I didn't get to do a private lesson on Tuesday, but had one yesterday and today. I'll probably do some cardio in the evening. Between losing weight and doing cardio semi-regularly, I find that I tire less and recover between bouts much faster. Although I think since I started taking magnesium, I have more energy in general. Anyway, I'll do my best to do 30-40 minutes of stationary biking a bit later.

Yesterday I did a private lesson in the morning and about an hour of open fencing at night. So, almost 2 hours. Still, feel like I am getting beaten by anyone who puts at least half of their energy into it. Today, fencing in the evening. I may take a private lesson while I am waiting for the kids' class to finish. We'll see.

That sounds amazing! Good luck on your bike ride! We had a party on Saturday, where I may have had a glass or two of wine too many, especially given that I had a competition in the morning. But it all worked out - I got a medal (fencing competition often give medals to the top 8, so I managed to get 8th place) and, more importantly, a rating. So now I will have a letter next to my name and maybe slightly better pool placements. I still feel it was mostly luck though, even though I have been training a lot. I don't know how to deal with it.

I had to stick to fencing only for the last three days. I either didn't have time or energy for anything else. Today is evening fencing, and tomorrow is a rest day. A local competition on Sunday. Sometimes I wonder why I go to those competitions, as the only result is getting beaten, but then I do have fun there. Today I booked the flight and hotel for the Summer Nationals. I am going with my DD, and it is the first time in many years that I will be traveling without DH. Plus, last time I did, I was going to my parents, so at least the stay was covered. This time it is a whole week in an unfamiliar city, pretty much alone, so I feel anxious.

Soror ~ I am so sorry about your FIL. ((Hugs)) I have been MIA since my trip, but it is time to get back. The trip was OK. Surprisingly, I didn't gain any weight despite eating out and not even skipping deserts. In fact, the net result for April is -1.6 lbs, which is the lightest I have been in forever. I am just 7 lbs above my pre-kids weight, and I had about zero muscle then. I am pretty happy with my look, and honestly don't know what my goal in this area should be. I just want to be stronger, I guess. Yet, today I planned to do body weight exercises in the morning but felt pretty blah, plus there are always things to do... I am going to the fence tonight though. I am not sure if I mentioned it here, but I convinced another mom to start fencing, so lately we were putting in about 30 minutes during the kids' class. After that she leaves and I fence the girls, so my average time fencing increased, plus she is left-handed, so I get to practice something different, too. And another mom who used to fence every 2-3 months started to do it more regularly, too. All in all, win. The competition was fun, but the results were underwhelming. But I did buy myself a new uniform, as a gift from my parents (they sent me some money and really wanted a report about a gift that made me happy, so that was it). It is nice to have clothes that are not three sizes too big. I finally don't look like a giant marshmallow :)

So I thought I skipped PMS this cycle... Sure. Apparently it was waiting to come together with my period, apparent tiredness from the last few days of rather intense workouts, and broken espresso machine. I did a private lesson today, but had absolutely no energy to even think about the extra practice I usually do after the lesson. I am barely crawling around the house. But I realized today after the lesson that I am now thinking about days with 30 minute workouts as rest days. Hugs to all suffering from allergies. Mine hasn't kicked in yet, but it usually comes around May and stays for about 6 months. I never noticed any tiredness from Zyrtec, and I do tend to overreact to many drugs (antihistamine in NyQuil knocks me out completely for 20 hours).

My coach is back, so I am trying to catch up a little before we leave for the spring break followed by the competition. Now that I think about it, booking a vacation before the competition probably wasn't the best decision from performance point of view. On the other hand, between a chance to see Washington and flying to the East coast just for the competition, especially since it is DD's spring break... Anyway, I spend an hour and a half yesterday, and over 2 hours today fencing in one form or another. My legs are sore, especially hip flexor muscles, I think. Feels like a ring at the top of my legs. But I actually feel great, despite the last days of my cycle (Soror, I think we are on the same wavelength in more ways than one :) ). Two more days of slightly less intensive training, and then on Saturday we are leaving. So next week there will be no fencing until Saturday, but hopefully lots and lots of walking.

As I expected, I spent all Friday driving (PSA: driving for hours is not good for slightly sore back muscles and glutes). On the weekend I did 40 minutes of the bike and 50 minutes of bodyweight exercises. I also overate on Sunday, as we had a party. Still, I am only 0.2lbs up this morning. In fact, my weight has been stable within a pound for almost 3 weeks.

