. He was constantly twiddling his thumbs, bouncing his legs, crossing and uncrossing them, and just generally never sat still. The people conducting the study estimated that just by fidgeting alone, the thin man was burning an extra 300+ calories a day.

So, I have started trying to make better choices in order to burn a few extra calories. These choices include: parking further away from stores when I go shopping, using a stride cycle when I watch T.V., and consciously fidgeting more. I wanted to implement these things on top of the exercises I already do. They are not intended to replace anything. So could a Stride Cycle alone make people lose all their unwanted weight? Unless you were to cycle for the entire day, the answer is no. However, adding it to an exercise plan could help burn a few extra calories. I use it when I'm watching T.V. in the evening, and would otherwise just be sitting still. In order to get my heart rate up I have to move my arms as well. (Brian has found this amusing!) I found the Stride Cycle at a GNC store for $11.

The next thing I have recently discovered is Kettlebells. My mother in law found an article about a lady who competed in an Iron Man competition. After months of training and hundreds of miles, the woman only lost 6 pounds. I believe this. After training for my half marathon last summer, I didn't lose any additional weight. It makes me sick, ALL that running and I lost NOTHING!!!

Anyway, the lady in the article is now a super buff, fit chick. She said she started using a kettle bell to achieve this. I had no idea what that was, so of course I turned to my trusty computer and began researching. If you've never heard of a kettlebell, here is a pic:

Basically, it's a weight with a handle. Unlike traditional dumbbells, the kettlebell is used with continuous motion. So, you are killing two birds with one stone. You're getting weight lifting with cardio at the same time. (Being cheap, I have tried to do some kettlebell exercises with a regular dumbbell and it just doesn't work.) I bought my kettlebell at Sports Authority the day after Thanksgiving for $30. I know Wal Mart has them for $30 as well. I've read that the average woman should start with 18pounds. I've been using it since the day I bought it, and I can tell a big difference already! Other than being really sore, (which I am) things are starting to tighten up a bit. There are some great exercises on YouTube if you look up Kettlebell workouts. Then you can see what I'm talking about in action.

I'll keep posting about my progress or lack of progress. Hope this wasn't a major snooze post for anyone.