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Well Trained Bodies (Diet & Exercise) - Happy New Year


Granny_Weatherwax
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Let's rock January with fitness, nutrition, and positive mental health.

 

Today begins my Lazyman Ironman. I have 6 weeks to complete the challenge. My goal is to have it done by the end of January (if not sooner).

 

WW tracking begins today, too, and I weighed myself. Yes, I had a weight gain and I weight the exact same today as I did on Jan 1, 2017. Ugh.  :(  I can't and won't let it get me down. The wedding is in 7 months and I want a pretty dress (I know size doesn't matter).

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Let's rock January with fitness, nutrition, and positive mental health.

 

Today begins my Lazyman Ironman. I have 6 weeks to complete the challenge. My goal is to have it done by the end of January (if not sooner).

 

WW tracking begins today, too, and I weighed myself. Yes, I had a weight gain and I weight the exact same today as I did on Jan 1, 2017. Ugh.  :(  I can't and won't let it get me down. The wedding is in 7 months and I want a pretty dress (I know size doesn't matter).

Welcome to the New Year!

 

On the plus side, you didn't gain weight!

 

You never did share what the Lazyman Ironman is, I'm curious.

 

I'm working on a basic weightlifting program called Stronglifts, 2 wks done, 10 to go. I do weights on Tues/Thurs/Sat and walking on other days. Nothing high intensity at this pint because my body can't handle the stress and when I push too hard my appetite goes crazy. 

 

We took a 1 mi walk yesterday, with windchill it was 1 F, I don't have fancy gear so I have lots of layers, I felt like the kid on the Christmas Story, it is hard to walk like that!

 

I'm thinking about taking the kids to the indoor swimming pool today but I'm not sure if they are even open.

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Lazyman Ironman

 

Swim 2.4 miles

Bike 112 miles

Run 26.2 miles

 

In a typical Ironman, these are completed in one day. In the Lazyman Ironman, you have until Feb 15th to complete each component. You can complete them in any order or mix it up. You can swim a bit, run a bit, bike a bit each day or focus on one component at a time. The local Y is really forgiving and allows use of the rowing machine (2 hours) in lieu of the swim and participation in Cardio exercise classes in lieu of the running (one hour = 5 miles). 

 

Simply track what you do until completion. I think six weeks is too long so I try to get it done as soon as I can. The swim portion is my downfall since I am not a good swimmer. I use my snorkel and SCUBA goggles. :) Maybe that can be one of my personal challenges for 2018 - learn how to breathe properly while swimming.  Hmmm...

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Goals for 2018 for me are:


 


- Sort out my gut issues enough so I can exercise and eat in a new normal mode


- Skate ski and snowshoe a lot this winter when the temps improve, and play as much indoor tennis as we can afford


- Enjoy the outdoor tennis season when the snow melts, and get back into cycling


- Work-out at the gym with endurance and weight stuff in between the skiing and tennis


- Maybe learn to play squash as an alternative indoor racquet sport


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Did my 30 minutes on the treadmill this morning as usual (walk at 4 mph), then did my first day of some strength training--trying to get back into that habit. Below is something I found online which I'm going to try to do 3 days per week (other exercise the other 3 days, 1 day of rest). It was hard for me today, but I completed it. I had way more rest time between the exercises, so it took me 20 minutes instead of the 10 minutes they said it should take (they had only 10 seconds between exercises).

 

1 min plank

1 min push-ups (I did 18 girl push-ups)

2 min squats (40)

1 min bird-dog (10 each side)

1 min hip raises (20)

1 min plank

1 min push-ups (10 girl push-ups)

2 min squats

 

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WW tracking begins today, too, and I weighed myself. Yes, I had a weight gain and I weight the exact same today as I did on Jan 1, 2017. Ugh. :( I can't and won't let it get me down. The wedding is in 7 months and I want a pretty dress (I know size doesn't matter).

You didnĂ¢â‚¬â„¢t gain weight! A dance party for your success is clearly in order! Seriously, celebrate that because thatĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s something worth celebrating.

 

Scoutermom, a 5k in under 30 is on my list for the year. My PR is 31 minutes and change so itĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s doable. I have a 5k on the race list this year, but itĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s with my kids and I suspect that weĂ¢â‚¬â„¢ll be slower than that which is fine. IĂ¢â‚¬â„¢ll finish behind the last of my kids so no one is last place.

 

wintermom - sorry about the gut issues. Hopefully you figure it out soon!

 

I stink at threads like this so thatĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s on my list for the new year. ;)

 

IĂ¢â‚¬â„¢ve also shifted weight loss goals since IĂ¢â‚¬â„¢m within 20ish lbs to goal. I mean, donĂ¢â‚¬â„¢t get me wrong, IĂ¢â‚¬â„¢d like to lose that last few, but I have decided my running goals are more important so losing weight just to lose weight is unwise.

 

So for 2018 -

 

Focus on getting leaner, but within the context of running. IĂ¢â‚¬â„¢m going to give Matt FitzgeraldĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s Ă¢â‚¬Å“Racing WeightĂ¢â‚¬ in the off season bits between training cycles.

Strength training - I will actually buy the equipment I need to finally finish all the weeks of the strength training program for runners. Or I will conquer my fear of the weight area at the gym. Or do both.

Run my first marathon in October

Run the year in kilometers

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The Lazyman Ironman sounds interesting.  I would have to walk it, can't run.  I'd swap out swimming for some of the requirements, I think.  I'll have to figure this one out.

 

Tai Cheng workout

Need to find a strength training because I am definitely weaker than I want to be.  It snuck up on me...very surprising.

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I just joined the 30 day yoga challenge. I have terrible flexibility. I have never done yoga so it should be a good challenge for me. I need to work on weight lifting this year. I will keep tracking my cardio so I can meet 180 minutes a week. 

 

I want to lose 17 pounds. I lost 23 last year so I am prepared for the sacrifice!

 

Good luck to all! Happy New Years!!

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We started the new year with a 4 mile hike in a nearby state park. It was 1F when we started, but was really a lovely hike.

 

For this year, I want to commute more often by bike. Other than that, I am content to match 2017's 50 hikes and 1,375 miles walked. That was down from 2015 when I walked 1,500 miles, because we climbed more last year. But I am usually too lazy to bike to work.

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We've got it really cold here again today. I'm tempted to go snowshoeing, but it can wait it warms up a little. ;)


 


Everything is closed today. I tried to go to the gym, but it wasn't open. I did some core work and 40 push-ups at home on my yoga mat. My first work-out of the year! 


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I started out the new year by rowing about 7800 meters in 45 minutes. I can definitely feel myself getting stronger on the rowing machine, so that's rewarding.

 

We are meeting my in-laws at a pizza place for lunch today with the kids and I have already scoped out a yummy-sounding salad that I plan on ordering.

