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

[Laurie4b]

So, how often is it best to buy new running shoes?

 

Approx every 6 months if you use them multiple times per week or when you see the tread starting to wear down. 

[wintermom]

I believe it depends on how many miles you log.

 

This is what I've heard, too. I think it's about 500 miles.

[wintermom]

I played tennis tonight with my newly strung racquet, and it felt wonderful!! I could hit the ball well and control where it went.  I'm SO relieved! I was ready to quit the whole game altogether I was so frustrated.  I must remember this and get my racquet strung when I can feel the "pop" gone. 

[Greta]

Thanks for the advice on when to buy new shoes!

 

I did weights yesterday, which was my third weight workout this week, hopefully the beginning of a new pattern! Had a nice run this morning too.

[Laurie4b]

Warning: some whining/venting ahead: 

 

First of all, today was a draggy day. We returned home last night from visiting our aging parents. one father has cognitive impairment; the other is on death's door without a cardiac procedure happening stat that is not happening stat. So emotionally it is a tough period then sitting for a long car ride wears me out physically. And I have either a cold or bad allergies right now. 

 

Unsurprisingly today I was not "feelin' it" but decided to go out and at least walk and see if I could get myself to jog. So I did and I got right into the jogging intervals. Was about 1/3 of the way through and some %(*#$ little terrier off leash comes into the road and is following us. So I let my hound say "hello" and they got into a snarling thing. I drag the hound off and down the street and the %)(*$ little terrier FOLLOWS us, sometimes running at us. Argh. My hound wants to keep turning around because duh! little terrier is following and running at her. I got the hound home, but that cost me half of my jogging intervals before it got dark. So I got a total of 60 min of walking and dog dragging in, embedded with 15 min of jogging intervals instead of 28.5 as were scheduled. 

 

Once inside I at least got my deadlifts done 3x 8 of 80% of my bodyweight. 

 

And I did my flexibility exercises , mostly because I am participating in this thread, and want to be able to say that I did them---especially after encouraging Greta that 3 lower body stretches would only take 2 1/2 minutes. Comes back to haunt you, but in a good way! ;) 

[wintermom]

Is anyone else experiencing crazy heat right now? It was over 90 F plus humidity today. It was an all-time record for this late in Sept. It's still 87 F at 9:30 pm. Very, very weird this time of year. My parents have snow in their part of Canada right now.  That is normal.

 

I did a short run on the treadmill inside at the gym, and went for a bike ride to the mall. It wasn't too bad while moving on the bike, but stopping to lock it up was blistering. I probably didn't need to bother. ;) 

[Laurie4b]

 

Is anyone else experiencing crazy heat right now? It was over 90 F plus humidity today. It was an all-time record for this late in Sept. It's still 87 F at 9:30 pm. Very, very weird this time of year. My parents have snow in their part of Canada right now.  That is normal.

 

I did a short run on the treadmill inside at the gym, and went for a bike ride to the mall. It wasn't too bad while moving on the bike, but stopping to lock it up was blistering. I probably didn't need to bother. ;) 

 

 

Wow! That sounds crazy! I hope you don't have to change your "wintermom" name! 

[wintermom]

Wow! That sounds crazy! I hope you don't have to change your "wintermom" name! 

 

Oh, winter will still come. That is a certainty. Then I'll change my name to "grumpy wintermom."  I am looking forward to skiing, but a longer outdoor tennis season is awesome, too!

 

I'm NOT complaining about the hot weather, by the way. It's just strange.

[Laurie4b]

Oh, winter will still come. That is a certainty. Then I'll change my name to "grumpy wintermom."  I am looking forward to skiing, but a longer outdoor tennis season is awesome, too!

 

I'm NOT complaining about the hot weather, by the way. It's just strange.

 

That surprises me! What I remember of your posts from last winter always sounded so fun with cross-country skiing on this trail or that!  You managed to sound upbeat; if you were actually grumpy, that is an achievement in and of itself!

