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

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

I walked about 7.5 miles today. I walked the 3 miles around the block this morning and then the kids and I met up with friends to do a Corn Maze this afternoon and got in the rest. I didn’t do too badly eating today either. All that walking and fresh air really works up an appetite though!

[Laurie4b]

Did my 60+ min walk with 30 min embedded jogging intervals today. It was a luscious day. One of those cool fall days when it almost seems like you could drink the air. It would have been super nice except the squirrels are super active right now and hound dog was not on her best behavior. My knee started to hurt mildly and I think it was being jerked a time or two. Grrr. 

 

It was one of those days when I scratched and clawed to get myself to do a lower body and core workout. I have historically loved deadlifts, then Oct 3rd, could hardly do one of a weight I had been doing 3 sets of 6 for. It was really weird and was a big mental blow. So Saturday when we'd returned from vacation, I did 4 sets gradually increasing to the weight I failed at and did 4. Tonight I did 3 sets of 6. It was hard on the last lift on each set. Hopefully, I'll get up to 8 next time. (Probably Friday) Did core  No upper and no flexiblity. 

[Laurie4b]

I wonder if we could talk about fall and winter adjustments to our routines. 

 

For those of you who like to exercise outside in the afternoon/early evening, how do you cope with daylight savings time going poof and the much earlier darkness? 

 

 

And then there is holiday season. What are your temptations in the upcoming fall/winter holiday season? What ideas do you have for getting around those?  How will you exercise if you're traveling for visits, extra busy, etc? I want to start thinking about it for myself now and get others' perspectives and ideas as well. 

 

 

For me, the earlier sunset is a real downer. I hate the dark and the cold. I hate the leaves gone from the trees. I like that I don't have to worry about copperheads and that I can see the sunset through the trees since there are no leaves. So I try to exercise the hour before sunset. I bought something called a turtle skin or turtle fur(? I think) last year that I liked. It's a cone of stretchy fabric that can cover from your chin to over your nose and it's breathable. So it helps with the cold air which I am careful of because I"m at the age when I need to pay attention to not stressing my heart. I hope to be able to get to the mountains this year for some cross-country skiing. But that won't be every day exercise. I guess I'll do more swimming than now. 

 

We live in a pretty isolated neighborhood, so no worries on Halloween. No kids come around so there is no candy hanging around the house. Thanksgiving is at my house and I cook healthy stuff. I just need not to eat too many servings of healthy stuff! And I need to plan dinner to happen at a time when we can take a walk afterward. 

 

My horrible time is Christmas. I get caught in a quandry when people gift me with homemade cookies, cakes, etc. I don't want to eat them but I feel guilty if I don't at least try them so I can say, "Oh, that gingerbread was so good!' The problem is if I try it, I am likely to keep eating it. I would feel really guilty just tossing it out. And then there is the food at parties, at relatives' houses etc. Does anyone successfully navigate that? I gain weight every year. Last year was 7 pounds from Oct-Dec and it took me until Sept. to lose it again. I don't want to do that this year. 

 

I am also prone to want seconds and thirds of soups and hearty meals that I cook in the winter. Anyone else prone to that? Have you found a way to stop? I get caught less by desserts and unhealthy snacks than I do from eating too much healthy food. 

 

 

Edited October 17, 2017 by Laurie4b

[wintermom]

Laurie4b - I've been living with my "summer weight" and "winter weight" for decades - it's usually 5 - 10 pound difference.  There is less time to exercise because of school work, shorter days, and it's much colder in the fall/winter, so I lose muscle and gain fat. I also crave soup, and one bowl is never enough. In the summer it's hot, so less soups and hearty meals, longer days and more time to exercise. 

 

I did notice a slight difference in this trend when I started cross-country skiing (especially skate skiing) for several days a week last winter from Jan - March. I burned off a ton of calories and gain significant muscle mass in my legs and arms. I felt great. Unfortunately, as soon as the snow melted, I didn't replace skiing with an equally effective work-out, so bye-bye skiing body.  :laugh:   

 

My plan this winter is to try really hard to keep up a variety of intense work-outs (running, weight training, swimming, tennis, skiing) mixed in with less strenuous stuff (dog walking). I'm aiming for a minimum of 30 minutes everyday. In the area of food, I know I'm going to over-dose on soup, but I'll try to do this mid-day instead of later in the day. I'm also sticking to low-sugar foods in general. I'll eat occasional desserts and homemade cookies over the holidays and on special events. I've really decreased the amount of cookies I bake or buy, which makes it a lot easier to avoid sugar.

