Well-Trained Bodies April 23-29

[hjffkj]

Hope you feel better soon Greta! I had to apologize to my kids for yelling at them over stupid stuff today!

[Greta]

Hope you feel better soon Greta! I had to apologize to my kids for yelling at them over stupid stuff today!

Thank you!

 

I warned my daughter in advance about the "kill all the things" days, and she protested, "Mom, that's the day of my Algebra final! You have to be nice to me!" So I promised I'd do my best, and I guess this virus came along to help me keep my promise!

[BooksandBoys]

 

 

And I'm one who can't tolerate either! I don't use protein powder very often, but I've found that Paleo Protein is the one I tolerate best. It's made from beef and egg, but it's hydrolized so it doesn't taste beefy or eggy at all. Just thought I'd throw that out there in case anyone else has the same problem.

 

lol:

Thank you, thank you!! I've been looking for a protein powder I can tolerate for years with no success. I also want to add it to smoothies for my middle who is allergic to dairy and legumes. We tried rice protein powder once. Oh my goodness, so gross!!

 

I managed 10,000 achy steps today. Now to force myself to do day two of GGS tomorrow. I'm sore! Weights will be lighter, I think.

[BooksandBoys]

https://whole30.com/2013/08/revised-timeline/

 

I'm​ at the kill all things day! If you haven't read this and you're doing a whole30 I suggest reading it. For me, it is a pretty accurate summary of how I felt throughout the process. The days can be off a bit but it's still good to know what to expect

I completely forgot about "kill all the things." That's what has been wrong with me today! I couldn't figure out why I was still so cranky despite having beaten my cold. Whole30 Day 3 is in the books (I'm in bed with chamomile tea, so chances are I won't eat anything else). I'm trying to convince myself to commit to a Whole90 because I MUST get these last pounds back off

 

Edited to add: Scoutermom, awesome step count!!!!

Edited April 27, 2017 by BooksandBoys

[OlgaLA]

Wintermom ~ thanks for the words of wisdom! I mostly know that but sometimes it is necessary to have a refresher :) It's just with sports like fencing (or tennis, I suppose) it is very difficult to judge progress without comparing yourself to others, and the sport is just too small to have a representative sample. I think, in my age group there are no more then a hundred female epee fencers in the entire country. As it is, I fence mostly 14-year old girls, with some teenage boys and a couple 60+.

 

I went to the club today as usual, and I just realized that it is my last week before a month-long break. We are going on vacation for three weeks and the week before that is just busy, plus, it would cost me almost as much as a whole month to go for just that one week. I am going to miss it while I am still here, and then it will be a pain to get back into the routine.

[SparklyUnicorn]

We decided to try going to the gym in the morning instead of the evening.  That means getting up at 5:30 am though.  So far so good.  A bit rough, but I think I'm going to like this better because I like the idea of getting it over with.  Truth be told I pretty much hate going there.

 

 

[Greta]

Thank you, thank you!! I've been looking for a protein powder I can tolerate for years with no success. I also want to add it to smoothies for my middle who is allergic to dairy and legumes. We tried rice protein powder once. Oh my goodness, so gross!!

 

 

You're welcome!  I hope that you both will like it.  I don't think I've ever tried rice protein specifically, but I tried a vegan powder that was a blend from rice and pea and I forget what else.  Ugh, it tasted awful.  And it made me queasy and bloated.  Whey tastes better, but still makes me queasy and bloated.  Personally I think the Paleo Protein tastes pretty good as protein powders go, and no queasiness, no bloat!

 

We decided to try going to the gym in the morning instead of the evening.  That means getting up at 5:30 am though.  So far so good.  A bit rough, but I think I'm going to like this better because I like the idea of getting it over with.  Truth be told I pretty much hate going there.

 

 

Wow, good for you!  I prefer morning workouts too.  If I put it off, I come up with excuses not to do it.  I like having it done.  But I can't get up at 5:30 to do it.  You have my admiration there!  

