A new evolution in our fitness regime: using lists

This is sort of another ho-hum contribution. But I want to write about it anyway in case it may benefit anyone else. It will also help me to remember the stages of progression in our fitness pursuits.

Lists. Yes, I've been hoping for some time now to get away from the DVD's we're using for our strength-training sessions and simply to work from a list of exercises. Why?

Part of the reason for this is that I get tired of watching--and hearing--the same thing over, and over, and over, and over (etc.) again. But I also see it as a small step in progressing beyond canned fitness routines to something I devise myself. We've now made some actual steps in that direction.

For now, I've simply made lists of the exercises, in the order in which they occur, from the DVD's we use. Not too creative, but it's a first step. So, rather than popping in, for example, the Arm Toner DVD when doing our strength training during the Arm Toner phase, we just consult a list of the exercises done on the DVD as we go through the routine.

There are a few reasons--aside from the fact that I think it will help us to progress in our fitness undertakings--this has turned out to be a good approach. One is that we can play our own music while exercising. That's a relief after listening over and over again to what's being said on the DVD's (and we even get in a little extra exercise by dancing during "stretch breaks" :) ).

But, as I said, the main reason we're doing things this way now is to try and progress closer to a point when we can, by picking and choosing from exercises we've done, design our own routines. Once we're able to do that, we will likely have minimized the drudgery that usually accompanies regular fitness pursuits--also called, not surprisingly, "routines."

We'll undoubtedly still pop in, and work out along with , a DVD from time to time. That will help us to ensure we're using proper form. But I assume we may also notice nuances in the routines that had escaped our notice with repeated viewing.

In any case, I'll be offering updates on how things are going with our new approach involving lists. Stay tuned for those.