Weekly Workout Thread 25th June till 1st July

[Mara]

haha ela...oh SOMEHOW i think i could imagine easily eating an additional 600 cals a day!!! trust me when i say that. lol..i am a champion food consumer if left unattended hehee. that is really pretty cool re: the 300 cals per baby. hmm twins.

do you feel lots of calcium cravings?

as for my walking, i really do try to get out there and do it often, i was cutting back a bit thinking i didn't really need to continue with it but i think i do. and the weather is just so pretty now, and many days i won't leave the building for lunch due to meetings and just being so busy, so on the days i can get out and do the walk i really love soaking up a bit of sun!

gypsy sounds like you are setting yourself up for success, enjoy the spa day.

scone lovers, i found an interesting looking tary cherry scone recipe on CL...now i am intrigued. it's only like 170 cals. i may feel adventurous this week, we shall see!

 

[Modified Brilliant]

Well, my healthy lifestyle has now taken control of my 24 year young daughter.

She often joked that my kitchen cabinets contained tuna fish and air (all healthy foods).

Now, she has also joined a gym, adopted my healthy eating habits and no longer makes fun of me

She''s in great shape but still hoping to look even better. After all, she has to compete with her dad (2x her age)

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 6/25/2007 2:25:48 PM
Author: Dee*Jay
These sound marvelous--thank you!

What''s a ''pastry blender'' though?

Sharon, is it a cherry almond scone you''re enjoying wiht your coffee or another flavor? I''m very intrigued by this whole scone thing. I wonder if I can get the HH to whip some up. In the summer they sometimes have apricot scones at Starbucks but I haven''t seen any this year.


HI:

Actually they do don''t they--oh and the whipping cream!! The new recipe I used had buttermilk (I used 1%) and the chopped almonds and oats gave them a substince that my old baking powder biscuts don''t. Mine old standby recipe are light as a feather--and can be used instead of angel food cake for strawberry shortcake. In old simple recipe my sister substitutes ground almonds (1/4 c. for 1/4 c. flour) and almond extract (instead of vanilla) for almond scones. I, too, use a pastry blender, or just two knives.

I can post the recipe(s) if you want. My son and DH loved the cherry ones I made.

cheers--Sharon

 

[Gypsy]

Thanks Skippy! THe biggest surprise for me is how little I can eat and still feel nice and full all day long!

That steel cut oatmeal is a godsend. I keeps me perfectly full for hours. And I have been searching out healthy places to eat lunch.

I love sashimi and chicken terriaki (spelling)... so I''ve been doing some bento boxes. No rice, with salad dressing and terriaki sauce on the side. Sashimi as the ''options'' with the boxes.

Subway''s ham sandwiches and their clubs with no mayo and lots of veggies with mustard and vinegar on wheat.

The Extreme Pita sandwich I mentioned.

Thai soup Tom Yum with seafood. YUM.

And vegetarian indian food (no rice or bread) stews.

I enjoy going out for lunch... it''s my daily stress break from my increasingly bad tempered boss. And It''s lovely to know that I can do it and still be healthy. Plus being out cuts down the cravings for snacks during the day. If I stay in I stress eat b/c of boss.

I''m constantly surprised by how much of the food I was eating I Didn''t need.

But I was using food as for comfort, stress relief and pampering. So I''m trying really hard to break that and turn to walks, spa, books and cat time as my comfort. That''s the part that''s going to be the hardest.

Have fun at Step!


From one newbie to another: Welcome Neatfreak!


Thanks Mara, I appreciate the encouragement and I definitely will enjoy the spa day. I think that the couple we are friends with also helps, I work with the wife and she''s a light healthy eater so I like going to lunch with her cause we talk... and don''t eat much. Plus when we go out with them-- they aren''t foodies AT ALL. So it''s really nice to not have eating be the focus of going out.

How''s the mini? Everytime I see one I think of you.

 

[Mara]

on a random WWT note regarding healthy food, anyone else hosting a 4th of july BBQ/partay for people? if so, what are you serving?

i am noodling on our menu... i am thinking lean beef burgers with a bit of bleu cheese stuffed inside (OR basic with a slice of real cheddar on top...hmm i'm torn); the corn, red pepper, and edamame salad i made a few weeks ago; deviled bacon eggs; a mixed fresh fruit salad (pineapple, watermelon, blueberries, strawberries); alexa baked fries; and then for dessert i am torn because i have so many ideas...but either light root beer floats (with low cal ice cream) OR light ice cream sundaes (aka light ice cream, fresh bananas and strawberries, sugar free syrup, crushed nuts, ff whipped) OR even toying with the idea of doing something like a blueberry cobbler (With no bottom, just a top crust), using a splenda sugar mix to lower cals and then the breyers 90 cal free vanilla ice cream. mmmmm.

anyone have other great ideas or things you are planning to try that fit the healthy bill?

