My favorite though is walking on the beach. One of my jobs takes me near the beach frequently so I take advantage of those days. What a calf workout!?!
I found this the other day in my Fitness magazine I thought I'd share. You can roughly figure out your walking speed by counting how many steps you take in one minute then based on your miles per hour, you can estimate your total distance.
Steps per minute = Speed
115 = 2.5 to 3.5 mph
125 = 3.0 to 4.0 mph
135 = 3.5 to 4.5 mph
150 = 5.0 mph
When it's too cold or on the rare rainy days I will walk the mall. Errr I try not to do this because somehow I always come out with more than I went in with. I also have the Leslie Sansone walking tapes which are great and I highly recommend them.
Exercise was always one of my issues pre-op. I believe I once said, "Why would anyone want to purposely make themselves sweat" but now I go out everyday and exercise at least 1 hour. My post-op mantra is: You can't continue the same behaviors and expect a different result. Here's what I do when I don't want to drag my tookus out. I take a look at my "fat pants" I've kept a pair for inspiration and I glance at the before picture I posted on my fridge. I'm determined to not go back there.
I think it's important to find an exercise that works for you. We are more likely to do it consistently if we enjoy it! That being said I think our bodies get used to the same thing and it's good to shake things up a bit ever now and then. I try throw something different in every few days. I have a BOB and I will turn on some tunes and beat the crap out of him. He's a scary looking dude huh? I suppose you could pin a picture on his face (ex-husbands, bosses, etc.)
or I will do my Pilates Body Circles. I love those things. They are sooooo fun... think arm hula hoops and you really feel it after. If you have FitTV (check your cable or satellite network) you can exercise anytime of the day. If all else fails I turn on the music and dance!
