Good morning!

We got rained on in the Peak district! Wind, rain and sheep!

BfL has not provided any encouraging results after the first week - but I'm keeping going. I always figure I can "go extreme" for 2 or 3 weeks before the wedding

Hopefully my bike saddle is in the post so will be cycling to work on Wednesday.

Legs at lunch, kickboxing tonight.

Food was a little pathetic over the weekend, but today it's going to be great! I just need to get me a MANGO! I wanted chicken and mango salad, but there weren't any mangos in the shop this morning!

Oooh good news on the knee front. I don't have to do those stupid things that were pounding my knees! Hooray! My instructor's taking them out of the grading because they're "too advanced" Now I feel like I HAVE to do them to prove a point! BUT this means that there is nothing standing in the way of me getting an amazing grade on this belt! I just have a couple of things to tidy up!

Be patient and watch the food! Remember it's a three legged stool: cardio, weights, and NUTRITION. Most people don't see real "in the mirror" results until week 6-8 or later.

Just finished a leg workout at a new "sort of" gym. It's almost all machines- but cheap! I can hide out there and not have anyone ask me questions although the place was filled with neighbors and ex-members of my current gym. My biggest gripe is that although I can do lots of quad exercises, there is virtually no way to do hamstrings since their ONE type of seated curl just doesn't adjust to fit someone my size, and my elbows are still too painful to do heavy dumbbell deadlifts.

Have a happy Labor Day to those in the US. Be careful at those barbeques

Mel

I like that - a three legged stool! Must remember that one!

Can you get cable adjustments for hamstring curls? I saw a leg strap thing online once...

Susan- Fru has been lifting, kickboxing and running for quite a while. She has a little nutrition problem

Fru- Don't worry- I really don't think you are going to get bigger! You aren't a liftin' newbie. Just clean up the food, pass the pudding, and be patient You've got more than a week before your wedding.

I bought scallops to do on the grill for me, but the boys want burgers. Time to get grilling. I can't believe summer is offically over and tomorrow is a school day. Part of me is sad- we had no vacation at all this year, but part of me is glad to get back to the routines and get my son away from the $%#!! video games!

Anybody watch US Open Tennis this weekend? Each shot makes my elbows hurt. I'll probably never play tennis again. Too much getting fit

Mel

Fru & I could be partners in crime! I actually asked dh today that if I did cardio 5/wk, lifted 3/wk, but still ate between 2000-2500 cals each day, could I just be considered "fit" but over-fat? Honestly, I've been this way so long that I'm not doing this to get into a size 8 jean, I'm doing this to not have all the other problems weight bring later in life, to feel good, and to not hurt to move. He laughed and me and said, but how hard would it be just to stick to 1500-2000 instead? Not too hard I guess, but boring. I'd have to give up all my little treats and eating out!! No FUN!!! (I know, replace the fun with other fun.)

Anyway, ubwo on Saturday, lbwo and cardio yesterday, nice fast-paced walk outside today with the kids for 35 minutes and hopefully some elliptical tonite as well.

Has anyone ever had a weird/bad reaction to a tetanus booster (tetanus/diptheria, Td)?

Fran, I get fevers and golf ball sized hard lumps from tetanus boosters. The last time I had one, it was sore for almost 2 weeks. I suppose it's better than tetanus

Mel

Thanks Mel. As scary as that msg was, it was reassuring. I was conjuring up all kinds of crazy schemes and mis-vaccination scenarios in my head as I try to sleep tonite. I will not be signing up for another one of these short of having a body part dangling from my core. When I lived in PA, they used to always make you sign a little sticky that was inserted right in your chart, with the name of the vaccine, the lot number and the expiry date that was taken right off the vial, but apparently that's not a reqmt here in MD. Or maybe it was just a pediatric practice since kids get poked so often, or our very cautious docs there (Broomall Pediatrics), but it is reassuring to see with your own eyes what they are sticking into you. I have read in my laborious google searches this weekend, that reactions tend to get worse as you age because you've had more boosters and have more antibodies in your blood so you react much more violently. Even more reason I am staying AWAY FROM THE NEEDLE!

Mel - THANK YOU for that wake up call! I think I need to paste that on a Post-It on my forehead! And DF's forehead too! I'll get him to "treat" me in ways other than dinner. Diamonds would be nice Aaaaaaaah a girl can dream!

I'm doing ok yesterday - almost squeaky clean (1 cracker with cheese was the culprit!). Today, aiming for some great food, great HIIT and great kickboxing practice!

In kickboxing news - It's Blue belt test on Saturday! The stupid spin that was breaking my kneecaps off has been removed from the test That means that, with a little polishing, I will be able to do EVERYTHING PERFECTLY

In cycling news - my NEW saddle has arrived Which means it'll be my first 14 mile each way commute tomorrow! I can't wait! Think of all those calories burned! I'm going to eat breakfast en-route, so that I can take advantage of some fasted fat-burning cardio.

In other news - I am covered in a stupid rash! It may or may not go away before the wedding at the beginning of November. I'm thinking of bottling it and buying a furry shrug. I'm going to do all I can to try and rid myself of the pox! HC cream, Kykaree is posting me some paw paw cream, I've got cocoa butter cream that's supposed to take care of stretch-marks and skin imperfections and I'm going to try gently exfoliating to see if that might help skin renewal.

