Amanda - When I say jogging methinks I exaggerate somewhat! :o You mention walk/jog increments - that's exactly what I do. I built up to 10 minute jog sections the last time I did it but eventually my knees gave up. This time I'm sticking to jogging on sand (mostly) to see if that helps. I have lost a lot of fitness in the 12 months while I have been mostly doing nothing but I am starting to build up my activity again so that's good.

No -my baby won't be home now till Christmas but I'll go down and visit her once or twice in between - can't wait!

Sending good vibes to all! :hug:

Puffin and Amanda - that's exactly what I do! I call it "wogging" (walk/jog) :D

DH and I just went to the local park and did and hour of very brisk walking for the first 30 minutes and then 30 minutes of wogging. Great workout -- the hills really got me sweating!

I'm going to give some more thought to the goals - I am liking the idea!

Also, Shannon - I love visual cues too - when I have my favorite work out shorts clean and folded on top of my dresser, I do think I'm more likely to put them on and get going!

I'll post the link to the green drink.

Hello All! i made it up this morning, did 36 minutes on the exercise bike and my trusty ad & back video... Since then I feel like I've been up and down the stairs fifty times! The joy of the two story house and the three year old! :)

I like mini-goals too... I'm close to my goal weight but nowhere near my goal for body fat or protein in my diet... I'm going to work on some mini-goals around those... Thanks Amanda!

Puffin & Amanda - I've not even made it up to the "wogging"... I have this vision of going to the pretty new park near my house and drive by it every day without stopping... I have this fear of people looking at me that goes back to childhood when a teacher told me I looked stupid when I ran because my arms flapped around crazy... :) I'm jealous of the beach to run on Puffin, hope it is pretty for you!

Walkin - the walk at the park sounds great! My DH is currently in a "food is my enemy and I don't have time to exercise" place - trying to cajole him out of it...

Have a good rest of the weekend everyone!

Puff - Ten minute increments is pretty darn impressive. A few months ago, I loosely followed the Couch to 5K program. I think I got up to about 3 minutes. I hope your knees are better to you this time.

Walking - Oh wogging.... :lol:
I guess I'll start wogging next week then. :D

Aww Shannon... :hug: I'm sorry. Some people should never be allowed to work with children.

I tweaked my mini goals. 155 is the heavy end of my ideal weight. Once I get there, I'm sure I'll be motivated to lose a little more, but that's my goal for right now.

Had a happy beach wog (thanks Claire!) today! This week I'm doing 10 reps of jog 1/walk 1 minute. Found it quite easy today so that's good! I'm going to stick to that for this week and then maybe add a few seconds to the jogs next week. Hope you enjoy your wogging this week Amanda and Claire!
Well done on the bike AND video Shannon - sounds like a LOT to me!
Claire - I am very glad the beach has no hills - but I did notice that it appears to be slightly uphill in both direction - very odd....

i made 45 minutes on the elliptical this morning - I've started changing the incline every five minutes along with the various resistance changes because it gives me little blocks of time to focus on instead of the entire 45 looming in front of me right from the start... I also did a different video this morning - a ten minute yoga stretch. I was feeling a little stiff today - We are working on teaching my stepson to sleep in his own bed all night and he got up and came into our room five times between midnight and 4:30... most of the time he went back easy, but two of them took a little more work... so, not much sleep for anyone in my house last night! And of course, he was up and running this morning at 6:00am while DH and I were dragging around. I wish I knew where all that energy came from! We went to the park this morning also and he ran hard for almost two hours with no signs of stopping... Amazing...

Amanda - I like the tweak on your mini-goals... It is like my five minute chucks of elliptical training - breaks it down into pieces that are absolutely attainable. I'm sure that you will be motivated to lose more when you get to the 155, and look how many small goalpoints you will already have behind you! :)

Puffin -Sound like the walk was beautiful! Yay! The ten reps of 1min intervals sounds great - I've read a lot of things that say that is one of the best ways to train because it speeds the heart rate up and then lets it slow back down, then back up, back down, etc... The uphill both directions is a little odd... like the "I walked ten miles to school in the snow uphill both ways with no shoes when I was your age" story...

