Great Nerwsletter
 

Don't know if you guys get this newsletter or not.




Around the corner is the unofficial start of summer - Memorial Day. Are you
ready? If you have been reading Muscle & Fitness Hers, we bet you are! And if
you’re not, check out Muscle & Fitness’ Rock Hard Challenge to help get you
there at www.muscle-fitnesshers.com.

Enjoy! - The Muscle & Fitness Hers Team

FOOT FREEZE
If your feet get numb during cardio workouts, tight shoelaces or holding the
same position too long on an elliptical trainer or bike may be causing your feet
to fall asleep. Shift your feet frequently, wiggle your toes or alternate
machines to keep blood circulating.

ARE YOU AN EXERCISE ADDICT?
Some 10% of all amateur exercisers become addicted to exercise, notes Steven W.
Edwards, PhD, professor of applied health and educational psychology at Oklahoma
State University (Tulsa). You may be a rabid gym rat if you:

- Ignore pain. Continuing to train with a serious physical problem caused,
aggravated or prolonged by exercise is bad news. Take a break when an injury
flares up, and if it recurs, see a specialist.
- Feel invincible. Just because your intense training hasn’t gotten you into
trouble yet doesn’t mean it won’t a few days, weeks or months down the road. To
avoid flirting with danger, use good form, stretch, eat right to fuel your
training and get adequate rest.
- Shut out the rest of your life. Is exercise becoming more important than
everything else, including family, friends, even work? If you start to view
these as mere obstacles to working out, step back and re-examine your
priorities.
- Go through withdrawal. Having to skip a workout can cause an addict to suffer
symptoms that include lack of appetite, sleeplessness, headaches, tension and
overall irritability - not to mention intense feelings of guilt and anxiety.

THESE WEIGHTS ARE MADE FOR WALKING
To make walking a more challenging workout, some people carry weights. This will
provide some cardiovascular benefit - it helps burn more calories and increases
your oxygen consumption and heart rate - but does so safely only if you:

- Use weights that are designed for walking.
- Begin with 1-pound weights and increase gradually up to 3 pounds.
- Swing your arms to chest level in a controlled manner.
- Monitor your heart rate and compare it to your rate without weights. If your
rate doesn’t increase, you aren’t getting any additional aerobic benefit.
- As an alternative to hand weights, consider wearing a backpack with the
desired amount of weight or a weighted vest.
- Never use ankle weights. They can easily lead to improper body mechanics.

YOU’VE GOT BREAKFAST BEAT
You start each day with a high fiber cereal, skim milk and berries. It’s great
you have the breakfast habit down but you may be depriving yourself of a wide
array of nutrients. Instead try shaking things up a bit. Here are some quick
easy suggestions for breakfast:

- Nonfat yogurt with fresh fruit and wheat germ
- Whole grain wheat bread with peanut butter or almond butter
- Whole wheat English muffin with cottage cheese and apple butter
- Egg white omelet filled with your favorite veggies

PEC SPECS
Don’t bother monopolizing the flat bench to work your chest. Flat presses are a
favorite for a reason, but it’s difficult to maximally contract the large
pectoral muscle with a single movement in just one plane of motion. In other
words, don’t ignore the incline and decline benches - they’ll help you vary your
angle of attack and involve fibers from all parts of the muscle. Raise head of
the bench slightly to shift the emphasis from the middle portion of the pecs to
the upper region, and lower it for slightly greater stimulation of the lower pec
region. Resist the urge to use heavy weights: Start out light to get the hang of
movements at unfamiliar angles.

:wave: Good for you Debbie :D I know a lot of people are never satisfied with those tenths of a lb.....but they all add up and I am always happy :) and like you said you probably have a little water retention too....Lucky me, I don't have to deal with that anymore...that comes with old age :lol: but it sure is nice! Thanks for all the info Anne...I don't think I will ever be addicted to exercise....I do it, but I don't love it...:lol: It is just something you have to do if you want to lose...later all

Bummed!!!!
 

I feel like I'll never get there!!!

I know, I know....I'm just having a down moment here..my friend and I were accountable to each other all week, and she kind of slipped where I pretty much stayed OP...and she lost over 3lbs...and me......

1.2lbs

What a bummer. I know that's okay..but I was expecting more. Oh well. I REALLY want to get below 200...it's been taking so long...I know...I should be patient...at this rate, if I lost 1lb per week, in a year I'll have my goal...geez....wow...I'll just keep trucking along and not complain! One girl at our meeting lost 8 lbs her first week!!! Wow!

I'll be better next week. Thanks for your help!

