Everyday Exercisers, week of July 2, 2001
 

Welcome to Everyday Exercisers -- a weekly thread that focuses on healthy weightloss and overall fitness through regular exercise. Our goals are to stay active, stay hydrated, and make healthy eating choices. We share our exercise plans for the week, and check in each day to share our progress...and our set-backs. Here you'll find a supportive and encouraging environment in which to pursue your fitness goals, and a community of people who share your commitment to fitness and provide motivation and inspiration to each other. Welcome!
:)

Stamper: That's so interesting that you write reviews too! I find that the thing that takes the most time seems to be my procrastinating after I've read the book until I am writing my review at the absolute very last minute possible! :lol: A bad habit I remember from school that I'm not sure I'll ever be able to break!
It was really hard for me to exercise in the morning the first few weeks, but now it's pretty much automatic -- except if I stop to think about it. If I pause for a second before getting out of bed, I'll talk myself out of it every single time. Now I really like it, because I get it done, and then I can't miss my workout because I'm too busy, or too tired by the end of the day. It's still really hard to get up sometimes though -- and I can't do it if I go to bed even a little bit late.
I think your plan for the week sounds great, and I wish you good luck! (especially with the early swimming!)

my update:
When we last left our heroine, she was hoping to fit in a workout on Friday afternoon + try the weight machines this weekend...
Well, the Friday workout didn't "work out", but DH and I did out grocery shopping in the evening for a change, which was great (and freed up some weekend time!) and then went to go see "Tomb Raider", which is quite a treat, since we never go out to see movies.
On Saturday I ate pretty well, but had 4 beers -- DH and I were "taste-testing" various summer wheat beers to find one I liked ;) -- part of the ongoing experiments to find a beer I'll drink.
Sunday, ate pretty well until the evening, and then had some bad food -- though not too much of it.

But WORKOUT news...on Saturday, DH and I went to the gym and worked out on several different weight machines (leg press, chest press, abs, abductor, adductor) and then did 25 mins on the bike. Woo hoo!
THEN on Sunday, we went back and did the bicep, tricep, leg curl, + quadricep machine -- and then did 25 minutes on the bike again!
I was soooooore. :lol: But felt great, and now I'm not so afraid of the machines.
In the evening, we went for an hour long stroll -- which we unfortunately finished off with some frozen yogurt :o -- but it was still nice to be out and moving. It had finally cooled down, so it was a wonderful night for a walk.
All in all a great weekend! :)

To break up this unbelievably long post, I'm going to post today's update in another msg.

Monday update + plan
 

This morning I went to the gym and did a 30 minute interval program on this "elliptical crossramp" machine, which raises + lowers the incline of the pedals. 2 minutes low, then 2 minutes high for 30 minutes. It was hard! I didn't think I'd make it through the whole 30 minutes -- by 20, I was mentally calling for my mommy. :lol: By the end, I was dripping and beet red!! I didn't stop being red for another half hour!! The machine claimed I'd burned 320 cals, not counting the extra 3 minutes or so where I couldn't figure out how to program it. :o If that's even remotely true, I am SO using that machine again, no matter how tired it makes me! :D
Now that I'm not afraid of the machines anymore ;), I'm going to try to add some weight-training in the mornings. I'd like to get in 3-4 cardio workouts and 2-3 total body weight training workouts in per week (including weekend). I'm leaving it a little open-ended, because I know things often come up and push my workout out of place, but I'm hoping for at least a 3/2 ratio each week. Now that DH is committed to going to the gym on the weekends, it's a lot easier to make up missed workouts. If I have time in the evening, I might add either Pilates or Yoga, since that's the kind of thing I don't mind doing at the end of a long day -- and I need the ab work + stretching.

Hope everyone's having a good morning! :D

Good Morning!
 

Thanks so much for the kind words and support. :) I'm still going back and forth from anger to denial. My husband says since we handle adversity so well, God just gives us other peoples share. We have been through a lot together in the short four years we have been married and he will be a big help going through this. :love:

I finally bought a Yoga tape this weekend. It is the beginner tape of the Living Arts series, I think. I watched it this weekend and once I got past all the ads, I finally found the instruction part of the tape. I got up early Sunday morning to try it out, since the tape said you shoud do Yoga where you do not have any distractions. Since only my 8 month old was up, I thought that would be a good time. I did a couple of the poses and I really like how you have to pay attention to every muscle. By the time I was in the Dog Pose (you think they could have come up with a better name, it is pretty much and inverted V) my 11 y/o step daughter and 2 y/o boy were on me. She was just staring at me (making me feel oh so self conceious) and my boy was running under the "bridge" I was making. I gave up. Oh, the joys of children. :D

I started taking my new heart medication over the weekend. Ever felt like you were moving in slow motion? It slows my heart rate so I'm pretty tired. I planned on getting up this morning a little earlier so I could do 20 min. of Yoga. Ha! I actually overslept for the first time in months.:o So, I am going to ride my bike tonight for the first time since I got "The News". I'm planning on just riding a couple of miles. and then doing my ab tape. Maybe Yoga in the morning. . .