 

I'm hoping to get out and walk a little this afternoon to avoid my sugar cravings of finishing off the last of the treats people brought for New Year's last night. I think my main goal for January is going to battle the sugar habit that has reared up over the last few months.

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I really enjoy this thread but sometimes feel guilty silly about participating when my exercise is so much less than everyone else's... but small is good for me!

 

Small goals:

 

water every day

no sugar

track my eating

get a tiny bit of exercise (to start)

 

Last year I did big exercise and it was so fun!  It faded through the year and I'm going to stick with small exercise goals and focus on eating for the next 2 weeks.

 

So far today:  I've had 3 big glasses of water and have my meals planned out.  Meat thawing for a nice stew dinner (I'll skip the potatoes) 

 

Planning to go out on a little hike with the kids.

 

Yay for the New Year!

 

 

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Last year I did big exercise and it was so fun! It faded through the year and I'm going to stick with small exercise goals and focus on eating for the next 2 weeks.

 

Small is good, too! Hashtag small changes crew or however it is that the young people put it. Edited by mamaraby
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I took some pictures of me and wrote down all the measurements. I don't really have weight loss as a goal, but I would like to get rid of some fat and possibly gain some muscle this year. I will try to exercise at least 5 times a week, but I will count 30 minutes of any activity as a success. Of course, fencing goals stay, so I will probably have much more than that on most of the days. I also need to be more careful about what I eat and when to ensure I have enough energy. I still don't really know what it should be, so it is the task for January.

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Hi all! I'm glad to join this thread!

 

I joined WW in early December and am making good progress. I want to keep that up. I'm really glad to have a plan that seems to be good for me and a leader/support group that I like.

 

Before, when I needed to lose weight, I always started by exercising and then got my diet under control as I felt good from exercising and lost the desire to stuff myself with junk. Unfortunately, last January I went "all out" and hurt my knee, so this past year was a bust when it came to any exercising beyond walking (but I have walked a lot). In October I started working with a PT and have been so diligent she said I should get a medal. I'm still working with her and have to run my exercises by her, but I'm supposed to exercise for 30 minutes 3-4 times per week. No twisting allowed. So I want to consistently exercise those 30 minutes 3-4 times per week and keep up with my daily PT exercises (which are getting intenser).

 

Along with that, I'm considering working through the MuTu program. I've owned it for a while, but there is a HUGE overlap between what I'm doing with my PT and MuTu. Since my PT is tangentially working on my core, I'm thinking of adding the couple of extra MuTu exercises to my daily routine to get a bit more deep core in.

 

Emily

 

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You didnĂ¢â‚¬â„¢t gain weight! A dance party for your success is clearly in order! Seriously, celebrate that because thatĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s something worth celebrating.

 

Scoutermom, a 5k in under 30 is on my list for the year. My PR is 31 minutes and change so itĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s doable. I have a 5k on the race list this year, but itĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s with my kids and I suspect that weĂ¢â‚¬â„¢ll be slower than that which is fine. IĂ¢â‚¬â„¢ll finish behind the last of my kids so no one is last place.

 

<snip>

Yeah, but I was ten pounds lighter than this at times throughout the year. 

 

My PR is just at 32 mins. I really would like to break that 30 min mark.

 

--

I braved the -35 degree temps and went to the 24 hour Y and rode 15 miles on the stationary bike.

Edited by Scoutermom
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Hi all! I'm glad to join this thread!

 

I joined WW in early December and am making good progress. I want to keep that up. I'm really glad to have a plan that seems to be good for me and a leader/support group that I like.

 

Before, when I needed to lose weight, I always started by exercising and then got my diet under control as I felt good from exercising and lost the desire to stuff myself with junk. Unfortunately, last January I went "all out" and hurt my knee, so this past year was a bust when it came to any exercising beyond walking (but I have walked a lot). In October I started working with a PT and have been so diligent she said I should get a medal. I'm still working with her and have to run my exercises by her, but I'm supposed to exercise for 30 minutes 3-4 times per week. No twisting allowed. So I want to consistently exercise those 30 minutes 3-4 times per week and keep up with my daily PT exercises (which are getting intenser).

 

Along with that, I'm considering working through the MuTu program. I've owned it for a while, but there is a HUGE overlap between what I'm doing with my PT and MuTu. Since my PT is tangentially working on my core, I'm thinking of adding the couple of extra MuTu exercises to my daily routine to get a bit more deep core in.

 

Emily

Welcome, Erin!

 

Post as you so desire. 2018 is going to be our year!!

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I always seem to get off track because we visit MIL in tge first days of January most years. This year we will be away for 6 days. I want to start but know that momentum will be difficult to keep as her house is tiny and my access to car and I have no gym access there.

 

Today I began by drinking lots of water (100 oz) and eating more fruits and veggies and fewer carbs. I also plan to not eat after 8 pm. I did an ab workout and am trying to pick a good workout for my misbehaving knee. I have done 21 day fix workouts in the past year and had some success so I may go back to that with modifications. I also have a Nordictrac available to me at home.

 

My goals are to drink 100 oz of water each day and to do some form of exercise 5 days a week minimum.

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Last February I joined WW and have lost 55 pounds.  I took the last two weeks off of tracking food, which was not a good idea but it is what it is.  Anyway, I want to loose another 30 pounds this year.  I did a LOT of walking last spring/summer/fall but it has been too cold and too dark the last 2 months to do much.  I was maintaining my weight loss but really need to start loosing more again.

 

Hopefully I can get back to walking soon.  I did recently get the old Richard Simmons Sweating to the Oldies DVD set so I will add that in this winter since I can't really walk right now.

 

I am no longer a member of WW but have the iTrackbites app which does the same thing and I can use the old program.  :)

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This is the last day of the holidays for me. Ds and his wife left to go back to their home across the ocean. :sad: And there were some rough patches over the holidays so I'm being gentle with myself today. I would have been up for a walk, but it is cold out for around here. I can't even imagine the weather some of you contend with though! YikesI 

 

I'll assess the holiday impact on weight tomorrow or Wednesday. I know I've gained a few pounds. And though I did pretty well most of the time, I succumbed to many more sweets than is my typical practice. I am actually relieved to be able to just go back to "normal." 

 

My goals for 2018; 

 

Primary goal is to go to bed earlier so that I can get 8 hours sleep. That way if I wake up early and only get 7 hours, I'm still good. (I tend to aim for 7 hours and often end up with only 6.)  Sleep is so important for cognitive health and the holiday visits with loved ones with Alzheimer's just reinforced that goal. 

 

Do strength-training an average of 2.5 times per week. I probably average 2 now. So more weeks where I do 3. 

 

Get back into flexibility. I started to be consistent with that last year, then fell off the wagon. 

