Weight and Resistance Training - LWL #239 Jan 23 - 29

Good Morning LWL! Headed to the gym for chest and cardio, and a bunch of clients.

I finished the scarf I started last weekend and had about half the yarn left over. My step-mother admired it so much at dinner last night that I already started one for her. I'm not sure that knitting is helping my tendonitis, but I have found that I can do it on the recumbent bike and still maintain pace :lol3: Multitasking!

Sorry I've been so scarce- working, working out, ferrying my son around and arguing about homework seems to drain my life at this point.

Have a great day!

Mel

Hullo, everyone!

Mel - good going on the knitting. And take it easy on the other stuff!

I've had an excellent time at the gymn this morning. Legs, rowing intervals. Highpoints include being able to touch my toes early in the day. This is a great achievement for me which I've been working on hard with leg lifts and calf stretches. It's part of sorting out my knee problem. This seems as though things are going in the right direction but I'm not running at all at present. That's the acid test, isn't it?

The scales are also going in the right direction. And I seem to have better posture. Perhaps some of you remember when I used to go on about that all the time. Good posture certainly is a good thing. I think you lose half a stone (7lbs) with it.

Shush - have just realised you're a vegetarian so all my protein babbling is useless for you (CC and nuts aside)! Quinoa - hasn't that got all the amino acids in it? Quite good with chick peas, sunflower seeds, raisins, zest of lemon. Amaranth? I'm still working on that one.

Let's have a CLEAN, CLEAN week.

Hi LWL,

Mel - It must be a funny sight to see you knitting on the recumbent bike!
Silverbirch - Hurray for another NSV

I'm not in top condition today. Yesterday had a difficult evening sorting out what will go to XH and what will be for me. No rows, but ir was emotionally draining to sort to the stuff with XH. I had a bad night (maybe also because of drinking coffee in the afternoon, I should avoid that!) and today did not improve with a mail from XH about the photo's, films and other memorabilia of our past life. I cannot see why he wants these, since he is off to his new life with NL. It really is emotionally exhausting.

Fortunately my endurance for work seems to be improving, which is good. And I'm going to power class this evening with my friend, so hopefully that will cheer me up.

Have a great day all,
rabbit

Thanks Silverbirch for the tip about Quinoa I think I've got some lurking in a cupboard somewhere the only problem is i tried it once for breakfast :barf:
So any suggestions for cooking it would be great.

I can handle cc in a recipe but on it's own :nono:

Does anyone know if Quark is just as good as cc?

I'm feeling chatty so I think I'll hop in here.

The start of my day was rather hectic, but I hit the fitness center as soon as I was on campus for my work out. I don't know if it's all in my head or not, but I feel so much better after getting my workout finished. :carrot:

Then the rest of the day was occupied by work and classes. I'm actually beginning to figure out my graphing calculator. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks. ;)

I did very well on my eating today, and I truly believe it's because I pack a lunch with me. :)

I weigh in on Saturdays and the scale didn't budge, but my jeans are definitely fitting a lot better so I'll remain optimistic.

Have a great week, and happy lifting!

Abs today. My routine got all messed up by that dratted work thing! I'll figure it out tomorrow.

shush - I think Quark is pretty good too! I'm not sure about the protein content, check out the labels next time you're in the supermarket!

Well, running at lunch, kickboxing in the evening and "hitting a 10" on my UBW last night. I increased everything by at least 2.2lbs! :crazy: You don't get exceptional results by doing mediocre things. So there we go! However I did have problems getting out of bed this morning - I was faint and shaking lying down! I feel much better after 2 pints of squash and breakfast! :lol:

Oh and I had a really really nice meal last night - porridge (oatmeal) made with 1/2C oats, 1C skimmed milk and 1 whole egg all stirred up in the pan. It was delish! Very rich and proteiney! I didn't even need to put any extra flavours in!

Thanks Silverbirch for the tip about Quinoa I think I've got some lurking in a cupboard somewhere the only problem is i tried it once for breakfast :barf:
So any suggestions for cooking it would be great.

I'll look out the recipe we use tonight and post it tomorrow. Quark: not sure. Frus's suggestion of looking at the protein levels on the label is what I'd do!

Oh, tofu, of course! We have it about once a week.

Now, as for amaranth (which I found in a health food shop).

nuworldfoods dot com says:

In addition to being gluten-free, amaranth has amazing nutritional benefits. Just ½ cup of amaranth, naturally supplies, without fortification, 28% of your daily requirement of protein, 55% of iron, 60% of dietary fiber and 18% of calcium. And amaranth offers higher lysine, cysteine and methionine levels ---essential amino acids required for cell and brain maintenance ---than any grain. In fact, it has a better amino acid balance than cow’s milk or soy and is called, by the National Academy of Sciences, one of the best sources of vegetable protein.

