Good Morning LWL,
Well, this was one confusing morning My son, by accident, bumped his alarm clock an hour earlier and got up at 5:15, then thought it automatically adjusted for the switch back from daylight savings time. He was in a panic and pounding on our door at 5:30. Man, it's dark out there! I'd had a hard time falling asleep last night, so it was a short night.

I finally got a heart rate monitor- a Polar F11. I'm not 100% thrilled with it, but it'll do. It was far more expensive than I'd planned and has far more features than I wanted (like a built-in "personal trainer"- lol, I don't think I need that!), but if I can figure out how to use the 3 out of 300 features that I do want, it'll be fine. It does have a soft strap. The ones with the hard plastic gave me a rash.

One of the interesting things I've discovered so far is that I'm actually burning MORE calories than most of the machines say I am, and I'm working much higher than my "target" heart zones. For whatever that's worth.

Here's to a new week for all of us! For those of you still doing the October Halloween challennge, please remember to update your score sheets daily! No prizes, but just a daily reminder to do your best

Mel

Good morning, all!

The cloud has lifted and it's a glorious autumnal day. I shifted a pick-up truck load of wood over the weekend and now have a virtuous feeling in my legs and bottom.

Rabbit - I was so pleased to hear you taking control of the situation in your last posts. That is definitely the way to go. Today's your appointment with the psychologist, isn't it? Hope things go/went well.

Mel - very interesting about the heart rate monitor stats. Thanks for telling us.

Everyone else - how are you? Come on in, the water's lovely!

Ah we was in fog this morning! Uck! It's cleared since we've been out on an assessment. We left at 11:15 and got back at 10 past 3!! I fell asleep in the car on the way back

I'm feeling really icky since I fell asleep! I've got an hour lunch now, so just 50 mins of "real" work left after "lunch"

Going to do lots of stretching tonight and no lacrosse (I'm so naughty...) but I need to warm up first. Last time I just stretched after a bath and I was a bit stiff... I'm going to get the dance mat out! WAHEY!

:

Hi, fellow LWLers,

My weekend was rainy and cold... Teachers are here on strike and kids are at home for the second week, I wonder what the government is for? Obviousle to collect taxes and use them money...
This weekend I was invited to volunteer for my daughters gymnastics club. So far it is 5 hour/week and I hope to bring her with me and also to talk about no fees for us as I volunteer. I personally decided that working as fitness instructor did me more financial bad than good as I have an income and basically pay more taxes when I earn more. So volunteering and lowering substancial fees for the club seems more attractive. I never coaches kids and I seem to love it. And trust mee - rhythmics is a lot of work and 2 hour class with marching nicely long and tall on tippy toes in the gym and showing bridges and doing splits is harder than instructing 2 hour yoga adult yoga class! And try and catch the darn ball or skipp in 4 different ways I am happy to join them and it is much more rewarding to teach 4-6 year olds than 60 year olds - 6 year olds enjoy it and beam about every achievent.

Our adventure with the flood is over, seems we will nto even claim it as we did great mopping job!

Mel, I have heart monitor and I only use 3 options too. I have around the chest and I do not particularly like it - I am asthmatic and when I run first it strangles me and than it slides down my waist. So I run and "hold my non existent boobs" - so that monitor does not slide. Recently I stopped using it. Another thing is when you run with the group you often pick up reading of your fellow runners (my boss has the same monitor and we run twice a week together).

I am training for my 8km last leg of 100 km relays on Nov5th. I am very excited. Seems like I can easily do 8km now, so the only thing I hope for is not to get colds before!

Rabbit - I happy you are coping with what is happening around! Sometimes man are non-sensible that it is unbeleivable. Hold on, we are caring for you!

Sandy.

Morning LWL

It's COLD here in Alaska these days. It's been 20 degrees the last two mornings when I got up - that plus the darkness does not improve my morning attitude.

Yesterday it was at least sunny and so I spent about 2 hours in the afternoon working on my raspberry patch - cutting out all the spent canes, tying up this years and generally pruning. There was enough squatting that my legs feel like I worked them hard. Otherwise it was a sitting-at-the-computer type of weekend - mainly getting reservations for DH to take several trips over the next 6 months, but also paying bills, etc. Booorrring Oh, and I did have a so-not-exciting library board meeting on Sat morning, and lunch with a friend who'd been out of town for several weeks. Had a nice salad and caught up on all the news.

Ack - 1/2 hour has passed since I typed the above. Lost my whole train of thought.

Ellen, sounds like things are looking up for you! Keep up the good work and get healthy.

