Welcome to the new thread!

Here's my plan for this upcoming week -- I'm going to try to move on to much harder tapes in the series, and will begin rotating The Firm "Tortoise" and "Hare" tapes. I previewed Hare last night, and I was all relaxed about it....until half an hour into it, when the aerobics stopped....and the really hard sculpting work began! Eeek! That legwork is TOUGH. I quailed in my sneakers! But it's time for me to challenge myself, so I'm going to try it. With beginner modifications of course! You can bet when they say "Beginners use light weights or no weights," I'm going to listen! ;) So here's my plan:

M: Firm: Hare
T: going to the opera, no workout -- mile walk to theatre
W: Firm: Tortoise
Th: Firm: Hare
F: planned rest

One of those days we're meeting a friend for dinner, but I'm going to try to schedule it for late enough that I have time to rush home + get a workout in. I really really hate it when I'm looking at only 2 workouts for a week!
Hope everyone's weekend went well, and I look forward to seeing everyone's plan for the week!

Oh! I forgot to say -- I might sub in Firm: Ballroom Aerobics for tonight's Hare, based on how sore I feel. I haven't made up my mind yet, so I'm waiting to see how my legs feel -- after the tough Abs,Buns, + Thighs workout last night, I haven't decided yet if it's a good idea to do the hard legwork in Hare on this consecutive day. We'll see!

Good Morning!
 

Hope you all had a good weekend. Mine wasn't too bad. As always high in fat & cals, but got a good housecleaning workout yesterday, so I'm feelin alright!

I total forgot to weigh in on Friday! :o What a scatterbrain I am! So, I'll weigh in later today.

Here's my weeks plan:
Mon - Curves, Marching video (or walk outside)
Tues - Curves, Bowling
Wed - Curves, Marching video (or walk outside)
Thurs - Curves, Aerobic video
Fri - Curves

At least that's my plan. I've implemented a new housekeeping "system" as per www.flylady.net which I heard about on an email discussion list I belong to, so I'll have to figure out how to get my daily assignments from her done, as well as extra exercise. I'll get it all figured out eventually though.

Talk to ya later girls!
Marvin

This weeks plan
 

SUN - a.m. REST
p.m. abs & lowerbody (Rachel McLish In Shape)

MON - a.m. Water aerobics, swim laps
p.m. abs, yoga (P.M. Yoga - Firm More 5 Day Abs)

TUES - a.m. step workout (Kathy Smith Step )
p.m. abs, upper body (Karen Voight Firm Arms & Abs)

WED - a.m. 30 min Firm Video (classic v.1 wish me luck :eek: )
p.m. Abs, stretch (K. Voight Pure Simple Stretch -Firm M5D Abs)

THUR - a.m. Crunch aerobic tape (Hi/Lo)
p.m. abs, lower body (K. Voight Lean Legs & Buns - Firm M5D Abs)

FRI - a.m. Water aerobics, swim laps
p.m. abs , yoga ( a.m. yoga - Firm M5D abs)

SAT - a.m. Walk 2 miles
p.m. abs, upper body (R. McLish In Shape - Firm M5D Abs

I told you I was getting scatterbrained! I totally forgot to tell you about how Copperblu's Enchilada Pie went over on Friday night. :dizzy:

Surprise! DH really liked it! He even went back for seconds, which is the true test of any recipe! At first, he complained, "beans again!" :lol: but after cleaning his first plate, he gave it a big thumbs up!

Thanks again Copperblu!

Marvin

MarvinTM: Yay! I'm so glad to hear your DH liked the Enchilada Pie! Honestly, I was skeptical of the beans at first too! ;) But then the cheese won me over. ;) Now if only I can get my DH to prefer the healthier version!
You've got a full 5 weekdays of exercise planned -- good for you! I always mean to get in 5 weekday workouts like a good "Everyday Exerciser"... ;)
Like you, I also had a weekend high in fat + cals -- I was pretty unhappy when I looked at the calories eaten vs. calories burned chart on Fitday for Friday and Saturday! Note to self: hard cider is WAY high in calories! :( I'm bummed, but I have to hand it to Fitday -- those charts are a real eye-opener, even as approximations!
Oh well -- overall I'm burning more than I'm taking in, so with a little more caution, I should be able to keep from hitting a weekend-induced plateau. Must remember the big picture, but not lose track of all the details in doing so.

MinyMony: Kudos on your ambitious plan! You are going to work it! And a special good luck from me on Firm Vol. 1 -- just the bits I see in previews scare the heck out of me!! I have a copy, but am "saving" it until I think I might be ready to take it on without dying! ;) Those Karen Voight tapes aren't for slouches either! Go forth + kick butt!