[wintermom]

That surprises me! What I remember of your posts from last winter always sounded so fun with cross-country skiing on this trail or that!  You managed to sound upbeat; if you were actually grumpy, that is an achievement in and of itself!

 

Last winter was much more mild than normal, with a great amount of snow. It was a pleasure getting outdoors and skiing. And the dc were all pretty excited about skiing as well. No grumpiness then. Who knows what this winter will bring. I'm hoping for the same as last year, but you know that will never happen. ;)

[Soror]

Hi all, I'm still alive. I didn't feel well and it got to the point that reading along was both depressing and guilt-inducing. 

 

I seem to be feeling better. I'm playing catch up around the house and walking. 

 

Fingers crossed I keep feeling better and get back to my normal exercise routine. Ultrasound Thurs. for my thyroid, fingers crossed that turns out well too.

[Laurie4b]

Hi all, I'm still alive. I didn't feel well and it got to the point that reading along was both depressing and guilt-inducing. 

 

I seem to be feeling better. I'm playing catch up around the house and walking. 

 

Fingers crossed I keep feeling better and get back to my normal exercise routine. Ultrasound Thurs. for my thyroid, fingers crossed that turns out well too.

 

Oh, I am so sorry that you've been feeling so bad.  :grouphug:   Glad you are well enough to be able to ease back into it. Hope your U/S is reassuring. 

[solascriptura]

Hi all, I'm still alive. I didn't feel well and it got to the point that reading along was both depressing and guilt-inducing.

 

I seem to be feeling better. I'm playing catch up around the house and walking.

 

Fingers crossed I keep feeling better and get back to my normal exercise routine. Ultrasound Thurs. for my thyroid, fingers crossed that turns out well too.

I’m sorry that you’ve been feeling unwell. I hope things look up for you soon.

[Greta]

Warning: some whining/venting ahead: 

 

First of all, today was a draggy day. We returned home last night from visiting our aging parents. one father has cognitive impairment; the other is on death's door without a cardiac procedure happening stat that is not happening stat. So emotionally it is a tough period then sitting for a long car ride wears me out physically. And I have either a cold or bad allergies right now. 

 

 

 

Hi all, I'm still alive. I didn't feel well and it got to the point that reading along was both depressing and guilt-inducing. 

 

I seem to be feeling better. I'm playing catch up around the house and walking. 

 

Fingers crossed I keep feeling better and get back to my normal exercise routine. Ultrasound Thurs. for my thyroid, fingers crossed that turns out well too.

 

 

 

:grouphug: Sending lots of hugs to both of you for the rough times.  Laurie, I'm so sorry about what your dads are going through, and how hard it must be for the entire family.  My dad is supposed to find out some test results today, and I'm trying very hard to hope for the best, but that's hard when you fear the worst.  He's definitely not himself lately, and something is going on.  I just pray that it's something treatable.  Soror, I hope that you get good test results!

 

 

 

 

And I did my flexibility exercises , mostly because I am participating in this thread, and want to be able to say that I did them---especially after encouraging Greta that 3 lower body stretches would only take 2 1/2 minutes. Comes back to haunt you, but in a good way!  ;)

 

Well, I should confess that I've done NOTHING regarding flexibility, despite your excellent advice.   :blushing:   But here's one good thing I can brag about, though it's not much of a brag, really!  :lol:  I ran a full mile today!  First time since the ankle sprain.  The ankle was hurting just a bit on the cool-down walk, but really no big deal.  I think it's going to be fine.  I might keep the distance at a mile for a few more runs, but I'm really happy to have hit that one-mile mark.  Next goal:  5K!  But I'm going to take plenty of time getting there.  

[solascriptura]

I haven't posted much here lately because my workouts seem so boring compared to so many of you!  I'm still enjoying the Bodypump classes and Kettlebell Interval.  I just went Kettlebell and it kicked my butt!  I'm entirely wiped out but I'm not sure why.  I have no doubt that I'm in the best shape I've ever been in, but that class doesn't seem to get any easier!  I'm beginning to think that it's my age.  