Claire -You've mentioned in earlier posts that you have a lot of practice getting your husband out of bad moods and motivating him... What do you do? I've been trying to tease my DH out of his funk for the last week or so and it isn't going well... I'm beginning to wonder if me being successful at the weight loss is de-motivating him somehow - we started dieting and exercise more because he wanted to lose than me and then i kind of took over...
And how is the green drink going? I'm intrigued by it... I just started smoothie pretty regularly this past week so anything I could add into them sounds good to me right now!

My ticker just showed up too! :)

Good Sunday night all!

Here it is, girls... drumroll... http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/healt...0071105_350/11

This is roughly the recipe I used, but I actually originally followed a recipe I found on a different site, so measurements were slightly different. I ended up using a whole container of spinach (5 oz), one whole cuke (not 2 cups as called for), and a 1/2 lemon and 1/2 lime. We are really lucky to have a nice garden, but spinach is not a summer crop here in hot Virginia. But the cukes have come from my garden. DH went to Lowe's yesterday and was sweet enough to buy spinach seeds for fall - we have not grown it before, but I'd like to try it. As long as the rabbits don't get it, we'll be in business!

Dr. Oz made his in a blender - I believe a high powered blender, I'm guessing a Vitamix (I would love one, but they are $200). My blender couldn't handle all these veggies, plus I can't imagine how THICK and pulpy it would be if made in blender! Also, the prep would take so long - core and peel apple, peel cuke, peel and seed lemon/lime, etc. The beauty of this juicer (I'm so lucky it feel into my hands) is that I throw all the veggies in with NO PREP-- rind, seeds, peel and all!! Yes, I do have to chop them in pieces to get them in the feeder hole (like a food processor), but this is easy. I've made the drink 3x now and am still loving it! Have I said how much I love the Acme Juicerator??? Love it! (And this is my first experience with any kind of juicing)

In other news, the exercise front has been bad - none yesterday or today (drat). I am back at work this week, and between work, 2 away hockey scrimmages (one an hour away), book club with friends one night, hair cut appointment... well, something had to give and unfortunately that has been exercise. Not good, I know. I really should have gone yesterday early in the day to get something in (or at least a dvd). However, my 9 year old niece was to come over yesterday to do a cooking night/spend the night with me ... I kept piddling and house cleaning thinking I had time to go for my "wog"... next thing I knew, SIL called and was ready to bring her.

So, tomorrow, I must at least squeeze in 30 minutes of something... you all are going to be my inspiration this week!

Puff - :rofl: I LOVE the image of the beach being uphill - both ways! Sounds like my kinda luck! Great plan you have for the week.

Hey Shannon - hmm... I think I'm going to have to give some thought to the husband thing because I'm not exactly sure how/why he has an interest in exercise and healthy eating. I do think part of it is due to my gentle cajoling, encouraging, my example, and the fact that I ask him every day to do something with me (answer used to be NO -almost always), but I also believe he is being influenced by the fact that his father is quite ill right now. Our dad's our the same age (67), yet mine is full of vigor and life, whereas his dad has poor quality of life. My parents are active - they eat quite healthfully and exercise regularly. They don't ever mention or complain about health ailments (though they both have some). They take good care of themselves and live life fully.

His dad is in the midst of radiation for prostate cancer, and he has a long list of other health issues, some very serious. He is on tons of meds, and his life largely consists of tv watching and napping. We visited earlier this summer, and my husband has been visibly affected by it. So, I have to say that is a big part of his new 'get healthy' motivation. He keeps talking about the fact that his dad always took terrible care of himself (smoked, drank, never exercised, had very stressful job), so I know he is seeing the connection to lifestyle. I JUST HOPE IT LASTS!!

Your husband sounds like he is in a bit of a funk, and yes, he may well be a little deflated to see you on a roll... and realize that he's not in that place yet. I think you should just keep on doing what you're doing - keep up the motivation yourself and keep gently encouraging him (we know nagging doesn't work too well :)). I bet he'll turn around.

