[Big Sal]

HI everyone - didn't manage to pop in last night as I was too busy snuggling with dh & watching TV. I had exercised in the morning so felt I could put my feet up & slob for a while. Tried to work out this morning as well but my youngest son came though and demanded his breakfast - I think sleeping is hungry work for a 3 year old. So I gave up & went back to it when he went to bed tonight.

Mony - I've only been at the Tae bo for 7 weeks. Before I met zookeeper I'd never heard of it. But I have finally got the hang of it & find myself practicing some of the steps / stretchs through out the day - mainly in the klitchen. Maybe its a sub concious way of keeping me off the food when I'm in there,

The Pilates are killers - I have never tried them either but have watched the video twice with a friend trying to build up to it. Might get there by this time next year ??? Any body ever done Calanetics (sp) - a friend wants me to go to a class with her. There is no chance with my scheduel & dh shifts - but maybe I should look for a cheap tape of this for a change.

Marvin - I can sympathise with the bloating. My Tom started last Wed & is still here ??? I still feel bloated & am eating too much. I always crave any kind of food at that time. But I try to stick to diet juice to give me a sweet taste - doesn't always work though.

Only see dh 1 week in 3, due to his shifts - so I'm gonna go chat to him while I can.

Will be out of bed bright & early tomorrow mornign for that Tae Bo basic - think I'm addicted.

[zookeeper16]

Good morning everyone! I hope everyone wakes up the a beautiful day like I did. My computer time has been a little limited since I've been babysitting my 2 month old goddaughter this week but today is my day off. Having her here makes it a bit harder to workout too because I get behind on all my other housework.

I'm on Day 4 today of my 21 DC. I'm doing it with four other ladies on a mailing list that do TB too so its not so lonely! Doing it this way I stay more accountable for my actions. And you don't want to miss one day because then you have to start over from Day one again!

Marvin & Sal - I have that wonderful bloat too! Can't wait til that TOM is done! I hope too that my weigh in on Monday shows an improvement!

Marvin - I'm sorry but I actually had to chuckle at your post about your dream. Last weekend I had a dream that my hubby left me too. I ended up renting an apartment for myself and my son, but he wouldn't give my son any of his clothes or toys at all because he wanted his son to choose to live with him! So in my dream I was so irriated with him that when I woke up I was actually still mad! Pretty funny!

Well, gotta go eat some breakfast and then start the laundry. Hope everyone has a great day. Today is an easy day for me....just a Basic Tae Bo tape, but since its nice out, maybe I will sneak in a walk too.

[Mini Mony]

I just got kicked off line and almost lost this post...I'm so glad I remembered to copy.

Yesterday I did pretty good. I got in "part" of Firm V1 (I am sore - those lunges are killer!), did a segment of M5 Day abs and finished the night with an little stretch session.

Big Sal Thanks for the encouragement with Tae Bo. Every once in a while I get so frustrated with it that I think about giving it up totally. then I have to remind myself that I have to constantly challenge things like balance and flexibility to improve them. So the Tae Bo and Yoga workouts stay in. I'm also taking progress photos. I've decided to take mine every 12 weeks though. I had hoped that the more obvious improvement from 12 week photos would keep me motivated. It's almost time to take my second set. I sure hope I can see a difference.

Copperblu I just previewed a pilates tape my aunt loaned me yesterday called The Method - Precision Toning. I think it would be considered a beginner tape so I'm going to try a few moves tonight and if I can handle it I'm going to substitute it for one of my scheduled yoga workouts. It looks like a great ab workout and that I really need!

[MarvintheMartian]

Good morning all!

Much better today ~ my headache is finally gone, I slept reasonably well, and I got to talk to dh last night! I'm a lot more positive today, even though I woke up to flurries and chilly temps! Looks like TOM is starting to go away finally!

Congrats zookeeper on getting to day 4 of your challenge, and for being so positive about it! I did finally find my TaeBo tape under all that clutter, and I'm actually kinda looking forward to trying it again.

We're going for dinner tonight for my Dad's birthday, so I only have time for Curves today, but I'll make it a good one, and try my hardest to eat well at the restaurant. Should be a good day.

MiniMony Let me know how that Pilates goes, as I am really interested....

Well, off I go! I'll talk to ya later!

[copperblu]

Hi everyone!

MarvinTM: I hope you feel better! Your DH's absence can't be fun for you...AND you're at TOM! Rough times! No wonder you're feeling tired + lackluster + emotional! You go give yourself some good coddling! Hop to!

zookeeper: Kudos for keeping up with the Tae-Bo challenge! It sounds like a great motivator!

MinyMony: Congrats on the great exercise session!
I have Precision Toning + Balanced Zones -- they can be a lot harder than they seem! I was fooled! I was being really careful about maintaining proper form + concentration, and boy could I feel it -- the next day I was surprised to find that I was really sore! Collage Video has those 2 tapes rated as intermediate/advanced, and I'd probably agree -- the ab work is wicked! The key to getting a good workout from Pilates is to really really REALLY concentrate on every move + consciously contract your muscles throughout the movement. Otherwise you end up just kind of flailing around, and not really gaining anything from it.