 

Maintain healthy eating that I've been doing . Maintain cardio that I've been doing. 

 

This week, I'll need to go to the gym every day because it is cold outside for the cold wimp that I am!  

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Yesterday the kids and I did a 2 mi walk, it was 10F or so. We put on lots of layers and they played on the frozen creek. Today they want to go back there and play some more, this evening they have TKD so I plan to go to the gym but I don't know if dh will be back in time to take the youngest (no babysitting there). If not I'll lift at home, the workout I'm doing today will work with what I have. Dh is going with his family for his dad's cancer appt, they are finding out if the chemo is working, the prognosis has been very bad and the survival rate maybe 10%, things maybe taking an even worse turn here very soon. Keeping stress down is very high on my priority list, because there is quite enough that we cannot control right now.

 

Everyone put down goals but I didn't share. With my tendency to push myself too hard I've decided to scale back, I don't want to end up sidelined because I've crashed or have injured myself.

 

Health goals-

 

Continue to make early bedtime a priority. This is no problem during the week but on the weekend dh likes to stay up sometimes because he doesn't have to wake up early but it screws up my sleep if I stay up late so I aim to only stay up late on very rare occasions (at most once a month- a couple of times a year is my preference!)

 

Walk 1 mi a day (if I do more great but just 1 mi. is my goal- ) Outside if at all possible!!! I have rain and cold gear. Part of the goal is being outside- I did this winter before last and was outside every day for 2 months before I broke my streak.

 

Hiking Complete Boy Scout Hiking Badge)- 5 mi, 3- 10 mi, 15 mi and 20 mi day hikes

 

I still need to think of biking and swimming goals, I'm thinking I'd like to complete the local bike trail, it is 20 miles (and rugged but nothing crazy). For swimming, I'd like to be able to swim a lap at one time!

 

Fruits and Veggies- 9 a day- I aim for a variety but am not getting hung up on it- I feel better the more I eat but when time is crunched it is easy to slack

 

Stay off the computer- physically it bothers my arm (I've not had any pain lately since I've cut WAY back), mentally it sucks me in and makes me depressed. I keep thinking I should set an actual time limit but so far I'm just trying to stay busy doing other things (because there are always other things to do).

 

Stop focusing on weight- you guys know I've stressed about the fact that weight loss has been difficult since the last baby and thyroid disease, while not overweight I have had a hard time maintaining my previous weight, I get back there and gain back, it is like my set up is 5-10 lbs higher. I've finally accepted it might just stay there. I've got a couple lbs I gained at Thanksgiving up from that point that I'm losing but past that, I'm not stressing about it. I'm not unhealthy at this weight, it is vanity and I hate stressing about it. Having the weight loss be an issue shifted the focus at times from keeping good habits for health to habits for weight loss and that is an unhealthy focus for me. 

 

 

 

Hi all! I'm glad to join this thread!

 

I joined WW in early December and am making good progress. I want to keep that up. I'm really glad to have a plan that seems to be good for me and a leader/support group that I like.

 

Before, when I needed to lose weight, I always started by exercising and then got my diet under control as I felt good from exercising and lost the desire to stuff myself with junk. Unfortunately, last January I went "all out" and hurt my knee, so this past year was a bust when it came to any exercising beyond walking (but I have walked a lot). In October I started working with a PT and have been so diligent she said I should get a medal. I'm still working with her and have to run my exercises by her, but I'm supposed to exercise for 30 minutes 3-4 times per week. No twisting allowed. So I want to consistently exercise those 30 minutes 3-4 times per week and keep up with my daily PT exercises (which are getting intenser).

 

Along with that, I'm considering working through the MuTu program. I've owned it for a while, but there is a HUGE overlap between what I'm doing with my PT and MuTu. Since my PT is tangentially working on my core, I'm thinking of adding the couple of extra MuTu exercises to my daily routine to get a bit more deep core in.

 

Emily

Injuries suck :( I did MuTu a few years back and really enjoyed it, they've recently upgraded it too. I think that would be a good compliment to your PT.

 

I really enjoy this thread but sometimes feel guilty silly about participating when my exercise is so much less than everyone else's... but small is good for me!

 

Small goals:

 

water every day

no sugar

track my eating

get a tiny bit of exercise (to start)

 

Last year I did big exercise and it was so fun!  It faded through the year and I'm going to stick with small exercise goals and focus on eating for the next 2 weeks.

 

So far today:  I've had 3 big glasses of water and have my meals planned out.  Meat thawing for a nice stew dinner (I'll skip the potatoes) 

 

Planning to go out on a little hike with the kids.

 

Yay for the New Year!

Welcome! I think small goals are a great idea, you need something you can be successful at, then add on from there. After my last baby and developing thyroid disease my "exercise" goal was walking outside, that's it, just making it out the door. Then I aimed for a 5 min walk and upped it from there.

 

We started the new year with a 4 mile hike in a nearby state park. It was 1F when we started, but was really a lovely hike.

For this year, I want to commute more often by bike. Other than that, I am content to match 2017's 50 hikes and 1,375 miles walked. That was down from 2015 when I walked 1,500 miles, because we climbed more last year. But I am usually too lazy to bike to work.

 

Love the goals, 50 hikes is a lot, you must be out nearly every weekend or get some in the weak too.

I just joined the 30 day yoga challenge. I have terrible flexibility. I have never done yoga so it should be a good challenge for me. I need to work on weight lifting this year. I will keep tracking my cardio so I can meet 180 minutes a week. 

 

I want to lose 17 pounds. I lost 23 last year so I am prepared for the sacrifice!

 

Good luck to all! Happy New Years!!

Awesome job on the weight lost, you are over half-way there!

 

Lazyman Ironman

 

Swim 2.4 miles

Bike 112 miles

Run 26.2 miles

 

In a typical Ironman, these are completed in one day. In the Lazyman Ironman, you have until Feb 15th to complete each component. You can complete them in any order or mix it up. You can swim a bit, run a bit, bike a bit each day or focus on one component at a time. The local Y is really forgiving and allows use of the rowing machine (2 hours) in lieu of the swim and participation in Cardio exercise classes in lieu of the running (one hour = 5 miles). 

 

Simply track what you do until completion. I think six weeks is too long so I try to get it done as soon as I can. The swim portion is my downfall since I am not a good swimmer. I use my snorkel and SCUBA goggles. :) Maybe that can be one of my personal challenges for 2018 - learn how to breathe properly while swimming.  Hmmm...

 

That sounds like a lot of fun but not for me right now, I don't go to the pool enough to get the swimming (well not at my level of swimming I can't do much at a time!). I could maybe do rowing though. I was thinking no way on the biking because I don't have gear I could bike in this cold of weather but if your talking about indoor biking, maybe. I'll get the miles in walking, not running. Thanks for the info, it is something to think about.