And by the way, Nelie and a couple other 3FC'ers make smoothies with a handful of spinach thrown in... maybe you could try a little, test it, and move up to a handful? My typical smoothie, which I make for DH a few days a week), is frozen berries, plain lowfat yogurt, milk (or unsweetened almond milk) - blend. I usually throw in a little stevia. If I have bananas I throw one in and also sometimes a tablespoon of ground flax. DH has some digestive issues, so he takes daily probiotics (man, have they helped). If he has a smoothie, I put powdered in, but if not he takes the capsule. Oh, and if it's all he's eating, and if I have some, I put a scoop of whey protein powder in (Trader Joe's brand).

sorry so long... couldn't figure out how to quote more than one person's response... maybe it's too late??? Night all

Hi guys - haven't posted in a day or so, but I'm still here! After already exercising in the AM on Sunday I decided to cut the grass Sunday night while DH was studying for school, so did 30 minutes on the elliptical on Monday AM with my ab video. Did 45 minutes this morning with a pilates video.

Still haven't put the Weider together, but I did get everything ready so we can hang the ceiling fans we bought for the garage tonight. That should leave us open to put together the actual exercise equipment tomorrow night....

Claire - thanks for the smoothie suggestions, and the DH advice! :) He did get up and exercise this morning, and said that he felt pretty good after he was finished. I'm hoping that the Weider will give him a little more motivation. I imagine that your father-in-laws health would be a big motivator for your husband - my father-in-law has emphysema from smoking so long and I think some liver trouble, but otherwise is pretty darn healthy... otherwise, the smoking and the drinking would have killed him by now. DH has gotten a little worried about himself lately because he realizes that his health isn't great and now he has a 3 year old son whom he would like to see graduate from high school. I'm hoping that will push him a little.

And no, nagging doesn't work at all! :) I'm trying to be more subtle... Hard, but I'm working on it!

Shannon, my DH and yours sound similar - mine is ALWAYS psyched AFTER he works out ("that was awesome" "I need to do that more," etc.), it can just be like pulling teeth to get him to start.

Have you tried out your new equipment yet?? How exciting!

Yesterday I did a 30 minute wog and then about 45 minutes of a yoga dvd (with DH!!!).

Have a healthy day, girls!

We ran into a few snags trying to hang the ceiling fans last night, so didn't get started putting the Weider together yet... sadness... I would like to think we will start on it tonight, but it is likely grocery night so I figure we won't have time. We have SS tomorrow night, so that will mean we won't get started until Friday... That's okay - it gives me something to look forward to for the weekend! :)

I slept a little late this morning - made the 45 mins on elliptical, but didn't get a workout video in. I'm going to try to do it tonight while DH is studying. He is taking a certification exam in the next few months so has been doing a lot of studying...

Claire, you and I are about the same height - I'm curious, how did you pick your goal weight? I'm still not sure about mine...

Happy day everybody!

Our thread is getting a little slim this week! Hope you guys are all hanging in there!

I did go home last night and do my ab video while DH was studying, and I decided to add in a 20 minute lower body workout. I can really feel it in my legs today...

So, this morning I did a yoga stretching video to recover from the lower body pummeling of last night and 45 minutes on the elliptical. I think tomorrow it is time to switch back to stationary bike for a day or so - my heart rate was consistently 10-15 beats lower than my normal exercise level on the elliptical today. (Though, to give myself credit, it stayed around 155, which is 75%ish percent of my target, so still not too bad...)

Have a good day ladies! Hope to see more people back in the net few days!

So far this week, for structured exercise I've logged 16 miles of walking/jogging and 9 miles of cycling. I'm using Leslie Sansone's WATP dvd. My goals are 30 miles of walking and 15 miles of cycling this week. I do use light weights for the WATP dvd and I've had 2 days of weight lifting this week. I use 1, 3, 5, 8, and 12 pound weights. I sometimes use TBL Power Sculpt or The Firm upper body tapes. Otherwise, I design my own weights routine.

Next week, it's super sets for lifting and power yoga and Pilates. It will definitely be a toning focused week. I'll scale back to 1-2 miles of walking/jogging each day. I may add in 2 miles of cycling, I haven't decided yet.

Btw, as far as equipment I own a stationary bike, an aerobic stepper, an aerobic step, a trampoline/rebounder, 5 sets of hand weights, resistance bands and cords and various yoga/Pilates equipment. I'm looking to replace my broken treadmill in the near future however, I may just get an elliptical.

