Can I just say how much I love this thread and reading everyone's replies?

CS/Essentrics
Swimming
Jessica Smith
Yoga
Walking - mostly Jessica/Leslie
Anything I find on YouTube

I'm now looking more into Margaret Richard and possibly streaming Ellen.

I'm sorry Erica! I can relate in a way. Before I found Essentrics, I was teaching step and tabata. I loved step...it was so depressing to give it up but it's so hard on my back.


I agree with Vintage VFer and Usia. The ultimate goal is to keep moving!

I started doing yoga almost 20 years ago & I still do dome gentle yoga almost every day. Stretching is an absolute must for me!

I’ve stuck with Essentrics since 2016, did my level 1 teacher training level in 2017, finished level 4 last year, teach 2-3 times a week.

This year I’ve added in pure strength work out of necessity for an ongoing issue that yoga and Essentrics weren’t quite enough to address. I’ve never enjoyed pure strength workouts before, but they are growing on me and I plan to continue.

I love cardio, I’m definitely a cardio junkie….outdoor walking, low impact walking workouts, BellyFit, rebounding. I have a hip issue that was limiting my long walks, thankfully the strength work & stretching combo has helped immensely!

Bottom line…. I need to move and cross training works best for me!

I'm in a similar situation. It is tough. Mine is due to chronic mouth pain, probably nerve damage from years of teeth grinding. All movement irritates it and makes the pain worse. I worked out with Jessica Smith for years, and now I can't even walk around the block without increasing my pain. I was also very active and it is depressing.

I haven't gained weight, in fact I've lost a lot. That's because I can't chew, it also increases the pain. I grind up everything in my Ninja. I'm trying to eat healthier, putting fruit and veggies in smoothies, and cooking vegetables until they are very soft. But it isn't easy, that's for sure. And I miss chewing food, and being able to eat anything. Enjoyment of food is just as much about texture, as taste.

I have been put on a med that treats this, but I have to increase dosage slowly. If this one doesn't work, they will try another. I am hopeful that I can increase my activity if I find a med that works.

I hope you are able to slowly increase your activity. I'm reading a workbook I found on Amazon, Pain Management with CBT by Rachel Zoffness. She said that not moving can actually increase our pain. If we slowly increase movement, and tell our brains it's okay to move, that there is no danger, we can actually decrease pain. I'm not sure it will work in my situation, but I've realized I've been doing too much too fast. I'm trying to increase movement very slowly, and see how that goes.

Sherry, I'm sorry for what you are going through and hope they find some meds that work for you. Sending hugs.

Erica

Rodney Yee
Cathe
Paul Grilley

Vintage VFer said it. Just making sure I move daily has had to be my thing or I get too disappointed. There is always something gonna stop me if I just pick 1 thing. I decide to focus on just weights for example and get or have an upper body injury (have since December). I'd be doing nothing if all I idd was weights, but it is a big love along with Kettlebells. Youtube is a lifesaver for me and whenever a new Jessica Smith or Reps to the Rhythm workout comes out I have to do it if possible. When I can't do anything else, I don't love it, but I will do the recumbent bike.
But as for LOVES, I love Jessica and Keoni (the youtube pages I mentioned), and others like them. I love slower, controlled Kettlebell or kickboxing (so to speak) workouts (i LOVE the slower Kickboxing workout KCM does with light weights, can't remember name of DVD.
LOVE Bernadette Giorgi, especially her very first one. I love Ballet Beautiful floorwork and sidelying pilates as someone said above. (I also like what they call standing pilates a lot more than barre. My body will not do barre).
I am pretty consitant also with bands when able (they are easier on body right now than weights) but I still cannot say they are a love, I just do them when I can't do other strength work. I used them a lot when recovering from my hysterectomy in the fall, and now still some because its what PT recommends. I still throw in some Essentrics here and there and always say I will do it daily or several times a week, but doesn't often happen.
Not able to do much yoga with movement right now (too much elevated arms), but it has been a huge love for a really long time.

Basically a little of everything as long as I am moving, but I had to put in the loves and preferances, lol, even tho I don't know if I posted what OP actually meant (sorry about that). I stick with several of these things above til i can't and then go to something else in this group. I should say I try to be consistant about getting outside as well, but that doesn't always involve going for a walk or work on the deck. (I really want to garden and wish I intuitivelly knew what to do when I go outside)

PS: I should also say, my preferred method, that I do stay consistant with when able to do it, is cardio weights- without a lot of going to hands and knees. It gets several boxes checked, and its lifting weights without lactic acid building up so much which doesn't throw off the body stress response too much. (same with workouts that switch back and forth quickly between upper and lower body)

Thank you, Erica. That's kind of you. :heart:

For me it is Ellen Barrett, Jessica Smith, Essentrics as far as instructors go. Hiking when its not hot outside and the gym for variety with my daughters.

Running
Yoga
Dog walks
Hiking (although I don't get to do that nearly as often as I'd like)

I enjoy pretty much all types of exercise but these things are what I'm most consistent with.