Well Trained Bodies (Diet & exercise) - Nov. 2017

[Laurie4b]

This morning I did my kitchen mopping in a duck walk/low squat and hands and knees.

 

 

 

Inquiring minds want to see the video!  :001_tt1:

 

I am trying to picture this: did you use a mop in a low squat, duck walk? 

[Soror]

Inquiring minds want to see the video!  :001_tt1:

 

I am trying to picture this: did you use a mop in a low squat, duck walk? 

No video :) I just used a rag and a bucket!

[Laurie4b]

For those of us in the US, what is your game plan for Thanksgiving Day and particularly avoiding the food coma? 

 

I  am coming into this up a couple pounds so I want to "hold the line" today. 

 

My plan is: 

 

I am eating a late breakfast because I ate dinner late last night. I'll have an egg frittata and oatmeal with chopped apples in it. Dinner is at 4;00, so it will go from brunch to early dinner. If I need a snack in there, I'll have hummus and veges. 

 

ETA: I am going to focus carefully on staying hydrated since there will be enough temptation without me mistaking thirst for hunger!

 

I am planning to walk/run early afternoon. 

 

I may brew a cup of hot tea and drink it before we leave for the dinner. 

 

I am bringing whole cranberry sauce (which I cook with 1/2 the sugar), crustless pumpkin pie (which I make with nonfat evaporated milk and reduce the sugar by 1/3) plain baked sweet potatoes (I'll take cinnamon and brown sugar to serve with them and eat only the cinnamon), green salad, and turkey legs. Dh made apple pies and he always bakes some apples for me with just cinnamon. :)  

 

At dinner, I plan to have what I brought except I will have turkey breast, plus mashed potatoes, & butter. I can pass on green bean casserole, gravy, and stuffing without feeling deprived.  I hope I can just say no to a roll. It would be fine to eat one, but they are a trigger food for me, plus they need butter, which I want to reserve for my mashed potatoes! I may also take a little stuffing, though I don't love it b/c the grandmother of the family we're eating with will have made it. 

 

I am going to try to "eat mindfully," savoring my food and eating more slowly. 

 

After dinner I plan to stand up & move for at least 15 min. Helping to clean up will probably take care of that. 

 

Tomorrow, I am supposed to cook again for my own family. I am going to try to 

 

 

Edited November 23, 2017 by Laurie4b

[wintermom]

I went skating with ds 13 this morning. It's been 1.5 weeks since I was skating and my legs were like jelly. I'm sore now, too. I must keep up the skating more frequently. Running legs muscles are not the same as skating leg muscles.  :laugh:

[Laurie4b]

I went skating with ds 13 this morning. It's been 1.5 weeks since I was skating and my legs were like jelly. I'm sore now, too. I must keep up the skating more frequently. Running legs muscles are not the same as skating leg muscles.  :laugh:

 

Sounds like great cross-training! 

[wintermom]

Sounds like great cross-training! 

 

Yes, and it's also preparation for skate skiing. Maybe if my legs are in shape for skating, the transition to skiing will be quicker and easier on my body. That's my hope.

[Soror]

For those of us in the US, what is your game plan for Thanksgiving Day and particularly avoiding the food coma? 

 

I  am coming into this up a couple pounds so I want to "hold the line" today. 

 

My plan is: 

 

I am eating a late breakfast because I ate dinner late last night. I'll have an egg frittata and oatmeal with chopped apples in it. Dinner is at 4;00, so it will go from brunch to early dinner. If I need a snack in there, I'll have hummus and veges. 

 

I am planning to walk/run early afternoon. 

 

I may brew a cup of hot tea and drink it before we leave for the dinner. 

 

I am bringing whole cranberry sauce (which I cook with 1/2 the sugar), crustless pumpkin pie (which I make with nonfat evaporated milk and reduce the sugar by 1/3) plain baked sweet potatoes (I'll take cinnamon and brown sugar to serve with them and eat only the cinnamon), green salad, and turkey legs. Dh made apple pies and he always bakes some apples for me with just cinnamon. :)  

 

At dinner, I plan to have what I brought except I will have turkey breast, plus mashed potatoes, & butter. I can pass on green bean casserole, gravy, and stuffing without feeling deprived.  I hope I can just say no to a roll. It would be fine to eat one, but they are a trigger food for me, plus they need butter, which I want to reserve for my mashed potatoes! I may also take a little stuffing, though I don't love it b/c the grandmother of the family we're eating with will have made it. 

