Good Morning, LWL

Busy, busy weekend I played with recipes. See the new Brownie recipe and Peanut Butter Puff which I'll put in the recipe section later today. Went for a real, outside run- 3 miles. Amazing How much more of the landscape I actually notice. Lots of houses have been repainted, landcaping changed, trees come down, but the hills are still there

Also saw the move Matador. Excellent. Pierce Brosnan is very un-007 and I like Greg Kinnear.

Long day, actually long week at the gym...and my ds seems to be sick. ugh.

gotta go, have a good one!

Mel

Hello everyone!

Had a rubbishy food weekend, but am moving on! Spent yesterday cooking lemon chicken (Oh BOY was that gorgeous, just had it for lunch), roasted vegetables and boiled brown rice. That will set me up for the week... No more scrambled eggs on toast every day! Just chicken and veg and rice every day!

Spent Saturday in Utrecht and Haarlem and Amsterdam. Bought LOTS of clothes, things are cheaper there and guess what? The shops stock bigger sizes because the people there are generally my size! (Height and weight wise!) I found shoes that were US 11 (UK 9) and most "fashion" shops had clothes that were WAY too big for me! Usually I'm lucky to find anything that's not made for children on the continent! There were some lovely arty shops in Utrecht and really independent boutique type places. We had a quick walk to the cathedral since it was about -4C and back to the shops!

I kept DF amused with bus and train rides while I caught up on some much needed sleep!

Yesterday I shopped for food (spent an extra £20 on FRUIT AND VEG! ), cooked and slept.

Mel the brownie recipe sounds great, I haven't checked it out yet, but anything that's called a BROWNIE (apart from the young girl guides) sounds good to me!

I've chickened out on my run this lunch time, just not quite feeling rested enough and I do have kickboxing and weights to contend with later on! Bring on the Pepsi!

I'm feeling motivated again after a week or two feeling a bit stuck. BRING ON THE DAY!

Hello LWL

My but I've been a bit of a slacker in posting here, sorry about that ... I'll try to be more present because I do love this thread...

The weekend was good... Did some shopping bought some new runners, but dang I think I bought them a half size too big, I'll go back this weekend and exchange them, don't know what I was thinking, or maybe it was the bad salesperson Oh well, c'est la vie, I'll just have to go shopping again ...Sunday I had an OK run and lazed the rest of the day doing Sudoku's (Thankyouverymuch 2F for getting me totally addicted to those ... Some days I can spend 2 hours in the tub making them!! )


Well I'm off to shower and then to the gym, some days I shower BEFORE the gym, I know, I KNOW,

TTFN ...

I like sudoku but I definitely don't have 2 hours to spend on them

Did my UBW last night, I'm feeling so much stronger! My bench presses seem so much easier with weights that were too heavy last week, and my bent over barbell row is seriously kicking some butt! I think it's time to change routine this week, but I forgot last night. I will have to get my book out.

Got a good mindset today, I just need to figure out how to keep it till the weekend! Actually, a stay at home weekend is easier than a travelling the world weekend! So for the next few weeks I should be finding it silghtly easier to stick to my plan!

Kickboxing tonight, first outing for my pink gloves

You guys are scaring me with the Sudoku. I bought a book to try on our flight out to Las Vegas last Dec. I would have thrown it across the plane but I was afraid they would kick me off (too much watching Airline, huh?), so put it back in my bag and sulked. Oh, then I pulled out the last 6 weeks of People I had bee nsaving and all was well. So, I may not be smart enough to do the puzzles, but I know who wore what when

Things are well - I am so "in" for the Feb challenge. I have gained 10 pounds since Sept and I want it (and a few of its friends) gone. I saw the Pulmonary guy yesterday (all is fine - maybe a slight case of exercise-induced asthma to watch) and the nurse said weight gain is common with two of the medications I am on. I saw weight gain is common from eating crap and no cardio. At least I have some control over the food and movement and I am going to do something about them both!

Off to Pilates and then to pick up my new car!!

Question for PTs: I have yoga scheduled every Mon and a massage every other Tues with this one PT/therapist at my gym. I used to do a weight session with her on Wed's, too. Anyway, she is always moving or cancelling our appointments. The last yoga instructor I had at this gym was the same way. Hey, I understand that people get sick or travel, but this is ridiculous. I average 2 sessions for every 4 scheduled. I said something in passing yesterday (as she changed my massage appointment AGAIN, and her response was something to the effect of "this is why I had making appointments so far in advance (!) Should I make this an issue with the PT or just roll with it?

Hi LWL,

2F - you inspire me with your enthusiasm !!

Ellenuw - You have to check out what kind of sudokus you bought ... I can generally do the 1*, 2* and 3* ones, but the 4* ones....only in the morning when I have an exceptionally good day !

Ilene - good to see you back in !

