Gosh, I hope I got the dates right. I feel all mixed up this morning I have a raging head cold which blossomed over the weekend, and I sure wish I could breathe!

Off to the gym anyway Couple of clients, and a half hearted attempt to to chest and some slow cardio.

Eats were terrible this week-end. That always seems to happen when I get sick. Good thing I don't get sick too often!

Mel

Mel, hope you feel better soon!

Happy belated birthday, Ellen! I hope you had a great day. Your birthday is the same as my dad's, actually, which is a week before mine. So I'm coming up on it too.

Had a rather drama-filled weekend, and didn't get a lot of sleep. But I ate reasonably well, besides Friday night which was out with some friends and could only kindly be called a free meal. Back in the saddle for the usual workouts this week, including Nia tonight.

Hope everyone has a good start to the week.

Hi everyone - I haven't posted on this portion of 3FC.

I thought that I would say hello. I've been working with 2 trainers since December and found this all to be quite rewarding. I've dropped 25.6 pounds according to the scale, but my trainer seems to think it's somwhere closer to 29 for fat lost.

I wish I had some way of knowing how much fat I've actually lost or how much muscle I might have gained! I have a tanita scale, but according to that thing I'm about 40% fat, and not budging! (It lies!)

I have posted on this forum before but haven't in a while. I am making a conscious effort to kick up my weight training a notch, so I thought I might start posting here again. Hope nobody minds! I have lifted heavy since last May and love it, but will admit I'm still too dependent on the machines.

I had my first (free) session with the trainer on Saturday. It's kind of amusing because I *thought* I was getting in pretty decent shape, but my insanely sore lower body is telling me differently!!!! She had me do a lot of functional exercises that I never have really done before -- about a million different kinds of squats and lunges, some with dumbbells and some without. Plus abwork on that evil little ball . Honestly, it feels really good but I also feel sort of pathetic. I didn't make it to the gym yesterday... I'm going to try for some cardio tonight if my legs will cooperate!

Hope you feel better, Mel. It's so hard to work when you're not feeling well!

This must be "Tea" day! Mind if you post? Good grief! We're glad to have you! And wecome, pebbles, also

Moving away from the machines always surprises people because they find so many new muscles even if they have been lifting and lifting heavy for a while. Especially if you start doing "functional" training, which incoporates balance, motion, and multi-planar exercises, the new muscles that you'll use will really surprise you the next day Most of my clients love training this way, and for me it's a lot more interesting than just moving from machine to machine. Personally, since I've started incorporating more functional exercises into my own workouts I've seen a definite improvement in my own fitness levels. And it's easier to vacuum the stairs and carry the laundry basket without falling. Now if I could just manage a treadmill without falling off

Tealeaf: Do you measure your bf at the same time each day? I would think that with the amount you've lost the tanita should show some change.

Ellen- Happy Birthday!
Hi Laura!

Mel

A tealeaf and a teapot!! How cute is that? Welcome girls and peebles too!

Yesterday I had an awesome run 10.5k no gym, today I did halfa** legs and ate tooo much... it's 5pm and I can't eat anymore because I already eaten 1650 calories... I think I'll pick up a salad with no dressing later...Now that I've eaten so badly all I want to do is sleep !! I should know better than to let myself go too long inbetween meals... Very poor planning on my part...

Anywho... tomorrow is another day...

TTFN ...

Hi all and thanks for the warm B-day wishes. Welcome Teas(s) and Pebbles. Hope you are feeling better real soon, Mel. These season transition colds (OK, a little wishful thinking on my part) are the worst.

My workouts and eating are going so well they almost don't seem like mentioning. Since I "gave control" to my trainer and no longer track exercises and reps, knowing it is all in my "special notebook" at the gym and stopped entering my calories into Fitday the whole thing has become a lot easier. The only things I track now are my weight (weekly instead of daily), blood sugar (morning only) and what exercise I did and how long as far as cardio, if I did weights or yoga and 5K training times and distances. It is a whole lot better for me now. Sometimes I just get into "analysis paralysis" and "data overload" and need to let go. What has changed this time, along with my eating and exercise habits, was I didn't let all the tracking go - as you can see, I still have accountability and my trainer can do what it is I pay him for and track my weights and reps. I hear you laughing at me, but it is a huge difference.

I have also discovered that I absolutely, positively hate the bike - I don;t care if it is recumbant or spinning - it is so boring I could just scream! This week is only 15 min (and 15 min on the treadmill). How am I possibly going to do the hour in Week 9 of my 12 week program. I am going to have to switch it out with something else.

