Hi everyone!

Hope everyone had a good weekend. We had beautiful temperatures here on Saturday (70) and then we plummeted down into the 30's and had blowing snow on Sunday with whiteouts. What a turnaround in weather!

Today it's sunny and I took advantage of it and went out walking at lunchtime. I'm finally able to get to my yoga class tonight and I'm really looking forward to it.

How's everyone else doing?

Hi Melissa-

I did two yoga classes this weekend I was very pleased with. If I combine with the other three that I'll take during the week that I don't like, I should get my fix in. Melissa, is your class pretty strenous or relaxing? I am trying to find a nice middle ground.

Nothing new on the horizon here. DP and I have lots to do this week finishing up classes, getting ready for meetings and getting ready for Persian New Year. The Weight watchers magazine has some pretty nice points friendly Persian dishes. I think is very cool that they are being culturally sensitive. I may drop them a note.

Anyways, gotta get the house clean and some special foods made and some stuff given away to charities. We're doing things pretty low-key since we'll be in LA for the actual event.

Hope everyone is well.

lala

Happy Monday everyone. We had a nasty little storm here as well over the weekend - lots of shovelling on Saturday - excellent exercise.

Had a great weekend exercise-wise. I'm upping my running (both speed and time) on the treadmill. I was becoming very stagnant and not challenging myself and it was showing in the scale not moving for months now. My body sure felt the increase this morning but a little pain let me know that I need to work at this level all the time now.

Didn't have a great weekend food-wise but it wasn't a disaster.

I sure am looking forward to Patch starting the new 12 week challenge this week. I want to shed that last few pounds to reach my personal goal.

Melissa & lala - I've wanted to try Yoga lately but have also looked at Pilates. Have either of you tried Pilates?

Kena

Hi Kena,

No pilates here, my gym doesn't offer it. The women's center at the university does and it looks like its a nice class. I would have to take a really loong lunch to take it, but anything to get that core strengthened would be helpful.

I'm liking the yoga for the mental kick in the pants it is giving me.

Good on ya and the running. I'll be hitting the TM soon enough. I am thinking about investing in a mp3 player so I can download some high beat and 80's retro music that gets me going while on the treadmill. Something about bob edwards (from National Public Radio) that makes me want to slow to a snails pace.

lala

I've done pilates. It is pretty neat. It kind of uses yoga moves to really strengthen your core -- lot of ab work. It is pretty intense.

Lala: The yoga class I take is relaxing. We do a lot of work but nothing that breaks a sweat. I definitely feel good afterwards. If nothing else it's teaching me to slow down and listen to my body

Kena: I've never tried Pilates. I'm not much of an "organized" exerciser so yoga is as good as it's going to to get for me. I enjoy the class and look forward to it. I'm only taking it once a week. Our instructor gave us a sheet on doing some yoga at home.

It's overcast here today so it's looking like I won't be able to get outside and walk over the lunch hour. I've started wearing my pedometer so I can how many steps I'm getting in each day.

Catch everyone later!

Hi from Texas. Was hoping I could join your thread?

Reached lifetime last summer, finally, but can't seem to break past my ww goal to my personal one.
Lala, re: mp3 player, have you seen Apple's iPod? (It only works with Macs, though.) I use it every day; I really like being able to create playlists of different songs & tempos. Some songs I use as benchmarks, even, to see if I can keep up the pace the whole song, then add going uphill, etc.

Looking forward to joining Patch's 12-week challenge!

Regards,
Jan
256/155/155ww/145personal

Welcome Janet! We're always open to new members joining us!

Hi all-
Its awful here. Rainy, blustery and cool. The basset wind factor is about 7.5. His ears (relatively clean) are flapping when outside. Its pretty funny to watch.

Janet- welcome and thanks for the advice on the ipod. I am not a mac user, so I'm not sure what to do.

melissa- I hope it clears up for a walk. Glad you went to yoga last night.

kena- Other than running, what else do you do for exercise?

[b]myra[b]- Its amazing you don't need to eat your activity points with the amount of exercise you do a day. You go girl.