Copperblu: I think I misunderstood what kind of review you were writing. I guess there are all kinds of reviews. I didn't realize you wrote reviews of books. I am a manager and I was doing a review for a person. You probably said what you do for a living in a previous post, but I just didn't recall. Do you work out of your home or at an office? Well, it sounds like you had a terrific workout at the gym this morning. It's great that you and your DH got to go to the gym over the weekend. It sounds like he is really supportive (except for the beer tasting!) But beer is a lot better than mixed drinks. Some of them have a terrific amount of calories.

Nettie: It sounds like you are coping pretty well with the situation and like your DH is very helpful. I think I would be very scared. I'm glad you found a yoga tape to try. I have two of those Living Arts tapes and I know what you mean about the commercials. Hopefully it will work out for you. Take it easy on the bike!

My update: Went to my parents over the weekend. We swam almost all afternoon. Of course we weren't swimming the whole time but my mom and I do a lot of walking and running around the pool while we chat. I had a Boca Burger and my mom's low cal potato salad and corn with that spray on butter. The worst thing I did was I had 3 beers and they weren't light beer. But I didn't gain any weight. I swam a lot Sunday. We cooked out at a friend's (I had a Boca again) and took MY diet potato salad. However, I ate a piece of cherry pie. My friend had these new Crystal Light Mixed Drink mixes. I think they have 45 calories or something like that before you add the alcohol. That's not too bad. We had the Pina Colada. It's pretty good.

This morning I got up when the alarm went off and resisted the temptation to reset it. I did my Upper Body Weight routine but instead of doing the 2 1/2 minutes aerobics between each set, I just did all 6 weight exercises and then repeated all 6 three times. So I finished all the sets and then had 30 minutes left over to do yoga. I don't have an exercise bike or treadmill and I thought it would be really a pain to run back and forth between the weights and an aerobic tape. Anyway, that worked. Then I swam for 30 min. tonight.

Tomorrow I will do the lower body weight routine and 30 minutes of Yoga in the AM.

I hope this post isn't too long!

Nettie: Your yoga story was great! :lol: I don't have kids, but I do have a very curious ferret...I can't do any kind of exercise on the floor when he's out without setting myself up for little ferret snuffles in my ear + nips on my ankles!
It must be hard keeping to your program with the new medication! I like sleep too much already, and I think I would quickly prove useless if slowed down any more than I already am!

Stamper: Ohhhh! Now I get it! I'm actually waiting to see my own employee review this week -- what a coincidence!
I think it's great that you've been sticking to the Boca burgers at cookouts, and bringing your own potato salad is a brilliant idea! I LOVE Crystal Light, and am excited to hear they're making frozen drink mixes now!
It sounds like you had a great workout yesterday, and a pat on the back to you for resisting the snooze! (the evil bugger almost did me in today!)

As for what I do: I'm an editor, but I do some freelance book reviewing on the side, which is where the talk of reviews comes from. I currently work at an office, but hope to eventually work more flexible hours -- the office environment is not exactly my natural domain! ;)
My DH is very supportive, which is great -- he was a bit difficult in the beginning, and kept saying that I was being "obsessive" whenever I made a point to stick to my workouts. But now that he's started exercising too, it's really become a team effort -- which makes it a lot easier.
He is, however, still "Le Saboteur" for his evil bad-food-suggesting, beer-offering ways. ;)

Long post! So my update to follow in another msg....

my update:
Well, yesterday I did my 30 minutes on the elliptical crossramp in the morning, as it was cardio day. I wasn't planning on anything else, but DH went to the gym in the evening, so I did a 20 minute Pilates routine! I've started recording my food again, and stayed within my goals...even though the chips were really calling to me! (poor things!) ;)
This morning was my new "Weights Day" and though I was whiny when the alarm went off, I had a good workout at the gym. I did 5 minutes warmup on the bike and then a total body weights routine -- biceps, triceps, delts, chest press, pec fly, leg press, quad extension, seated hamstring curl, leg adductor, leg abductor, and glute kick. Whew! Unsurprisingly, it took a while! ;) But if I'm only going to do weights 2-3 times a week, then I want to get everything in one workout. The only thing I didn't really get was lat pulldowns or back exercises, because I ran out of time. I felt great afterwards, and because I was moving between all the machines depending upon what was open, I didn't feel sore at all -- though I'm sure I will tomorrow! :lol:
I took my handheld with me and recorded what machines I used, how many sets of how many reps at what weight, which was kind of fun. I tried to use heavier settings than I had this weekend when I was just trying them out, and it was like a fun little challenge game. WEIRD. I can't believe I'm actually enjoying this and looking forward to it! Will wonders never cease?!

