Everyday Active #20 - Thank Goodness

In hindsight, it's a really good thing I decided to do this Everday Active Challenge.  This time of year I normally count on being able to go for lots of bike rides and power walks.  Exercising indoors isn't my favourite, so I really need the challenge to keep me motivated during this long, rainy season.

Yep....pouring rain again today.

Thank goodness for free Zumba videos on the internet.  I did the same beginner workout that I did yesterday, and I found I was starting to get the hang of some of the steps.  If I didn't need the steps broken down in half tempo I just did them full tempo during the tutorial.  But most of them I still needed to start out slow.

I made it even more humbling by propping a full length mirror against the fireplace so I could make my form was correct.  How zumba instructors keep a straight face in front of their students is beyond me!

Anyway, this is a fun, hip shaking cardio.  Just don't take yourself too seriously!  ;-)

Everyday Active #16 - Can You "Cheat" on the Wii?

I wanted to avoid falling into the late evening "too tired to work out" trap so I made sure to do my Everyday Active right after I dropped my little one off at preschool.  The piles of laundry and mess in the kitchen would have to wait!  Since the rain was coming down pretty hard it meant another Wii Workout.  (Yes, I live on the West Coast & rain is expected....and no it usually doesn't continue like this into MAY.....Spring....where ARE YOU?)

Things I like about EA Active is that it has a lot of options and a lot of their exercises help work your thigh muscles.  My knees have felt kinda achy lately (damp weather?  old age? inheriting my mother & grandmother's arthritis?), so I need to be strengthening my quads. I chose the Sports Drill Hard level, 'cause it's more fun to pretend you're playing volleyball, tennis, or basketball when really they are sneakily making you do squats, jumps, and lunges.

A friend mentioned to me one time that you don't even need to get off the couch to use the Wii...that it's all in the "flick of the wrist".  So that leads to the question....can you cheat on your Wii Workout?  I guess the answer would be yes, but really....why would you?  If you don't want the results that exercise gives you, then wouldn't it be more enjoyable to lie on the couch with a book and a bowl of ice cream?

So if you're working out with EA Active like I am...you get what you put into it.  Focus on your form, feel the burn, and push harder!  The workout predicted about 182 calories would be burned and I made it over 200!

On another note, a friend of mine said she tried Wii Zumba...I'm thinking of checking it out...anyone else tried it?

Or maybe I should just check out some of the DVDs.