 

I am going to try to "eat mindfully," savoring my food and eating more slowly. 

 

After dinner I plan to stand up & move for at least 15 min. Helping to clean up will probably take care of that. 

 

Tomorrow, I am supposed to cook again for my own family. I am going to try to 

Ack I lost my reply. 

 

I am going to have some splurges but being gf that is naturally limited. Plus the fact that I don't like a lot of "traditional" T-giving food anyway. I usually make some side dishes I like and have the meat that is there. I'm making roasted green beans w/ garlic, naturally sweetened cranberry relish(considerably tarter than the usual fair) and Dad is baking sweet potatoes.However, I will have fried turkey(mmm!) and some gf cheesecake (b/c I never do and am craving it).  I'll probably snag some little chocolates too. I had a splurge last night, I made homemade gf lasasgna b/c again, I had a craving and haven't made it in years. 

 

I just balance out the splurges w/ light meals. I'm not exercising today but between going here and there and getting stuff done it won't be a totally sedentary day. I ate a light bfast this morning so I'm not so hungry I gorge myself miserable. 

 

I'm just trying to maintain right now and likely will be until Christmas is over. I'll not be weighing until Monday to see how I'm fairing and if I need to keep with austerity measures a wee bit longer. Usually it all balances out with a few days to a week.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I overdid it.  I woke up quite sore.  :glare:

[Laurie4b]

So how did everyone do yesterday?

 

I was not able to get in exercise; cooking took a lot longer than I anticipated. 

 

I did well with eating overall. Passed up the rolls, gravy, and stuffing at dinner and only had one helping of everything but salad.  For dessert, I had 2 homemade molasses cookies.  I did *try* a couple times to eat mindfully. Clearly, it's something that needs practice. I think I forgot in about 3 seconds! 

 

I have to cook our "own" Thanksgiving dinner today (we went to one son's GF's family's house and a couple of our family really prefer a home gathering.) But other than a big glob of butter on the mashed potatoes, which I think is fine every once in a while  :)  there shouldn't be huge temptations. 

 

Still, the scale was up. I am a daily weigher. I know that doesn't work well for some people but it's necessary for me as once I start to gain, I gain quickly. The scale had gone up the morning of Thanksgiving, so I need to hold the line now. I really don't want the yearly 7 pound weight gain to undo. I had stabilized at my old weight but  still needed to lose some more to get to a healthy waist circumference despite a normal BMI. 

 

Edited November 24, 2017 by Laurie4b

[OlgaLA]

My hip pain went away the nest day, but instead I woke up with a very tight back. I am used to back pain since my last pregnancy, but this was different. I guess my posture was off, so the back pulled the hip or something like that. After some stretches it got better.  I went to open floor on Wednesday, and since the class before (which my kids attend but I don't) had odd number of people, I got to jump in and do about 30 minutes extra. It was fun, too. Yesterday I didn't need to cook, so I managed to do some arm/shoulders workout plus some core/hips exercises and 10 minutes on a stationary bike, which I hated. I know I need more cardio, but I just can't manage more than 10 minutes of it yet, and I think it's mostly mental thing. Anyway, baby steps :)

 

We went to friends' house for Thanksgiving. I ate everything. I think I didn't have any seconds, but still it was a lot. Between sheer quantity and the fact that it continued until almost midnight, the scale today was showing a number I haven't seen in a while. BTW, I also weigh myself daily, but since I don't obsess over it, I think it's OK. So, I am not too worried about the number yet. I expect it will go down in a day or two, unless I overeat several days in a row.

[Soror]

I ate too much, as expected. I did a little bit of shopping this am and went out the door w/out breakfast so when I made it back I ate too much again. Having leftovers is not all positive. Planning to throttle back on food the rest of the weekend.

[OlgaLA]

I took the kids to the fencing camp today, and when I was picking them up, took a private lesson. Then I went to the open floor, but there was only one guy there, plus two coaches. So I did about 30 minutes of the ball practice. By that time a couple more guys showed up, so we fenced. I got to fence my coach, so it was fun, even though it was all pretty brutal. Still, I got some touches on all three guys I fenced. Today I actually felt like I am slowly getting better.