I am very tires these days; I have a lot of issues on my plate and maybe just have to keep too many ball in the air. I am upping hours with work, to build endurance, also looking for new positions & doing the interviews for them, filing application for sick -pay (file is about 1 inch thick by now) and apart from that I have trouble with XH who finds me uncooperative and hostile. I wonder where such behaviour could come from ??? I have invited him & his lawyer to make a proposal before I want to sit down with them. Furthermore DS is ill with the flu, and DD will have a test to determine what secondary school type she can join, next week.

But at last I did manage to get some excercise & meditation in: Sunday 1 hour excercise & 45 mins yoga CD, and yesterday a power class and a quicky 10 min meditation.
Now only to get some energy back, maybe I'm coming down with the flu also!

2F - glad you liked Utrecht!

have a great day all,
Rabbit

Hello all I'm home with two sick young ladies. It always seems if one of us catches something that we'll all end up sharing it one way or another.

Since I am at home with my daughters I didn't make it to the fitness center to work out. I do plan on walking at least a mile today.

I've noticed a major improvement in my IBS since I've been eating cleaner. I'm not able to tolerate whole wheat anything at this point. I'm hoping that changes, but it may not.

Ellen- I've only cancelled on a client twice. I was very sick. I think it's inexcusable. That's what a datebook is for. Does she have young children who are constantly getting sick or having emergencies? That would be the only reason that I could think of to validly cancel or reschedule. My clients. on the other hand, cancel and reschedule all the time. It drives me nuts!

Today was legs for me. Rather uninspired, but done. Slow cardio this afternoon between clients.

Mel

My client cancellation/no show rate is about 25%, which kills me since I only get paid for hours that I actually work. When a client calls a half hour before an appointment and cancels, I'm already there but lose an hour's pay. That's one of the negatives of being a personal trainer.

On the other hand, I was once ten minutes late when a doctor's appointment ran late (and I called the gym to let the client know) and I cancelled one evening of appointments when we had an ice storm. Other than those, I've only rescheduled standing appointments when I've been out-of-town and I gave everyone at least three weeks notice.

Personally, I feel that the way you're being treated is inexcusable, Ellen, and I'd speak up.

Ah yes...my client cancellation/no show rate is about 20%. Unless it's a special circumstance (like the client whose daughter got into an auto accident an hour before her scheduled session) or the first session, I do charge for missed sessions unless I have adequate notice. The gym policy is 24 hours, but I usually don't charge as long as I get enough notice that I'm not left standing at the gym or making an extra trip back there just to discover that my client changed plans. On the other side of the coin, if I cancel on a client with less than 24 hours notice, gym policy says that I owe them a free session.

My uninspired leg session is resulting in sore legs

Mel

I had a good workout this morning and increased my squat weight. next week i hope to have the gym trainer spot for me so i can work out my 1 rep max.

does anybody here have any experience with competing in powerlifting? and what was it like ? I am aiming for my first comp about 1/2 way through the year.

Trusylver -- We LUVS newbies! But by the sounds of it you are not a newbie to the training world... Congrats on the upcoming comp, that's very cool, but unfortunatly I have no wise advise for you...

I didn't workout today too icy to run double ... Yesterday was an uneventful leg day for me too, I worked out with DS... I really dislike working out with him, he's such a smart a** 17 yr old, but I really try to be patient, HONEST!! I do not have sore legs either, I really hate when I don't have sore legs after a workout ...

I ended up teaching kickboxing last night, so no pink gloves for me! Hopefully they'll come out tomorrow night.

5K run planned for lunch time. I'm going to do it, no excuses. I'm feeling groovy today!

Eating mega mega mega clean! I've had one "processed carb" portion all week and that was an oatcake! However, today I have snuck in a pita bread (wholewheat of course) before my lunchtime run.

Might be off to the cinema tonight, will have to get my weights done first!

Beatlesfan - have we said to you? You are welcome! Bad luck about the bug you've all got. Rest, warmth and fruit and veg, that's my prescription.

rabbit - you've got a lot on, my dear! Pace yourself and have a nice cup of tea from time to time.

Ellen - to my way of thinking, having a massage therapist who makes you feel tense before you even start is counter-productive!

This Fab Feb Challenge is a fab idea! It made me go out yesterday and seek 'active rest'. 30 mins brisk walking including a *very* steep hill. I remember that being able to walk up it without stopping for a breather was one of my aims last summer. And yesterday I did it! And another result was that my legs (which freeze slowly from the feet upwards when I'm at work - long story about the office) defrosted!

I'm being disciplined about turning off the light at night too. The aim is not to be wrecked the following day. Or to look wrecked. Any ideas about getting rid of very black marks under the eyes?

Have a good day, everyone!

If anyone has any black eye tips let me know! I've been in bed before 10pm every night this week... I still look like dead girl walking! - As pale as thy smock Desdemona!