 

[lynn]

Nothing like needing to go jean shopping and buying a size smaller to motivate to do another round bbod workouts. After 4 babies I never thought I'd have abs again.

Edited October 17, 2017 by lynn

[OlgaLA]

The two days of competition wiped me out completely, probably not so much physically, but rather mentally. Honestly, I contemplated skipping day 2 completely, as I was dead tired, and DD had a cramp in her leg the day before, and I thought she would just complain all day and not fence (she is my drama queen with apparently very low pain tolerance), but I needed to buy a new fencing bag, and I paid for DD participation, so we still drove there. DD did surprisingly well, considering, and since I didn't fence myself, I got to socialize with parents and provide some moral support to the girls. It's disgusting how some coaches treat them. Some of those girls were just 12, and the pressure that was put on them was unbelievable.  Anyway, all that excitement left me totally dead the rest of the weekend. I slept well, but every time I did something, like unloading the dishwasher, it felt like I unloaded a truck. Monday was marginally better, so we didn't go fencing. Today I am planning to, but Tuesdays are generally slow, so it will be an easy day.

 

Another positive thing about the tournament was that I barely ate. I feel nauseous when I am stressed, so I didn't feel like eating. On the drive home on Saturday at 7pm I realized that I had a latte, a bottle of Starbucks coffee, and a yogurt that whole day, so about 500 Cal. I did have dinner later, but still the grand total is minus 2 pounds for the weekend. I may pick it back up soon though.

 

As a rule, I don't have problems with temptations during holidays, but I do have problems with cravings, and sometimes it all becomes quite messed up. I found that I actually do better with sweets, because it is the only thing that curbs my hunger. But if I don't crave them, I don't eat them, and I eat the craving du jour in unreasonable quantities. Or even worse situation  when I don't crave anything or don't understand what I really crave, and just eat everything in sight, all the while being hungry. I do gain some weight around Christmas, but mostly due to moving significantly less. I also usually have the worst back pain of the year because of all the sitting around the tables.

[Laurie4b]

Just received official notification that I passed my health coaching exam and practicum and am now officially a certified health coach! I'm excited! Now it's time to get down to building a business!  I'm excited! 

 

 

Today, I did another 60 min walk with embedded jogging, but I wanted it to be moderate, so rather than jogging for 1 1/2 min and walking for 30 sec, I pretty much reversed it. I was using my new favorite gadget---my Polar heartrate monitor and I basically just tried to keep my HR within a certain range. When it dropped below where I wanted,  I jogged lightly for 30 sec or so until it was a bit higher than I wanted and then let it come back down some. 

 

Still to be done tonight: Upper body work and flexibility. 

Edited October 18, 2017 by Laurie4b

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

I went to karate class today. It was a good workout. Eating wasn’t terrible but not great either. Our days have been so busy I can’t seem to get all the exercise and meal planning in. Plus, I’m exhausted and run down feeling from that TOM. Hopefully I’ll have more energy in a couple of days.

[Laurie4b]

I went to karate class today. It was a good workout. Eating wasn’t terrible but not great either. Our days have been so busy I can’t seem to get all the exercise and meal planning in. Plus, I’m exhausted and run down feeling from that TOM. Hopefully I’ll have more energy in a couple of days.

 

What is TOM? 

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

What is TOM?

Time of Month i.e. monthly cycle. I don’t know what the standard abbreviation is around here but that’s the one used on another board I used to visit. LOL

[wintermom]

Just received official notification that I passed my health coaching exam and practicum and am now officially a certified health coach! I'm excited! Now it's time to get down to building a business!  I'm excited! 

. 

 

Congratulations!!!  :hurray:    That's great news. All the best with your new business adventure. I'm sure you'll do wonderful. 

[solascriptura]

Just received official notification that I passed my health coaching exam and practicum and am now officially a certified health coach! I'm excited! Now it's time to get down to building a business! I'm excited!

 

 

Today, I did another 60 min walk with embedded jogging, but I wanted it to be moderate, so rather than jogging for 1 1/2 min and walking for 30 sec, I pretty much reversed it. I was using my new favorite gadget---my Polar heartrate monitor and I basically just tried to keep my HR within a certain range. When it dropped below where I wanted, I jogged lightly for 30 sec or so until it was a bit higher than I wanted and then let it come back down some.

 

Still to be done tonight: Upper body work and flexibility.

Congratulations!

[FaithManor]

I had good news. Blood work is looking better and despite really bad familial genes for type two diabetes with no maternal cousins or aunts, nor my own brother and mother making it past 45 without that diagnosis, I at forty nine still have gorgeous numbers despite my inability to lose this stubborn weight.

