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Well Trained Bodies (Diet & Exercise) - Aug. 2017


Granny_Weatherwax
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Blerg. A thunderstorm passed through and the pool was closed (it's indoor, but still). They weren't allowed to reopen it until 15 min before they closed it for the night. So I walked/jogged again after the rain for 50 min and did 10 min of Zumba to finish up. I did just a few stretches. 

 

So tomorrow will be weight day. Hopefully, I can swim. I don't want to run 3 days in a row. 

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Yesterday was work out with friends, walking, and sprints to start then bodyweight exercises, I'm sore all over this morning!

 

Food has been good this week but I did some snacking yesterday, without guilt. Breakfast was a smoothie and supper a steak w/ plain salad but in between, I had some tuna with too many crackers, a serving of dark chocolate, and 2 packs of fruit snacks :), and a bit of leftover spaghetti meat w/ mushrooms (no noodles). 

 

Walk and bike ride this morning, some light yoga.

 

I didn't go hard core this week but I've had some activity every day. 

 

Tomorrow I'd like to do a nice long family bike ride or hike, we'll see how everyone feels tomorrow.

 

Next week goals:

2 bodyweight workouts

Lose 1 lb (8 lbs to goal)

daily short sessions of yoga

continue daily walks- longer sessions 2 days a week

 

We ate much more vegetables now (300-400 grams a day) and I lost weight.
I put on the most comfortable jeans this morning, only to discover my jeans is too wide, even my belt needs extra holes now
So I weighted.
I am around 88 kg now

 

Congrats on your weight loss!

I am trying to get back here :) After our trip, I barely exercised in June, with an exception of an occasional 30-minute swim, gained 5-6 pounds, and started sliding into depression. I started regular fencing in July, but felt really meh to post. I read this thread occasionally, but couldn't bring myself to post. To add to the negative vibe, I hurt my right wrist somehow, probably by overworking it, and it still acts up. I should probably give it a complete rest, but I am afraid that without fencing I will feel worse mentally. Anyway, I am still those 5-6 pounds over my June weight, which was already above my ideal weight. I do fence regularly, and hopefully improve, at least according to my coach (in his words, my lessons have finally started to get close to what proper lesson should be, so not very encouraging :) ) In plans for this month is a competition next weekend, with two event, one of which is my first time fencing only veterans event, and just fencing and hopefully eating better.

Sorry you had a rough couple of months. I think nearly everyone goes through those spells. I think the key is to stick with something, even it is a little something and don't give up. You did that, you've gotten back on the horse and are at it again. I know the coach's words are probably not what you wanted to hear but they do signify improvement.

 

I must confess that I've taken a couple of weeks off from going to the gym.  I just needed a break.  I haven't given up, but yeah it's been hard staying motivated. 

You mean because all of your health issues? 

Edited by soror
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Yesterday and today I have some mild vertigo. I think I'm coming down with a cold or some kind of environmental allergy is kicking up. Anyway, it can make some exercise positions tricky. 

 

I need to do 60 min of cardio today and strength training. If I need to cut back on strength training due to vertigo, would like to get my deadlifting in (though that position may not work. We'll see). I hope to swim for my cardio since I have walked/jogged 2 days in a row and I try to give my joints some rest after the pavement pounding. 

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I had a very good fencing session last night. One of our veteran ladies made the US world team this year, so it was very exciting to see her after a long break, first mine, then hers. She does beat me, but I am closing the gap :) 

 

I think I got to the point where I am starting to feel how unbalanced fencing is. I need to do some additional training to even out the growing power gap between my left and right sides, especially arms and shoulders. Unfortunately, I can't afford anything organized, and making myself do it at home is hard.

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Last week I only managed to get in my exercise three times. No excuse, really. Just lazy. I will try to get better this coming week. We start school and all of our outside activities plus a back to school party, oldest back to college, a monthly meeting at church, etc. We went from doing almost nothing all summer to full swing on Monday. Would be great to get up and start the day with exercise. So, my optimistic self has that on the schedule.

 

I have been following my eating plan about a month now. I am down 14 pounds so that is encouraging. I haven't really struggled with the diet part. Hopefully now that I am rolling with that I can get the exercise added in.

