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By kilax, December 31, 2009 5:33 am

We all want to know – how much exercise do we really need each week? How little can we get away with?

There was an interesting (although VERY confusing) article on the Well blog covering this topic yesterday.  The article stemmed from a study done in Scotland that concluded you only need 20 minutes of exercise a week to increase your contentment. Okay, but how much do you need to be healthy?

That’s more difficult to define. The article went into a discussion about “MET” minutes, which are “Metabolic Equivalent of Task” minutes. Huh? Apparently  you need 500 of those as week, and they vary based on what you are doing for exercise and how intense it is. For example, running at 6 mph is a 10-MET activity. So if you run for 60 minutes, that is 600 MET minutes. So, you’re done for the week then? Confusing…

Has anyone heard of this MET mumbo-jumbo before? How do you decide how much to exercise a week? Do you have any exercise goals for 2010?

I aim for at least 30 minutes a day, but usually go by how I feel. If I am in the groove, I will keep going! If I feel like crap, I won’t work out at all.

A few other interesting points from the article (repetitive, but interesting):

According to the Physical Activity Guidelines report, “It has been estimated that people who are physically active for approximately seven hours a week have a 40 percent lower risk of dying early than those who are active for less than 30 minutes a week.”

Interestingly, they did not find that exercise beyond a certain point conferred significant additional health benefits. Instead, the “dose response” for exercise, the committee found, is “curvilinear.” In other words, people who are the least active to start with get the most health benefit from starting to exercise. People who already are fit don’t necessarily get a big additional health benefit from adding more workout time to their regimens.

You do not necessarily have to divide your exercise time into daily allotments, either. Existing “scientific evidence does not allow researchers to say, for example, whether the health benefits of 30 minutes on five days a week are any different from the health benefits of 50 minutes on three days a week,” according to the activity guidelines. Do what suits your schedule.

Meme time! Leah, Gelareh and Holly have all tagged me for the “7 Random Things About Me” meme. Thanks, ladies! Click “more” to read on…

And of course, Happy New Years Eve! Enjoy your evening and be safe!

Continue reading 'How little exercise can you get away with? / 7 Random Things About Me meme'»

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By kilax, February 16, 2009 6:35 pm

The Denver trip was a success – I know because I have a bad case of the “I wish I was still on vacation” blues!

On Friday we drove to Estes Park and into Rocky Mountain National Park. We saw some elk up close, which I thought was pretty exciting! Their antlers are HUGE!!!

The Elk at Rocky Mountain National Park

I was amazed by the beauty of the park. I would love to go back when it is a bit warmer and do some hiking or camping there.

We started skiing on Saturday at Keystone. Steven and I took a one-day beginner’s course while our friends, Eric and Abbie, skied on their own. We learned the basics, like how to put our equipment on and take it off (good to know!), how to form the “wedge,” how to walk uphill, and how to turn. I thought the course was VERY helpful and necessary, but I was feeling a bit anxious to get out on my own. I was disappointed that I wasn’t all sweaty and sore that night when we got back!

Yes, I realize I look like a dork! I was afraid we were going to slide down the hill backwards so I grabbed onto Steven!

On Sunday, we started out by warming up on the very mild practice slopes. Eric and Abbie were SUPER patient with us and stuck by the whole day! They gave us very helpful advice that we didn’t cover in class. It was like we had our own personal ski instructors! I was very thankful that Abbie taught me how to get up when I fell over, and that Eric taught me how to form a big enough wedge that I could stand at the top of a large decline and not immediately start sliding down.

A super cute photo of our free personal instructors friends Eric and Abbie.

One of the mild slopes we warmed up on.

We did A LOT of crashing on Sunday. Maybe one of us a bit more than the other… no, not me, for once! Steven had epic wipe outs – tumbling and turning, skis and poles in all directions – a few times I thought he seriously injured himself! He has huge bruises on his legs from his wipe outs. I only have tiny little bruises, so I guess I wasn’t crashing hard enough!

After we went down this hill, Steven said, “Turn around and take a photo of how steep that slope is!” Can you tell?

We spent our day on the green (easy) slopes. Even though the Saturday class was necessary, I had so much more fun on Sunday, actually spending time going down the slopes. The view of the mountains and forest is just spectacular. And it is constantly changing as you make your way down the slope. Every view feels unique and different.

Even riding the chair lift was fun… if not a bit scary.

A view of Breckenridge.

Us inside of a gondola, riding to the North Peak.

It took me a bit of time to get into the hang of things on Sunday. But once I did, I was hooked. I am a bit of a reckless/fearless/”adrenaline rush seeking” person, so I think that helped a bit. You can’t really let the slopes intimidate you, or you’ll be thinking more about that and not be able to let your body do its thing. On Saturday, I realized I was over thinking what the instructors were teaching us during class, and that was limiting me. But when I got out there, and just followed the instinct of my body, it went a lot smoother.