 

[Gypsy]

Okay... cheese for hamburgers... I just found THIS cheddar a couple of weeks ago and it is... PHENOMENAL plain with beer... or just... out of this freaking world on Burgers. English Cotswold - Double Gloucester with Chives and shallots. OMG. And it''s so flavorful you only need a THIN slice on the burgers. (Get the Whole Foods Brand it''s the best-- the Trader Joes while cheaper is no where NEAR as flavorful so you need more).

I love just fresh fruit with some low fat ice cream... You can do a simple raspberry puree from TJ''s frozen berries with Spenda in the blender then strain. Put on top of the ice cream and add fresh berries and a mint sprig.

 

[mrssalvo]

mara did you see the cover of this months cooking light? It's a fresh berry-peach cobbler and looks amazing. I am going to make it for our own 4th party and with low-fat vanilla icescream is still a pretty calorie friendly dessert.

we haven't decided exactly what we're doing this year so I havent' given the menu any more thought, but when I received my cookinglight in the mail, i knew that cobbler was going to be involved somehow in the meal...

 

[KimberlyH]

Happy Monday All!

We're back home safe and sound after a fabulous trip. We had a few more amazing dinners, lots of good walking and a smooth trip home, what more can one ask for?

We went to Bin 36 on Saturday night, a really interesting concept restaurant that is all about wine. I started with a mixed greens salad, osso buco w/ fava bean pudding, shallots and rhubarb jus for my main entree and a chocolate bombe for dessert, all paired with some interesting wines that I'd never tried before, lots of fun for me! And John even joined in on the wine action, which is not at all his thing, and found a few wines he rather enjoyed (including one that made me cringe it was so sweet and syrupy!).

Last night we went to Cafe Spiaggia. We split two appetizers, mozerella caprese and artichoke hearts in a lemon garlic sauce (so good). I had tortoloni stuffed with tuscan kale and ricotta served in an EVOO sauce with carrots and onions had bombolino (italian doughnuts) for dessert. It was a delicious meal.

Now we're back home and I'm needing to return to the routine of school, work, exercise and eating right. School starts tomorrow, so far I'm only scheduled to work 2 hours each morning, but I have a feeling that's going to change to 4 very quickly; I'm fine either way.

Sounds like everyone is doing fantastically well! Glad you all enjoyed your weekends and entering the new week refreshed.

~K

ETA:

Welcome, neatfreak!

Enjoy ordering your wedding dress, Mandarine, I imagine you look amazing in it!

Marcy, what a wonderful accomplishment. Be so proud of yourself!

Someone asked about hiking shoes, they sale trail tennis shoes for running, I've used them for hiking and trail running for years and they work perfectly, so if you aren't interesting in buying hiking boots, that might be a good option for you.

 

[phoenixgirl]

Jeff, that''s great that your healthy lifestyle was contagious!

My dad was always ragging on me to get in shape and has been jogging for 40 years, but I can''t say that my parents were very good examples when it came to food choices. The funny thing is that when I told them I was finally getting in shape, their response was, "Oh my, don''t lose too much weight." My brother''s theory is that they just always play the devil''s advocate.

I saw a coworker who was getting in shape and had a lightbulb moment about my own health. My healthy lifestyle rubbed off on my husband, who quit smoking, and another friend just quit too. It''s a domino effect.

 

[Mara]

kimberly your culinary experiences from the trip sound very tasty. welcome home! jeff it''s so cool that your daughter is on the healthy wagon as well! gypsy the mini is so awesome, we love it...i''ve taken almost all our friends and family for rides at this point, i am driving obsessed now.

mrs salvo, yes haha funny you should mention the cooking light issue, i did get that the other day and was salivating on it and then today i guess i spaced while looking online, doh so when i got home i saw the CL on my ottoman in the living room and went OH! so i totally want to check that out. the other one i was considering was a blueberry cobbler from CL in like 2004 or something. i am so into blueberries right now because they are amazingly sweet and it''s like $3.00 for a big container of them so i could really pack the pie full hehee. but yeah maybe a peach blueberry, oh that''d be tasty. i like the fact that cobblers dont have a bottom as well so it saves on a ton of the pastry cals.

