Weekly Workout Thread 26th Dec till 31st Dec

[Lorelei]

Happy Holiday week to all!

Ho ho ho!

I really liked Jeff''s post on last week''s thread, so I thought I would copy and paste it - thank you Jeff

My holiday eating rule will be abbreviated by one day. I''m getting back to normal on Tuesday instead
of Wednesday. Like Rod, I just can''t eat like this. It''s all about mind set and sticking with a healthy plan.
It''s easy to feel lousy now when we stray from our normal healthy eating habits. That''s a good thing, right??

For those who still aren''t "in an exercise groove" or "healthy eating plan"...you have until the 31st..then start
the new year off right. No excuses...just results! You know you CAN do it. You know you WANT to do it.
So what''s stopping you? It''s an old tired cliche but "JUST DO IT"

KEEP ON TRACKin and happy holidays.
Jeff Averbook,G.G. (G.I.A.) since 1986. NAJA (member)GIA Alumni Association (member)

That is an excellent point about feeling lousy and like a tub of lard which I do now....

We can use these feelings to motivate us to get back on our fitness wagons - feeling uncomfortable or disatisfied etc are really great tools to help us change, be it those trousers that won''t zip, or if you just don''t like what you see in the mirror, we can use these negative feelings to great advantage if we really think about it!

But it is still the Holidays - have a great time everyone, check into the thread as and when you want to and we can use our experiences to start over when the Holidays finish!

I have eaten far too many chocolates, but I don''t feel too bad as I was running around all day cooking the dinner, so that is a few calories saved. I hope to be able to fit a workout in today, I think it will do me good!

Have fun everyone!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Good morning Lorelei and everyone!

I''ve just now recovered from the food coma brought on by the massive dinner the happy hubby cooked last night. Eggplant salad in parmesian cups, Scottish beef stew with fried potato cakes, berry crumble with vanilla ice cream, lots of wine... Can you see why I''m fat? He''s SUCH a good cook!!!

I wanted to work out yesterday but my back did not cooperate. I did manage to spend several hours cleaning out my office and storing my files from this year, so I got a little bit of activity in, but not a ton.

My lower back is still a bit sore, but I would like to spend an hour on the eliptical tonight. If not though, definitely tomorrow. And I am back on the food wagon as of this moment!

Merry day after Christmas!

 

[nejarb]

I had the best intentions with my new scale and tape measurer and soup recipes and all that, but then disaster struck. I suddenly went out of town for a funeral and of course got stuck there for 4 days b/c of holiday travel and then I got sick. So I''m back at home now w/ a terrible sore throat. Well, things can only get better from here, right?

 

[Lorelei]

I am sorry about your throat Nej, I hope it gets better soon!

Dee - your food sounds INCREDIBLE!!! I hear you with the back thing, mine has been sore for a few days now, the sort of pain that could blow up into something terrible to bear if I am not careful, but I did a workout and went gently and it feels a bit better. If the elliptical is a bit too much strain on your lower back, maybe try the treadmill until it feels better, but do go carefully!

 

[Mara]

DJ you might find as you continue to strengthen your body that things like your back won''t trouble you as much as they used to kinda thing. I have way less ''injuries'' now that I work out regularly. But it''s important to work all parts of your body as well to prevent one from getting too strong and the other weak.

This morning I made us our one big breakfast of the vacation...3 buttermilk pancakes (though with low-fat buttermilk and whole wheat flour!!) each, 1.5 sausages each and an egg. Greg also got me this new awesome coffee press so we experimented with that. Funny but I use this sugar free maple flavored syrup now for all my stuff, and it tastes so normal to me now! I was never a real fan of ''real'' maple syrup and used stuff like Mrs Butterworth''s anyway so this tastes the same to me but the big difference is no sugar and also WAY less calories!!! Regular syrup is like 100+ cals for 2 tablespoons. These sugar free ones are like 25 for 1/4 a cup! And I use about 1/3 of that on 2 waffles. And honestly flaxseed is my new favorite thing...I know I have said this before...but I love the stuff. I have been sprinkling it on a bunch of stuff here and there. It really does add a bit of flavor (tastes nutty and grainy at the same time)...I love it on waffles and pancakes...also in soups I have been adding it, and on yogurts as well as in my muffins that I made. I know that a few people said after it''s ground it loses potency and mine has an expire date of March but I''m already more than halfway through the bag. So it should be gone in a few weeks.