When this says 'your daily requirement of protein' I suppose that is smaller than we LWL would require.

And Karen Railey http://chetday.com/amaranth.html says:

Amaranth seed is high in protein (15-18%) and contains respectable amounts of lysine and methionine, two essential amino acids that are not frequently found in grains. It is high in fiber and contains calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, and vitamins A and C.

Worth investigating. As Juju Ridl (Skinny Daily Post) says: I will if you will.

Edited to say that I put quinoa and then amaranth into the 3FC search engine and came up with quite a few hits. No time to delve further.

Hi LWL,

Feeling better this morning!. I went to "power" class yesterday & it was OK. It is some kind of lifting in a group session, with music. I use much lighter weights than usual because the tempo is higher and also there are more reps. I definitely do not want to get injured or wreck further havoc on my tennis elbow.

All quiet on the XH front: I spoke with my lawyer yesterday and I am very glad that she will take matters in hand. Furthermore, with the stuff sorted out for 80%, I can now concentrate on what new furniture to get. i went to Ikea over the weekend & I know what I want. I'll go down there again by the end of february, with the kids, to place the order & pick most of the stuff up. In that way I canmove in my stuff when he moves out his.

Have a great day,
rabbit

It's off to the health food shop for Amaranth then.:)

Checked Quark it has got slightly less protein than CC but less calories too and best of all no yukky lumps :barf: So that will save me having to blend it all the time.

Thanks for the tips, I'm off to check out the Quinoa recipes :chef:

I think Quark tastes less cheesey too! You can use it instead of cream...

Shush,

I am not a cottage cheese lover either, however Avalon does organic CC and it tastes delicious! Like I HATE CC but I LOVER Avalon's CC. INHO, it is better than Quark!
Sandy.

Morning all!

Rabbit - I got sucked into a power class last night too! I was wiping down the :tread: just as they were starting. I wandered over to see what it was about, and before I knew it I had weights in my hand. :lol: It was a hour of being pushed hard. More squats and lunges than I usually do, plus a good upper body workout. And yes, I ended up using lower weights that normal too, but I am very nicely sore this morning. Some of that of course is from patting myself on the back for doing 1.5 hours in the gym yesterday. :rofl: I won't be there again til Thurs due to other commitments. I'd considered a walk outside at lunch, but the temperature was -15F (-26C) outside this morning :eek: so probably not.

2F - you are doing great!

SB - are you a vegetarian? I must have missed that. We are what my DH calls "economic vegetarians" which means that meat is just too pricey. :lol: We do eat a fair amount of chicken and of course salmon (which he catches).

Okay, back to work. I'm reviewing applications for an "on call" position I have open, always interesting....

SB - are you a vegetarian? I must have missed that.

No, not at all! I suppose we are economic and health-choice vegetarians. We probably eat fish, meat or vegetarian twice or three times a week each. (Um, yes, I know that doesn't add up but you know what I mean!)

Here's the recipe from The Optimum Nutrition Cookbook by Patrick Holford and Judy Ridgway (Piatkus, London, 1999). Patrick is a bit wacky (see his Optimum Nutrition Bible, for example) but I quite like him.

Quinoa pilaf with chickpeas and dried fruits

1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 small sticks celery, trimmed and chopped
2 small leeks, trimmed and chopped
125g (4oz) canned chickpeas (drained weight)
1 stick cinnamon
4 cardamom pods
100g (3.5oz) quinoa
250ml (9 fl oz) vegetable stock or water
25 (1oz) (2.5 tbsp) sunflower seeds
25g (1oz) (2 tbsp) raisins
6 prunes (have substituted apricots)
grated zest of half a lemon
some freshly chopped parsley

1. Brush the base of a deep non-stick frying pan with the oil. Add the onion, celery and leeks and cook gently for about 3 mins to release the flavours. Keep the veg on the move with a wooden spoon and do not allow them to brown.

2. Add the chickpeas, spices, quinoa and veg stock/water to the pan and stir. Bring to the boil, cover the pan and cook over a low heat for 10 mins.

3. Add the sunflower seeds, raisins, prunes and lemon zest, and continue cooking for another 10 mins until all the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa is cooked through.

4. Pile the pilaf onto two serving plates, tossing gently to separate the grains. Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and serve at once.