I've been collecting exercise videos since '95. I have some of everything including old school Donna Richardson, Taebo, Denise Austin, The Firm, Kathy Smith, and the 10 Minute Solution videos. I probably have at least 50 tapes and dvds.

Welcome cmichele - sounds like you have a great setup!

I didn't exercise this morning, gave myself a morning off. I'm planning to go home tonight and do one of my ab videos and some yoga while DH watches the Falcon's game...

Hey girls!

Shannon - you are right... our thread is lagging! I'm going to try to post daily - it keeps me accountable, and of course, I love to chat :D I've just been so daggone busy this week with the two hockey scrimmages and with being back to work for teacher work days. I'm moving rooms, so I have a ton of work to do, and I just feel overwhelmed!

On a bright note, Thursday, DH and I did yoga dvd again. I didn't get any cardio in, but I was glad to at least do that before my scrimmage (it was over an hour away, so it was an all day event). Then last night, we went to the park to walk, and lo and behold, he wanted to walk the first half and run the 2nd half! We did this last week too. Mind you ladies, I am dealing with a very reluctant exerciser here, so this is good stuff! It was a great work out for me - DH is 6' 4", and now that he has his mind set on exercise, he has cranked up the intensity. His brisk walk pace forces me to jog a little - just to keep up. And then, like I said, we ran the last half of the loop - me behind DH.

I have a much needed pedi at noon with one of my best buds (2nd one this summer, and I can't wait!!!!), so I will probably work out today late afternoon (when toes are dry :D). I'd like to do a little stretching (pilates or yoga) and some cardio.

Shannon - to answer your question from above, I arrived at my goal weight by... well, from sheer frustration really! Most of my life I've been a fairly slim size - I weighed in the upper 120s or at most in the low 130s for MOST of my adult life. I did push up a couple times to a pudgy 145 or so, but I also could lose it when I set my mind to it. I grew up doing lots of sports - competitive swimming, field hockey, and from college through early 30s I was an avid cyclist - mountain biked a LOT and even did century rides on the road. Well, around age 34 or so I had some weird health issues - very sore joints/muscles, fatigue, weakness, etc. I was tested for lots of things like lupus, arthritis, etc. I couldn't exercise much and felt pretty crummy for around 18 months at least - had good days, but didn't feel like myself. I eventually got better (never knew what I had, but seemed to be some autoimmune issue), but I have never exercised with the same intensity.

My age, I believe, also has something to do with my extra weight - I'm a late bloomer - married DH at 36, and I'm now 40. I was a slim and fit looking bride - size 6/8. Not sure of weight, but I know it was 130 or high 120s. Well, I gained about 20 lbs. in first 2 years of marriage, and have been struggling ever since. My initial goal was 125 (!!!), but I have had to work so hard to lose every pound, that I finally realized/accepted that was unrealistic for me. I actually feel (and look, IMO) pretty darn good at 135 or so, so I have just adjusted my goal UP because I've found it so challenging to lose. For most part I eat well and exercise (of course I have my moments), but really, I have to do that just to MAINTAIN my 145 or so and not GAIN. So, as I've accepted that my body has changed some, I have adjust my goal up, and I'm now ok with it. I just don't think I could see 125 again without and INCREDIBLY regimented effort (and that just ain't gonna happen). As it is, I'm fairly regimented! Also, to be honest, I'm pretty thin at 125, so I don't really need to be that tiny again.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

Ok gals, have a healthy day! Let's all TRY to check in at least every other day and post (at least a short one) of what we did (or didn't) do. Accountability, you know?? ;) Alright girls, I'm off to tidy a bit.

p.s. Hi to Michele!!!!

By the way, Shannon, losing just the 10 lbs. I'm aiming for is really tough for me - can you give me some tips on how you've done it? It's hard to believe losing 10 lbs is so darned hard!! But it IS.