 

So the exercise and the low carb diet may not be fun, but it appears to be working. My potassium is still low though so I have to be very careful.

 

Ds is my exercise buddy. We went to the gym yesterday and as he watched me increase the weights for my legs plus increase my time on the rowing machine he said, "Tomorrow we will take off. You will be too sore." He was prophetic. My thighs are barking like a pack of coyotes.

[wintermom]

Dh and I are going to play doubles tennis tonight, so that will be the highlight of my day. Otherwise, I'll be walking a bunch as well. I've been driving the kids (and dog!) all over the place for their activities so much, that I'm only able to fit in a bit of walking while waiting for them to be done. Our dog is part of a breeding program, and he's had several "dates" throughout the last week with a female dog in order to try to breed her. She's been resisting his advances. Hopefully today will be the last time I have to drive him. 

 

My high fibre nuts and seeds diet, along with broccoli soups, are causing some weird bubbles in my gut. It's quite distracting, as it's a little like a baby kicking me from the inside. I'm well past baby stage, but there are moments I begin to wonder.  :laugh:

Edited October 18, 2017 by wintermom

[OlgaLA]

Just received official notification that I passed my health coaching exam and practicum and am now officially a certified health coach! I'm excited! Now it's time to get down to building a business!  I'm excited! 

 

 

Congratulations! Good luck with building the business!

 

I went to the club yesterday, but since it was mostly the kids day, I only really had my DD to fence with. I noticed that when I go there and not exert myself enough, I get very grouchy. Well, she noticed that, too, so when she realized that one bout is not going to be enough for me, she stayed on the strip with me and I got to practice several moves/correct some mistakes I have been doing. So, all in all, in was a decent day.

 

I feel like I need to add some strength training to my routine. It gets more and more obvious as I fence people not from our club. I just have no idea when and how I can fit that into my days.

 

Oh, and since I was so excited with this NAC, I signed up for two more competitions, one in November, and one in December. The December one is in Portland, so we'll get to see Oregon as well. We went to several competitions with kids that were out of town, but this will be first one where we need to fly. Lugging all that equipment is not going to be fun.

 

[Laurie4b]

Congratulations! Good luck with building the business!

 

I went to the club yesterday, but since it was mostly the kids day, I only really had my DD to fence with. I noticed that when I go there and not exert myself enough, I get very grouchy. Well, she noticed that, too, so when she realized that one bout is not going to be enough for me, she stayed on the strip with me and I got to practice several moves/correct some mistakes I have been doing. So, all in all, in was a decent day.

 

I feel like I need to add some strength training to my routine. It gets more and more obvious as I fence people not from our club. I just have no idea when and how I can fit that into my days.

 

Oh, and since I was so excited with this NAC, I signed up for two more competitions, one in November, and one in December. The December one is in Portland, so we'll get to see Oregon as well. We went to several competitions with kids that were out of town, but this will be first one where we need to fly. Lugging all that equipment is not going to be fun.

 

 

You might think about whether you could do some strength training on the fly. A bodyweight routine (Think: planks, push-ups, squats, bridges or hamstring curls) can often be done in between other things. For instance, do forward and backward arm circles for a minute each to warm up. Then, try a set of push-ups with the timer on. You may be pleasantly surprised at how little time it takes to do a set. .. If you are capable of even hanging from a pullup bar (ie even if you can't do an assisted pull up) , you can buy pull up bars that hang in a doorway then do what you can when you walk into the room. . A friend of mine does "Coffee squats." While she's waiting for her coffee to be done, she does bodyweight squats.  

[OlgaLA]

Thanks, Laurie! It gave me some push to start thinking. I just added a few trackers to my bullet journal, one for each exercise, so I'll try to do them during the day, here and there. And I'll have some reason to do it :) Now I just need to do some search for exercises that are more fencing-specific.

[Laurie4b]

Thanks, Laurie! It gave me some push to start thinking. I just added a few trackers to my bullet journal, one for each exercise, so I'll try to do them during the day, here and there. And I'll have some reason to do it :) Now I just need to do some search for exercises that are more fencing-specific.

 

I guess: lunges! Ha! 

 

Just be sure to look for the counter exercise for the other set of muscles so you don't develop an imbalance. For instance, women tend to be quad dominant anyway and with the wider angle to our hips, if we accentuate that, it often causes knee problems because the force of the quad pulling on the knee is not balanced out by other muscles. 

 

Generally, any exercises that emphasizes the quads should have a counterbalancing one that exercises glutes and hamstrings. 

 

Any push should have a pull. 

 

Your big whole body exercises save time because they work so many muscles that you don't have to do separate ones for specific muscles like biceps or triceps unless you have a specific reason for it or the time. 

