Good Morning LWL

Hope you all had a good weekend. Last week was wild and the weekend wilder for me. I had 18 people including 4 under the age of 4 in my very "un-baby proofed home" on Saturday for a 30th anniversary dinner for my father and step-mother. I managed to work myself into such a frenzy over the cooking and cleaning that by the time everything was finally done and dinner made, all plans of sensible eating and drinking went out the window. And we had a lot of left overs! Luckily they were healthy, just not in the quantity I initially consumed Now I have about three weeks before my next major upheaval which is a trip out to Boulder with my son to visit my mother and take son to camp.

On Saturday morning I had one client and a crazy cardio/leg workout before the cleaning and cooking frenzy started. I'm still sore I found a great workout partner: one of my dd's old high school lacrosse team members! Only problem is that she is 26 years younger than me My gym just bought a weight sled: exactly what it sounds like, with a set of straps and a body harness. We have a long paved hill behind the gym with a parking lot at the top and a grassy area beyond that. We put the sled on the grass, marked out 100 yards, then started at the top of the hill. Did backwards lunges down the hill, forwards lunges up the hill, then one of us ran the 100 yards on the grass with the weight sled with 30 pounds on plates on it, and the other sprinted minus the sled. At the finish line, we switched the sled, then repeated the running with and without the sled interval, then headed back to hill lunges. Repeated for 40 minutes. I think we did run/lunge intervals five times. I haven't been this sore in years! We both thought it would be our hamstrings, but I feel it mostly in my upper quads and rear end

I'm going to miss spinning today because school is over and "between client time" will be used to drive ds to a friend's house. I'm probably to sore for spinning anyway. Not looking forward to the summer juggle!

How are you all doing?

Mel

Mel!!!!! What a workout! My legs ache FOR your legs.

Saturday was a complete wash for me workout wise. I got up at 7AM but due to changing class times, misinformation about locations and utter madness, I didn't get a workout in at all, except trolling the mall trying to find something appropriate to wear for a dinner party. I did very well food wise Saturday. I ate very lite during the day and then for dinner, I only ate 1/3 of what was served to me and didnt take home any doggy bags (except for the dessert one - yes I ate it ALL). I got in a great leg workout on Sunday. Tried squats without the Smith machine for the first time. I started light and worked my way up the weights, topping out at 105 (including the bar). I was able to do 2 sets of 10 at that weight. Food was okay with the exception of about 2 extra teaspoons of natural PB.

Due to the Pistons / Spurs overtime, I got to bed late and missed my cardio this AM. I hope to be able to get it in tonite.

Where is the rest of the GANG?!?!?!


Tiki

Good morning Mel and LWL -

Wow, that sled sounds like a hard workout. And you are my new superhero! Good luck with the kid juggle now that school is out.

I had an "interesting" weekend and am glad to be back in my own home (I love my bed) and my own routine. I ran 9 miles on Sat in 2:04:19, and feel pretty good about it. I was a little concerned, as I had only done 6 the week before because of the 10K, but was fine. Then I went to see my therapist, and I feel like I am through my funk now (more later). That was money well spent. Then I went to my mother's for the afternoon and spent the night. Let me just say I understand why Norman Rockwell painted pictures intstead of taking photos Came home Sunday and dealt with the usual "getting ready for the work week" chores and crashed by watching a totally inane movie (my favorite Sunday night activity). This week was "Ocean's Twelve" and it did its job.

So, like I said, the funk is past and I am back in control. Thank you ALL for your help and support. The most important thing is I have let go of weight and measurement numbers. The best part of my session with the therapist was her reminding me that I am an adult, and I make the rules and do not need permission. So, hey, I have drastically improved my health, gotten of medication, lost 60 pounds and changed my lifestyle. I love the new me and will embrace her. I am "done" focusing on losing weight and have now moved into maintenance. If I end up losing more, good for me. If I don't I am so much better than I was. She also pointed out that I have better BF% and BMI than most of the population MY AGE and need to remember that height and weight charts are still based on insurance rates and 25 year old men from the 1950s. We do not know enough about women and especially women over 40 and will see those numbers developing over then next 15 -20 years. I need to stop beating myself up over not being perfect and get away from the numbers. Notice my "progress" is gone from my signature. Maybe it wil be back at a later time, but I don't need it staring at me right now (and, to tell you the truth, I wasn't very good at updating it).