so just went to a home shopping thing with a girlfriend for clothing...it''s one of those ''tupperware'' kind of things but it''s for this higher end brand of clothing that they used to sell in nordstroms and is now only shop at home kind of thing with parties. the gal was having a ''sample sale'' for her spring line...the funny thing is that last year i went with my friend and got the cutest army green fitted rip stop skirt in a size 8 (the 6 fit but it was really snug aka uncomfy)...well now that skirt is big on me but i can still ''kind of'' make it work even though it looks big on me and is too long now. anyway they had a 4 in the same skirt today at the sale, and it was 1/2 off since it was a sample! so i thought am i a dork to get it again, but i really but i love it and the fact that it actually FITS me now made me super jazzed as it''s just that much more flattering as it''s fitted around the waist and butt with these tight pleats then it flares out. so it works best when it actually ''shows'' your figure and the size 8 doesn''t do that for me anymore. actually my friend thought i needed a 2 instead of the 4 but i think the 4 is okay...i don''t want to be too poured into it (though i would have tried the 2 if they had it). and bonus, the sale gal said she thought she could sell my size 8 at 1/2 price as a sample...so next show i am going to bring it to her. so i might break even on the 2nd skirt, which would be nice. and i got another cute flowy skirt that could be dressed up or down that is jagged edge and fitted and it''s a size 2 (though i guess it runs a little big), so talk about an ego boost hahaa. i wasn''t feeling that slim today after this wkd''s gorgefest so this helps!!

greg took my sister out practice driving while i was gone, and when they get back we''ll have dinner which is TJ pizzas and salad and then we''re going to take a walk around the neighborhood with Portia. for dessert we have another It''s It''s from last nite but i think i am going to save mine til this wkd or something, and have a 40 cal fudgesicle instead, keeping in line with my trying to be good thing this wk. oh and at the party tonite there was all sorts of bread and dip and cheese and mini cheesecake bites, and i didn''t have one bit of anything. YAY for small wins hehe.

hope everyone had a great day and is enjoying a nice evening. it''s very warm here today so it''ll be nice to go for a walk later. nite all.

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone.

Dee, you are absolutely right, you’ve got to live a little. Your B&J ice cream sounds great and since you walked it off getting there and back you had fun, a nice walk and some good ice cream. It’s a win, win situation.

Mrssalvo, thank you for saying I am inspiration. I agree I should stick with what I’m doing because it is working. That’s wonderful you and Zoe got to explore a new trail.

Welcome, neatfreak. I bet you are getting excited for your wedding. Clothes don’t lie so if they are fitting better you are doing something right.

Shortblonde, I agree the summer parties / picnics are killers on dieting. I admire you for passing up brownies; they are definitely in my top 10 list for foods I’d be tempted to eat.

Mandarine, have fun on your trip to NH and Cape Cod. We are going to Glacier National Park this fall. I am pretty excited about that trip.

PG, too funny about doing your bootcamp video with a hangover. It’s a good idea to do almost anything to take you mind off how you feel, huh?

Gail, thank you for the kind words. Congratulations on a new record on the treadmill. I hope you had fun at dinner.

Gypsy, great idea to get new clothes and pampering yourself this weekend. It is all about you and you deserve to be good to yourself. Coming up with rewards for reaching goals is something that works well for me. I bought a 2 ct. diamond bracelet for my 100 pound reward and the rest of my life I will remember what I did and how hard to worked to get that bracelet. Congratulations on your anniversary. I am delighted to hear your husband is supportive of you and also that your stress is better.

Mara, if you try the 170 cal scones and like them let us know. I’ll have to try them so I can identify with one of Rod’s favorite treats.

I did great on my diet today; I even have calories left. I had dry cereal and strawberries for breakfast, a 100 cal cracker snack at 10 a.m., lunch was a chicken / swiss cheese sandwich with baked BBQ chips, a 100 cal snack at 3, and for supper I had 1 oz pasta, 2 oz hamburger with spaghetti sauce, raw veggies, fruit and a ww choc ice cream bar.

I even took in a canister of miniature chocolate candy for the office today. I put it on the other side of the room. Everyone in my office is either dieting or tries to be nice to those on a diet so we don’t usually have snacks in there anymore. I have 2 young men working the swing shift though who eat candy all the time. I let the dieters know they can eat the mini musketeers for only 25 cals.

Well, I have papers to grade and need to exercise.

Have a great Tuesday.

Marcy

 

[Rod]

Wow, believe or not it''s 10:00 PM and this is truly the first chance I''ve had to check in and SO MANY POSTS to start the week.

I may have missed some but Welcome home Kimberly, glad your trip was great. Welcome neatfreak. Thanks for the always inspirational opening Lorelei! Way to go Danielle on running 5 miles!! I haven''t been able to run for a few weeks and I miss it. I''ll start again, but maybe not until it cools down a bit in Florida. DeeJay, oh my.......your friend is amazing. I still don''t think it''s particularly attractive for girls to be so muscled up, but I can certainly appreciate the hard work and dedication it took to get where she is!! Glad they unlocked the gate Mrssalvo, now the Magic steps lead further! Mara, your adventures of getting on a train, to head to dinner and then coming home to walk to a dessert place sounds just terrific. Just keep that in mind as you contemplate moving one day. There really aren''t many places as urban as you''ve got in your own backyard. Mandarine, I would speak with your doctor about the being tired thing. For me working out has increased my energy, so you might want to have your iron levels or something checked to be on the safe side. Sorry you overdid it with wine there Phoenix, but it happens to the best of us! Yumm on the Cherry Scone recipe Ellaila - Thanks!! Good for your daughter Jeff. It''s great when your healthy habits rub off on those you love!!