[wintermom]

We decided to try going to the gym in the morning instead of the evening.  That means getting up at 5:30 am though.  So far so good.  A bit rough, but I think I'm going to like this better because I like the idea of getting it over with.  Truth be told I pretty much hate going there.

 

:laugh:   Sounds like taking cod liver oil, "just get it over with."    Bravo to you for getting in the exercise early in the day. That is heroic in my books. I hate mornings. I nearly yelled at the birds today for being extra loud. ;)

 

There might be an alternative physical activity that you don't hate. Maybe....   I'm fearful to suggest anything, though. You have strong opinions.  :leaving:

Edited April 27, 2017 by wintermom

[wintermom]

My stomach has been pretty darn good yesterday and today. It's totally amazing how much more energy I have when my body isn't experiencing constant pain. Man, that is just exhausting.  I still have to push out tiny pebbles for #2, though, so that's not the most comfortable (sorry if that's tmi).  :o

 

I need to get in some more vigorous activity again soon. Walking and biking are great, but my Energizer Body craves more, now that I'm feeling a little better. Hopefully I'll be able to play tennis tonight if the rain holds off. 

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I'm off to my next tennis game in a bit. I've been using my local tennis matches as practice for my away 4.0 matches. I've been working on hitting a new serve and a new method of overhead (I added a slice). My local tennis friends have been good sports while I work on new skills. I seem to have recovered from my fall (possible concussion) from two weeks ago and will begin playing singles again next week. I think a three week rest from singles was long enough. I am a bit anxious about playing in the city again since I haven't played up there post-fall. I'm quite happy to have two practice matches  in the city on Friday. I think a trip to Chipotle will be in order.  :)

 

For today, however, I will be heading home for a chicken and cranberry salad. And maybe, just maybe, a Cadbury egg.  :D

 

My depression seems to be easing and I am feeling decent. Not 100% but good. I attribute it to being active again. Lots of walking and tennis do wonders for my mood. I should put some of my energy into housework...

 

 

[Granny_Weatherwax]

<snip>It's just with sports like fencing (or tennis, I suppose) it is very difficult to judge progress without comparing yourself to others, and the sport is just too small to have a representative sample. I think, in my age group there are no more then a hundred female epee fencers in the entire country. As it is, I fence mostly 14-year old girls, with some teenage boys and a couple 60+.

<snip>

I hear you. It is difficult to judge progress in certain sports because obvious progress is based on winning and losing. If you are honing skills but are still losing matches, it's like "What is going on here?" When I changed my tennis swing a couple of years ago (I wanted to hit with more power) it took months of hitting long (out of the court) or into the net before I began to see results. My friends would tell me that they could feel the difference on their end (meaning my shots were indeed more powerful) but I was losing. One day it all just turned around and I wasn't losing anymore. 

 

I encourage you to keep at it. Skills require repetition and consistency. You'll be fencing one day and BAM, you'll be doing everything correctly and getting points. Do they have points in fencing? Either way, you'll be seeing progress and it will feel good.

 

This might make you feel better. I've been playing tennis since I was 14. I am now in my 40s. It's taken 30 years for me to get to a 4.0 rating and there are 1000s of those. If you are 1 of 100 - you rock!!

[wintermom]

I'm off to my next tennis game in a bit. I've been using my local tennis matches as practice for my away 4.0 matches. I've been working on hitting a new serve and a new method of overhead (I added a slice). My local tennis friends have been good sports while I work on new skills. I seem to have recovered from my fall (possible concussion) from two weeks ago and will begin playing singles again next week. I think a three week rest from singles was long enough. I am a bit anxious about playing in the city again since I haven't played up there post-fall. I'm quite happy to have two practice matches  in the city on Friday. I think a trip to Chipotle will be in order.   :)

 

For today, however, I will be heading home for a chicken and cranberry salad. And maybe, just maybe, a Cadbury egg.   :D

 

My depression seems to be easing and I am feeling decent. Not 100% but good. I attribute it to being active again. Lots of walking and tennis do wonders for my mood. I should put some of my energy into housework...