I wish we could have had ONE more day on the slopes. I would have liked to try a more challenging (!) slope or even just take longer runs. We did a lot of skiing and stopping on the green slopes, which I definitely think we needed, but once I started going, my body wanted to keep going. Except for my quads, which were burning like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I definitely got the workout in that I was missing on Saturday – I can still feel the burn in my calves, quads and hips a bit today!

I hope this becomes an annual trip. We had such a wonderful time skiing and sight-seeing (aka, gawking at the local beauty that is Colorado), but also hanging out with Eric and Abbie and Eric’s parents. I felt like staying with Eric’s parents was staying at a five-star hotel. Steven and I had our own little guest house over the garage (complete with welcome sign!). Every night, Eric’s parents cooked wonderful meals for us, and had snacks out waiting for us when we got home from skiing (they hand-dipped strawberries in chocolate for us on Valentine’s Day!). They were just incredibly accommodating and made me feel so welcome! I feel as comfortable around Eric’s parents as I do around my own (enough that his mom jokingly said, “I don’t remember Kim being such a smart aleck!”). We had wonderful conversations with them. Eric’s family is into health and fitness, and Eric and Abbie just signed up for the Disney Half Marathon, so I was able to blab and blab about our running without feeling stupid (of course, as I ate enough food for 10 people… oops). I can’t wait to see them all again.

Interesting story – on our way to economy parking at O’Hare today, I kept seeing a police helicopter hovering over the lot. I was trying to figure out what was going on, and then, as we drove out, Steven said, “Is Obama here this weekend?” Right after he said that, I looked out the car window and saw Air Force One!  We saw the plane sitting on the runway, then take off. After that, we noticed all the security and police vehicles on our way out. Apparently he was on his way to Denver. We just missed him!

Please bear with me this week as I get back into the swing of things with blogging, blog-reading, and emails. That will be me, leaving comments on your day old posts, because I’ve been away from the internet since Thursday!

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By kilax, February 10, 2009 5:31 am

“Some people get overly excited because they are about to get stabbed, and that’s all they can think about. But don’t get sloppy!” – another quote from our professor.

I’m surprised – Fencing is becoming addictive! Last night was the first time we got to properly fence one another. We’re doing electric Épée Fencing. In Épée, you can hit your opponent anywhere on the body, but only with the end of your sword (well, your “épée”, but we’ll call it sword). Épée is the slowest of the three kinds of fencing because these two factors require more time and concentration… making it perfect for beginners! It’s called “electric” because an electric cord is plugged into the sword, and registers each hit made by the push-button on the end of the sword on a scoreboard.

Take that, imaginary opponent!

I was feeling really clumsy and anxious last week, but felt a lot more focused tonight during my warm-up with Steven. The professor must have noticed – he asked me and Steven and to demonstrate a fancy move to the class! After class, he even told me he liked “our style.” Heh.

I think we have two VERY different styles. Steven is focused and calculated. He is very deliberate in his steps. I just go for it. I’m very aggressive and fast, and definitely sloppy. I think we could learn a bit from each other.

We both did well against (read: beat) our opponents. A male opponent of mine jokingly said, “You must have some hidden maliciousness!” (This is the same guy who was joking that there should be “drunk fencing,” but also made a very nice hit on my right-handed ring finger. I’ll take a photo when the bruise shows up.) And one guy was teasing Steven that everyone else gets to fence and go home and forget about it, but Steven has to go home with his opponent. Ha. Steven and I still haven’t fenced. He’d kick my butt, surely.

I was suprised by the adrenaline rush I got when I got up in front of the class to fence. My legs and hands were shaking! It took me awhile to calm down afterward. It’s fun. You just want to keep going and going. I can’t wait until the next class!

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By kilax, July 13, 2008 10:10 pm

Whew. What a weekend. I’m so happy I took tomorrow off as well. I need to rest.

We went to our first Cubs game today…

The nerve wracking 9th inning

The Cubs lost, but we still had fun!

On our way to the ballpark, while we were still in the Loop, a woman stopped me on the street to ask how to get to the Cubs game. Long story short, I told her how we were getting to the game, but that I wasn’t sure if that was the right way to go.

A man shows up at her side and says, “Maybe if you didn’t get your education at Iowa State University, you would know where you’re going.”

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

I look at this guy, and it is my boss from when I worked at ISU for the Environmental Health & Safety Department! His wife saw people wearing Cubs shirts (us) and stopped to ask for directions, even though he didn’t want to. What are the odds of that encounter? He lives in Ames and I haven’t seen him since May ’07 (we’ve only been in contact through email).

