Healthier Lifestyle Thread 28th July Till 3rd August

[Skippy123]

Date: 7/28/2008 10:48:58 PM
Author: Rod
Just in the off chance that I don't get to check in tomorrow night.............I hope you have a VERY

Happy Birthday Kimberly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YAY, happy Birthday KIMI, HUGS friend!

Rod, sweet dreams!

Bee, yay for being moved in; we missed you!!

DeeJay, whooo for swimming!

 

[IrishEyes]

My goodness Lorelei!!! I just dropped in to lurk for a bit and saw that you have way over 10,000 posts now

and are still heading the workout threads!! Way to go!! You''re such a busy little bee!!!

Not to hijack, but how have you been? I hope all is well for you and you family across the big pond!! Send me an email some time, my address is still the same!

Ok, hijacking over!

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone.

We have the 5th wheeler packed. Marty is off to the mountains in the morning. The skies are AWESOME at 9100 in the state of Wyoming (that’s because not many people live here). I am so excited. I am going up on Thursday. Yippee!
I was thinking tonight how much my stamina has improved since last summer. I shopped all weekend, and still hauled all my things out to the trailer yesterday. I also made the bed by myself – something I couldn’t do before because I couldn’t fit between the wall and mattress (about 4 to 5 inches) but yesterday it was NO problem.
Tonight we went and bought all the groceries, I cleaned all my fruits and veggies while Marty took care of everything else in the trailer. I finished hauling out the rest of the things for the trailer then we went to Target to get more last minute knick knacks for the trailer. There is NO way I could have done that much before especially without taking some pain meds. Now it is no problem for me at all. Yippee! Even better I won’t be worn out and sore when I get to the mountains so I can actually enjoy the stars and telescopes at night. Life is GOOD.
Lorelei, aw thanks. Rats for pants weather today. I agree with everyone else, I am always amazed at your motivational and inspirational openers each week. I come check my computer as soon as I am out of the shower on Monday morning anxious to see what you have to say to start us out for the week.
Hudson Hawk, glad to hear your migraine is better. Have a blast at your brother’s wedding this weekend.
Appletini, I hope your sunburn feels better soon. Glad to hear your toe is doing better.
KC, I am sure you’ll be fine because you probably burned some calories moving especially in that kind of heat.
Kimi, I hope you are feeling better tonight. Happy Birthday tomorrow!

Are you doing anything special?
Fieryred, that is awesome you signed up for a marathon. That will be fun for you!
Jcarlylew, oh no; what’s wrong with your ring? Sounds like your shopping trip was similar to ours. We went shopping tonight for our camping trip and spent more money than we normally do on food but we bought of a lot of food. I did buy sensible food and low cal snacks.
IndyGirl, yay for your pants being looser. Thanks for the kind words about me. Craft fairs are fun! I was thinking the same thing about that blizzard. There is a DQ across the street from our eye doctor and I was thinking “mmm” when I saw their sign for the thin mint blizzard the other day.
Skippy, yay for eating healthy. I am sure you had a blast babysitting your nephew today. Thanks girl, I can’t believe the difference from what I used to look like.
Somethingshiny, thanks for the pictures! You look great and JT is adorable. It is so wonderful to realize the things you can do because you’ve worked at improving your health. That is great to make hiking a family adventure. It looks pretty there too.
DeeJay, sorry to hear your shoulder is bothering you when you are swimming. That spot flares up on me sometimes and I don’t usually know why. Thank you so much for the kind words about me. I am still in the disbelief state and I hope I never lose that.
Bee, glad to hear you and your sister are going to the gym. It will be nice to have her go with you. I am sure you are relieved to have your house is almost done. Thanks for the kind words.
Rod, you can steal my sentiments and I completely want to echo your sentiments about wishing I’d done this when I was much younger but that ship has sailed. No worries or regrets that we came to the party late, it is just important that we did.

You look great and are in such terrific shape and that will certainly pay off for years to come.
Well, I might actually get to bed on time tonight. Woo hoo!
Laters,
Marcy

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 7/28/2008 11:00:07 PM
Author: IrishEyes
My goodness Lorelei!!! I just dropped in to lurk for a bit and saw that you have way over 10,000 posts now

and are still heading the workout threads!! Way to go!! You''re such a busy little bee!!!

Not to hijack, but how have you been? I hope all is well for you and you family across the big pond!! Send me an email some time, my address is still the same!