 

That's awesome you are feeling better! Hope your matches all go well.  Playing tennis makes me feel so much more happy, too!

 

As far as concussion recovery goes, how are your symptoms? Be very patient with yourself on this road to recovery. Make sure you don't over do things. Play tennis, for sure, but may intentionally space out other physical and mentally fatiguing activities. 

[hjffkj]

No workout for me today I'm simply too tired. Day 4 of whole30 is tough. I have a headache, I'm sooooo sleepy, and a little irritated. I'm just trying to get through it so I can go to bed. Foodwise, I'm easily staying compliant

[solascriptura]

I'm off to my next tennis game in a bit. I've been using my local tennis matches as practice for my away 4.0 matches. I've been working on hitting a new serve and a new method of overhead (I added a slice). My local tennis friends have been good sports while I work on new skills. I seem to have recovered from my fall (possible concussion) from two weeks ago and will begin playing singles again next week. I think a three week rest from singles was long enough. I am a bit anxious about playing in the city again since I haven't played up there post-fall. I'm quite happy to have two practice matches in the city on Friday. I think a trip to Chipotle will be in order. :)

 

For today, however, I will be heading home for a chicken and cranberry salad. And maybe, just maybe, a Cadbury egg. :D

 

My depression seems to be easing and I am feeling decent. Not 100% but good. I attribute it to being active again. Lots of walking and tennis do wonders for my mood. I should put some of my energy into housework...

I'm glad to hear that your feeling better!

[solascriptura]

I've been keeping up with my workouts and sort of on my eating.

 

I've been very slowly seeing progress with my goals. Generally I try to stay off the scale, but I did jump on it this morning out of curiosity. The scale did go down and I have just a few pounds to go. I know that must seem trivial to some of you but I'm short so every pound is probably 5 pounds to a taller person. It has taken me probably a month to bring the scale down a pound. Crazy. I actually don't care so much anymore. As I get more fit, the way I look seems to matter less to me.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Solascriptura - Congratulations on the victory!  :hurray:

[Laurie4b]

Skipped MOnday and Tuesday, Combination of weather and lacking the wherewithall to climb back on the wagon after illness and out of state visitations with extended family . 

 

So, yesterday, I went to Zumba. That was easy. Get dressed and go. 

 

Today... not so much. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

:laugh:   Sounds like taking cod liver oil, "just get it over with."    Bravo to you for getting in the exercise early in the day. That is heroic in my books. I hate mornings. I nearly yelled at the birds today for being extra loud. ;)

 

There might be an alternative physical activity that you don't hate. Maybe....   I'm fearful to suggest anything, though. You have strong opinions.  :leaving:

 

I wish there was an alternative activity.  Really really wish.

 

My bark is worse than my bite.  LOL

Edited April 27, 2017 by SparklyUnicorn

[SparklyUnicorn]

 

 

 

 

Wow, good for you!  I prefer morning workouts too.  If I put it off, I come up with excuses not to do it.  I like having it done.  But I can't get up at 5:30 to do it.  You have my admiration there!  

 

Well, REALLY the added issue is my husband.  He won't go unless I go.  So I could go later than that without him, but then he won't go at all!

 

 

Edited April 27, 2017 by SparklyUnicorn

[wintermom]

I had a pretty decent sleep, after a couple of not great nights. The best part of my day was re-introducing coffee into my morning. It was delicious AND totally effective in fixing up my bowel movements. Three cheers!!   My tummy is doing really well, too.  To top off the day, I beat dh at singles tennis tonight. Sweet!   I'm enjoying a celebratory glass of wine now, and some chocolate. 

 

I'm also very pleased with myself for dodging a potential ultrasound appointment tomorrow morning at 7:45 am. I could possibly have handled getting up early, but as soon as they mentioned I'd have to fast, I said, "No thanks. That isn't how I want to remember my 50th birthday." I have the appointment on Monday morning instead. I'm feeling a little princess-like for this.   Ya, It's the big 5 - 0 for me tomorrow. 