[Soror]

Olga, WTG keeping at it.

 

After eating a too big late breakfast I didn't do as bad the rest of the day. I ate my last meal around 5. Thankfully, Dh finished off the cheesecake and ds finished the cookies. I think I'll make some nice turkey soup today.

 

I actually slept decently last night, sleep had been rough all week, ironic I have had more energy during the day. 

 

The weather was nice yesterday. I pulled out my bike and rode a bit and did some various exercises. Tried to do some work w/ cones w/ the 5 yr old, geez, I haven't done much bouncing or jumping lately it felt rough on my body. 

 

Dh is sick as a dog and one of the kids is snotty. I think he might have the flu. We all got the flu shot but perhaps he just isn't as lucky. I'm terrified it is going to go through the house.

 

The weather is supposed to be nice again today so maybe we can get another bike ride, I'm still figuring out how to shift on my "new" bike and we don't usually get weather this nice this time of year.

[wintermom]

I get to play tennis this evening! It's been 2 weeks since I last played, though, so I hope I can still hit the ball with some kind of control. 

[PinkTulip]

I think I'm going to join back in and start posting in this thread for accountability. I have lost 10 pounds in the last 2 months, but mostly because of moving and stress. I would like to keep it off, and lose about 5-10 more so I'm working at exercising regularly and really watching my diet. I will say, I have gone up 2 pounds this week with Thanksgiving so starting Monday I really need to get back on track.

 

I have rowed on the rowing machine 2.5 hours total this week and this morning, my family hiked for about an hour and a half.

[Laurie4b]

I did my hour walk which includes 30 min of jogging intervals. There are still some leaves on the trees, but many fewer. :(  It will be harder when there are none. 

 

I hope to do a full strength-training routine tonight.  ETA: I only did a "habit holder" routine: bare minimum upper body and core just to be consistent in doing something to feed the habit. I waited until way too late in the day and was truly tired. (I think it was right for my body to quit, but waiting too late is kinda a theme with me that needs to be fixed.) 

 

Eating today wasn't horrible but wasn't great either. Though I make my whole cranberry sauce with half the sugar and my crustless pumpkin pie with 2/3 of the sugar the recipe calls for, it's still more sugar than I normally get and I love those foods! I did make sure to eat a vegetable frittata before I ate the crustless pumpkin pie at breakfast. I have gained a couple pounds. Hope that things look better sometime next week! 

Edited November 26, 2017 by Laurie4b

[solascriptura]

Tuesday, Kettlebell Interval and one mile run.

Thursday, Two mike walk

Saturday, one hour Tabata class

 

Rooting for all of you! It’s hard to be consistent with the holidays.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

You all are amazing.

 

I have officially become depressed and will be taking steps to address that next week. I'm hoping that meds will help me get my mojo back.

 

 

[Laurie4b]

You all are amazing.

 

I have officially become depressed and will be taking steps to address that next week. I'm hoping that meds will help me get my mojo back.

 

Good for you for nipping it in the bud early.  :grouphug:

[wintermom]

You all are amazing.

 

I have officially become depressed and will be taking steps to address that next week. I'm hoping that meds will help me get my mojo back.

 

I really, really miss my tennis and all the fun activities I was doing this summer and fall. It's so hard to have it all suddenly stop. I hope the meds help you get over this hump and come back strong. You can do it! You have helped out so many people over the summer, pouring all your energy into them. Don't forget all the wonderful things you've accomplished!  :grouphug:

[wintermom]

I got to play 2.5 hours of good tennis tonight! It felt so good to get out and hit balls. It was 2 weeks since my last game, and that's far too long to keep any kind of consistency - for me anyway.  :o  I can still hit the ball hard, but keeping it in the court is another matter. It is nice to feel my strength and fitness is still there.  Running on the treadmill is dull and not very inspiring, but it is serving an important purpose. 

 

I'm subbing for a team next Saturday, so that will be great to play more tennis.  I wish it wasn't so expensive to play tennis indoors. Oh well, I just have to distract myself with running, skating and skiing over the winter months. 

[Soror]

You all are amazing.

 

I have officially become depressed and will be taking steps to address that next week. I'm hoping that meds will help me get my mojo back.