Ok, hijacking over!

Hey girl! My computer crashed a while back and don''t know if I have your address still!

I was just thinking about you!

Drop me a line if you have mine!

 

[KimberlyH]

Morning All!

Thanks for the lovely wishes! I love my birthday, really and truly. As for plans, we''re going out to dinner, just a nice quiet evening. Should be fun. My cold seems to be getting better, thank goodness.

Have a wonderful day everyone, eat a small sliver of cake in my honor!

 

[Anna0499]

Yay for Monday''s Over! Hope you all had a great Monday. Mine was fun because BF came to visit and we went to the mall and I dragged him around about 15 stores. He was a trooper, though. I can never go to any retail establishment for less than a half hour, even if I know exactly what I want. I think I feel like I''m already there so I might as well peruse everything else they have to offer. BF is the complete OPPOSITE of me in this sense...I think most men are in-and-out kind of guys. I''m sure you all can relate to his! We went to Olive Garden (not the healthiest place) and I ordered some shrimp dish that was supposedly "low-cal" but this is compared to the rest of their menu so I wasn''t impressed. I didn''t have any breadsticks or appetizers though and drank water so I don''t feel too guilty about eating out. I didn''t get to work out yesterday because BF was here and we got home late, but I plan on hitting the treadmill up double today. I usually try to run half of my goal, take a break for free weights and core exercises, then finish off the treadmill goal. I *hate* running, so I couldn''t imagine doing 60 or 90 minutes straight through.

Deejay - Sorry to hear about the rotator cuff! Sounds terrible...you should definitely not do anything that hurts because it will be counterproductive to your health. Swimming is so shoulder-intensive...if you like the water maybe you can do your cardio in the pool by jogging/running laps, stryofoam weights, etc. We used the pool a lot for cardio workouts for the athletes who couldn''t weight-bear yet and it''s a great workout because of the resistance of the water. LOL @ your uneven arm tans...I tan so easily that happens to me all the time too! Luckily I am already a good bit tan because of my ethnicity so most don''t notice. Procrastination was one of my New Year''s Resolutions but sadly I can only hope to finish strong and make it again next year.

Bee - Yay for being moved in! I''m so jealous you have a personal trainer, I want one to help motivate me and help me to isolate my "problem areas" with specific exercises. Do you feel it helps out a lot?

Rod - Glad to see you were able to write a longer post even though you had a busy day. Sushi sounds delicious...I''ve only had really good sushi once in my life because for some reason I''ve had a problem finding good sushi places in Indiana, so I''m glad you and Charlie have a good place to go. Even though many of us will never have that "dream body," try to keep in mind the more important goals we have in our lives. You sound like you have a great job, family life, etc. and many people with your idea of a dream body probably want those things. Plus, it''s so great that we are doing something about it now, as opposed to following the thinking of others who think it''s too late and ask, "What''s the point?"...ten years from now we will be able to look back without wishing we did this or that to be healthier. Thanks for reading my posts - I love the "We''re all in this together" attitude of this thread and hope to contribute to it even though I''m a newbie without much diet/weight loss advice.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIMBERLY!

Okay, didn''t mean to hurt anyone''s eyes with that! I hope it''s fabulous!

Marcyc - I''m glad you could notice an increase in stamina and being able to fit in small places

...those are the little things that get overlooked when we''re weighing ourselves or staring at the treadmill mileage. We are in the No-DQ Support Group I guess! Keep up the good work!

Have a great day all!

 

[KCCutie]

Good morning!

Thanks everyone for helping keep me positive. I bet all that moving did help counteract the calories. I think I''m getting a little too old to party like that thank goodness my little sis is finally done with college so partying with the college kids should be behind me now.

Last night we went to Sam''s and stocked up on some healthy foods. We got a huge bag of almonds and 3 dozen eggs b/c we love to snack on raw almonds and hard boiled eggs. High in protein and so yummie. We also got some chicken sausage that looks really delicious. However, to save time we had Chk-fil-a on the way to the store...but we had char-grilled chicken wraps so not too bad. Then when we got home we went down to the track and did some interval training. That was a great workout

Somethingshiny - those pis of you and your little man are so adorable, and don''t worry I won''t say a word about the rock climbing.