Hey Big Sal, islandmama, zookeeper, and mustang sally -- where are you guys?

Yay! Yay! Yay!
 

Weigh in was fabulous! I lost five pounds since the first! I still have trouble believing it! I feel great, but you know hwat my first thought was? Great, now I can have some fries! :devil: But I stayed strong, and had a healthy dinner last night. It helped some that dh has a cold and only wanted soup & sandwich, so that's what we had.

The bad news is that I feel like crap too. I always get sick when he does, so I'm just waiting for it. I skipped my second workout last night in celebration of my loss, and plan on only doing Curves today. Bowling will just be too much if I want to fight off this cold! Plus, since dh is home sick, I want to go home and take care of him.....

Copperblu, I think the only reason my dh likes the beany version of the enchilada pie, is because he never had the original! Is there any way to wipe the memory from your dh's mind? Brainwashing, perhaps!!! :laughing:

Have you tried working out in the mornings? Coming from me, this sounds silly, as I can't drag my arse out of bed until the last possible second! But, maybe, if you tried even a short workout, at least you'd get something in everyday... Just a thought!

Mini, I wish I could be as dedicated as you are! Imagine, all those workouts! That's why I had to join Curves, cause now, it's an appointment that I HAVE to keep, rather than a personal workout that I only feel a little guilty about missing! Curves costs too much to skip out on! Too each her own, right?

Talk to ya later!
Marvin

I had the worst night last night! I tried valiantly to do the Hare tape as planned, but the ballroom aerobics that looked so fun + easy in preview turned out to be wildly confusing in reality! I couldn't seem to ever catch up + was always on the wrong leg or something! After about 20 minutes, I gave up in frustration. I then tried the strict Ballroom Aerobics tape, since I know there's a little more cueing in that one, but to no avail -- after 10 minutes that was history too. THEN I tried to preview one of my other Firm tapes that I hadn't looked at before...and the tape got stuck in the VCR!!! Argh!

Fast-forward to me attempting to cook dinner and meeting with a series of small disasters, discovering that my favorite dish is chipped, and ultimately mistakenly leaving a pan on low throughout dinner so that the leftovers are ruined (although thankfully not the pan). What a terrible, no-good, very bad day! :(

As I said to DH though, I have to remember that I've already achieved my immediate + most important goal of getting my pants to fit properly again and making a commitment to exercise. I have to remember that if I get only a weak workout in or something doesn't go according to plan, that doesn't mean that everything is going to ****. It's just a small setback, and one weak workout doesn't mean I'm going to gain those 5lbs back or lose the muscle tone I've acquired. It's a lifelong commitment + I'm in it for the long haul. If I only manage 2 workouts in a week, it's still more than I was getting before!

There. I needed to peptalk myself. ;)

As for the rest of the week, I've revised my plan -- based on my problems getting through the new tape, I'm not sure what tapes I'll ultimately end up doing -- though I'm going to try to give Hare another shot (or 10) -- so I'll have to update you as I go rather than sticking to the specific plan I laid out.

Whoop! MarvinTM, I didn't see your post before I posted!

Congratulations on the 5 lbs!!!!! That's fabulous!! A nice reward for all your hard work, no? :) I know what you mean about translating a loss into a "reward" of bad foods! It's so easy to think, "I've been working so hard, I deserve some Hagen-Daas!" Tricky brains, always plotting against us! ;) But you ate healthily instead! I think that's a huge triumph, and you deserve some kudos.

Be careful with that cold -- I had a similar "cold", and it turned out to be a weird variety of flu that's going around. Knocked me on my kiester for a whole week!

I wish I could workout in the morning -- I'd try, even though I LOATHE morning, just for the benefit of knowing I'd be able to get something in regardless of my schedule. But I have downstairs neighbors + since we live in a brownstone, there are only subfloors between us (it wasn't originally intended for multiple families, obviously) -- they hear every heavy footfall! I try to workout when they're not there so that I don't bother them -- I don't want to wake them up at the crack of dawn with my crashes off the step! Also, we live in a small one-bedroom -- I'd have to get up an hour before DH so that I could have the living room, which would mean I'd be getting up at 5:30. I'm not sure that's physically possible (for me). ;)

Back on the wagon!
 

Confession time: I haven't worked out since Friday, but I did get back on the wagon and went and lifted weights this morning. I'm planning on doubling up on my exercise today since I missed three days. Tomorrow is my scheduled Advanced Tae Bo day, but since I havent done TB since last Thursday, I figured I'd better do a warm up Basic today to prepare for the toughie tomorrow!