Last February I joined WW and have lost 55 pounds.  I took the last two weeks off of tracking food, which was not a good idea but it is what it is.  Anyway, I want to loose another 30 pounds this year.  I did a LOT of walking last spring/summer/fall but it has been too cold and too dark the last 2 months to do much.  I was maintaining my weight loss but really need to start loosing more again.

 

Hopefully I can get back to walking soon.  I did recently get the old Richard Simmons Sweating to the Oldies DVD set so I will add that in this winter since I can't really walk right now.

 

I am no longer a member of WW but have the iTrackbites app which does the same thing and I can use the old program.  :)

 

Congrats on your weight loss! I think it is great you maintained it for awhile and are getting back to it. 

I always seem to get off track because we visit MIL in tge first days of January most years. This year we will be away for 6 days. I want to start but know that momentum will be difficult to keep as her house is tiny and my access to car and I have no gym access there.

Today I began by drinking lots of water (100 oz) and eating more fruits and veggies and fewer carbs. I also plan to not eat after 8 pm. I did an ab workout and am trying to pick a good workout for my misbehaving knee. I have done 21 day fix workouts in the past year and had some success so I may go back to that with modifications. I also have a Nordictrac available to me at home.

My goals are to drink 100 oz of water each day and to do some form of exercise 5 days a week minimum.

Great goals! Could you playworkout videos from YouTube on your phone and do some in your room where you sleep? Is it safe to walk where she lives could you bring winter gear and get in some walking? Maybe just do some simple ab exercises?

 

This is the last day of the holidays for me. Ds and his wife left to go back to their home across the ocean. :sad: And there were some rough patches over the holidays so I'm being gentle with myself today. I would have been up for a walk, but it is cold out for around here. I can't even imagine the weather some of you contend with though! YikesI 

 

I'll assess the holiday impact on weight tomorrow or Wednesday. I know I've gained a few pounds. And though I did pretty well most of the time, I succumbed to many more sweets than is my typical practice. I am actually relieved to be able to just go back to "normal." 

 

My goals for 2018; 

 

Primary goal is to go to bed earlier so that I can get 8 hours sleep. That way if I wake up early and only get 7 hours, I'm still good. (I tend to aim for 7 hours and often end up with only 6.)  Sleep is so important for cognitive health and the holiday visits with loved ones with Alzheimer's just reinforced that goal. 

 

Do strength-training an average of 2.5 times per week. I probably average 2 now. So more weeks where I do 3. 

 

Get back into flexibility. I started to be consistent with that last year, then fell off the wagon. 

 

Maintain healthy eating that I've been doing . Maintain cardio that I've been doing. 

 

This week, I'll need to go to the gym every day because it is cold outside for the cold wimp that I am!  

Aww, so glad you got a good visit. I bet it will feel good to be back at the gym though.

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Everyone put down goals but I didn't share. With my tendency to push myself too hard I've decided to scale back, I don't want to end up sidelined because I've crashed or have injured myself.

 

Health goals-

...........

 

Stop focusing on weight- you guys know I've stressed about the fact that weight loss has been difficult since the last baby and thyroid disease, while not overweight I have had a hard time maintaining my previous weight, I get back there and gain back, it is like my set up is 5-10 lbs higher. I've finally accepted it might just stay there. I've got a couple lbs I gained at Thanksgiving up from that point that I'm losing but past that, I'm not stressing about it. I'm not unhealthy at this weight, it is vanity and I hate stressing about it. Having the weight loss be an issue shifted the focus at times from keeping good habits for health to habits for weight loss and that is an unhealthy focus for me. 

 

I think you are very wise to take into account your past history with goals when setting new ones. You know that you push yourself too hard so you are better off with scaling things down a bit and you know that goals around a certain goal weight negatively affect your health behaviors and you're choosing health. I think those insights are awesome. 

 

I think that how we react to certain goals would be an interesting topic for the group to chew on. How about the rest of us? What kind of goals work best for you? What have you learned about goal setting for yourself ? 

 

For me,  incremental goals and process goals have been key. 

 

  • Incremental goals, with lots of baby steps are what I need to achieve a big goal: 

 

When I needed to lose a large amount of weight, I set up steps based on a combination of either % body weight lost (this weight will be 5% lost, this will be 10% lost, etc.) and weights that signaled a new BMI. Between the two, I had no more than 6 or 7 pounds, sometimes less, before I hit a new goal. It kept me motivated during a 60 lb weight loss. 

 

I also used incremental goals for being able to do a push-up: wall push-ups, kitchen counter, down the steps, full push-up.. 

 

The incremental goals were important to me to have something positive along the way to something that seemed almost undoable. 

 

  • Process goals (what I will do, not what the outcome will be)  are what I need to maintain habits and the way I prefer to think about exercise. 

 

Now, I am more at process goals: eg. I will strength train ____ x per week without regard for hitting a certain goal, just progressing. Or I will go to bed by _____ . 

 

With sleep, I have an outcome goal of minimum 7 hours, but it will take a combination of process goals (what time I go to bed, what I will do if I wake up in the middle of the night) to achieve that. 

Edited by Laurie4b
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Last night, I missed my bedtime goal (went too long on the internet) but got in 8 hours sleep. While I am grateful for the sleep, I've been extending my wake up time later and later over break. Tomorrow (first day back at work) will be a rude awakening (haha) i'm afraid. 

 

I think I need to tweak my sleep goal and say that I will turn off the internet at 11:15 rather than "I will go to bed by 11:30." 

And also: If I wake up in the middle of the night, I will immediately either mentally list things I am grateful for or will count backwards from 100 in German, then Spanish, then English (if I get that far!) 

 

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Is anyone else on this thread interested in healthy behaviors for heading off Alzheimer's or other dementia? If so, I'll post info from a book I just read on research about diet . It's very solidly research-based. 

Sure, dh has a heavy genetic link in his family.

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Hi all! I'm glad to join this thread!

Before, when I needed to lose weight, I always started by exercising and then got my diet under control as I felt good from exercising and lost the desire to stuff myself with junk. Unfortunately, last January I went "all out" and hurt my knee, so this past year was a bust when it came to any exercising beyond walking (but I have walked a lot).

 

  

 

Ugh! Injuries are no fun! I did the exercise/diet think opposite. I started changing what I was eating first and then added in exercise about a year and a half in. At that point I think I had lost 50lbs. I had tried the all out approach before that and found it usually ended up in injury too. Maybe think of it less as a Ă¢â‚¬Å“bustĂ¢â‚¬ and more as a learning experience. Hey, now you know all out is probably not a good approach for you. Good to hear youĂ¢â‚¬â„¢re making progress though and have someone to help you get back to where you want to be!