 

I have a couple books with the muscles highlighted that are worked by any given exercise, so if you  find some for fencing, and want to know which specific muscles are being worked, I can look them up and tell you which muscles are being most used. 

[Laurie4b]

Just Zumba today. I was 10 min late, too.  :glare:   Previous appointment ran late. Got home hungry and kitchen renovation means what I needed was in different places, and it took me a while to find one item. So I ended up late but had fed myself. :)

 

 

Good news is I really like my new kitchen. I have to wait a few more weeks though for it to be totally finished. 

Edited October 19, 2017 by Laurie4b

[OlgaLA]

Laurie, the new kitchen sounds exciting, although not the process of putting it in. Hopefully, it goes smoothly and fast!

 

Thanks for mentioning the imbalance issue. Fencing is a very imbalanced sport, but I was mostly paying attention to the left/right imbalance. I definitely need work on my hams/glutes. Apparently, many of those exercises help with lower back pain, so it's good, too, as mine started acting up again lately. The arms are getting pretty even workout in terms of pull/push, I think, but I need to do things with my left arm. I can feel the difference in biceps when I cross my arms.

 

I had a great fencing session today, won half of my bouts, but feel like the girls just weren't putting in the effort. I also did a few sets of other exercises and have a feeling that tomorrow I'll be paying the price.

[Laurie4b]

Laurie, the new kitchen sounds exciting, although not the process of putting it in. Hopefully, it goes smoothly and fast!

 

Thanks for mentioning the imbalance issue. Fencing is a very imbalanced sport, but I was mostly paying attention to the left/right imbalance. I definitely need work on my hams/glutes. Apparently, many of those exercises help with lower back pain, so it's good, too, as mine started acting up again lately. The arms are getting pretty even workout in terms of pull/push, I think, but I need to do things with my left arm. I can feel the difference in biceps when I cross my arms.

 

I had a great fencing session today, won half of my bouts, but feel like the girls just weren't putting in the effort. I also did a few sets of other exercises and have a feeling that tomorrow I'll be paying the price.

 

It's a BTDT thing with me. I developed knee pain because of those strong quads. I worked hard to strengthen hamstrings/glutes but slacked off the hip exercises. Then sure enough: hip pain. 

 

It's GOOD that it was all exercise imbalance because I could fix it! But lesson learned: twice. 

[wintermom]

Got in a couple short dog walks, then a 30 min run along a country road. There were hills, and I have been mostly running on a 0 incline treadmill lately, so that was challenging. I'm happy that my fitness level was good enough to tackle the hills successfully! 

[OlgaLA]

I had a private lesson yesterday (less than 30 minutes), and that's it. Had a dentist appointment after it, and it completely knocked me out. Couldn't even think straight after it, let alone do any physical things. I feel OK this morning, so hopefully, I'll manage a few sets of exercises and an open floor fencing in the evening.

[Laurie4b]

Yesterday, I exercised about 50 min or so , 21 min of which were jogging intervals. 

I did most of a strength training workout, pretty much everything except weighted squats. I am avoiding them. I should "just do it" but at least I did the other stuff. 

Today was an active rest day. I took a 30 min hike with a friend to a scenic spot, sat and chatted for a while, then hiked back. So about an hour of pretty laid back walking 

 

Tomorrow is supposed to be a whole body strength training plus an hour of walking with 30 min of jogging intervals. Fingers crossed!

[Greta]

Hi everyone!  I haven't been around for awhile, but I'm still doing okay with both the diet and exercise.  I've been lifting weights three days a week, so I'm finally starting to make progress again.  Got my leg press up to 160 from 140, so at least that's something.  I'm enjoying the cooler fall weather, and dreading the day that it gets cold enough that my gym manager decides to turn on the heater.  They keep it so ridiculously hot in there all winter long that I am seriously considering switching to another gym.

 

Well, that's about all the "exciting" news that I have, lol.

 

 

So the exercise and the low carb diet may not be fun, but it appears to be working. My potassium is still low though so I have to be very careful.

 

 

 

 

Faith, you may already know this, but potassium deficiencies are not uncommon with low-carb diets.  The standard advice in the LC community is actually to eat more salt.  The reasoning is that your body has to maintain a specific ratio of potassium to sodium, and dropping your carb intake causes your body to also drop a huge amount of sodium.  So it has to dump potassium too in order to keep the right balance.  Many LC advocates recommend drinking super-salty broth every day to keep sodium levels up.  I used to do it myself (if I didn't I got terrible muscle cramps) but I'm honestly not sure how safe it is, so I would recommend that you ask your doctor.  That was one of the things that I felt relieved about when I first went off the LC diet - it didn't seem "right" to have to guzzle that much salt every day.  But I don't know how sound that reasoning is, so perhaps there are better ways to get your potassium levels up!