 

Edited April 28, 2017 by wintermom

[wintermom]

I wish there was an alternative activity.  Really really wish.

 

My bark is worse than my bite.  LOL

 

I think you should dance, like those gorgeous bacon slices in your siggy!  They must burn off a million calories everyday.  :laugh:

[BooksandBoys]

I'm off to my next tennis game in a bit. I've been using my local tennis matches as practice for my away 4.0 matches. I've been working on hitting a new serve and a new method of overhead (I added a slice). My local tennis friends have been good sports while I work on new skills. I seem to have recovered from my fall (possible concussion) from two weeks ago and will begin playing singles again next week. I think a three week rest from singles was long enough. I am a bit anxious about playing in the city again since I haven't played up there post-fall. I'm quite happy to have two practice matches in the city on Friday. I think a trip to Chipotle will be in order. :)

 

For today, however, I will be heading home for a chicken and cranberry salad. And maybe, just maybe, a Cadbury egg. :D

 

My depression seems to be easing and I am feeling decent. Not 100% but good. I attribute it to being active again. Lots of walking and tennis do wonders for my mood. I should put some of my energy into housework...

So glad you are starting to feel better!

Exercise is essential for me to keep anxiety and depression at bay. I've had a hard time adjusting to having my preschooler home full-time again and still fitting in exercise (in other words, I didn't fit in exercise), and, sure enough, my mood tanked. Badly. I'm already feeling a bit better after just a run on Friday and two hard, long weight-lifting sessions on Tuesday and today. I'm hopeful that a few weeks of regular exercise will straighten me back out.

 

Day 4 of Whole 30 is over too. I hope I stop wanting to kill all the things very soon. :-)

[wintermom]

I got in some family tennis this morning. It was great, because the kids are getting really good. I don't have to hit softly at all (especially if I'm hitting into the wind). I can still beat them, but it won't be long before they'll have enough control to run me all over the court.   Now dh and I are off to play mixed doubles with friends.  :hurray:  It's a good, good day!

[OlgaLA]

I got in some family tennis this morning. It was great, because the kids are getting really good. I don't have to hit softly at all (especially if I'm hitting into the wind). I can still beat them, but it won't be long before they'll have enough control to run me all over the court.   Now dh and I are off to play mixed doubles with friends.  :hurray:  It's a good, good day!

Congratulations, wintermom! I hope the rest of your day is just as special! You totally deserve to feel like a princess :)

[Greta]

Happy Birthday, Wintermom!

 

And congrats on your progress, Solascriptura!

 

For some reason I don't have access to the emoticons when I'm on my iPad, so just pretend there are partying and clapping smilies here.

[Laurie4b]

Yesterday, all I managed to get in was a 20 minute walk. Ugh. 

 

Today, I did 45 minutes of which 12 were minute-long spurts of jogging alternating with 30 sec of walking. The rest was walking. 

 

Still putting off getting back to strength training. I think the thing that makes it hard for me to get back on the wagon with it is that lifting weights isn't intrinsically fun for me like walking/hiking outside or Zumba . I do very much like the feeling just afterwards though and like feeling really strong as I go about my day. 

 

Plus, as I fit the "over 50" demographic, I just saw this study today: http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2017/03/30/bjsports-2016-096587#article-bottom   It's a meta-analysis of multiple studies of the effects different modalities of exercise on cognitive functioning. A strength of the study is that it included .only studies in which the exercise intervention was supervised---so the researchers knew for sure that people were exercising at the correct intensity,etc. 

 

My take-aways (and if this is anyone's field and you interpret it differently, please feel free to chime in);

 

• Exercise affects the brain very positively and any exercise has at least some positive effect. 
•  
• to be most effective, aerobic exercise should last 45-60 minutes at a moderate or vigorous intensity. The more days a week you do this, the better for your brain. 
•  
• Resistance training affects memory, executive function, memory,and working memory. 
•  
• Adults over 50 should do both aerobic and resistance training for optimum effect on the brain. 
•  
• Tai chi also had a very significant impact. 
•  
• Yoga very little.

