Good Morning, I like that new handle "bp" for beautypursuer. So bp thanks for the information I will have to do a search to see what else comes up. Wow I as well started very slow I actually drive around my circle driveway first couple of days then went onto the road then after a month or so of around town I went on to our two lane highway then on to the Interstate as our highways and interstates have different speed limits. Now I travel everywhere but it has been 7 years of riding my own bike.
We don't ride with any certain organization just a bunch of good friends.
Hope everyone has a great day today as well.

Vermontmom well you do have the countdown going on that is great but at least you know that once you are done with your winter job that summer is close by and of course the riding. Do you go to Mrytle Beach for anything special?

Hi Reda, we go because it's Spring Bike Week down there at that time. Hundreds of thousands of riders attend. We like it, because it's all spread out over 60 miles of coast, instead of being all squashed in like say, Laconia. So it isn't centralized like Sturgis, but still great.

It's especially great for us because it's early riding time for us, our first road trip of the year, and we crave the sun and warmth!! The leaves are barely coming out up here at that time, yet as we progress more South the spring greenery is more apparent on the NY Thruway; in northern NJ the crabapples are blossoming; and past Maryland it's full-on summer.

There are a couple biker bars we visit, one of them is crazy-great, it is huge, like a warehouse, with multiple bar stations inside, cages for ladies to dance in, and an inside burn out pit that has Plexiglass walls so bystanders can see; a closed-circuit TV showing the burn out to everyone else; and a HUGE exhaust fan to take care of the smoke :D

and you are exactly right about the end of the crummy winter job; once it's over, I know that Myrtle Beach is one week later; then the summer job and summer :D :carrot: and RIDING TIME!!!

Just for fun - here's my exercise journal for this month. It's posted at the South Beach diet thread, March Exercise Challenge. Thank goodness for "copy and paste" :D The bold
numbers are running totals of minutes exercised.

1- (getting over sinus infection)
2 - "
3 - 15 minutes elliptical
4 - Karen Voigt tape (cardio and weights) 60 min.
5 - Gilad's Step and Tone tape 45 min.
6 - Karen Voigt tape 60 min.
7 - Step and Tone tape 45 min.
8 - Karen Voigt tape 60 min.
9 - Denise Austin Sizzler tape(cardio and weights) 45 min.
10 - Karen Voigt tape 60 min.
11- -Step and Tone tape with ankle weights45 min.
12 - Karen Voigt tape 60 min.
13 - Gilad 45/45 tape (strength/toning) 45 min.
14 - Keli Roberts Step tape and Gilad's Arm/Shoulders 1 hr. 10 min.
15 - Petra Kolber Cardio Interval tape 38 min.
16 - Karen Voigt tape 60 min.
17 - Denise Austin Sizzler tape 40 min. 748 so far
18 - Keli Roberts step tape 45 min.
19 - Gilad 45/45 tape (strength/toning) AND stepping 15 minutes while talking to my mom
20 - Karen Voigt tape 60 min. plus Gilads' Abs 12 min. 925
21 - -Step and Tone tape with ankle weights45 min.
22 - Karen Voigt tape 60 min.
23 - Happy Easter! Kelli Roberts step with weights 45 min.1075
24 - Keli Roberts step tape 45 min. AND Denise Austin Sizzler tape 40 min. (for Easter damage control)
25 - only 15 minutes of Keli Roberts step tape (time issues) then Petra Kolber Cardio Interval tape 38 min. = 50 approx. total
26 - Karen Voigt tape 60 min. AND 29 minutes on elliptical 1302
27 - -Step and Tone tape with ankle weights 45 min.
28 -
29 -

I havent' started my exercising yet, hopefully get something going tomorrow. I think my plan will be to alternate taking the dog for awalk and try this "Slow Burn" thing twice a week. I haven't had a chance to stick my nose too deep into the book I got but it looks like you exhaust your muscle groups using slow, intesnse and deliberate movements for 15minutes. I'll let you know how it goes. I do know that my muscles are already feeling stronger and more defined just by changing my eating to Low Carb and more protein.
We have two Interstates by our house they are both 2-4 lanes each direction with a speed limit of 60mph. My hubby is afraid that I'll go too slow on the freeway since everyone is doing more than 60mph. I'll practice in my neighborhood and then on the busy surface streets where the speed limit is 40 or so. I'm not sure when I'll get to practice more... I have a lot to do this weekend... I am fortunate to not have weather issues like y'all. My husband rides year round... I only ride on sunny days for now :)

Vermontmom that sounds like an awesome trip and ride :flow2:. We don't get to take a trip well more than 120 miles one way till June and we are still trying to decide where we are going.:?: It again is to cold to do any riding around here and of course we have been having 40-80 mile/hr winds, I just wish the nice weather would get here soon....

Beautypursuer it sounds like you have a plan all laid out and that is a good thing:carrot:. I need to get my butt in gear and start exercising but I have been alittle lazzzzzy lately.

Oh yeah great job on the exercise Vermontmom that is awesome:cp:maybe if I start logging my exercise it will show me just how lazy I have been and that will motivate me to get going. Well have a great night and Sunday.

Shoot just got done watching the news and we are expecting another 6-10 inches of snow!!!:( This is getting ridiculous and I am getting depressed because of the weather I just need for winter to be over with.
Anyways hope everyone has a great week this week and please everyone think SUNSHINE ;) for me.

Oh no, reda, I am sorry to hear that!!!!! You have my utmost sympathy!!