 

 

[Laurie4b]

Keep us posted on your dad, Greta. And congrats on hitting your one mile mark! 

[Laurie4b]

I haven't posted much here lately because my workouts seem so boring compared to so many of you!  I'm still enjoying the Bodypump classes and Kettlebell Interval.  I just went Kettlebell and it kicked my butt!  I'm entirely wiped out but I'm not sure why.  I have no doubt that I'm in the best shape I've ever been in, but that class doesn't seem to get any easier!  I'm beginning to think that it's my age.  

 

 Aw! Don't disappear. I think the benefit of these threads is people "in it together."  Sometimes I come here to read the thread to get myself psyched to get up off my butt to do my workout. If you post about your workouts, I for one am encouraged by it. We may all be doing our own things, but we're here to cheer each other on.  And my "walk for an hour with x # of embedded jogging intervals, did my upper body and flexibility today" are hardly scintillating! 

[solascriptura]

Aw! Don't disappear. I think the benefit of these threads is people "in it together." Sometimes I come here to read the thread to get myself psyched to get up off my butt to do my workout. If you post about your workouts, I for one am encouraged by it. We may all be doing our own things, but we're here to cheer each other on. And my "walk for an hour with x # of embedded jogging intervals, did my upper body and flexibility today" are hardly scintillating!

Thanks for saying that! You know, I’m 42, but my kettlebell instructor is 54. I have not known anyone in better shape than she is. I need to tell myself that age is just a number. Well, sort of. Hahaha.

[Greta]

Keep us posted on your dad, Greta. And congrats on hitting your one mile mark!

Thank you Laurie! He had a spot in his lung that looked suspicious, but after they did a PET scan the doctor said it looks more like pneumonia than a tumor. So they are treating him with antibiotics and will recheck him in a month. I really feared it was cancer, so pneumonia, oddly enough, is actually very good news!

[wintermom]

I went for a swim and did some high intensity intervals. It was really interesting varying my focus on hard kick vs fast arm pull in front crawl. My legs feel so strong from the running and cycling, and my kick was feeling really fast. I could well have been that my arms just felt slow and weak, though.  :laugh:   Either way, it was really fun to get back in the pool for a change. 

[Laurie4b]

Thanks for saying that! You know, I’m 42, but my kettlebell instructor is 54. I have not known anyone in better shape than she is. I need to tell myself that age is just a number. Well, sort of. Hahaha.

 

It is a whole lot more of  "just a number" than I think people in general assume. I am in my 60s and feel like I'm in my mid-30s. Dh says I am stronger than when we got married. That was not true in my 40s and early 50s. It came about through lifestyle choices including a sustained prioritization of exercise and getting better and better at it. I think exercise is truly the fountain of youth. 

 

I would love to take a kettlebell class, but the only one offered at our gym is the one night that  I have Zumba and I love that and can't give it up. 

Edited September 26, 2017 by Laurie4b

[Laurie4b]

Reporting in with same-old same-old: 

 

Did 60+ minutes of walking with 28.5 min of jogging embedded. Upper body and core strength. Flexibility. 

 

Fortunately, no bleeping off-leash terriers to hassle my leashed hound tonight! 

 

I am getting a Polar heart rate monitor later this week. Can't wait. It will make tracking the heart rate during the intervals much easier and hopefully more accurate as well. 

Edited September 27, 2017 by Laurie4b

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Thanks for beginning the thread (again). It is always okay to begin it if I am AWOL. This month I was at an away tennis tournament and not near a computer for a couple of days. When I was able to log in, you had begun the thread.  :)  

 

This month has been crazy. With the tennis season on full throttle, my time is not my own. I've been putting in 12+ hour days and then lots of traveling to away matches.

Men's fall season begins tomorrow so I'll be doubly busy for the first half of Oct.

