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!

Welcome to the new thread!

Morrigan: Sounds like you had a great weekend! Biking into town + swimming in the lake? I'm jealous! I loved seeing the map of where you're from -- that was really neat! Looks like a beautiful place!

Stamper: Thanks for the advice about my hamstrings -- I've been trying to remember to stretch really well before + after each workout, and right before bed, and that seems to be helping. Sounds like you had a heck of a weekend too! Good for you for making yourself get in the pool even though you were tired -- sounds like it made you feel a whole lot better! (now if only we could remember that every time we didn't want to exercise! )
Congrats to both of you for having such a fun + active weekend!

my update:
Well, as I said, Friday was my rest day. DH and I did the grocery shopping + went out for sushi that night, and rented 'O Brother Where Art Thou' finally. Amazingly, I think I stayed within my food goals!
Sat: did laundry and went to the gym with DH, where I did 30 minutes of intervals on the elliptical crossramp. It wasn't as hard as the first time, but I still got plenty sweaty! Came home + had a big snack of fresh fruit we picked up on the way home, which was really good. That night I wasn't quite as good, and had a gyro-like sandwich from the Middle Eastern place across the street and three beers. I ate very well previously in the day though, so I think I might still be in the clear.
Sun: went to the gym with DH for my total body weights workout. I did the same weights as Thursday -- I tried to go up on a few (like biceps), but my muscles let me know that I was being a little demanding! Upped the number of sets on a few, but couldn't do a couple of the exercises that are in my routine because they didn't have the machines. Luckily, they weren't the core exercises -- mainly some deltoid work + an extra leg machine. Fruit snack after workout again (this is getting to be a habit with us now), and fatfree hotdogs for dinner. All in all a very healthy day!

Happy Monday! These weekends keep getting shorter and shorter. Here is my weekend update:

Friday - 20 minute Denise Austin Pilates video, 2 sets of arms (I use 5 and 10# weights and do 10 reps of all the basic arm strength training exercises).

Saturday - Swimmimg for 90 minutes (OK, about 30 min of actual swimming, the other 60 was basically goofing around in the water...that counts too, right?)

Sunday - Hubby got sick while he was out of town. I had to drive 2 1/2 hours to pick him up at 2:00am. The ride home took 4 hours because I had to pull over for him every 15 minutes. Needless to say, once I got home, I was pooped. I ended up having to take him to the Emergency Room around 9:00pm. So I babied him for about 17 hours. I didn't get in any exercise, but DH is doing much better.

This week, I've worked out a schedule of exercise. I plan on doing my Pilates video M,T,Th,F adding some strength training and walking when I have time. I also plan to swim as much as possible in the upcoming week and not overindulge at the wedding I am going to this weekend.

I agree with a lot of you that a food journal is a little too much for everyday use. I usually just break mine out when my eating habits take a turn for the worst. I also do my budget and daily spending in that book so I usually have it with me anyway.

Thank you all for the warm welcome to your forum. I have tried out many threads on the 3fc site, this one seems like one I will really enjoy.

Meredith
175/140/125

Today I rode my bike to town (40 minutes) and did 10 on the bike and 10 on the treadmill at Physical Therepy. I still plan on going swimming but have been caught in a nightmare of ISP holding for the next available operator today. My ISP got bought out and they changed everything including my email address (which I am not to happy about.) I don't mind change but I used to have an easy to remember address ([email protected]) and they assigned me one that makes no sense, and has 20 characters. If I could sue I would want to. I loved my old email address. And changing IPS's is not an option in a small town. I called all around and the one I am with is the fastest in town. So here I am on a beautiful day that I should be spending outside and I just spent 2 hours on the phone.

Morrigan: The lake area where you live looks like it is probably very beautiful. What a great place to be able to swim. Don't worry - at least where I am concerned the psychos didn't give your town a bad name. I have heard of all of them of course but never associated them with a particular place. Glad you got to bike today - sorry to hear about the ISP fiasco. I just hate having to be on hold like that when you've got better things to do.

Meredith: Is your DH feeling better now? I hope you don't get it. It sounds like you have a good exercise plan for the week. I think planning is so important - both for the food intake and the exercise. But I don't always make myself do it but I do better when I plan.

Copperblu: How was the movie? I've heard of that but I can't remember who was in it or what it was about. The last movie I rented was "Nurse Betty". I took my daughter to see "Atlantis" yesterday afternoon. I popped my own healthy popcorn and took it to the theater to avoid the fattening theater kind. Sounds like you are really doing great with your weights and the gym equipment.

My update: I made myself get up this morning and I did yoga for 45 minutes and then I did lower body leg weight exercises and some abs. It was almost an hour of exercise. Tonight I swam laps and used the kickboard in the pool. I did a total of an hour between the two including some stretching at the end. So I feel pretty relaxed right now but I don't feel tired like when you've overdone it or been on your feet too long. I guess I'll see how I feel in the am. I am hoping I can get up again tomorrow and doing upper body weights and some yoga.

