Weekly Workout Thread Sept 25th to Oct 1st

[Lorelei]

Thanks for your thoughts Jeff - that is something I need to work on is my stress management and your words were helpful to me, thankyou!

 

[Rod]

Hey everyone, thanks for good wishes today. So, the interview went well. At least I think it did. I don''t know what the next steps will be however. There wasn''t an immeidate, we have to fill it position available. It seems they just felt I had much to offer and I met with 4 different VP''s all who seemed to think I could make a great contribution. I guess the next step is for them to all get together and decide what I need to do next. I do believe I made a great first impression. So, I''ll keep my fingers crossed on this one. And, the headquarters is only 5.3 miles from my home. Why I could job there during cooler weather.......LOL

Cinderella: I am prone to lower back pain. But it typically only comes out to haunt me during times of great stress. When my back isn''t in spasm mode, I can run, or skate many miles without any back discomfort. I''ve said this many times before, but core strength training is the key to minimizing lower back pain. I spend a lot of time at the gym and at home doing core strenght exericises. Get yourself a book by Mark Verstegen called Core Performance Essentials and follow that book to much less back pain. Trust me, it works.

Thanks again everyone for the encouragement. I''ll keep you posted on the job hunt. BTW......saw the chiropractor this afternoon. He says I should be good to go back to the gym by Saturday. I really really miss working out, but didn''t want to try to push it and hurt myself further.

Take care to all my friends here!!!!

 

[Modified Brilliant]

Date: 9/28/2006 2:48:01 AM
Author: Lorelei
HOORAY FOR MARA!!!!! Incredible news about the new job and I like the sound of the lucrative part!

Many congratulations - you deserve it

Rod that is so great about the interview, I will be sending out my strongest possible vibes to you!!!!!! You will ace the interview!!! Sorry to hear about your back and I hope it feels better soon.

Jeff those leg extensions ARE painful! How much poundage do you use when you do them? We can have a contest!

Lisa thanks for popping in

Great to see you Cinders! Missed you!

Off to do my workout now...

I think that I used 55 lbs for my leg extensions. Gotta be careful..had 2 arthroscopic surgeries on my left knee years back.
And gotta be careful with my neck..had a discectomy in 2000. Fun, huh??

 

[Mara]

yay rod, sounds like your day went well. i will keep my fingers crossed!!!

i am working out tonite...i posted in the detox thread that i kind of fell off the wagon, but i don''t really mind because i feel like i have to give my body what it is asking for. and if that is meat or cheese then it has to have it. i''m working out every day now so i have to keep fueled. and maybe this time around, my body just wasn''t cool with all rice and veggies and wants MORE. hehee.

 

[KimberlyH]

Good evening!

I have been a bit out of the loop the last few days as my MIL (86, has alzheimer''s, health is declining...) has been having some issues that have kept me from cooking, exercising, etc. so I have nothing great to share on that front. I''m still holding at about 3 lbs. more than I''d like but that''s okay.

Mara: CONGRATULATIONS! What exciting news for you.

Rod: Good luck tomorrow.

Hope everyone finishes out the week on a positive note. Things are calming down on the MIL front, so hopefully I''ll get some yoga in tomorrow. The foot still isn''t healed which means no elliptical for me!

 

[Lorelei]

Rod - thanks for the update and so glad to hear the interview went so well!! Please keep us posted and be careful when you go back to the gym.

Ow Jeff- those knee ops sound painful and the neck too...I hear you with the knees, pulled the ligs in one of my knees a few years ago and I have never been in such pain in all my life.

Being careful with knees is worth it!

Kimberley - take care of yourself too.