If I missed anyone, sorry. It''s been a looooong day. We didn''t get out of the office till after 7, then we had our Sushi dinner (terrific as usual) and coffee at Starbucks. We had quite a strong thunderstorm when we were leaving work. The rainy season is finally kicking into higher gear down here. By the time we got home, it was well past 9, so I don''t have much healthy to report today. But then, we don''t workout out on Monday''s anyway. Tomorrow night we''ll be back in the gym for the next 3 nights.

It''s nice to see new friends here on our healthy thread. And thanks for coming back to visit Jeff. Please stay around, OK? Have a nice night everyone. Sleep tight!

 

[neatfreak]

Very good day exercise wise, did 20 min HARD on the elliptical this morning, then lifted weights for 30 minutes. Followed that up tonight with a 4 mile walk with my two best girlfriends (well only girlfriends really!) and my dog. Been a good day exercise wise and pretty decent foodwise with only a small detour for a few graham crackers and 2 fudgesicles.


And I made the most AMAZING sandwiches for dinner and they were even pretty darn healthy. I used ciabatta bread, but you could use something else lower cal if you want. I bought the ciabatta rolls from TJ's and halved them since they were HUGE.

I mixed:
1 sliced portabella
1/2 sliced purple onion
4-5 strips of roasted red pepper (I get the ones that are in water from TJ's-super easy and good!)
1 cube of frozen basil from TJ's
1 cube of frozen garlic again from TJ's
S+P

Cooked that mix through in a pan misted with EVOO. Then I sliced my ciabatta, added a sprinkle of parmesean and low fat mozzarella, put it on the bread, and baked it for 10 minutes or so.

SOOOO yummy and very low cal depending on how much bread and cheese you use.

Hope everyone has a great night!!!

 

[KimberlyH]

Morning!

Thanks for the welcome back, Rod. It''s always nice to come home.

It''s back in the saddle today. I got on the scale this morning and I only gained 1.8 lbs while on vacation; not too horrible considering all of the eating we did. It may take a few days to work it off, but no big deal, really.

I''m not sure how the day is going to play out between work, school and high hopes that I can get a long overdue hair appt. this afternoon. Perhaps a walk this afternoon or maybe the elliptical, definitely something active is on my list of things to do today.

I''m making dinner, who knows what. Definitely something healthy!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Last night I ended up having a glass of wine with a client and then a piece of toast with margarine and jam when I got home, neither of which were in the calorie budget for yesterday... Today I'm going to be good, and I've got a big workout planned for the evening that I'm looking forward to.

Ellaila, thanks for the education on the pastry blender. I had no idea what it was!

Sharon, if it's not too much work I would love the recipe. Or you could just send a box my way...

Gail, congrats on the 5 miles on the treadmill! And I hope you enjoyed the dinner last night.

Skippy, I'm a little late here, but I have a pair of Asolo hiking boots that I've had for about 10 years now (obviously I don't use them very much, ha ha) and they were as comfortable the first time I put them on as they are now. Great shoes!

Gypsy, I'm made the same observation lately about how little I actually need to eat. Sometimes it almost becomes a game with me. Hmmm... I'm a little hungry... I'll have this clementine and then see if that's enough. If not maybe I'll have another one later... Really, from a volume standpoint, I've cut way back on the amount that I'm eating over the past months.

Mara, you've got me thinking about root beer floats! I want mine with chocolate ice cream though.

Mrs. S., I saw the cover of cooking light in a book store yesterday and it looked good enough to lick!

Kimberly, glad you had a good trip! I had a funny experience at Cafe Spiaggia once. The HH and I arrived and the host check-in area was a little full. One of the hosts bolted from behid the podium and came toward us. He helped me shrug out of my coat and kept saying how nice it was to see me again and ushered us off to our table beaming widely the whole time. Then he came back to check on us during the meal twice. I have no idea who he thought I was but I'd never been there before!

PG, good for you for being a positive influence on your husband!

Marcy, I have a big bowl of candy in my office. Usually I'm pretty good about avoiding it (literally, I haven't had a piece of candy out of it for several weeks) but sometimes it just calls my name... Dee... Over here... We're the peanutbutter cups and you know you want us...