My son was terribly sick since last Wednesday so everything went downhill from there. Today is the first day he seems back to normal (Thankfully!). He lost 2.5-3 lbs in the last 6 days! This is a 3yo that can normally out-eat me!

Let me know how Flylady is. I belong to a list called A Plan of Attack (APOA). Last year this really helped me get going, but I've since slacked off and have been considering joining Flylady (or just going back to the initial APOA - master plan book list). With my son being sick, my house is now a cluttered disaster - I could use the boost!

Take care everyone!

Hey Lisa!

Congrats on getting back on the wagon! That is a great achievement in itself! Sometimes the only thing that keeps me going is knowing what a waste my Curves membership is ($) if I don't use it as much as possible ~ the more I use it, the less it costs per use, right?

Flylady, so far (2 days!) is great! The mass emailing is a little overwhelming at first, but you learn to delete what you don't need that day... The idea is that you start out with a few set rules - shiny sink, before bed and morning routines, etc... Then once that's down, you add the other stuff gradually so as not to overwhelm yourself. My problem is wanting to do too much at once, so I'm staying focused on maintaining my basics. I'm really kinda excited about it ~ I just wish I had a computer at home, so I could get all the reminders on the weekends too! Maybe someday {sigh}

Copperblu, congrats on trying the new tapes, and for keeping a good attitude about it! Sometimes life is just so frustrating!!!!

Sometimes, I forget that other people live with neighbours (our closest is like a mile away!) so I never even thought of that! I do have a similar problem though ~ I can't be banging and stomping away in the next room while dh is sleeping ~ he complains I'm too loud when I'm TRYING to be quiet! Lol!

See ya all later!
Marvin

I'm new
 

I am new to 3FC and I am struggling with diet AND with exercise. I am trying to find an exercise buddy that will help keep me accountable for when I do (and don't) work out. Is this the right place for me?

I'm here, I'm here.
Unfortunately, my whole family is sick with something. Last night, within about 10 minutes, we were all sick. WEIRD. I am really feeling gross today. My temp. has been over 104 all day, and I have to take care of my 2 sick babies. Today is not my best day! I have been working out 6 days a week (3 cardio-3 weights), and I missed my first one today. Who knows what tomorrow will be. I'll probably take the day off excercise tomorrow too. But my nutrtion plan is still on track. I hope I don't lose too much muscle during this bug.
Well, sorry I can't be upbeat, but I feel terrible. I gotta go. Love you all. IslandMama

Welcome Indiana
 

Indiana Welcome to Everyday Exercisers! you have definitely found the right place! We can use all the support we can get in this department. This exercise thing does not come easy for me anyway! :wave:

Well, I feel so far behind. I've got lot of posts to read through. But on the exercise front - I missed both my a.m. and p.m. workouts yesterday. I'm not too stressed about it because Monday the gym scale read 158 and yesterday my home scale read 159 for a millisecond. Add to that I was still sore yesterday from Monday's water aerobics and toning - I felt like I could afford a day off.

Copperblu Today I tried my Firm Classic V1. OH MY GOSH....... My goal was 30 minutes (half the tape). Around 8 minutes in my goal switched to 20 minutes. And around 10 minutes in I just stood there watching this little bitty woman go...I haven't done jumping jacks since middle school, I think. And finally at around 15 minutes in my goal became...yes...15 minutes! Whew. I'm still optimistic that I can get the second half of that workout sometime later. :o

Hi everyone!

Indiana: Welcome!! Great to have a new poster! I think this is a great place to get the support of a "workout buddy" to whom you feel responsible. Posting my weekly goals has definitely made me much more accountable for my plans + slip-ups. And everyone picks you up when you have a low day, and makes you want to get back on the wagon again! :)

Zookeeper: Don't feel bad about not working out since Friday! I don't "officially" work out on the weekend, and tend not to have time on Friday, so it's often 3 days of no workouts. I try to get in a walk or something, but I don't get to do a tape unless something happens to completely change my schedule. It's not the days off that count, but the fact that you're getting right back on track! That's not a failure, that's a success!

islandmama: I'm sorry to hear you're sick! My sympathies! Try not to get too upset about missing workouts -- your body needs some rest, and you're doing the right thing by listening to it. I have complete faith that you'll be right back in the groove once you recover. And I'm sure with all your hard work, one week can't undo all the great strides you've made! I hope you feel better soon, and don't push yourself too hard.