Fieryred - wow a marathon or even a half-marathon I''m impressed I''m sure being on a team will keep you motivated.
Skippy - That recipe look awesome I''ll have to print that one out too. Thanks I love my little sis and this way she''ll have to help me move when I get my new house hopefully nest month (of course we''ll be moving her in with us too).
Indy - Yes you need to find a TJ''s I''m so sad they don''t have nay here and I miss my TJ''s they have some really great healthy stuff and their frozen foods section is fabulous!
DeeJay - Sorry to hear about that noisy rotator cuff. Hope it gets better so you can swim a little more before it gets too cold.

&

Kimberly HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

 

[Skippy123]

Hi friends! I probably will go for a walk this evening. I need to run to Target, I heart Target, there are always way too many fun things there and I will leave with more than I need. hehe I also bought this whole wheat premade pizza crust from Whole Foods that I will make for dinner tonight along with a nice spinach salad! Hope everyone has a great Tuesday!

DeeJay, ouch to the rotator cuff, I hope you feel better soon!

Rod, have a great workout tonight!

Kimi, hope you feel better soon and your day is fab and hope you get some ice cream!

Marcy, woo hooo for getting around in the RV! Life is Fab!

Indygirl, glad you had fun shopping and going out to eat. My hubby is the antishopper, he hates it. I am lucky when he goes with me. hehe Yay for the treadmill!!

KCCutie, thanks for keep us positive! Yay for healthy food; I buy the eggs too from Costco and have egg whites for breakfast! Yum to chick-fil-a! Great job on the workout!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Whew what a workout! I did 65 mins on the elliptical and then I decided it''s time to start doing some arm machines. I didn''t do much (only three machines and not even that many reps) but I was a little shaky at the end.

I''m in my office for the next two hours but then I think I''ll walk over to the loop and get a big pile of sushi for a late lunch. I''m excited just thinking about it LOL. That will however take me to 1300 cals for the day and it will only be 2:00...

I could of course only get one of the rolls rather than both of the ones I like, but what is the fun in that?

Thanks for the well wishes about my crazy shoulder everyone. Rod, it is definitely a rotator cuff problem unfortunately. The doctor I went to many years ago when I did this to myself originally said he sees this injury in major league baseball pitchers all the time, but I managed to hurt myself standing on a ladder for 5 days sanding the ceiling in a vintage condo I once owned. Repetative overhead motion... YOWCH!!!

Happy happy B-Day Kimi!!!

 

[jcarlylew]

ugh.
SSOOOO did not work out yesterday

. had a bad last hour at work so i resorted to my usual ways of TV therapy. however i did remember to at least hang up my work clothes

.

Since its finally about 50 degrees here (seattle) i have been running all my errands via walking durning my lunch break. though most everything is within ten minutes, at least i am still getting that exercise. And its not like walking in a skirt suit is a walk in the park

Today i plan a bit long walk during lunch (if this rain clears up) and going to the gym after work. no excuses!

Has anyone tried any of the workouts on demand (comcast) and enjoyed them? Any good ones that are short and good for the morning?

ETA - Marcy - It is a family heirloom (my side) that we want to use as an ering. Its just old and i am paranoid I am trying to get boyf to start buying healthy snacks, becuase he brings his (bad junk) home and i look at them with hearts in my eyes. *sigh* what i wouldnt do for his metabolism.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 7/29/2008 12:18:26 PM
Author: Dee*Jay
Whew what a workout! I did 65 mins on the elliptical and then I decided it''s time to start doing some arm machines. I didn''t do much (only three machines and not even that many reps) but I was a little shaky at the end.

I''m in my office for the next two hours but then I think I''ll walk over to the loop and get a big pile of sushi for a late lunch. I''m excited just thinking about it LOL. That will however take me to 1300 cals for the day and it will only be 2:00...

I could of course only get one of the rolls rather than both of the ones I like, but what is the fun in that?

Thanks for the well wishes about my crazy shoulder everyone. Rod, it is definitely a rotator cuff problem unfortunately. The doctor I went to many years ago when I did this to myself originally said he sees this injury in major league baseball pitchers all the time, but I managed to hurt myself standing on a ladder for 5 days sanding the ceiling in a vintage condo I once owned. Repetative overhead motion... YOWCH!!!

Happy happy B-Day Kimi!!!

Dee, I hope your shoulder feels better soon. Teefs are still pants, I have the wisdom tooth removed next week, and I am dreading it....

 

[bee*]

Hi everyone! It''s still scorching hot here so myself and Amber are going to go out and enjoy the weather for a bit and go for a walk. Had left over salad for lunch today and I''m going to cook some fish tonight.

