Please go back and read Everyday Exercisers, Week of June 11, 2001 for last week's posts.

Stamper: I'm glad you are feeling better. That is great that you worked out so much over the weekend. I haven't officially exercised since last Wednesday. GASP! We went to the zoo on Saturday and walked a lot. It was very hot here, too with the heat index around 100. So that was all the exercise I got this weekend. I am planning on really sticking to the routine this week. I tend to fall off by Thursday or Friday. Not this week!

The problem w/ my heart is actually an abnormal muscle that causes the valve problem. My mom has this condition and she takes meds every day for the rest of her life. My nephew has it and he will eventually have to have a transplant. He had an open heart surgery when he was five and they trimmed the muscle down some, to buy more time. He is doing well, considering he just turned eight and was not suppose to live past two without a new heart. Our bodies can do amazing things. Mine seams to be doing ok for now and I'm still managing with no meds, so that is great with me.

Congrats on getting below the 200 mark. Alas, I still have not reached that point. My scale was just barely below 200 this morning, but I don't count half pounds so I have to round up and still say 200. That's ok. It will give me something to look forward to next Monday. I lost a pound this week and am very happy. I planned on losing one to two pounds a week so it will stay off and my skin can shrink back with me. Isn't that pleasant!

Monday: Bike 10 miles, LBWO
Tuesday: RS Tape/Ab Tape
Wednesday: Bike 10 miles, UBWO
Thursday: RS Tape/Ab Tape
Friday: Bike 10 miles, (Leave open)

That's my schedule and I'm sticking to it.

Hope everyone has a great Monday!

231/200/170
(199 Independence Day)

Hi Everyone!

I'm back from vacation and ready to check in! Well, we ate like little piglets over the long weekend -- but none of it was really unhealthy, so that was good. Ate a lot of things from the grill. Took a few walks, went for a cold swim in the ocean, etc. It was good to see my parents, and Nantucket was nice, if not as sunny as predicted. I wasn't very strict about what I ate, so I was pleased to see that I didn't bring back any extra vacation pounds with me!

Nettie: You're a braver soul than I, walking around the zoo in 100 degree heat! That's HOT !
Congrats on your loss, and your firm plan for this week! I know you can stick to it!

My plan:
As this week is TOM, I'm going to follow my usual strategy of keeping my exercise routine light. I have a new set of yoga tapes that a friend gave to me for my birthday, so I might try that this week (avoiding inverted poses of course!), along with some Pilates. Adding an extra workout at night has definitely not been working well with my new schedule, so I think I'm going to have to adjust my old plan. Also, it's about to get really really hot in NYC, so I think I'd be better off exercising (and more likely to do it!) at the airconditioned gym. I might start doing weight-work in the mornings 2 days a week, since DH and I seem to have picked up our weekend cardio again -- so I could still get in 4x cardio a week if I really set my mind to it. We'll see.
I've decided to modify my goal as well. I'm not revising my ideal weight upward yet, but I've decided to relax a bit about the timetable on which I accomplish it. I'm getting too worked up over this plateau, and getting down on myself for it when there's really no reason to -- I'm still active, I'm still eating right (most of the time ), and still commmited to fitness. I shouldn't be wasting all this emotional energy on whether I drop 5 pounds in the next few weeks. I'd like to lose 5 pounds in the next 6-8 weeks, and be down to 145 by mid-August. If I lose 10, I'd be happy, but I'm just going to aim for 5 and see how that goes.

Anyways, good to be back, and I hope everyone's doing well and had a great weekend!

Nettie: That's good that you lost a pound. Especially since you didn't get to exercize since Wednesday. But I would certainly count that hot walk in the zoo! Even if it was a slow walk you had to be burning some calories.

Copperblu: Glad you had a nice vacation and congrats on not gaining any weight. What Yoga tapes did you get? I will be interested to hear if you like them. My Yoga instructor is in New Mexico for 2 weeks, so I won't have class again until 6/30. But I do it on my own when I can and I also do something she taught us called Breathwalking, where you incorporate rhythmic breathing and meditation with walking.

Well, got to sign off so I can get my evening swim done.

Not only did I ride my bike last night, but I rode 10.5 miles! Then I did a LBWO concentrating on my knees. My left one was injured a few years ago and hurts sometimes. I think the exercise helps, it is sore the first few minutes of riding the bike, but the stiffness works out after about a mile and it doesn't bother me. I have found it hurts worse when I don't workout. One more reason to get off my butt and get moving.

Stamper: How was the swim? I hope I can muster the nerve to wear a bathing suit before the end of summer.