Went to Yoga last night, it was so not relaxing , but a moderate workout. We did alot of seated poses and ones that are moderately strenous like the camel and plow. I didn't feel relaxed, but I got a star on my workout calendar. I'm thinking five or six days a week of yoga combined with
normal 5-6 days a week of cardio should help.

I'm thinking of weighing in on thursday, but attending my normal saturday meeting. We'll see how this week goes.

Tonight, we're celebrating the eve of the last wednesday before the new year at our house. I made a special kind of nut and fruit mixture that I gave to some friends and we'll jump over a candle or small fire (I think candle ) to cleanse ourselves for the new year. I like that symbolism and considering the kind of year we've had, we could use it.

So, so much for droning.

Hope you are all well.

lala

Lala,
There is a reason why I try, accent on try, not to rely on activity points. When I used to count them, I didn't lose weight. I maintained, yo-yoed and even gained. Of course I wasn't as good about journaling then either... but I decided to only use the activity points as a last resort, and that has been working for me. If you can lose and eat activity points, do it. But I just can't do it, at least not on a regular basis. The past two weeks I've been relying on activity. I've been so stressed out, working inhuman hours as well as having some mammoth money problems. My points have been high and I do not expect a loss this week and will most likely gain despite all my activity. I'll let you guys know Wed. nite.

drat i lost my message.

i'm sorry you are so stressed out myra, hopefully everything will work out.

i'm off to eat dinner, jump over a candle and hit the lab.

i'll be glad when this quarter is over.

lala

Hi everyone. I've been MIA the past week - first my computer blew up - literally - early last week. Then I was out of town. Then I was sick with a cold. So, how's everyone doing?

Glad to see Patch got the challenge up and running again. I weighed in on Saturday and was up .4 . I'm .6 over my WW goal of 147 and 9.6 over my personal goal. I have a decision to make I see - either get with the program or accept that I'll never see 138.

Hasn't been a good week so far exercise-wise. Am just draggin myself around, sniffling and feeling sorry for myself. But, the nicer weather has arrived and once I'm feeling better, there'll be no excuse.

Gotta run - out of town again tomorrow. I'll try to catch up with everyone individually on Friday.

Happy mid-week to everyone.

lala - What else do I do for exercise? In combination with my run I of course do a number of stretches and then a series of ab work, leg lifts etc. On the weekend my husband and I tend to go for a long week on Sunday evening. I'm much more active in the summer, not a surprise. I love to golf and I always walk the course. Running is really my favorite exercise and I don't seem to get bored of it.

It's been a really good week so far! Excellent exercise and excellent points. Woo hoo!

Kena

Lala and Melissa, thanks for the welcome!

Lala, sorry the iPod won't do, but there are lots of other good mp3 players out there; noticed one for just $39 at http://www.computers4sure.com/produc...d=874&adid=874 if that helps. It has a USB interface, not FireWire, but that's still plenty fast, and the price is the lowest I've seen. I really like your tradition of jumping over the fire; good year for it, too, you're so right.

Seesaw, I know what you mean re: weather getting in the way. We had a really weird cold spell here last week, and I missed several days of my morning walks. Really felt draggy. So glad the weather's warming up a bit;have gotten a walk/jog in every day this week, and feel much better. Did you get your computer fixed? It blew up?! Whew...

Kena, you're an inspiration. Re: exercises, I saw some on the Self mag challenge pg, http://self.challenge.com , both for strength and flexibility.

Regards,
Jan

Hi Ladies,

Ah March is really coming in like a lion here. It better leave like a lamb.

janet- Thanks for the mp3 link. I'm going to check it out.

kena- You are lucky that DH enjoys the same activities that you do. I don't think other than hiking, gardening or dog walking, I could get DP to join me in outside activities.

susan- Sorry to hear of your computer crisis. I am in the market for a new one, but can't make a descision. I need a really fast processor and lots of memory and it has to be compatible with my 3d card. Sorry to hear of your gain. We have about the same amount of weight to lose for goals - your personal and my ww goal.

hi melissa!

Well, the IM has me up a whopping 3# this am. I think its my tom, but need to check the calendar. I did a slow, but full 3 miler this am, so that followed by a 22 pt day should help.

Off to look for a cloud free day in May 1998 off the northern california coast. Not as easy as it seems.

lala