Anyhow...In thinking about eating today...I don''t know that I feel like continuing the whole gorgefest even though I gave myself food allowance for today...after this breakfast I will probably just have a muffin or cereal later this afternoon for ''snack/lunch'' and then tonite we''ll see..maybe we''ll split the leftover 3 tamales and make a salad. I am going to make our turkey lasagna today and then let it sit in the fridge overnight so that it''s nice and melded together and we''ll cook it tomorrow evening.

Hitting up the gym in a bit...hopefully to do about 600-650 calories. I''m thinking this week I will work out today and tomorrow, take Thurs off for some recoup, then Friday and Saturday workout...then Sunday we may or may not be going out of town for the night for NYE. If we do I won''t work out, if we don''t then I will!

Have a wonderful day everyone!! Feeling bloated from holiday festivities? Walking helps too!!

 

[Mara]

OH..and before I forget.

The other day at the gym I read this article in Allure which was basically about 'diet according to nutritionists'. It talked about how nutritionists eat and if they 'put their money where they mouths are'.. in terms of what they advise clients. They all said of course yes.

So here are a few things I remember from the article that corroborated most of what we hear and say on this thread...but figured espeically around this holiday season it doesn't hurt to reiterate them again... so here they are!

In no particular order, just how I remember them:
--serve yourself on an appetizer sized plate to control portions
--fiber and protein first thing in the morning help jump start your body and also keep you full longer between meals
--don't cut back on calories or fat here or there and then drink a bunch of juices or similar, they are high in sugar and calories, eat the real fruit instead of drinking a glass of OJ kinda thing. women are apparently very bad about thinking they are doing great about eating and watching what they eat, but not realizing they are 'drinking' a ton of calories per day, especially in the mornings.
--when you are going out to a party or similar...eat something beforehand so that you are not starving at the party and ready to reach for whatever is there. this one nutritionist said that she tends to eat a small plate of cheese, crackers, olives and turkey before going to a party, it's savory and sweet and then when she goes to the party she is less likely to 'snack' on small things that can add up.
--a plate of french fries won't make you fat. it's the 10 plates per week or per month that people can eat. indulge in what you want, in moderation. and if you splurge in one area, cut back in another. want fries with that burger? have a big salad for dinner or similar to help combat what you had for lunch.
--fruits and veggies are important! lol. eat lots of them.
--don't keep bad things in the house...they had a great phrase for this one...but i don't remember it. it was basically like if you have it there, you will eat it, so don't have it there!! keep the house stocked with healthy snacks, things you like but things that are also good for you that also give your body beneficial vitamins etc.
--drinking lots of water. we all know this one of course!!
--small meals all day long are better for you than a few big meals.
--don't beat yourself up about not being 'perfect' with your diet...nothing and no one is perfect, if you fall off the wagon, chalk it up to a yummy experience and get back on.

i think that was most of it...it was basically all the stuff we HEAR about..and the whole article was pretty cool, it talked about WHAT the nutritionists eat exactly, lots of fruit and veggies, lots of lean meats, lots of whole grains and fibers, etc. it was good to read about things that i am already doing and feel pretty good about my habits for the most part. and of course i love the odd plate of french fries!! hehee. who doesn't?

on that note, i am off to the gym!!

 

[Rod]

Hey All,

It's really slow in the office today, so I'm taking a few minutes and writing from work. I'm glad to see that Jeff modified his eating plan for the holiday. What I realized last night was that eating the way I did, even for one day, was simply not worth it. I actually woke up in the middle of the night with indigestion. That's something I haven't experienced in more than a year and not something I want to experience again anytime soon. So, today I'm eating like normal and feeling so much better. Like Mara, I can't wait to get to the gym this evening.

Thanks for the advice Mara. Every point you referenced makes total sense. I still have some difficulty ever indulging, but I am actually getting better at it.

DeeJay, sorry your lower back is still hurting. I know I'm a broken record on this subject, but CORE STRENGTHENING IS VITAL. I used to be at the chiropractors office multiple times each week for many years. Now, I only go just to ensure my back is in good alignment. And to what do I owe to such a painfree existences, you might ask? It's CORE STRENGTH TRAINING. Go to your local bookstore (Borders, Barnes and Noble are two that would carry this book) and buy a book called "Core Performance Essentials" by Mark Verstegen. Thanks to this book (and our personal trainer) we start every gym session with core strengthening exercises and it's made the most remarkable difference in my life.