We rode to the game together, and I gave him my business card and asked that we meet again before he leaves town (he’s in for a conference). I hope we get together again!

In other news: When my sister was packing her car for the drive home, she found a package addressed to me behind the bushes at our home! WTF? It arrived on Wednesday, and I didn’t even know it was there. I wasn’t expecting anything. To my surprise, it was an early birthday present from Gina! A cute little vase (that looks like a milk jar) with two gray kittehs that says “Friends”! I feel so awful that I didn’t know it was there. THANKS GINA!!! I can’t wait to use it. (I don’t mean to look demented in this photo, but like I said, it’s been a long weekend!)

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By kilax, July 12, 2008 11:46 pm

Last weekend, while on the boat with Steven and my family, Steven leaned over to me and said, “If you stick your head out of the boat, and breathe through your nose, that’s kind of what it’s like when you are in free fall when you go skydiving.”

Of course, I lean over to the side of the boat, and my mom says, “Are you thinking about going skydiving?”

“Maybe someday, mom,” I answer.

“Well, I don’t think you should,” she is obviously worried. “Sometimes the parachute doesn’t open.”

Sure mom…

Kyle, Christina, Kim and Steven

Our parachutes opened!

I wasn’t scared/anxious until I was actually kneeling next to the open door in the airplane, ready to jump out. For a split second, I thought “What the hell am I doing all the way up here?!” But then I jumped, and loved it!

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By kilax, June 26, 2008 1:16 pm

I tried to come up with something interesting to say… then use that as a segue into the score sheets below, but I failed… (so please check them out anyway)

Maybe posting a picture of this hilarious shirt will at least make you laugh.

I wish I could order one to arrive by Saturday for our “mini” company bowling party.

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By kilax, June 24, 2008 1:03 pm

Sometimes, for the life of me, I can’t understand why something interests another person.

It’s often television or sports. When someone is talking to me about those things, I have to pay very close attention, so that I don’t start daydreaming. I ask a lot of questions, to keep myself engaged.

I still enjoy the conversation, but the passion just isn’t there. I like to think that having these discussions means it’s more likely that I’ll enjoy these things in the future, but who knows.

So that’s the naked truth about me. I’m sure a few other people are the same way.

But then there are those people who just brush off all of your interests. They make broad statements when you start talking about something, such as “I don’t like ‘fill-in-the-blanks-of-whatever-you’re-talking-about’ ”

This happened awhile ago in a group conversation I was in. I was telling someone that I was going to my first Cubs game this summer, and that I was excited to see what it was like. I went on to ask that person how it is determined who makes the playoffs (or whatever they’re called), because it seemed to me like the teams play a ton of games, and I didn’t understand how it worked (and was genuinely interested!).

Before that person could begin to explain it to me (and I asked him because I knew he was a baseball fan), another person at the table went into their spiel about why they hate baseball and baseball games. Why I wouldn’t have any fun at the game. How I’d probably have more fun working then being at a game. How I might as well not go to the game.

Um. Okay.

Obviously, that person’s issue is bigger than being bored by other people’s interests. But, come on! Remember that saying, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”? I think it’s important to remember that one from time to time, especially in mixed company.

I am guilty of this sometimes, but I try to make an effort, because I am fascinated to learn what interests other people, whether or not it something I personally like.

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By kilax, April 12, 2008 8:04 am

Guess what was ready for me to pick up last night…

I worked and went to high school with this really annoying, know-it-all kid who thought he was better than me… and liked to bowl. He always talked about bowling at work. His high score, his new bowling ball, his bowling shirt, blah blah blah. Oh my gosh! I just wanted to punch him in the face. I think a lot of people did.

Poor kid.

So I always kind of thought that bowling was for geeky know-it-alls who didn’t like to associate with the rest of society, or really know how to have fun.

But Steven likes to bowl, and he’s not like that at all. And I actually enjoy bowling with him. And I get to look at his cute little butt when he gets up for his turn.

Anyway, I found out I was wrong about bowling. So… how did I end up with my own bowling ball?

Steven has wanted one for awhile, so I thought, “what the heck, if he is getting serious about it, I might as well give it a shot, so we can have something fun to do in common.”

But I honestly didn’t think a custom bowling ball would improve my game at all. For me, bowling is all about having fun, and not being too serious about the score. My high is usually somewhere between 40-60.

With this new ball though, all 3 of my games were over 100! Now, that isn’t much for someone who has been bowling for a long time, but for me, it’s a BIG deal. I felt like the new ball just glided off my hand, down the lane… beautifully.

Maybe that kid was so excited about bowling because it actually is that much fun? Or maybe I just had an “on” night…