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Today was frustrating; nevertheless, I persisted. ;)

 

When I looked at the weather this morning, thunderstorms were predicted all afternoon starting about 2:00. So I planned to swim around lunch. Then I couldn't find my suit. I had had it just last night. Since it was in a weird place, it ate up time finding it. Still, I got to the gym in plenty of time to finish by 1:30. Got in the pool, did some stretches while walking laps, then did some easy laps, then started swimming in earnest. About 20 min later---thunder. ARGH. After showering, I walked into the locker room and there was a jogger soaking wet. "It wasn't supposed to start till 2:00" she said. "I know!" (There was also some woman who was in a wheel chair, She got all her equipment and got on the devise to lower herself in the pool. About 1 min later was when the announcement about thunder came. So it was really aggravating for her! 

 

So I had to get out of the pool get dressed and get on a machine. (I hate machines) Chose the elliptical. I only did 15 min because my chance to do an hour straight (my goal) was shot. But I got in the minimym. 

 

I realized late that I didn't warm up properly for swimming. Though I did the laps and the moderate breast stroke, that doesn't use the same muscles as the backstroke and crawl, which I swim fast. So I aggravated my trapezius. (It is a grouchy muscle of mine anyway.) I decided to skip push-ups and do some lat pulldowns at the gym b/c I can't do those at home. Later in the day, I got in my deadlifts at home and my stretches. 

 

It wasn't a perfect day but it was a persistent day. So I am chalking it up as a win. 

 

And wintermom, I tried an experiment about the heart rate, but I realized I may not have set it up quite right, so I am going to try again. But I took my pulse after walking from locker room to pool, then standing still for 1 min. It was the same at 2 min so I figured it wasn't going down any more on land. Then I got in the pool and after 3 min with water at collarbone level (which I read somewhere was how long it would take the hydrostatic pressure to affect HR, I took it again. It was 12 beats slower. That might have been because I didn't wait long enough while on land so I am going to wait longer next time.  Still doesn't account for the effect of being horizontal, but it's a start.   ;)

Edited by Laurie4b
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Did some painting this afternoon, and I'm playing mixed doubles tennis this evening.  Yesterday turned out to be mostly a rest day for me. Dd returned home from a 6-week work exchange program in Quebec. So it was great to see her again, but sad to say good-bye to the 2 exchange students we hosted. Dd and I walked the dog and went for a short bike ride together.

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Got to the pool to swim for 45 minutes 2 of the last 3 days. I typically miss one day a week. I ate and drank more on Friday than I have all summer - dropped my freshman daughter at college and forgot to pack waters and healthy snacks. It was a big day, and I survived - lots of tears. 

 

I am having goggle issues. My current pair have made a cut on my nose. My old pair are so foggy. Does anyone have a favorite pair that is pretty great? 

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Got to the pool to swim for 45 minutes 2 of the last 3 days. I typically miss one day a week. I ate and drank more on Friday than I have all summer - dropped my freshman daughter at college and forgot to pack waters and healthy snacks. It was a big day, and I survived - lots of tears.

 

I am having goggle issues. My current pair have made a cut on my nose. My old pair are so foggy. Does anyone have a favorite pair that is pretty great?

A lot of people like the speedo vanquisher goggles.

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Today is a strength training day, and I will need to do some cardio as well. Trouble is "isolated thunderstorms" are on the menu pretty much all day every day all week. Sure it won't thunder all the time, but that makes it hard to plan cardio because if a storm is here, I can neither run outside nor swim inside.  It means: Machines!  :ohmy:  Or stringing together a whole bunch of Zumba videos from Youtube. There are some where I know the moves so can get heart rate up, but a lot of others, I would be trying to learn to keep up. Also ds who has been away all summer is coming over with fiance. So family social connections have to be priority. 

 

I'll report back in. It helps me with my focus to first state what I am going to do and then report on it. :) 

 

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I am having goggle issues. My current pair have made a cut on my nose. My old pair are so foggy. Does anyone have a favorite pair that is pretty great? 