We might get a day or two this week, of 40-ish degree temps, and maybe high 40's and sun on Thursday. And a day or two of rain would help ALOT.

beautypursuer, the 'slow burn' method sounds interesting. I know I saw a Bally's commerical that showed something like that, you do a controlled hold with a weight for like 10 seconds or so? I forget exactly, but I can see how that would be very effective, without having to do alot of reps.

I did have a cookie at work yesterday :( but I thoroughly enjoyed it :D and as it was my second cookie in like three weeks, as compared to at least one a day, that's okay by me.

I am enjoying work this week - how often do you hear me say that? - because my rat b*st*rd boss is out of town! yay! Makes such a difference.

well, I'm waiting for dh and ds to leave, so I can have the living room to myself to work out :D

have a great day, chicks!! come on Spring!

OH!! a co-worker told me she thought I looked "smaller" or "thinner" (I forget which word she used, I was so delirous :D) I had been wearing very loose, all black shirts for the past few months, (hiding myself :( ) and yesterday I did have a top on that wasn't baggy. And jeans that are still a size 12, but the ones i had one yesterday were a little more form fitting.

:carrot:

You know a cookie once in a while is okay :^: just so that it is not daily like before.:nono:

Well enjoy this week then, how do they say that "while the boss is away the mice will play" or maybe in this case you may just like coming to work this week???:o maybe?

Well we are getting the promised snow and it is heavy and very wet snow so it should melt right away hopefully....I do believe then they are calling for 50 degree and rain later on in the week as well, I guess this is South Dakota and you never know what our weather is going to do and then throw in the global warming makes it even more different.

You know the "slow burn" sounds interesting I will have to look into that a little further, I did buy a knockoff "bowflex" but have not gotten it set up yet but need to get to that soon, I think I would like to start with that before moving to "free weights" as they say "free weights" are better for building muscle then using any machine.

Well have a great day everyone!

We used to have bowflex and liked using it. Good luck with yours. The bowlfex type machines are supposed to be closer to free weights than the pully type machines because you are still having to use your auxiliary muscles to pull the resistance.
I'm not exactly sure why, but every time I come up with a great plan, I go into a funk and totally sabotage the whole thing. I'm not throwing in the towel this time until I'm at my real weight though.
Hope you all have a great week as well.

Oh and I skimmed through the slow burn book. So far, it looks very complicated as far as have a metronome and a digital timer and weights (or milk jugs of water) measured in 1/2 pound increments.

I just really need things to be simple or I will try to do them perfectly and then not do it at all because it wasn't perfectly set up. Uggh.

I also think I go into this sabotaging funk when I have emotional stuff to deal with and I've had that this week too. Blah Blah Blah!

I hear ya BP we do think alike. I always do really good then I to sabotage, well actually I do really good get within 2-5 pounds of my goal and then I plateau and then I go into the spiral of why why why and start gaining it back again, I hope this time that I get past that since I understand that. But I do the emotional eating thing as well or like yesterday had a snow day so I cleaned house but thought oh I can make the DH and DS some homemade cookies then I had to eat not just 1 but 2 of them plus a little cookie dough tooooo. :( Then tonight is poker night and I usually do have a couple of beers (michelob ultra) if that is any consolation.
Yeah I do believe I am going to try to get the bowflex setup next week as we are out of town on a fun trip this weekend we are leaving Thursday night and coming back on Sunday, I will be taking my laptop so hopefully I will have some time to check in at least once a day.
Have a Great Day!!!!

Ok, new plan for me! My mood levels are too low (already on meds for depression... uggh), my aunt Flo is on the way (time of the month) and my emotions are on high tension. I signed up to take a 5 week class on dealing with grief and the closer the class gets, the more emotional eating I want to do. I am giving up on dieting until the class is over and then I'm going to reassess what I want to do. I know that a lot of garbage is going to come up over the coming weeks and I don't think I'll have the energy to focus on dieting and processing the junk at the same time. I am not saying that I'm going to give into binge eating and feeding my emotions though. My plan is to focus on intuitive eating and walking at least a few weeks. I'd also like to do some deep breathing once a day. I know that if I can just get all of the emotional junk out of my body, that half my battle with my weight will be conquered. Oh and my job will change next week as well just to add to the mix (more hours and new responsibilities) :)

Wow you do have alot going on right now and it is most important to focus on what is most important and that is the inner you then once that is done you can focus on weight which figuring out that part may help with the weight as well. Job change well hopefully that is a good thing and something you want? More hours well that is not always a good thing but will help keep you busy if needed. I have alot of stress with my job and the last 2 weeks have been ALOT stressful so stressful that those around me have noticed without anything being said, not good. So my DH is taking me out of town in the morning for a weekend away with friends to let loose and gave a good time, I have been told that I am to leave all work worries behind they just understand that is hard to do because they all have bosses and can do that but I am the boss so it is hard to do....... Anyways the weather is looking up thank goodness because I think that is part of my depression going on right now, I need sunshine :). Well not sure if I will be able to check in this weekend or not so Have a Great Weekend and hope all works out for you. Oh yeah what kind of job do you have?

Hi ladies, sorry I've been inactive here for a couple days; i mean I've been working out each day BUT had a major crash from my good eating and have had big bad stuff each day for 3 days :( and when I'm ashamed of myself, I always keep away from here 'cause I feel like a big fat fraud. I'm trying to get a better attitude starting this minute. :^:

beautypursuer, wow you do have alot to deal with. I wish you strength to get through it :hug:

hi reda :) have a nice weekend off with your friends!

We will be working on chopping ice from the front of the garage this weekend, so we can facilitate getting the bikes out. We haven't had any spring rains yet though, and that's what we really need to wash the LONG winter's worth of salt, sand, gravel, grit off the roads. And to help with melting this ugly white stuff!