Yes, I am very numbers oriented (Cost and Schedule anaylst and Project Managment for over 20 years and now this) and need to branch out, and find other ways of measuring myself and my progress. So I am back to running and in the gym for the joy of it and because I like it, not because I need to see pounds or inches lost. I am stil lrecording my food becaue I like seeing the quality of my choices. It feels like a weight (no pun intended) has been lifted from my shoulders. I have also had 2 personal "stressors" resolved and two more to go - one in the next week or two and the last (hopefully) by the middle of next month.

So, now I am looking into PT certification and eventually another degree. The therapist helped me focus on my future goals, and this is probably the next step. I do want to work with people of a "certain age" and help them get healthy and prolong the quality of their lives. I had to search many disparate and different places and specialists to find what I needed to get me back to healthy and would like to make it easier for others. So, as a pointed to question to you, Mel and Meg: what certification did you chose and why?

Thanks - already got my run in this morning and weights later this afternoon after I buy new shoes (Yay baby needs shoes)

Welcome to the wonderful world of maintenance, Ellen! We’d love it if you poke your head in at the Maintainers forum. I know you have lots of great insights to share.

About the PT certification – I heard that there are something like 150 certifications out there. Needless to say, the vast majority are ‘buy a certification’ programs and not very reputable. You want a certification that’s generally held in high regard and that most gyms and other employers will accept. I work for Ballys and they only accept six: ACSM, NASM, NSCA, ISSA, ACE, and IFPA.

The best certification is ACSM but you can’t qualify for it unless you have an undergraduate degree in Exercise Physiology or Biology or something similar. I don’t, so went for NASM. After talking to the director of personal training at my Ballys, I chose NASM over the other five certifications because, in his opinion, NASM is the mostly highly regarded in the field after ACSM. He thinks it's a more advanced, in-depth certification with more useful knowledge than the others. He’s certificated through NASM himself, as are two other trainers besides myself.

Once you enroll in the NASM PT course, you only have four months to take the test, so the pressure is ON! I spent hours studying every week. True, I don’t have a science background so a lot of the bones and muscles and science were totally new to me – you may have an advantage over me there. The test is closed book at a proctored test center and honestly, it kicked my butt. I thought I overstudied for it but it turns out that I didn’t. It was very difficult – or else I’ve lost a lot of brain cells since law school – always a possibility!

Despite its difficulty, I’m glad I chose NASM because I learned a huge amount of practical knowledge that I use with clients every day. It also does seem to have the respect of others in the field. Coming up, I’m enrolled in a two-day NASM workshop that’s coming to Pittsburgh this fall and am considering doing their Weight Management series for continuing education credit.

I think you’re going to love being a PT! There’s a huge need for women our age who can show that it IS possible to be fit and healthy into middle-age and beyond. And, for me at least, one unexpected benefit of being a PT is that forces me to stay on my toes since what I’m selling is myself and my results. People want to train with PTs because of how they look – they want to look like you! (digression - it still amazes me when a client says that she just wants to look like me, since I still see myself as obese and think - huh? why would anyone want to look like ME??) Anyway, the job sure makes me think twice about that cookie or sleeping in through morning cardio. Great motivation for maintenance!!

Good luck, Ellen, and feel free to PM me with any other questions about certifications or training.

Hi LWL!

Thanks for asking the PT question, Ellen, and answering it, Meg - there's a local certification program here which I've been considering for the future. Sounds like it in concert with one of the national certification thingies might be really marketable. Do you find that there is a lot of need for personal trainers in your area? Sometimes I think that where I am now is overflowing with them, but maybe they're all working like crazy and I just have no idea!

Busy weekend for me, more later hopefully, have a great Monday all.