Thanks for sharing your story, Claire! Sounds like you and DH had a great workout Thursday! and I'm jealous of the pedi... I'm well overdue for one. I need to find an excuse to drive down and visit SIL, she and I always go for pedis when we get together! I also broke off all of my nails and have put off getting those done, too... I think I'll make a point to get them done next week - I've worked too hard on the diet and exercise to have icky, broken fingernails... :)

I've never been a highly athletic person, but in my younger days I weighed in the 130-14 through most of my 20's, until I married an alcoholic and started really hating life... Divorced and turned 30 in the same year, stopped paying attention to the weight. I remember thinking "when I hit 145 that's it...", "when I hit 150 I'm really going to do something", then started kickboxing and yoga at 150 but still drank Venti Caramel Mocha frappucinno's every day... moved to Soy Chai latte, thinking it was healthier, still ate 500-700 cals every day of pastry and latte... So, worked out every day in order to over indulge... stopped working out, said "160 is the highest I'll get..." When I started dating my now DH in 2005 I weighed 167... Increased activity, we got out more, I didn't snack as much, I felt better about myself, etc - all led to losing down to 135 by the time we got married in fall 2006. Then, in January of 2007 I gained back up to 145, have been hovering around there ever since, until May when he and I decided we had to change the way we were headed... And, here I am today at 128.3... I'm 36 now, by the way.

I set 127 as my goal because it was 20 pounds less than where I started, but now that I'm almost there I'm really thinking 125 will be my target. I still have a pretty noticeable tummy pooch... Though, once I finish assembling the Weider (no, didn't get it done today... we went to a used record store downtown and went to the greatest hamburger place I've ever been to today, so didn't do any real work...) I'm wondering if some core exercise will help with that and keep me at the same weight. Still pondering it... I have a small frame - I wear a 4 ring and when I wrap my fingers around my wrist the thumb and middle finger overlap past the first knuckle on each one. I figure I'll see where I end up, but I feel like I should be thinner than I have been historically, have felt that my whole life, just wasn't motivated enough to change it...

How have I lost the weight... I started with calorie counting. I'm pretty obsessive about it, actually. I target 1200, with a range of 1150-1250 per day. I have a spreadsheet where I log everything and have a chart for common food items I eat out and meals I prepare. I'm pretty regimented on snacks and such - I have a lot of trail mixes from Trader Joe's that give me protein and good fat. I got a nice food scale recently and discovered I was lowballing some of my items because I was rounding off scoops and spoons, but I'm pretty darn accurate for the last two weeks. I allow myself one cheat day, usually on the weekend where I'm not as tight - I'll go up to 1700-1800 (2000 on the worst one...) on that day. That had me at an average of 1300ish per day for about 2 months. Of course, I realized I might have been off by as much as 100, so my average could have been 1400 during that time. Two weeks ago I added in whey protein to my morning smoothie and as an occasional night time milkshake snack. This week I had lost two pounds when I weighed in, the most in one week so far. It could have been from being more accurate with calories and not having a big day last weekend, but I suspect it also had something to do with the whey. It is supposed to help you burn fat faster - not sure how, but there are some studies and discussions about it on here in other forums. And, finally, I have exercised all but 8 days since June 10th for a minimum of 30 minutes, most days for about an hour. I exercise at the 80-85% range of target heart rate, I'll probably have to lower the intensity soon as well. I haven't had any health problems come up, but I know that I have a genetic predisposition for arthritis and I can already feel my joints starting to stiffen somewhat. I'm trying to get in what I can while I can without doing anything that will hurt me in the long run. I do all kinds of things as exercise too - clean the garage, cut the grass, yard work, etc. I also have Comcast cable with Exercise TV so there are 20-30 different workout videos at any given point to choose from.

I know as a teacher that you have less time than I do most likely, I work in HR and have a pretty standard 9-5 work day at the job I have now. (first time in my life I've had that, I probably exercise all the time because I'm so used to being busy and working 60 hours per week that I fill the time with exercise.) I actually wanted to be a teacher at one point but decided I just didn't have the 'right stuff' for the job - finished school, got the teaching certificate, never used it a day... I have nothing but respect for you guys who do it every day! :)

I'll tell you - going from 147-135 was a lot harder than from 135 on down. I plateaud around 137 and stuck there - went down a pound, went up two, came down one, went up three... Once I hit 135 I hung for a few weeks, when it dropped to 134 it started going a lot faster... I guess my system realized I was serious and it decided to cooperate with me instead of working against me! :) You can do it too, I have faith!

oh yeah, last night I didn't work out like I planned - we went to play trivia with some of DHs friends from work and I was done when we got home. Not up for any kind of exercise. I did do my ab video this AM and 45 minutes on the elliptical - definitely have to do the bike tomorrow though, had a hard time keeping the HR up on the elliptical today and don't want to get myself too used to the exercise.. Have to mix it up a bit!