 

[Mara]

so i fell off the detox wed night and then thurs afternoon, and decided to pretty much stay off. last nite we had chicken pot pies from marie calendars, SO GOOD and yet so bad for you!!! haha. at least there was a ton of fiber and protein. but mucho fat too! however, caloric intake for the day was still where it needed to be so i felt okay about splurging. esp since i worked out last nite at kbox and then came home and did 300 jumping jacks! definitely feeling much better about working out and stuff. i think that one day was kind of a blip on my radar.

so today i am going to the gym to do the treadmill again...hoping to burn around 450-500 calories in about an hour. then tomorrow is kbox class.

breakfast was a mix of optimum slim high fiber high protein cereal with a berry crunch from whole foods and coffee with soy milk! lunch will probably be a salad. for dinner we were going to get burgers but since i had my meat fix last nite in the form of chicken pot pie (hee hee) maybe we will get sushi or something tonite.

hope everyone is having a wonderful day. kimberly, i''m sorry to hear your foot is still giving you problems...ugh how frustrating!! i am going this weekend to look at new shoes for walking specifically...i think i need to get more serious about my footwear while doing these higher inclines on the treadmill. lorelei and jeff, sounds like you two are doing great!! rod, keep us posted on the job situ and your back!!

 

[KimberlyH]

Thanks for the kind words all! The MD said it would be at least two weeks before I recovered, I hit that mark tomorrow and am hoping it gets better from their.

I am working on the caring for myself too, Lorelei. Hubby is very good about keeping MILs issues to a minimum (there are so many) but sometimes I have to step in and be supportive (she had a huge change in BP and was throwing up and needed to see an MD immediately).

For dinner i''m making a modified mole casserole recipe from cooking light. I''ve made it a few times before and it''s yum yum!

Happy working out!

 

[Rod]

Happy Friday everyone. No real news on the job front today. I wrote personal thank you notes to the 4 VP's I met with yesterday and hand delivered them to the front dest this morning. Monday, I'll follow up with emails and a phone call.

Had to have my watch battery replaced on my Baume and Marcier watch, which I purchased from Mayors a long time ago. I've kept in touch with the manager over the years and we've become friends. In fact when I wanted to get my ring last year, the manager helped me select the jeweler who custom made our rings. Anyway, he said he'd be happy to let me sell jewelry for them if I wanted. Must admit that my diamond addiiction has me interested. I'm just not sure I could make enough money to cover the mortgage. I am used to making a pretty high income.

So, at least there are options available. It's only been a week since being laid off. I think what I really need is to just chill out a bit and take my time. Hopefully, yesterday's interviews will lead to the right position.

We're headed back to the gym tomorrow. My partner and I have taken the week off. Me, because my back hurt. Him, because he got sick. I guess we're both feeling the stress a bit. One funny note. He worked for me at the same company. They really can't afford to lose us both and his income was less than half of mine. So, to make sure they didn't lose him, they gave him a sizable raise yesterday. At least that will help us out a bit. What a strange situation to be in.

Mara: With the new job offer, which can still lead to some anxiety (change is change afterall), not detoxing this week was probably a good idea!

Kimberly: Glad to hear your leg problems will resolve soon.

Jeff: Sounds like you're doing well at the gym. Those leg extensions can be really good. I perform 3 sets of 15 reps at 115 lbs. But it took me like a year to work up to that level.

Lorelei: You're doing great as always!!!

Happy Weekend to you all. I'll check back in soon.

Rod

 

[Modified Brilliant]

Hi everyone

Interesting week for you guys?! Who said life is boring? Never!!

Change IS good

The average person changes jobs 7 or 8 times in their lifetime. Times have changed and it''s not frowned upon.
The days of working for a company for 25 years and getting a huge pension are sadly over for most people.

Well, I just finished another workout at the gym and now I''m doing two reps of 15 each with most machines.
I can really feel the difference. My energy levels are better and I''m feeling stronger overall.

Have a great weekend everyone and keep on TRACKin.