Big, big hugs I hope that it works well and quickly for you. I've felt myself sliding there and was <> close to going for meds but mine seems to be tied to my hormone and cycles mercifully improved. It is a really sucky place to be. :grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

[Soror]

I'm up again. I finally looked at the calendar and see that I'm post ovulation. I'd planned to start progesterone the 2nd half of my cycle with as bad as it was last time but had lost track of days, I should have looked when I started having trouble sleeping. I'll be starting on it tonight and hope that I can go back to sleep for a few hours.

 

Yesterday we did 30 min of PE, bike riding and such. I did some stretching here and there.

 

Hoping for some strength based work today, I guess I'm aiming for every other day as I'm not doing anything strenuous. 

I think I'm going to join back in and start posting in this thread for accountability. I have lost 10 pounds in the last 2 months, but mostly because of moving and stress. I would like to keep it off, and lose about 5-10 more so I'm working at exercising regularly and really watching my diet. I will say, I have gone up 2 pounds this week with Thanksgiving so starting Monday I really need to get back on track.

I have rowed on the rowing machine 2.5 hours total this week and this morning, my family hiked for about an hour and a half.

 

That is a good amount of rowing, congrats on the weight loss.

I did my hour walk which includes 30 min of jogging intervals. There are still some leaves on the trees, but many fewer. :(  It will be harder when there are none. 

 

I hope to do a full strength-training routine tonight.  ETA: I only did a "habit holder" routine: bare minimum upper body and core just to be consistent in doing something to feed the habit. I waited until way too late in the day and was truly tired. (I think it was right for my body to quit, but waiting too late is kinda a theme with me that needs to be fixed.) 

 

Eating today wasn't horrible but wasn't great either. Though I make my whole cranberry sauce with half the sugar and my crustless pumpkin pie with 2/3 of the sugar the recipe calls for, it's still more sugar than I normally get and I love those foods! I did make sure to eat a vegetable frittata before I ate the crustless pumpkin pie at breakfast. I have gained a couple pounds. Hope that things look better sometime next week! 

At least you are keeping momentum. I've noticed that I can't work out too late anymore it wires me. I hear you on the food, it takes a bit to get lined out but I think that is ok, that is part of it. It is normal to have some splurges, it just isn't good when those are all the time. 

 

I got to play 2.5 hours of good tennis tonight! It felt so good to get out and hit balls. It was 2 weeks since my last game, and that's far too long to keep any kind of consistency - for me anyway.  :o  I can still hit the ball hard, but keeping it in the court is another matter. It is nice to feel my strength and fitness is still there.  Running on the treadmill is dull and not very inspiring, but it is serving an important purpose. 

 

I'm subbing for a team next Saturday, so that will be great to play more tennis.  I wish it wasn't so expensive to play tennis indoors. Oh well, I just have to distract myself with running, skating and skiing over the winter months. 

Congrats on the game, even if you didn't win. 

[wintermom]

I went for my first run in the snow this year. It was quite lovely, actually. With any luck there will be enough snow to ski on really soon. 

[Soror]

So, I weighed today. I'm 3 lbs up, gulp!

 

The gf dinner roll before bed was probably not the best idea BUT I wanted to sample my work.

 

I did not exercise yesterday, the lack of sleep got to me and I took a nap instead. I used my progesterone last night but still had a hard time, finally took a melatonin at 12. I don't know if it is just my hormones are that bad and it will take awhile or I've got other issues but this is ridiculous. I'm skipping all stimulating supplements today and eating well today. I'll try to only do a small nap if I do one (my 90 min nap yesterday probably didn't help me but I was SO exhausted).

[SparklyUnicorn]

I didn't go to the gym all weekend.  In part it was because I overdid it last week and was so sore.

 

Eh..such is life.  I'll go today. 

 

I did eat carby foods, but I didn't go crazy in general. 

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

I got up the nerve to weigh myself this morning. Ugh. I have officially regained everything I had lost this earlier this year. Why does it take so much time and effort to lose it but only a matter of weeks to regain it?! It’s so frustrating! I knew it was going to be bad. Just judging by how tightly my clothes fit, how badly I’ve been doing at karate, and how tired I’ve been. I have a doctors appointment this morning too so I’ll find out the whole picture of where my health is.

 

I need to get this back under control before Christmas and New Years. I’m heading out for a short walk now and then after my appointment I’ll go to the store to restock my kitchen with healthy foods.