 

Yeah, but I was ten pounds lighter than this at times throughout the year. 

 

My PR is just at 32 mins. I really would like to break that 30 min mark.

 

--

I braved the -35 degree temps and went to the 24 hour Y and rode 15 miles on the stationary bike.

This really cold weather is not my favorite kind of weather. We havenĂ¢â‚¬â„¢t gotten down as fas as -35. I think yesterdayĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s low was -14. I think I actually prefer the humid summer to this weather. Summer me would probably disagree.

 

IĂ¢â‚¬â„¢d still celebrate ending/beginning at the same weight. That 10lbs up or down would still be in the range of normal weight fluctuation. I get itĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s discouraging, tho.

 

So breaking 30 in the 5k. ItĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s a 9:39 min mile. For me that feels really scary, tbh. My round about goal was to work on getting faster y working on a longer running goal. Are you thinking youĂ¢â‚¬â„¢ll work on speed and the 5k distance primarily?

 

 I think that how we react to certain goals would be an interesting topic for the group to chew on. How about the rest of us? What kind of goals work best for you? What have you learned about goal setting for yourself ? 

 

For me,  incremental goals and process goals have been key. 

 

 

  • Incremental goals, with lots of baby steps are what I need to achieve a big goal: 
 

  • Process goals (what I will do, not what the outcome will be)  are what I need to maintain habits and the way I prefer to think about exercise. 
 

Yes to both for me.

 

IĂ¢â‚¬â„¢m not so great at muscling through things by sheer force of will. I think when I realized that about myself is when I finally started finding success. At the start I had in mind that my goal meant I had 120lbs to lose and that seemed insurmountable. Plus, I knew from past experience that I couldnĂ¢â‚¬â„¢t sustain the sorts of drastic things people did to lose the weight all in one year so small goals kept me from getting discouraged. Tracking measurements became important so that I could see a physical representation of the changes that I couldnĂ¢â‚¬â„¢t see when I looked in the mirror. BMI was also a huge motivator for me in the past, too. IĂ¢â‚¬â„¢m finding it not so much now. I mean if getting to the right BMI meant I didnĂ¢â‚¬â„¢t reach or was hindered in my athletic/fitness goals? I think I would find it a hollow achievement,

 

I found process goals were key to establishing new habits for me and new habits are always vastly superior to willpower. There are moments when dh and I look back in a Ă¢â‚¬Å“remember when we...Ă¢â‚¬ sort of way. There have been huge changes and if the me in January 2014 has to do what the me in January 2018 does outright without any habit changes, IĂ¢â‚¬â„¢d never have been able to keep it up. And yet now those things are just the way things are without thought or willpower.

 

And yeah, in year four (five?) I am finding process goals are more motivating because, at least for me, the progress is slower. Those process goals give me something to focus on and celebrate. Plus, they look a lot like a training plan and as my dh will tell you, I am great at following trainign plans. I make spreadsheets. It uses math. Things are color coded. So much fun.

 

I am currently grappling with the idea that my fitness/athletic goals are more important than weight based goals and wrestling with the idea that reaching my final goal weight may take even longer by putting my fitness goals first.

 

ItĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s currently -8 so it looks like IĂ¢â‚¬â„¢ll be on the treadmill again today. I have to be careful with the treadmill running because I tend to run too fast and end up injured on the treadmill, but this is week 8 of 10 and the last high volume week before my half marathon so treadmill we must. IĂ¢â‚¬â„¢m waiting for dh and then weĂ¢â‚¬â„¢ll go together. ItĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s supposed to get comparatively warmer this weekend so IĂ¢â‚¬â„¢m holding off on my last long run until then. If not, I guess we run it anyway since the half marathon is in Chicago. Yes, outside. IĂ¢â‚¬â„¢d take 30, but itĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s on the lakefront so I also realize that wonĂ¢â‚¬â„¢t mean much.

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My postings have been so scattered! Can you tell I'm getting back into real life after the holidays? 

 

I took a peek at the scale today and holiday weight gain was 2.5 pounds. I had set 3 lbs as my upper limit, so that's good. I had expected more gain because the last few days I could see the effects of being off my normal patterns with lots of treats around and I can gain weight quite quickly. It's also hopeful that my body has reclaimed my before Thanksgiving weight as its set point because I had some leeway without a huge upward tick on the scale. 

 

Got dh to agree to go to the gym at a specific time. Didn't catch ds in time for him to teach me how to load songs onto Spotify so I will be without workout music. I will probably skip cardio except for warm up in that case and just do strength training. 

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I'm going to join you all this year as I clearly need to do something different according to my knees.

 

I've always been pretty active but my regular fitness routine took a nose-dive when I quit my job 4 1/2 years ago and let the gym membership at that place of work go (due to some financial pressures mostly).

 

However I am back working part time and I decided to save up and get a gym membership again - did that near the end of December and went to the gym 3 times over the holidays (despite it being closed for 4 days).  It felt so good to be back!  I actually love going to the gym and I missed it a lot.

 

So... I'm aiming to start by going to the gym 3 x week.  2 mornings which will be pretty brutal as I need to wake up really early in order to be able to walk the dog and then catch a bus to work/gym and work out before I start work. I don't mind mornings but this will be a bit earlier than I am used to.  And then once a week on Sunday with a friend.  We'll be running and rowing and using the free weights and weight machines and anything else that catches our fancy.  I'm hoping to go to one or two classes, although my choice of morning classes is limited and I pretty much hate most of the ones that are offered early in the morning which is a pity because I love group fitness classes.

 

But... the big thing for me is learning to nourish my body in a healthy way.  I'm going to try to eat sustainably so I can do this long term.  So I'm not giving up anything specific but tracking what I eat, trying to control portion sizes, trying to focus on lots of vegetables, some fruits and protein, and carbs at a couple of meals but not all.  And then maybe a small treat here and there but not every day - that's why it's a treat!  My goal is just to have my current clothes fit better and then hopefully start moving into some of the cute clothes that are put away from 3-4 years ago that are currently too tight.

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Yesterday happened to be my rest day so since I had to go to work early and did not want to wake the family I didnt start the new year with a workout. However today was day one of asylum and it was tough but I made it through. I did get through one week of my half training and will continue when we get above 40 again. Until then its beach body asylum.

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The gym was open today! So I ran 3 miles in 30 min on the "dreadmill." I watched the Dr. Oz show - or at least read the hilarious text, which isn't exactly what the people are actually saying. It was the Waist to Height Ratio episode. I think I already did my measurements a few months ago and I was within the limit. If I measured during one of my bloated belly times I'd fail for sure.  

