Everyday Systems

The first time I did NoS (started Oct. 10) I discovered the importance of sleep for me. I thought I was feeling so run down and miserable because of my weight, but discovered how much better I feel when I get sleep. While I was working on my NoS habits I worked on my sleep habits. That habit has stuck for me pretty well. (much better than the NoS habits have stuck....but I am still working on those!) I went from staying up to between midnight and two and getting up at 5 to going to bed at 10 every night. What a difference!

I have a lot of demands on my time. I have four kids (five kids living here) and work full time....life is just very busy, as I know it is for many people. I am not incorporating any type of exercise into my schedule at this point. I woud like to and feel like I need to!! It's just not going to happen on a consisten basis in the evenings because things so often get in the way of it!!! I attempt to get in bed by 10 every night, but that doesn't happen all the time either,but am amost always in bed by 11. I have to be up at 5:15.

My question is what do you think is more beneficial...sleep or exercise?? Would it be beneficial for me to lose 45 minutes of sleep to get in 30 minutes of exercise. That is the question. What do you think?

Sleep, though exercise is a very close second (like sleepexercise). Both are essential for health as well as weight loss. Having said that, in most places of the world, very few people set aside time for exercise, it's just part of the day. even in the developed countries. It's only in the places where we have made life so convenient that movement has been removed from our lives that we have to make time for it.

Add some movement to your day. Make life a little less convenient. Park further away at the grocery or the mall or where you work. If your home has a second story or a basement, be a little less organized and go up and down the stairs frequently. When (and if!) you talk on the phone, pace. When you're at the grocery or any big box store, go up and down all the aisles. (Quickly, so you're not tempted to buy what you don't need.) Bring in bags from shopping one at a time.

Several years ago I posted a link to Great Depression Cooking on YouTube "starring" 93 year old Clara Cannucciari (she's now 97). A year later there was a cookbook published with anecdotes and some pithy quotes from Clara.

Clara wrote:If you don't think you have time to exercise, just clean your kitchen. I think it's kind of silly -- the people jogging. Scrubbing my floors and counters makes everything strong and my kitchen looks good.

I like the old ways, and I always did. Even back then I didn't like change too much. I like scrubbing the floor clean on my hands and knees with a hard-bristled brush. It doesn't get clean any other way.

Walk to the grocery store. Because if you don't have a large car trunk to store things, you'll be forced to buy only what you can comfortably carry, which is most likely all you need.

Always use the stairs. People tell me that I shouldn't be going up and down my stairs at my age, but I need them -- they keep me limber. So what if we wear out our shoes if we keep ourselves fit?

Sweep, vacuum, scrub, dust. Sweep the sidewalk, sweep the garage (they always need it!), make exaggerated movements when you dust. If you can't walk to get groceries, make more trips bringing them into the house. I wipe down one set of kitchen cabinet doors every day. If you have a dishwasher, put things away one-by-one. Every little bit of movement counts. Get down on your hands and knees and clean baseboards (one of my least favorite jobs).

If and when you watch TV, get up and move during commercials. On average during an hour show, you'd get about 15 minutes of exercise. Or, get up and dust or sweep and so on.

The closest I come to setting aside time for exercise is walking the dog. We go out 2 and sometimes 3 times daily for a minimum of 15 minutes at a time. I also do plies or relevés when I'm doing dishes or brushing my teeth.

Wosnes said it all and very well, too!

The closest I get to "exercise" is that I choose to wear a pedometer and it helps me to remember to move a bit more. It is amazing to me that by choosing to do more around the house (water the garden, taking the laundry upstairs rather than assigning a child to do it, and the like), I easily add several more thousand steps to my day.

I added the pedometer halfway through my second year with NoS. I found a site that I can use to easily record my daily steps. Thus, 3 years later, I've clocked 9 MILLION steps which is probably 3-4x more than I would have taken without the little pedometer reminding me to move.

It is very motivating to realize that every little bit adds up over time and makes a real difference.

HTH,

Pedometers are great motivation.

I second pedometers! Also, do you work? Do you get a lunch break? If so, you could always set aside a portion of your break to do walking, or some sort of movement. Do you watch TV at night? You could always ride a recumbent bike, walk on a treadmill,etc... Then, you could kill two birds with one stone! You could also work in activity during commercial breaks. Also, there are a ton of good DVDs out there with short exercise segments, such as the 10 Minute Solution series or Tracey Mallett's Sexy in 6 Quick Blast DVDs.

Sleep is more important.

However, you can throw a bit of exercise in there too. Exercise is not just for losing weight but for staying strong as you age. Gretchen Reynolds, NY Times Well columnist says that the exercise physiologists she has interviewed say that squats are probably the single best exercise to address aging related deficiencies.

I would throw in a few squats, pushups and crunches a few times a week to hit the large muscle groups.

I would agree sleep, BUT I sleep soooooo much better when I get exercise! In fact, I don't sleep well without exercise. My two biggest motivations for exercise is feeling better and sleeping well. I think we have to look at exercise differently. We don't néed to work out an hour a day. 10 minutes a day of consistent exercise is better than the sporadic hour here and there.
Like others said push ups, squats, lunges......you can google bodyweight exercises and modifications for ones that are too hard.
This weekend I ran around the garden with the kids playing tag and Sharks and Minnows. I felt great after, and got the kids moving, my teenaged daughter even joined in. Think outside the box here.
My husband keeps a set of 5# weights on his desk, he does sets with those throughout the day and does have muscle definition in his arms from it.

I second the idea of aiming for a shorter exercise bout to start, at least. Get up 15 minutes earlier for 10 minutes of exercise. Or what about right after dinner? Don't know what your weather is like, but a 10-minute brisk walk can help liven the evening.

Well proper sleeping is basic practice for attaining maximum fitness. Sleep deprivation causes many health problems. On the other hand exercise has many benefits. I think the right combination of these two give you desired fitness.

Thanks everyone! I know I really should be doing BOTH....some exercise and plenty of sleep! What I got from what you all have said is that a little of something is better than nothing at all. This morning I got up at my normal time. And furing the course of my morning I did 50 squats before I left for work....done in sets of 10. It's better than nothing at all right? I also got my pedometer out and will try to set it up to wear tomorrow. Like to get a base as to how many steps I take on a normal day and then work on upping that. Will attempt to get on my exercise bike on evenings when time allows, but not freak out and give up on exercise if it doesn't happen 5 days a week. THANKS!

50 squats is quite a bit. Yes, I know when you do over it time you aren't working the muscle to failure, etc. etc. But your muscle is that much stronger, that much more exercised than it was yesterday.

The way you are adopting exercise seems quite reasonable and sustainable. Well done! A little bit done over a long period of time WILL add up and make a difference.

Sleep. I'd keep that the same or sleep a bit more... don't mess with something you've worked to get to. I'd try to add 15 minutes of exercise. You'll see results with that much and it won't mess with your day. Really!

If you're sleeping, you're not eating.

My psychologist told me one of her binge eating patients kept a "farmer's schedule" by going to bed at 8:30 and getting up at 4:30, to prevent late night binging.

Zippa-- I run two businesses, run after kids, keep meals on the table, and keep the house "somewhat" clean. At the end of the day it's hard to find energy to brush my teeth and fall into bed. And then I was intruduced to the shovelglove. Have you tried this? 14 minutes. start with doing this a couple times a week. I can't get over the workout you get with 14 minutes. I also have started going to bed earlier. If there is bookwork that needs to be finished, dishes that need to be done or whatever it is I just leave it and go to bed. I have so much more energy to take on the day and I have a tad more energy to actually excercise.