Rod, yes, Debbie works VERY HARD at her routine. Obviously in the office you see much less of her muscles given that she's wearing clothes, but the first time I saw pics of her in her competition bikini I was shocked!! So many muscles on such a little girl!

Neatfreak, what is ciabatta? Is it like foccacio? The sandwichs sound delish!

Hello Jeff -- good to see you!

 

[gailrmv]

hi all! I was so glad I saved my calories for dinner last night because it was so worth it! So, I went into the event having eaten about 600 cals and burned at least 800 in a very intense workout. The place was Greek influence but they also had some asian influenced dishes. We had some wonderful appetizers, stuffed grape leaves, pita with various spreads (i.e. hummus), and some sort of artichoke crab cake. I had just a small bite of everything. Then I had a spinach salad with just a touch of a very fresh,soft, mild cheese (almost tasted like ricotta- I wish I knew what it was) and a strawberry vinagrette dressing. For my entree I had rare ahi tuna, which was sliced and served over just a bit of a fine rice pasta and four sushi rolls (with seafood) underneath! It was very elegantly presented. For dessert I had a cappacino and a few bites of an amazing chocolate raspberry torte. It was truly one of the best meals I''ve had in a long time, maybe ever. Oh, and I also enjoyed 2 glasses of white wine. I''m not sure what the calorie count was and probably best not to know, but I did feel like I ordered some of the healthier dishes - my entree was not creamy or oily at all. Also, this restaurant did a great job about serving normal portions - my entree came on a normal dinner plate, not a giant platter! So, that was my wonderful dinner!

 

[Mara]

gail so what sort of intense workout did you have that burned 800 cals! that is really high...!!

yesterday i ended at around 1375 calories or so. the oddest thing is that lately...and this will sound bizarre, but my belly has been so big. so yesterday i ate a fair amount of fiber, all the 'right' types of food, and the whole 1375 cals total. a light day in general and quite healthy. but last nite my belly was the size of a small watermelon. and it swells outwards from my hips (so odd looking) and is hard like a little watermelon too. it has been doing this lately and then in the morning it's mostly back to normal, but i don't know what is going on!!! it drives me friggin BATTY by the way. i mentioned i had gained some weight around my hips (1.5 inches actually in the last 2 weeks) which i think some of it is my butt but i think some of it is this weird watermelon belly. could i be manifesting some sort of strange food allergy? i know that yes when i overeat it seems like my belly swells, that has always been the case, belly area is bane of my existence, but now it seems like it does it regardless of overeating...last nite i was even a little hungry as i went to bed and yet i had this massive watermelon belly that was thumpable. even greg admitted that he thinks it's kind of odd that it's been doing that. and then in the morning it was pretty much back to normal.

so i was thinking of making a dr appt but what do i say? and is it internal medicine or ob/gyn? i went off the pill for two months accidentally, so i just started taking it again and i am wondering if going back on it is creating wacky hormones or something. i used to use the pill to regulate TTOTM but i don't really need it anymore, so i was thinking of going off it again to see if that remedied the problem. i went back on about 2 weeks ago so maybe the hormones are wacking out my middle area (hips and belly?)? but man..what the heck!!! anyone else ever had something similar? i swear last nite i looked like a 5 months pregnant woman with a pretty fit body. absolute WEIRDNESS and seriously disturbing for me hehee.

anyway breakfast was all bran, fage, berries, coffee. snack will be something...who knows. lunch will be black bean and corn burgers again i think.

 

[royalasscherlover]

mara, i have read that sometimes bloating after eating can be gluten intolerance. have you noticed if it's worse after you eat certain foods?

and i have also been salivating over the cooking light cobbler cover!

ellaila, i made the cherry scone recipe you posted and everyone at work is raving about them. i didn't cut them out, just dropped them onto the pan, and i made them much smaller than the recipe called for. i got about 15 good-sized scones out of a recipe, i can't imagine how huge they would be if you only made 8 as called for!

gypsy and dj, i hear you on how little you actually need to eat. i used to think that as long as i ate healthy foods, i could eat as much as i wanted, but it's just not true - the calories still add up! now i've really learned to eat things that give me the biggest bang for my calories, so to speak - fiber and protein are my friend as far as keeping me full.

so far today i've had a pumpkin muffin for breakfast and i'll have tj's black bean enchiladas for lunch. pre-workout snack is a kashi granola bar. not exactly sure about the dinner plan yet, but i am thinking of making summer rolls. it's in the 90s here today, and i just can't get excited about the thought of cooking or even eating too much with this weather. so something light and fresh is in order! i also have lots of fresh fruit and plan to snack on that in the evening.

i got out of work really late last night and couldn't make it to the gym, but i'm definitely going today!