 

[Mara]

hehe jeff i guess i change far more than the average person!! i have 7 listings on my resume since i graduated college. hehe. but i did some consulting too so that doesn''t really count i guess even though a few gigs are listed.

anyway...my check in for today...i went to the gym and did an hour on the treadmill, 65 minutes to be exact and burned 575 calories and and walked 4 miles! i felt really good afterwards too. so that was great. came home and had a nectarine. lunch was actually a spaghetti and meatballs LC and then there were some sweets around the office so i had 2 small halloween sized hershey''s candies and then a butter toffee small piece. hahaa. dinner we are going to Chevys which is a secret guilty pleasure of mine because i LOVE their shrimp fajitas and tortillas. those tortillas, talk about empty calories, but they are DIVINE. so anyway we''re going there, i have been thinking about shrimp fajitas for weeks now.

tomorrow night we are going to dinner with my parents to celebrate my new gig...so that should be fun. working out tomorrow with kbox as well. hope everyone has a great night!! keep us posted on the job rod. and congrats to your partner on the raise! it sucks that it''s connected with your layoff but once you get a new high paying gig, his raise will be that much more sweet. extra baubles. heee. kudos to jeff for the continued great workouts! kimberly, keeping fingers crossed about your foot.

 

[monarch64]

Hey workout people!

I''m still here, lol! I didn''t make it to the gym this week--DH threw his back out yet again, and I''ve been playing "nurse" all week when I get home from work. Poor guy.

He had back surgery when he was in college from a baseball injury, and since then he''s been plagued with back issues. I feel so bad for him...but I think he secretly likes being waited on hand and foot, lol!

I am happy to say that I have been sticking with my little home workouts...about 20 minutes a day I spend doing arms with free weights, and butt and thigh toning using our stairs...my arms are feeling firmer than ever, now all I need to do is get rid of about an inch of "flub" all around my body--gotta focus even more on the caloric intake/expenditures. I did stock up again at Trader Joe''s tonight and found lots of yummy fresh and frozen things, and managed to steer clear of pastas and breads (my downfall!). Oh, wait, I DID get some fresh pizza crust dough and sauce, but jeez, I have to have SOME carbs in my life, lol!

Rod, I think I will try to find that Core Essentials book for my hubby this weekend. Thank you for the recommendation. He has become rather complacent about exercise since I met him 5 years ago, and it is taking its toll on his body at this point. He is by no means obese, but could stand to shape up a little, plus he has really lost all flexibility, which I consider even more important than overall physical appearance! I try to help him get motivated, but as the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water...maybe the book would get the ball rolling for him. He''s been to a few chiropractors since I''ve known him, and they all say the same thing: stretch, exercise, watch your diet. He''s really not taken their advice, and after he threw out his back again (while threading his belt into his trousers getting dressed Tuesday morning), I kinda got upset with him and said "you know how I feel about preventative measures."

I am frustrated that he won''t take better care of himself--I''ve seen him go through this too many times, as it happens at least twice a year.

Enough about that. Rod, I hope you can get back into the gym over the weekend...when you post about your workouts you always sound so upbeat and I can tell they do you a world of good! Best of luck to you on your job search...may it be fruitful and short-lived!

Jeff, what is a discectomy? It sounds like you had a disk from your spine/neck surgically removed? no doubt your exercise routine positively contributes to your spinal well-being...anyway, congrats on keeping up with your workouts, you are awesome!

Kimberly, only 3 pounds until you''re HAPPY? Lol, damn that scale! Hope your foot is better soon and your MIL gets better, too. Always seems to be up and down with those things, so here''s hoping for a good week for you both!

I hope to get to the gym tomorrow...it''s raining and chilly here and there is no way I am doing anything outdoors, so hopefully I can get up early and motivate myself to get on that treadmill and do some circuit training/weights!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

 

[Modified Brilliant]

Date: 9/29/2006 11:22:24 PM
Author: monarch64
Hey workout people!

I''m still here, lol! I didn''t make it to the gym this week--DH threw his back out yet again, and I''ve been playing ''nurse'' all week when I get home from work. Poor guy.