Sakai Update: We got the results of the blood test from last week. Everything was looking really good and the vet doesn't believe any other blood tests are required. When she was gravely ill, she was quite anemic, which was a major concern. Her results from Friday, showed no anemia, which is simply remarkable. So, unless something goes really wrong, we can have her feeding tube removed one week from today. All we have to do is continue to see her eat and drink on her own. As of today, we are to stop giving her any more liquids, medicine or food through the tube.

I hope everyone is doing well and if you're off from work, taking some time for your health and fitness and if at work taking it a bit easy this week.

Rod

 

[Tybee]

Thanks for the Allure highlights Mara, good stuff to think about. Juice is definitely one that sort of slips the mind, right?
DeeJay, take it easy on the back, backs are really really tough. Cut yourself a break and take it easy.

Lorelei, thanks as usual for starting the thread, thanks too for reminding us of Jeff''s holiday philosophy, it seems the gorging will not end, just as I think there''s going to be a break, it starts up again!

We just came back from a friend''s post Christmas brunch, one more mimosa and I might start speaking in tongues! It was fun last minute event, but I''m kind of sad because I would have liked to have made it to the gym today. Instead we made it to the mall! Argh! How I wish I didn''t love to shop as much as I do! MIL gave us money to buy two chairs for our dining room table from Crate and Barrel, we just need three more to be complete, lol! I spent the money I''ve been holding on to at Banana Republic, cute jeans and sweaters all on sale!

I did manage to grab a run yesterday, though, so it wasn''t a complete food fest. We also planned a pretty yummy but healthy Christmas dinner, broiled salmon, yum, rice, broccolli and cheese!! yum!

Oh, friends have arrived, must go!

 

[KimberlyH]

Rod: Awesome news about Sakai.

Mara: Thanks for the info.

Had a decent 3 days for being out of town and not being able to stick to routine. I didn''t overeat, only had dessert one night and it was just a tiny sliver of cheesecake. Skipped lunch all three days, replaced it with fruit salad.

Back to working out tomorrow. Hope everyone is doing well!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Just back from an hour at the gym. 578 calories on the eliptical. My back didn''t hurt at all while I was going at it, and it''s only mildly sore right now so hopefully a hot shower will do the trick and I''ll be as good as new.

The happy hubby is making a repeat of last night''s meal tonight with the leftovers (smaller portions however!) but I have been VERY good all day (not in small part to the fact that I forgot my $ and credit cards in my jeans pocket and had not one penny with which to be bad, LOL). I did eat one Frango mint about 3:30 but that was it as far as badness goes.

Can someone help with with a target heart rate question? I did the formula 220 - 36 (my age) X 80% and it comes out to 147 so I have been trying to keep my heart rate between 145 and 150 when I work out. Does this sound right? I almost feel like I''m not working hard enough. I mean, I''m sweating but not overly so, and I can still carry on a conversation at that rate so should I step it up a bit? I really don''t want to cause myself a heart attack on week two of working out, but if I''m not getting enough out of this, well, I can think of better ways to spend an hour, LOL!

 

[Mara]

did my hour at the gym...burned 600 cals and then went to the food store and got a few things for lunch and dinner this week.

i felt pretty tired on the ellipitical and the weird thing is that my butt and my side abs are sore today (before i worked out) and i have NO IDEA why! i mean it's not like i worked out yesterday. i did go for a 20 minute walk with my dad and greg midafternoon but that's nothing. and my BUTT? i was just hanging out on the couch all day. hahaha. totally odd. but it made the workout a little harder than typical....oh well. hopefully by tomrorow i'll be back in the saddle 10000%.

so since breakfast i have just had a pear...and water. for dinner we were going to eat in since we have leftovers, but honestly neither of us is jazzed about eating more tamales...hehee...so we are getting take out from this local cajun place. it isn't SO bad and probably not any worse for us than tamales, hahaa. and i love their salads which have apples and pecans so i'm getting it sans dressing and i'll use the dressings i have at home here. then we're going to just chill out, watch some movies and play monopoly (one of G's gifts from me) and relax the last nite we have before we go back to work (though i am working from home the next 2 days...poor greg has to go in!).