MinyMony: I'm so proud of you for trying Vol. 1! That tape scares the **** out of me! I see little Susan Harris throwing around these 12lb weights like they were nothing, jumping + doing about 10,000 leg lifts and having a grand old time. She doesn't look like it's troubling her at all! Won't it be a huge accomplishment when we can get through the whole tape? :) I look forward to that day!
I'm going to try the Hare tape again tonight -- I'm sure that I just need to do it a few times + eventually I'll get the ballroom aerobics down, but it's hard when I have no step experience at all -- I don't even know the basic terminology! But the show must go on, as they say, and I'll never improve if I don't even start! At least this time I'm not still completely sore from the ABT workout! ;)

Update: went to the opera last night, which was great. Walked to the theatre, which doesn't count for much, but at least it made me feel a shade better about the HUGE plate of Thai red curry chicken I ate (with coconut milk, oh yes). And the FOUR pieces of pizza I'd had for lunch. At least they were thin crust, + 2 were just cheese -- but still. We were doing a mailing -- some physical labor at least -- but we always order such unhealthy food for our group lunch, almost always pizza. Alas. On to my Scarlett O'Hara motto: "Tomorrow is another day." Today I've brought healthy food from home, and have good leftovers for dinner, rather than evil takeout.

Hey all!
 

Welcome Indiana It really is great to have another member in our little support group ~ it really helps to have a group that you feel accountable to... I hate to have to report no exercise, so it gives me another reason to force myself, and once I start, I don't regret it! I see Mini beat me to it, but I wanna try this guy too... :wave:

Islandmama Take it easy! You don't want to get even sicker! I wasn't feeling too hot yesterday, so I did a lighter workout at Curves, and skipped bowling altogether, and even though I still didn't sleep well last night, I do feel better today! So, get your rest! And get better soon!

Mini & Copper You guys are soo brave to keep trying these scary workouts! I know that's the reason I haven't tried TaeBo again! I felt so clumsy when I did it! I betcha if I kept trying though, I would have gotten it down eventually..... Kudos to you two for keeping at it!

My Story Well, I had a lighter workout at Curves, like I said above, and went to bed early. I still kept waking up all night, but I do feel much better today than I felt yesterday. I guess that's what counts. dh is still at home sick (this makes 2 1/2 days now, which is a LOT for him) so I keep taking my echinacea and vitamin c, and I'm crossing my fingers. My original plan for today was Curves and my Marching video ~ I will definitely go to Curves, and we'll see about the video. I don't want to push myself, especially since I didn't get enough food yesterday...

Enough yakking! I'll talk to ya all later!
Marvin

Hi I'm back. I have had a stomach bug from Saturday to Monday and still felt fragile yesterday, but am back on form today.

So I have not done much since Sunday, but I did force myself to do my aerobics tape yesterday, and am about to do another one - once I having finished videoing dh's sci-fi program. I need to get myself back on top form for Tae Bo tomorrow.

I've been working on my Abs over the last 2 days. Holding them right tight throughout the exercise tape and also pulling them in at various times during the day - goodness only knows what I must look like.

I struggle with the Lorraine Kelly tape I'm going to do later tonight - so I can sympathise with others. I have done this tape only a couple of times & always get left behind. But I'm just going relax into it & enjoy it (hopefully!!!)

So here's the plan for the rest of the week.
Wed - Lorraine Kelly - Figure Happy
Thur - Tae Bo basic
Fri - Exercise bike - 10 miles
Sat - Swimming - 40 lengths
Sun - Lorraine Kelly - Figure Happy

Besides all this I will be walking at lunch time and fitting in 50 crunches at least 3 times.

Forgot to say I lost 3lbs this week - have yoyoed around for the last month - so hopefully this is the start of a new trend.

I will be back tomorrow, just try & keep me away.

217/203/147

Just wanted to pop in and say "Way to go, Big Sal!" That three pound loss is a great one, and congrats on getting right back into the swing of things afrter your illness! I'm proud of you! :smug:

Marvin

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome. It sounds like you all do a great job staying accountable and supporting each other. Unfortunately, I couldn't quite make myself go work out tonight. I usually go at night (Iam REALLY not a morning person), but I was in a bad mood, which made me eat too much, which in turn kept me from working out. I need to not treat a bad mood with food, and I need to work on setting a schedule and sticking to it. I'll start working on a schedule for the rest of this week and for next week. That way, after I post it, I'll (hopefully) stick to it!!

Hi Everyone!