Since Alzheimer's runs on the paternal side of my family, I like to keep up with this stuff. 

 

[OlgaLA]

Today I did my last training until June :( I feel really sad about it, since today I finally felt that I am starting to see and understand everything much better, you know, that qualitative shift in understanding what you are doing. I am afraid that skipping a month will set me back significantly. For three weeks of May walking will be my main exercise, the rest just regular running around and trying to keep my sanity while I am finishing up the school year, planning the next, and getting ready for the trip.

 

Laurie4b ~ that is very interesting. My DH and I both  have Alzheimer's in the family, so I watch for those things. I read before that certain sports (and I believe dance) have great effect on keeping the brain healthy. Fencing is one of them, and some other games where you need to make decisions very fast and very often, but it is not something my DH is interested in doing, so it is great to know that other things have positive effect. Thanks!

[Greta]

Laurie, thanks so much for sharing that information!  Dementia is one of my worst fears, so that is a pretty good motivator for exercise.  Like Olga mentioned, I've read that exercise which requires coordination, balance, and quick decisions is considered the best for brain health (dance, martial arts, etc.).  And I'm really not doing anything like that, so I need to add it.  I'm so uncoordinated and graceless, that stuff is so hard for me!  But that could be an indication of just how much I need to do it!

 

Olga, I'm sorry about the timing of your month off.  I certainly hope it won't be as bad as you fear, but are there any drills or practice that you can do at home, that might help keep up your newly learned skills?  I don't know much about fencing, so forgive me if that's a dumb question.  When my daughter was doing martial arts, she had these "forms" she would practice at home.  I just wondered if there was an equivalent for your sport.

 

I am recovering from this cold much more quickly than I usually do.  When I got a cold in February, I was sick as a dog for ten days, and it was three weeks altogether before I felt normal again.  This time, I was sick for three days, and those three days weren't as bad.  I went back to the gym yesterday, though just for a very light, half-hour cardio workout.  That's practically miraculous, so my theory is that I either got exposed to the same cold again (thus my immunity kicked in faster), or it was just a very mild version of the virus (I read that there's something like 200 versions of the cold virus out there, and it's constantly evolving!).  I would prefer to think that the Whole 30 diet strengthened my immune system, because that would give me hope that I could recover from colds better in the future (assuming I stick to a good diet!).  But I suspect that's no more than wishful thinking.

 

One nice thing about Whole 30 so far:  I had been experiencing this painful bloating of my belly almost every day, in the late afternoon or early evening.  It really hurt, and my belly would visibly swell up!  That disappeared with Day 1 of W30 and so far (knock on wood!) hasn't come back.  I suspect that it was dairy causing that, but I can't be sure, of course.  It will be interesting to do the experiment at the end of the 30 days where you add foods back one at a time to see how they affect you.

 

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

[Laurie4b]

Olga and Greta, I've read the same about dance. ping-pong etc. Dh and I took up swing dancing---but it's not something we can do on a regular basis. There are dances around here a couple times per month. 

 

I am curious as to why the Tai Chi seemed to have such positive results. I am not familiar with it and thought it was more meditative like yoga. (Yoga didn't really impact the brain according to this study. They also mentioned that though the results from the Tai Chi studies were strong that there were only a few of them.) 

 

But yeah. Exercise to avoid Alzheimers and disability as I age is a big longterm motivator. I can't change my genes, so I have to alter what I can. 

 

Today: I worked in the garden a couple hours longer than I had intended. Only digging one row was real exercise and that probably took 10 min. the rest was just planting stuff, but once I got going I wanted to finish so it would be done. Now it's hot. :glare:

 

I guess I need to go run in the shade in the neighborhood. I had meant to run in an open field earlier this morning, but it will be full sun now. We are going swing dancing tonight (but we don't move enough for it to really be aerobic)  and I also need to do my strength training. I am thinking about doing a very light set, just to do it and get back on the wagon. 

 

ETA: Decided it was too hot to run even in the shade. Did Zumba for an hour with Youtube videos. Just not the same as the class, but it got the job done. 