~Girlie ~ You are doing great! Just be patient and it will come. When I started, I did not have that big loss my first week, in fact I did not have any big losses at one time....everyone loses differently. I know how hard it is to be patient (been there, done that) :lol: We will try to help you...maybe next week will be better for you..good luck

Girlie don't feel bummed. You did great!! WW says that normal weight loss is 0.5-2 lbs a week. You are well within that range. Everyone loses at a different rate. Just keep doing what you are doing & you will do fine. Think of it this way...that's 1.2 lbs lighter than you were last week. Losing 1 lbs is no easy feat & losing 1.2 is wonderful. I have only lost 2 lbs since December but I am more toned. Just keep up with your exercising, journal & drink your water. I don't know if WW still does the 10% thing but maybe you can set a smaller goal for yourself. Instead of looking at your goal weight set a smaller goal like 10% which would be 20 lbs. It makes it easier when you look at it that way. When I started WW I needed to lose 66 lbs. I never thought I would get there. Now I am 12 lbs away. Sometimes we need to take baby steps to get to the end. There is no rush. This is a lifetime committment to YOURSELF and you will get to your goal no matter how long it takes. Just hang tough and you will do just fine.

Congrats on your wonderful loss...YOU GO GIRL!!

TTYL..

Awww
 

Okay, I feel better...

Yeah, I feel a bit better...I mean, I'm SO close to 199! I have decided to change a few things about my program and see how that goes. What a rough first week. I feel good though, so that's good.

Do you guys do Race for the Cure?

Ours is on Saturday. It's really neat. Good exercise, but most of all, all the WOMEN!!! I remember at my first Race for the Cure, I ran the race, and didn't stop once. Ha..it took me quite a while, but next year, I'm running!

Anne,

Thank you for that article. That was a good tip about the elliptical machine!

Judy & Debbie,
I know...I am so bad at patience...I just want to see and feel visual results...but they will come, I know they will! I know I am SO much healthier than I was a month ago. Less than 2 months ago I was 216lbs, so hey..there is an accomplishment! I never want to feel like that again! I was miserable! Half of feeling better is just DOING something about it!

Thanks again!

Girlie

~Girlie~Glad you are feeling better about this whole thing...I know, we wanted it yesterday! :lol: and we put all this on in a month too :lol: One thing I did when I got on that plateau (which seemed like forever) was to cut my carbs....I think that really helped. We have also been eating SubWays 2 or 3 days a week now and I think it is helping me start to lose again! SubWays are good and you don't have to cook! :D My hubby likes them too! We feel like we don't need a big meal every night....sometimes we have a sub and a salad or applesauce....Just an idea....I know WW only says count points but if you eat too many carbs I think it does make a difference in losing and not losing. I would like to do one of those Race for the Cure walks. I don't know if they are going to have one where I live. I may check on that! Have a good evening.

Girlie
 

Glad you are feeling better. I know what you mean about wanting to get under 200. At one point I was .4 away from it! I was so bummed and upset. Then finally it happend and I lost 3 pounds. Like this week I thought I did terrible felt yucky about weighing in and you never know what to expect because I lost 2.4 pounds. Its like where the heck did that come from? :lol Other weeks you think you did so well and you don't lose as much, not at all or gain. I try to go to the scale with a blank mind. I don't get my hopes up. Just blank thoughts. So if its not a great week then I think oh well do better next week. :)

Well I am going to be getting some outdoor exercise this weekend. We get to plant our vegetable garden. I can't wait. Its a community garden that we have paid for a 20 by 20 plot. I think its going to be hard work, but when the fresh vegies starting coming in I will be in heaven. Yummy! I may have to hit the pool at the YMCA after this outdoor workout. :)

Smiley
 

Anne
Thank you for your encouragement! I know it will happen for me too! I remember you were struggling a week or so ago about it, and then all of a sudden you lost. I'm going to really have to work on going to the scale with "blank" mind!!

Judy
Yes, I do believe you are right about the carbs...and that's exactly what I decided to do...I had been counting this bread that I eat as .5/pt ..I'm going to start counting it as 1pt now because it's close to 1pt. Yes, the Race for the Cure is huge..there were
30,000 women there, let alone the lines of men and women standing along the course! It's really neat! Talk about Girl Power! My city, Peoria, I believe, is where the Susan G. Komen foundation is headquartered. Imagine how much $$$ they make from this, all to support breast cancer!

Rose O'Donnell
I watched a bit of Rosie today...you all know she's on WW..she recommended a store in NY that sells ALL fat free foods! I visited their website, www.fatfreefoods.com
It shows the actual store and it's HUGE, and everything in the store is fat free! They have baskets like Chocoholics, sugar free, and calorie free gift baskets! It looks really neat. You can order a brochure on the website! I did!

Talk to you all later!