Hi guys! Hope you don't mind another person joining in. I just started a weight loss program and would love to join in your conversations about exercise. I find that reading your posts helps keep me motivated. Last week I walked 30 miles. I was pleased with the distance, but only lost .8 pounds. The week before that I walked 23 miles and lost 6.4 pounds. Go figure. Anyway, yesterday was my off day. My husband and I hit golf balls last night so that counts as a little bit of exercise I hope. Today I plan on walking 4 miles on my treadmill and then going back to kickboxing class tonight (45 minutes). I really enjoy kickboxing, but havent been there since February. Sometimes I feel uncomfortable there because everyone is a tiny size 4 or 6. And I'm not. Oh well, I can't let that hold me back. Hope you all have a great day. It is very humid and hot in Cincinnati. Take care,
Saggy

Wow, lots of traffic!

Saggy: cute name! Welcome! Sounds like you are doing a LOT of walking! No wonder you lost 6.4 pounds in a week -- wow!! Kickboxing is really great exercise as well -- don't let the tiny girls keep you out! We can't let our anxiety about the skinnyminis (and believe me, I know what you're talking about) steal away our chance for health + high kicks!

Stamper: 'O Brother Where Art Thou' was GREAT. It's a farce by the Coen brothers (who wrote + produced "Fargo," "Raising Arizona," and "Blood Simple") based on "The Odyssey". Set in the deep South in the 40s or 50s (I'm never very clear on stuff like that), it follows three escaped convicts on their way to find a supposed buried treasure. It's hysterical, and George Clooney is surprisingly good in it. And that's the end of today's movie review!
I'm glad to hear that you're doing so well on your exercise plan --and having such a good time doing it! Two long exercise sessions in one day! What a great Monday!

Morrigan: I'm sorry to hear about your ISP woes! How frustrating! I hope your troubles clear up soon!
I'm glad you still got your workout in though -- and a bike ride into town is such a great way to get your exercise in! Hope you got your swim!

Meredith: I'm so sorry to hear about your DH! I hope he's okay, and you're not coming down with anything! Sounds exhausting for both of you!
Looks like you had a great weekend though, and your exercise plan for the week looks good! I need to fit in more Pilates into my own schedule! I'm just soooo lazy about ab work, even though I desperately need it! (proven by the fact that the reason I avoid it is because my tummy gets so tired...because it's out of shape!! Ah, logic. )

Looks like everyone had a very healthy weekend, and is set up for a great week!

Good morning! I have a lot of respect for those of you that can wake up early to exercise. I have such a hard time peeling myself out of bed every morning. I keep trying by setting my alarm at 6:30 but I just can't do it.

Do any of you know the song "Fat bottomed girls" by Queen? I just heard it on the radio. That song always gets me all motivated to move. I don't know what it is about it, maybe I just like when he screams "get on your bikes and ride!". Of course he's referring to motorcycles, nonetheless I want to hit the bike path.

Update - Last night I did my 20 minutes of Pilates with a little bit of extra ab work. I also did some good old squats and lunges. I love Pilates but I always feel like I need a little cardio boost as well. I did a ten minute stretch of alternating jumping jacks and running stairs. My kitties and my husband thought I went nuts. They might be right.

Anyway, have a great day everyone!

Look what happens when I go away! This is great!

Welcome to Meredith and Saggy.... I just know you're gonna love this thread, as much as I do!

It sounds like everyone's doing good. Thanks so much Stamper for talking to your yoga instructor for me. It doesn't look like I have to worry about it too much for this month, but it's good information to have for *next month* (I hope!) I'm still charting, but since this is my first cycle after birth control pills, it's probably a little funky. Here's my link to the chart: http://www.lifecyclesoft.com/cgi-bin/chart.pl/zbgxv (I hope that works!) I missed a couple days of temping during our trip, but otherwise, I'm doing good with it.

Anyway, we had a good time on our trip...lots of hiking to balance out the "camping food" (eggs, bacon, sausage, hotdogs, fried chicken, and on and on and on...) No wonder my face broke out! Oh well... such is life.

I am back on track again as of today. Although I missed yoga last night because we didn't get home early enough, I am off to Curves after work, and then between trips to the basement to do the laundry, cleaning up the mess my cats made, and finishing emptying the trailer... I should be sweating off a lot!

Talk to ya later!

Such a long post, I decided to put my update in a different msg!

Yesterday: worked at home, and went to the gym in the afternoon. It was "Cardio Day" for me, so I did 30 minutes on the elliptical crossramp machine, doing high-low intervals of 2 minutes each. By the end, it claimed I'd gone 3 miles and burned 340 calories! That's 1/10th of a mile more than I've managed before now in the same time period -- which is a small accomplishment, but nice to see progress...especially when the other thing I see is my sweaty red face in the gym mirror!