MarvinTM: Good for you getting the Curves workout in! And great that you felt better the next day -- that's the sort of stuff that keeps us working out! I hope you don't catch the evil cold/flu thing! I'm crossing my fingers for you!

Big Sal: I'm so sorry you've been sick! But you should be proud that you're getting right back into it! Speaking from recent experience, it took me a few workouts after I recovered from my last bout with illness before I felt completely back in form again, so don't push yourself too hard. Good to hear you're working on your abs! I always forget to really hold my abs in while I'm doing other things, and should probably pay more attention. And lest I forget, CONGRATS on the 3lb loss!!! Wonderful news!

Indiana: The schedule really helps, and I've found that often I push myself a little harder because I had told everyone on this board I would do an extra workout or a harder tape than I feel like doing. I hate how we treat our bad moods with food! After eating, it just makes us feel worse! I'm trying to get out of that habit myself. I do know that just eating makes me even grumpier + more depressed, because then I feel like I've blown my fitness/diet plan on top of everything else. It sounds Pollyanna and a little preachy, but I actually do feel much better now if I try to force my way through a little workout when I'm down -- it helps me get my self-esteem back, and then I don't feel so low. Rather than sabotaging myself, I'm doing something for myself, and that always makes me feel strong + powerful -- like I "beat" the bad mood, it didn't beat me. :D

In my news: I DID IT! I got ALL THE WAY THROUGH my dreaded Hare tape! Yay!! I really wanted to stop a few times, believe me! Especially during the KILLER abs section! I probably could have cooked an egg on the fire in my belly! ;) The step Ballroom Aerobics were much easier this time -- I was on the right step 80% of the time this time. I'm really glad I talked myself into trying it again, because now I know I'll soon have the routine down and can do it regularly. I'm scheduled to try the companion tape "The Tortoise" tonight, which I've heard is really tough, so we'll see how well I'm walking tomorrow. ;)

Superlong post! Hope everyone's doing ok!

Hey Indiana! Again, welcome to our group, and we hope to see a lot less of you in the future :lol: I had the same problem with forcing myself to work out when I really didn't want to ~ joining Curves solved it for me + I feel accountable to you guys!

I had a great day yesterday, perfect for cals, fat, fiber and water, and I also had a great workout at Curves. Once again, I was too tired to do another workout at home later, but I did get my FlyLady assignments done, so I'm thrilled with that.

I'm still in shock over my 5 lb. loss on Monday, and I'm praying that I maintain it when I weigh in for the St. Petite's tomorrow. Oh well, I'm trying not to worry too much about it, but it's hard. I like to worry :smug:

So, anyway, not much else to say, but I'll talk to you later!
Marvin :s:

Hey Copperblu!
 

You weren't there before! Good on you for getting that Hare workout done! That's a fabulous achievement and I'm thrilled for you! :lol: (Cook an egg!) :lol:

I'm still sniffling, and a bit tired, but it looks like (knock on wood) I might actually NOT get sick! That is an achievement in itself.... Perhaps this diet & exercise thing really is healthy.?.?.?.?... ;)

Seriously, though, I think that what helps me when all I really wanna do is veg out, is if I can just start moving, like if I tell myself I'll only do 10 minutes, then by that time I'm feeling good enough to actually finish.. You know what I mean? I read once that if you really don't want to go for that walk, just put your running shoes on and start, and it's almost guaranteed that you won't stop. There have been a lot of days that I just don't want to go to Curves, but I tell myself that if, by the end of the first circuit, I still don't want to go on, I will stop, and I have never stopped! After that first ten minutes, my blood is going and I'm usually feeling pretty good! Try it!

Marvin :s:

Check in
 

Well you all heard about my attempt at Firm v.1 yesterday. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to make up a few extra minutes. (I got drawn into one of my favorite shows, West Wing. :o)

Yesterday was my Mom's birthday so we had lunch at a great seafood restaurant. I'm lucky it was seafood and not a steakhouse because I ate a little of everything... stuffed shrimp, crabcakes, and seafood norfolk....

Today is a light aerobics day and a lower body toning day. I have a lot to do today but getting this exercise in is going to be a priority!