Copperblu: Welcome back! That's great you did so well on vacation, and had a good time, too. I don't blame you for revising your goals. Do you measure? You may find the changes are there and not on the scale. I don't measure yet, as I am so far from goal, but I think it is a really good tool for people that aren't seeing the scale move. It used to be we lived and died by the scale, but that is only one measure now. I would be interested in what you thought of your Yoga tapes, too. I would really like to try this, but most reviews I see for beginning Yoga tapes say that they really aren't for beginners. I've been to a few websites that show photos of positions and I think it would take a long time before I could get into some of those positions. That or I would end up in traction.

Hope eveyone has a great day!

231/200/170

Good morning!

Stamper: I hope you had a great swim! I definitely wish I had a swimming pool right now!
I got the YogaZone beginner's boxed set -- which has an introductory tape and 3 different yoga workout tapes w/different emphasis.

:Nettie: Congrats on your great workout! You are really moving right along!
You're right about the "beginners" yoga tapes -- not quite beginning! I have 2 LivingArts tapes w/Rodney Yee that are way too fast for a beginnner, so I'm hoping that these YogaZone tapes will be more my speed. I've heard great things about them + the main instructor, as a good introduction to yoga.
I do measure, but not this week (bloating! ) -- I've found that it wasn't as helpful as I'd hoped, since overall my inches have gone down by quite a bit, but I don't see a big change from week to week. The best thing I've found, strangely, is visual -- I can usually see how my body is changing. For instance, my thigh measurement is the same as it was a few weeks ago, but now the measurement is more "vertical" than "horizontal", if that makes sense. The girth is coming from more my quads, rather than my fat sticking out on the sides.
I know it's not about immediate rewards, and I've been getting too stressed about that, so that's why I'm trying to change my goals + outlook. It's helpful for me to have a goal to reach for, but something short term -- like getting into a bikini by a certain time or whatever -- only seems to stress me out. It's better for me to try not to think about it so much, and think about the weight loss as a "bonus." I've gotten to the point where I can wear my clothes comfortably, so this is a good time for me to shift my focus onto the longterm. It helps me remain patient, and not get frustrated and give up because things are happening slowly.

Anyways, update!
Didn't get to try my new yoga tapes last night, what with getting home late from my first day back at work + all. Ate pretty well though, with the exception of some major snacking when I got home.
Today's workday goal: to remember to drink all of my water!! I had a wicked headache when I got home yesterday, because even though I tried, I'd been staring at a computer screen all day + didn't drink at least 2 full liter bottles. Also, I did some "wall" pushups + countertop tricep dips yesterday while waiting for faxes + such, and will be trying to remember to add more in. Lastly, at least a few times today, I have to get up + try to touch my toes. I get really unflexible in my shins of all places, and when I go a while without stretching, my range of motion significantly decreases. So I decided I was going to try to remember to stretch throughout the day.
In the evening, I hope to get in a yoga or Pilates workout.
That's my plan!

Hope everyone's doing well!

Hi everyone! I had a good swim last night - about 45 minutes. I am going to swim again tonight. It's been a good string of days here for swimming but we are supposed to have thunderstorms Thurs - Sat. Of course, that probably won't be all day.

I got out of the habit of getting up in the morning to do my other exercises and I think it makes a big difference because I'm not getting the ab workout or the stretching I get with Yoga. This morning I set my alarm for 5:45 and continued to hit the snooze until 6:30. That was so stupid! I even have to get up and cross the room to do it so I just get about a 7 minute nap before I have to hit it again. My husband was already up and doing work. I've got to make myself get up the rest of the week!

Copperblu: Sounds like you have a good plan. I should try to work some of those exercises in at work. I just came across something the other day that I ripped out of a magazine about wall pushups and other things you can do in the office. I think you will find the Yoga will help with your flexibility too.

Nettie, what does LBWO stand for? I just wondered. My right knee was injured in an accident in 1997. I have minor arthritis in both of them but it is worse in the right one because of that. I just wondered what you were doing to help your knee. I agree that some exercises like biking and swimming help. If I walk a lot several days in a row it gets worse. But just being sedentary is the worst thing for it. Congratulations on your big bike ride too!

Well - I need to go hit the pool. We are going to have spaghetti & meatballs for supper. I made meatballs the other day from ground turkey and froze them. I use the Hunts canned spaghetti sauce that only has 40 - 60 calories per 1/2 cup and I mix some cooked vegies in with my pasta so I don't have to have a heaping helping of pasta. It has to be something quick when I work all day and then want to swim too.

Hope you all have a good Wednesday!