 

My dc and I have had good luck with the 3-pack of Speedo goggles from Costco. I don't know what model they are, but the price and quality works for us. 

 

That would really irritate me if the nose piece cut into my nose. Look for goggles with a smooth nose piece that is not attached directly in the middle of the eye pieces, rather a little toward the top.  

 

For foggy goggles and masks, saliva helps. Put a bit of saliva inside each eye piece, rub it around with a finger, and rise. 

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I took one day off of tennis (Saturday) after a streak of many days, and my body was crushed when I played tennis Sunday. I don't know if it was simply accumulative fatigue and muscle soreness, or perhaps my last tennis match was over-tiring. It was a pretty tough game, but it was over so quickly that I didn't think it would cause so much muscle soreness. Oh well, I'm not as young as I once was, and my body doesn't bounce back as fast. ;)

 

It was good fun playing mixed tennis last night - I was the only lady. The pace was good, and I was playing pretty well. It seems like my allergies are flaring up again, so it must be rag weed season. I don't know if I can blame some of the "crushed" feeling on that.  :laugh:

 

Today I'm finishing off some painting outside, and then dh and I are playing mixed doubles this evening. I hope my body is more recovered by then.  :o

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My weekend turned crazy, sleepover guests stayed until the afternoon, then dh hurt his back. He finally took some muscle relaxer but then he was out of commission until late Sun. morning. A friend had a party that was a bigger thing than I realized, we ended up staying the night last minute Sat (dh stayed home) and I didn't get to sleep until after 1:30 and woke up at 5:30. Then we went at it again the next day, we ended up going to bed at 7:45 last night!!! At midnight dd1 woke us up to bring us dd3, who had been throwing up (I think it was just too much snacks, junk food, and too little sleep- she didn't get sick again and seems fine). I didn't fall back asleep until after 5pm (5 hrs later!!!) So, I didn't get up until 7:30 today and feel like a zombie. I cannot stay up late, it does not work for me at all. I hope to take a little nap today and get to bed normal time and hopefully back into my normal routine. Obviously no big family walks, dh was out of commission

 

today- morning walk- no sprints but did do 3 sets of 10 squats (ds had this idea that when we have to move aside for cars we should do squats :) ) ; I *will* do some weight stuff, thinking I might pull out the kettlebell and do some swings, that sounds like fun today

 

oh, weight goal for the week (8lbs to goal)- let's see if it stays there.

 

Reading along with everyone, lots of rain here too Laurie, I hear your frustration, I'd be annoyed too. Hope your seasonal allergies are better soon. I have noticed honey from our hives helping mine, proof is inclusive but it seems to work for me.

 

2nd gen I had some indulgences this weekend too, just picked it up and moved on, took it easy on other meals. Keep us posted on your testing.

 

Olga- I think if you can even play a lady of such caliber you must be better than you let on!

Edited by soror
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...

Olga- I think if you can even play a lady of such caliber you must be better than you let on!

 

Well, she is in a different age group, so to do well in mine, I would have to beat her consistently. Still, I do learn a lot from her. Fencing is almost as much mental game as it is physical. At this point, I have a long way to go in both.

 

I overindulged this weekend, and the morning private lesson was hard, but I managed. Now, I have to convince the kids do some school, and then open fencing in the evening. Unless the kids convince me to go for a short swim in the middle of the day, too.

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I went to the gym today and did half an hour on the AMT machine.  This is the first time since my sprain that I have tried any cardio equipment other than the bike, so we'll see how it feels tomorrow.  I have been gradually adding back in some walking, but I'm only up to 2 miles a day.  

 

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greta glad to hear your ankle is better, if you haven't already you might want to consider some yoga balance exercises for ankle strength.

 

olga- lol convince the kids to do school, it was a train wreck at my house too, everyone is so tired from this weekend, it took forever to get through it all and if you are playing with her at all WTG!

 

wintermom- so nice you got to work with your son and friends, that sure makes it a lot more fun

 

posting between kettlebell sets (told you I would)

 

so, um, I've not used it in awhile and feel it. sets have been like 6-8- my kettlebell is a 26 lber

 

doing swings, goblet squats and rows- I'm panting here!!! aiming for 3 sets

 

eta- 3 sets done, managed 20 swings on last 2 sets but kept with 6 rows and 8-10 squats.