Big Sal: I find that individually packaged nonfat chocolate pudding is great for taking care of those "sweet" cravings -- plus you get some dairy/calcium! About not getting in the workout -- some things are more important than our workout, like spending precious time with our loved ones. You can always compensate for this "off" week later -- what you can't do is bring back the time that you might miss with your husband -- I say go and be happy with DH.

Update: snacked when I got home AGAIN! What IS that? Some chips, but thankfully precious few. Didn't work out -- came home in the middle of a storm + only wanted to get in my flannel pajamas + have a cup of tea, so I did. I think I'm a little burnt out. I'm guessing that this week isn't going to turn out well for exercise. I won't have time to workout tonight, as it's DH's birthday -- so, since I need to pick up steaks at this store downtown anyway, I'm going to walk the 20 blocks to the store after work. It's not much, but it's about a 2 mile walk, which is better than nothing. Hope I recover from this slump soon!

[mustang_sally]

Missed posting yesterday, but not exercising. I am following my weekly schedule pretty good this week. I put in the exercise video "Buns of Steel" and my legs were sore after the first day, but i recovered from yesterday's workout much better. I walked on the treadmill this a.m. for 50 minutes while watching Regis and Kelly.

Marvin TM - Glad your headache finally left you. Curves and dinner - sounds like a good combination - have fun.

Copperblu - Sometimes slumps can be beneficial. Walking two mile to pick up steaks sound like a good workout for today. I love my flannel pj's and a cup of tea too.

MiniMony - i can relate to sore muscles. My thighs were screaming after the first day of "buns of Steel" from the squats and lunges. They must be working. I have to look into "Firm". Everyone seems to like it a lot.

Zookeeer - congrats on the TaeBo. I tried TaeBo once, but it hurt my back. Must have been doing it incorrectly. maybe it is time to try again.

Big Sal - You and zookeeper make me want to try TaeBo again. Practicing in the kitchen during the day - what motivation.

Again, here in Michigan, it is a beautiful day. Sunny and warm - almost 60 degrees. I even wore my sandals to work. I think i am trying to rush summer.

Sally

[MarvintheMartian]

Hi all!

I just wanted to check in again and let you all know that I'm taking tomorrow off of work, so I won't be posting again until Monday! (someday I'll get a computer at home ) I will also miss Curves tomorrow, but have decided to try out TaeBo again and do my marching video, so I'll still get lots of exercise in. I also want to do some more tidying and cleaning so the house is spotless when dh comes home on Saturday!

Have a great weekend everyone! I'll see you on Monday!

[zookeeper16]

Mustang Sally - I just wanted encourage you to try Tae Bo again. Stick with the Instructional video until you are sure you have the proper form because that is crucial to safe workouts. Tae Bo is a tough and challenging workout and you should feel the burn afterwards, but not pain! LOL!

I'm thrilled to hear I'm not doing TB alone on this thread! I am so addicted to this form of exercise that I have 16 tapes! Pretty bad, huh? I bet you are all getting sick and tired of my and Tae Bo!

[copperblu]

zookeeper: Not at all sick of your Tae-Bo posts! We're thrilled you've found an exercise that works for you and gets you excited! I've become just as weird about the Firm, so I'm definitely not one to judge! We all love to hear about what gets each other moving -- enthusiasm is infectious! And what better way to pick up something new to try?

mustang sally: I am SO jealous of your nice weather! We've had nothing but rain here in NY, and the highs have only been in the high 40s! I can't believe I'm complaining though -- I used to live in Vermont, where you'd be lucky to see the ground before late April! Still, I'm looking forward to wearing my sandals again!

MarvinTM: It sounds like even though you're missing Curves, you're going to get a great workout! Have fun with your hubby this weekend!

Update: Raining + horrible last night, sabotaging my plan to get in a little exercise by walking down to the store to get DH's birthday dinner...BUT I walked anyway! I cursed all of humanity and their stupid umbrellas for 20 blocks, but I did it!
Yummy dinner: steak, mashed sweet potatoes, + fresh steamed asparagus. I bought little cheesecakes, but we only ate 2 or 3 bites before we collapsed in a stuffed heap. All in all, not so bad....EXCEPT the goat cheese, fresh bread, and mixed olives we scarfed down beforehand.
Hopefully will get in a workout this weekend + still meet my 3x a week goal despite this slump.

[Big Sal]

haven't managed to log in much the last couple of days. I have been exercising though. My exercise bike ride changed into energetic dancing for a couple of hours. I was supposed to be meeting a friend at 8:30 but a change of plan meant we met at 7:15 and took the evening from there. Meant we were able to fit in much more dancing.

I drank far to much vodka when I was out last night - a common weekend problem for me. But how often do I get to go out ????

This morning I worked out to my lorraine kelly figure it out tape - last for about an hour so I felt all the little extras of last night were worked on this morning.

Tomorrow is my sons birthday so I plan on dancing my heart out at his party - hopefully that will balance out all the sausage rolls, cheese, etc that I'll eat at his party. I plan on doing my Tae Bo early tomorrow morning - all to help the extra weekend food go.

I better dash - it's past the boys bed time & they are still running round