Hiaya ladies!

I have been reading but not posting so much.
Last weekend, I had a little Christmas party at my house and I cooked a healthy meal. THere was some not-so-good-for-you stuff, like crackers and cheese balls and potato chips, but I stayed away from those for the most part. The bad thing was that were many leftovers but I tried to have a nibble here, a hibble there so in general I don't they did any damage.

I am still sticking to my 6 days at a gym plan, so I am hopefully slowly snailing ahead. Yesterday, we had a major snow storm (at times, one would call is a snow blizzard) and the unthinkable happened: our company let us go home after lunch (lunch was a catered turkey with veggies, mashers (i had only a tablespoon of those), green beens and some monstrous cake that I am sure were as atrocious as they looked. Everybody was helping themselves to huge bricks of cake.

It took me about an hour to get home instead of the usual 25 minutes and I left the shoveling until the storm was over (7 pm or so) - it took me two full hours to get it cleaned up plus almost 30 min this morning as the snow plough pushed another ton into my driveway. I just returned from my core class and an hour of Zumba. I had no energy for Zumba, I have to say.

But, I also marveled at what a good shape I am in - if I say it myself.
A year ago, I would be completely spent after such massive shoveling but today, although I am tired in general, all body parts are working as they should, the back is not complaining and the shoulders and arms will be fine tomorrow - and that's good, because another snow storm is on the way and another one on Tuesday.

Wishing you all a nice weekend.

Tomato - I guess you and I shared the same storm! My company only gave the "go home" at 3:00...and I was already on my way by then! And yes, I hear there's more coming. Good for you for getting in all the shoveling exercise, and still making it to the gym today.

Fran - I was going to take some pictures of my cookies, but they're not that "pretty"...they just taste good! And these cookies...it's my own fault if I gain weight this year. I'm usually okay with my own cookies but I've been struggling a bit more this year, tasting too many. I'm sure I did have hundreds in my freezer at peak baking time. I've given away most and the rest should be gone in a week or so but I think I need to move them back to the basement freezer, to keep me safe!

This month has been crazy with food and workouts, but I guess that's probably normal. The bad news is the cookies but the good news is that wehn I'm not eating cookies, I'm eating okay! I've mostly been able to stick to my "no gain" goal by being really good, in between the cookie eating.

Hope everyone's having a nice relaxing weekend.

I've avoided all cookie exchanges for at least the last 7 years, but got sucked in to a few "women's holiday brunches". Oy.

I'm doing NO baking this year. My SIL is doing Christmas, and I'm doing Hanukkah dinner on Christmas eve- we are a mixed up family. If I have to provide desserts, I'll buy them so I'm not particularly tempted!

Just finished a run/bike combo (indoors) which I also did yesterday. I missed weights since LAST TUESDAY due to a pulled muscle in my upper back and then a stomach bug. For some reason, I could manage cardio, but not the weights. Tomorrow's scheduled back and chest workout is going to be a rude shock to the system.

Mel

Tomato, I'll be doing the shoveling thing tomorrow, but I'm making the boy help me. I'd just leave it myself, but I've got clients coming tomorrow to drop dogs off, and I'm guessing they won't want to step out of their cars into 8" of snow, lol.

Elisa, it will all be over soon. Stay strong...cookies are not the boss of you!

Mel, how did the workout go...are you back in the weight room now?

I had a good LB workout tonight. Worked at about half my previous weights/reps, which felt good. Still easing my way back into lifting. So far, so good, with the previously injured left arm.

Back in the weight room! I did have good workout yesterday, and will be doing legs at lunch with a new gym buddy. She's pretty hard core and fun, so it makes for a good workout. It's fun to meet new people with new exercises, but who share the outlook and lifestyle.

Food is on, but that will change tomorrow. I've PLANNED two days of major meals, and will just deal with it. Much better than feeling guilty about it.

Cardio today will be vacuuming, wiping down my entire house, then steam cleaning all my carpets tonight DD is allergic to our cat and she'll be home tomorrow morning. Poor kitty goes in the basement for her visits.

Have a good one!

