I started today without even knowing. :) We've had stuff laying all over the trailer ever since we got back from our trip. I finally unpacked and put most of the stuff away. Tomorrow I attack the bedroom and maybe even arrange/declutter under the bed (our bed lifts up and we have storage under the bed). Hey! How about some pictures???!!!

Well after a really rough swim yesterday it was a little calmer today. I also picked a more tranquil area of the bay. I swam almost out to the reef (the currents were a little rough out by the reef so I erred on the side of caution) and around the bay a little, then back to shore, then out almost to the reef 2 more times. My arms were much more tired than yesterday but I forgot to note the time before I left so it was at least 30 minutes and maybe 45. My 12yo son came with me on the first foray around the bay and I was really impressed with how well he did. I'm hobbling a little bit better than yesterday and I'm almost sure this was only a grade 1 tear. Thankfully. Chai - what is the coach you're talking about? I was doing the Couch25K program also until a couple days ago (got 1/2 way through week 6 day 1).

(haven't read the other responses) absolutely not. I see no problem with smoking (other than health reasons) whether tobacco, dope or drinking alcohol. All seem to be the same to me.

Oh Colleen!!! That is insanity! Can I invite you down for some Caribbean cheer? You've had such amazing runs lately that just must have stunk for you. Here's to a short winter up there (I'll take a longer winter though).

:iagree: and I think it is super sweet of you to fill a stocking for Lucky. That is the true Christmas spirit.

So, hozit going? What are your challenges today and what are your successes? Any new gadgets? (Cheryl is going to win this one I bet :))

I'm able to hobble so I don't think I tore terribly badly which means I should be up and jogging again in 2 weeks. I have gained 2 kilos over Christmas though so I'm not sitting around doing nothing. Today I tried swimming. Ugh. The sea was REALLY rough (we generally don't swim in the winter because it is so cold (by comparison to the summer) - much rougher than summer. I hobbled down the beach and managed to swim for 20 minutes (pretty sure) and thought I could just swim around our bay, but it was so rough i just tried picking out a line (that was deep enough not to get scraped on rocks) and went back and forth freestyle and breaststroke. I got out when I felt like throwing up from the salt water. My arms weren't tired so I'm pretty sure I could have kept going. It was interesting - many times I was swimming in place due to waves and current. Tomorrow I'll try a deeper spot and just swim out to the reef and back and forth that way - I need deeper water when it is so rough. I got back to the palapa and did 100 crunches (in 5 sets of 20) interspersed with 5 sets of 15 wall pushups. I'm now icing my leg and elevating it and hope this injury clears quickly. I've definitely learned my lesson though and will NEVER exercise without stretching first!

I was 41 and quite overweight. I lost 45lb in the first 9 weeks due to hyperemesis. It was the absolute worst pregnancy ever. Seven years later I'm ready to do it again. Well, I'd like to skip the pregnancy part and go straight to lactation and babygrowing. :)

You're not alone - we don't limit either.

I was having a most excellent jog, the sun was shining, I was getting a jog bra tan, the wind was down, it's around 85F and something happened in my calf. I couldn't even walk. So I got about 40 minutes of walking and jogging in (day 1 week 6 of Couch) but I might be sidelined for a while. If you can help, please take a look here. Thanks!

Nah, TMI would be going into detail with the specifics of the positions. :) (where is the evil icon?)

If a laptop counts (and I can see how it could and how it couldn't) then no. Otherwise, a laptop is the only "techy" thing my kids have. No video gaming, no gadgets, well, a CD player and a cassette player. So I dunno.

Ours sucked pretty much for me but the kids would probably say it was great. They ate candy all day long and played with their friends. It is 9:07pm and they are still playing with their friends. Other than opening presents this morning, I haven't seen them all day long. So I decided not to cook today since this is apparently just like any other day and spent much of the afternoon at the beach. But I would have traded the kids hanging around the palapa today for my day alone at the beach.

You guys are SO inspiring! I figured I'd be out there today also but some unpracticed positions last night "celebrating" with DH and my quads are beat to crap. So I'll give my legs a little rest today. Go you guys!

Well, I thought it was in the 90's. I think that in the sheltered (from the wind) areas, it was low 90's. My preferred temperature for jogging is about 90F. Not too hot, not too cool. Yeah, we're right across from Coz! As a matter of fact, tonight we had a fire on the beach and roasted marshmallows and sausages and watched the twinkling lights. :) I'd love to meet up - we're just down the road from Xcaret. It isn't hard to get to Cozumel, but it is about $140 (pesos) to cross the water. Are you coming to the mainland? I could take you for a lovely run along our deserted beach and you guys could hang out at our house if you'd like - there is a restaurant and pool and great snorkeling beach also.

It looks like the $3.49 sets are now $9.99 when I check the site.

Thanks. Took another minute off that exercise route but I had forgotten to eat beforehand (I have trouble eating anything before 1pm or 2pm but then have NO trouble eating non-stop all night :)) and got a little confused at one of the turnarounds. I think it was warmer today - definitely less clouds and I got serious tan lines from my jog bra. Well, it sure felt warmer but Accuweather says only 88F/31C.

Aw, colleen, no running and snowed in. Do you knit?

cheryl, you are SUCH a cheerleader that i really look forward to this thread each and every day. We were going to blow off exercising today but after the cookies last night, I just can't NOT. :) So I'll do the same as yesterday - 4.6 miles at 15min/mile along the Caribbean. Feels like the same temperatures as yesterday.

Well I just figured out Google Earth's ruler (mapyourfitness doesn't work for me) and found we did 4.6 miles today in 69 minutes (walking). This is our normal "long" walk day and the last time we did it (before vacation) we were averaging 72-73 minutes. Our turnaround time (we turn around at what ends up being 1.5 miles - the military point) has also decreased from 26 minutes (at the very beginning) to 22:20 (before vacation) to 21:20 (after our vacation to the US). So we're definitely getting faster. I still have no idea how fast we jog but I'm starting to think it is around a 10-12 minute mile. So, today was 4.6 miles, 69 minutes, temp of 87F/31C ,72% humidity, windy (12mph - definitely a wind chill factor as it really didn't feel warm at 87F/31C). Wore bike shorts and a singlet and Keen sandals (no shoes as no jogging). Kept it all on - wasn't warm enough for just the jogging bra.

I think the only ones who can decide if this is a problem is you, your DH and your kids. Personally, I don't see any problem with it and my kids go to bed anywhere from 1:30am to 4am and get up from noon to 3pm.

I couldn't have said it better myself. Thanks for speaking for me also. :iagree:

Oh THANK YOU for posting! I've been feeling SO BAD about myself - I've been so "good" about diet since May but the last two days have been horrific! I think I've gained 2 kilos in the last 2 days. Ugh! I so hope tomorrow is different. I think I'd have to get rid of all the cookies though. sigh.

Here in the tropics, everything except eggs go in the fridge. Catsup included. don't think we've had any though in quite a while. We do, however, have a large variety of salsas. :)

I voted family but didn't realize the OP had tied God to family. I don't associate God with anything in my life so I should have voted other. I totally agree with the above post - that's how I see it also - traditional. Here in Mexico Santa is beginning to make a foray into the culture and the big day is being shifted from Jan 6th to Dec 25th. Christmas is also becoming more and more commercialized. I see the western influence as a large loss.