I went for a ski in the mountains/hills with dd and ds 11 this morning. It was a great work-out and warmer than last week's ski. There were quite a few other skiers out there. One couple in particular caught my eye. It was a man and lady in their 70s. First I saw them coming down the monster hill doing a nice controlled snow plow, then later stopping on the trail for some hot beverage from their thermos. So inspiring to be out there doing the challenging uphills and downhills of the park. :hurray:

I got in a great little ski this afternoon. Some of my favourite trails weren't accessible because a lot of snow melted a week ago, but the ones that were groomed were excellent. I figure every ski day is a bonus now, and I'm treating it like my last. :p An additional bonus is that I've lost the winter pounds I tend to pack on over the season. It's usually caused by less exercise, but with all the skiing I've been doing I've got rid of the extra cold-weather "padding."

I moved my post to the correct week.

Tennis was really fun tonight! My partner and I won our ladies doubles match. Dh and I lost the mixed, but we had a blast.

I went for my weekly snowshoe this morning. It was cold, and I dressed well for it, but I didn't realize that it was -20 F with the wind chill. Yikes! No wonder my face was so frozen. Anyway, I'm all warmed up now, and resting for my doubles tennis league match tonight!

How close and convenient is your physio-therapist when you need to undo the damage of repetitive injuries from improper technique? When you start moving the body in set ways many, many times, it puts a lot of strain on muscles and tissues that may not be ready to handle it. Eventually they are going to get fatigued and start hurting. And when you can't sleep at night because of the pain, you'll need some help. That's when the PT is handy. So you can either avoid this and learn to move correctly, or try to fix it up later.

Roasted Kale "chips" - not exactly a quick snack, but they're awesome We love roasted and seasoned seaweed. We can buy the little packs at Costco and many grocery stores. There are a lot of Asians in our area.

Nuts Seeds Hard Cheese Hummus and veggies Yogurt Avocado

Think of it as a long-term "labour of love" for your health, now and for the next few decades. It's going to take time to get into great shape and lose some pounds. If you've already lost pounds after only 3.5 weeks you should be jumping for joy. Some of us don't lose that fast. You're doing excellent! Just keep at it.

I went for an epic cross-country ski with all 4 kids this morning into the local hills/mountains. It was a little colder and windier than expected, and at one point it felt positively arctic-like, but we all survived. The lemon loaf to munch on during the car ride home made all the pain fade into some far-off memory. ;)

What are your local laws about the age a minor child is allowed to be home alone? If he is younger than the legal age, she is breaking the law. Even if she's not breaking the law, this is looking like a pattern of neglect. It is NOT ok to leave a minor child locked out of their home. She is the parent and is responsible for her child. You could be asking for legal trouble by having this boy over to your house without his parent knowing. I would check this. You may think you're doing the boy a favour, but you could be perpetuating a serious problem that needs to be fixed.

:hurray: Very good point about timing of exercise. Glad it's working well for you, and happy you shared with us here.

I'd still caution against injury if you don't know how to use correct techniques. Our own body weight is much bigger than most of us will try lifting as a beginner. Learning to do a proper plank, squat, push-up, etc. is critical to prevent injury and ensure that you are doing an effective job working the correct muscles. It's well worth the money to get some coaching from an expert in-person.

If you are all beginners at this, the very first step is to get the ok from your doctor. Then, the best place to start would be a quality gym and work with a qualified trainer. You all want to learn the proper techniques involved in lifting safely, as well as learn how to set up a training program that will fit everyone's individual needs and goals. Then see if you can pay-as-you-go for a few weeks at the gym before investing in a full membership or your own equipment.

Dh and I had our weekly singles tennis match this morning. I lost dismally; lost focus and lost control of the balls. Hopefully I'll come back strong on Saturday at our doubles league matches. We got more snow! This means I'll get to squeeze out a few more skiing days before the end of the month. After that, all the snow can melt and I'll be ready to play tennis outside in April. Now if only the weather would fall in line with my plans. ;)

How physically active are you? Sometimes our bodies get achy simply from inactivity. We are meant to move. Otherwise, weight plays a factor, as well as muscle strength and flexibility. Another factor, especially in the knees, is the bone alignment from the hips down. Definitely see a doctor.

Are any competitive sports in the UK linked with the school system (e.g., high school equivalent), or is it all club based? This is another difference between sports in North America and Europe. Europe tends to have their competitive and recreational sports organized through clubs, whereas quite a few competitive sports are through the high schools in the US.

Do Universities in the UK offer scholarships for student athletes? It's huge in the US, much less in Canada as our universities don't have as much money to offer for scholarships. So having equal number of women's teams as men's teams is important in the US. Of course, it's also the source of inequalities, as specific men's sports bring in big bucks (e.g., college football and basketball) with TV contracts. That doesn't exist in Canada at all.

If you have a good martial arts instructor, perhaps have him/her reinforce the concept of being a humble winner and showing respect for your opponent. My martial arts instructor showed this very simply and effectively by having us bow our heads in humbleness if we won a sparring match, and raising our heads high with dignity if we lost and did our best. A good opponent is a blessing and a help to make us better competitors. You could also reinforce to your daughter that she should always be proud of her own efforts, even if she "loses", as she is continuing to get better. And if she does keep playing soccer against her brother, she will improve. He probably plays harder than many of the girls she'll be playing with. She will have an advantage over the other girls in the league. I love and highly value playing tennis against my dh. It makes my game much stronger. I am the one who benefits the most, and I'm very thankful that he continues to play with me. He certainly doesn't play "easy" and I wouldn't ask him to, either. I lose to him more often than I win, but I do win some sets and boy does that feel great!

What does this actually mean, "flu test negative"? ETA: There is a high percentage of false negative results with the rapid flu test. You are sick and if you don't stay in bed, at least stay away from others. They don't want it. We've had exactly the same symptoms in various family members here for the last couple weeks. A cough may develop, which is the most annoying but not as painful as the head-ache. Hope you feel better soon.

No, when I was pregnant or nursing I definitely didn't fast. There are a whole host of ways to make Lent meaningful, and fasting is only one of them. Delve deeper into other areas, such as prayer, that won't impact health.

Music Dance History Castles you may see Learn a couple commonly used phrases in Irish/Celtic - then try them out when you're there Have an amazing time!

Sounds like slim pickings for seeing people by my standards, but we're overly busy. Could you add in a physical activity for everyone (if the co-op doesn't include this)? It doesn't have to be a competitive sport, but something active and fun. It also doesn't have to be the same activity for each family member. I include you, mom, in this as it's a great medium for socializing with others while getting fit.

My ds 14 and I are doing a Coursera course called "How things work" right now. It's physics topics without the math. it's really good.

You are south in my books. Really far south, actually. ;) Though you are up in altitude. I'd love to visit! The mountains in my avatar are only in my dreams, not in my locale.