 

I did pencil in some time for me to drive to the cities to play tennis once a week. Coaching and feeding balls is quite different than playing tennis. I need my on court play time in order to remain happy and grounded. I went from playing 15 times a month to just 8 times in August and 4 times in Sept. What a dramatic change. 

 

My USTA team season began last Saturday. I won my #1 singles match 6-3, 6-3 but the team ended up losing 2-3. I was quite happy with my level of play and will do my best to continue to improve.

 

My eating has been the same as the past few weeks. Not a lot of sweets (I don't really miss it anymore) but not quite healthy either. I've been eating lots of apples, bananas, carrots, sweet potatoes, etc. I have no regular meal times and I think that might be throwing my system off a bit. I haven't lost any more weight  :( and I just don't feel right. I'm also having trouble sleeping. I feel guilty that my housework and yardwork is falling behind schedule. DH, when he's home, does his best to pick up my slack but his work schedule is worse than mine and he needs his free time to relax and recover and prep for his next trip. It also doesn't help that the college finally posted our team pics -an occurrence I have been dreading - and my b00ks look huge, unabridged dictionary huge. It was windy and my headshot is horrible with my hair blowing all over the place. I detest having my picture taken (it is a source of great anxiety and I avoid it as much as possible) so this has really knocked me down and is contributing to my overall dysphoria. I really am trying to reconcile my ugliness and ill-shapen body with self-acceptance and happiness. But it's difficult. Truly difficult.

 

--

On a happier note, the college team is doing well and we just might finish in the top half of our conference. I'm tentatively optimistic.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I haven't posted much here lately because my workouts seem so boring compared to so many of you!  I'm still enjoying the Bodypump classes and Kettlebell Interval.  I just went Kettlebell and it kicked my butt!  I'm entirely wiped out but I'm not sure why.  I have no doubt that I'm in the best shape I've ever been in, but that class doesn't seem to get any easier!  I'm beginning to think that it's my age.  

I haven't been posting either. This isn't a competition but a way for every individual to share exercises, plans, goals, etc and to get feedback (if desired). Some of these posts can be intimidating but I try to applaud those individuals for their tenacity. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn't. I am envious of those who have hours to spend on classes, gym workouts, and time spent outside. Then I remember that there are others, like me, who struggle with exercise routines, who don't have it all together with a perfect eating plan or totally healthy lifestyle - and that's okay. It's all okay. That's why we're here. To work toward improving our bodies and our spirits in every way.

 

My 'workouts' this week included feeding 5000+ tennis balls and a bit of running back and forth on the tennis court. That's it. Today - no workout at all as I have to drive over 3 hours (one way) to take the team to a match. Over 6 hours in the van and then three hours watching them play tennis; not exactly a physically active day.  I'm hoping I remember to pack a healthy GF dinner so I can eat on the way home. The team usually chooses a fast food restaurant with limited GF options and I end up eating a lot of potato chips in the van as I drive.

 

I hope my statement isn't taken the wrong way. I like reading about all of your workouts and wish everyone the best of luck with whatever activities you choose. Really, I do.

Edited September 27, 2017 by Scoutermom

[Laurie4b]

Thanks for beginning the thread (again). It is always okay to begin it if I am AWOL. This month I was at an away tennis tournament and not near a computer for a couple of days. When I was able to log in, you had begun the thread.   :)

 

This month has been crazy. With the tennis season on full throttle, my time is not my own. I've been putting in 12+ hour days and then lots of traveling to away matches.

Men's fall season begins tomorrow so I'll be doubly busy for the first half of Oct.

 

I did pencil in some time for me to drive to the cities to play tennis once a week. Coaching and feeding balls is quite different than playing tennis. I need my on court play time in order to remain happy and grounded. I went from playing 15 times a month to just 8 times in August and 4 times in Sept. What a dramatic change. 

 

My USTA team season began last Saturday. I won my #1 singles match 6-3, 6-3 but the team ended up losing 2-3. I was quite happy with my level of play and will do my best to continue to improve.