MarvinTM: Sounds like you had a GREAT day yesterday! Congratulations! I can't believe you're beating yourself up for not being able to get in a SECOND workout in the day! ;) Good luck for your weigh-in! Remember, even if it does go up a little bit, it could just be a fluctuation on that particular day! I know, I know, and I've got the same trouble with the scale -- against all rational thought, I still get upset if it goes up one day. But I'm constantly remind myself of the unimportance of the scale, like a little chant of logic, in hopes of at least muffling the crazy "scale voice" in my head. ;)

MinyMony: Luckily, none of my favorite shows fall during my workout time, or I'd be in some serious trouble. :lol: That seafood sounds GREAT...mmmm, now you've made me all hungry! Good for you, making your exercise top priority! If we didn't put it at the top of the list, we'd never have time to workout! In my office, everyone tends to stay late, and I did too -- and was constantly exhausted + miserable. Now I make a point of leaving work on time so that I have time to workout before DH gets home and we have dinner together. I have to put my health + my relationship first, and I just won't argue about it.

BTW, I forgot to confess I had a Krispy Kreme at the office yesterday -- they'd been ordered for someone's birthday. Now, I don't think of any foods as "bad", because I'm not going to think of myself as "bad" for eating something, but it's definitely not a very healthy choice. And it just wasn't worth it -- it was good, but it wasn't great enough to compensate for basically being a fried vehicle for sugar. That's what I have to keep in mind -- is it worth it? Is the "reward" I'm getting worth the sacrifice of feeding my body unhealthy foods or undoing some of my hard work? And when I do deliberately choose to eat unhealthy food, like at a special dinner out or something, I want it to be worth the sacrifice to do so. I shouldn't accept second-rate goods for first-rate price, you know?

Indiana I can sympathise with the struggle to exercise in the morning. I actually prefer exercising in the morning but this week my bed has been far too comfy when the alarm has gone of at 5:30 & I've rolled over & slept for that extra hour. Has meant though I have to fit the exercise in in the evening - an achievement in itself.

Well done Copperblu on completing that tape. I got halfway through mine last night - am building up to the rest of it in stages. Decided to build it up instead of trying to do it all at once first time & hating it. At least this way I'll become an expert at the beginning of the tape.

I can agree with Marvin about exercising when you don't feel up to, perking you up. Find that in the evenings just getting changed & tieing my hair back is enough to start me looking forward to it. I have also made these bargains with myself about stopping early if I'm not enjoying it.

Went for another lovely walk round the business park at lunchtime. Have been walking with someone different this week - a good thing as she has been really pushing me. If she keeps coming with us we'll be jogging round it before June - takes me about 10 minutes to get my breath back in the office.

So I've still got Tae Bo basic to do. Was even 'practising' some of the lunges & kicks in the kitchen earlier - think I'm becoming addicted. Zoo what have you done to me, before you I didn't even know Billy & Tae Bo existed. Was a much less satisfying experience. I'm not on your level with it yet though.

Still working on those Abs - I will see a difference when I measure in 2.5 weeks. If only I can keep them tight that long (not constantly)

I'm here!
 

Just wanted to quickly check in. I've been working out daily and today I did two 45 minute walks with 5 dogs that I petsit for. I'm beat!

Big Sal - I hope you are truly enjoying Tae Bo. I really think its addicting!

Hi to everyone. Been sick and out of town. Haven't had time to post. I have been checking the message boards and am so glad to see everyone is doing good. More to follow. Good night.

sally

Hi everyone. Thanks for all the 'well wishes'. Unfortunately, I DID NOT follow your advice, and I went to the gym to do my UBW (upper body workout). It was an awesome workout, HIGH INTENSITY, and I lifted more than ever (pretty good for being sick), but today, I feel worse. I am very tired and dizzy, and CRABBY (just ask my poor kids!). So, that's 2 cardio workouts missed this week, when I haven't missed any previously. I plan on doing a cardio session on my "free day", to make up for one of them that I missed this week. I should be better by tommorrow. I BETTER BE!.
I am so glad to see everybody doing so well!
Don't forget to-
*drink a gallon of water a day!
*reveiw your goal and read them aloud DAILY!
*keep on going girls! You can do it.
As soon as I put up my 'before and after' pix, I'll let you all know where you can view them, incase you want to see. There will be a before picture, a 4-week picture, an 8-week picture, and a 12-week picture. I hit 4 weeks next week! Root for me!
Love you all,
IslandMama

Good morning everyone! Just checking my messages before I head over to my moms to lift weights. Those walks yesterday, on top of a tae bo workout, really wore me out! Today its just my lifting day. Tomorrow will be three really long walks along with a tae bo advanced workout! UGH!

Christy - you are much more daring than I! I won't even consider posting before/after pics until I hit that "after" stage! LOL! I do have them though. I have my DD take a picture of me every month, in the same exercise clothes and then I put them into a publisher document lined up so that I can compare. Between Jan & Feb was a big difference, but between Feb & March, there wasn't much. However, I just know I feel so much better inside and out and that's what counts!

