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Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Our Christmas Gift to Each Other...Not Romantic, but Practical

Doug and I have been unsuccessfully fighting the battle of the bulge, pretty much since retirement. We've talked about joining a gym, but it would be about a 25-minute drive from where we live; and we're not sure we would be committed enough to stick with it.

We did go so far as to visit several fitness centers and get information about membership rates and available exercise equipment. We pretty much even settled on the one that we would join. But we never took that final step of signing the papers and paying the fee.

Doug was intrigued by the television commercials for the Total Gym, promoted by Chuck Norris and Christie Brinkley, so I started doing some research on it.

Before making any major purchase, I like to read the user reviews on Amazon. When I typed "Total Gym" into the search box on Amazon, the first item that popped up was the Weider Total Body Works 5000 Gym. It was hundreds of dollars cheaper than the Total Gym, and the reviews were very positive.

So we figured, for that price, we couldn't go wrong to try it.

We've been using it for about a week and a half now, and it seems perfect for us. We're so out of shape that 10 minutes on it is about all we can handle, but that's 10 minutes worth of exercise that we weren't getting before.


The Weider Total Body Works 5000 Gym came with a poster, illustrating 29 of the possible exercises one could do on the equipment and providing information as to which muscles the particular exercise would benefit. But we find ourselves experimenting and inventing some of our own exercises. It's actually kind of fun, in spite of being hard work. And it's so handy to just walk into the den and work out for a few minutes.

We decided that the Gym would be our Christmas gift to each other. Hopefully, it will help us to become healthier in the new year.

At least, so far, there are no clothes hanging on it.

10 comments:

  1. They say accountability helps. You will be accountable to eachother! Sounds like the best gift. The gift of health!

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  2. TNE - So far, we're enjoying showing each other what we can do. Doug has never liked using a treadmill, but he seems to be enjoying this. Maybe we'll hike up to Mount LeConte next spring. :)

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  3. Looks like a piece of torture equipment to me! LOL!!!!

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  4. To tell you the truth, Beckie, there are times that I feel as if I'm being stretched on a rack. But I keep telling myself it's good for me. :)

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  5. My first thought was, "How nice ... it's in front of a window so they can enjoy the view while exercising." But my second thought was, "The sweat in their eyes probably keeps them from doing that." :)

    Good for you. Keep it up. :)

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  6. You give us too much credit, Sandy. Not much sweat yet. But lots of pain. The view is nice, but sometimes distracting. This morning there were some squirrels in the back yard, checking out what appeared to be a dead rabbit. They would sneak up close to the carcass, then leap into the air like a cat that's just been startled. One squirrel jumped straight up onto a limb that was just above him.

    Lest you grieve too much over the rabbit, Doug tells me he died in his sleep, probably of old age. :)

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  7. "But we find ourselves experimenting and inventing some of our own exercises." Now that just sounds like too much information." ;)

    Glad you're enjoying. :)

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  8. I hadn't thought of how that remark might be interpreted, Hilary. Leave it to you. :)

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  9. Finding the right piece of equipment is worth its weight in gold. I like walking or biking so both a treadmill or bike work well for me.Have a great holiday Linda.

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  10. OOTP - We like walking, but not in the cold. :) Hopefully, we've found the "right" piece of equipment to keep us fit during the cold months. May you have a blessed Christmas, too, Steve.

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