He had back surgery when he was in college from a baseball injury, and since then he''s been plagued with back issues. I feel so bad for him...but I think he secretly likes being waited on hand and foot, lol!

I am happy to say that I have been sticking with my little home workouts...about 20 minutes a day I spend doing arms with free weights, and butt and thigh toning using our stairs...my arms are feeling firmer than ever, now all I need to do is get rid of about an inch of ''flub'' all around my body--gotta focus even more on the caloric intake/expenditures. I did stock up again at Trader Joe''s tonight and found lots of yummy fresh and frozen things, and managed to steer clear of pastas and breads (my downfall!). Oh, wait, I DID get some fresh pizza crust dough and sauce, but jeez, I have to have SOME carbs in my life, lol!

Rod, I think I will try to find that Core Essentials book for my hubby this weekend. Thank you for the recommendation. He has become rather complacent about exercise since I met him 5 years ago, and it is taking its toll on his body at this point. He is by no means obese, but could stand to shape up a little, plus he has really lost all flexibility, which I consider even more important than overall physical appearance! I try to help him get motivated, but as the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water...maybe the book would get the ball rolling for him. He''s been to a few chiropractors since I''ve known him, and they all say the same thing: stretch, exercise, watch your diet. He''s really not taken their advice, and after he threw out his back again (while threading his belt into his trousers getting dressed Tuesday morning), I kinda got upset with him and said ''you know how I feel about preventative measures.''

I am frustrated that he won''t take better care of himself--I''ve seen him go through this too many times, as it happens at least twice a year.

Enough about that. Rod, I hope you can get back into the gym over the weekend...when you post about your workouts you always sound so upbeat and I can tell they do you a world of good! Best of luck to you on your job search...may it be fruitful and short-lived!

Jeff, what is a discectomy? It sounds like you had a disk from your spine/neck surgically removed? no doubt your exercise routine positively contributes to your spinal well-being...anyway, congrats on keeping up with your workouts, you are awesome!

Kimberly, only 3 pounds until you''re HAPPY? Lol, damn that scale! Hope your foot is better soon and your MIL gets better, too. Always seems to be up and down with those things, so here''s hoping for a good week for you both!

I hope to get to the gym tomorrow...it''s raining and chilly here and there is no way I am doing anything outdoors, so hopefully I can get up early and motivate myself to get on that treadmill and do some circuit training/weights!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Hi monarch,
In short, I had a disc removed between C6-7 (neck). Sometimes, they do a fusion with bone graft to take the place of a disc. Mine was just removed. My other two discs are worn (like shock absorbers) but for now, everything is ok. My weight training and Jujitsu have really helped. I appreciate your kind words of encouragement.

I''m so impressed with this exercise group. You are all wonderful in your own way. In all my years in the jewelry trade (27), I never thought that I''d be discussing health and fitness on a diamond oriented forum. It''s great and I''m really enjoying it!

Have a great weekend everyone. Keep on TRACKin!

 

[Rod]

Hey Monarch..........

Good to hear your doing well and sticking with your home workouts. I''m sure you''ll find your way back to the gym as well, but at least you''re still being active!! Sorry to hear about your husbands back problems. You''re absolutely right, you can lead a horse to water, but........and I was one of those horses at one time. Even though my chiropractor begged me to exercise, eat healthier, stretch, I just didn''t take his advice and I paid dearly by suffering when I didn''t need to. I know all too well how it can happen. Bend the wrong direction. Lean over to pick up a dropped pen. Twist the wrong direction while buckling your pants. And whammo, you hear that click and know you''ve hurt your back. Getting your hubby the Core Performance Essentials will hopefully pique his curiousity enough. Be patient with him.

I''ll be back in the gym in about 2 hours and I can''t wait. I''ll take it easy and do a lot of core stretching, some light lifting and mostly aerobic activities. I miss the elliptical and will really be happy to be back in the "saddle!!"