Long post - sorry about that!
Have a good day everyone and hope to see more people back on soon!

Shannon - I really want to respond to all this, but I'm sooo tired, so I will have to wait till tomorrow! Just wanted to let you know I read it, and I really appreciate hearing your story!

Sorry guys for going missing. I have not had the energy to post but I have been reading! Ran (wogged) three times this week and plan for 4 in the coming week. It's been lovely to read about you. I promise to try to contribute more in the future.
Hugs

Hi walkingelose, Shannon, every!

Today, I know I'm doing Pilates Crunch and a 1 mile WATP segment. I haven't decided if i will round it out with yoga, Peel Away The Pound Pilates, Denise Austin's Power Zone, or 2 segments of 10 Minute Solutions.

Good morning all!
I did 15 minutes on the stationary bike this morning, but just couldn't keep my heart rate up, so moved to the elliptical machine for 45 minutes there. No other video or anything - have some work planned for the garage so figured that would be the extra I want for today!

claire - hope you got some rest last night... at 12:45 I was passed out myself, and slept until after 9 this morning...

puffin - good job on the 'wogs' this week!

michele - sounds like a good workout for today! What is Pilates Crunch?

Have a great day everybody!

Hey girls -

Sounds like everyone is on track fairly well... good job, everyone!

Puffin - sounds like you have been really busy/tired. Boy, I can relate. I'm glad you checked in though, even just for a "quickie" ;)

Michele - How awesome that you have such a big collection of workout dvds/videos ... I'm sure you have your 'go to' ones, but it would be nice to have so much variety.

As for me, yesterday ended up being a bust exercise-wise, but I did well with eating, despite eating out. My morning pedicure with my girlfriend turned into a 4 hour plus visit... pedis, then a new thai restaurant for lunch, then back to my place for more hanging out. Then I got involved in laundry, cleaning inside of my car (which was trashed), etc. etc., and well, the exercise never happened. Actually I did hit around a hockey ball in my yard for about 30 minutes, chasing after it a bit might have burned a few calories... hope so.

This morning DH and I did a repeat of Friday night's workout - 1 hour at the park, half of it "wogging." It felt great. He is mowing the grass now, so I'm going to get in a pilates resistance band dvd too for some much needed toning.

I'm fairly happy with my exercise lately, and I've been doing well eating mostly whole foods, tons of veggies, and drinking lots of water. I had decided not to count calories for a while - I've been on break from dailyplate for about a week now. I'm going to continue this for another week, and if I don't see the scale go down, I know I must go back to counting.

Shannon - thanks for sharing your story - I remember last year when I dropped some weight- it was tooth and nail for every pound down to about 141 or 2 or so. I mean, those lbs. did NOT want to budge! After that, seemingly without trying too hard, I dropped another 4-5. Wonder why that happened? Sounds like your loss was similar. Of course I slacked and regained, but I'm motivated to get there again.

So, have a great day, ladies! I have a long day tomorrow, but I have a pilates class tomorrow night, so I know I will get my workout in. Be healthy!

Hi there ladies!

I did a pilates video this morning and 45 minutes on my elliptical. I'm trying the HITT now, changing every 1:30 to 2:00 minutes, to see if that works the heart rate...

Good job on the wog and walk, claire! I'm doing pretty good with the water, not so great with the whole foods...keep us posted on how it works!

Have a great day everyone!

Hi everyone!! Mind if I join. I just recently started getting fit at home!! I really dont have a choice the nearest gym is 45 mins away!

I usually go for a 2 mile walk in the evening. I have a treadmil but have been enjoying the nice weather and walking outside. I also just started doing the Biggest Loser workout once or twice a week and I have a Carmen Electra video but I guess it dosent feel like it does a whole lot. But it is fun.