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 6/25/2007 7:49:13 PM
Author: KimberlyH

Someone asked about hiking shoes, they sale trail tennis shoes for running, I've used them for hiking and trail running for years and they work perfectly, so if you aren't interesting in buying hiking boots, that might be a good option for you.

Morning!

Kimberly, thanks for the info. Today I am heading to REI to look for shoes. I like keeping separate shoes from Hiking, walking and aerobics. I guess I am a weirdo because I hate for my gym shoes to get dirty.

Kimberly, I would love to see your pics from Chicago. My mom went years ago and to this day she mentions how beautiful it is and how many things she did there! Sounds like fun plus I am dying to try deep dish pizza!!!!

I had the BEST MORNING. I usually walk at night but it has been in the high 90's so I got up at 6am. I walked for 1 hour and 20 mins!!! I was so happy since it was nice and cool and I was enjoying the sun coming up. I also walked along the golf course because no golfers were out so I wasn't afraid to be hit by a ball!! Then I planted some flowers in the back yard. I think I am going to walk in the mornings instead for sure!!!

Modified Brilliant Glad you are back and yeah for getting your daughter to eat right!
Marcy, Wow, Glacier National Park sounds beautiful. Sounds like you are doing so well w/your new healthy lifestyle. I love how positive you are too!
Rod, I love Rain Storms. . . they are kind of romantic and everything smells so fresh.
Neatfreak, great job on the Elliptical and weights and walking! Wowweee
DeeJay, thanks for the boot suggestion. Hope you had a great workout last night!!!
Hey Gail, I am dying to see your new pendant

post pics soon pls. Sounds like you had a yummy meal.
Shortblond, the muffin sounds yummy! Great job on the workout!
Mara, I was wondering whenever you eat at super yummy restaurants can you post a few of their names. You make everything sound yummy it makes me want to someday eat there! hehehe Thanks!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

When does school end for kids? Just curious. . . I saw that Marcy was grading papers.

 

[AsscherGirl]

Hi Everyone! It sounds like everyone is doing so well!

Marcy - my race on 7/14 is a 5 mile race. It is only my 2nd 5 miler ever, but I am actually feeling excited! I am also running in a 2 mile race on the 21st and thinking of signing up for a 5K for the first weekend in August. I am not sure about that one since it is the morning after my bridal shower, so we''ll see how it goes. All of the races I run in are at the beach in NJ. My favorite parts of them are when you get a peek at the ocean. I am not an early riser usually so it''s so nice to see the morning sun beaming down on the water!

Dee - you should see my fiance and I when we try to pick paint colors for the house. We go through samples, have different colors painted all over the wall, and sometimes paint an entire room and then decide to change it!

At times, it''s a pretty expensive habit!

MrsSalvo - I wish we had somewhere like the trail picture you posted the other week. That is just so beautiful!

NeatFreak: Welcome! I am starting to believe the scale is evil. I know for me it keeps me honest, but it still stinks when the weight fluctuates all over! Also - that sandwich you made sounds great! My fi would love that - I am going to save it for him!

Gypsy - it sounds like you are doing great!!! Congrats on taking some time out for yourself - it''s amazing what that can do for your self-esteem. Keep it up!!!

Jeff - glad to hear your daughter is joining in!

Mara - I''m not sure we''re going to make it to any July 4th picnics, but I used to always make a plan yellow cake and make a flag shape on top with cool whip, strawberries & blueberries. You could def. modify that to be healthier! P.S. I vote blue cheese burgers - YUM!

Kimberly - welcome home! It always sounds so fun when you & John travel - I am jealous you get to go so often!!!

Gail - sounds like you are doing great as always. Your dinner sounds wonderful!

I also wanted to ask you all how you fit in so many workouts per week. I am working on consistently going 4 times a week, and I find it really a struggle to accomplish everything else. I generally work until 5:30-6 on average (working on getting out earlier lately!), and if I go to the gym right from here, I''m still not getting home until 7:30-8:00. Then I still have to make dinner, clean up and take care of any miscellaneous house chores. Since we are in the midst of summer hours at work, I have to be here at 7:30, so I am trying to get to bed around 10:30 every night. So I basically eat dinner, clean up and go to sleep. Since I started the contest with my friend and am doing 4 times a week, I couldn''t find any time to go grocery shopping! And finally my fi & I did it Sunday night, but then I ended up being awake until 2am and barely functioned yesterday! On the weekends, we are generally out somewhere and we sleep away from our house a lot. If we are home, we usually have sleep over guests. It would be weird if I marched into their room to clean the bathroom on Saturday morning!

So I guess, how do you all manage working out 5-6 times a week, feeding yourself dinner and cleaning your houses?! Does everyone have a cleaning lady? Is this what''s missing from my life?

Thanks!

Have a great day everyone!