 

I also did some core work and a few free weights for arms and squats. I'm going to slowly rebuild my lost muscle mass. My mind always thinks I can do a lot more than my body actually can handle. ;)

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When I added up all my workouts for 2017, I didnĂ¢â‚¬â„¢t get anywhere near as many done as I thought I was getting done. So my goal for 2018 is: consistency. So, obviously instead of waiting until the end of the year to add it all up, I need to make a goal for each month. All along, IĂ¢â‚¬â„¢ve had a weekly goal, but I didnĂ¢â‚¬â„¢t realize how much a missed workout here and there was adding up. It was bad! So a monthly accounting will probably help.

 

ThatĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s it, thatĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s really my only goal. The diet is working well, so just going to keep on keepinĂ¢â‚¬â„¢ on.

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I did 40 minute full body workout yesterday. It was the last day of the break, and today is a little crazy with catching up on everything, it seems. I will go to fencing tonight, but it doesn't look like I will be able to do any extras today. We still have BIL visiting, so it affects me mentally for some reason and I am much less likely to workout at home. I will get back on track by the end of January, little by little.

 

Is anyone else on this thread interested in healthy behaviors for heading off Alzheimer's or other dementia? If so, I'll post info from a book I just read on research about diet . It's very solidly research-based. 

 

Yes, please! And if you are too busy to post the info, could you please post the name of the book?

 

 

I think that how we react to certain goals would be an interesting topic for the group to chew on. How about the rest of us? What kind of goals work best for you? What have you learned about goal setting for yourself ? 

 

 

I was thinking about it when I was writing goals for January. For me, I absolutely need a crazy challenging goal at the top, otherwise it is not interesting, and I lose motivation. Then I split it into big sections, then smaller steps which I can do every day. Then I need to write down those baby steps to see something shaded or checked. And I need to repeat to myself the huge goal to keep my eyes on the prize. But I also tend to jump in and do too much too fast. For some goals it works, but for fitness/sport it can lead to injuries, so I am trying to learn patience, and just stick to those little steps and no more per day.

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I did an easy zumba-style cardio dance youtube video today - 25 minutes of good aerobic exercise. I've done my MuTu add-ons and foam rolling; still need to finish my PT exercises and stretches. I usually fit the foam rolling and stretching in while I listen to my kids practice, but with homeschooling only somewhat restarted, I'm out of that rhythm. But I'll do them tonight.

 

When I was with my PT last time, she basically gave me exercises to sub in when the exercise gets too twisty, so I'm getting better at that. I'm the sort of person who thinks anything worth doing is worth overdoing, which is why I am prone to overuse injuries (and burn out). So we're working on that part of my thinking, too! (And on avoiding instructors who encourage you to push through the pain and things like that.)

 

Emily

 

 

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I'm keeping my exercise goals to tiny =  basically do something, and instead focusing on healthy eating habits - for about the next 2 weeks.

 

Yesterday we went on a short but very steep hike to a frozen waterfall and cave.  I think the distance was less than 2 miles but it was straight up, following a frozen stream to a frozen waterfalls.  As we got to the top (and it got steeper) I decided not to go all the way up.  The kids all made it to the caves, but I was scared i would slip... after a few minutes, I got brave and made it all the way up!!  There were guys up there climbing the ice - so cool!  We slid all the way back down (luckily we were all wearing snow pants!)

 

Today we went ice skating.  It was warmer, in the 30's but the wind was blowing and I was not dressed as warm - I was colder today than I was yesterday!!

 

Today I drank more than 2 L of water and did not eat any of the cookies we baked.  Stayed on plan all day!

 

Tomorrow I'm planning to do some sledding on our hill...

 

 

 

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I'm really inspired by everyone's specific goals. I am good about getting into a routine and sticking with it, for example - I've been running three times a week since spring of 2016 - but I'm not so great at measuring progress. I have no idea how fast I can run 5km in. I did participate in a Resolution Run on January 1st, but there was so much snow on the ground and there were so many people that it wasn't a good indication of how long it would actually take me to run 5km on a dry road when I didn't have to dodge crowds. 

 

I also do weight training with a trainer at his gym. He is working on setting up some goals for me both in terms of weight lifting and physique - since I have no clue what would be attainable I'm glad to have the help. 

 

I signed up for a half-marathon on Feb 4th and my running group is training for that distance so that's a goal. I am not worried about how fast I'll complete it - more just concentrating on being able to run that distance in poor weather conditions. 

 

 

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I'm keeping my exercise goals to tiny =  basically do something, and instead focusing on healthy eating habits - for about the next 2 weeks.

 

Yesterday we went on a short but very steep hike to a frozen waterfall and cave.  I think the distance was less than 2 miles but it was straight up, following a frozen stream to a frozen waterfalls.  As we got to the top (and it got steeper) I decided not to go all the way up.  The kids all made it to the caves, but I was scared i would slip... after a few minutes, I got brave and made it all the way up!!  There were guys up there climbing the ice - so cool!  We slid all the way back down (luckily we were all wearing snow pants!)

 

Today we went ice skating.  It was warmer, in the 30's but the wind was blowing and I was not dressed as warm - I was colder today than I was yesterday!!

 

Today I drank more than 2 L of water and did not eat any of the cookies we baked.  Stayed on plan all day!

 

Tomorrow I'm planning to do some sledding on our hill...

 

That is awesome! I have a fear of slipping, too - good for you for braving the climb in the end! 

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For the next three months my goals are to track what I eat (IĂ¢â‚¬â„¢ve never done this before), walk 60 km/week, and spend 3 hours/week on strength exercises and yoga (or whatever Laurie4b says will help avoid dementia). The walking is easy since the weather is nice, and the strength and yoga is doable. Tracking calories is harder since food trackers arenĂ¢â‚¬â„¢t designed for an American living in the Middle East cooking with ingredients from in Indian grocery store.

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Took a walk outside with the kids- 2 mi- pushing the stroller this time (which is a butt kicker in 4 layers of gear up the big ass hill with the 5 yo!).

 

We played a couple of hours and I was exhausted by the time we got back, my energy is not great but it is much better than pre-ovulation last cycle. 

 

I did strength work at home because that is what worked out with our schedules. I think I might go ahead and buy a few weights for home, I could use 10 lbs and 30. I could tell all 3 were easier.

Squats

Overhead Press

Incline Push-ups

All 5x5

 

Dance class was last night but we had to miss it because dh had a meeting late. Yesterday was my fil's appt, his cancer is terminal, they are discontinuing chemo. It is horrible. It is as expected but no less devastating. 

 

Today is just a walking day, the kids say they want to go play at the creek again, the thought exhausts me after 2 days in a row of it when I'm already not feeling peppy but we'll see.

I did an easy zumba-style cardio dance youtube video today - 25 minutes of good aerobic exercise. I've done my MuTu add-ons and foam rolling; still need to finish my PT exercises and stretches. I usually fit the foam rolling and stretching in while I listen to my kids practice, but with homeschooling only somewhat restarted, I'm out of that rhythm. But I'll do them tonight.