 

My eating has been the same as the past few weeks. Not a lot of sweets (I don't really miss it anymore) but not quite healthy either. I've been eating lots of apples, bananas, carrots, sweet potatoes, etc. I have no regular meal times and I think that might be throwing my system off a bit. I haven't lost any more weight   :( and I just don't feel right. I'm also having trouble sleeping. I feel guilty that my housework and yardwork is falling behind schedule. DH, when he's home, does his best to pick up my slack but his work schedule is worse than mine and he needs his free time to relax and recover and prep for his next trip. It also doesn't help that the college finally posted our team pics -an occurrence I have been dreading - and my b00ks look huge, unabridged dictionary huge. It was windy and my headshot is horrible with my hair blowing all over the place. I detest having my picture taken (it is a source of great anxiety and I avoid it as much as possible) so this has really knocked me down and is contributing to my overall dysphoria. I really am trying to reconcile my ugliness and ill-shapen body with self-acceptance and happiness. But it's difficult. Truly difficult.

 

--

On a happier note, the college team is doing well and we just might finish in the top half of our conference. I'm tentatively optimistic.

 

:grouphug:  Sounds like a lot of things are converging at once in a discouraging way. I must confess though that your unabridged dictionary comment made me laugh. Hope some things begin to turn around for you. It's great that you can maintain the healthy eating while on the road. Argh. Potato chips and gluten free. When I had to do the low FODMAPS diet for reactive IBS (as a result of food poisoning), there were so many extended family meals in which potato chips were pretty much all I could eat. 

 

I bet when your teammates see the photos they are thinking of the person who encourages them and works her heart out for them. 

 

 

Edited September 28, 2017 by Laurie4b

[Laurie4b]

I ended up absolutely exhausted today. Not entirely sure why---maybe because I had a vaccine today. I wonder if my body's immune response has something to do with it on top of whatever cold/allergies I've had for the past week. 

 

Anyway, I got through Zumba and had a hard time moving animatedly enough to get my heart rate into a decent range. I had to really focus to drive home afterward. A lower body workout is not happening tonight.  I'll have to do do a whole body workout tomorrow and Saturday if I want to get 3 in for the week. Tomorrow is going to be hot anyway so maybe I will do strength training at the gym and swim afterward. 

[wintermom]

I went for a couple walks with the dog this morning in the heat and humidity and felt zapped. Then a storm front came through, dumped a little rain here and there, and it cooled off nicely. This made it great for my last outdoor tennis league match of the season. I got to play mixed doubles with the same partner as last week, and we pulled off a win again! 

 

I finally found and bought new running shoes! I'm excited to try them out. 

[bookbard]

Haven't posted for a while as have had some medical things happen. Still in the midst of it all. 

 

However, did make one major change, which was replacing meat with beans for the main meal. I have been trying to eat beans most days. This has definitely resulted in some weight loss. 

 

Apart from that, was reading some interesting research on the importance of not losing a lot of weight, but losing a bit and staying at that weight for a while, so your body treats that as the new normal. Then losing a bit more and staying there until your body treats that as the new normal, and so forth. The idea being that your body likes to know what your normal is and will keep you there despite variations in eating/exercise. Interesting, because when I look back, I definitely had one weight I stayed at for ages, then another weight I stayed at for ages. 

[Laurie4b]

I need to remind myself how much I love swimming... once I get in the pool. It seems like a big obstacle to pack up, drive to the gym, take a thorough shower, swim, take another thorough shower, and dry everything off. But I enjoy being in the water soooo much. 

 

I swam 1/2 hour. I'd been swimming longer or faster but it has tweaked my shoulder before. So I'm just swimming at a moderate pace right now and will work my time up probably 5 min per week till I'm at an hour. 

 

I also did all my strength training and added in a couple isolation exercises--triceps kickbacks and biceps curls--to the full body moves I have been doing. I figured that triceps should help with my push-ups and I just want a bicep that pops when I flex just because I think it would look cool.  :laugh:  Right now, it's a speed bump kinda hump. 