Tomorrow is cardio day -- we have the day off, and my normal gym branch near work is closed, so I'll be going to the gym near home, which will still be open for most of the day. If I'm not too sore, it's back to the deadly elliptical crossramp!

I hope everyone's having a great day so far!

Happy Tuesday!
 

I hope you all had a good weekend! It sure sounds like everybody's on track!

Stamper ~ That's great that you have a Curves so close! Are you gonna check it out? They'd probably give you your first workout free, and then you could see if it would be a good thing for you. You know how much I adore it, so I won't go on and on about it! :lol:

Congrats on your weekend, too.... even if it wasn't great "beverage-wise", you kept up the swimming, and that's great! I've never heard of the Crystal Light mixed drink mixes... it must be one of your Yankee treats! Pina Colada is one of my favorite drinks! Where do you get this stuff? I may have to send my mom's best friend (who lives in Montana) on a mission to grab me some before she comes up to visit!

Nettie ~ Sounds like you're doing good. I'm proud that you're not letting this stop you... just slow you down a bit. Good luck on trying to get the yoga in too! Sounds like you have "helpers" :lol: I have some too, but I can just throw the darn cats out the door! Anyway, you take care! {{{{{Nettie}}}}}

Copperblu! Wow! That plateau of yours should be flying out the door with all the work you've done the past few days! Whew! You make me tired just reading about it... ;) I'm so glad you're more comfy on the weight machines now. This is what it's all about, right? Modifying our schedule to get that darn exercise in! WTG!

And there we are... cross posting again! :dizzy: Sounds like you had a great morning though! You should keep track of your progress with those weight machines too... what a great way to boost your morale when you feel like quitting!


My Update:

Fri ~ Wasted night! We went to dh's little brother's high school grad... I didn't have time to get to Curves after work, I ate poorly at the dinner, and then just crashed afterwards!

Sat ~ Got to catch up on some much needed zzzz's, but then up and going to get the house all cleaned up for Sunday....

Sun ~ Up early for chickens! All went well, except I think I strained one of the muscles in my upper arm hauling all those chickens around! :o No kidding! They are that big! We're talking 10-12 pounds (estimated!) :D They sure make for good eating though! We roasted one on Saturday! Yum!

Mon ~ Reclean the house from the disaster that the nieces and nephews brought on Sunday, start repacking trailer for the trip this weekend, and have my second FABULOUS yoga class! I swear it gets better and better! My only problem now is whether to give in to my urge to get a yoga video (which I will eventually), and then whether to get the pregnancy kind or the regular? Thoughts?

Today ~ On track still ~ looking forward to Curves. We're going to Waterton National Park this weekend, so I'll be away from Fri-Mon, and back on Tuesday.... the only problem is that we're going with dh's parents and his aunt & uncle. They are great, but they like to indulge a little on these camping trips, and I'm not sure whether or not I can drink. According to my charting, I am 4 days past ovulation, and could be pregnant. I guess what I'll do is take a test on Friday, which will be 7 dpo, and if it's + no booze for me.... we'll see! I couldn't possibly be lucky enough to catch a baby the first month, could I!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!? :lol:

Anyway, yak, yak, yak... I'll talk more later!

This was in my email today and I thought that I'd share.... it's kinda eye-opening to think of your eating this way... :smug:

Dieting Tip of the Day
Monday July 2, 2001

OK, so you've slipped. That chocolate birthday cake was too tempting to resist. After all, you had only one piece, and no ice cream. Now what? Are you thinking you should go on a fat and sugar binge just because you had that piece of cake and have fallen off your self-imposed diet wagon?

Stop and think a minute. How many meals do you eat in a year? At three meals a day, you have 1095 opportunities each year to eat properly and stick to your diet plan. (Yes, I know, in a leap year you have 1098 chances.) So you have 1094 meals left in the year ahead. When you place your chocolate cake in perspective, you realize that your future choices will have far more impact on your life. Plan to do what you can to ensure that most of your other 1094 meals for the year are healthy -- you are in control of your diet destiny! One piece of cake is your downfall only if you allow it to serve as an excuse to slip completely into fat-gram city. You're in control. Act like it!