Hope everyone's doing ok

Frus

Hi LWL,

It is already wednesday, and I still am getting my act together. Monday I did do the 1 hr powerclass, but today is wednesday, I had planned to go to the gym this morning, but I have to go to my manager since he requested my attendance for a "career counseling" talk. I have heard on the grapevine that there will be a reorganisation, and i guess he will tell me that i do not fit into the new organisation. I am very stressed out on this, and I notice that I have been stress eating as well and the scales have gone up.

Oh well, as long as I survive this morning everything will be OK. it is just a question of getting my priorities straight. Careerwise, my career was over once I got my burn out, so all I am aiming for now is to get a decently paid job with enough hours to leave time for more important things. Which is a difficult enough attitude to a workaholic.

Frus - carefull with what you put on to your rash! If you have sensitive skin, some things can actually make it worse. Are you sure it is not something you have newly added to your diet???

I'll come back after my career counseling to tell the result. You would think that managers could lay off on these sessions. They always pretend that it is for your good, while in my experience, it is an opportunity for them talk your head off and to show how great they are. I cannot remember a single usefull one of these sessions in my working career of 25 years.

Have a great day,
Rabbit

My rash is Pityreasis Rosea, which is some random virus-caused thing that can't be treated and will take a few weeks to go away. Meanwhile, I'm getting more spots! Ick! So I have hydrocortisone cream and stuff to try and get rid of it.

I bottled riding in today. I was thrown around a lot at kickboxing last night and I've got a bit of whiplash coming on. Plus I was exhausted last night - not enough food. So I am aiming at riding in on Friday, depending on how I feel and considering that I have a belt test on Saturday morning!

However, am all on plan with BfL - it's UBW tonight. Last night DF made creme brulee and I resisted, even though he tried to force it on me (just a teaspoonful but even so) and he made a funny face when I insisted I didn't want it. But that's his problem!

Frus: congrats on blue belt testing. A friend of mine who does Tae Kwon Do told me I would like kickboxing but after reading about almost getting whiplash (which I've had), I think I shall pass!!! I would love to find something like that which would help me build and not destroy my bones. I think it would be fun. I've tried some aerobic classes in the past few months and I HATE THEM. Is there something in a person's genetic makeup that would let them do aerobic classes that I just don't have. I hate just about everything about them, the room, the group, the instructor, the exercises, the music. I've heard they are addicting but I can't see how. I think I could become addicted to just about anything, but I can't handle aerobic classes. I've toyed with the idea of some kind of self-defense class (I took a few a long time ago) but am probably not ready for that.

As for job-related stress, Rabbit, I've been there. Surprisingly, not now. I was in tech support/software engineering back in the 90s when every high tech company was laying off. I loved the company I worked for and was never in danger of losing my job but it was so depressing to see the company being decimated. We were a GREAT company, full of good people and it helped me IMMENSELY to work there after my divorce...and then I watched it fold from the world's 2nd largest computer company into nothing. It was so sad. I went back to graduate school while there and they paid for it...I changed careers but was still unhappy and I eventually wound up in law school even though lawyers, as a group, are not known for career satisfaction. We don't have layoffs at large law firms but people leave all the time. It's the nature of the beast. I like my law firm a lot (having worked for a really horrid firm) but I'll never be attached as I was to my tech company. I found the whole layoff/career counseling thing extremely stressful and I did stress-eat over it, a lot. Hang in there!

As for me, I went away over the weekend and was in rough shape last night. I had my grandson with me over the weekend...so I didn't drink or even overeat but I didn't get a lot of sleep (I worry to death when he's with me and kept waking up with a start) and didn't eat as cleanly as I'd like and didn't get a lot of sleep....so last night at the gym I was dragging but still did cardio. About half way into it, I developed stomach cramps. My digestive system always goes out of whack when I travel (it's actually genetic). I hate that. It will take me a couple of days to get back to normal. Hopefully today is the day.

I also have to increase my water. I used to be so much better at it than I am now. Before my accident I easily drank a gallon or so a day but would get up 2 to 3 times a night to go to the bathroom...well you can't do that when you can't walk so I stopped drinking water and would eat sugar free popsicles for thirst. They are addictive. I love the things but haven't gotten back to my water routine. I am making a more conscious effort to drink water.

Have a productive day everyone!!!

Hi LWL,

Back from the career-counseling. As I thought, my manager talked about 55 minutes about the changes in the organisation, and the world at large, and in the last 5 minutes the effect on my career: I do not fit into the new organisation,(surprise surprise0, he advises my to switch to another job (no surprise either), the people where I work now probabely want to hire me next year, but they do not want me on the payroll, and my manager still is responsible for me but wants out of this.

All in all, nothing really new, except that I get the impression that he will probablely make the target that I get a new job somewhere in 2007, as opposed to per january 1st 2007.

Now for a sorely needed bit of rest and relaxation!

Rabbit

Aww, Rabbit, so sorry you had to go thru that. I hate, dread, and fear those conversations. Like, that's my thing I worry most about is that you just wake up one morning and it's time for the dreaded talk. It seems to work that way, anyway. Hang in there.

30 minutes on the treadmill today at 3.5 and incline of 4. Felt good on the old backside!

Hi all,

I can't seem to control my eating very well lately. I want to munch and munch and I don't know! I'm hoping its a phase that I can ride through and just do the best I can during the phase.

I went on a really good hike on Monday. I was so exhausted after it and my legs are still sore from it. I did a good ubwo at home last night using my new weights and weight bench. I need to do some cardio but for some reason, I'm feeling reluctant.