 

Also did flexibility to hammered dulcimer music when I got home. Love hammered dulcimer. And I saw some results of being consistent with it at the gym.  Before, there was no way I could do back squats because of prior trauma to shoulder and chest so I just didn't have the range of motion to get the bar on my back. But I tried it out tonight when I went to the gym and I am getting pretty close!  I am looking forward to being able to do that. 

[solascriptura]

I went to kettlebell interval today. My quads are still sore. Strangely enough, I like squats. My favorite variation is the jump squat. I also like weighted squats and after Laurie4b posted her above post, I’m wondering if they’re called back squats. I do them for Bodypump and I’m up to 50 lbs for the squat routine. Laurie4b, do you need to go all the way down for it to be considered a back squat?

 

Now for my last question for those that lift on the heavy side. Do you need to have a spotter? I’m itching to get into heavier weights, but I workout alone and don’t foresee my dh or any girlfriends being able to workout with me.

[wintermom]

Brrrr. It's back to normal Sept temps here. I had to do an early morning bike ride and the temp is 46F. A little chilly on the ears!  Dh and I are playing tennis tonight, which will be nippy.  I much prefer the crazy heat wave. ;)

[Laurie4b]

I went to kettlebell interval today. My quads are still sore. Strangely enough, I like squats. My favorite variation is the jump squat. I also like weighted squats and after Laurie4b posted her above post, I’m wondering if they’re called back squats. I do them for Bodypump and I’m up to 50 lbs for the squat routine. Laurie4b, do you need to go all the way down for it to be considered a back squat?

 

Now for my last question for those that lift on the heavy side. Do you need to have a spotter? I’m itching to get into heavier weights, but I workout alone and don’t foresee my dh or any girlfriends being able to workout with me.

 

When I say a back squat, I am referring to a squat with a barbell across the back of the shoulders. Because I have limited range of motion from previous trauma to chest and shoulder, I can't get yet get my shoulders/arms back behind my head far enough to put the bar there. So I was excited to find that my flexibility exercises are starting to pay off and maybe I will eventually get there. 

 

I do squats now holding dumbbells instead. I can't do a goblet squat which would be easier, because it hurts my hands too much to hold a weight that heavy. So I hoist them up to my shoulders, but since it's ETA 25 15 lbs each arm which is considerably more than I can easily curl, it's kind of tricky to get them into position. 

 

So I was really happy to find that I had made progress and am close to being able to get the bar on my back. I think that will work my lower body without being hindered by lack of corresponding upper body strength as soon as I can get there. In contrast, I can deadlift more than 2.5 x what I can squat and they should be about equal in general. But for me, my hamstrings are proportionately less strong than my quads so I think not being able to use the barbell on my back is really holding me back. 

 

I watched a Bodypump class once on youtube. It looked really hard! All that pulsing! 

 

As far as needing a spotter since the only significantly heavy lifts I am doing are Romanian deadlifts, I don't feel like I need a spotter for those  because if I were to fail partway through the move, I could drop the bar and no harm done except maybe to the floor. Once I can back squat, I'll use a Smith machine. Not ideal, but the university fitness center I attend is geared to middle-age to retirement age and they aren't expecting too much heavy lifting from their clients so don't have a squat rack. The Smith machine has a built in safety mechanism, so no spotter needed as far as I understand. Maybe at some point, I would move to a new gym, but I like everything else about that gym, so I'll stay for now. 

Edited September 30, 2017 by Laurie4b

[solascriptura]

When I say a back squat, I am referring to a squat with a barbell across the back of the shoulders. Because I have limited range of motion from previous trauma to chest and shoulder, I can't get yet get my shoulders/arms back behind my head far enough to put the bar there. So I was excited to find that my flexibility exercises are starting to pay off and maybe I will eventually get there.

 

I do squats now holding dumbbells instead. I can't do a goblet squat which would be easier, because it hurts my hands too much to hold a weight that heavy. So I hoist them up to my shoulders, but since it's 15 lbs each arm which is considerably more than I can easily curl, it's kind of tricky to get them into position.