Today: up early, to the gym before work for "Weights Day." Did my total body weight routine (and got the machines that I missed on the weekend ). As a progress report, here's what I'm up to for each exercise (generally 2 sets of 10 reps each):
Leg press: 100lbs
Quad extension: 50lbs
Seated hamstring curl: 50lbs
Glute kick: 50lbs
Adductor (3 sets) : 50lbs
Abductor (3 sets) : 50lbs
Chest press: 30lbs
Pec fly: 30lbs
Lateral deltoid lift: 30 lbs
Rear deltoid: 15lbs
Rear lat row: 35lbs
Lat pulldown: 50lbs
Overhead "military" press: 20lbs
Biceps: 20lbs
Triceps: 20lbs

I've been tracking my progress, and I want to see where I am in a few weeks. I think I can increase my weight for the leg press + thigh exercises pretty soon, and probably for the lat pulldown + lat row. My arms + chest are stubborn though (dumb old "less upper body strength than men" thing! ), and that's what I'd really like to see go up, along with my little weakling shoulders. Wish me luck, girls!

Tonight I'll try to get in some crunches, despite my intense reluctance , and tomorrow is Cardio Day!

Whoops! Cross posted again!

Meredith: Your comments about "Fat Bottomed Girls" made me laugh! My college boyfriend's singing group used to perform that as part of a "naughty" medley that they did for encores -- imagine 16 guys in tuxes singing an a capella version of that! Now that was funny!
You're probably right that you need some cardio, although I think all your Pilates work is great. I hate cardio, but I make myself do it for my own good. Bleah -- it's the lima beans of exercise to me.
Oh, and believe you me, getting up at 6:30 for exercise did NOT come easily to me. It was only after I realized I would keep skipping workouts when I got home late that I forced myself to go to the gym in the AM. And the first few weeks were noooo picnic.

Marvin: Welcome back!! I hope you had a great time on your camping trip! That's the nice thing about hiking, isn't it? You could practically eat a whole kitchen by yourself and not gain weight!
My face is breaking out too, but I haven't got a good (or yummy!) reason. Best I can think of is that my face is getting clogged up w/summer and/or gym sweatiness. Bah!

Meredith-do you do pilates at home or go to a gym for it? i would like to try it. Can you recommend a good video to start out with?
Thanks,
Saggy

Well, I'm not Meredith, but I like the Living Arts Beginning Matwork for a beginner Pilates tape. It breaks down the basics of Pilates very well, and uses easy-to-understand cues throughout the moves to keep you in good form. I have the Method Precision Toning and the Method Target Zones (i think that's the name) as well, which I think are more intermediate tapes -- and which I highly recommend once you've got the basics down and can focus on precise form.

Thanks for the tape advice, that is something I would like to try. I only have a dvd though, so I am a bit limited in my exercise video choices.

I rode my bike to town (mostly downhill 40 minutes) and back home (mostly flat to uphill) - grandpa intercepted me in his truck because he didn't think I should be exercising in such hot weather, so I only got in 1:05 hours,

Our "gym" is still in the stone age. They think that they are pretty modern by having a kickboxing class. They had no idea what I was talking about when I asked if they offer Pilates or Spinning classes. I do the Denise Austin video. I like it because it is 2 20 minute exercises. I do exercise 1 on Monday and Thursdays and exercise 2 on Tuesdays and Fridays. I hope to work up to being able to do the whole 40 minutes in one setting. I don't like Denise Austin but I really haven't found an aerobics instructor that I truly enjoy yet. I'm sure they are out there, I just don't have much luck finding them. I can't stand the whole "you can do it" kick. They say it knowing darn well that you are sweating, grunting and turning weird shades of purple as they are breathing and smiling in their little leotards without a drop of sweat on them. Aaaarrrrrrrrrgggggg!

Ok, sorry. Anyway...Like Copperblu I like the Living Arts series of tapes. I have several of their yoga tapes. I think those are the best because they are difficult but not complicated. I hear your pain about the DVD thing. I haven't been able to find any around here for DVD. Luckily I kept my VHS player anyway. I'm kind of a video junky. I have a whole library of workout tapes. It's kind of a necessity here in South Dakota. Just for example, yesterday was 104 degrees until about 5:00. Then it started storming and eventually we had some tornados fly through the state. In the middle of winter, temps are well below zero with the wind chills making it an average of 20-30 below. Needless to say, most exercise takes place indoors.

Hey, I was wondering if this thread has a bio page burried somewhere. If not, it would be nice for the new folk like myself to learn a little bit about you all. I suppose, I should get some work done.