Edited April 29, 2017 by Laurie4b

[wintermom]

I went for a hike in "my" forest where I usually snowshoe on Saturday mornings. It was strange to walk around and see what was under all the snow. Plus it's a lot darker without the snow reflecting the light. And the birds get up a lot earlier and don't come when called anymore. I think they're busy fraternizing with each other.  :laugh:  I missed my little, curious chickadees and juncos. 

 

No tennis today. The wind is even crazier than yesterday, and there is too much other stuff going on. 

[wintermom]

Today I did my last training until June :( I feel really sad about it, since today I finally felt that I am starting to see and understand everything much better, you know, that qualitative shift in understanding what you are doing. I am afraid that skipping a month will set me back significantly. For three weeks of May walking will be my main exercise, the rest just regular running around and trying to keep my sanity while I am finishing up the school year, planning the next, and getting ready for the trip.

 

 

I can't remember where you are going or what you're doing in May. Hope it's fun and exciting or relaxing, depending on what you want or need. ;)

 

If you have any free time where you're sitting and waiting or relaxing, you could try mental training for your fencing. It's very effective for maintaining your strategy/technical training levels. Many athletes do this when they are injured, and it really helps their transition back into competition to be much quicker and easier. PM me if you want more specifics. My dh and I both have Masters degrees in Sport Psychology.

Edited April 29, 2017 by wintermom

[Greta]

 

I am curious as to why the Tai Chi seemed to have such positive results. I am not familiar with it and thought it was more meditative like yoga. (Yoga didn't really impact the brain according to this study. They also mentioned that though the results from the Tai Chi studies were strong that there were only a few of them.) 

 

 

 

 

I was curious about that as well.  I've attended a few Tai Chi classes (but didn't stick with it for very long) and I found them really relaxing and enjoyable (more so than yoga, to me personally).  With Tai Chi you are on your feet the entire time, whereas with all of the yoga classes I've taken, you spend a big chunk of time doing mat work.  So maybe Tai Chi activates the balance and coordination parts of the brain more?  That's purely a guess on my part, of course.  I don't know.  But I do kind of want to go back to Tai Chi now!  My daughter finished her classes at the community college last week, so maybe this week we could start doing that again.  The regulars in that class are by far the friendliest and most chill people at the gym.  :D

[OlgaLA]

Greta ~ If you want to start doing something that requires coordination, don't let your perceived lack of it stop you! You can do it, and something being hard is something that is worth doing. I am not the most coordinated person either, and while my visual-spacial skills are great, they do not transfer to body movements at all. I can't, like some people, watch someone perform a move and repeat it, but I learned to ignore that. I get it eventually, it just takes longer, and I may stumble more than others, but when I do, I laugh and do it again. Plus, the more I do it, the better I get, as it is just another skill. We don't need to become Olympic champions, and for improving the quality of our current and future life any improvement is good. So, pick something you enjoy and do it.

 

I don't think I said it before, but we are going to France, and it is going to pretty intense, so I don't think I'll have any physical or mental energy left to do anything at all. We went on a 2 week long trip several years ago to Italy, and it was a weird experience as those two weeks felt as long as a month at the very least. It was great though, and I hope it is going to be as great this time. I can catch up on my fencing later. I did it once, I can do it again, right? Or maybe I can walk around the chateaux and imagine myself in one of the Dumas' novels, complete with duels on ramparts ;)

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I've started the new thread for this week but I was wondering if we should go to a monthly thread instead. It seems we begin conversations but do not have enough time to really get into the meat of things before the week is over and it's time to move on.

 

What say you?

[OlgaLA]

I've started the new thread for this week but I was wondering if we should go to a monthly thread instead. It seems we begin conversations but do not have enough time to really get into the meat of things before the week is over and it's time to move on.

 

What say you?

 

I think it is a good idea. We only get a couple of pages a week, so in a month it will still be manageable.

 

ETA: Since May starts tomorrow, you could just rename the new thread.

Edited April 30, 2017 by OlgaLA