Last night I got a new magazine and they have pull out cards for weight training and I am going to try one of those today!

Thanks for this thread it has a lot of great ideas!!

Angel!

Hi Angel- Isn't it great to be able to work out in the comfort of your home?? I just started acquiring dvds in the last year or so, but I am enjoying them a lot. I do a lot outside too -- walk, wog, bike, -- and I'm currently taking a once a week Pilates class on monday nights (my only structured exercise). However, my gym membership is "frozen," and I'm loving it.

Had a very busy day today - left for work at 7:45am got home at 10:15pm!!! That included day at work, hockey practice, pilates class, and WalMart run for school supplies. ugh.

Need to hit the hay. Night ladies!

Hi Angel! Welcome! We've had a lot of rain here lately and it has been crazy hot, so walking outside hasn't been much fun for me... I'm jealous that you can get out there in the fresh air!

I did some yoga this morning and 45 minutes on the elliptical, in a different pattern this time. The HITT worked a lot better today than yesterday...

I finally got my Weider strength training system put together on Sunday, but haven't actually used it. I ran smack into my TOM (Seasonale, so not really TOM, more like TO3M) and haven't felt like doing anything new this week... Haven't felt much like doing anything old either, but have made myself get up and exercise anyway.

Have a good day ladies!

Hi, can I join too?

A little background about me. I lost about 50 lbs 7 years ago, thanks in large part to workout videos. I managed to keep most of it off for a long time too, for about 4 years. Then I got pregnant with baby #1, then 5 months after she was born, with baby #2. I packed on the pounds during each pregnancy and haven't been able to take it off.

So I struggled to find a way to get back into fitness and I'm getting there. I tried joining a gym (I belonged to it when I lost weight the first time and enjoyed it then), but having two babies and a job made it impossible to go. I tried to get into walking, but for the most part it's not my thing as my major form of exercise.

So a couple of months ago I got sucked into a TurboJam infomercial, and decided to give the home workouts a try again. This time, I decided to wake up and do my workouts before work, and it's worked out well. I like TJ, but I just can't do it every day, I need more variety. I have some FitTV shows on my TiVo, and some Project You! DVDs (Kathy Smith), Ellen Barrett workouts, and a bunch of older tapes. I don't know that I'll use these tapes much at this point, because I got so sick of them, but I could probably get back into the Firm at some point.

So, I just need accountability I guess. My goal is to get at least 5 30-45 minute workouts in a week. So far this week, I'm 2 for 2!

Hi Amy8888 and welcome from another newbie!

Sounds like it has been a productive day for everyone!

Today I took my dog for a 35 min walk and I did a 25 min workout that I read in my Self magazine.

Thanks have a good day everyone!
Angel :)

Welcome Amy! I am all about accountability. I'm trying to post everyday on this thread.

Angel - good job on your walking and your SELF workout. I used to rip those magazine workouts out every month, but then I lacked the motivation to do them. I do better either doing something outside or doing a dvd - I admire those, like you, who can push themselves to follow a workout. Guess I'm slack!

Today, DH and I did the park walk/wog again. Almost one hour. Then I had a long day at school, followed by a hockey game. Got home around 8.

Another long day tomorrow... gotta be strong to get through this week. I am NOT ready for school to start!

Have a healthy day tomorrow, girls!

Good afternoon everyone!
Amy - welcome! We always have room for more! Accountability is great, like Claire, I try to post every day... If I know I have to put into writing what I did for someone other than myself I'm more likely to get up and do it! I love Tivo, by the way... I've had several, but am currently only using DVRs from my cable company. I feel withdrawal every time I want to do a keyword search in the program listings... :tantrum:

Angel - Great job! Walking with the pets is a great way to get some exercise time in while doing something you have to do anyway! :) I used to do those SELF workout, too, but I do better with the ones on TV. I just can't make myself do it all without hearing someone tell me to...:o

Claire - way to go getting the exercise in when you can! Keep it up! When does school start?

I did my 10 minute AB video today and 45 minutes on the elliptical, again with the HITT... I'm going to start on the Weider tonight or tomorrow - feeling mildly bloated today, so might wait another day... On the up side, DH has worked out on it twice now and is already asking me to structure dinner prep in such a way that he can work out again tonight... :carrot:

Good day to all!

