Hi there!

I would love an exercise buddy. Just to keep me accountable. I am always looking for fun ideas and new ways to get fitness in to my (almost) everyday life. I am not a gym rat..tried it in a prior life and it saved my life but I like outdoors and fun things if I can - that way I can stay motivated because I had fun!

If you need an exercise buddy I am more than willing. Would like to share tips and keep me accountable. Let me know!

by the way - like your quote!

Summer

Hello Gen and Summer! Summer, allow me to introduce myself: I'm the one Gen referred to over at the Ladies Who Lift forum. I'm expecting a Cross Bow machine this week, and will begin to use it once my partner and I get it put together -- which apparently takes some time. I don't go to the gym, but I have in my basement a treadmill and exercise bike, as well as some dumbbells that I don't use yet.

Once I've got the machine up and running, my goal is to do 3 days resistance training, and 3 days cardio. One day of optional rest -- with optional moderate cardio fine if I feel like it, but not required. I'm SO excited about starting weight training -- I know it's critical for my weight loss, for my overall fitness level, for shaping my body's form, and for helping me with body's appearance as I'm losing weight, ie. loose skin, elasticity, and firm tone. I will be a slim person, but I will NOT be a flabby one. A smooshy 135#?? No, thanks.

Ok, here's the plan for this week (I've been cardio daily since last Wednesday; prior to that it was 3 times/week for three weeks, and prior to that it was like once a week) Here's this week's plan:
Monday 5/24: Bike 20 minutes minimum, with at least 10 minutes at "intense" speed (term used by my fitness/nutritional software) -- over 16 mph. --- Results: Biked 25 minutes, with 15 minutes at intense speed.
Tuesday 5/25: Bike 30 minutes minimum, with at least 15 minutes at intense speed.
Wednesday 5/26: Bike 20 minutes minimum, with at least 10 minutes at intense speed.
Thursday 5/27: Walk 30 minutes minimum, with at least 15 minutes at "brisk" level.
Friday 5/28: Bike 20 minutes minimum, with at least 10 minutes at "intense" level.
*The weekend exercise could be impacted by our going away for Memorial Weekend -- If we do, then I won't be exercising till we get back. I'll have to play it by ear, but if we stay, then this is what I will do:Saturday 5/29: Bike 40 minutes minimum, with at least 25 minutes at "intense" level.
Sunday 5/30: Walk 20 minutes minimum; Bike at least 40 minutes.

Hi Sarah and Gen!

I think we should all post here. It makes it easier because all people exercise differently - one day may be weights - the next day may be hiking or dancing or whatever floats one boat

I think we need to use this forum to keep ourselves accountable, give advice, tips etc. I think we should post our goals weekly or daily and check in and go from there. Alot of this posting will be trial and error. We will see what works for us!

As for me this is my plan - a minimum of 270 minutes a week of cardio work. I came to this number by talking to a friend who is a personal Trainer and she says that is the minimum I should be doing to lose weight. Call me crazy but I love having a goal to shoot for because before I was more haphazzard. So here I go!

I have done 111 minutes thus far. One hour of Tennis is scheduled Thursday and Saturday and Yoga for 45 minutes tomorrow! Plus walking my dog, who is getting so big it's almost like he is walking me.

Here are some stats:
I am 5'2"
HW: 175
CW:150
GW: 120

I am trying to eat more veggies and fruits. So when I want a snack I each for an apple instead of crackers. I like to eat so this is important. I am trying to learn new and healthier cooking methods. oh the stories that will come from that

Have a great day! I look forward to getting to know you both better!

Quote:
Health is not simply the absence of sickness. - Hannah Green

be well.

Summer

Hi sarah and summer
well you two are way ahead of me.
today i did not exercise. i had to babysit my sisters kids because she went out of town for two weeks. and she's my real life exercise buddy
this weeks plan:
wed: go to gym 20-30 minutes on treadmill-interval training 3 mins at 3.6
1min at 4.2
weight training legs and butt
stretching
thurs: no exercise: babysitting again
friday:20-30 mins tread mill interval training
weight training back and abs
stretching
sat: 20-30 treadmill interval training
arms and shoulders
sun: 30 min treadmill interval training
or fitness class

ooof i'm tired thinking about it! but i always feel great afterwards.
even after going just two weeks i already feel the difference just going up the stairs and walking. i had a lot of pain in my legs and hips doing those things but it's slowly going away.

and...
i weighed myself today and have lost my first 3.5lbs woohoo
so keep up the good work - way to go on the extra minutes put in!- and i'm sending good vibes to you

gen

Gen for losing 3.5 lbs that is fantastic!