[OlgaLA]

You all are amazing.

 

I have officially become depressed and will be taking steps to address that next week. I'm hoping that meds will help me get my mojo back.

 

:grouphug:  It's great that you are taking care of yourself! Depression sucks :(

So, I weighed today. I'm 3 lbs up, gulp!

 

The gf dinner roll before bed was probably not the best idea BUT I wanted to sample my work.

 

I did not exercise yesterday, the lack of sleep got to me and I took a nap instead. I used my progesterone last night but still had a hard time, finally took a melatonin at 12. I don't know if it is just my hormones are that bad and it will take awhile or I've got other issues but this is ridiculous. I'm skipping all stimulating supplements today and eating well today. I'll try to only do a small nap if I do one (my 90 min nap yesterday probably didn't help me but I was SO exhausted).

 

I live on melatonin and naps. When my cycles started to get short, and began to bring a terrible headache/migraine for two days every 24 days, I started on melatonin, as there was some small research about it almost reversing peri. I didn't quite buy it, but thought if it helps even a little, I am in. I am now back to 27-28 day cycles, which is shorter than I used to have, but better than 24 days or less, unless I forget to take it regularly (I mean more than a week in a row), and the headache is either not there at all, or barely noticeable.   Naps are another story, but lately I often need less than an hour vs 1.5+ hrs. I am not sure if it is because of vit D I am taking (mine was at 18 last time I checked), more exercise, or just getting older and needing less sleep :)

 

I did a grand total of 12 minutes on a bike on Saturday, plus about the same time doing core exercises on Sunday. That and a party Saturday night meant that I am still above pre-Thanksgiving weight. Today I have a private lesson in the morning and open fencing in the evening. Probably a long nap, too, as I was up after only 6.5 hours of sleep and it's cloudy outside.

[PinkTulip]

I rowed on the rowing machine for 45 minutes today - about 7500 meters. My favorite thing to do is find a good series and watch episodes while rowing. Today I watched the pilot episode of Gilmore Girls (I've never watched it), which has like 132 episodes on Netflix, so hopefully I like it and it can get me through the next several months.

[Soror]

:grouphug:  It's great that you are taking care of yourself! Depression sucks :(

 

I live on melatonin and naps. When my cycles started to get short, and began to bring a terrible headache/migraine for two days every 24 days, I started on melatonin, as there was some small research about it almost reversing peri. I didn't quite buy it, but thought if it helps even a little, I am in. I am now back to 27-28 day cycles, which is shorter than I used to have, but better than 24 days or less, unless I forget to take it regularly (I mean more than a week in a row), and the headache is either not there at all, or barely noticeable.   Naps are another story, but lately I often need less than an hour vs 1.5+ hrs. I am not sure if it is because of vit D I am taking (mine was at 18 last time I checked), more exercise, or just getting older and needing less sleep :)

 

I did a grand total of 12 minutes on a bike on Saturday, plus about the same time doing core exercises on Sunday. That and a party Saturday night meant that I am still above pre-Thanksgiving weight. Today I have a private lesson in the morning and open fencing in the evening. Probably a long nap, too, as I was up after only 6.5 hours of sleep and it's cloudy outside.

 

That is interesting about melatonin and peri, I have not heard that. My last cycle was 24 days coincidentally. I'm doing progesterone and melatonin tonight and am trying my best not to take a nap, I'm both wired and utterly exhausted. I got less than 6 hrs last night of sleep that was not very good. I've been faithfully taking vit D and my levels have been great.

 

Exercise is exercise, at least you got some in, good luck on your lesson.

I rowed on the rowing machine for 45 minutes today - about 7500 meters. My favorite thing to do is find a good series and watch episodes while rowing. Today I watched the pilot episode of Gilmore Girls (I've never watched it), which has like 132 episodes on Netflix, so hopefully I like it and it can get me through the next several months.

That is a good clip of rowing, that is a butt kicker.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I rowed on the rowing machine for 45 minutes today - about 7500 meters. My favorite thing to do is find a good series and watch episodes while rowing. Today I watched the pilot episode of Gilmore Girls (I've never watched it), which has like 132 episodes on Netflix, so hopefully I like it and it can get me through the next several months.

 

I wish my gym had rowing machines.  I always toy with the idea of getting one, but they are rather spendy.