 

When I was with my PT last time, she basically gave me exercises to sub in when the exercise gets too twisty, so I'm getting better at that. I'm the sort of person who thinks anything worth doing is worth overdoing, which is why I am prone to overuse injuries (and burn out). So we're working on that part of my thinking, too! (And on avoiding instructors who encourage you to push through the pain and things like that.)

 

Emily

Yes, me too on injuires. I don't generally burn out because if I get tired of something I just do something else :)  I've always said I don't need programs or instructors that push you really hard because I already push myself to the limit. It just pisses me off. I need instructors that are encouraging. That is why I'm doing my best to avoid any hardcore goals because my body has said it needs a break. I'm trying to look more long-term and build up slow and steady, it is just when I feel good I like to be active and I get so excited I want to do everything

 

I'm keeping my exercise goals to tiny =  basically do something, and instead focusing on healthy eating habits - for about the next 2 weeks.

 

Yesterday we went on a short but very steep hike to a frozen waterfall and cave.  I think the distance was less than 2 miles but it was straight up, following a frozen stream to a frozen waterfalls.  As we got to the top (and it got steeper) I decided not to go all the way up.  The kids all made it to the caves, but I was scared i would slip... after a few minutes, I got brave and made it all the way up!!  There were guys up there climbing the ice - so cool!  We slid all the way back down (luckily we were all wearing snow pants!)

 

Today we went ice skating.  It was warmer, in the 30's but the wind was blowing and I was not dressed as warm - I was colder today than I was yesterday!!

 

Today I drank more than 2 L of water and did not eat any of the cookies we baked.  Stayed on plan all day!

 

Tomorrow I'm planning to do some sledding on our hill...

Way to go, that sounds like an absolute blast!

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I am starting small, but going for daily. I lost 10 lbs last year. Almost the last 10 from the last baby (almost 4 yrs ago now...) But I gained that 10 back over the last 6 months. sigh. 

 

I let myself not worry during the holidays. I ate whatever. but now I have got to get rid of it, and keep it off. I started small with 15 min. of an exercise video yesterday, plus bought some new exercise gear and did 15 of about 4 different exercises each. I plan to do this twice a day, and slowly increase the time and amounts. I am making small changes in diet, but not huge to start. Starting with stevia in my coffee. No more sugary coffee drinks, and more water. Soda and hot cocoas were enjoyed through the holidays. That is done. I meal planned for two weeks and went shopping yesterday making healthier choices. The cookies and candies will be slowly going out of the house as the holiday treats are being finished. I am not rushing or punishing if I have a little. I just won't buy more. Small steps to start. 

 

Off for my morning 15 minutes. 

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Ventured out into the cold for my first visit to Planet Fitness.  (Hoping I remember to cancel my Anytime membership this afternoon, lol.)  It was a little strange, being in a large gym.  I'm so used to small spaces!  

 

I spent some time going over my tracker histories after reading the maintenance thread.  Though I had lost more weight at one point, I've kept 17lbs off for the past 5 years, so yay!  For a while now, I've felt like the scale has been a waste, because it's stayed put whether I was eating well and working out, or eating meh and avoiding the gym.  It turns out, that's not *as* true as I thought.  I checked ALL my tracker sites, and it turns out that I had maintained a 30lb (total) weight loss for an entire year in there.  My memory has been playing tricks on me!!!  

 

Anyway, this is me, committing to get back into a good routine!

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I got a list of Natural Movement Goals from MovNat in my inbox, I'll share here in case it interests anyone. I play around with MovNat stuff because it is fun and I think the skills are functional. Of the list below I can do-

1 for sure

2- I practice balance work on fallen trees when we play outside so none are those exact dimensions. 

3- My standing jump is around 2 yards but I don't jump up, that is something to work on

4- My bear crawl is pretty good but I've not attempted it that far- will have to check and see how I do

5- No way- the running is the most challenging for me and 5 miles in 45 minutes on a trail/natural terrain is a different beast than on a treadmill or flat land- I've done 6k in about 35 min on a trail run- I don't know if I'll work on that one this year or not

6- Hmm, I have picked up objects as heavy as myself but not measured distance carried, I'll have to practice that, this is one that would depend on the object depending on the shape some are easier or harder to carry

7-No, I cannot do that, I can do pull-ups from standing arms extended but not hanging. I've worked on it forever but I think my shoulder injury is causing problems, I'm not working on this one right now, maybe I'll start hanging work again in the spring after doing some strength work

 

 

1) Hold a deep squat position comfortably for 10 minutes.

2) Walk in balance on a thick, rounded, and elevated beam without stepping down. (Suggestion: use an approximately 5 inches/12cm thick, 7 yards/meters long beam elevated 1 yard/meter or more.)

3) From a standing position, jump over a gap that is at least 2 yards/meters wide and 1 yard/meter high Ă¢â‚¬â€œ landing smoothly, without being off balance, and recovering a standing stance.

4) Foot-hand crawl (aka Ă¢â‚¬Å“bearĂ¢â‚¬ crawl) a distance of 200 yards/meters without stopping or letting your technique degrade.

5) Run 5 miles (i.e. 8 km) on natural terrain in under 45 minutes.

6) Lift and carry an object as heavy as your own weight over 50 yards/meters, without putting it down.

7) Climb on top of a thick horizontal bar starting from a dead hang position (e.g. minimum of 5 inches/12cm thick).

 

 

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Ok, since others are interested, I'll post a summary of the book "Diet for the Mind" by Martha Clare Morris. She is the lead researcher on the project. She has a PhD in nutritional epidemiology from Harvard and set up a program at Rush Univ called "Nutritional Medicine" to teach medical professionals about the role of diet in all the things they deal with. (I wish every medical school had such a program.) She has been the lead researcher on a couple of huge projects looking at diet and cognitive decline: 

 

Note: If you go to buy the book, watch out for other similar titles. This is the only one by the researcher herself. 

 

She is basing the book on 20 years of study in epidemiological nutrition (ie on other people's research) as well as her own, which resulted in the MIND diet. Her studies are all published in peer-reviewed journals. This book is for the lay person. 

 

The book is well written, conveys scientific facts in a way that is accessible to a layperson and cites research. Many pluses! 

 

She is lead researcher on these studies: 

 

CHAP Chicago Health and Aging Project: started 1993; 10,000+ participants 65+. Evaluated every 3 years for healthy and lifestyle behaviors. Random # were also given neurological evals for Alzheimers. 

 

MAP--the Memory and Aging Project 1800+ participants. All are evaluated annually for neurological conditions cognitive skills, and diet among other things. In this study, they give something like 19 cognitive tests annually to each participant. 