Keep it up! We can do this!

HELLO
 

Hi everyone!!!! I have been with 3fc for awhile now and never lurked on the exercise forum so I was browsing through here and I thought WOW, this is just what I need. I have hit plateau now for about 5 weeks and I do know that exercise will help that but I havent been able to make myself take the time to do it. So, If you all dont mind, I think I will join you and we can all help each other with our goals. Have a great day and I am looking forward to getting to know each of you. :laughing:

Big Sal + Marvin made good points about the steps we take to get ourselves to exercise even if we're not in the mood -- that old chestnut about just getting dressed in your workout clothes or just starting for 5 minutes really does hold true. I change into my workout clothes the second I get home, and pull the coffee table out of the way before I have a chance to talk myself out of it. Luckily, a lot of the Firm tapes have an intro of a few minutes, so I can sit lumpishly on the couch while it plays (rather than fast-forwarding), so that by the time the workout starts, I've managed to sell myself on the idea of moving. ;)

Big Sal: I think it's great you have a walking partner, especially one who pushes you! I really want to go walking for my lunchbreaks, but the pedestrian traffic around here is so heavy -- it's not really conducive to maintaining a decent walking pace (or mood!).

zookeeper: Great to hear from you! What wonderful news that you've been working out daily! And dogwalking is not for the faint of heart! :) I think your idea of monthly progress picks is great!

mustang sally: Sorry to hear you've been sick!! It seems everyone has had a bad bout this year! I can't wait till Spring! And then we can take long walks outside in the gorgeous weather!

islandmama: Bad girl, pushing yourself hard when you're sick! :) I hope you feel better soon -- the missed workouts are so frustrating! Thanks for the reminders -- I should go back and review my goals! You're so brave to put up the progress pics!
I actually should take pics, because I often forget what I looked like at certain stages -- but I'm afraid to ask DH to do it, because although he is mostly supportive, sometimes he accuses me of being "obsessed" (which I can assure I am not). I think he's just worried about me, and he knows my mom can be weird about her weight -- but I wish he understood that it's natural to want to share my accomplishments with him, or talk about this new "hobby" I've taken up lately of getting into shape. Anyone have any suggestions?

And finally: welcome tornadoterr! Great to have you! I think it's wonderful that you're making the commitment to add exercise to your routine -- to my mind, it is even more important than diet, and the combination of the two definitely produces long-lasting results that diet alone can't manage. Welcome to the board, and you have all our support and encouragement in making this lifestyle change along with us. :)

My news: I did the Tortoise tape last night -- and it was so hard it made the Hare look like a stroll in the park! I got through it though, and feel all the better for it. I haven't lost any weight or inches in the past week or so (I don't mind, because I know I'm gaining muscle + the process by which fat gets pushed out + replaced w/muscle is slow and complex), but I recently noticed a strange indentation line in the middle of my torso, starting at the middle of my ribs and continuing to just below...I think it's the beginnings of developed Ab muscles!! I'm very excited. My torso is looking a lot more toned lately, and there's less fat on my ribs + in my waist. My butt is firmer, if not that much smaller (first hired, last fired! ;)), I feel SO much better (and finally sleep through the night!), and I'm very encouraged. This working out thing really does work! ;) I'm just feeling very positive today!

Now hopefully I don't go blow it all on the weekly "Friday Lunch" with the women in my Dept.! ;)

Wow!
 

Look at all this activity!

Welcome tornadoterr It's great to see another lurker be de-lurked! This is a great way to keep yourself accountable for your exercise! And fun too! As you can see, we talk about lots fo other things too, but it's focused on exercising daily!

MiniMony Great that you're making your exercise a priority today (and everyday ;) ) Sometimes that's all it takes, is making that commitment to yourself, over and over...... especially with your relationship too. We sometimes forget to nurture our relationships when we're focused so much on "dieting" Good for you!

Copperblu Hey ~ don't ever feel bad about a little slip like that Krispy Kreme (I have to admit here that I've never had one ~ darn Canada anyway!) You mad e the mistake, you realize that it wasn't worth it, and moved on. That's great! And if it had been worth it ~ that would be great too, right? We can't always deny ourselves the food we love... what kind of live would that be?

BigSal I would soooooo love to be able to walk on my lunch break! I only get a half hour :( so I find it hard enough to get my lunch in comfortably, let alone a walk! Maybe someday.....

zookeeper FIVE dogs! I have two, and find they are too much fo me sometimes! Five would be insane ~ even only parttime! Kudos! That must be a great walk!