 

I'm still panting and sweating but it felt good to lift something! I've been thinking I wanted to mix things up but haven't got off my butt to do it. I already had the kettlebell so it's an easy choice. I'd love to lift with a friend 1 day a week or so but doing stuff at home is so much easier.

Edited by soror
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I got up early and went to a yoga class with a different instructor than my favourite. It felt really good to get in some stretching, but I missed the other instructor's comments and demonstrations. I really like visual of her doing the movements with us all the time, especially because there seems to be slight differences in names/descriptions of the movements and poses. It can get a little confusing.

 

I plan to swim at noon hour today, and hopefully I'll be playing some tennis this evening as well. That should space out all the activity pretty well.  :p

Edited by wintermom
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We did get the school done yesterday, as well as about 40 minutes of swimming and evening fencing. I discovered that swimming aggravates my wrist :( It doesn't hurt during fencing, but feels swollen, although I can't see any changes outside. When I do other (real life) movements, it hurts a little. In the previous iteration, icing helped a lot, but yesterday two rounds of it did exactly nothing.

 

On the bright side, the other veteran lady gave me a rundown on the ladies I am fencing this weekend. Now I only have to actually use this information. I'll have to work on a few moves over these last three days.

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Went to the gym this morning.  I think I may have mentioned that my goal is to get back up to my previous best on the leg press of 200 pounds, after falling back down to 140 pounds.  Well today, for the first time since re-starting, I was able to do 160 pounds for all three of my sets of ten (with a lighter warm-up set first).  200 still seems far away, but not quite so far now!

 

And the ankle continues to feel good today, so I guess it was a good time to add back the AMT machine.

 

:001_smile:

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Not surprisingly I am somewhat sore today. 

 

I slept last night, hallelujah! I was busy working on some yoga homework so didn't start breakfast quite on time this morning. Anyway, we didn't have time for a long walk so we did about 20-25 min of HIIT, we started and ended with a short walk then did some cone drills, jumping jacks, and burpees, got me sweating but didn't kill me. I think we will have to do that more often.

Edited by soror
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Went to the gym this morning.  I think I may have mentioned that my goal is to get back up to my previous best on the leg press of 200 pounds, after falling back down to 140 pounds.  Well today, for the first time since re-starting, I was able to do 160 pounds for all three of my sets of ten (with a lighter warm-up set first).  200 still seems far away, but not quite so far now!

 

And the ankle continues to feel good today, so I guess it was a good time to add back the AMT machine.

 

:001_smile:

 

Woot, WTG! Your getting there.

We did get the school done yesterday, as well as about 40 minutes of swimming and evening fencing. I discovered that swimming aggravates my wrist :( It doesn't hurt during fencing, but feels swollen, although I can't see any changes outside. When I do other (real life) movements, it hurts a little. In the previous iteration, icing helped a lot, but yesterday two rounds of it did exactly nothing.

 

On the bright side, the other veteran lady gave me a rundown on the ladies I am fencing this weekend. Now I only have to actually use this information. I'll have to work on a few moves over these last three days.

Too bad about your wrist. I've got a tricky shoulder, problem is I don't feel it doing the movement either, only afterwards which makes it hard to tell what causes the problem. For me I usually find rest is the best but that is hard when you've got a match coming, very neat that the other lady gave you some tips.

 

I got up early and went to a yoga class with a different instructor than my favourite. It felt really good to get in some stretching, but I missed the other instructor's comments and demonstrations. I really like need visual of her doing the movements with us all the time, especially because there seems to be slight differences in names/descriptions of the movements and poses. It can get a little confusing.

 

I plan to swim at noon hour today, and hopefully I'll be playing some tennis this evening as well. That should space out all the activity pretty well.  :p

I like demos too although yoga teachers tend to pride themselves on using demonstrations as little as possible. Working with kids I always demo and you are write different people use different names for different poses, well some are pretty standard (like tree) but others are different across different branches and then there are variations and the Sanskrit names too. 