Like Jeff said, it''s such a wonderful thing to have this wonderful community of health minded people on of all things a diamond forum. This is the one stop forum. Who needs anything but diamonds, food, shelter, exercise and Pricescope!!!!

I hope everyone has a great Saturday!

 

[Mara]

Monarch I agree with Rod re: strengthening the core. It always seems also for both Greg and I that when we stop working out or are not working out enough, we end up with more injuries than when we are active and typically doing strength training and cardio. It''s kind of interesting. Most of our injuries are neck or back related then as well.

I went to class this morning and it was pretty hard! I had some high protein cereal before so I was fueled but morning workouts are just tough for me. The class went about 5 minutes more which was hard too but it felt good to power through it and know I burned a few more extra calories. Also, I can see visually a huge difference in my body in the mirrors compared to the other girls who have been there as long as me and I felt really happy knowing that by doing both diet and exercise I''d managed to really make a difference for myself. So when I got home I had some cream of wheat (yum i love this stuff) with some brown sugar and my coffee.

I''m meeting orange vixen at a running store in a few to look at getting some new shoes for walking. Specifically geared for walking. Hoping that will minimize any foot pain. Though yesterday my foot didn''t hurt that much at all. So we''ll see! Have a wonderful day all and GOOD LUCK at the gym Rod!!! Don''t overextend yourself!

 

[Rod]

Hey.....It was just wonderful to be back in the gym this afternoon. I felt I needed to not push, particularly with weights, so I concentrated on core strenghtening, stretching, rolling on the foam roller thingy that helps loosen tight muscles and I did 45 minutes on the elliptical. The good thing is I feel absolutely wonderful. My back feels better after exercising than it did before exercising. On the elliptical, I chose to not push like I normally do. So, I maintained 82 RPM for the entire time and I didn''t push my heart as much as I would have at a higher RPM. Tomorrow, I''ll push a little harder. But it sure was good to be back.

Hope everyone had a good Saturday.

 

[KimberlyH]

Happy Saturday!

Today was a training walk that I did not attend. Instead John and I participated in a neighborhood clean up until my foot started to hurt and I went and sat in the car. We live 3 miles up a mountain and started at the bottoml, so I got some decent physical activity in.

Tonight we''re having stew for dinner, lots of healthy veggies!

 

[monarch64]

I made it to yoga at noon today...the instructor for this class is soooo good! I loved it! I am still a beginner and less flexible than most others in the class who''ve been doing it longer, but I felt like I got a good, strengthening workout and I left feeling inspired to keep coming back.

I didn''t manage to find time today to go pick up the Core Essentials book, but I made mention of it to DH and he showed some mild interest. Rod, I will be patient with him. It just sucks for me to see in him such agony! He has a family history of back/hip issues as well (don''t know if I mentioned that before)--his father, sister, niece, and himself were all born with one leg slightly shorter than the other. His niece had surgery to correct it when she was 13--they actually lengthened her shorter leg about an inch or so. I know this has contributed to his back issues, and I certainly don''t hold it against him. But I just feel that he really needs to start helping himself in any way he can to offset some unnecessary issues over time, ya know? He has an appointment with the doc who oversaw his back surgery this Tuesday, hopefully they can get him in for an MRI and figure out a course of treatment so he can get back on a healthy exercise regimen.


Mara, I really swear by Adidas because I have a wider foot. And most walkers will tell you to buy a running shoe for walking...there is just more cushion involved in those types of shoes. Even a trail running shoe is a good bet. Also, some of the gals I walked with went to New Balance and got fitted for shoes--one lady said she usually wore a size 7.5, but ended up buying a size 9! She loved those shoes, and bought another pair to rotate during our practice walks and the walk itself. Another trick to avoid foot blisters/pain, is to use moleskin on the "hot spots" or where you tend to feel heat or get blisters...there are also lots of special blister bandaids you can use. And don''t forget good socks! I love the really thin ones made of special wicking fabrics. I don''t like the ones that have textures--those are blister city! Your sock should basically fit you like a second skin, and not be thick at all (like cotton can be), plus cotton just traps moisture and the seams can cause pain as well. OK, done with the foot soapbox, lol!