Rabbit - hang in there. I know it's hard now, but once your husband is out and takes more responsibility for his decisions life will be better - not the same, but better than now. Big hugs to you.

to everyone. Have a great day, and a good week!

I'm still here gals - working hard on eating clean right now - have got all my old Cooking Lights and EFL book spread out on the coffee table and am figuring out my old food routine. I feel much better after 2 weeks of clean eating! I've even managed to eat a few meals with processed carbs in them w/o going overboard.

Bottom line is that I feel like I'm back in control - hurray! Now I just need to work on the working out part!
Cindy

Hi LWL,

Silverbirch, Sashenka, Pat - thanks for the support. Things are quaeting down here. Yesterday my husband & I went to the psychologist. All in all i think it was a good session. The psychologist has advised a time out for 1 - 2 months, so we can gather our breath and get less emotional. This means that my husband must move out for 1 - 2 months, and in that time he is not allowed to live with his new relation. He has of course protested because his new realation is also in the spare room of her house, and this is very stressfull for her, but the psychologist firmly said that that is her problem, that she should solve her own problems in her exisiting relationships and that we must solve ourproblems in our relationship. Finally she stated that if he does not accept this condition, she will not take us into therapy. She has also ordered him to look for housing and given him names of real estate agents that handle such affairs.

I very much like the way she is handling this, but I do not like it that the decision to continue or not continue the therapy is again in my husbands hands. Still, I am relieved that he will be out of the house as his is continuously sending mixed messages: telling at what time he will be home, putting out the garbage, fixing the car etc. Also, I still have false hope for our relation, and every time he comes home I think he will talk to me, or say that he was mistaken, and of course this is not the case. This causes me much grief, and I think the same thing goes for my children. Better all around to get him out of the house.

For the timebeing, while he is still in the house, I have made the resolution not to talk to him about things that matter as I invariably get mad at him because he does not respond. Just sits and stays quiet. According to the psychologist this shows that I do not communicate effectively to him and I think she is right. It does not work to talk to a brick wall.

On the bright side: we are getting out from under a lot of dominant personality, which he projects, maybe even without knowing. Also my doctor has complimented me on getting grip on things. I take care of my kids and affairs while crying sometimes, but nonetheless I DO cope. I liked that from her. I am having a nice holiday with the kids. Tomorrow my husband will take them to a museum for the day. The rest of the week is planned with nice holiday stuff.
And on a whole different note: the scale is down 3 kilograms. I want to start excercising again in the near future, and today I will continue my project in the attic.

I will check in again tomorrow.
Thanks again for the support,
rabbit

Well done, rabbit! Your doctor is right: you are coping with things. It's really impressive. I hope very much that your husband moves out pronto! Sounds as though it's half-term there; we've got it next week. Good excuse to go out and crunch through the autumn leaves.

Pat - your raspberry cane feeling in the legs is the one I got after moving the wood. It's good, isn't it?

Sashenka - I liked your description of the children's class! It's going to be a hard workout for you. Good going.

Cindy - I'm trying to eat clean at the moment but it's not falling into place. I'm going to say to myself: think of Cindy, what would she do? whenever I want to eat some rubbish, or too much stuff.

2F - Put me straight here: what is the point in going to lacrosse? I give you permission to give it up!! Life is too short to be miserable, muddy and wet. Oh, and shunned by upper class nincompoops. Or have I got hold of the wrong end of the stick? Good work on the stretching, by the way.

And me? I've done my morning mobility exercises, my straight leg exercises and I intend to eat clean for the rest of the day (have had one slip-up already). Also go to bed as early as I can.

Let's be determined.

Just wanted to let you know I am still checking in - rabbit, I am so proud of you *hugs*. I know this is hard, but you will look back and be as amazed at you and your strength as we are. You are doing great - keep your boundaries and morals intact. I think you need to tell the psych about the control issues you are feeling and see if she will still see you if he does not uphold his end of the agreement.

2F, I agree with Silver - let the lacrosse go if you are not enjoying it. If you find you miss it, you can always go back. To quote my DH, "I wish I had the time for *insert thing you really don't want to do here* so I could spend it doing something else."

I did a weight session yesterday - felt tired, but good after. I was tentative and know I have lost some strength, but am OK with it - we start from here. This is not a race and my goal is health - long term health. Tomorrow I have Pilates in the morning and *hope* to get the results fo the spinal tap in the afternoon. Keep your fingers crossed.

Way to go Rabbit! Hope your husband finds his own place very quickly. It's awful to be in a house with someone who won't talk to you! Glad he's spending some time with the kids though. Your psychologist sounds like a good person to be working with.