Rod-glad to hear that you got to enjoy your sushi last night! Enjoy your night off.

Kimberley-happy birthday! Hope that you''re feeling better enough to enjoy it!

Marcy-that''s great to hear about all the energy you have! What an accomplishment in a year! Enjoy the trailer this weekend.

Indy-glad to hear that you had a great Monday! Did you buy anything on your shopping trip? I''m lucky in that my personal trainer is included for free in my gym membership and she''s scary but brilliant.

Kc-I love snacking on nuts also-I think I''ve eaten way too much cashew nuts today though.

Hi Skippy-hope that you enjoyed your walk last night and that your pizza was delicious!

Dee*Jay-enjoy your sushi! It sounds very tasty. You worked hard on the elliptical so you deserve it

Talk to you all later after my walkies.

 

[Dee*Jay]

I forgot to put this in my last post. Last week we were talking about Emergen C as an energy booster (which I didn''t even know about) but I started taking it because of the studies that say you burn more fat in you take in 500 mg of C a day. Here are a couple of links: link1, and link2. I honestly have no idea if this is valid or not (after all, I am a control group of exactly *1* LOL) but I figure it can''t hurt!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Howdy folks. One and a third more days of work to go and then I''m off until next Tuesday. I am SO in need of a break. I''ve yet to make it to the gym today. I''m hoping to sqeeze it in this afternoon or tonight when I get home. I''m thinking I''ll bike and then bust my butt on the stairmill. Have any of you tried that? It''s like a stairmaster, but it''s set up like a treadmill. So the stairs keep coming. It''s a really good workout.

My headache is finally gone. YAY.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Date: 7/29/2008 1:41:25 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
Howdy folks. One and a third more days of work to go and then I''m off until next Tuesday. I am SO in need of a break. I''ve yet to make it to the gym today. I''m hoping to sqeeze it in this afternoon or tonight when I get home. I''m thinking I''ll bike and then bust my butt on the stairmill. Have any of you tried that? It''s like a stairmaster, but it''s set up like a treadmill. So the stairs keep coming. It''s a really good workout.

My headache is finally gone. YAY.

My husband LOVES the stairmill. At his gym they call it The Gauntlet. He does it for an HOUR.

I tried it once for 15 minutes about about had a frickin'' heart attack. You go girl!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 7/29/2008 1:41:25 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
Howdy folks. One and a third more days of work to go and then I''m off until next Tuesday. I am SO in need of a break. I''ve yet to make it to the gym today. I''m hoping to sqeeze it in this afternoon or tonight when I get home. I''m thinking I''ll bike and then bust my butt on the stairmill. Have any of you tried that? It''s like a stairmaster, but it''s set up like a treadmill. So the stairs keep coming. It''s a really good workout.

My headache is finally gone. YAY.

I have and it was hard work, but I had an excellent workout - very good for the butt and thighs!

 

[Julianna]

Date: 7/29/2008 1:41:25 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
Howdy folks. One and a third more days of work to go and then I'm off until next Tuesday. I am SO in need of a break. I've yet to make it to the gym today. I'm hoping to sqeeze it in this afternoon or tonight when I get home. I'm thinking I'll bike and then bust my butt on the stairmill. Have any of you tried that? It's like a stairmaster, but it's set up like a treadmill. So the stairs keep coming. It's a really good workout.

My headache is finally gone. YAY.

Ok I guess I didn't know the difference between a stairmaster and a stairmill til just now. And I thank you. I have actually been using a STAIRMILL at Ye Olde Gym. I have never been on a stationary stair machine.

Mine is like the one in yon photo. And yeah, the stairs? They keep on coming. And no, I couldn't stay on it for an hour unless I was TIED TO IT.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 7/29/2008 2:47:37 PM
Author: Julianna

Date: 7/29/2008 1:41:25 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
Howdy folks. One and a third more days of work to go and then I'm off until next Tuesday. I am SO in need of a break. I've yet to make it to the gym today. I'm hoping to sqeeze it in this afternoon or tonight when I get home. I'm thinking I'll bike and then bust my butt on the stairmill. Have any of you tried that? It's like a stairmaster, but it's set up like a treadmill. So the stairs keep coming. It's a really good workout.

My headache is finally gone. YAY.