I want to start exercising every day. Something besides counting yard work or gardening like I usually do. I want to get my heart rate up. I am checking in now to motivate me to do something tonight. I don't know what yet - but before I go to bed I am going to have sweated. (And not just because it is in the 90's today.)

Hi everyone! It's 11:33 PM here - my husband was on the computer most of the night fixing a problem for work so this is might first chance to check my emails and the 3FC board.

Morrigan: I gather you are new here? I've only been on this thread since the end of May. I really am finding that this is keeping me motivated to exercise and I hope you find the same thing. I know what you mean about getting your heart rate up and doing "real exercise". However, about 2 weeks ago I found something on the web that would tell yout the calories burned for your weight for each type of exercise. Yard work and housework were in there and I was surprised that they burned about the same amount of calories as quite a few other types of exercise. I think it was on www.prevention.com. Good luck!

Marvin: Thanks for the dieting tip. That's how I've been thinking lately. If I give in to a piece cake or pie, I am just accepting it and getting back on track the next day. After all, that's how we have to be able to eat after we reach our goal. It's unrealistic to think we will never eat pizza or cake. That's what I really like about Weight Watcher's - there are no bad foods. You just have to learn how to fit them into your life without going of the deep end. It has certainly taken me a long time to do that though.

About the yoga and pregnancy - I would think that a lot of the regular poses could be done in pregnancy. However, I know on the tape I have they say not to do back bends and I THINK they say not to do inverted poses when you are menstruating or pregnant. I suggest asking your yoga instructor. I could ask mine when I see her and let you know. She is very knowledgable. Good luck - I remember when my husband & I were trying it seemed like the wait was unbearable to find out. I actually used one of those home tests which said I WAS - then I went to my doctor and he said I wasn't. I showed him my home test result and he had me come back the next week and it turned out I was. Pretty funny that the home test was more sensitive and accurate than the doctors! By the way, I might check out Curves, but since we belong to the YMCA (and hardly ever get there), I'm not sure I would join another health club. But I would like to see the set up after reading about it

Copperblu: It sounds like your work is interesting. I manage a group of programmers and analysts and still get to do some analyst work myself - so it is quite a different field. I work with a great group of people. Luckily my department is not one of those groups that constantly bring in cakes. Mostly they eat pretzels and hard candy and try to find time to work out like me.

If chips are something you really like, did you ever try the Baked Lays chips? I like them a lot, although I've never been a chip person so I don't buy them a lot. I like them better than the ones with Olestra.

Sounds like you are getting in some great workouts. Do you do your Pilates workout to a video tape? I've heard some things about it on TV but I've never done it. Do you need any special equipment?

FOR EVERYONE: About the Crystal Light Drink Mix: I was at the grocery store and it's the same chain where my friend got the Pina Colada mix but a different location. I looked in the Crystal Light section and the mixed drink mix section and couldn't find it. I will have to ask her where she found it in the store.

My update:
I stayed up until after 1 am last night getting some stuff done around the house and watching a movie (Nurse Betty) that I had to return today. So obviously I turned off the 5:45 alarm and slept later. I walked tonight though for my aerobics. Tomorrow I have off for July 4th and will do my lower body weight routine and yoga. I may try to do some step aerobics since I have the day off. My DH will be golfing in the AM and then we are having a picnic around our pool with all the golfing buddies and their wives. Of course, it is supposed to rain all day so who knows how this will go.

Well for the U.S. folks, have a great 4th and for Marvin - Have a Great Wednesday!

I am not new to dietwatch, but I am new to the exercise page. I used to be really good about working out, but then in December I blew out my knee. I had surgery in February. Right now I can walk (but no jogging or running) and I have to walk with a brace on. I can ride a bike (but no hills or mountain biking.) I can swim, but I am not supposed to be kicking very much. And I can't do fun stuff like tennis, raquettball, rollerblading, hockey, hiking, waterskiing, softball, etc... at all. I have always been active, but now my choices are really reduced so I haven't been very motivated to do any exercise and when I exercise I hardly get my heart rate up.

Seeing this thread made me think - well, even if I can't do all the stuff everyone else here is doing -- I can at least do something everyday. So today I walked on the HS track for 20 minutes. (I am allowed to walk on a track without a brace -- so it feels really nice). It was great. I can't quite walk briskly enough to get my heart rate up a lot, but I got it moving at least. I know if I check in here everyday I can keep motivated to do more.

Welcome Morrigan... I hope that you find this thread as helpful as I have.... Just last night, I was going to skip Curves because it was sooooo beautiful out! But, I said to myself, do I really want to get on here this morning, and post that I skipped? So I went, and my evening was that much better because of my success. This accountability really keeps me going, but I also know that I can get support from my pals here when I falter. It's great to have you! I remember you from the holiday goals threads in th support forum, which I have gotten away from because I'm starting to move away from the number on the scale. I hope your recovery is going well.