There are days you cannot exercise and that is okay! As long as it is not everyday. Plus it looks like you have quite the nice regimen scheduled for yourself You should congratulate yourself for putting a schedule together that you like - NO BEATING OURSELVES UP here. It doesn't help.

It is nice that your workout buddy is your sister - I would love that but she lives in another state entirely.

I did my 45 minutes of Yoga and walking the doggy for my lunch break today which will give me a total of 171 minutes done thus far! I love Yoga - the weight training is my own body weight and my joints don't ache after and I sweat! I love that!

Sarah tell me how you like the crossbow machine (once you receive it and put it together). I have seen it advertised but I never knew anyone who got one to ask.

Thanks for the good vibes! Sending days your way!

Summer

Hey there, Gen and Summer!

Well, no bike-riding for me yesterday -- I was walking my puppy (an Italian Greyhound named Louie) on an extended walk, and he cut his little paw on something (glass? I don't even know) so I took him to the vet's and he got a couple of stitches.....so exercise for last night got cancelled. But I'll be back on it tonight for sure. Good news though: I've lost another 2 pounds, giving me a total to date of 34, and I figured out (thanks to my Tanita BF scale) that somewhere between 27 and 30 of those pounds were FAT as opposed to muscle, since my body fat percentage has dropped 4% in the last 12 weeks! So that's my good news....that, and I'm in the process of pulling out some clothes I'd outgrown and I've discovered that I'm down 2 sizes (sometimes one, depending on how the clothes run.) I've got a long way to go, but it's DEFINITELY encouraging! A couple of really cute things I ended up just bypassing altogether -- they were too small and now they're too big!

Gen on the 3.5 pounds! Great job, girlfriend! Feels good, doesn't it? Good job, too, on the planning! -- so am I correct, you do weights and cardio on the same day?

Summer, you are such a sweetheart, feeling the good vibes -- I like you! With your yoga, have you studied it and just do it now independently -- or do you go to a class and do it in a group setting or what? Or do you do a tape? I'm sure I'll give you guys an earful (eyeful?) once I get rolling with the Cross Bow. I really did a lot of research on it before making the decision to buy it; I joined a couple of message boards devoted to weight lifting and/or the Cross Bow specifically, and also visited a number of fitness sites to get user responses. I know it's potential faults and inadequacies, as well as it's strengths and plusses......so I feel like I know what I'm getting into, and I expect it to meet my current needs. I know also that I'll need to augment my fitness training with some free weights as I move forward. For now, though, I think it'll do just right. I really am very, very excited though.....I think it's going to be fun!

Take care, you two!

Good Morning

It's Thursday and I am in such a groove by mid week...I Love it! Mondays are ususally my hardest day so I enjoy as the week passes that day by!

Sarah sorry to hear about Louie and I hope his paw heals soon. My dog is named Fenway and he is a golden retreiver but he looks like an Irish Setter because he is red - he is a total yahoo...in other words we belong together. He and I went for a 18 city block walk this morning and the sun was shining - I loved it because it has rained so much the past couple of months. Way to go on another 2 lbs gone! That is tremendous! I get on the scale on Friday mornings...and only Fridays because I will drive my ownself crazy and I don't need much help in that department. How do you figure out how much muscle vs. fat that you lost? because that is way cool!

Gen let anyone know they are welcome. What a nice Wednesday workout you had! Enjoy your day off today and be excited for Friday! makes the workouts go by faster.

I love Yoga! It has no negative impact on my joints and I feel worked out but less tense. I go to class and I do some on my own. I am starting to get very serious about it and actually study it. It has done wonders for my health in terms of stress because stress cause so much

Enjoy your day! I hope it is where you are!

be well.
Summer

I can't even begin to say how happy I am that it is FRIDAY

Today I am did some damage control because one of my business partners walked out to go to a competitor. That was fun...