tomorrow night we'll finish off the tamales and then i'll make the turkey lasagna on thurs.

rod...about the splurging...i know that it's hard to try to indulge because you have that mental image of how you used to be but don't worry...you will NOT go back to that by just having a sweet treat here and there. and i think you know that inside, because you do indulge at panera right? honestly, it's interesting how mentally we justify certain foods, aka your croissant or scone or cookie at panera is probably just as 'bad' for you as a small cake glazed donut (a starbucks regular croissant is actually 'healthier' for you than their cookies and most of their muffins, betcha you guys didn't know that right?!), but you don't think of it that way. but it's still a splurge. and it doesn't matter in the scheme of things because you burn it off at the gym the next day! remember a pound is 3500 cals. unless you binge and go to mcdonalds daily for a week, chances are one treat here or there will not make a blip on your body's radar.

tybee, so glad to see you finally got the stuff you were waiting for, hehee. jeans and sweaters are the best. i however am cut off from shopping anymore this season. i think i bought 20 new sweaters in the last 3-4 months!! i did get 2 juicy hoodies/track jackets on sale last nite online but other than that..i'm not really doing any after xmas shopping this year. i have to keep reminding myself that for us here in california, spring comes in around late march or so, so i can't really be buying any more winter stuff right now, hahaha. gotta start thinking of spring!!

kimberly, it's awesome you were so good while traveling! i don't know if i could turn down dessert during a holiday, hahh. yesterday i really went all out and had pie, cake, and 2 sees candies and a few small cookies. yikes! but so good. hehee.

oh rod it's so good to hear about sakai!! congrats on getting her back into tip top shape. she probably just wanted a little lovin...sometimes i feel like when the pets get sick they really just want a bunch of love and attention...if portia is not eating or moping around she MUST realize that she gets way more fawning over than when she just goes about her daily business right? kinda scary, sometimes i wonder who's the PET here really? hehee. but great news, definitely.

deejay, congrats on the calorie burn! re the heart rate...my 85% is about 160 i think. but honestly, i go by what i feel. i don't try to keep my heart rate at 160 or whatever. sometimes it goes up to 175...and sometimes it's lower and i do almost an entire workout at 145. i just go by how i feel that day and how i feel on the elliptical as i move...nd if i am feeling breathless i tone it down a bit...if it feels too easy i might ratchet it up. i think that just by the fact you are able to do the full hour on the elliptical within a week or so, means you are in better shape than you thought you were...so push yourself!! not TOO much obviously as you don't want to go crazy...but maybe let the HR creep up to 150. and then 155 and see how you feel. are you using the ellip at home or did you get a gym membership? if you have a gym, i'd ask a trainer to give you some advice and tell him you don't want a pollyanna workout but you don't want to pass out either and see what they recommend. good luck!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Date: 12/26/2006 7:56:53 PM
Author: Mara


deejay, congrats on the calorie burn! re the heart rate...my 85% is about 160 i think. but honestly, i go by what i feel. i don''t try to keep my heart rate at 160 or whatever. sometimes it goes up to 175...and sometimes it''s lower and i do almost an entire workout at 145. i just go by how i feel that day and how i feel on the elliptical as i move...nd if i am feeling breathless i tone it down a bit...if it feels too easy i might ratchet it up. i think that just by the fact you are able to do the full hour on the elliptical within a week or so, means you are in better shape than you thought you were...so push yourself!! not TOO much obviously as you don''t want to go crazy...but maybe let the HR creep up to 150. and then 155 and see how you feel. are you using the ellip at home or did you get a gym membership? if you have a gym, i''d ask a trainer to give you some advice and tell him you don''t want a pollyanna workout but you don''t want to pass out either and see what they recommend. good luck!

Mara, I am just going to the free gym in our complex so there are no trainers to ask. But I mentioned it to the happy hubby, Mr. Workout, and he started having some conversation about "aerobic" vs. "anaerobic" heartrates and I was lost. I''ll try to look up some info on the internet, but I don''t want to (a) cause myself a heart attack, or (b) waste an hour of my life, so I think I''ll look into this, LOL!