Shush - good research work on the quark. Thanks. I might give that a go.

I just watched Ms Fitness 2005. Oh my!
My 20 or 30 minutes of legs turned into an hour! I am so envious.

I hit a 10 in kickboxing last night! :hyper: I really really tried very hard. I don't think many people there were really pushing themselves. I feel like a bragging :angel: now! :rofl:

Doing ok with food, apart from my midnight feast on Fig Newtons. :tantrum: I must've been hungry!

Am increasing my calories slightly after actually writing down what I burn off through exercise and calculating how to "zig-zag" them. I'm going to increase the amount of food I eat slowly, but the past couple of days have been a bit of a leap! Must make sure I'm a little more restrained today! :lol:

Scheduled for a run today but it's below 0! I hope to get my butt out of the office chair anyway! It's quite nice running in the cold, but I don't like the lung burn you get! Then UBW tonight with a lovely chicken stir fry!

:goodvibes:

Someone posted here a while ago that it doesn’t matter to real hardcore gymn users what you’re lifting as long as you are lifting. And with good form. I have some confirmation of this kind of thing.

There’s a pair of hardcore cases at my new gymn. They’re workout partners. One’s about 66 (grizzled, lifting belt, singlet saying something like Venice Beach 2005, notebook and an awful lot of tattoos). The other’s about 23 with fewer tattoos – but give him time! The male lifters in the morning tease one another a lot. The older one is starting to build up some repartee with me. This morning was back and biceps for me. I’d just finished two sets of the upright row and was resting between sets of biceps curls. ‘Don’t rest too long,’ said our hero to me. ‘No, I shan’t,’ said I. ‘I give myself 45 seconds between sets.’ That stopped him right in his tracks. ‘Is that right? Good!’ he said and his eyes flashed respect and recognition.

Made me laugh! :D

Wow, 2Fru :bravo:! you got your 10 :D Good job!

Silver- That must have felt good :)

Cardio (spin class) and shoulders for me today. Lots of chicken and broccoli.

Pants are getting slightly looser.

Mel

Hi LWL,

Well, I took a big step and signed up with the gym in the next village 9my village (pop 1500 counting suburbs) has no gym of its own). i went there with my friend this morning, and we both signed up. It looks like an OK deal, just now to get myself over there 2-3 times per week ! So far the plan is to do "power" class on monday evening, with my frined, and also go to the gym on wednesday morning.

After intake today the trainer also showed us some moves at my request. i wantet do know wether I had Ok form on the squats & the lunges...these are OK but I have to keep watching when I do the deadlifts as I tend to round my back. So... a worthwhile thing I think.

BTW-Pat, MINUS 26 C ???? That must be awfull!!! We're having longer days out here now, I'm so glad that the sun is coming up when I go to work in the mornings!

For the rest.. busy upgrading my PC arrangements in the livingroom, and planning new layout & furniture for when XH moves his stuff out next month.

Have a great day,
rabbit

Rabbit, sorry to hear what youre going through. Been there, done that, tho' it was many years ago. I remember the ex and I fought over who would get the Ry Cooder records (that shows my age...remember records?<grin>) It's a rough time emotionally, espec. with children.

SB, thanks for the recipe. I've been wondering what to do with the Quinoa I've had for months on my kitchen shelf. Will try it next week.

Well, my personal training career started with a thud...went for orientation today and they wouldn't let me in because I didn't have two forms of id...totally forgot to bring the second one. Luckily Bally has orientation every week, so will get my act together for next week. Hate starting out a new situation that way. Oh well, maybe subconsciously I'm scared about it...have to get over that!

Am really pushing my bench presses...am now at 43 pounds, and able to do 2 sets of 12 reps, with the 3rd set wavering around 5-8. It's exciting to be able to push my strength up like that. Feel very "machissima"!

Was supposed to get a second cortisone shot for my bursitis yesterday but decided, since it seems to be getting better, to cancel and try to let it heal naturally. I hate the thought of what cortisone does to your body.

What is Quark other than a software package for the computer?

Mel, thanks for the great idea on the knitting on the bike...I've got three projects left over from the holidays to finish...will have to bring my knitting to the gym next time.

Have a great day everyone!