Girlie

PS: Judy, I had Subway today! I love it! I was actually considering a part time job at one while I'm out of class over the summer, to make some extra cash besides what I make already. I wanted something that would let me interact with people rather than sit at a computer all day like I do now, and something I can stay on my feet for...and this job would give me free/ very discounted food, GOOD, healthy food!

Remember me?
 

Hi everybody! :wave:

I am so sorry I've been so bad about posting. I have felt really lousy lately. Major sinus infection and My right shoulder blade is sticking out kind of funny and it is sore. :( I don't know what is going on with my body. I'm still hitting the gym regularly and Wednesday my trainer said I was really looking good! That was nice to hear.

I'm really glad to hear of everyone's successes! Way to go all!!! :D

Judy: so glad you joined us! ;)

Girlie: I'm still pulling for you! You are doing great on your WW!! You are sooo on your way below 200...be gentle with yourself--you will get there! :)

Deb:, Anne, and everyone else: you are doing fabulously!! :eek: Keep up the good work!

I'm gonna try the gym tommorrow and lay off of my arms. Hope everyone has a great weekend and Happy Mother's Day to whom it applies! :angel:

womaninlove

:wave: Was able to get in my 5.5 mile walk today before we got a little rain. It has been raining off and on all day today. We really need it. Never thought we would be wanting rain in May. :lol: ~Girlie Sounds like you are on the right track. That part time job at SubWay sounds like a winner. We really do like them and they are so filling. I checked out that website and signed up for a catalog. We are going to NY in July, maybe we can check out that store! :D I checked on those Walk Runs and the one in Indianapolis was held in April. None others in this area. Oh well. It was a good idea. Such a great cause. ~ Woman In Love ~ Good to see you back...sorry you have been feeling so lousy...hard to exercise when you are not at the top of your game (or at least it is for me!) Makes you feel good when someone notices your hard work! You hate to waste all that sweat for nothing :lol: I haven't returned to the gym since I got home to Indiana but I plan to next week. I have been enjoying walking since the weather is so nice and a little cooler! :D Later all....

Good Night
 

Just saying good night! Boy it's late and I have to get up early...a little too awake from working out. Amazingly, I actually used the treadmill, just for 30 minutes and did a mixture of jogging and walking. It was good for me because it's harder for me to run on a treadmill for 10 minutes than to do the elliptical machine for 45. Not sure why.

One Good Thing
I am able to wear my trusty old blue Adidas pants. Not all the way, but enough to wear at the gym again. I'm looking forward to them getting baggier....

Talk to you soon!

Girlie

Good Morning Everyone

Judy you are doing so great with the walking. Good for you :) It's funny you said you are going to NY in July, so am I :) It should be fun. It's been awhile.

Girlie, I know you are happy those Adidas pants are fitting. That always gives a big boost. Great job on the exercising and I am glad you are feeling better. It's better to lose it slowly & keep it off than lose it quickly & put it back on plus some. You are doing just great!!!

Womaninlove sorry you haven't been feeling too good. I know that your trainer's compliment really made you feel good. You have been working so hard at it & to get a compliment like that makes you want to keep going :) Keep up the great work!!

Hope everyone else is doing well.

I am good. Yesterday I skipped exercise because I was watching Miss Universe & doing a cross stitch :lol: Today I will get in some good walking because we will be out shopping all day. Hopefully if I am not too whipped I will be able to get my tape in. We will see.

Anyway, I'll try to pop back in later...Hope you all have a great day!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!
 

:wave: No exercise today...had to go shopping and grocery shopping and stop and visit my Mother. It did turn out to be a nice day, but we are going out to dinner with my Father-In-Law & Mother-In-Law tonight. They have been on a 2 week trip to Hawaii so we haven't seen them since we have been back. He is 86! Isn't that great! I am having the family for dinner tomorrow. My daughter left on a cruise today, so my grandsons, son & d-i-l, my Mother and Father-In-Law & Mother-In-Law are coming. I always cook low fat & WW and they always like it.....or at least they say they do :lol: As long as you have lots of veggies and low fat desserts most people don't even know the difference...anyhow, they know that is the way I cook. Everyone have a Happy Mother's Day (to the ones it applies to) and have a great day tomorrow! Hoping for a good weigh in this week. I will have to be careful tomorrow. I like that saying "Don't let what you want at the moment, get in the way of what you want most"...later all :)

Girls, I am exhausted!! We just got back home after 7hrs of shopping. I have walked 8.68 miles so far today. I am whipped. I just wanted to pop in to wish all the Moms a Happy Mother's Day. Enjoy your day with your families. I'll talk to you all tomorrow. I am too tired to type....

See ya!