I am getting a full-up fitness test on Thurs (strength, cardio and flexibility). Wish I would have done this when I joined, but at least I'll have something to compare myself to 6 months from now.

The yoga workshop was great on Sunday. So far 45 has been my most blissful year yet (OK, the first 3 days anyway). LKTS - Fist, I hope you have a great runup week and enjoy your day as much as I did mine! Second, the yoga workshop I tookwas lead by Darren Main, who has a studio in the Bay area. If you have a chance to take a class or lecture or workshop with him I highly recommend him - young, smart and real rather than way out there as some yogis can be.

Have a great week all. I am trying to get all my chores done so I can take off Fri for Va Festival of the Book in Charlottesville with a couple of girlfriends - no hubbies or kids. YAY!!

Hi there LWL! I'm back from the frozen north (Barrow, AK) in one piece but exhausted. The conference was good, but due to the small size of the town, and it's lack of hotel rooms and conference space, I basically left my hotel at 7 am and got back after 10 every night. I was so right to declare last week as an exercise free one - there would not have been time even if there were the place! It was very very very cold - below zero the whole time, and wind chills below minus 30 (F) the first two days. Amazingly, minus 5 with no wind felt balmy on Sunday! To add to my exhaustion, our plane was nearly 2 hours late leaving last night, and consequently I didn't get home until nearly 2 am! I'm working my way back to my "normal" eating today, and will resume exercising tomorrow (tonight I plan to go to bed about 7 pm!) I will say that the breakfasts we had were excellent: lean meat, cheese, yogurt and fruit (along with the normal muffins, bagels, etc.) The rest of the meals, well they tasted good, but were not calorically friendly! I tried to keep the portions under control and not eat the afternoon cookies, etc. that appeared. Fortunately, there was always water - buildings there are very dry, as is the outdoors. It's basically a desert, just a very cold one. THere are no trees at all, only tundra (under the snow, of course, this time of year). Didn't see any polar bears, but did see a few caribou and some awesome aurora! Anyway, it's good to be back. It's Spring Break here and the library is hopping with both kids and adults. That's a good thing!

Hi Everyone:

Sorry for not writing last week, but I've started my physical therapy (for a torn ACL), and what with work and life, etc. . . I didn't even have time to check the message board.

Someone had previously asked me to post what exercises I've been assigned to strengthen the muscles around my knee in prep. for surgery. I'm happy to do this, but the ones I've done so far have actually been pretty easy. I think my PT would be surprised by how well everyone on this board would be able to do the exercises! Also, please note that I'm not a doctor or a certified trainer or anything like that. So, while I've tried to be accurate with my descriptions, please be cautious about doing these (and really any other exercises)!!!

1. Using one of those big elastic bands, secure one end to a post (or something that's not going to move) and put one leg through the band until it's about 2 inches above the bend in the knee. Move back until there's as much tension as you want/need. Standing squarely on both feet, slowly bend and straighten your knees a few inches. Keep your back straight and don't bend over at the hips. Do this 30 times. I'm supposed to slowly work my way from standing on 2 feet to just standing on the one with the elastic band as I do the knee bends. (Even though I only have to do this for the injured knee, I actually do both legs so I get an even work-out. )

2. Lay on the floor with you legs bent and feet flat on the floor. Straighten one leg and angle the leg/foot about 45 degrees to the outside. Slowly raise and lower the leg. Do 5 times and then switch legs. This exercise is supposed to work the muscles on the inside of your knees/thighs.

3. Using a step, tap one foot on the floor below and then return to the step. Go slowly and repeat up to 30 times.

4. Balance exercises using a rolling board and these funky spiky half-balls that I have to step on in different patterns. It's kinda fun, but I look like I'm about to crash and burn any second. I've only ever seen these devices in a physical therapy place, but maybe the nicer gyms have them.

5. Lots of leg stretches -- calf, quad, hamstring (for these, I lay on my back and use a strap to pull one leg straight up; I then do 3 sets of 3 20-second- long progressively deeper stretches. Ouch!)

I also have the ok to ride the stationary bike (yawn) and maybe the eliptical machine, depending on how my knee feels.

So there you have it -- what I've learned in physical therapy so far.

Mel: I hope you feel better soon. I crave comfort foods when I'm not feeling well . . . but I know you'll be back on track ASAP.

WaterRat: It sounds like you didn't do too bad in Barrow -- just getting around such frigid weather must burn more calories than normal! I miss my family in Alaska and wish I was there now. I've only been around Anchorage -- up to Denali, down to Homer -- and would really like to get to the far north once . . .