Hi there this is Patch. I've been away a long time and had been struggling with losing weight I gained back since before the Thanksgiving Holiday! But, I'm glad I'm getting back on track and gals / guys like you help me stay there. I've been pretty active for the past 4 years, starting with just slow walking and building it up to racewalking Marathons. I know this sounds daunting but I did it with a group called the LA Leggers (California) and the group camraderie kept me going. I reached a point last year though where I just didn't want to kill myself with Marathons and lost my drive, around November. Even though I didn't give up walking entirely, just the slowdown added to the eating caused me to gain weight.

I couldn't seem to push myself anymore and sortof gave up for a while. So I gained a good chunk of weight. 13 lbs worth. Yikes. I think finally seeing my weight pass the 10 lb mark gave me a reality check. So I'm back on WW program in earnest and am doing a pretty serious workout 3x per week. Any more than that and I go bonkers. Thanks for having this "thread" Patch

Hi all!

Had a good workout last night. The RS tape is becoming too easy for me. But I like the fact that it is 20 minutes. Most of his other tapes are an hour. I think it is time to say so long to Richard. He was there for me when I was too fat to do any other tape, but he has served his purpose and it is time to move on. I am going to have to get another cardio tape that is 20 minutes, but still has a good workout on it. I did my ab tape too. That is getting easier. I still have two more steps to move up on that tape before I have to buy another one. (Tip to the instructors on the tapes: Don't make corney jokes. The first time I heard it, it was cute. The second, third, . . . tenth time, it was just dumb. Don't these people realize we are going to be doing these tapes over and over and over. My two cents at 6:30 in the morning.)

Stamper: LBWO Lower Body Work Out. I do mostly exercises that strengthen the quadracept (big muscle on the front of your upper leg.) By strengthening that muscle, I am able to pull my knee cap back into the proper postition. The doctor recommended that instead of another surgery. I will try to find the website where I got my exercises from.
Here is one site: http://www.orthop.washington.edu/knee/ It has videos to show you exactly what you are supposed to do. These are not the exact ones I do, but they are good too. To help with the soreness, do some 30 degree squats in your office. Don't go past 90 degrees, you will hurt yourself more.

Copperblu: I fully understand the "verticle" and "horizontal" differences. It's good that you can see the results yourself. I know having half a day off on Friday is nice, but you are going to have to tell your company that this is just not working out for your exercise routine.

Patch: Welcome back. You are always welcome here. What type of exercise are you doing now? Three times a week is probably plenty. I have a long way to go and since I never exercised before, I like to make it part of my schedule every week night. If I make it every other night, I will just put it off. Thinking "oh, I can do that tomorrow". I'm not very disciplined. Of course, if I was, I would not have gotten up to 231 pounds. As someone who considered lifting the remote exercise, I'm sure you won't have too hard of a time getting back into the swing of things. From what you wrote, exercising had been a way of life for a long time. Maybe you just needed a break and a change. Hope you come back often. There is a great bunch of ladies (I think we are all ladies, but we welcome men) in here.

Hope everyone has a successfully, sweaty day! Back to work . . .

Hi Nettie:

Thanks for the warm welcome back!

My excercise regimen goes something like this.

Monday - Group track racewalking workout. First we go 3x around track really slow to warm up, then 1x brisk, 1x faster, and 1x fastest around the track and then another 1x fastest, 1x a bit slowerr, 1x back to the brisk walk and finally a slow loop to cool down. Between each 1/4 mi. loop I rest. It totals about 2 1/2 miles and takes me about 1 1/2 hours. Thats approx 5 Activity points earned

Tuesday rest - I need it

Wednesday - Bicycle - 45 min - pretty slow - 1 Activity point

Thursday - 1 hour brisk walking with a buddy - includes a major hill. Approx 2-3 activity points earned

Friday - rest

Saturday - major "fun run" with group of Walkers 1 1/2 hours - uses up about 5 points. Sometimes we do a major hike for 2 hours and actually earn 10 points

Sunday - ususally an easy and slow bike ride with my husband - maybe I earn 1 point.

That's it. For me the key is doing it with someone. Although sometime I'll turn on a RS Video or a Calanetics tape, but they don't hold my attention consistently.

Keep it up gals. You are my inspiration
Patch

Good Morning!