Hey everyone!! What a great day it was here in Maine!!

Shannon & Clair- I watched to moves on the website before I did them or otherwise I wouldnt have been able to figure them out. But I think next time I will use a video or something.

Today I cleaned for an hour (not exactly formal exercise but I was sweating!) I went for a brisk 15 min walk and I found an old Denise Austin video and did the cardio and leg sculpting parts of the video!

Hope everyone has a great night!!:)

Hey girls -

Sounds like everyone is rolling along!

No exercise for me yesterday - we had to stay at school for open house, which ended at 7:30. So it was a LONG day, and it followed a poor night's sleep. The transition back to school is overwhelming to me every year - though I've taught for 15 years - sometimes my mind races at night. That was the case Tue night - I just couldn't sleep after my hockey game. So, yesterday wasn't as productive as I needed to be.

We have the option of having Friday off, but I will have to work to get everything done. The kids start Tue (day after Labor Day), so at least I'll have a nice 3 day weekend. In a couple weeks, the dust will settle, and I'll be in a groove, but I'm not there yet.

I just need to keep pushing with exercise and eating well... exercise is the ultimate de-stresser for me. I have another game today, but I MUST MAKE A POINT TO WORK OUT AFTERWARD.

I will post back tonight to let you know what I did... ACCOUNTABILITY!!!

Good job on the workouts, girls... keep it up!!

Good morning everyone... Well, almost afternoon, I guess! :)

Angel - ExerciseTV has videos on their website that can be downloaded to your computer, iPod or burned to CD I think. And, housecleaning can definitely be a workout!

Claire - enjoy your last few days before the kids come back!

I did some Ab exercises this morning, on my own this time, no video. I also did my 45 minutes on the elliptical. I'm very motivated this week by my new size six pants!

Have a great day all!

Shannon-Wow size 6!! That is awesome!!

I didnt get a whole lot done today, the little guy didnt feel well today and to me its really draining when the little ones are sick. I did manage to walk/jog on the treadmill for for 35 mins.

Have a great night!!

Hey Angel - it is an accomplishment to get any exercise in when you have a sick child at home. Heck, I have a hard time getting any in when my stepson is with us even when he is well! :) We have them this weekend and I'm already making my plan to get up earlier than normal and get some time in... He gets up at 6am, so I'll wake up then anyway!

Shannon-I completely understand about getting up earlier, even though I have only done it a few times. I usually take my little guy in the stroller for a walk or exercise when he is napping. I am just not a morning person. But I am finding that there are some days that I am not getting my exercise in until 8 or 9 pm and I would really like to have it done before then, so I think I am just going to have to stick it out and get up earlier!

Today I took my cousins bike for a 2 mile ride. I guess I forgot how hard bike riding can be because I am really sore now, my legs anyway! But now that I am done, I feel really proud that I got that far! I also went antiquing with my aunt and mother, I know it isnt really exersizing but I did a lot of walking!

Hi Angel - I wish i had a bike, I'm thinking about getting myself and DH one for Christmas this year to go along with the one we are getting DSS/ I have a stationary bike, but that just isn't the same. :) And, if your aunt and your mom shop like my mom and my sister-in-law you got a lot of work in there!

I made it up early yesterday and today and did my 45 minutes if interval HITT in my elliptical, if you can really call it that... I don't think I follow the rules you are supposed to follow for HITT - I think I just get my heart rate way up there and then don't ever let it get back low enough inbetween... Tonight I did 8 minutes on the Weider working on my arms, then did my ab/back video and a 20 minute cardio yoga on exercise tv while DH was studying for his exam. It was the first time I've used the new Weider - I enjoyed it a lot!

I also weighed myself yesterday morning and this morning even though my weigh in day is Friday - Friday I got five different numbers, four around 125.8, 125.9, 126.0, 126.1, then I figured the correct one was the 127.1, that all the others I got must have been wrong. Yesterday I got 125.9 every single time, today I got 126.0 every time. I guess the 126 must have been right... That gives me a 2.4 pound loss since last Friday, even with TOM. I'm thinking it might be time to up the calories a little...

Have a good day tomorrow everyone!