Laura, I don’t know about other areas of the country, but my gym is desperate for trainers, especially female trainers. We have a number of young guys in their 20s (kind of your stereotypical muscleheads) and one or two guys in their 30s (still with awesome bodies). But 2/3 of our PT clients are women, and a lot of them are middle-aged and they just don’t feel comfortable with the 20-somethings.

We have an older female trainer who works exclusively with elderly clients (like those with hip replacements), two women in their 20s who do bodybuilding competitions, a female runner fresh out of college, and then there’s me (I’m 50 ). I know that my boss would be thrilled to hire several more women, especially in their 30s and above. He'd ideally like to have a representation of all ages and both genders to appeal to anyone looking for a trainer.

I'm sure Mel can give you some insight into her part of PA.

Hi everyone!

Almost done for me today and what a day.
Gym in the morning, arms and shoulders and bike, power down at the office for 1 hour(clients still calling), so no electricity (ever gone to the ladies room carrying a candle?), my colleague alone in a dark elevator for la long time, panic all around, DBF left for 2 weeks on a business trip, cake cake cake all around the office (guess what I had for lunch), all in all a madhouse.

Tonight: I'm going to chillllllllllllllllllllll and have veggies and fruit from the garden and that's it...

Ellen, you seem to have found out what you are made of (steel), It's so good to see that you have decided what you are and what you want to do!

Mel, what a crazy workout!

Meg, is it possible to do the PT course outside the US? It's almost impossible to find a serious course here, and everything is in French. There is only one serious course to go here: Gym academy, which will take 2 years out of your life and has no PT course anyway. Stone age...

Tiki, I wish I only had 2 tsp of natural PB today.

Lieke

Greekgirl: Most of the certifications that Meg listed test outside the US. Log onto their websites for the international test locations. ACE probably has the most international test sites. ISSA can be done completely on-line so it doesn't matter where you are. The materials are all in English.

I have to disagree slightly with Meg: I think a lot of people's determination of which is the best certification is colored by which one they hold and their particular orientation or experience, be it bodybuilding, weightloss and fitness, athletics and conditioning, rehab, etc.

I'm currently certified through ISSA and I don't think that's the best, but I didn't do a lot of research before I chose my certifying organization. I think the materials and approach that I learned was fine, but I have some issues with the way the (for profit) organization is run. I'm currently taking continuing ed courses for recertification through them (to be safe so I can keep working) and studying for a new certification through NSCA.

No matter with whom you certify, you need to either re-certify or take continuing education credits every two years to stay current.

There are a lot of PT's out there, but few women over the age of 30. Because of the hours, it's hard to juggle training with ever being home when your family is home! My gym is pretty unusual in that we have 3 trainers over 50 (2 guys and me), and we seem to be the ones most in demand. Even among the women clients (lol, why did this surprise me?), my business picked up significantly when I lost 12 pounds below my goal weight and went from a healthy bf to a pretty lean look. It's hard to maintain, but good for business. Both of the older guys are still competitive bodybuilders and look fantastic. We also have several younger trainers.

ok, back to the gym
I did chest this morning...no records set Cardio and 3 clients to go.

Mel

Okay, that's it - I need to move! (unless one of you wants to relocate to small town Alaska!) Nothing even resembling a certified PT here! My gym has I think 2 PTs. One is a BIG guy in his 30's, in very good shape and very nice but from what I've seen he pretty much has everyone on the same program. THe other is a gal in her 20's who started out working the reception desk! She and the owner (a woman) both use a standard one-size-for-all program. . . Sigh. I worked with the owner a couple times, mostly to get the feel of the different machines and equipment, and to learn where they hid everything. Now I read lots of books and pick my own exercises. Seems to working okay, but I'd sure enjoy a couple of good sessions with a PT. Maybe I should look into it when I go (come?) to the states (we call it going Outside, or going to America ) for a conference or vacation.

Nonetheless, now that I am once again healthy - Yay - I'm back at the gym for regular sessions. Today is upper body/arms and a decent cardio. I was going to ride my bike, but it's pouring!

MeL!! Geeze you're gonna kill yourself !!! ... You're just too much I don't think you had to worry too much about food the evening of your party after that workout!! No wonder you were hungry anyways !