Jeff, I am glad you joined the workout thread (and you too, Rod)--it''s good to have some extra testosterone here, lol!

Kimberly, good to hear you tried and succeeded at getting in some physical activity. The body does some amazing things w/ regard to healing itself, and I hope yours fixes itself (well, your foot) soon and you are able to continue towards your goal!

 

[Mara]

I actually went with OV today to a running store and got fitted for shoes. The place was really cool because they would make you walk on a treadmill and then video your gait and show you how you walk. She said that I was a neutral walker, did not over or underpronate and had a straight line I guess from my heel to foot which was good. So then she pulled out a pair of shoes and had me try them..and then another after I gave some feedback and then a third one. I got the 2nd pair which felt really good. They are Mizuno Wave Riders. They are neutral shoes with moderate cushioning and for small to medium builds. I also tried on a pair of Asics and something else. But I liked these because most of the front of the foot is mesh so it feels open and airy but it has a great cushioning on the bottom and still makes your foot feel encased and fitted inside. There was a lot of discussion about foot swelling because I guess that''s why you get running/walking shoes typically, but my feet don''t really tend to swell much at all from what I can tell. The only time I have noticed visible swelling was with the right foot hurting me last week after the treadmill. So I got the 9.5''s and I am typically an 8.5 or 9 shoe depending on if it''s heels or what. They have a small thumb of room in the front so we''ll try that out. I did not like the 10''s as they were too loose on my back heels and there was too much slippage for me. But it''s so hard to decide what feels good when they are new! Everything feels good the first time you try it on. But the first one felt more constricting than the 2nd and the 3rd was mesh like the 2nd but had a weird back thing that came up onto the heel and kind of poked me which is a huge pet peeve, things poking at my skin or bothering me while working out. So the Mizuno''s it was! We''ll see if I like them...I am TOTALLY going to get another pair and break them in too so that I have two pairs that I can rotate out and not have to shop again for a while. The gal said that with the ~12-15ish miles I am walking a week now on the treadmill that I should probably replace my shoes within 7 months or so...I was like wait do I have to do this all over again? She said no that this was a staple shoe basically and while they might change the styling a bit, the core elements of this style would be the same. So that''s good! The styling is okay..nothing special and they are lavendar and white though thank goodness there''s not much color since I am really not a lavendar person. With a bit of black it looks more like gray so that''s fine. So I am going to use my Free''s to kickbox and these solely for my treadmill walking. She said the Free''s were not the best incline walking shoes at all, no real support.

So that was long...haha. But I feel really good that I got the shoe thing taken care of. As for socks, Monarch, I have these amazing ones I love from Lucy. I need to go back and get more. They come in packs of 3 for $14 and they are super thin which I love and comfy. I tend to not really get blisters hardly at all, thank goodness...it was just that weird right foot swelling thing!

We just got back from dinner, Italian...yummy..and dessert! I have been eating all day...aka I have been hungry all day! Breakfast I had cereal, then after workout, cream of wheat with some brown sugar. Then I had a salad for lunch and then I got home and I was starving again! so I had a granola bar. Then more cereal! All small portions but still, I was eating all day. Then we went to dinner and I had a roasted mussels appetizer and 3/4 of a margherita thin crust pizza!!! And dessert! and I wasn''t even TOTALLY full. Weird.

So we got home and went for a walk with Portia to walk off a bit of dinner. I wore my pedometer but it''s not working quite well right now so it only recorded part of what we did...it said about 1.5 miles but I think it was at least 2m and Greg thinks it''s more like 2.5m.

Anyway, hope everyone had a wonderful day!!!