Silver, we heated with wood for nearly 20 years, and I know that feeling too! I really love my gas heat.

2F- I agree, why *are* you doing lacrosse???

Ellen I'm crossing my fingers for a good report from the spinal tap (which is a little silly, as the result is done, you just don't know it yet).

Tonight will be an upper body workout - still feeling the raspberry-legs a little - and then some sort of cardio. I listening to Terry McMillans "A Day Late and a Dollar Short" and I'm at a good spot, so maybe that'll keep be going longer?

I'm slumped here at my computer because I can't stand up on my legs I finished up with my morning clients, then did a long leg session and worked on some new exercises for clients as well. Need to be able to demo them, right? I don't think I'll be doing cardio today.

Rabbit- Way to go on regaining a measure of control. Your therapist sounds like a keeper. I agree, though, that she's put the balol back in your husband's court in terms of compliance. I'm hoping that he agrees to the terms for you and your children. Stay off the scale! Worry about your health (mental and physical) at this point

Pat- Atfter our nine days of rain here when the sun didn't seem to come up, I don't think I'd do well in Alaska. Long, long ago (in a galaxy far away?) I always told people I wanted to live there. In college, I had a boyfriend who was from Anchorage (wonder whatever happened to him- he was cute!) who fed that fantasy. However, even now when DH talks about moving back to Toronto every once in a while, I cringe. And the sun shines there!

Cindy- Good for you on the food. OK, get the workouts going soon, too

Sandy- The kids' class sounds like quite a workout! I'm glad someone enjoys teaching kids- they drive me bonkers! All those years of volunteering as a girl scout leader, a cub scout leader, a reading assistant, you name it...now I love teaching adults.

Ellen- Love your attitude. You're right, it's not a race. I wish I could remember that when I'm injured. My fingers are crossed.

2F- It's sounding like an echo- but why are you forcing yourself to play lacrosse? You don't seem to enjoy it at all. Find something else that you do enjoy. Life's to short to suffer through something that is supposed to be fun if it's not. How about football (soccer)? Women's rugby? Ultimate frisbee?

SB- How is your knee doing? Congrats on the (mostly) clean eats

Mel (time to go limp into the shower)

But Mel, the sun shines ALL the time in the summer! Well, at least it's daylight for 19+ hours where I live, and more further north. But I agree, it's way too dark and cold from October to February. I grew up in Massachusetts, so I was not unused to winter, but Alaska's is too long IMHO. You can see our weather today (rain) at www.cityofpalmer.org The webcam is on the roof of my library. No mountains visible today, but on a sunny day it's pointed right at them.

So is a workout that leaves you like a puddle on the floor a good thing? Hope the shower helps.

Hi everyone, I don't normally post here, but i have just started reincorporating weight-lifting into my workouts. For the past two weeks I have done 20 minutes of lifting twice weekly. This is my third week - my first day of this week was today, with another 20 minutes of weights, plus 2 miles on the treadmill.

What really caught my eye is that Pat is from Palmer. I was born in Alaska and went to elementary, middle school and 7th grade in Palmer, and then from 8th grade to junior year went to Wasilla (lived in Wasilla and then Big Lake). Two of my aunties still live around Anchorage.

I will try to remember to check this section out now that I am a lady that lifts

Well, someone from my "neck of the woods." We've lived here since 1973.

Okay okay! I'm giving up lacrosse! I just like running round with a ball and remember that I used to enjoy it at school. Maybe I haven't found the right crowd of lacrosse peeps, but there aren't any others round here! So I'm pulling out of the match I said I'd play on Saturday, there's no practice next Monday and that will give me a breather to re-evaluate. I think I'd have to practice more to really enjoy it, but I'd rather be spending that time practicing my kickboxing! So I think it will fall by the wayside. The thing that's annoying is that I spent £120 on membership for the year, and £50 on a new stick! I think I'm crazy!

Went to a conference yesterday and ate biscuits. Lots of biscuits (cookies) ... But I'm back on the wagon today! They made me feel so thirsty! I'm always surprised at how bad junk food makes me feel! I just don't seem to remember it before I eat it! I'll get there in the end!

Then I went kickboxing and worked really hard - I was kinda teaching and helping with the newbies and kiddywinks, which was fun! Then it's hardcore kickbox tomorrow - he works us SO hard! But I really love it! kickboxing vs lacrosse, no competition!

Tonight I'm scheduling cardio for warm-up, (probably dance mat!) then weights then stretching. I'm going to have to find more videos to watch while I stretch!

Rabbit, glad you're handling things well! Ellen, hope you're spinal tap is ok. Everyone else : and have a lovely day!