Susan

Hey Susan, welcome back. I missed you. :wave: You are going to be a fabulous trainer. rabbit - you are bouncing in all the right directions. I am so gosh darned happy for you. And to you and Pat - congrats on the Power class. Wish my gym offered classes like that during the day. SB, 2F - you have continued to amaze and inspire me. Made me get out of bed each morning to see what you all did yesterday (and then made me crawl back and take a nap). Keep it going! Mel - I want to see you knitting on the bike. Maybe we could start something? "Ladies who Lift and Knit". What do you do about sweating on the sweater :rofl: (sorry, I couldn't help myself). Ilene, Meg - HI!! And a big welcome to Shush :welcome3: - glad to meet you.

I think the worst of this bout of shingles is over. I still have fatigue and some pain in my leg from the ??? (can't call it MS yet), but the rash and pain is mostly gone from my scalp. This sure beats the 6 weeks it took me to get to this point last year. I still have a lot of hope riding on seeing the MS specialist in Feb. Regardless, this episode has shown me that I need to find a new neurologist with a bit more compassion and maybe experience than the one I have been seeing. On the other hand, my Primary Care Physician and his PA are both fabulous. Love them :hug:

So, DH and I had a heart to heart on my stamina yesterday. I told him I don't think I ever recovered from our trip to Las Vegas in Dec. He told me that he hadn't wanted to say anything, but he doesn't think I ever really recovered from the optic neuritis in Sep. He is right. I thought I could come back from these things to my previous schedule of lifting and cardio ("but I was training for a marathon" was my cry) and would beat myself up for being so exhausted. So, I have decided to cut back (seriously - stop laughing). I dropped one of my lifting sessions and one of my Vinyasa yoga sessions. So I'll do one of each of those per week now, plus a Pilates session and one or two very gentle hatha yoga sessions per week, depending on how I feel 15 min before the sessons. I need to build back my cardio sessions and gain endurance again. My plan is to break out those WATP tapes and start with them, especially while it is cold. They helped me lose the first 40 pounds and they will help again. If 15 or 30 min is all I can do in a session, that is better than doing nothing or beating myself up. While I was sick I was whining to myself "but this is where I was" and heard a voice say "...and now this is where you are. Be here now and you will go forward." Wow, powerful. rabbit, was that you? ;) Oh, and my 70 pound loss is now 60, but I will take back control, NOW. Thank you all. I cannot begin to tell you how much you all have meant to me ...

Ellen, sooo good to "see" you. :hug: Glad to hear you're on the mend. I've had shingles only once, and hope to never have it again! Not fun at all.

I thought I could come back from these things to my previous schedule of lifting and cardio ... If 15 or 30 min is all I can do in a session, that is better than doing nothing or beating myself up. ... While I was sick I was whining to myself "but this is where I was" and heard a voice say "...and now this is where you are. Be here now and you will go forward."

Ellen, dearest Ellen, IMO you've got it exactly right! It seems to me that one of the most difficult things we can do is figure out where we are now. For the last couple of years, I kept saying to myself and to anyone who would listen, "I used to lift weights several times a week, and I could do this ... and that... and that, too." Well, that was then and now is now. It took a PT to help me see the light; that I could still lift, but I would have to go about it in a totally different way. The good news is that by rethinking everything I was doing, I have worked back to doing some kind of exercise -- including lifting --several days a week, and I'm feeling fabulous about it. I have a friend who is recovering from cancer, and what she is discovering is that pace and balance are crucial. She works about half a day in the office, and if she tries to push beyond that today, she knows that tomorrow is going to be totally useless. She's adjusting, as are you. Congratulations on your own insights. I think we all benefit from them.

Rabbit, congratulations on finding new furniture. Have fun arranging it all; I LOVE moving into a new place and starting fresh. You'll have the fun of it without moving house.

It's interesting hearing about the "power classes." I'm wondering if I couldn't try something like that with very light weights? I keep looking for new alternatives; that may be one. There's been some discussion of WATP; I just bought my first DVD and tried it the other day. I found myself somewhat bored with it (and driven to distraction by the chatter) but I wanted an alternative to the treadmill and I wanted to try something with some light weights. We'll see.

Oh oh ... I've just looked at the clock; my water aerobics class starts in less than half an hour and I'm still in PJs ... gotta go.

Hugs all.

Good morning!

I did heavy weights last night and about an hour kickbox practice at home. STILL having problems with my back kicks. :tantrum: I'm getting conflicting messages from my instructor which is driving me round the bend. One minute I'm too self-critisising the next I really need to practice more... Well duh!

Anyways.... It's double kickboxing tonight, which involves a circuit class. Hmmmm. This will be hard! I have bought bottles of water and pepsi max to keep me going! I'm going to work my hardest.