 

So I was really happy to find that I had made progress and am close to being able to get the bar on my back. I think that will work my lower body without being hindered by lack of corresponding upper body strength as soon as I can get there. In contrast, I can deadlift more than 2.5 x what I can squat and they should be about equal in general. But for me, my hamstrings are proportionately less strong than my quads so I think not being able to use the barbell on my back is really holding me back.

 

I watched a Bodypump class once on youtube. It looked really hard! All that pulsing!

 

As far as needing a spotter since the only significantly heavy lifts I am doing are Romanian deadlifts, I don't feel like I need a spotter for those because if I were to fail partway through the move, I could drop the bar and no harm done except maybe to the floor. Once I can back squat, I'll use a Smith machine. Not ideal, but the university fitness center I attend is geared to middle-age to retirement age and they aren't expecting too much heavy lifting from their clients so don't have a squat rack. The Smith machine has a built in safety mechanism, so no spotter needed as far as I understand. Maybe at some point, I would move to a new gym, but I like everything else about that gym, so I'll stay for now.

Thanks for the information! I am doing back squats then. I feel a little intimidated going into the weight room but I think I better just go for it.

[Laurie4b]

Today I had pretty significant DOMS from my lower body workout yesterday. I had only planned moderate cardio anyway which was a good thing!  I ended up walking about 30 min. up and down hills in our neighborhood.  And that's all, folks!  

 

Tomorrow, I am scheduled for a whole body strength workout and an hour of walking with 28 1/2 min of jogging embedded. 

 

Edited September 30, 2017 by Laurie4b

[Laurie4b]

Thanks for the information! I am doing back squats then. I feel a little intimidated going into the weight room but I think I better just go for it.

 

Oh yes, definitely! You can do it!  But if you are doing back squats, you do need some kind of spotter or a squat rack with safety features in case you can't complete the lift. 

 

And I made a mistake in my original post. I use two 25 lb dumbbells, not 15!    :blushing:  That's why it's not easy to hoist them up. 

[Greta]

Nothing particularly exciting to report, but I'm doing well.  I've met my workout goals every day this week so far, and husband and I are planning to do weights together today.

 

Solascriptura and bookbard, it's great to see you back!

 

It is a whole lot more of  "just a number" than I think people in general assume. I am in my 60s and feel like I'm in my mid-30s. Dh says I am stronger than when we got married. That was not true in my 40s and early 50s. It came about through lifestyle choices including a sustained prioritization of exercise and getting better and better at it. I think exercise is truly the fountain of youth. 

 

 

 

Thank you for posting this - very encouraging!

 

 

Haven't posted for a while as have had some medical things happen. Still in the midst of it all. 

 

However, did make one major change, which was replacing meat with beans for the main meal. I have been trying to eat beans most days. This has definitely resulted in some weight loss. 

 

 

 

I hope that your medical things clear up and that you are doing better.  :grouphug:  I recently made a major dietary change and I've been eating a lot more beans too (and no meat at all).  As a sworn "carnivore" before I am very impressed by how satisfying beans are, and how much they fill me up and keep me energetic until the next meal.  And I've lost some weight too, which is nice.  

[wintermom]

Tennis got rained out last night, but dh and I are going to play later today.  I went for a really nice hike along the river this morning while the dc were in their violin rehearsal. It was so relaxing and beautiful. Then I returned to the last few minutes of their rehearsal. Gorgeous music! 

[Laurie4b]

Whole body strength training, walk for an hour with 28.5 min of jogging embedded (using my new Polar HR monitor) on a beautiful farm near home, flexibility exercises, and swing dancing still to come. Fun day!

Edited October 1, 2017 by Laurie4b

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I did nothing today. I don't know if my body just gave out after 6 weeks of coaching or if I finally caught the bug going around the school but I didn't sleep last night and I was nauseated. I stayed home today and tried to sleep and relax. I snacked throughout the day (popcorn, cold cereal) and the nausea dissipated after lunch.