[Soror]

I did just a few exercises yesterday, I was tired from the lack of sleep. I did manage to get by without napping.

 

I took progesterone and 1 mg of melatonin last night (I usually find 1/4-1/2 a mg sufficient but wanted to make sure I slept). Well, I was asleep by 8:45 and woke up at 1:45, WIDE AWAKE. Seriously. 4 hrs later. I'm contemplating trying to get a little nap before the kids wake up but I'm not feeling sleepy. I'm going to go mad, I don't know what the flip is going on. I was supposed to have an appt this week but my NP is moving practices and won't be doing appointments until January, I really want to see what is going on with my hormones and everything else. I was sleeping well but still tired, now I can hardly sleep at all and I'm wired.

Edited November 28, 2017 by soror

[lmrich]

I know for everyone else this is not something new, but I realized that I could break my exercise up into smaller chunks. I was struggling with finding the time and the motivation to swim for 45 minutes at a time. (My goal is to have aerobic exercise 180 minutes a week - so 4 - 45 minute sessions.) I realized I could do a vigorous walk in my hilly neighborhood and get in 18 minutes and add that to my 30 in the pool. It feels like such a burden has been lifted. Those last 15 minutes of swimming were ugly; I got so bored. (I have had three foot surgeries so the types of exercise I can attempt are a bit limited - I have acute tendonitis among other issues)

 

I am still trying to enjoy lifting weights and doing the machines at the gym. My goal is to do that twice a week - got it done once already so only once more this week. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Sore today AGAIN.  I have been pushing harder, but I don't like being sore.  Grrr

 

I was toying with the idea of getting a fitness tracker, but I'm afraid it'll only drive me crazy so...I dunno.

 

 

[OlgaLA]

Sore today AGAIN.  I have been pushing harder, but I don't like being sore.  Grrr

 

I was toying with the idea of getting a fitness tracker, but I'm afraid it'll only drive me crazy so...I dunno.

 

I don't like it either, mostly because it interferes with the next day's workout, so I brought the intensity down to the spot where I can feel the muscles the next day, but still can use them without problems. It took some trying, but now I usually nail that spot.

 

I did all I planned yesterday, and added 15 minutes on the bike. I am trying to get to the point where I have some workout in the morning and fencing in the evening.  So far I manage about 20-30 minutes almost daily, adding a little here and there. I am worried about keeping it through December though, with all the travel and holidays.

 

Today I had a terrible night. I woke up at 4:30 and couldn't fall back asleep till 6. I think it was what is called restless legs syndrome, only it was over my entire body. Of course, today was the day when I have to take DD to college in the morning, so I couldn't sleep in. I think I'll go do some exercise now, as I am not sure if I can go fencing today: DS is sick and I don't want to leave him alone.  Hopefully, DH can come home early.

[solascriptura]

Sore today AGAIN. I have been pushing harder, but I don't like being sore. Grrr

 

I was toying with the idea of getting a fitness tracker, but I'm afraid it'll only drive me crazy so...I dunno.

I like being sore, but not to the point that I’m not functional. Are you functional? I equate soreness with muscle gains.

[solascriptura]

Sore today AGAIN. I have been pushing harder, but I don't like being sore. Grrr

 

I was toying with the idea of getting a fitness tracker, but I'm afraid it'll only drive me crazy so...I dunno.

My sister has been loving her Fitbit, but it seems to only clock sleep and steps. What if I don’t walk much? Is there a tracker that will calculate other types of workouts?

[PinkTulip]

I roweed for about 40 minutes this morning, and have been on track with my food so far today. We are having a family picture taken tomorrow so I'm trying to look good for that.

 

I have worn a Fitbit for almost 2 years and love comparing the data over time. It helps keep me motivated - like last night I was kind of marching around my house before going to bed as I only had 300 more steps to go before hitting 10,000 for the day.

[Laurie4b]

I wish my gym had rowing machines.  I always toy with the idea of getting one, but they are rather spendy.

 

You might want to keep your eye on Craigslist. It will likely not be super  cheap,, but much less expensive that retail. 

[Laurie4b]

My sister has been loving her Fitbit, but it seems to only clock sleep and steps. What if I don’t walk much? Is there a tracker that will calculate other types of workouts?