My doctor put me on a pill to make TOM go away, but the side effect is, it makes me sick, like morning sickness, in the evening. I take the pill in the morning, and I get sick in the evening. If I take it at night, I'm just sick in the morning. I need breakfast, so I don't want to get sick then. I told you all that to tell you, while I was riding my bike last night, I started getting really nauseous. I thought it was because I had not drunk enough water before working out. I just kept pushing my self and sipping water. Well, at 4.6 miles I gave up. I am doing my tape tonight and maybe it won’t make me sick. I may try to eat a few crackers before I ride Friday. I hate it when things get in the way of my exercising. So bottom line is I only got in 4.6 of the 10.5 miles I wanted to ride and did not do my upper body work out. I feel good that at least I got something in before I got sick.

Patch: Sound like you have a pretty good workout plan. It is good that you have people to walk with. Are you doing W/W? You kept mentioning points. I usually go by calories burned. I think it is about the same thing. Walking sounds like great exercise. It is just too hot for me here in FL to go out in that sticky heat. Keep up the great work and make sure to post often so we don't lose you.

231/200/170

Hi Patch , Nettie, + Stamper!
Sorry I didn't check in yesterday -- I'm having a couple of busy days at the office, and couldn't get to the board yesterday.

WELCOME BACK PATCH! Glad to hear you're back on track and doing well!

Nettie: That's a bummer about the nausea! Major points for getting a workout in beforehand though! Now that's dedication! I think it's GREAT that you're dumping Richard! It was good while it lasted, but sadly, you're just not feeling the love any more. Seriously though, it's great that you're building up cardiovascular endurance and getting more fit, so that you can go on to bigger (or smaller ) and better things!

Stamper: That spaghetti dinner sounded YUMMY! I'm going to remember that -- especially now that I'm looking for easier recipes, since I don't want to cook when a)it's boiling hot and b) I'm getting home later.

I did 30 mins of yoga last night, and that stuff is harder than it looks! My hat's off to you, Stamper!
Been doing some exercises at the office, and a little extra walking, but not a lot of exercise this week. I keep having to stay at work late, and don't get home til 7 or 8, by which time DH is arrives home + hungry -- so then we have to make dinner and I don't get my private workout time. He came home yesterday in the middle of my yoga! (I kept going, but didn't do an hour like I would have liked). I can't wait to start going back to the gym!!

[COLOR=red] hey there Nettie, Copperblu and Stamper.

It's wonderful to have this forum. And yes Nettie, I'm on Weight Watchers. I started way back in early '90 (in NY) - [COLOR=blue] yes Copperblu I'm a New Yawka, when everyone was counting breads, proteins, fruits and fats, and made my goal by late '90. Kept it off for a few years - moved out to California and couldn't hook up with a good leader. slowly the weight piled back on (to 160). I finally started W/W again in Oct 97 having to lose 30 pounds, and reached goal by July '98 (135). I kept it off up til Nov and then the rest is history.

I actually started with the Walking Marathon Training progam just a month before I rejoined WW and realized excercise alone was not going to do it.

Now, after mapping out the excercise regimen below, I probably should have come back down to earth and let you gals know I tweaked my back either Sat or Mon. Probably did too much excercise too intently.

Last Saturday was a 10 mile hike in the hills of Topanga State Park and Monday was the Track workout. And I worked both full throttle.

I woke up on Wed. with something twinging in my lower back and hed trouble getting out of bed. So I went to Physical Therapy - PT got myself stretched out, and am trying to treat myself kindly today. So instead of doing my regular Thurs. hill work I just walked slowly for about a mile with a bud and came home and did the stretches I was told to do.

I feel so sluggish though...

If and only if, I'm up to it will I do our Saturday walk, I'll probably modify it to be less hilly and more relaxing. The frustration is that I have grown to count on the extra activity points (WW again) which allow me to legitimately eat more food.

Copperblu - The Yoga tapes sound great. I can't wait to hear more about that.

I'm not sure who mentioned this... but what or who is TOM???

Thanks again
Patch

Patch: I'll admit it took me awhile to figure it out too. TOM is for Time Of the Month. I've been having TOM for five weeks now! So I will put up with the nausea if this medication will make it stop.

Get some rest and do whatever the PT told you. Aggrevating an injury will only harm you. Like you said, you can slow it down a bit and still get some exercise. Anything that gets your blood moving and you breathin deeper is better than sitting on the couch.

Hi Ladies!

My wonderful husband does not want me to exercise until I am not nauseous anymore. I agreed for now, because nausea is not my forte. But I only get sick at night, so I am going to move my Thursday/Friday workouts to Saturday/Sunday morning-early afternoon since I get to sleep in those days to 7:00 or 7:30.

Copperblu: That’s a bummer about work. It stinks when life gets in the way of our plans. Let us know how the yoga progresses. You are our guinea pig for yoga tapes.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and I will have a lot to update on Monday from all my makeup workouts this weekend.

231/200/170