See, Copperblu, I loved your intro so much, I stole it!

Happy Monday to all, and I hope you're having a great holiday! I wish I had another day off!

My weekend was busy, but very productive! On Saturday, we went to see some more houses, then off to my Mom's for supper, and then to a bowling party with my coworkers..... Ate really badly all day, but it could've been worse.

Yesterday was crazy! We took down two dead trees, which dh chopped up, and we both hauled the wood around! What a workout! Then, I did a whole bunch of yardwork, followed by some housecleaning! But then I just could not get to sleep..... I maybe had 5 hours of sleep last night....and I'm pretty stiff this morning! Oh well!

I'm commited to getting back on track for this week.... last week was so lazy, with the sunburn and all, but this week will be different!

I am going to Curves every day this week, whether I like it or not! And I'm going to like it!

Anyway, that's enough yakking! I'll talk to you soon!

Good Morning All,

I haven't exercised since Thursday night. Friday was date night (had a great time) then the weekend and Monday was shot with cooking out and hanging out with the kids. My exercise plan for the week is as follows:

Tuesday-RS Tape w/ weights: 20 min.
ABS Tape: 10 min.
Wednesday-RS Tape w/ weights: 20 min.
Thursday-RS Tape w/ weights: 20 min.
ABS Tape: 10 min.
Friday-RS Tape w/ weights: 20 min.

I have to get back to exercising. I know me, the longer I wait, the harder it is to get back on track. I did ok on food this weekend, but did not write any of it down. I plan on being very strict this week. I want to be comfortably below my short term goal of 199 lbs by the 4th of July. (Why do all American holidays revolve around food?)

I did manage to lose two pounds last week, though. So I am very pleased.

Hope everyone has a successful day. I will check in later.

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Congrats Nettie on the 2 lb. loss! I like to think of it as two pounds of butter lost forever! Look at the butter the next time you're in the grocery store, and imagine that floating around on your thighs, butt, whatever... you'll look a little weird, but it'll make you feel great that it's gone!

It's sometimes really hard to get back into the swing of things, but what they say about just getting started is so true. I know that if I can just get myself to Curves, then I'm halfway there already. It's carried me through a lot of times, when I just wanted to go home...

I had a pretty good day yesterday except for the exhaustion. Curves was good, although a little warm ~ up to 25 C yesterday! I can't wait for them to get the airconditioning! Whew!

Had a great and simple dinner last night ~ Chicken breasts with corn and salsa, with a salad. MIL sent over some fresh tomatoes too! Yum! Here's my chicken recipe:

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp. each cumin and garlic powder
olive oil
1 cup salsa
11 oz. can mexican corn

Sprinkle chicken with spices to taste, and cook in olive oil over medium heat until cooked. Remove to serving platter.

Scrape up any residue in the pan, and add about a half cup of water. Boil until reduced by about half. Add salsa and corn, and cook until heated through. Serve over chicken.

Note: I didn't have any mexican corn ~ so I used about a cup and a half of regular frozen.... still very yummy, simple and low fat!

Hope you're all recovering nicely from your long weekend! PS ~ don't feel alone ~ Canadian holidays revolve around food too!

Hello hello!

Marvin: It sounds like you had one heck of a weekend! With "leisure" activities like that, you sure don't need to worry about getting in a workout! I think we should use an intro for every week's thread! I think it opens it up, and makes it not seem like an exclusive club to anyone who might be browsing. We love new folks!
Cross-posting again! That recipe for the chicken breasts sounds great! And perfect for my new schedule!

Nettie: I had a lazy weekend too! You're right that we have to get back on track -- the longer we wait, the HARDER it will be to start moving again. Inertia is a powerful force! I'm glad I started going to the gym in the AM before work, because it forces me to start my Monday off right after my weekend break -- and doesn't let me continue a 2 day break into 3, or 4, or...you get the idea! Otherwise, I might just turn any old weekend into my giant fall off the wagon!
CONGRATULATIONS by the way, on your 2 pound loss! Before you know it, those 2 will be 5, and those 5 will be 10, and you will be well on your way!