 

I eventually stopped using a Fitbit because I couldn't keep up with charging it, the parts kept breaking (even though they would replace them), etc. 

 

What I did like it for though, was keeping up with what I think of as my "background" activity: the steps in my normal day. I could see if I sat for too long, for instance. Right now, the research is looking like there are two important kinds of movement: the "background movement" (just how much you do stuff rather than sitting) and the dedicated exercise. For me,, I figured I always know when I have done dedicated exercise and how much: I know I went to Zumba for an hour, walked/jogged for an hour, swam for 45 min, etc. What was harder for me to keep track of was that incidental movement. 

[Laurie4b]

Looks like I am up about a pound after Thanksgiving. There are no more items with sugar left in the house, so I should be able to get back to my regular eating plan. 

 

Yesterday, the one good thing I did was to take a non salt seasoning mixture that I love down to my neighbor's. The reason is that I love it as a seasoning in olive oil and I dip bread in it! Too many slices of bread with olive oil because I like that flavor so much. I wasn't able to moderate with it in the house so my neighbor is babysitting it for me. :) I can walk down and get it when I want to, but I won't walk down 3 -4 times in 1/2 hour KWIM? 

 

I did set out to get in my walk/run, got all dressed and was on time and I could only find one running shoe!  Some hours later, I found the other in a box of socks I hadn't sorted. Not sure how that happened, but whatever. So I did not exercise at all and I only got 6 1/2 hours of sleep. I want to up the priority of sleep because of its salience to preventing Alzheimer's. The deep stage of sleep is when the beta amyloid plaque gets removed. I tend to stay up because my brain is engaged with something on the internet. I need to just say no!

 

Today, so far, I have done 60 min of cardio: 30 min of jogging intervals and the rest, walking, including warm up & , cool down. I'm sad that in our micro-niche that all the leaves are now brown. That's not true everywhere so I'm going to try to find a hiking buddy to walk one of the river trails and see if it's prettier. <sigh>. 

 

I have been having a hard time getting myself to do strength training and have been trying to figure out why it is so hard. I have never loved strength training. I think what is happening is that I get motivated when I hit a new PR and I've been plateaued for a while. It's kind of a catch-22: if I am not making progress, I am less motivated, and of course if I am lifting less often, I don't make enough progress.  Any suggestions for motivating yourself when you just don't want to? 

Edited November 29, 2017 by Laurie4b

[solascriptura]

Looks like I am up about a pound after Thanksgiving. There are no more items with sugar left in the house, so I should be able to get back to my regular eating plan.

 

Yesterday, the one good thing I did was to take a non salt seasoning mixture that I love down to my neighbor's. The reason is that I love it as a seasoning in olive oil and I dip bread in it! Too many slices of bread with olive oil because I like that flavor so much. I wasn't able to moderate with it in the house so my neighbor is babysitting it for me. :) I can walk down and get it when I want to, but I won't walk down 3 -4 times in 1/2 hour KWIM?

 

I did set out to get in my walk/run, got all dressed and was on time and I could only find one running shoe! Some hours later, I found the other in a box of socks I hadn't sorted. Not sure how that happened, but whatever. So I did not exercise at all and I only got 6 1/2 hours of sleep. I want to up the priority of sleep because of its salience to preventing Alzheimer's. The deep stage of sleep is when the beta amyloid plaque gets removed. I tend to stay up because my brain is engaged with something on the internet. I need to just say no!

 

Today, so far, I have done 60 min of cardio: 30 min of jogging intervals and the rest, walking, including warm up & , cool down. I'm sad that in our micro-niche that all the leaves are now brown. That's not true everywhere so I'm going to try to find a hiking buddy to walk one of the river trails and see if it's prettier. <sigh>.

 

I have been having a hard time getting myself to do strength training and have been trying to figure out why it is so hard. I have never loved strength training. I think what is happening is that I get motivated when I hit a new PR and I've been plateaued for a while. It's kind of a catch-22: if I am not making progress, I am less motivated, and of course if I am lifting less often, I don't make enough progress. Any suggestions for motivating yourself when you just don't want to?

I don’t think this helps... but when I’m not motivated, I settle for maintenance. Right now, I’m busy with school and dealing with SAD; I’m settling for maintenance.

[Laurie4b]

I don’t think this helps... but when I’m not motivated, I settle for maintenance. Right now, I’m busy with school and dealing with SAD; I’m settling for maintenance.