 

[ellaila]

Glad the scones were a hit, shortblonde! I also get 11-12 scones out of that recipe -- and they''re good-sized! I also forgot to mention that the WF dried cherries (the ones you buy in bulk) are way better than the TJs ones, so if you''re going to make them, splurge on the WF ones!

Mara, I know you''ve said before that you''re not pregnant, but so many things you say make me think you are!! You went off the pill for two months, you''ve got a bloated belly, cravings, supertired (a week or two ago) ... hmm ... may be worth it to take a test!! (Sorry if I''m overstepping here, but I think it every time I read one of your "symptoms"!)

 

[Skippy123]

Danielle,
I had a cleaning lady. I just got tired of being around to watch them (since so many friends of mine had things taken from their cleaning crew). I kept them for a year but then decided I rather do it myself. They did a really good job so you may like having a cleaning person! Try it. The professional services cost more and I would talk to friends for recommendations; that helps.

 

[AsscherGirl]

Date: 6/26/2007 10:55:27 AM
Author: Skippy123
Danielle,
I had a cleaning lady. I just got tired of being around to watch them (since so many friends of mine had things taken from their cleaning crew). I kept them for a year but then decided I rather do it myself. They did a really good job so you may like having a cleaning person! Try it. The professional services cost more and I would talk to friends for recommendations; that helps.

That has always been my concern. At my parents house, we had a few cleaning people through out the years and the level of cleanliness always deteriorated over time. At my fi''s parents house, they had cleaning people who did take stuff or break stuff!

I know right now we could not have one as we are still saving up for our wedding. But I did notice that is what takes a lot of my time on the days I don''t work out and I thought maybe that was the missing link!

Thanks!

 

[neatfreak]

Danielle,

I fit in workouts where ever I can everyday to get everything in. I park far away and walk to things. I walk to work in the morning. I just make it a priority to get up everyday and workout.

As busy as things are, what I have noticed is that as I take more time for myself to workout and do the things I need, other things actually become EASIER. For example, my fiance knows how important it is for me to fit in my workouts, so he has picked up cooking and cleaning a lot more often now. Why? Because I'm just not around to do it, so he'll do it now! Before, I was making myself available to do it, so he helped a lot less. Now that he sees I have other things to do too, he chips in a lot more!

I would just make it a priority to workout. Can you bike/walk to and from work instead of driving? Or join a gym close to your office so you can work out on your lunch break? Those things have all helped me become healthier and workout more.

HTH!

 

[phoenixgirl]

It''s only in the 80''s here right now, but I just got really overheated on my 5 mile walk. About half-way into it I had drunk 20 of the 24 ounces of water I had with me. Luckily I was right around a university and popped into a building to refill my bottle from the water fountain. Then I drank another 14 ounces on the way home and walked much more slowly. I sweated more than usual as well and don''t feel like I have to go to the bathroom despite how much I drank.

I don''t know what the cause is . . . I didn''t drink any alcohol or caffeine today or yesterday (had alcohol Sunday). It''s just not that hot out.

A few times I''ve been in a tight, hot place . . . an airplane, a group photo in college, a stuffy music club . . . and gotten this feeling, like I was really woozy and hot and needed icy cold water. One time I actually passed out momentarily. I guess I need to remember to always have extra water with me. The next time I fly I''m going to buy a whole bunch of water after security because I know you can''t pack your own and flying seems to induce dehydration.

 

[gailrmv]

Mara, that bloating is weird! Hope you feel better. About the workout, I ran (fast) for 35 min and the treadmill told me 485 cals. I had done the spin bike (a hard workout) for 40 min so I figure that had to have burned at least 300, if the treadmill is accurate. That''s how I figured 800! I weigh a lot and I work out hard!

Danielle, lately I have had a few weeks off between jobs so I have a lot of time to work out! When I am working, I usually go to the gym right after work from about 5:45 until 7, go home, cook dinner for DH and me, eat, clean up, have an hour or two free, then go to bed. I usually take 1 or 2 days a week off the gym, usually Friday. My workout schedule did not leave time for much fun during the week! On the weekend I usually get up, eat breakfast, clean my house, then go to the gym in the late morning or early afternoon, then spend the rest of the day/evenings doing fun stuff. When I was super busy last year I still made myself go to the gym at least 4x a week even if I only had time to do 30 minutes of workout when I got there. I joined a gym that was on the way home from work and that helped a lot. I would LOVE to get a cleaning lady but I was never able to justify the expense. Also, I would have to find one who would get along with my dogs and who would not accidentally let them out the door.

 

[AsscherGirl]

Neatfreak - I wish I could walk or bike to work. Unfortunately I have to cross a river and the only way across is on a major highway. It''s about 4 miles, so it would be awesome to do that every day, but it''s impossible!