My update:
Had a baddish weekend, and didn't get to the gym more than once. I didn't eat terribly, but I didn't eat that well either. But we did go to the museum + catch the Vermeer exhibit before it closed, and got some new things for the house at a Memorial Day sale, and I cleaned out half of the unopened boxes of books stored beneath our bed (one of the perils of working in publishing!). So it wasn't a total wash.
This morning I got back on track + went to the gym. Did 30 minutes interval training on the bike, and already feel better (if a little sleep deprived ).
I'm going to try to fit in some full-length cardio+sculpt tapes in the evening this week, rather than just the shorter sculpting tapes, so this is my tentative plan for this week:
Tues: 30 mins cardio/bike (AM)
Firm: Tortoise tape (PM)
Wed: 30 mins cardio/bike (AM)
Firm: Hare tape (PM)
Thurs: 30 mins cardio/bike (AM)
Living Arts Beginning Pilates (PM)
Fri: 30 mins cardio/bike (AM)
planned rest PM
We start our summer hours this week, so now I'm at the office until 5:45-6PM Mon-Thurs, and get out at 1PM on Friday. I'm hoping that the transition goes smoothly, and I still end up with time to exercise at night. I've chosen very easy meals this week to save some time in the kitchen, which will hopefully give me some workout time.
Anyways, enough about me! How's everyone doing today?

I haven't been on the board for 2 weeks. It's been so hectic and I didn't get much exercize or follow program but at least I didn't gain. Today I got up early and did 30 minutes of exercizes and some yoga poses and I walked 30 minutes at lunch and I'm getting ready to do 30 minutes of yoga with my daugher.

Marvin - your chicken recipe sounds delish - I wil have to try it.

Nettie - congrats on your 2 pound loss!

Copperblu - good luck with your new schedule. It sounds like you've been doing good with your exercize.

Is it Wednesday already? I worked out to my RS tape last night. Wow, when you take four days off, you can't just jump back in where you were. I only lasted ten minutes with my weights, then finished the rest of the tape without. I didn't do my abs tape last night either. My seven month old daughter began protesting the walker about two minutes from the end of my RS tape, so I knew there was no need in trying to get in ten more minutes. She is the type of baby that seldom cries, but when she does, she is really mad at something. Turned out, she just wanted to snuggle so she could go to sleep. I'll trade one more day of flabby abs for that.

Stamper: Welcome back. I have never done yoga. Is it a good workout? What does it work on? Flexibility? Does it work to tone your muscles, too? Thanks.

Copperblu: Congratulations on getting to the gym first thing. Boy, I thought my hours were bad. I work 6:30 to 5:00 Mon-Fri. I get home around 6:00. I would have a hard time exercising with that schedule. Are you still going to be able to go to the gym that early?

Marvin: I will definitely try the chicken recipe, too. I love salsa. We keep a big ol' jug of it in the refrigerator. I eat it at just about every meal. How are your muscles surviving your tree removal this weekend? I bet you are aware of muscles you didn't know you had. Hope they feel better.

Well that's all for now. I have to get to work. I am going to do my 20 min cardio tape tonight, with the weights! And I am going to do the abs tape, too.

Have a great, successful day!!!

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Stamper: Welcome back!! Isn't it SO nice to come back from an exercise slump without a gain along as company? Yay! It sounds like you are right back on track -- I'm impressed by your busy day yesterday! And I think it's great that you're doing yoga with your daughter -- you're starting her on a non-pressured, lifelong habit of health!

Nettie: No, I'm not Superwoman! I don't want to take credit where credit isn't due! I think I didn't word my explanation of my schedule very well -- I'm not at work from 5:45AM to 6PM, I'm at work from 9AM to around 5:45PM or 6PM! Egads! I can't even imagine what it would be like the other way around! I do have about 30 to 45 minute commute, so I get home around 6:45 in the summer -- I try to fit in a workout, and then make something easy for dinner that can be ready around the time that DH gets home at 8PM. In the morning, I get up @ 6:30 and leave the house @ 7am -- I'm at the gym by 7:30 or 7:45, workout for 30 minutes, shower, dress, and walk 7 blocks to work. I could NOT get to work by 6:30 unless someone was holding a gun to my head! My hat goes off to you!
And congratulations for getting to your RS tape! It IS hard to jump back in after a few days off! Case in point....

my update::
I DID get home and do my Firm: Tortoise tape, despite my whining (which you all fortunately missed ). However, I forgot why I hadn't been doing these tapes! They are HARD! I thought it might be a little easier now, since I've been doing all that cardio + doing weights fairly regularly. NOT! I was huffing + puffing, and had to stop about 15 minutes before the tape was over! I was so close, but I just couldn't do it anymore! Well, now I have a new goal to motivate me -- I want to get through the Tortoise tape all the way w/out wanting to die!
I spent the rest of the night in an exhausted haze, and ultimately slept through my alarm + missed my time at the gym. I suppose it's actually a blessing in disguise however, as I am really sore from the tall box climbs + lunges from last night and I think my legs need a rest!
With that in mind, I'm going to switch the order of my workout plan + do Pilates tonight, so that there's a rest day before I have to tackle the Hare tape.