Mel

I put the extra cookies in the downstairs freezer! phew...that helped a bit and I had a decent run on the treadmill yesterday (still hate it, wish I could be outside).

I have a couple of more "functions" over the holiday season so I'm just trying to limit the damage and not get out of control. This is a tough time of year!

DH is going for his fitness assessment next week and then I hope to be able to work in some weekend trips to the gym, now that he'll join me! I also scheduled myself for another assessment, to see where I'm at. I didn't realize that we could go as often as every 2 months for an update, if we want.

Mel - I'm with you...there are sometimes (as long as it's not too often when you just have to know you'll eat more than usual and just enjoy, and then get right back on track. I have to make a mountain of latkes (if you know what they are) for my family party and I tend to "taste" too many! It's a once a year thing, and I just love them.

jam - sounds like you're getting right back into the workouts so good for you!!

It's still freezing here but supposed to rain a lot in the next few days...crazy weather. And I just booked a trip to LA in January for a few days to visit a friend. She says it's not too warm but I'm bringing my running shoes and I'm definitely going to go for a run or two while I'm there. I'm thrilled at the thought of getting outside.

Cheryl,

We have had so much snow in the past week that it is unbelievable, and it keeps snowing every friggin' day. Another major snowfall expected tonight (to continue overnight and until tomorrow afternoon, then is should change to rain). I heard, but haven't verified, that after Christmas the temps should stay above zero - I cannot wait. However, it would take two weeks of summer weather to melt all the snow that we already have.
I continue shoveling and my shoulders are feeling the strain. Last night, I had to rub some of the Myoflex ointment on my shoulders and I took Advil, too.

Do you anything with dogs? Do tell! My good deed for today was that I found a stray Husky running around in my street (I am spitting distance from a major road and a ramp to the expressway) with no owner in sight. The dog had no ID but thank God he had a chain choker. So after playing some catch & run I managed to get hold of him and drove him to the Humane Society and left him there. I hope the owners will have the sense to call HS to inquire if there is an extra Husky. He is still a puppy, well a grown up puppy, I can't estimate how old - I think 1 year at most.

Alena

Alena- If no one claims him, send him south! I love huskies. On my way to work every morning, I drive past a woman walking a husky. Since it has gotten cold, I swear that dog is grinning ear to ear

Hope the Canadians and mid-westerners aren't completely buried! It's just COLD here, but it's supposed to rain tomorrow DD and I wanted to ski while she is here, but the weather doesn't look promising.

Great leg workout today- my butt is already sore!

Mel

LOL Mel! I will check if he still there next week.
Yeah, he was pretty happy running around in the snow and I knew he would be ok staying out all day, but it was not safe for him.

If the weather continues the same pattern, I may have to cancel my gym membership because all I do is shovel snow (not bad for exercise but you don't work all your muscles evenly ). I did an hour of Zumba last night and then I shoveled 30 minutes. This morning, there were another good 8" of the white stuff. I shoveled for a full hour and if it wasn't for a neighbour with a snowblower to help me clear about a 1/3 of the driveway entrance (where it was piled almost 2 ft high by the snowploughs) I would have been desperate - I felt my energy level dropping fast by that point (I did not even do sidewalk, there was no time and mainly no energy left. But he did the sidewalk, too.)
I think 4 snow storms in a week is a bit too much.

I wish you all wonderful Christmas or what other holidays you celebrate, and lots of weight lifting in 2009!!!
Here is a little Christmas card from your truly, with authentic wishes in Czech.

P.S. Really, I just wanted to prove to you that I have always been a hot ticket - already in kindergarten! :-)

Sooo cute, Alena! Merry Christmas to you!!

I do not even know how people survive in the kind of cold you all are having. I had to wear gloves when I ran yesterday and I felt quite put out!

My quads are sore today....don't you all feel sorry for me?

Mel, glad to hear that you had a good workout. Your new lifting partner sounds like a good match for you. I'll be waiting to hear what kind of torture the two of you come up with, lol. Like you, I've resigned myself to 2 days of being off-plan, and just not stressing about it. Back OP on Friday.