Ok I guess I didn't know the difference between a stairmaster and a stairmill til just now. And I thank you. I have actually been using a STAIRMILL at Ye Olde Gym. I have never been on a stationary stair machine.

Mine is like the one in yon photo. And yeah, the stairs? They keep on coming. And no, I couldn't stay on it for an hour unless I was TIED TO IT.

LOL!!

I slipped off one of those things once too which was not fun, I missed my footing....

 

[ladypirate]

Happy Tuesday, all!

So Sunday my back was feeling better and then I overdid it so I was flat on my back again yesterday. I think I'm going to go see a chiropractor (something I've never had to do before) to see if they can get it back in alignment. I've never thrown my back out before and so it's been really frustrating. I told Kris that next time we're hiring someone to move our stuff. At this point, I'm avoiding the scale at all costs because I don't want to be depressed by what it says.

Lorelei, thanks for the great opener! I know I'll never look exactly like I wish I did, but it's important to stay healthy and in shape. Sorry for the pants weather.

Marcy, you are truly an inspiration! I agree with Rod--modesty should not even be a word in your vocabulary. You are amazing!

Hudson_Hawk, I'm sorry about your migraine, but I'm glad it's over. Yum for risotto! It's one of my favorite foods. Congratulations to your brother. That stairmill sounds CRAZY!

Hi Appletini! I'm sorry about your sunburn--I hate being sunburned so much! Take it easy and use lots of aloe vera!

KCCutie, I'm sure the moving worked off most of the calories. Yay for having your sister back in town! I wish I liked hard boiled eggs, but they're pretty much the only food I won't eat. Seriously, I'd take haggis over hard boiled eggs any day. They are really good for you, though! I suppose I'll just have to sit over here with my poached eggs instead.

Kimberly, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope you feel better soon!

Fiery, good for you for training for a marathon! I'm sure you'll do great!

jcarlylew, sounds like the fair was a lot of fun. I'm sorry the frap made your stomach upset.

IndyGirl, good for you for exercising when you got home Sunday! I'm usually in bed by 10 or 10:30, so if I tried to start exercising at 9, it would keep me up way too late. LOL on the shopping--I'm like your boyfriend. In and out.

Skippy, Alfred Hitchcock movies are great! Since I've been unable to do much, Kris and I have been watching a lot of movies. Last night we watched the original Pink Panther and I think we're going to watch the sequels over the next couple of days. I hope you had fun with your nephew!

SS, your pictures are awesome! You look beautiful and JT is just adorable. How fun!

Dee*Jay, I'm sorry about the rotator cuff. Hopefully it gets better soon! Hopefully the arm exercises will help.

Hi Bee! Are you going to post pictures of your new house? Working out with your sister sounds like fun! Have fun on your walk with Amber.

Rod, your workday sounds long, but it also sounds like you're enjoying the work, which is good! Yum for sushi. What's your favorite type? I like yellowtail--yum!

Julianna, LOL! An hour does sound like a LONG time on that thing.

Have a good rest of the day, everyone! I'll check in again tomorrow.

 

[Lorelei]

LP, I am so sorry about your back, I know how painful sciatica can be....

 

[bee*]

LP-sorry to hear about your back. There''s nothing worse than backpain. I will post pics of the house once it''s all done up. The problem is that I forgot to take before pics of most of the rooms

HH-I call the stairmill the devil. It''s such hard work and I''m always exhausted by the time I get off it. It does wonders though.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 7/29/2008 1:48:38 PM
Author: Dee*Jay

Date: 7/29/2008 1:41:25 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
Howdy folks. One and a third more days of work to go and then I'm off until next Tuesday. I am SO in need of a break. I've yet to make it to the gym today. I'm hoping to sqeeze it in this afternoon or tonight when I get home. I'm thinking I'll bike and then bust my butt on the stairmill. Have any of you tried that? It's like a stairmaster, but it's set up like a treadmill. So the stairs keep coming. It's a really good workout.

My headache is finally gone. YAY.

My husband LOVES the stairmill. At his gym they call it The Gauntlet. He does it for an HOUR.

I tried it once for 15 minutes about about had a frickin' heart attack. You go girl!

LOL, when I was 23 yrs old I use to go for an HOUR on it too!

They have them at my gym and I don't do that thing now; when I use to do it at the other gym it was in a corner but at this gym in is where everyone can see you sweating on it!