So, I did 40 minutes of bodyweight exercises and 45 minutes of bike today. My muscles are melting off my body :) On the topic of slow and steady - I just was thinking yesterday that my word of the year is Patience. My mind needs results fast, so I have to intentionally hold myself back, especially after tennis elbow flare up in August that sidelined me for a month and actually still bothers me now and then. I am getting better at that. Now I am trying to eat a little more to give my muscles chance to recover and grow at the expense of slower or stopped weight loss. It is a battle, as I still have some fat I want to lose, but I hope that if I train and eat at maintenance I may recomp. Oh, and speaking of gains, my push ups went down to 5. I blame it on the not complete recovery ;)

I did 30 minutes of a home workout (core and upper body, as my legs were pretty sore) in the morning on Tuesday, and about 30 minutes of fencing in the evening. Yesterday I was sore all over, and so were the kids, so we didn't go to the class last night. Today I realized that the next time I can fence is Monday, so I'll have to come up with something to do at home. I'll definitely do 30 minutes of the stationary bike today, and hopefully the workout, but that will depend on how much my muscles will complain. Tomorrow DS has a competition 2.5 hours away, so it will be mostly driving and standing around. I don't think I'll be able to do anything, but we'll see.

Congrats on the weight loss, soror! I log all my exercise in a journal, so mine definitely counted! :) I had to switch more to home exercise (strength and stationary bike) since my coach is in Italy for almost two weeks. I made quite a bit of progress on my pushups, where I am up to 7 with proper form, chest to ground, and forearms perpendicular to the floor. I still can't do a proper pull up though. I've also noticed improvement in my cardio abilities. I didn't notice much improvement in my fencing, and I am less than three weeks from a major competition. With the coach traveling, and us taking the week before the competition to explore Washington, it is not looking good. Oh well. I do what I can. I also lost about 3 lbs in April, and another inch off my waist, which is good on one hand. On the other, I need a new fencing uniform. I mean, I can fence in this one, but it hangs off me and catches blade much easier than it should. I tried my DD's jacket and it actually fits me now, and it is 2 sizes smaller.

Just wanted to check in, as lately I can't find any motivation. I still do my workouts, but it's like my head is not there, or anywhere else for that matter. Rainy weather doesn't help either. I just want to nap all day long.

Wintermom ~ Hope you feel better! It now sounds like you were hurt more than I originally thought :( Accidental Coach ~ It sounds very concerning. Hope you figure it out :grouphug: Disc issues are possible. I know my mom had problems with her arm refusing to work because of a disc in her neck. There was no pain, just arm dropping suddenly. Not exactly the same, but possible. I am finally back to normal. Actually, even better than normal. I am bouncing off the walls today. I started magnesium a few days ago. Not sure if it is connected or just my cycle moving forward, or maybe it was a piece of cheesecake, Nutella, and other sugary things I ate yesterday... In any case, the world looks better, and I am full of energy. I'll take it no matter why. I fenced yesterday, and all of a sudden my knee acted up. I don't know what happened, just a sudden pain, which went away by the end of the day. I only had my DD and one other girl to fence, so I quickly lost a bout to the other girl, and then just planted myself on the strip and let DD come at me. Focusing entirely on bladework felt different and fresh. I liked it. I tried to use what I learned yesterday in today's fencing and won 5 out of 6 bouts. Obviously, my newly found energy didn't hurt either. My back, on the other hand decided to complain. It didn't hurt at all while I was fencing, but sitting and walking now is rather painful. I guess I can't have it all.

It's interesting. Last year my son got around 30 points higher score on actual US test than he did on Canadian practice tests (I scored them US way, without penalty for the wrong answers). It was 3-4 grade level, if that matters.

I would say around 13 :) And doing splits once is definitely enough. Glad you are not hurt more than that! Soror ~ Glad your energy levels are good! And it's great that you workout with your mom. I wish I could convince mine to do more than just walking. I mean, I am glad that she moves and she does walk a lot, but I feel like she needs at least some strength training. I am so hoping for a shorter cycle this time. Never thought I would say that, but two weeks of PMS is just too much. And to stay on topic, I did fence yesterday, and I hope to fence tonight. I may add something at home.

I did my full body workout yesterday. I don't really feel the difference between my two sides, maybe my right arm is a bit stronger, but everything else feels pretty even. I just hope that it is enough, if I do it regularly. My core is pretty strong, I think, it just needs actual movement. It is the worst after prolonged sitting. My mood is down again. Honestly, if not for the kids, I would have stayed home tonight, but since I am going to drive them, might as well fence.

I was going through my journal, and realized that in March I had only 2 days when I was at the normal energy level. Most other days I am just functioning. I still did my exercises and whatever else I needed to do, but it was an effort every single time. And my mood is matching. I wouldn't call it depression, but definitely below normal. Meh. My food and sleep are fine, so I blame it on hormones this cycle. That and rain. Of course, it is supposed to be raining or at least be cloudy for the next week. And I asked my son to make a video of me fencing. Let's just say that watching it didn't lift my spirits. I tried to move a little more yesterday while fencing, but I just physically couldn't, I felt so exhausted. Also, after skipping my whole body workout for two weeks or so, my back started hurting again. Fencing is very asymmetrical, so half of my lower back muscles are tight, and the other side is stretched, which probably pulls something out of alignment. Any good exercises for strengthening that area and just improving blood flow there?

I did nothing all weekend, then had to skip evening fencing on Monday, since our friends were in town. Yesterday I did my full body workout for the first time in 2 weeks. I do feel it a little today. I also fenced a little last night, and got hit on the shin. Now I miss a tip-sized piece of skin and sport a noticeable swelling in the area. I think it was my first blood. Still, I can move, so today I'll have a private lesson and a class in the evening.