Eating has been more relaxed this week, just to stop me from going crazy! I've found some interesting things, porridge with a whole egg f'rinstance and today I'm having a whole 150g of mozzarella for lunch... :T Ratios are still ok but I've been finishing off treats from the weekend, however I haven't been going mad, and all the treats are gone now! So I should be ok next week.

Off to Utrecht tomorrow for an overnighter on the coach then Sat in Utrecht and back home overnight on Saturday.

Oh and I ordered Winning by Losing from Amazon, so I should be even more clued up soon. :hyper:

Ellen - very good to see you again. I'm pleased to hear we've been amazing you! And a good laugh is good for the abs, I've read! BTW, I agree with Robin: we all benefit from your insights.

I certainly benefit from all the insights on this board. They really help me move forward. So, thanks, everyone! Please keep thinking aloud.

Susan - you asked about quark (pron. qvark). It's a dairy product, orginally from Germany. A bit like cottage cheese. (It's also the name of a sub-atomic particle but that's not really what we're talking about here.:lol:)

I've had a good 30 minute walk in the sunshine with the temperature hovering just above zero (C). I feel all virtuous and tingly.

Sending you all good vibes for a good day.

Oooh sub atomic particles... Are they the packets of photons that can be described as travelling in waves?.... uh nuclear physics coming thru! uh brain strain!

Must buy more sub-atomic particle cheese but for now I'm making do with mozzarella and cottage cheese and other fun things!

:lol3:

Hey, come on, Frus! How can anything be more fun than sub-atomic particle cheese?? This is the future, my friend!!

Must. Buy. Sub-Atomic. Cheese. :tired:

Ellen thank you for the welcome. :hug:

Getting through the second week of BFL and have decided to pay for some more coaching rather than buying a rowing machine (will hopefully get one cheaper when all the NY resolutions fall by the wayside )

I've ordered some protein powder from the net, i've decided to make my own protein bars using Meg and Mel's recipes (Can you buy canned pumpkin in the u.k? :dunno:) I have a shopping list for the health food shop:Quinoa FLAKES,Amaranth,Edamame,Udo oil :dizzy:oh and I need to buy different gloves for lifting as the ones i bought hurt my mount of venus :eek: because of the stitching :blah:

Lower body workout tomorrow. (love those calf raises :faint:)

Shush, Sainsbury's have a rower for 30 quids.
I can get canned pumpkin in Waitrose but I dunno if you'll be able to hunt it down in Scotland. I could always post you a tin! I suppose if you can use ocado to order online they might have it.

Oooh which health food shop do you buy your edemame from? I can't find them down here :rolleyes: or I haven't looked far enough!!

Could you lift without gloves? Krista reckons it's better for grip strength. I don't lift with gloves but it's probably a personal preferance. I feel all macho when I find little blisters on my hands! :rofl:

I have a friend who is recovering from cancer, and what she is discovering is that pace and balance are crucial. She works about half a day in the office, and if she tries to push beyond that today, she knows that tomorrow is going to be totally useless.

Robin, this was a lesson that my DH took FOREVER to learn after his bone marrow transplant. Of course, he is a man! :rofl: But now, nearly 6 years later he is older and wiser, and while he pushes himself (now running for about 40 min/session) he does pace life a little differently, and doesn't let himself get too worked up when he has to lay low or back down. Just, as Ellen and Rabbit, and now you, have observed - start from where you are now, not where you used to be. Such wise women! :)

I am still a little sore from my body pump excursion on Monday, so today will be just cardio (Day 2, Wk 1 of C25K), and I'll do weights on Sat. Most likely a full body workout as I'll have lots of time and not trying to get it done after work. Eating has been very good all week. Having the weather so cold (still -15F, -26C and not above zero during the day at all, predicted to be this way through the weekend) means I am not tempted to venture out of the building for lunch. First off, it means warming up the car (burning that $2.30 gas!) or thoroughly chilling myself to get somewhere; second, most of what I'd find isn't as good - or good for me - as what I've brought from home.

:wave: to you all. Have a great day!

Gas is cheaper in Alaska!

Hi everyone- just a drive-by post. I wish I could learn patience and acceptance, Robin and Ellen. My body is falling apart, but I just keep pushing harder. My inner 17 year old won't quit.

I lift with gloves AND straps, Fru, no matter what Krista says. There is no way I could hold the weight that I do without them.

Mel

Frus,
No Sainsburys here and no waitrose either :( I need the gloves because i'm fed up with the blisters and it does help with the grip (and it means i'm not quite so worried about doing the skullcrushers :D ). Haven't got the Edamame yet (shopping tomorrow )but I've just read something about Soy being bad for people with Hypopthyroidism (that's me :o ) so even if i do find it i'm having second thoughts now, maybe i could swap you for the canned pumpkin :D .