Good for you HH

 

[somethingshiny]

Another fly-by (and I feel really badly about not being able to post to everyone)

Thanks for all the compliments! I was trying to post lots of the scenery but I''m appreciative of the compliments on me and my little guy!


Swam yesterday and yogad today, I also want to get outside and do some gardening but the heat index is up near 100 so I should probably put it off until this evening. Getting ready for my dad''s surprise 50th b-day party on Friday night and family photos on Saturday (our first).


Happy Birthday, Kimi!



Yay for new workouts, marathons, moving in, swimming, star-gazing, feeling better, shopping and not being modest!!

Have a great day and a better tomorrow!

 

[steph72276]

Hey, guys! Hope everyone is having a great week. Well, I have given up Diet Coke. I just decided if I don''t buy it and have it in the house, I can''t drink it right? Well, it is amazing how my cravings have gone away. I have lost about 5 lbs. this week without changing much of anything so I think this was the culprit for me. Anyway, I will be back later for personal responses, but I''ve got lots to do at the moment.

Happy Birthday Kimberly!

 

[KimberlyH]

Thanks for the sweet birthday wishes, Rod, Skip, Marcy, Indy, KC, Dee, bee, lady, somethingshiny, and stephanie! You guys are so sweet. I''m feeling pretty darn good. I just spent some time on the elliptical and now I''m relaxing, gonna watch some TV, then take a shower and get ready for dinner, we''re going to a local French restaurant that is yummy.

Keep up the great work, everyone.

K

 

[Dee*Jay]

Two random questions...

One of the things I want in life is nice toned arms. Should I wait until I''m "thin" to start working on that though or can I start now? I guess my real question is if I start to work on my arm muscles are my arms just going to look fatter because I''ll be building up muscles underneath the layer of fat? (Does that make ANY sense, LOL?!)

One of the other things I want in life (yes, I am being greedy at this point I know!) is a nice firm butt. I hear over and over again: LUNGES LUNGES LUNGES. But how do I do them right? And is there anything else I can do for a good butt? The front of my legs are doing well, and I can feel the muscle right above the back of my knee becoming firm and, but how do I improve things a bit higher up?

 

[Anna0499]

Date: 7/29/2008 8:21:11 PM
Author: Dee*Jay
Two random questions...

One of the things I want in life is nice toned arms. Should I wait until I''m ''thin'' to start working on that though or can I start now? I guess my real question is if I start to work on my arm muscles are my arms just going to look fatter because I''ll be building up muscles underneath the layer of fat? (Does that make ANY sense, LOL?!)

One of the other things I want in life (yes, I am being greedy at this point I know!) is a nice firm butt. I hear over and over again: LUNGES LUNGES LUNGES. But how do I do them right? And is there anything else I can do for a good butt? The front of my legs are doing well, and I can feel the muscle right above the back of my knee becoming firm and, but how do I improve things a bit higher up?

Besides lunges, you can either use a resistance band and tie it to a table leg or something and then the other around your ankle. You stand facing the table and then move your leg back away from the table. Another thing that works is to get some ankle weights and lay on your stomach and do leg lifts with your leg kept straight - this is best done on some sort of workout table so you can leave the lower 1/3 of your leg off the edge. You could also do these in the push-up position for added difficulty.

The most important thing to remember when doing any lifting is to resist when going back to your original position (i.e. when the band or weight pulls your leg back to the first position resist it all the way back); you''ll get so much more out of your workout. As for your arms, I would start now...I don''t have any real data to back this up, but I know that lifting burns calories so you''d be getting two-for-one. I don''t think your arms will look fatter at all.

 

[somethingshiny]

Date: 7/29/2008 8:21:11 PM
Author: Dee*Jay
Two random questions...


One of the things I want in life is nice toned arms. Should I wait until I''m ''thin'' to start working on that though or can I start now? I guess my real question is if I start to work on my arm muscles are my arms just going to look fatter because I''ll be building up muscles underneath the layer of fat? (Does that make ANY sense, LOL?!)


One of the other things I want in life (yes, I am being greedy at this point I know!) is a nice firm butt. I hear over and over again: LUNGES LUNGES LUNGES. But how do I do them right? And is there anything else I can do for a good butt? The front of my legs are doing well, and I can feel the muscle right above the back of my knee becoming firm and, but how do I improve things a bit higher up?