The Accidental Coach - Sorry about your foot. Take it easy for now, and I hope the surgery will be simple and fix everything, so that you are back on your feet in no time :grouphug:

I think I finally got over whatever yuck hit me on Monday. I didn't have many symptoms, but was absolutely exhausted with foggy head. Still managed to go to a couple private lessons and one regular fencing. Found out that an hour of private lesson and tennis ball practice takes much more energy :) My February was fine. I lost about 3 lbs, and found out that it made a difference in my stamina when I fence. I am also glad that I cut my sugar down, although I now understand better my sugar binges. I can't eat a lot of food, volume -wise, and sometimes I just don't eat enough. Like yesterday, at about 10pm, my total daily intake was under 700 Cal. I finished the day with a tall glass of milk and a nice piece of cake for another 500 Cal. Still way below my daily needs, but better. I also got used to cooking, found some acceptable shortcuts, and don't feel overwhelmed by it any more. I did some exercise on 23 days, so I am happy with that, too. For March, I hope to just continue with everything I am doing. I would love to lose another 3-5 lbs in hope of reducing the load on my legs while fencing (I still can't believe the difference my accidental weight loss made). That and more cardio should help, so I can concentrate on my fencing and not keeping my body moving during those last bouts. Food-wise, I need to find better calorie-dense nutritious snacks without added sugar. I do like nuts, but that is about it. Any ideas?

Congrats on the weight loss! I thought I was happy with my weight before DH decided to lose weight, but I lost about 5 pounds, more since September, when I was at my heaviest ever except late pregnancies. This last competition for the first time ever my legs were not complaining doing all that bouncing. I did train lately, but I think it was mostly due to being lighter. Since I still have some fat to burn, I'll try to lose 5 lbs more and see how it is. I registered for the national level competition in April. Hopefully, I'll do better than I did in December. I had a day of rest on Sunday. Yesterday, I wend for a private lesson, and thought I'd go for open fencing in the evening, but I felt sick suddenly. I had a slightly scratchy throat for a couple of day, but hoped it would go away. Nope. I barely have any symptoms except for that weird feeling in my head and fatigue. I feel better today, but it is still early. I'll decide what I will do tonight later.

As I expected, I didn't fully recover, but I was fine in the morning, and for about an hour after the competition ended. Then I crashed. I am barely crawling around the house. Tomorrow is definitely a rest day. Other than that, the competition went fine. It was kind of a milestone for me, as it was my first serious competition last year. It's hard to believe that almost a whole year flew by. I did only a little better than last time judging by the results, but I had a couple personal firsts, so I was very happy with the outcome.

I haven't checked in for a few days. It was all as planned, except yesterday I wanted to do the second full body workout of the week, but felt very tired after the private lesson. Today I did some target practice while DD was taking her private lesson, then fenced for an hour and a half in the evening. It was really nice, but now I am totally wiped out, and I have a competition tomorrow. I hope I can recover by morning

It's great to hear that your energy is good! And congrats on inches lost! I also hold to fat in some areas more than others. Since the beginning of the year I lost 2 inches off my waist and barely half an inch off my hips. I am happy that it is not the other way around, but still. And it's funny how differently we perceive our sizes. I am totally fine with the number on the scale, it is just a number to me, but measuring... I now *see* all the padding I still have and I feel worse than how I did when I only looked at the scale, and that is after I lost some weight and gained some muscles. I am not sure I can help much with meal prep. DH's breakfast is usually oatmeal (just 1 min oatmeal and water) with fruit, sometimes with a latte. I do think I need to add some protein to it, but not yet sure how. I need to think about it. Lunches are fine, mostly some protein with vegetables/salads or (rarely) something like rice or buckwheat. Dinners are the same. He is getting between 35 and 50% of carbs now, down from probably 80. But I realized that he just has no concept of hunger. For him, food is purely entertainment. So I pack two small lunches for him. But still, a couple days he went as low as 1100 Cal and said he felt full. I now make sure he doesn't go as low. On the other hand, when he cooked his oatmeal for the first time, he accidentally doubled the portion, and barely realized it. He asked what he did wrong because he couldn't fit his berries into the same bowl. I guess he didn't feel any difference while eating all of it. I did my full body workout yesterday. Back to fencing tonight.

Glad you are feeling better! I also noticed that my energy levels are higher this month. Not sure if it is due to the increased wackiness of my cycle this month or better diet. Mood hit was definitely the worst in a long time. And I am not sure about visiting, but I definitely enjoyed a bit less of driving this week. Some people tell me they can't imagine homeschooling kids, I can't imagine all the driving some of them have to do :) Next week the spring semester starts, but at least it is 2 days a week instead of 4, as it was during winter. I did my workout yesterday, and I managed to raise myself in a bridge and actually hold it for a few seconds. I am sure the form was far from good, but I did it. Then DD came and did it from her feet down and up a few times. :lol: I guess it is motivation.