Ellen -- It was so nice to read that uplifting post... Welcome to Maintenance ... I too am of the thinking that if I lose weight that's great, and if not well I feel pretty darn good about myself for my age!

Had a really good leg workout today.....BUT dang not as exceptional as MeL's !!

Hi all!

Will not go to the gym today, tonight is the yearly Fete de la Musique, which means about 100 bands throughout Lyon, music, the works.
Last year we had about 1 million visitors, I think. I will probably dance my way through exercise today. Food is better today (yesterday: terrible).

Thanks Mel for the tips! I am still figuring out what would be better to do, here they still prefer dieting to exercise, so PT's are not so much in demand as they are in the States. I might try to combine Dietician with PT or something

Bye for now, I'm being called away...
Lieke

Hi LWL,

Glad to hear you are all into moving into the new week with gusto !

Mel - that sounds like an AWFULL workout. Every time I stand dripping wet from my cardio I think about your incredible workouts.

Pat, Lieke - And I can identify with you both at having not so much good PTs around. There is no gym in my village, but there is one in the next...The last time I went out there it offered some trainers at about 20 yrs old, mostly interested in gosssiping between themselves, and NO, as a 46 yr old women with not so great figure, I do NOT identify with a 20 yr old man, and I do NOT identify wit a 20 yr old girl that does not show the moves even if I pay her for it. So as Pat says, it is a question of working through the info to find out what works for you, being very carefull not to get injured. Thank God for the internet !

Tiki - How are you doing ??

Hi to Ellen and Ilene

Foodwise has not been to great these days. My motivation jumps out of the window every day at about 14.00 pm. I bought a "power yoga' dvd which i am going totry out today. Ran 5 kms on the treadmill yesterday. We have a heatwave at the moment, and apart from that my hay fever is giving me itches all over.

have a great day all,
rabbit

'Morning all. Had a short 20 minute run yesterday as part of the DCFit training. It amazes me how quickly it went by. Boy, how things have changed. I went out and got fitted at a running store yesterday and ended up with a pair of Saucony Hurricane 7s. Then went for my weights. Today I will have my first hill run in the new shoes. The guy at the store was really patient and must have brought out 6 pairs of shoes for me to try. Let's see, heel stability coupled with my narrow toe box and high arches (how cool is that lingo?) - I really made it tough for him.

So, hill run and yoga today. Then I plan on doing the Costco shopping. I am feeling so much better than I was last week. I am hot and heavy into researching certificaiton programs. Do any include hands-on experience? Now I understand why the owner of my gym holds training sessions with the newer trainers every week.

Have a good day LWL

Hey Hey all!!!

Rabbit, I do the same thing. After I finish a workout or get to a new level on the weights I find myself thinking about Meg, Mel and Ilene and all they do and remember that there is so much more for me to accomplish. That really is a motivator for me.

So Ellen got some brand new shoes? Hope they work well for you on those hills. If not, beat the sales clerk in the head with them.

Leike, that festival sounds great! Have a good time and dance some for me as well.

Last night, DD and I went for a nice long bike ride - about 40 minutes. It was the perfect cardio for my super sore legs and butt. We played follow the leader, up and down hills, we raced, just had a great time. I wish she could STAY 10 years old. Food was great yesterday.

Tonite is cheer try-outs. Tomorrrow my new team gets to finally meet the "REAL COACH" and they will soon learn that Coach Tiki expects a LOT from them.

Tiki.

Tiki -- *I* am not of the same caliber as MeL and MeG... YOU all amaze me at how dedicated you are, I often feel lazy when I read all that you guys do... Tiki you da :coach of the year girl !! Those girls won't know what hit them...

LIeke -- a music festival that sounds like a good dancing/workout to me

Today I will go to the gym and do shoulder and cardio later around 6:30 and pick up DD at work at 8PM... She loves her new job, I think she may just go that way as a carreer, how cool is that? I think it was Tiki who mentioned how disapointed she was with her first paycheck and the $$ taken off for the govt, well DD was disapointed too, welcome to the real world I always say...