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I like demos too although yoga teachers tend to pride themselves on using demonstrations as little as possible. Working with kids I always demo and you are write different people use different names for different poses, well some are pretty standard (like tree) but others are different across different branches and then there are variations and the Sanskrit names too. 

 

I wonder why this would be? The classes with the demonstrating yoga instructor are packed with over 20 people every single class I've attended; the one with the non-demonstrating teacher had 6, and last week there were only 2. You'd think someone might notice this huge difference. 

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Got to the pool to swim for 45 minutes 2 of the last 3 days. I typically miss one day a week. I ate and drank more on Friday than I have all summer - dropped my freshman daughter at college and forgot to pack waters and healthy snacks. It was a big day, and I survived - lots of tears. 

 

I am having goggle issues. My current pair have made a cut on my nose. My old pair are so foggy. Does anyone have a favorite pair that is pretty great? 

 

I like my Tyr goggles. They don't fog easily. 

 

I had a good week - made my 8,000 steps every day and only had a sugary treat once. Also, I lost 2.6 lbs which is the most I have ever lost in a week! 

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Today is a must-do strength training if I want to get 3 in. Thunderstorms all afternoon, so I will need to do cardio this morning. Strength training can be this afternoon/evening. No guests coming. 

 

So, I got out in the late morning and it was very hot and humid. 20 min in, my hound, who usually goes with me, just balked. (never happened before. She verbally begs to go for a run)  Since I thought she might be too hot, I took her home.  On the way, I realized i was pretty worn for that little time and about 2 min after I got home, it started pouring. Ugh. 

 

I did do strength training, but it was a "place marker." I "showed up" and did most of the exercises, but skipped the squats. I had put it off til evening because it was squat day and I dislike them. I did another couple lower body exercises, upper body (but only 2/3 of what I usually do) and core. Skipped stretching. 

 

Not the best of workout days, but my philosophy is it's better to do a half-baked workout than none at all---just to keep the ball rolling. 

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Here's a hit and run post. My new job is keeping me busy. I haven't been on the court much - only played four times in the last week - but that will change on Friday when the athletes arrive. Then it will be 6 hours of court time a day. I'm working on drill schedules today and cleaning the last of the equipment in order to distribute it once the women get here. My eating has dropped off dramatically. I'm not sure if that's good or bad. I've been trying to eat healthy but it's been difficult. I've also been craving ice cream which is odd because I don't like ice cream and I'm lactose intolerant. I must be missing something in my diet.

 

 

 

Keep up the workouts and healthy eating habits ladies. I hope to be able to sit and read through the thread at some point.

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I'm having internet issues so I'm keeping short in case this post disappears like the last 2 I tried to post....

 

today's plans:

 

Kettlebell- squats- rows- and swings

walk w/ sprints

 

Laurie- yep done is better than perfect

 

2nd gen- keep swimming- try for a 5-10 min goal of something you can do at home

 

sparkly- right on- one day at a time, hope your helath improves

 

Scoutermom- keep us posted on the job, I'm excited for you. Do you mean your food quality has gone down or you are eating dramatically less? I know when I'm busy both seem to happen, then once I have time again I'm starving for good food.

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Here's a hit and run post. My new job is keeping me busy. I haven't been on the court much - only played four times in the last week - but that will change on Friday when the athletes arrive. Then it will be 6 hours of court time a day. I'm working on drill schedules today and cleaning the last of the equipment in order to distribute it once the women get here. My eating has dropped off dramatically. I'm not sure if that's good or bad. I've been trying to eat healthy but it's been difficult. I've also been craving ice cream which is odd because I don't like ice cream and I'm lactose intolerant. I must be missing something in my diet.

 

 

 

Keep up the workouts and healthy eating habits ladies. I hope to be able to sit and read through the thread at some point.

 

 

Could you be thirsty and/or craving something cold with regard to the ice cream?

 

My ice cream substitute is yogurt with frozen berries. I am also lactose intolerant.  

 

I would think your drop off in eating is from being busy. Good luck with all your prep work!

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OH, a post finally went through!!!