 

I've been settling for "holding down the habit." Not very satisfying but better than bailing. 

 

I don't have reasons like being busy or SAD. Probably the biggest issue for me is onset of winter. I don't get depressed but I am definitely not as "up" and have lower energy. 

[Laurie4b]

Tonight, I did 2 sets of push-ups, and 2 sets of rows, so minimal but respectable upper body workout.  I started at 8 pm again. It's just too late. I was feeling really good at 7:30. After I did the warm up stuff around 8, I was feeling tired. So. 

 

Earlier to bed. Earlier to exercise! 

[Soror]

re: fitness trackers- I had a Fitbit One- I think it was called- but it kept messing up and the sleep tracking was a joke and I noticed on stiars it didn't seem to get those right either. I returned it after having to reset it one too many times. I don't know if mine was defective or what. I've thought about just getting a cheap basic one.

 

re: motivation- I don't know this fall sucked so hard in so many ways I don't know if I can even speak about motivation. I guess my thought is just keep trying and lower your expectations- that is what I do when things go to shit. 

 

re: bedtimes-  We usually aim for bed by 8:30 or 9 since dh has to get up early and I don't do well with staying up late, I'm more of a morning person. Sometimes we go to bed as early as 8 and sometimes as late as 9:30. If I'm staying up late it is b/c I'm jacked up and can't sleep or we have something going on but even then I try to avoid late night plans. So, not much help here, I think we all have our own clock.

 

For inquiring minds I never did go back to sleep yesterday, so I was up from 1:45 on, it was a long day. I took Melatonin at 7:30 and was out by 8:30. And.... drumroll please I slept until 5 am!!!!! I think I feel like a human again, we'll see how today goes, I'm still massively behind on sleep. Fingers crossed things are lining out.

 

No real activity but I did manage to be productive in other ways. I got some school planning, Christmas shopping, a good day of school, and worked on my plans for a Scout class I'm teaching Saturday.

 

Here's hoping to some activtiy today- I'd like a bit of walking and/or biking and a bit of strength work of some kind.

Edited November 29, 2017 by soror

[SparklyUnicorn]

I like being sore, but not to the point that I’m not functional. Are you functional? I equate soreness with muscle gains.

 

Yeah I'm functional, but the worst time is night.  I can't really take anything for pain and so sometimes I have longgg nights of very achy legs and then don't sleep so well. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

These comments about the fitbit made up my mind.  I don't want one!

 

 

[wintermom]

Yeah I'm functional, but the worst time is night.  I can't really take anything for pain and so sometimes I have longgg nights of very achy legs and then don't sleep so well. 

 

Yes, I get this after a vigorous match of tennis. Not only are the legs sore, but my mind won't stop replaying the match in my head.  :cursing:

 

If you have a roller, this can help disperse the lactic acid that often causes the pain. You roll all the leg muscles you can reach, and even the bottoms of your feet if you get pain there. If you don't have a special roller, a rolling pin can work. 

 

The one I use isn't a foam roller. It's skinnier and more firm, and you hold it in your hands. I can't find an image to send a link. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Yes, I get this after a vigorous match of tennis. Not only are the legs sore, but my mind won't stop replaying the match in my head.  :cursing:

 

If you have a roller, this can help disperse the lactic acid that often causes the pain. You roll all the leg muscles you can reach, and even the bottoms of your feet if you get pain there. If you don't have a special roller, a rolling pin can work. 

 

The one I use isn't a foam roller. It's skinnier and more firm, and you hold it in your hands. I can't find an image to send a link. 

 

Oh I forgot.  I don't have a roller, but I have this vibrating massage thing.  That DOES help. 

 

One of my kids steals it...I bet he has it.  LOL

 

My feet don't hurt thankfully.

 

My mind replays math problems! 

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

Over the past couple of days I’ve walked, been to karate, and worked on deep cleaning my house. Eating is getting better but still not where it should be. Motivation is low for any of it. I can’t seem to figure out a good time for exercise or what to eat instead of what I shouldn’t eat. I’ve been sugar free before, I’ve done two Whole30s, I’ve stuck with pretty intense workout programs for several months at a time but for some reason it just seems so unbelievably hard right now to do any of this things, even though I know I’ll feel better if I do.