 

Both studies have shown associations between people who did or did not have elements of the MIND diet in their daily nutrition. ( My understanding is that the researchers had the raw dietary info and looked for certain things such as consumption of green leafy veges, etc. to score each participant.) They are currently doing a randomized clinical trial to discern causation. 

 

The MIND diet is based on the DASH and Mediterranean diets, which have had randomized clinical trials establishing an effect on dementia risk. What the MIND diet does is attempt to distill the key elements of both. My understanding is they used other research literature that identified specific food categories. 

 

It's pretty simple: 

 

DAILY: 

 

  • Green leafy vegetable . The research on the effects of GLVs is very solid. 
  • Another vegetable per day. (Minimum of one other. She recommends more. Cruciferous also have shown a positive effect on dementia risk) 
  • Whole grains :3 servings She bases her recommendation on the fact that whole grains have definitely been shown to reduce cardio risk factors and cardio and dementia track together. Specifically, numerous studies have demonstrated decreased inflammation , decrease oxidative stress, decreased cardio conditions/type 2 diabetes. Also, the PREDIMED trial assigned 7447 participants to Mediterranean + extra olive oil, Mediterranean +nuts and low fat control group. The Mediterranean conditions both included 3 servings of whole grains.  Both Med diet groups were found to have better cognitive scores at the end of 6 1/2 years than the low-fat group. That doesn't prove that grains are the cause, but they didn't impair the improvement. (Note: Perlmutter wrote a book called Grain Brain that recommended avoiding grain. I read it a while back and noted that nearly every study he cited was a mouse study. Given that they have "cured" Alzheimer's multiple times in lab rats and mice and none of it has translated into humans, I took it with a grain (haha) of salt. But the idea is out there. She recommends that if you are worried about gluten sensitivity to choose other whole grains )
  • Oils from plant sources: specifcally, Extra virgin Olive oil,

 

Foods to eat 1+ times per week: 

 

  • Berries--have a long research base of improving cognitive skills. At least 1 cup per week. More is probably better. Other fruits are fine & healthy for other reasons, but have no specific research to recommend them for dementia prevention. 
  • Nuts: 1 oz 2-5 times per week
  • Seafood: once per week. More is fine. There is an effect at one serving, though so more may not be necessary. 
  • Poultry: No direct research of effect on the brain, but part of both the Mediterranean and DASH diets, so 2+ servings per week. 
  • Beans & other legumes: at least four 1/2 c servings

 

I'm out of time. I'll post again with what foods to keep to a minimum later. 

 

ETA: 

 

Jury is still out on caffeine. No negative effects, possibly some positive ones. 

 

Jury still out on coconut oil. Currently, there is a large scale randomized clinical trial going on. 

 

 Fried and fast food: "Saturated and trans fat have been directly associated with dementia risk in multiple large prospective studies.'  I believe these studies showed correlation not causation. (I'm not sure it would be ethical to randomly assign people to eat trans fats as part of a research study.)  from the CHAP study: Those whose saturated fat consumption was 25 g per day or more had 2-3 x the risk of developing emention over a 4 year period. Participants consuming 2 g or more of trans fats were 3-5 x more likely to develop Alzheimer's. 

Mammal meat:  the recommendation to limit is based on its limited use in the Mediterranean and DASH diets and concern about the impact of too much saturated fat. She says no more than 3 servings per week. 

Eggs:  Not really a problem; limit only if you need to because they contribute to a high saturated fat intake or if you are part of the tiny percentage of the population who is hypersensitive to dietary cholesterol intake. 

ButterL  No more than 1 1/2 tsp per day (1 pat) No stick margarine. Recommends using olive oil on bread instead of butter. 

Cheese: 1-2 servings per week of whole fat cheeses. Her concern again, seems to be the amount of saturated fat. She was previously a big cheese eater, but now confines herself to a serving of feta or goat cheese in her salads. She suggests replacing whole fat cheeses with lower fat ones if you must have cheese. 

Pastries & Sweets: She states there is little direct  evidence on sugar and cognitive status,but because sugar spikes blood sugar which leads to inflammation and damaged arteries, and raises the risk of cardiovascular disease, she recommends limiting it to no more than 5 servings per week. 

AGEs: Advanced Glycation End products: AGEs are formed by cooking with high and especially dry high heat, especially animal derived foods. (Marinating helps decrease these significantly)  Packaged and highly processed sugary foods are another source. High levels of AGE are formed with health conditions that promote high blood sugar and oxidative stress. 

 

Also ETA: the book has what appear to be  excellent recipes. My only gripe was a lot of the breakfast recipes contained added sugar. Not much, but not necessary. 

 

 

Amira: very briefly: exercise for cognitive prevention: cardio that raises your heart rate/affects breathing  for at least 150 min/ week. Strength training 2+ x per week. Tai Chi may have an effect. No effect for yoga that I've seen. (Doesn't mean it's not a good exercise practice, just that it doesn't seem to delay dementia)  One large meta-study found no effect. I can post more links to studies on that too. I'm very focused on keeping up with that literature because of our famlly history and can copy and paste from my Word doc files. 

 

Edited by Laurie4b
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I think that how we react to certain goals would be an interesting topic for the group to chew on. How about the rest of us? What kind of goals work best for you? What have you learned about goal setting for yourself ? 

 

 

 

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I think this time I'm trying hard to make my goal be more about my lifestyle and less about specific numbers.  So I haven't actually stepped on a scale, and I'm not yet keeping track of my times when run/walking although I will probably start doing that eventually.  I'm just trying to set a goal of being minimally active every day and more active than usual 3-4 days a week as well as an even more important goal (for me) of resetting my palate by getting used to eating specific portion sizes, reaching for veggies/fruits and enjoying my food slowly and thoughtfully.  I have no plans to actually do any runs or other events.

 

Went to the gym, went on treadmill to meet step goal, and my fitbit didn't record half of my steps.   :cursing:

 

I've had it for 3 years so maybe it's done?  Not something I want to replace in what is supposed to be a no-spend January.

 

Mine often doesn't record anything when I'm on the treadmill or elliptical.

 

I got a list of Natural Movement Goals from MovNat in my inbox, I'll share here in case it interests anyone. I play around with MovNat stuff because it is fun and I think the skills are functional. 

 

That was an interesting list.  I'm pretty sure I can do none of them except maybe the jumping.  Might try to work on that and also have the kids work on them.

 

I went to the gym today;  first time going before work and it worked well.  I didn't have a particular plan aside from make sure I got up early enough to walk the dog, get my breakfast and lunch ready to take with me, make it to the gym and shower after my workout before getting to work.  So I did a bit of everything - 20 minutes run/walk, some upper body on machines, some planks, some upper body with free weights, some legs with machines.   Climbing the 8 flights of stairs to work after that was rather more difficult than it usually is!

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