Just popping in to wish you all a wonderful weekend. Off to Boston to visit my dad, who's turning 91, and it's coinciding with my DS flying in from CA for a meeting, so it's going to be a terrific weekend for me. My mom & dad belong to a club so I'm hoping to pop in there for an hour or so to at least work off the probable birthday cake.

Pat, can't believe the temperature you quote. You are one stoic chick. Do you get depressed during the winter, stuck inside with little natural light? Do you use a light box? I'm sure exercise is a life saver, getting you moving and getting the endorphines up.

Susan

Mel - with your superhero strength I'm glad you use gloves and straps! ;)

I got PINK BOXING GLOVES.......

They were given to me by my instructor as a thank you present for doing their website (www.shentie-kickboxing.com) and it was a mighty surprise! Especially when I'd already struck a deal to swap my website time for private lesson time. BONUS!

Oh and here they are in all their glory... I think I should name them! Any suggestions?

Hi LWL,

2F - PINK boxing gloves ??? They will look loverly on you. For a male contender, maybe you could name them "nasty surprise"??

Ellen- Love to see you back. Keep hanging in here. You have it right my friend: It doe snot matter where you came from, the only thing that counts is NOW. I think you are really doing well. I find adaptation a tough business. Wonder if the dinosaurs thought the same ???

Finally it is the weekend for me ! I almost finished a rather boring and also saddening task of compiling a file on my illness history the past 1 3/4 year. makes me sad because I see all the stuff and remember this was before H became XH. Also, no comment yet of XH that he will stop bothering me & the kids about the visiting and living arrangements. I'm glad I got a really good lawyer, she will take care of things from now on.

Sun is shining, and I also had a NSV ...My phone was misteriously out and I tracked and solved the mystery all be myself. It turned out my son's gerbils had escaped once more and ate through the phone cord. I'm very proud that I found out that was the problem.

Pat - temperatures around freezing here and I already find it horribly cold !!

Have a great weekend all, I got all inspired from your posts again.

rabbit

Pat, can't believe the temperature you quote. You are one stoic chick. Do you get depressed during the winter, stuck inside with little natural light? Do you use a light box? I'm sure exercise is a life saver, getting you moving and getting the endorphines up.

Susan, I don't get too depressed in the winter, though I do celebrate when the daylight starts getting longer! It helps to be able to get out, or at least look out :lol: when it is actually light. My DH is very affected by the lack of light though, and uses a SAD light. Exercise is very helpful for both of us. Oh and it's colder :eek: this morning. -20F (-29C) My DH is also in Boston visiting his siblings and parents who are 93 and 94!

Frus, love those pink gloves! What a nice surprise for you.

Rabbit, you're sounding more upbeat all the time! SOrry you had to revisit all the bad times. I'm assuming this was a work-related thing since you're going back for more hours now.

Mel, really? Gas is more in PA? The $2.30 is at the local Costco-wannabe; the regular stations are $2.39. In ANchorage though it's down around $2.23 the last I checked. Amazing the difference a little distance makes. I find it ironic though that Alaska produces oil, actually refines some of it, and yet we still have high prices.

Had a good cardio workout last night (week 1, day 2 of C25K) but got there too late for the bod pump class. Oh darn. :lol: They did have sign-up sheets out to express preferences for times for spinning classes!! :bike: The bikes are there - 10 of them - sitting off to the side in the aerobics room. I'm anxious to try it.

Have a good weekend all - and stay warm. :wave:

Sush- Soy and hypothyroid don't go together well at all. It will affect the dosage of your medication. I would avoid soy based protein powders, tofu, and soybeans. The small amount in soy sauce shouldn't be a problem. Talk to your doctor and take a look at the site www.thyroid-about.com. (I think that's it...)

Pat- Gas here is more. Depending on which county- closer to Philadelphia they have to use non-pulluting additives which cost more- but it's around 2.45 for regular and I just paid $2.65 for my spoiled gourmet slurper.

2F-I LOVE those gloves! I have a pair of bight pink running shoes. One of my male clients insists that I wear my blue ones when I train him :rofl:

Off to do cardio...ho hum...

Mel

Thanks for the link about Soy ,Mel. Definitely to be avoided for me. :nono:
Just got protein powder today and it's whey based :lucky:

Frus, no luck with Edamame i'm afraid, nor pumpkin either for that matter i might try mixed berries or some other fruit instead for the bars.

