For more than a decade, Jenny maintained her weight and received a clean bill of health from her doctor, whom she visited annually. Yet, she pretty much ate anything she pleased. The secret to her good health was exercise. And, the good news is there was no magic to it. One only needs to set aside 30 minutes each day. I follow her routine six days a week.
So, why should we care about Jenny's workout routine? Because it's fun yet effective. Jenny selected exercises that were easy on the knees and, to make the time go by faster, could be done while chatting with others, listening to a podcast or watching TV. Her workouts emphasized both strength and cardio. In order of frequency, here's what Jenny did most often:
1) YouTube videos
Jenny followed along to YouTube mostly in the family room, but also in her office. She had about a dozen go-to channels, but here are some of her favorites. Contact me if you want any more of Jenny's recommendations.
Reps to the Rhythm: It's hard not to like Keoni, his cats and his enthusiasm as he steps and hops the calories away. His videos involve a bit of fancy footwork. Jenny could handle it, as she was well coordinated. (I'm not.) Jenny also liked this one because the instructor sometimes exercises with his mom.
Lucy Wyndham-Read: Jenny found this channel and I liked it so much I forwarded it to my manager. Her videos frequently involve walking in place, but in a way that will make the time fly by. You can walk along with Lucy as she offers a tour of London, a small French town or even her home. Her uplifting comments that flash on the screen every couple of minutes will keep you motivated.
Blogilates: If you think you're a tough guy and can do any weightless arm exercise, try this video without dropping your arms for the entire 15 minutes (Jenny could do it!):
2) Stretching
Yes, stretching is an exercise. I looked it up on Google, so it must be so. Jenny stretched mostly to alleviate her swollen ankles. She'd lie on a mat with her legs up and did this several times a day, usually while listening to a podcast.
3) Walks outside
I have very fond memories of our walks outside and I'm sure Jenny's friends do, too. Every conversation was a meaningful one. When walking with her I was exercising without knowing I was exercising. Because our joints were often tender--especially the knees and ankles--we tended to favor flat surfaces. Sometimes we'd bike to a nearby park, which brings me to the next favorite exercise of hers--biking!
4) Biking
I will write a separate post on Jenny's love for biking. Jenny encouraged all of us to use our bikes, especially if a destination was less than 15 minutes away. She biked to work, biked all around our community, set up bike tours for us when we were on vacation and would find bike paths for us to drive to around the Bay Area. She even biked through Switzerland and northern Italy. Most commonly, we'd use our bikes to get to a place to walk, such as a nearby track or Cuesta Park in Mountain View.
5) The gym
During our first few years together Jenny and I routinely went to the gym. Such trips became less common when the kids came along. However, when on vacation, we'd scope out a hotel or resort gym. Jenny was always the one to motivate her family to exercise when we were on holiday.
I'm going to try the arm workout :)