Stamper, if you would ask your instructor for me about the yoga tapes, I'd so appreciate it. Our instructor is male, and I'm not quite comfortable talking to him about it. Besides, other than you guys here, we have not told anyone that we are TTC.... Thanks! BTW, did you chart your temperature when you TTC? I am right now, and it's interesting how steady it is!

I'll see what I can find on the web about those Crystal Light mixes... maybe they're just a regional test or something.... Let me know what you fid out from your friend. They sure sound yummy!

My Update:
Yesterday was great ~ as I mentioned, I dragged myself, kicking and screaming (can ya picture that? :lol: ) to Curves, where I sweated my butt off even with the air conditioning! Then home to a great low fat, lower cal chicken caesar salad. DH played baseball with his coworkers last night, so I had the evening to myself... which was nice. I bagged up all those chickens and put them in the freezer, did my household chores, started packing the trailer, and replanted my hanging basket (which I've killed once already this year!) Whew! It seemed like a relaxing evening, but when you write it out like that! Wow!

Today is supposed to be even hotter than yesterday... about 30 degrees C ~ but I'll drag my butt over the Curves again, no matter how much I don't want to, but that's it for plans...

Happy Fourth Of July!

Well, just to prove I'm as human as everybody else.... after all my pretty words yesterday about motivation, I totally bummed out yesterday... it was so hot here that I just went straight home after work! Too hot for Curves, too hot for clothes even! :lol: That's one of the benefits of country living! You can walk around half naked, and nobody sees you! ;)

Anyway, it was also too hot to eat much yesterday, so I'm not in that bad of shape. Thankfully, today is supposed to be a bit cooler, so Curves is definitely in. Besides, we're having pizza for lunch today for a coworker who's going on a leave of absence, so I have to work that off!

I'll try to check in a little later, but if I don't, I'll see you all on Tuesday morning! :wave:

Hope all Americans on the thread had a nice Fourth of July! Ours was lame-ish, as DH + I slept for an unholy amount of the day + then couldn't see much of the fireworks because of the cloud cover. :( Still, had some oven fries + extra-lean burgers, and that was yummy. :)

Morrigan: Welcome! I'm sorry to hear about your knee -- several people on this thread have had knee problems as well and might have some suggestions for you. My DH has a badly blown knee + found that a stationary bike worked well for him, and some people have had luck with swimming as a non-impact activity. Good luck!
Joining this thread is a good first step, because, as Marvin says, the accountability really helps! No one likes to admit to a skipped workout! We'd much rather come back to the board with glowing reports of our own willpower + stamina! :)

Stamper: I have tried the Baked Lays, but don't really like them. I actually prefer the Olestra chips over the baked if I must, but generally I just try to eat small amounts of regular or slightly reduced fat chips. My favorite treat lately is "Pirate Booty" made by Rob's Natural Gourmet, which is like a more natural version of cheese puffs (made w/white cheddar). It's 120 cals, 2.5 g fat, and 2g fiber per serving. Yummy!
About the Pilates: I do my Pilates workout to the Living Arts Beginning Matwork tape -- you don't need any special equipment other than a mat if you're going to be doing it on hardwood floors. Eventually, I think the classes at a studio progress to using some complicated Pilates-specific contraptions, but the matwork is at the base of it. I like it a lot, and I've heard about great abdominal results from it.
Good for you for doing a workout, even after the snooze alarm debacle. ;)

Marvin: I loved that tip you posted! It is SO important to remember that -- keep things in perspective, and learn to incorporate things like the occasional piece of cake into your life. Because you can't "diet" forever! It's a lifestyle you have to be able to live with, not a short term fix, and not something you can "blow" with a piece of cake. Good tip!
Sounds like you had quite the busy days! Goodness! I don't blame you for skipping Curves the other day! I can't exercise when it's hot either -- I am SO glad we joined a gym, and SO glad that they have the strongest AC known to man. ;)
And don't worry -- I've definitely had to eat my words a few times on this forum after making a lovely speech about the necessity of sticking to my workouts + what have you. ;)

LONG post! Hope everyone's doing well, and my update will follow in the next post.