I tried the magic microwave muffin :love: that's going to be a favourite.
Silverbirch -Got Amaranth today and finally managed to track down how to cook it at Krista's site so guess what's for breakfast tomorrow! :D

Anyway that is week 2 over just the 20 mins cardio first thing tomorrow morning :tired:

Have a good weekend everyone :wave:

So much to say I'm going to forget some of it.

Shush - thank you very much indeed for reminding me of quark. Alan Davidson in the Oxford Companion to Food says that 'a family tree showing all the varieties and products of quark would be extremely complicated'. It accounts, apparently, for half of all the cheese that Germans eat. Anyway, my local Tesco has only one variety and I have bought it. I'm having one spoonful with two spoonfuls of cc with my porage (morning) and with an apple (mid-morning and mid-afternoon). Makes a brilliant change! :D

Frus - lovely gloves. Don't worry about getting them dirty, though!

Rabbit - you are sounding better by the day.

Pat - I overheard my old-timer friend from the gymn (see earlier post) talking about going from Fairbanks by train next week. Past Mount McKinley. I see from the atlas he'll be going straight through Palmer! You'll recognise him when you see him! Tattoos, lifting belt, singlet. Northern English accent. Say hullo from me, please. That'll stop him in his tracks again!

Susan - have a great weekend!

Mel - well done for getting through the cardio. It's done now.

I have spent some of the glamour fund (remember, £1 a day in an old peanut butter jar for clean eating) on knickers. For as long as I can remember, I've worn the same basic style of knickers. And with a fat tummy they cut right across the fat bit and .... leave a mark. Good grief, how very, very unglamorous! So, I've bought some which go right up to the waist. Forget fashion for a moment. The idea is that the fat which has been trapped under the waistband will be freed to roam freely and then vaporise. Since I bought them yesterday I've found a new dimple in my tummy. I think it may be ab-related but I'm also thinking it could be where the fat is going to vaporise. A kind of vent. Watch this space.

Have a great weekend. The Man and the Boy have a new hobby. Making ice-cream. They are trying to perfect double chocolate (choc with rather large bits of choc in it). Luckily I read French Women Don't Get Fat a few months ago. Small portions of extremely delicious food was the gist. Wish me luck.

Love, Silverbirch

Silverbirch- I'm fascinated by the fat vent theory. I thought that's what my belly button was for :o

Frus - The pink boxing gloves are the coolest thing!

I don't think that I've ever seen quark at the grocery store here, but then again I've never gone looking for it. :)

I have a miserable cold and still feel extremely guilty for not making it to the fitness center yesterday. I'm beginning to think that I should give my scale a toss. It isn't making me happy, but I know my body is changing. I can now remove my favorite blue jeans without unzipping or unbuttoning them! :D

I have a miserable cold and still feel extremely guilty for not making it to the fitness center yesterday. I'm beginning to think that I should give my scale a toss. It isn't making me happy, but I know my body is changing. I can now remove my favorite blue jeans without unzipping or unbuttoning them! :D

Don't feel guilty! Just snuggle up and keep warm. You can't work out when you're ill. And as for your blue jeans ... that is just excellent! Well done!

And no one else wants your cold either :hug: Feel better soon and congrats on the jeans!

G'day, I am new here, looking forward to getting to know the other lifters in this forum.

Trying to type with a cat (the one in my avatar) on my lap. She keeps bumping my hand. She's very needy since DH has been away, as she spends much of her time with him. Went to the gym just after noon today. Spent 1/2 hour on the treadmill. I'm once again starting the Couch to 5K program (that worked for me in 2000) in hopes of actually running in the library's Race for Technology in June. Whatever, at least it's cardio and challenging myself to run for a determined period of time, and running the speed up and down keeps me from dreading the time spent looking at nothing. :) Also did some upper body work with weights. All in all a good workout except that the workmen were working on the expansion of the women's locker room and were running a LOUD sander. Drove me nuts in the time it took me to change clothes, so I opted to come straight home and shower here.

Hi Pat,

Zoom by post...
Your cat looks real cute, drinking from the tap!. Is DH still with his parents ? Bravo to the plan for the 5k in June! Sounds like a thoroughly attainable goal, and another way to keep you going to the gym as running outside in Alaska in february sounds like a bad idea to me..

have a great day,
rabbit

Pat - I agree with rabbit - love the avatar.