 

[Lorelei]

Great job everyone! I did an hour workout last night and it went really well, to tell the truth I was relieved to be back to it! Dee I don''t worry about my max heartrate either, I know my fat burning zone begins at 116, so I try to stay above that but once I do, I just work to a pace where I feel I am working hard but I am not puffing and blowing too much, this has worked for me. You will find as you get fitter, you have to work much harder to get your heart rate up!

Also kudos to Sakai''s vet, what a great job she did!!

I ate moderately yesterday and had a few chocs, but I am done with all that food basically

 

[Tybee]

Glad all are well,

I''m excited to join you.
I feel really really gross after over doing it for a few days. It was like a train wreck of consumption.
Happily, I have a few more days off, and I will really focus on getting back on track.
I just woke up out of my food and alcohol coma, and I have big plans for working out today.
I''m looking forward to putting in some serious gym time today.
Wish me luck!

Tybee

 

[Lorelei]

GO TYBEE!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!! I think many of us feel

and

at the moment, don''t worry about it too much!

 

[akw94]

Morning everyone,
My holiday weekend has come to an end. I had a nice time, went out of town to my FI''s sister''s. I actually ate decently. Only really had too much for Xmas dinner. I haven''t exercised this week yet but am starting back tonight after work.
I felt a little bad last week b/c I did not accomplish my goal, hence no nail polish.

I worked out 3 days instead of 4. But I felt good about the 3 and feel committed to continuing this week. I''m trying to do away w/any sort of long hiatus b/c it is soooo hard to get back after that.

That''s it for me.

Rod, good to hear about Sakai!

I''m impressed w/everyone else''s ability to get back on track already. Great job everyone!!

 

[jcrow]

after a long break (way toooo long!!) i got my butt up and to the gym this morning. i did 30 minutes on the tread and a few minutes doing weights. it sucked. i felt so tired. it''s like i need to retrain my body to get back to the level i was at before the wedding. not fun. but, hey, that''s what i gotta do!

 

[appletini]

I loved all the holiday eating, but I''m so glad its over. Yesterday DH and I just wanted to eat something healthy so for lunch we went to Cafe Express...I had a salad and chicken & rice soup and he had a turkey burger. I haven''t exercised in over a week...I can''t wait to go after work today...hopefully they are having my class...I''ll have to call downstairs and find out.

Last week was the never ending Christmas celebration. My mom works retail so we celebrated with her on Thursday night, but we weren''t too bad...we made filets, aspargus ristotto, and a salad with bibb lettuce, pears, toasted walnuts, bacon and baslamic vinegerette. We didn''t even have dessert. Friday we cooked at my grandma''s for her and my dad and had the same salad, beef tenderloin, mozzarella mashed potatos, and some super yummy candied carrots. Then we went to DHs parents house the 24th and 25th and I wont go into detail about the food there, because everything was super yummy and very unhealthy (his mom cooks like Paula Dean).

I am craving salads and water this week. And I have one more week of the maintain dont gain program at work so it will be interesting to see the results.

 

[KimberlyH]

Good Morning All!

Mara, thanks for the compliment, it actually wasn't even difficult, junk food just wasn't appealing to me. But I did fail to mention I ate a piece of See's candy as well, I remembered last night when John and I were recounting my food intake to make sure I wasn't fooling myself into thinking I was better than I actually was.

I got a new cookbook for Christmas, it was written by the editors of Cooking Illustrated magazine which I have always loved reading but never subscribed to because their recipes are almost always high in fat; the book is based on their recipes made light, and it looks great! I spent the car ride home from my parents reading it and I'm really excited to try it out. We're staying home for New Years and I'm going to make dinner using recipes from the book as they look delicious.

I'm going to work out today, an hour on the elliptical, maybe a bit more. It's really dreary here today and I'm pretty worn out from the last few weeks of traveling and prepping for Christmas (in a good way as it was all a ton of fun just a bit draining) so I think I'm going to take the rest of the day easy and then dig in to taking Christmas decorations down.

Hope everyone is feeling good and returning from their food coma!

ETA: I just finished my workout. I ended up adding some extra minutes and calories burned so I did 68 minutes and burned 600 calories (the cals were the goal). I'm so stoked as I had no interest in exercising this morning but did it anyways and then I did more than I planned to! WOOHOO!