Since doing yoga, I can actually see a tiny bit of definition in my arms even through the bat wings. SO my advice is start arm work now. However, I do want to add that some people will never have the rally defined arm. I am one of them. Even when I was really active and riding all the time (and therefore saddling, mucking and all the rest of the arm work), I still didn''t have very defined arms. Much smaller YES, but not really defined.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Oh the joy of the magic internet!!! I just typed in "tight butt" and the links that came up kept me amused for hours!!! Some of the videos were pretty amazing too and now I have no excuse for not knowing how to uplift my rear end. I've been practicing a couple of the exercises along with the people on my computer... I wonder what the neighbors must think right now though since my office is on the first floor with a bay window jutting out into the courtyard. Oh, and I'm wearing a skirt too. (Thank god I don't work for any of those Big Brother financial firms any more or a search like "tight butt" would have brought the IT police raining down on my head. But as the Chief Compliance Officer who would I have reported me to -- myself???)

Indy, thanks for the resistance band idea. I actually have one of those--ironically from when I hurt my rotator cuff, ha ha.

Shiny, I would actually settle for "smaller" -- definition may be a pipe dream...

 

[Rod]

Hey, from your extremely pooped friend Rod.........It''s already 11 PM, so this has to be encapsualted:

Got up at 6 and was at work by 7:30
Worked my butt off till 5:30
Left work and to the gym and was on the floor working out by 6:00
Worked my butt off at the gym and left at 8:45
Came home and had to interview a candidate
Finally had dinner (a Lean Cuisine, a protein shake and PB&J Sandwich!) at 10 PM
Need to go to bed and get some sleep, so I can get up and repeat!
But, taking the day off from the gym tomorrow night!

Marcy, while I wish I did this years ago, I''m not sorry how it''s turned out in any way. I was doing unasisted chinups and dips tonight and a really inshape young man came over and asked me to help him as he thought I had perfect form!! When he found out I am almost 54, he almost fell over. So, it''s never too late to make significant strides as we''ve learned first hand.

I hope your B-day dinner with John was wonderful Kimberly!

Thanks Indy!! I have to live nea water. Seafood is just too important to me. We lived in Kentucky once and their idea of seafood was frozen fried shrimp. Yuck. And Sushi is such an important part of our live that we couldn''t live where there wasn''t excellent sushi options! I may never have my dream body as you said (Brad Pitt already has mine - LOL) but I can at least be very pleased with my ''old'' self at this stage of my life! And I think I do have a great life. Thanks for noticing!!

I hope you got to go for your walk Skippy!

Oh, I''m sorry that it really is a rotator cuff issue DeeJay. And yes, you can absolutely work on building arm muscle while you''re working on losing weight. Losing fat and building muscle are two completely different things. Just remember, muscle is denser and heavier than fat. So you may not see the scale dip if you do build muscle, but you''ll notice your clothes fitting looser when you burn the fat! Oh and we have the stailmill at our gym. I sometimes use it, but I still just plain enjoy the elliptical better. And since I''m only doing the elliptical for cardio and get plenty of muscle building exercise elsewhere in the gym, I figure I should be able to enjoy my cardio time. Lunges are great for the butt, but so are sqauats. Don''t cheat though. A squat done properly means your foot is firmly planted and you do not raise any part of your foot off the floor as you go down, or come up. Try it assisted at first to get the hang of it, meaning hold onto something, until you''re comforatable and do multiple sets without holding onto anything. Heck, just come on back down here and we''ll take you to the gym and get you on the right "foot!" LOL

Sorry it''s so hot bee* Stay cool!

Yea for a good workout Lorelei. Did you say how your mouth is feeling?

LP, I enjoy anything with tuna (yellow tail, red or any tuna variety) on it. I think I''d probably eat a grasshopper wrapped in tuna - LOL. We have several tuna variations with interesting combinations of ingredients we enjoy. One is called the Candy Cane and it looks like one with Red and Yellow Tail alternating and includes some mexican spicy ingredients and it just wonderful. Another one we like is called Lemon Zest, which uses actual lemon zest and is light and refreshing. I''m a BIG believer in Chiropractors, so it would be a great idea for you to see one if your back is still hurting you.

Hey Steph......I''m glad you gave up Diet Coke. I''ve read several articles in which they proved how people who drink diet softdrinks actually gain weight, instead of lose weight. I think the unnatural sweetners have something to do with it. So good for you getting off that stuff!

OK...this was supposed to be short, but I get all excitied writing my buddies on the HLT!! Sleep well everyone. Hopefully, I will too.