Thank you all for your kind and inspiring words. It means a lot. :grouphug:
I did get back to the gym on Fri - 35 min on the elliptical. Boy, am I feeling it in my calves. Yesterday was a crazy day of all morning meeting for DCFIT (I am going to be one of the walking 1/2 marathon coaches! Can you believe it, me, a coach!) then a doctor's appointment followed by preparing appetizers for a party last night. Time for a little nap, then dresssed and out the door. The party was a blast, but I am paying for it today. That, plus it is overcast and calling for rain. I think I will stay in my robe as long as possible and lounge through the Sun paper. Maybe a little novel reading ...

Fri afternoon I got an e-mail offering me more than double the blue book value on my 10-year old car. Since the lock on the back door driver's side didn't work anymore, and the paint was bad on one side, and it didn't have a CD player, and it needed to be washed ... DH and I decided to go to the dealership and check it out. So, it was good, they met my price and Tues I pick up a new 2005 Dodge Stratus. This is the first automatic I have ever had. It is also the first V6, so I'd better watch my "lead" foot. It is also the first car I have ever traded with less than 150,000 miles on it ... I can see my father's look of shock. I am sure he is looking down from heaven and shaking his head. On the other hand, it did come with satellite radio, and I love my satellite radio in the house and in DH's car ;) Yes, it was really about the radio and that "new car" smell.

So, rabbit, except for the DH/XH part, it sounds like we are lock-step together so far this year. I am excited for you and your new gym. Do they have yoga classes? There is such a difference between a class and a guided tape - I highly recommend it.

Tru - welcome to the gang. Glad to have you with us. Looking forward to getting to know you.

BeatlesFan - sorry about the cold. This is only a few days down. Once you recover I bet the rest for your muscles will yield some surprising results. Hope you feel better soon and big props for the NSV on the jeans.

SB - I, too, love the vent theory. It probably works in both directions. You just stand near a brownie and that is how the fat gets "in". Now that is is covered by the knicks that fat will just have to try to get in the next person! :rofl:

2F - love the boxing gloves, and your progress. You are amazing - I would love to come to your gym and have you teach me kickboxing. Can I come now?

:wave: to all. Hope this is a good weekend.

Ah yes, the cat! She's sitting here on top of the file cabinet looking like a siamese cat statute! At least she's not trying to type today.

Ellen, I love the new car smell. :lol: Since I commuted 100 miles a day (RT) for 20+ years, I never traded/sold a car at less than 150K either. The last one I did at about 95K, but by then I'd been driving only 6 miles a day for 5 years! Also I was tired of getting stuck in the snow and wanted a 4 wheel drive higher off the ground. Now I have a Honda CRV and I love it!

Rabbit, DH is still away. He gets back next Sat (2/4) quite late at night. He's home for about 2 weeks, then goes to San Diego, Calif for 2 weeks.

I'm a little sore this morning, more from the running than the weights. I'm off to church in a bit, and then I may do some leg work with a DVD. I'd like to do the body pump class again tomorrow night, and then run again on Tuesday. My other "plans" for the day include organizing the tax stuff and getting it on the computer. Ick.

Guess I'd better go and get dressed. The cold weather is back. It's -10F this morning. Guess yesterday's "heat wave" was just a short-lived phenonoma (is that right?)

SB - I, too, love the vent theory. It probably works in both directions. You just stand near a brownie and that is how the fat gets "in". Now that is is covered by the knicks that fat will just have to try to get in the next person! :rofl:

Oh, Ellen, the power of auto-suggestion! Within two hours of your typing this I had eaten my first brownie for about 9 months! AND I HADN'T EVEN READ YOUR POST. Not to worry. It's just the initial training period for the vent idea. Things will even out, I'm sure.

Today has been ab-so-lute-ly terrible for food. It's very rare for me to eat so badly. Let's see if my period begins tomorrow. Otherwise I'll be casting about for other possible reasons.

G'day and :welcome: trusylver! Look forward to getting to know you. Kylie (Kykaree) sometimes posts here. She's an Aussie too although she lives in the North of England at present.

Pat - The cold weather is back. It's -10F this morning. Guess yesterday's "heat wave" was just a short-lived phenonoma (is that right?) Good grief! Your climate! It's a phenomenon! But I misread what you wrote as pneumonia!! Seemed apt at the time. :rofl:

:wave: rabbit!

I met my trainer in the supermarket this morning, lurking round by the tins of tuna. He also had a hand of bananas and some skimmed milk. Good man!

Here's to a good week ahead.

Thanks for the welcome silverbirch and ellenuw, it is monday morning so just time to check in here before hitting the gym before it gets to hot to do anything here today.