 

[Mara]

yay i''m so happy to see everyone checking in!! sounds like everyone is doing okay...!

i feel pretty good this morning actually, probably because yesterday was a 1/2 normal kinda eating day...the dinner last nite was pretty good...i had a fried (flash) oyster po boy where i ate the oysters and not so much of the bread, got a little extra tartar but only used 1/4 of it...then a yummy salad with my 30 calorie balsamic on it, had apples, pecans and blue cheese. we shared a piece of cornbread and i ate a few pieces of flash fried popcorn shrimp. but overall not that bad...considering i only had a pear between breakfast and dinner. i think my calories for the day were spot on with my range. oh and we shared the leftover yule log slice while playing monopoly.

this morning i had my fiber cereal and some coffee. lunch is going to be campbells chicken and rice soup and snack is a bran muffin. i''m hitting up the gym later today too...even though i am still sore from yesterday and the day before, so odd! but i am taking tomorrow off from working out so just got to get one more workout in today then i can have a day of rest.

have a great day everyone.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

I guess I shouldn''t be posting here since I am not yet ready to go come out of the seasonal "food and alcohol coma"....

......!!

Happy exercising all!

cheers--Sharon

 

[Rod]

So good to hear so many getting back on the exercise bandwagon!!

DeeJay, I don''t worry too much about my heart rate, unless I think I''m getting into an unhealthy range. If I''m breathing too hard or feeling light headed, I''ll bring it down. But that hasn''t happened to me in months and months. Now, I actually have difficulty getting my heart rate up. Sometimes I''ll push as hard as I can and the highest I can get it is in the 150''s. And often, after about 20 minutes, my heart rate goes way way down no matter how hard I''m pushing. So, like other''s have commented, don''t keep it too low, feel comfortable pushing it harder, but if you see yourself becoming winded or dizzy, drop the intensity.

Yay for you Kimberly, doing more than you expected. Sometimes you can find energy you didn''t know you had. And the more you workout, the more energy you''ll ultimately find you have!!

Sharon......don''t feel bad. But do get out of the alcohol and food induced coma and as Jeff has been known to say......Just Do IT!! Your heart and mind will thank you for getting back on the exercise brigade!

Appletini......sounds like you had a very healthy lunch. Hope your class was available to you, but if it wasn''t, I hope you worked out anyway

And of course Mara.....you''re always a fitness inspiration. We know we can count on you to keep us motivated!

And you go too Lorelei. With that incredible gym right there in your home, you''d have the least reason to not workout, so it''s always great to hear you are taking advantage of all those great toys!!

We worked out tonight. For some reason, I really felt like pushing harder than usual. It was a good thing I did because when I left the gym, I had received a message from our Realtor that tomorrow night is the only evening the builder of the new building in downtown Raleigh I mentioned in an earlier post, was going to be able to meet with us. So, instead of working out tomorrow night, we''ll have to add an extra workout over the holiday weekend.

As I type this Sakai is curled up in Charlie''s lap. She''s really doing well and continues to eat and drink on her own. We can tell she''s gaining weight and that makes us really happy. We''re pretty optimistic that we can have her feeding tube removed early next week!

Cheers Everyone!

 

[Mara]

just my nightly checkin...hit the gym and did about 550 calories between the elliptical and some arm weight training. my arms are starting to get pretty lean which i personally love...there is this one machine i work my arms on in front of this mirror and i love watching my muscles in my arms work as i use it..it's one of those machines where you sit on this chair, stretch your arms out to the sides, and pull the arm things from the side out to in front of you...so you can really see your biceps and arms work to pull the arm things from the sides to right in front of you. and you face outwards vs inwards as the machines typically do. so that's pretty motivational for me to see my arms in the mirror looking pretty good.

lunch and snacks today was chicken and rice soup, a 10 cal jello cup and a light n'fit yogurt with flax seed mixed in. dinner was a leftover tamale (i left half the corn masa shell part because it's sooo heavy and my mom makes them really thick, hahaa), some spanish rice, those yummy carrots i made (from my friend's recipe), and a fresh salad with black olives, feta, and balsamic. today is a 'low calorie' day for me...where i try to stay on the min end of my range or right underneath, so that it makes up for a splurge day like maybe ... Christmas?! hehee. i just make sure to eat enough of the right stuff, and keep my cals low for a few days and pretty much call it even. hehee.

rod...hope you like the place you see tomorrow..and great news about sakai!

anyway, hope everyone had a great day!! new years is just around the corner. it actually feels good to know that i won't be making any resolutions about being healthier come jan 1st!!! i already met my goals this year.