Ellen: Congrats on making the whole eating/exercising thing easier for yourself. Whatever works, right!?! I envy you the yoga workshop (although maybe envy and yoga shouldn't really be used in the same sentence . . . ) I have to be mostly yoga-free until my knee gets better. Boy, do I miss it. And a belated Happy Birthday! It sounds like you've got the best attitude to birthdays -- it just gets better every year. I'm turning 40 this year, and I can't wait for all of the special attention I know I'll get from my family and friends (in other words, presents!)

LTKS, pebbles, the 2 "teas" -- Hello! I've been a bit absent, but I hope to get to know you better. I'm really interest in new exercises, particularly ones that don't use any weights at all -- just the exercise ball, gravity, etc. So please share if you learn of some!

Phew, what a long message. I may not be able to sign on again until later this week, but I hope everyone stays well and strong.

Heck, Mox, I've been here since 1974 (ack, that's 31 years!) and this is my first trip to the far north. I've been to Circle (on the Yukon) to pick up DH from a canoe trip, and twice to Mile 1 of the Alaska Pipeline. Once when the oil companies were taking folks for free. It was like time share trips, you had to listen to their spiel, but you got to see the sights after. The second time was to administer an EMT practical exam to students who worked up there. Otherwise, I've mostly been to the more "civilized" parts of the state!

Glad to hear you're doing exercises to keep you knees strong. Mine are failing me. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to run again, and I'll be happy if I can go up and down stairs without pain. It's the pits getting old!!

Hi LWL,

Wow, it's good to see so many people up and running and posting on the board !

Mel : I hope theat cold did not get you & that you feel better now

Ilene.. don't despair. You always inspire me so much with what you accomplish, I think it is no big deal if you are not 100% on plan all the time, and especially not after running so much !

Tealeaf & teapot; wellcome to the board !

Waterrat: Welcome back from the frozen north!

Spring is finally coming here ! The sun is shining, the daffodils are in bloom. I have a bit sore legs from the LBW yesterday, and a bit sore arms for no reason that i can think of. Everything is fine except that the scales are not moving again. Maybe I am creating a lot of muscle, or it is water, or whatever.
Am not on plan food wise, but hope to do better the rest of the week excercise wise it is Ok so far: yesterday LBW and 10 mins row, 30 mins jog, 20 mins bike. Today 20 mins row, 50 mins jog, 20 mins bike. The jogging in place is less boring than the bike because I can move around more & as I have put my book on the handlebar of my stationary bike I can now occasionally read a page as well.

Have a great day all,
rabbit

Hello girls

Thank you for the encouraging words... I have figured out what is wrong with me I woke up with TOM this morning, no wonder I've been so dang hungry.... It's difficult for me to say when I start TOM because I am in peri-menopause and extremely irregular... Today I am moving on with: 1. more water ... 2. less carbs ... 3. sticking to 1400cals...

It is so nice here that I am going to run to the gym do back and biceps then run back or take the long way home... The snow is melting does that mean spring is around the corner?

Mel -- Hope your ribs are better....

Meg -- Don't work too hard...

rabbit -- you too hang in there!

WaterRat -- BRRR... Welcome back!

Mox -- those seem to be great exercises... Keep up the great work for that knee...

Ellen -- I agree stationary bikes are *yawn* boring... unless you have one of those new ones with your own screen!! Those a re way cool... Maybe by the time you get to your biking week it'll be nice enough to go outisde?!

Well I'm off to the gym... TTFN...

I have a Tanita and my % has not moved AT ALL. Maybe 1%. But somehow I can't even figure out how 25 lbs could only move it 1%.

Ellen - thanks for the info on Darren Main. I found his website and it looks like he has regular classes in SF and workshops around the area occasionally, so I will keep him in mind.

Pat - glad you made it back. Alaska always makes me think of the wonderful series of mystery novels by Dana Stabenow, although I don't know how accurate they are Alaska-wise (hopefully somewhat, since she lives there).

Mox - hope your knee therapy is going ok. I've had a slightly wonky knee for a few years now and I probably should do more specific exercises for it so I don't end up injuring it worse, but I don't, really. Sigh.

Pebbles - your Tanita bf% does sound wonky, especially if you've been doing weight-bearing exercise as you've lost weight. Do you have access to someone who could do a caliper measurement or anything more accurate? I've heard decent things about the Omron hand-held bf measuring device but I haven't used one myself yet.

Hi Ilene, everyone - life continues apace, I did my Nia class last night, couldn't go really big but it felt good to get moving. A hike for cardio is on the schedule for today. Food has been decent. Dealing with some personal emotional issues but thankfully I don't feel like self-medicating with food. (That must be a first for me.)