 

I wanted to say my clothes are loosening up. I have one pair of pants from pre-kids (I wear outside to work these days and it is a good gauge of size since sizes vary so much these days), they were loose pre-kids but when I gained all that weight this fall/winter they were super tight. Now, they are loosening up again, not as loose as I'd like but I can move while wearing them. My swim shorts that were skin tight in the spring I can now breathe while wearing. I just looked and it was a year ago today when I was diagnosed w/ pneumonia, that is when my health took a nose dive and my thyroid wonked out. Nearly a year later I am 5lbs away from what I weighed when I got sick, after gaining 18 lbs and losing 13. I was 3 lbs from my "normal" weight at that time.

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Yesterday:

Sprints- I was really not feeling spunky, confirmed by the fact that dd1- 10yo beat me, she never beats me unless I'm off my game. In race 2 I had ds push dd3 in the stroller(for a handicap, he always beats me!) and I smoked everyone and was cheering, come to find out the dog tripped dd1 and ds nearly toppled over w/ the stroller. Oops! 

 

Kettlebell - Rows, Goblet Squats & Swings- man it totally kicked my butt, just as hard as Monday for sure but I'm not as sore.

 

Food: Keeping on, keeping on. Mostly paleoish because that works for me. I'm measuring servings and not getting seconds. I have planned snack times at 10:00 am/3pm, I skip those if I'm not hungry but usually have at least 1 snack a day. Sometimes I have treats like dark chocolate. Sometimes I eat chips. I eat about 2000 calories a day, maintenance for me is around 2500ish. I've learned if I try to go to 1800 I crash, it is too far below my TDEE. Even though the calorie calculator says I should gain weight at this level of intake I know I do not. 

 

 My thyroid levels are good the last I checked. I should be able to lose weight, so I'm going with positive thoughts and trying not to think of how annoyed I am that I have to lose the same weight again b/c my dang blasted thyroid. I did learn the lesson that I need to have my levels immediately tested when I start packing on pounds, if I had done that instead of waited I wouldn't have continued to gain for 7 months. 

 

Yesterday's food:

b: scrambled eggs (3), 3 slices bacon (trimmed fat), 1/2 potato homemade hashbrown

l: hamburger patty on lettuce w/ bbq sauce (I wasn't feeling very hungry- breakfast was late and very filling)

s:apple; 1/2 serving dark mint chocolate

d: homemade chicken fajitas- pinto beans; baked chicken fajitas w/ peppers & onions, chopped lettuce, & homemade guac

 

Today is either smoothie OR apple w/ pecans, coconut & almond milk (I alternate b/t that and eggs w/ bacon)

lunch will be leftover fajitas or chili

supper will be roasted chicken w/ mashed potatoes and green beans

 

 

Following links this am I came across this study on HIIT (or HIIE) and fat loss and insulin resistance. 

 

Very intriguing stuff. I've read some about HIIT before but not lately. I knew sprinting/going all out was good for you but I've never followed a set protocol, I think I'll give the Wingate protocol a go on Fri.  In the lab they do it specialized cycle with resistance. I'll just time my sprints and aim for 4-6 - 30 sec. (usually I do 2-4).  I never time my sprints, we do different lengths on different days, but I think I can go 30 seconds I guess we'll see!

 

Today's plan- Easy walk- hopefully, we will get a decent one today, we've been running behind every morning this week, last weekend was hard on us, too many late nights. I sure hope we can get caught up this weekend.

Edited by soror
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I'm going mountain biking with my dd this morning. If we're back in time, I'll do a swim in the outdoor pool. This evening dh and I have a mixed doubles tennis match as part of the club tournament. We're playing a very skilled couple, so it should be a challenging match. I've played both the man and lady at singles in the tennis ladder. It will be really interesting to see how things go in doubles play.