my update:
Let's see...Tuesday I had done my weights in the morning. That night we had a big salad + some black bean soup, and DH and I went for a little walk. Not as long as the one a few nights ago, but it was still nice to get outside.
Wed: for some reason DH + I slept half the day away! It was like we'd been drugged! We roused ourselves from our Wimbeldon induced stupor to make it to the gym around 5pm -- did 25 minutes on an elliptical crosstrainer, which was about all I could stand. ;) Came home and had a big spread of fresh fruit + veggie sticks that we picked up at the corner store, which was delicious after the workout + walking home in the heat, then later had the burgers + oven fries and watched what we could of the fireworks.
Today: went to the gym for my all weights workout, which I love. :) Did all the exercises I did on Tues. (some at slightly higher weights!) and added the lat pulldowns + rows I didn't fit in the last time.
I've learned that I have to be really careful about stretching my hamstrings though, as my hamstrings + the backs of my knees were STILL sore from Tues. and I've had some trouble w/my flexibility since then. Will try to remember to touch my toes periodically today, just to keep them from tensing up.
I can see my "muscles" coming back from my month or so neglect, and it's very exciting! I can't stop looking at my arm! I told DH that I am going to be the vainest person in the world once I develop actual muscles! :lol:

Anyways, that's my update, and I hope to stay on track today w/my water + food goals!

Hi
 

Hi there. I was thinking that I might post here if thats cool with everyone. My name is Meredith and it sounds like my workout style is similar to a lot of yours. I love to exercise, but I lack motivation. If I can get my butt to the gym, you can count on me staying for an hour, its the getting there that is the hard part.

I started my food and exercise journal again this week. I feel that I do better if I track what I eat and exercise. It's nice to see that you all like a nice variety of workouts. I'm from South Dakota-AKA Middle of nowhere-and if I were to mention the word Pilates, nobody would have a clue what I was talking about. Pilates is my new passion. I also really enjoy yoga, Tai Chi, kickboxing (when I feel ambitious), swimming, snorkeling, weightlifting, and walking. :dizzy:

I'm interested in finding out some of these conceiving stories. ;) My husband and I plan on having kids within the next couple of years. I need to know the little secrets. :^:

Sorry about the long post here. Hope to get to know you all soon!

Hi! Everyone!

Welcome Meridith! :) Sounds like you have some similar workout interests to several of us here. I love yoga and wish I did more of it. I agree with you that it is a lot easier to lose when you keep track of what you eat. I do really well if I write it down, but find that I don't do it consistently. So I got a Weight Watchers Points Calculator (I belonged for a while) & I do great just entering my "points", exercise and water intake for the day.

Copperblu: probably the reason I don't like the olestra chips is that they seem to leave a greasy feeling in your mouth. But I guess that is more like real chips. I will have to look for the Pirate Booty - I love cheese puffs. Every now and then my daughter gets me to buy them. She eats a handful and doesn't want any more and then I end up eating the rest of the bag (so they don't get stale!) :o I have a good exercise for you for your hamstrings getting stiff. I had a lot of problems with them after my first pregnancy and I had tendonitis and got these from a PT. Lay on stomach and curl your leg (from knee down) toward your buttocks. Do 15 times then switch to other leg. Do 2 sets. It works best if you have some light leg weights. Another is to lay on stomach and keeping legs straight lift one up and down (not high - your hips should stay on the ground) about 15 times. Switch legs. Do 2 sets. I learned some other exercises but these 2 seemed to help the best. Thanks for the info on Pilates. I will look for a tape at the video store to give it a try!

Marvin: Don't feel bad about skipping Curves because of the heat. We all need a break now and then (I guess that's not a good thing to say though if we are Everyday Exercisers!) I spent so much time cleaning and doing other stuff that I didn't do the lower ab workout I planned before people arrived for our afternoon pool party/picnic on 7/4. At least I had time to do kickboarding and water treading in the pool while people were here. Today I was exhasted and didn't do anything. I was a real slacker today. About the Yoga, I hope to go to class Saturday morning and I will ask her. About charting temps, I did do it, but it didn't help me much. My temperature is normally about 97.8 and hardly ever 98.6. I did sometime see the jump you are supposed to see, but my temperature didn't stay at the level it is supposed to stay when you conceive. I ended up thinking I wasn't expecting and then when I missed my period and started to feel a bit funny I took one of those home tests and found that I was. Also, I had to take a mild fertility drug because my cycles were irregular and I could never tell if it was the TOM when I would ovulate. Hope you have better luck with the temperature charting.

Morrigan: I hope your knee is feeling better. Also, I think there are a lot of variety of exercises and intensity of exercise being done by the folks on this board. Mostly I swim or walk and do yoga and weights and some calisthenics. I just don't have time to get to a gym these days. I don't have any serious knee or health problems, but I do have some mild arthritis in my knees and I have plantar facitis in my feet so I can't run or do high impact aerobics or anything that really pounds the feet and knees. I think the main point on this board is that we are all trying to keep ourselves moving to be healthy and this board helps us be accountable so we can be consistent (even though I slacked today).