Elisa, latkes! I hope it works out with the dh getting into the gym with you. That will be cool. WTG on banishing the cookies!

Alena, great picture! How cute is that? Sorry to hear about all your snow there...you've certainly got me beat. The boy and I spent 2 hours shoveling and chipping ice yesterday, to clear a spot at the bottom of the driveway. The plan is to just shovel some tracks so I can back my van down and park it in the clear spot. We're getting more snow as I type this, but it's supposed to warm up and turn to rain today or tomorrow.
You asked about dogs. I board and train dogs at my house, that's the paying gig. I'm a single mom and my ds12 is a homeschooler, so I needed a job I could do at home and still have time for being the mom and taking care of things around the house. I also have 2 dogs of my own, and what we do for fun is pulling sports: dog scootering, weight pulling, and I used to do cart driving with my previous dog, which was really fun. Mostly we scooter in winter, which is like dog sledding/mushing, but without the snow (er..usually, lol). Your husky friend would like that, I'm sure!

I had a decent UB workout last night, at home, but I'll be glad when the roads clear up so I can get back to the Y. I've gotten pretty good at improvising at home, but an actual barbell and a bench would be nice! Today is the family dinner thing, then Xmas at home with my boy tomorrow.

Alena! What an adorable card! Thanks so much for sharing. All of your snow stories make me feel so much better about our green and wet Christmas Eve. I'll pass all the snow wishes onto Pennsylvania for you Mel.

Wow. Lets just say it's been really busy here. In the middle of it all, my washing machine has died. Always on a holiday weekend. ~sigh~ Once it was the furnace on Thanksgiving. The repair guy was wonderful and just walked us through the repair over the phone with no charge. Loved that! The world is full of good people.

So. I have perfected the chocolate chip cookie. Anyone interested or should I just remain quiet about that. I'm not going to go into the food porn over there but lets just say I'm doing baaaad things in the kitchen. Okay, making but not eating. At least not as much as I would want too.

I have been consistent with the workouts this week. Today I decided just to do an hour of cardio and skip the lifting. Why? Because I have a ton of work to do and no time to nap. I can do cardio without it draining me but when I lift I seriously need to go straight home, eat the egg whites and go take a 45 minute nap. Probably just a habit for me from the very beginning when I used to nap with DS2 as a toddler that I just haven't broken out of yet. Anyone else feel that need to nod off after a really heavy lifting session followed with a balanced lunch? Just wondering.

Happy Holidays to all you! Hope everyone is safe and sound and surrounded by love and happiness. :

Lydia, great to hear from you! I don't nap. I'm sure I could, but I hate sleeping, honestly, and only do it because I have to. I guess I feel like time is racing by, sometimes, and I don't want to miss anything good! How goofy is that?

I am sore, sore, sore from my LB workout on Monday. I am feeling it when I go to sit down, or bend down to pick something up off the floor..ouch. Must have been a better workout than I thought!

Just a quick Hi! I have the day off and DH and I are about to go off to the gym and a couple last minute errands. We had about 4" of new snow yesterday, so everything is clean and white for Christmas.

Happy Holidays to you all - whether or

Happy Holidays to all! Last night we had Hanukkah dinner with real latkes (I've been putting off making them) then opened Christmas presents. Did I mention how mixed up our family is? Since my kids are WELL beyond the Santa years, we opted to sleep in this morning and do presents last night. It was wonderful!

This afternoon we are heading to my brother's for another mixed up holiday feast.

I can't even describe how sore I am from my Tuesday leg session Yesterday I did speed and incline intervals on the treadmill which probably made it worse. It feels good It's been years since I was this sore. I hope my new friend is not cursing me.

Lydia, your ice arrive right on time here yesterday. DD said it was so bad Monday night in Columbus that she kept falling walking two blocks in German Village. She was supposed to drive home Tuesday night, but would have been coming right along with that lovely mess. She opted to fly in yesterday morning, a much safer choice! It was so bad here that When I went out to get the paper yesterday morning, I slipped on our brick front walk, so I tried going across the lawn. The lawn was no better! Surprisingly, most of the roads were ok.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Mel