 

For my swimming I've been doing interval training and really enjoying it. In the past, I've done intervals running but had to be really careful about injury. With swimming it's the perfect environment for me to increase the speed and intensity with less risk of injury. I've been doing long fairly intervals (100 m or 4 laps), but I'm might try some 50 m sprints this week. I don't want to freak out the other people in my lane, though.  :p

 

Food for the summer has been:

 

Breakfast:  fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries), full-fat yogurt, sprinkle of granola, latte

Snacks/Lunch:  pistachios, berries, fruit

Dinner (sometimes early afternoon on a tennis day):  chicken, turkey, eggs, fresh veggies

 

I've noticed that the pistachio snacks (the only nut I can eat due to allergies) is perfect for taking care of my hunger after exercise. It takes my body a long time to digest it, so I don't get hunger pangs afterwards like I do with carbohydrates.  My only problem is that I'll eat too many pistachios at a time. They are far too yummy. 

 

I've 99% cut out refined sugar and alcohol this summer. I don't crave it at all anymore, though as soon as I have a little I do want more.  :laugh:  There is always the potential to go right back to eating chocolate daily, that's for sure. 

Edited by wintermom
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Yesterday:

Sprints- I was really not feeling spunky, confirmed by the fact that dd1- 10yo beat me, she never beats me unless I'm off my game. In race 2 I had ds push dd3 in the stroller(for a handicap, he always beats me!) and I smoked everyone and was cheering, come to find out the dog tripped dd1 and ds nearly toppled over w/ the stroller. Oops!

 

Kettlebell - Rows, Goblet Squats & Swings- man it totally kicked my butt, just as hard as Monday for sure but I'm not as sore.

 

Food: Keeping on, keeping on. Mostly paleoish because that works for me. I'm measuring servings and not getting seconds. I have planned snack times at 10:00 am/3pm, I skip those if I'm not hungry but usually have at least 1 snack a day. Sometimes I have treats like dark chocolate. Sometimes I eat chips. I eat about 2000 calories a day, maintenance for me is around 2500ish. I've learned if I try to go to 1800 I crash, it is too far below my TDEE. Even though the calorie calculator says I should gain weight at this level of intake I know I do not.

 

My thyroid levels are good the last I checked. I should be able to lose weight, so I'm going with positive thoughts and trying not to think of how annoyed I am that I have to lose the same weight again b/c my dang blasted thyroid. I did learn the lesson that I need to have my levels immediately tested when I start packing on pounds, if I had done that instead of waited I wouldn't have continued to gain for 7 months.

 

Yesterday's food:

b: scrambled eggs (3), 3 slices bacon (trimmed fat), 1/2 potato homemade hashbrown

l: hamburger patty on lettuce w/ bbq sauce (I wasn't feeling very hungry- breakfast was late and very filling)

s:apple; 1/2 serving dark mint chocolate

d: homemade chicken fajitas- pinto beans; baked chicken fajitas w/ peppers & onions, chopped lettuce, & homemade guac

 

Today is either smoothie OR apple w/ pecans, coconut & almond milk (I alternate b/t that and eggs w/ bacon)

lunch will be leftover fajitas or chili

supper will be roasted chicken w/ mashed potatoes and green beans

 

 

Following links this am I came across this study on HIIT (or HIIE) and fat loss and insulin resistance.

 

Very intriguing stuff. I've read some about HIIT before but not lately. I knew sprinting/going all out was good for you but I've never followed a set protocol, I think I'll give the Wingate protocol a go on Fri. In the lab they do it specialized cycle with resistance. I'll just time my sprints and aim for 4-6 - 30 sec. (usually I do 2-4). I never time my sprints, we do different lengths on different days, but I think I can go 30 seconds I guess we'll see!

 

Today's plan- Easy walk- hopefully, we will get a decent one today, we've been running behind every morning this week, last weekend was hard on us, too many late nights. I sure hope we can get caught up this weekend.

HIIT workouts flat out work. I love strength training, but when I incorporated HIIT workouts I started to shrink. This combo of weights alternating with HIIT is what works for

my body type and metabolism.

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I'm going mountain biking with my dd this morning. If we're back in time, I'll do a swim in the outdoor pool. This evening dh and I have a mixed doubles tennis match as part of the club tournament. We're playing a very skilled couple, so it should be a challenging match. I've played both the man and lady at singles in the tennis ladder. It will be really interesting to see how things go in doubles play.

