14 minutes

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spongerobert
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14 minutes

Post by spongerobert » Sat Dec 06, 2008 7:23 pm

I really liked the exercise segment in the NO S book that described working out 14 mintues a day on my NO S days. I think I am going to incorporate the shovelglove into my routine. However, my question is about the [u]walking. [/u] I am, like everybody else, quite busy, and I can do the 14 minutes of walking for 5 days, and I know that I can attempt to find other times during the day to get in some extra walking minutes (however, at times that is difficult). Is 14 minutes enough time to get a good enough walking workout and reap the benefits. Has anybody had success walking this way. My perception from reading the book was that the 14 minutes was geared to the shovelglove. I would appreciate some feedback. Thank you
Peace,
SpongeRobert

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winnie96
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Post by winnie96 » Sun Dec 07, 2008 2:34 am

The way I look at it is this: fourteen minutes of walking may not be a very long time, but it's probably fourteen minutes more than you're doing now, and for me, once I get out there for 14 mins, it's pretty easy to continue on.

For Shovelglove, however, I think it's important pay attention to the 14 minutes. If I got up every morning and thought I had to do a 30 minute SG routine, I would be crazed!

For walking, if you aren't walking now, adding 14 mins a day would be fab, and as I say, once you're out there, why not go for 20? Or split it up: 10 minutes here, 10 minutes there. Or get a step-counting pedometer, and just see how many steps you take per day. At the end of the day, if your steps seem light, get out there and do a few more steps, even if it's just circling around inside your living room.

The No-S "way of life", for me, is not about rigid rules and time limits, etc. It's about finding ways to adjust your life to doing things that are good for you, in a way that you enjoy.

And BTW: I've found that 14 mins of SG in the morning pumps me up for additional exercise over the course of the day (like, park in the farthest away spot!)

For walking, I wouldn't worry too much about time limits ... just look for opportunities to increase your walking, and if 14 mins 5 times a week is all you can reasonably do, it''s probably more than you have been doing, so will be a benefit.

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reinhard
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Post by reinhard » Tue Dec 09, 2008 4:21 pm

Robert,

Winnie is right on:
The way I look at it is this: fourteen minutes of walking may not be a very long time, but it's probably fourteen minutes more than you're doing now, and for me, once I get out there for 14 mins, it's pretty easy to continue on.


Is 14 minutes of very low intensity exercise "enough?" Well, if you're considering it, it's probably a damn sight more than you're doing now. That first step, from nothing to something, is the hardest, most important you'll ever make. And the most important consideration is to make it sustainable, to establish a firm, regular foundation. You can always build on it later.

I try to build in walking as part of my functional routine: anywhere I can walk, in a reasonable amount of time, I do. But I'm fortunate to live in a town that is very walking friendly. If you're not, then a deliberate 14 minutes might be a great structure. If after a few months you feel like you have this habit down and are ready to add something more strenuous, great. You'll be in a better position to do so, both in terms of habit/willpower and in terms of fitness, than if you hadn't established this habit of walking first.

Reinhard

surf_and_turf
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