It IS Wednesday already + thanks for that! Happy Hump Day everyone!

Sounds like you guys are doing great in getting back into the swing of things! That Hare tape sounds hellish, Copperblu! Don't feel too bad about not making it all the way through, you did something, and that's what's important! Feel proud, all of you!

I'm feeling really positive today... I actually checked myself out (naked ~ gasp!) in the mirror this morning, and I kinda liked what I saw! I haven't weighed in for a couple weeks now, and I just know that I'm gonna see some results tomorrow! And, it's my official weighin for Curves too, so I'll see if I can get my name up on that board for the June Losers! I'll be so proud!

You guys are right about my "leisure" activities this past weekend! I sure do have some funny unknown muscles! They're not too bad today (still a wee bit stiff in my lower back), but it's ok! The bad thing is, we still have 4 more trees to take down this year! This is definitely one of the drawbacks to living rurally ~ and frugally (read ~ cheap!). It is great exercise though, and between camping, our indoor wood-burning fireplace, and our backyard firepit, at least we get free wood!

Enough yakking for me ~ this post is a bit longer than I planned (!) Funny how that happens every time!

Hi everyone! I was able to get myself up early again today. I only had time for a quick 20 minute workout though so I did leg toning exercises with and without leg weights. Then tonight I did 30 minutes of low-impact aerobics. Instead of doing them with a tape, I just put in some music I like and do them on my own. It kind of makes it more fun.

Nettie: I really like Yoga. It isn't what I would call a cardio-workout although there is a type of "new" yoga called power yoga and I think you do the moves very fast. Not sure exactly but Sting does it and he's in great shape. I do Kundalini yoga. It's a combination of meditation, poses, breathing and stretching. When you do a pose, you are breathing in and out through your nose and you may hold that pose for 1 - 3 minutes or do repetitions of it. It is very relaxing and it does tone your muscles and make you more flexible. I also do something called breathwalking where you combine yoga breathing with walking and the breathing adds to the cardiovascular workout.

Copperblu - sounds like you have a lot of different work-out tapes. I bet the variety keeps things interesting. I have a few - I have 3 Step Aerobic tapes (which I used to love but I haven't done for a while) and an old Jane Fonda tape that has dancing and weights and abs on it. I'm hoping when I feel back in shape more I can do the step aerobics.

Marvin - good luck with your weigh-in tomorrow!

Good Morning!

It looks like everyone is having a pretty good week working out. The hardest part of exercising for me is not the rapid heart beat, burning muscles, sweating or even trying to catch my breath. It is getting my butt up and pushing the play button on the VCR. Once I do that, I have committed myself to doing the whole workout. I always feel better after I am finished, although I spend the first few minutes of the tape cussing the smiling, non sweating people on it. (How cold do they keep it in those studios? or Am I the only one that sweats this much?)

I worked out again last night. Did my RS tape WITH weights AND I did my abs tape. I feel so much better about the week now. I was beginning to get down because I didn't exercise at all over the long weekend and although I didn't go hog wild, I over did the food, too. I feel much better now that we (my husband and I) are back on track.

Speaking of my better half, although he has not weighed himself since we started eating healthy, he has noticeably lost weight. He was able to get into a pair of size 34 shorts that he could not wear last summer. He was actually on his way to size 40 this year. Besides being a stay at home dad, he does no exercise and the weight just falls off him. Of course, he put most of his weight on since he started staying home with the children two years ago. I am very proud of how he has not only changed the way he cooks all of our meals, but he watches what he eats during the day as far as snacks. It's nice to have a partner in everything I do.

I too, am digging in the back of my closet for shirts to wear. I haven't dropped sizes in pants because they were really tight when I started, but I have lost enough in my belly to wear some of the shirts that used to be too clingy. So, that is good for motivation.

Hope everyone has a successful day!!

231/207/170

Congrats, Nettie. Isn't it great when you can fit into anything that used to be too tight? And a great hubby to boot! You lucky woman, you! BTW, I know all about that stupid play button! That's why I'm just no good with videos!