 

For my swimming I've been doing interval training and really enjoying it. In the past, I've done intervals running but had to be really careful about injury. With swimming it's the perfect environment for me to increase the speed and intensity with less risk of injury. I've been doing long fairly intervals (100 m or 4 laps), but I'm might try some 50 m sprints this week. I don't want to freak out the other people in my lane, though.  :p

 

Food for the summer has been:

 

Breakfast:  fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries), full-fat yogurt, sprinkle of granola, latte

Snacks/Lunch:  pistachios, berries, fruit

Dinner (sometimes early afternoon on a tennis day):  chicken, turkey, eggs, fresh veggies

 

I've noticed that the pistachio snacks (the only nut I can eat due to allergies) is perfect for taking care of my hunger after exercise. It takes my body a long time to digest it, so I don't get hunger pangs afterwards like I do with carbohydrates.  My only problem is that I'll eat too many pistachios at a time. They are far too yummy. 

 

I've 99% cut out refined sugar and alcohol this summer. I don't crave it at all anymore, though as soon as I have a little I do want more.  :laugh:  There is always the potential to go right back to eating chocolate daily, that's for sure. 

Enjoy your bike ride and good luck in tennis!

 

Good for you on cutting the sugar! I used to be totally addicted to chocolate but didn't have any for a year while following an auto-immune diet and it broke the addiction for me. I still eat it but I don't have to have it and don't eat it every day. Of course I don't think an addiction to chocolate is bad in the scheme of things. 

 

 

HIIT workouts flat out work. I love strength training, but when I incorporated HIIT workouts I started to shrink. This combo of weights alternating with HIIT is what works for

my body type and metabolism.

Thanks for sharing. What kind of HIIT workouts do you do and what kind of intervals? I used to do them fairly regular but haven't in a while.

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It's interesting how interval training, which has been around for decades, has recently become more popular among the general public (as opposed to athletes training with coaches in competitive sports) as research is showing a wider range of benefits than the original goals.  I think it's great. Along with the physical benefits, interval training is fantastic for developing mental strength and endurance. When you push your body to what feels like its limit, and nothing explodes, you learn something about yourself. When you keep doing this, and see how much stronger and fitter you become, your confidence really grows. 

 

The tough part is keeping up with interval training all on your own. It's definitely easier to do in a group setting.  :o

 

 

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It's interesting how interval training, which has been around for decades, has recently become more popular among the general public (as opposed to athletes training with coaches in competitive sports) as research is showing a wider range of benefits than the original goals.  I think it's great. Along with the physical benefits, interval training is fantastic for developing mental strength and endurance. When you push your body to what feels like its limit, and nothing explodes, you learn something about yourself. When you keep doing this, and see how much stronger and fitter you become, your confidence really grows. 

 

The tough part is keeping up with interval training all on your own. It's definitely easier to do in a group setting.  :o

I think it is because way back when fitness for the lay person was not all that complicated. These days every day Joes can be serious athletes. Plus, we understand more about how and why things work and information is disseminated more easily in the digital age.

 

Group setting is for sure easier for motivation, that is what I miss at home BUT racing my kids who are 10 & 13 and in great shape is a pretty good challenge. For awhile I wasn't able to push that hard now these days I can handle it. I can't do super intense for long period but I can do the stuff that is short.

 

I like HIIT too because it is all out. I don't have to measure intensity, I just give it everything.

Edited by soror
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Went to the gym again last night.  Go me...

 

I haven't been weighing myself because I'm so close to goal it's kinda like "who cares".  So for the heck of it yesterday I did.  Seems I lost another 2 pounds.  Woot!

That is awesome. How many pounds to go now? I was thinking you were at less than 5.

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Just had my last lesson for the week. Tomorrow is going to be mostly sitting in the car day, and then two days of competition. I am really glad my DD is old enough for this level now, so I can pretend I am not doing it for myself ;)

 

I love the idea of HIIT, and it worked great for me when I did cardio kickboxing in a group setting, but I just can't do it by myself. I need to find a type of exercise that I an actually do at home. According to all the articles I've read on the topic, it is just the best thing ever for everything.

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