 

I have to travel tomorrow for an away match so I won't get much exercise. I'm hoping we'll get back in time so that I can do something in the evening.

[Laurie4b]

I did nothing today. I don't know if my body just gave out after 6 weeks of coaching or if I finally caught the bug going around the school but I didn't sleep last night and I was nauseated. I stayed home today and tried to sleep and relax. I snacked throughout the day (popcorn, cold cereal) and the nausea dissipated after lunch.

 

I have to travel tomorrow for an away match so I won't get much exercise. I'm hoping we'll get back in time so that I can do something in the evening.

 

Hope you are on the mend!

[Soror]

So, we had an outing Friday with a bit of hiking and then yesterday we did a 3 mi(2.5 hr) rugged hike and I did ok with both of them. I was very nervous attempting our hike yesterday. I told you guys about the hike where dd got hurt and I nearly passed out after carrying her out (running up a steep hill), the following week we did another event that was hiking w/ a bit of climbing around and I got really weak again and had to stop early. The first incident I thought was just due to adrenaline after the second one I figured out it was my blood sugar, both times I HAD to sit down and eat and once I did I felt much better.  PMS and hormones had whacked out my appetite and I had increased my carb and sugar intake, which my body does not tolerate at all, my levels were going up and crashing down.

 

So, I've been working on lining myself out again so I can get my levels normal and clear up this wretched yeast issue. Thankfully it seems to be working as I made it through yesterday without getting dizzy or faint at all, I did feel somewhat tired but it was manageable. Anyway, today I'm going to take it easy and hope I continue to feel better. I'm still not sure what exactly is going on, I'm far from feeling well/normal. I should get the results of my ultrasound this week and I guess we'll proceed from there. If the ultrasound shows clean I'm probably going to have to talk to the dr and see if she has any ideas. My dh commented that in June we did the same trail right after I'd been sick- we did 10 miles in 5 hrs and I was doing fine (although my body was sore from the pace), yesterday I was thrilled to make it the 3 at nearly half the pace. I'm thankful I'm not as bad as I've been at times, I don't have to lie down all day but I'm not ready to accept this as good enough. My current motto is fake it 'til you make it and one day at a time.

one day at a time.

Edited October 1, 2017 by soror

[Greta]

So, we had an outing Friday with a bit of hiking and then yesterday we did a 3 mi(2.5 hr) rugged hike and I did ok with both of them. I was very nervous attempting our hike yesterday. I told you guys about the hike where dd got hurt and I nearly passed out after carrying her out (running up a steep hill), the following week we did another event that was hiking w/ a bit of climbing around and I got really weak again and had to stop early. The first incident I thought was just due to adrenaline after the second one I figured out it was my blood sugar, both times I HAD to sit down and eat and once I did I felt much better.  PMS and hormones had whacked out my appetite and I had increased my carb and sugar intake, which my body does not tolerate at all, my levels were going up and crashing down.

 

So, I've been working on lining myself out again so I can get my levels normal and clear up this wretched yeast issue. Thankfully it seems to be working as I made it through yesterday without getting dizzy or faint at all, I did feel somewhat tired but it was manageable. Anyway, today I'm going to take it easy and hope I continue to feel better. I'm still not sure what exactly is going on, I'm far from feeling well/normal. I should get the results of my ultrasound this week and I guess we'll proceed from there. If the ultrasound shows clean I'm probably going to have to talk to the dr and see if she has any ideas. My dh commented that in June we did the same trail right after I'd been sick- we did 10 miles in 5 hrs and I was doing fine (although my body was sore from the pace), yesterday I was thrilled to make it the 3 at nearly half the pace. I'm thankful I'm not as bad as I've been at times, I don't have to lie down all day but I'm not ready to accept this as good enough. My current motto is fake it 'til you make it and one day at a time.

one day at a time.

 

 

I'm sorry you're having such a rough patch.  :grouphug:  I hope that you get some answers and some healing soon!