My update: Well, I think I included it in this long post - I fit my swimming & water aerobics in nonchalantly during our pool party on 7/4 (I must have done more than I thought because my legs and feet were really sore today) and today I was a lazy bum! Well, there is always tomorrow!

Good job everyone!

I didn't make to any formal exercise today, but I golfed 9 holes and we speeded right along. I was sweaty and tired by the end of it.

Welcome Meredith! Nice to have you!
I also find that I do a bit better when I track my food intake. I always track my exercise, as it helps keep me motivated, but my food journalling isn't as consistent. I don't like to obsess over it, and I often don't enjoy the overattention to food that the journal engenders. I've found that the best strategy for me is to record my food intake for a couple of weeks every so often -- whenever I feel like my "natural monitor" is getting off, I start tracking again to find the problem, and then stop when I feel I've established good eating habits again.
You love to exercise? I personally hate to exercise ;), except for weights, so there's trouble both getting me there and making me stay! :lol: Still, we all have to do something that's a little bit hard for us, or we'd never make progress. I hate cardio, but I do it anyways, because I need it to be healthy. Some people hate weights, but they need the muscle. Some can't stand drinking all that water! We all have our hurdles to get over, and that's why this group is great -- we're all trying each and every day to jump our own obstacles to health + fitness.
Anyways, welcome, and kudos on your commitment to everyday fitness!

Stamper: The Olestra chips are more like real chips, with the greasiness which, so help me, I do love. ;) I do highly recommend Pirate Booty, as it is much healthier than regular cheese puffs, and a great snack for when you have those "light + crunchy" cravings.
Thanks for the hamstring recommendations! Those sound like some exercises I was doing before, when I was doing mainly video workouts - I thought they were to tone + tighten the hamstrings, but it sounds like they helped stretch yours out? I'm hoping these, the occasional yoga, and my now constant stretching will help loosen me up!!
Don't feel bad about skipping one day -- it sounds like you were sore, and I think it's really cool how you snuck in your water aerobics in the middle of the party! :s: Tricky!

Morrigan: Golf definitely counts as exercise, whether "official" or no! Sounds like fun! Glad to see you checking in!

my update
 

As for me: well, as I mentioned, I did total body weights yesterday (and OW, I can feel it today!). I kind of forgot that I had added back exercises to my routine, and didn't stretch those muscles well enough -- kiddies, learn from my mistakes!
Had yummy glazed pork chops, steamed broccoli, + light mashed potatoes for dinner last night -- SO filling, and SO low in cals/fat! Ha! I love to trick DH into eating healthy foods! :s:
This morning I decided to give my body a rest after 6 days of exercise, and declared today my official rest day. I may do some yoga later today, but I'm not going to flog myself if I don't get to it.
Our office has free bagels + cream cheese on Friday mornings during the summer, but I stuck to my guns and had my Kashi + soymilk -- and didn't have 400 extra cals + a bazillion grams of fat to start of the day! :) Tonight DH + I are going out for sushi for our end-of-the-week treat, and I can hardly wait! MUCH better for us than our more frequent "treat" -- pizza.
Over the weekend I'm planning on doing a cardio day + a weights day, which should set me up nicely for the next week!

Great to see so many people posting, and I hope everyone has a great weekend!

I am riding my bike to town today. 8.5 miles and fairly flat. It is my first time on a bike this year. (I just got permission from the doctor last week.) I am a bit nervous, but very excited.

I rode my bike for 45 minutes and did PT for my knee. I am going to also do crunches before bed and am thinking about making it to the gym - but haven't yet decided if I want to drive all the way to town. I may make it if my cousin goes with me.

Morrigan - Congratulations on getting to ride your bike for the first time! Sounds like it went well. I bet you enjoyed it.

Copperblu: Kudos on passing up the bagels and cream cheese. That's a hard thing to do sometimes when everyone at work is eating something. By the way, I think the point of those exercise was to strengthen the hamstrings - somehow that helped the tendonitos - maybe stronger hamstrings made me put less stress on the tendons. But it seemed to stretch them out too and make me more flexible. They had me incorporate stretching in with it and I think I had to put put either ice or heat on too, but it's been over 10 years and I can't remember. But I still do those exercises. I go for a while not doing them but if I start to feel the tendons bothering me I start it up again.

My update: I was so tired all day. I ate candy at work today too. I've got to get back to packing my lunch next week. I do so much better when I pack fruit and carrots to munch on. I think part of it was that so many people were off I didn't get the zillions of emails I answer every day so it was kind of boring. I was eating to fight off drowsiness. Anyway, all I wanted to do when I got home was take a nap, but I made myself go out and do laps with a kickboard and didn't stop until my knees started hurting. I didn't have my watch to keep track of time while I was out and was real surprised when I came in and saw I'd been swimming over an hour! That did the trick because I'm not sleepy anymore. My DH did the grocery shopping on his way home and bought us a pre-cooked chicken and a salad so supper was easy. I am going to Yoga tomorrow morning and then we are having some people over for a cookout and swimming (that's like the story of our summer but I enjoy the company).