 

[Sevenwires]

Hi.... trying this out...

I''m new here to this site... I love diamonds.. and I''m trying to love working out.

)

 

[Lorelei]

Sevenwires, welcome to PS and our workout thread

Post away and tell us a bit about yourself and what your goals are!

Great job everyone as usual! Sharon you are more than entitled to check in even if you are still enjoying holiday grub!

Had a GREAT workout last night, did 30 mins on the elliptical with a set programme, my upper arms are sore this morning, I think it was time to mix it up a bit! Then I did my usual long hillwalk on the treadmill, nothing like it for toning butts! So an hour in all, and 800 cals

according to the machines anyway

 

[appletini]

Rod,

I was bad, I went home instead because DH is on vacation all week. And DH made chicken and rice soup last night...he was so excited...it was his first time, so I''m having the leftovers for lunch today. And I am definitely working out at lunch today...no excuses.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Nothing to report for last night and I wont' be able to work out tonight either, but tomorrow I'm back at it. I am trying to be good, but *reasonable* with my food. Sometimes I go a little overboard with the goodness, LOL. One day I plugged everything I ate into sparkpeople and it was less than 1,000 calories! So I'm allowing myself a little something, especially on the days that I work out.

One thing that I can do on a daily basis though is try to walk to and from work faster. It's about a mile each way and I tend to stroll along, but I'm going to make an effort to step up the pace. I tried it this morning and by the time I was half way here I had my scarf off and my coat completely unbuttoned. I'm sure I'm not burning a TON of calories, but hey, something is better than nothing, right?

I do have a question for everyone. When I go to the gym is it bad to just do the same aerobic thing? I like the eliptical machine, but the stationary bike drove me crazy and the treadmill gives me shin splints, so is it bad to just do the eliptical every time as an aerobic exercise or do I *NEED* to switch it up?

 

[Lorelei]

I think it is best to mix it up a bit with cardio Dee, but what you could do with the ellip is to vary the progs and resistance to make it more challenging. I did this last night and my upper arms and shoulders are quite tender today....

But I do think vary it as you can as it ' challenges' your muscles more and helps build fitness and prevents boredom. You might want to look into those special sports shoes which you can get if you suprinate or overpronate, walk on the inside or outside of your feet, these can help aches and pains and problems. Also the walk to and from work is great, you ARE burning a good lot of calories especiallly as you get warm whilst doing it - GOOD JOB!!!

I couldn't agree more with the stationary bike...

Not my cuppa tea either.

Mr Averbrook - yoohoo - where are you?

 

[Ellen]

Date: 12/28/2006 9:29:31 AM
Author: Dee*Jay
Nothing to report for last night and I wont'' be able to work out tonight either, but tomorrow I''m back at it. I am trying to be good, but *reasonable* with my food. Sometimes I go a little overboard with the goodness, LOL. One day I plugged everything I ate into sparkpeople and it was less than 1,000 calories! So I''m allowing myself a little something, especially on the days that I work out.

One thing that I can do on a daily basis though is try to walk to and from work faster. It''s about a mile each way and I tend to stroll along, but I''m going to make an effort to step up the pace. I tried it this morning and by the time I was half way here I had my scarf off and my coat completely unbuttoned. I''m sure I''m not burning a TON of calories, but hey, something is better than nothing, right?

I do have a question for everyone. When I go to the gym is it bad to just do the same aerobic thing? I like the eliptical machine, but the stationary bike drove me crazy and the treadmill gives me shin splints, so is it bad to just do the eliptical every time as an aerobic exercise or do I *NEED* to switch it up?

DeeJay, walking has been said to be THE best exercise, very healthy. A brisk walk to work should definitely be benefitial! And I''ve also heard that yes, little things/spurts can actually help one too.


As for your shin splints, I used to get them when walking, which I''ve done on and off for years. A gal showed me something to do beforehand, and it works like a charm, for me at least.

Standinding up, take your right leg, keeping it straight, and extend it foward up just a little. Then, pull your toes back towards you (like when you have a foot cramp), then point down and away from you. Do that 10 times with each foot before hitting the treadmill and see if it helps.

 

[Lorelei]

Neat trick for the shin splints , thanks Ellen!