Gail - your current weekday schedule is like what I am doing now. I guess if we were home on the weekends, then it probably wouldn''t be a problem and I could keep up with everything. I generally take Mondays off from the gym because it''s just sooo crowded, but that works right now because I can go to the gym on Friday afternoons. Once we are off summer hours I am going to have to adjust again because we usually go out on Friday nights! My gym is not on the way home from work, but is only about 1.5 miles away from work.

Hmm, maybe it''s our social life that''s getting in the way. I think I''d rather have a fun social life than worry about keeping my house spotless!

 

[Mara]

elailla..i am 95% sure that is not what is going on (i already took a few tests in the last few weeks, haha) but i guess you never REALLY know til the 9 months are up right? lol. but yeah i seriously doubt it. it's just really odd. and i don't know why suddenly it would be happening. but also the whole extra hip thing is really odd too. i mean i have done nothing differently so why would my hips grow so much suddenly? sometimes i am like 'body what the heck are you doing?'. anyway maybe i will schedule an ob/gyn appt just to get the girl basics checked out and at least rule out a few things, i think i am due for a checkup appt anyway. but yeah this morning my belly is pretty much back to normal. really odd. it makes me not want to eat any carbs and just a lot of protein!!!

danielle, i work out 5-6x a week and sometimes 7x depending. i just fit it in. a 1m walk only takes 15 minutes, and that is a break from work so i might go out for a walk or walk to whole foods or walk to get lunch. also i walk around our neighborhoods some evenings, i go to the gym 2-3x a week, and then i also have started hiking 1-2 hours 3x a week. i like doing the walks with greg so we get togetherness time as well as some exercise too. aka yesterday i didn't really 'work out' but i walked 1.5 miles to whole foods and back at lunch and then went for a walk with greg and my sister after dinner for about 1.5 miles. so i ended up being active anyway even though it wasn't like a back-breaking sweaty workout.

i basically am up and into the car by 8am (calls 3x a week at 7:30am but i take them from home), and then out of the office between 5-6pm depending on what else is going on. i get out for 'lunch' or a walk like 3x a week maybe. then i typically go to the gym or go do my hike until about 7-7:30pm. come home, make a quick dinner for us, we usually eat around 8:15pm most nights and then we watch TV for a bit or go for a walk and then we are in bed around 11pm. on fridays i leave work at 5:15 and get to the gym then home by 7:30, then out for dinner or whatever by 8pm. on the weekends i always can fit in a 45 min walk whether it's the morning or evening even if we have a busy day scheduled. for me it's about making the workouts a priority and just making them happen. also we only clean up the house on wkds and it really doesn't get that dirty so it doesn't take very long to clean it. but i do plan to get a cleaning lady at some point, i just haven't gotten around to it.

pg, sorry to hear you are feeling dehydrated. it's funny but i can't really drink water when walking and working out. it doesn't make me feel very good..my mom ends up drinking like a whole bottle of water while walking with me but i just take a small drink before walking and then i drink a bit after. but typically i can't drink while walking.

skippy good luck finding the right shoes for you! keep us posted.

 

[Skippy123]

Good news. . . I found hiking boot/shoes!
I went into REI today and found some Vasque's after discussing and trying on a few other shoes. The great thing is the guy who was helping me hiked the trails I hike so he knew what shoes were good for me. The best part of our conversation was that he said if I hiked a few times and hated the shoes I could return and get my money back. Then at the register I told the sales guy about returning them if I didn't like them (just in case it wasn't true) and he said absolutely!!! What a great policy!

I will let you know how they work for me this weekend!

 

[Mara]

funny, today i was reading a SELF food blog...written by one of their dietician gals, it''s basically everything she eats, nutritional values and images. it''s kind of fun reading actually and makes me want to be really healthy which is funny. anyway i am going to keep reading it hehe.

i also have been kicking around the idea of having smoothies for breakfast for something different a few days a week! i realized that what i do have could easily be modified to be ''smoothified'' hehee. i also came across this tasty sounding smoothie recipe on CL...

Chocolate PB Cup Smoothie: frozen banana, peanut butter, 1% chocolate milk, ff yogurt, splenda or sugar or honey

i definitely want to try that!! also i found another one which sounds tasty using frozen mango, raspberries, soy milk, ff yogurt, splenda and all bran or fiber one (or wheat bran). interesting!

anyhow, today i have had my breakfast, an orange mango light n''fit yogurt, then 2 black bean and corn chipotle garden burgers topped with salsa, cucumber salad with dill, evoo, lemon juice and onions...and am going to get a wow cow yogurt in a few minutes and most likely also have some watermelon. after work i am doing a hike for about 75 minutes...it''s beautiful outside so i can enjoy the day a bit.

hope everyone is having a great day and kudos skippy on new shoes.