If I don't get back on this weekend, hope you all have a good one!
:)

My calories were higher than I planned (late snacking), but I did make it back to the gym this evening and did stationary bike, treadmill, abs, and some arm weights. Yeah!

Morrigan: I can relate to the calories - I have'nt done so well this week. I start out okay but I've only kept track of my intake twice this week on my WW calculator and I've had some late night snack attacks. But it's great you got your workout in. Hopefully we can both get back on track with the food.

Meridith: Just wanted to say Hi! Hope things are going well for you.

Nettie: I know you are trying to take it easy and tired from your new medication. I just wanted to let you know I am thinking of you.

My update: I got up and went to 8:30 AM yoga this morning. I felt great and so full of energy afterwards. I also bought a Kundalini Yoga book at class that was written by one of my instructor's friends. It seems pretty good. Can't wait til I have time to really look through it.

Marvin: I talked to the Yoga teacher about yoga when you are expecting. She said that in the first trimester you can do anything as long as it doesn't feel uncomfortable. If you have any break through bleeding then you should restrict yourself more (no inverted poses) & check with your doctor. Second trimester and forward, don't do any poses where you have to lie on your stomach, no inverted poses, no "root lock pulls" and generally you want to make your moves gentle. Also, no "Breath of Fire breathing (that's where you are breathing really fast in out of your mouth very powerfully) and nothing where you are pulling and pushing your abdominals in and out. She said that the breathing, the meditation and stretching are all very good throughout the pregnancy. When you get near the end you may have trouble getting up from a pose where you are lying right on your back. She also said you can email her with questions. I don't want to put her email address out on this board but if you want it I will go into the private messages options and send it.

That's it! I plan to try to get some laps in before our afternoon party starts. Have a great weekend everyone!

swimming
 

I swam for 50 minutes up and back a beach with my dog paddling along behind me. I think I went about 1.5 miles. He and I are both pooped tonight. This is my favorite summer exercise (I hate pools but love to swim) and now that the water is warm enough (barely) I plan on swimming there as much as possible. In a 2 mile section there are 4 houses (summer cabins - none occupied), hardly any boat traffic, clear water, and a wonderful view of the Cabinet Mountains.

My tummy muscles are still sore from last night, but I am going to do a few more crunches before bed. Here is the sorry part about abs. Even if I do get muscles there - I won't be able to see them through the flab for another 30 lbs or so.

Morrigan: Hi! Sounds like you did a lot of swimming. Is there a big lake near you? I am assuming you are not swimming at the ocean since your location that comes out with your post is Idaho. I've never been to Idaho. You know, I think youl will notice a difference with your situps even though you have more weight to lose. I have only lost about 7 pounds so far and I have about 55 to go. But I can already see that my muscles look more toned and some clothes are loser and I don't seem to look quite as matronly. The exercise really helps.

My update: I already said I did yoga yesterday morning. I swam about 1/2 hour before our guests arrived for a swimming party & cookout. I got back in a few other times and did some kickboarding or water aerobics but don't know how long. Then our power went out around 5 pm - we don't know why, just some kind of electric cable deterioration we assume. It sure is good we were cooking out. We lit up the yard with torches and put off some legal fireworks when it got dark and then most guests left except some friends who stayed over. With no air conditioning working, I got hot and got back in the pool about 11 pm and swam about another 1/2 hour. Our power didn't come back on until 1 am. This morning I swam laps for 1/2 hour. I am going to a movie soon but may try to do another 1/2 hour this evening if it doesn't rain. That's it for today.

This is the lake I live by. Actually there are tons of smaller lakes all around it. But Lake Pend Oreille is around 50 miles long and 1400 ft deep (a natural lake left by the Percell Glacier in the last ice age). They have a submarine testing station at the southern end of the lake. It is completely surrounded by mountains. I work in Sandpoint and do my swimming about 10 miles north of camp bay. Sandpoint is a great town. We get tons of tourists skiing in the winter and boating and playing on the lake in the summer. Thanks to a few psycho's we have plenty of national publicity (mostly bad) but it is a much nicer place than Mark Furman, Randy Weaver, the MaGoukins, and the really evil racist people make it out to be.

Oh, and I made it to the gym for a 45 minutes bike today.

new thread
 

Started a new thread for this week -- check it out! :)