Stamper ~ great work on getting up and moving! Sometimes, I just like to put on some great tunes and just dance around the house! I know I look like an idiot, but out in the country, noone sees me!

Great News! We've got our beginner yoga class set up! I'm so excited! It's running for 6 weeks, from June 25 - July 30 (6 two hour classes!) I can't wait for it to start! I figure that if I get some good instruction then I can move onto tapes and such without feeling so clueless!

Had a great day yesterday, and I'm planning a great one today as well! It's dh's birthday today, so supper will be a little heavy (his fav ~ lasagna (full-fat) with caesar salad and garlic toast), but I'm going out for a big old salad at lunch... shouldn't be too bad.

Anyway, I'm off tomorrow, so I won't be able to report in until Monday, unless I stop by the library tomorrow, and "borrow" their internet access! So, I hope you all have a great weekend!

Hi everyone! Week's almost done!

Stamper: It sounds like you had a great day yesterday! And got your groove on with that free-form aerobics! Two workouts in one day! You're on a roll! Give yourself a pat on the back for climbing your way out of a slump and back on track! It's hard work!

Nettie: Believe me I KNOW -- it's all about pressing the VCR button!! (and coming up with creative curses for the people onscreen ) You are NOT the only one that sweats that much! On the day I did "Tortoise", I was DRIPPING and BEET RED! I had some choice words with Tracy Long that day, I can tell you!
I know what you mean about the weekend -- I slacked off on the long weekend too, and was just starting to feel blah + a little bit down on myself when Tuesday came around. It was SO nice to start up again. I just feel better about myself when I'm exercising.
Your hubby sounds GREAT, and I'm so happy that he's doing this with you -- rather than sabotaging! Mine has finally decided that brown rice is not so bad, and perhaps I am not actually EVIL for forcing it on him, so we've taken a big step.
CONGRATULATIONS on being able to wear those shirts again! That's great motivation to keep going!

Marvin: YAY!! I'm so happy for you! Even if you haven't "officially" lost anything in the past few weeks, you've definitely changed your shape, and you should be proud! You're a "loser" in my eyes!
And that's great news about the yoga class! What a positive step! I'm so impressed that you organized that!
Have fun with your DH on his birthday, and enjoy the heck out of that lasagna! See you on Monday!

my update:
Well, I feel bad having to report a not-quite-according-to-plan week with all this activity going on!
Yesterday, as you might remember, I didn't make it to the gym in the morning. Boo! But since I was sore, I thought I'd do Pilates that night instead of the Hare tape. Instead, I got home from work really late and didn't have time to workout at all! Grr!
I did kind of make up for it with eating, as we had what DH and I call "Salad As Big As Your Head" for dinner with some tuna + kidney beans added for extra fiber + protein. I also tried that dipping-your-fork-in-the-dressing-then-spearing-the-salad trick and it seemed to work pretty well.
Back on track this morning, with 30 minutes interval training on the bike at the gym. I am STILL sore from Tuesday's Tortoise workout though! Amazing. But I will still try to struggle through the Hare like a brave little soldier tonight, and see how that goes.

Best laid plans of mice and men.
Got home late, no Hare.
But went into the gym this morning + did 40 minutes of interval training on the bike to make up for it (and to prepare for my evening out! ).
Well, I'll try not to get discouraged -- it IS the first week of my summer schedule, and I didn't anticipate that things would be easy. It's going to be a lot harder to fit in (and to stay motivate for!) those evening workouts now. I'm still making it to the gym fairly frequently, so I won't break out the hairshirt just yet.
I think I'm down a pound or half-pound, but not entirely sure -- my scale is untrustworthy at anything under 2 pounds, so I guess I'm just going to have to wait. Sigh.

Hope everyone's doing well, and has a great weekend ahead of them!

Happy Friday!!

copperblu: That's great you were able to get to the gym in the morning. It looks like you are going to have a hard time getting your workout in in the evening. It is so hard to come home from a long day and then have to make time to exercise. Even though I only exercise for 30 minutes, there's getting the kids straight, cleaning up the toys so I won't break my neck, then taking a shower. Sometimes I feel like that 30 minutes takes up all evening.

Marvin: That yoga class sounds like fun. Learning how to do something right is the most important thing. That is what I like about my ab tape, the instructor is really good about telling you exactly how to do the move. You should learn a great deal being in the room with the instructor.

Stamper: Where are you? Hope all is going well.

Hope everyone has a great, successful, OP weekend!

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