MustangSally We've missed you! Good to see you again!

IslandMama Tsk, tsk, tsk! :nono: Bad girl! Try to take it a little easier for a while ~ at least cut back on intensity ~ otherwise you'll never get better! And so brave with the before and after pics! I am definitely not that brave! I just want lots of after pics!

Me Had a higher fat day yesterday than I meant too, but overall not too bad ~ I did get my water in :)

I had my annual physical yesterday ~ and my weight according to them has dropped only 1/2 kg since last year at this time ~ so I know that I increased and then lost again..... Overall good health though, so I'm happy.

I planned out my meals today (we're having pizza and beer after work for St. Pat's day) and I'm even coming in at good totals! I'm going to Curves before I go to this get-together so I won't feel guilty ~ I'll just feel good!

Have a great day everyone. I'll try to check in later before I'm off for the weekend!

Marvin :s: (I love this little guy!)

THANKS
 

Hi all!!! thanks for the great welcome!!!! Im going through my old & new exercise tapes trying to come up with some type of schedule. I will be up and ready to go monday. I may try something over the weekend, but have a lot going on so Im not going to worry about it until Monday, then I will try to work everything around my workout schedule. Talk to ya then and have a great weekend.

Good morning everyone! I'm up and ready to start my advanced workout this morning. Just waiting for my mini-breakfast (an apple) to settle a bit.

I should clarify my dogsitting statement. I am a professional pet sitter, so my clients all vary a great deal. My favorites though are the ones today....they actually have 8 dogs, 10 cats and 2 birds! Five or six usually walk (unleashed) with me on a walk thorugh a 20 acre field that my clients have cut trails through. Its very peaceful and fun, except now with the spring thaws all the dogs want to take off and smell different things!

So today, I'll do my Tae Bo Advanced, and then around 2:00 go over and walk the dogs. Then at 5 I will go and feed them and just let them out quickly because our local highschool basketball team is playing the state championships at 6:30. Then after the game, I will go back and walk them after dark (which should prove to be a great challenge!). So I will have plenty of exercise tomorrow.

Sunday's we play volleyball for 3-4 hours at our church/school gym. Some say that sports don't qualify as exercise, but after playing 10 games in a row, I say it does! LOL!

Thanks for making me feel welcome on this list!

Hi all, having an 'easy' day today. According to my plan I should be swimming 40 lengths today - but took the kids with me & had great fun with them instead. We played on the flumes for ages. The wee one doesn't make the height limit so I have to climb all those stairs to the top as well. A new experience for me was, I went down the pitch black scary chute. Halfway down there is a sheer drop, fair knocked the breathe out of me - but as I was racing my older son - he was on the non scary chute - I just kept on with it, not much else I could do was there ??

Then I dragged the boys for a walk up to a local castle, never realised just how steep the hills are before. And now we are dancing round the livingroom having a mad half hour. I have just 'escaped' to get my breathe back. Their dad is trying to sleep, don't know how with all the noise we're making but he is.

Will be back on program tomorrow with my aerobics tape

Marvin - I only have 30 minutes lunch too, but am lucky that I can eat my sandwiches back at my desk.

See you tomorrow

Hi - DH is working an extra 12 hour shift today - so last night in my wisdom I thought if I set my alarm & got up at 6:30 with him I could work out before the kids got up & spend the entire evening with DH when he comes home.

Ha - 6:30am on a Sunday morning should not exist. I got up - visited the ladies room, got another glass of water & snuggled back in bed until 9am when the kids woke.

So much for good intentions - need to fit it round everything else now - will probably end up doing it at about 10pm tonight after doing everything else. Not sure if the mind was willing but the body wasn't or is it the other way round???

Report!
 

Well I made my St Patricks Day goal...just barely. So 3lbs down and for Easter I'm going to push hard - hope to lose 5lbs!

I can really tell that I've been slacking off lately. The adrenaline rush of making a New Year's resolution has left me and this is about the time every year that I get complacent and go back to me evil ways. I'm shrinking and I don't feel so uncomfortable in my own skin...so I'm getting lazy and eating things I shouldn't far to often. :nono:

But on the good side...I am shrinking. I took my measurements yesterday and I've lost 2 inches off my bust, 3 inches off waist and 4 inches of hips since last fall! I thought I could put off buying any new clothes until it was time for a spring wardrobe but in water aerobics class last friday I spent way too much energy making sure I stayed in my suddenly loose bathing suit. I'm really enjoying that class so I'll think I'll invest in a few of those Speedo type athletic suits.

Alrighty, GOT to start a new thread! See you there!