So it rained yesterday - no tennis but I went to yoga instead. 90 minutes! It was such a stress relief. Gen you are right there are so many different types of yoga many have the same fundamental poses they just do them in a different order, with modifications or a different intensity. I like Ashtanga yoga it is more aerobic and faster paced...as fast as yoga can be , There is Hatha yoga which is very relaxing and a slower pace, there is Vinyasa which concentrates on alot of various positions and Bikram which puts you into 104 degree room and you do the same sequence of positions every class and you sweat the toxins and your *** off.

Tennis today! Yippee!

Gen 18 blocks takes about 35 minutes and a "speed" walking pace with my dog. Way to go on sleeping in a little - I love when that happens! Good luck on the smoking - I did on and off for 10 years and got sick so badly that it scared the crap out me and I quit. I will grab one out of great stress at times but nowhere near where I used to be. Good Luck! I'll be praying and rooting for you!

Hi to Sarah - I hope you have a great Friday

Summer

Scale didn't move from 150 but at least it didn't go up!

Hello, Gen and Summer! First of all, Summer, I'm so sorry to hear of your bad news. I completely agree with Gen though -- sometimes when we're in the throes of crisis or turmoil, we can lack the perspective to recognize a curse from a blessing. You can't know now what good can come out of your current situation or what positive development is right around the corner -- just trust that you have the capacity to sort it out. Sounds like you're rising to the occasion -- you're a pro and it's what you do....just keep kicking *** and taking no prisoners -- do it for Fenway! (And maybe add some extra yoga to help you manage your stress.) May I ask what kind of business you have?

Gen, yay for you signing up for the yoga! And you're doing a great job of sticking with your plan! I'm SO glad to hear that you're quitting smoking! My partner smokes two packs of Marlboro's a day (although not in the house -- that would definitely be grounds for divorce, in my book!) and I wish and pray with all of my heart that she'll make up her mind that it's time to quit. I'm sure there are people who love you who are excited about your decision to quit! I'll bet you start exercising more when you quit; that's my prediction.

As for me, this is such an unbelievably hectic time for me at work, I'm having trouble posting as regularly as I'd like. I'm an HR Generalist for a technology provider, and a large part of my job is recruiting; I currently have to recruit about 150 temporary engineers and technicians in several states, as well as 5 higher-level perm positions in my company. Aaaaahhhh!! I truly am a busy, busy girl. This is a cyclical thing with the company, but it's my first time experiencing it, since I'm only 9 months in position here. I'm happy to report that the food portion of my plan is right on track. Oh, Summer, I almost forgot to answer your question about my fat loss quantifying; I have a Tanita body fat scale that measures your fat bye the bioimpedence method. An electrical current runs through your feet and, as it travels differently through bone and muscle than through fat and water. In seeing the difference between my BF% at the beginning vs. now, I just do the math. This method (and this brand of scale) is supposed to be as effective as using calipers within .5%, which is close enough for me. The best method is through water submersion, but this is good enough for my purposes.

Exercise report, and then on to my BIG NEWS!!!!!

Wednesday: Biked 40 minutes, with 25 minutes at 17-19 mph.
Thursday: No exercise at night, but I did have a brisk 20 minutes walk at lunch.
Friday: Biked 20 minutes, 10 minutes at 16-18 mph.

Tomorrow I'm going to hit it hard! Ok, now for the big announcement! MY CROSSBOW IS HERE!!!!!!! I'm so, so, SO excited about it!!! We're going to get up early and put it together....apparently no small feat. It's supposed to take a number of hours -- anywhere from 3-8, depending on how mechanically inclined and organized you are. Hopefully we can make up in organization what we lack in mechanical inclination! Actually, Lorraine is pretty good with that stuff, as long as I'm around to keep a mindful eye on the directions and help organize parts. Apparently that's a big thing with this machine. Lottttssa parts, and they have to be sorted beforehand. I'll give a report tomorrow -- hopefully on my first Cross Bow workout!

Thank you both for your well wishes for my little Louie -- that was really sweet. I love that dog!! He's doing really well -- thanks again.

Good night and talk to you tomorrow!