[Soror]

nt

Edited October 27, 2017 by soror

[Soror]

 

Faith, you may already know this, but potassium deficiencies are not uncommon with low-carb diets.  The standard advice in the LC community is actually to eat more salt.  The reasoning is that your body has to maintain a specific ratio of potassium to sodium, and dropping your carb intake causes your body to also drop a huge amount of sodium.  So it has to dump potassium too in order to keep the right balance.  Many LC advocates recommend drinking super-salty broth every day to keep sodium levels up.  I used to do it myself (if I didn't I got terrible muscle cramps) but I'm honestly not sure how safe it is, so I would recommend that you ask your doctor.  That was one of the things that I felt relieved about when I first went off the LC diet - it didn't seem "right" to have to guzzle that much salt every day.  But I don't know how sound that reasoning is, so perhaps there are better ways to get your potassium levels up!

 I drank salt water/broth for the longest time to help keep my BP up but then I started getting wicked kidney pain. It kept coming back again and again. I finally connected it and cut the salt and had no more pain. My bp still runs low- 90/60 but not crazy low (not for me anyway). 

[Greta]

I've not posted in forever. I'm still not feeling great but perhaps better, I hesitate to say that b/c I'm afraid of jinxing myself. I've been tweaking several things to see if anything helps, I don't know if something(s) have helped or it is just coincidental.

 

Anyway, I've been doing this and that, nothing too strenuous, a bit of walking, biking with my Scouts a couple of weekends ago. Yesterday I taught my first yoga class in awhile to a group of juveniles in residential treatment, had a blast, but I'm sore today b/c I've not done much yoga or strength stuff since August. 

 

Diet has been pretty decent. Focusing on whole unprocessed foods, except when PMS was raging. Anyway, crossing my fingers again.

 

Weight is about where it has. I've not lost in the midst of all of this but have maintained fairly well. I will not likely make my Nov. goal but perhaps I can inch slowly down as I feel better or perhaps it will be what it is.

 

:grouphug:  Even though our particular issues are different, I can relate so much to this!  It seems like the moment I say that my migraines are doing better, then I get hit with a terrible streak.   :cursing:   And I'm trying so hard to track possible triggers, eat right, take supplements, etc.  But it's so hard to figure out which things are actually affecting them and which are coincidence.  I'm sorry, I'm not trying to make this all about me, me, me.  I just wanted to say that you have my sympathy!

[wintermom]

Dh and I played doubles tennis last night for 3 solid hours. It was a lot of fun! I'm so thankful for this wonderfully warm fall weather.  I also got in a couple dog walks.

 

Today the weather is sunny and warm, so I really want to get outdoors and do something in the woods to enjoy the gorgeous fall colours. Maybe a bike ride or a hike in the woods. Dh and I may play more tennis as well.

 

 

 

[Soror]

:grouphug:  Even though our particular issues are different, I can relate so much to this!  It seems like the moment I say that my migraines are doing better, then I get hit with a terrible streak.   :cursing:   And I'm trying so hard to track possible triggers, eat right, take supplements, etc.  But it's so hard to figure out which things are actually affecting them and which are coincidence.  I'm sorry, I'm not trying to make this all about me, me, me.  I just wanted to say that you have my sympathy!

That's ok, I like to hear other's struggles too b/c it makes me feel a little less crazy. I hope your headaches ease up, I've never had a migraine I imagine it is miserable.

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

This morning I had a 1.5 hour karate class. It was a tough one and I’m still tired from it a couple hours later. Grading is coming up in a couple of weeks and they’re pushing hard to get everyone ready. I haven’t gotten any other workouts in since Tuesday’s class.

 

Eating is ok. Still not what I’d ideally like it to be but not horrible either.

 

Trying to fit in school, activities, housework, piano students, getting our house ready to put on the market...it’s all overwhelming and time consuming and I don’t have time to do everything at the level I’d prefer. So I just do the best I can and try not to worry about it.

[Laurie4b]

Today I did all the exercise I'd planned! Yea!  

 

BTW, I use this forum as accountability for myself (posting feels like a stamp of "Completed" )  and also as a record for myself so that if I forget to track, I can often look back and find it here. So I am not expecting everyone to take in the details! 

 

Walked with 30 min of jogging intervals: I was at a local natural area so that I could run with less impact on joints. Got there at 5:01 and it closes at 6:00 in October. I broke my own rule that "If you don't have time to warm up and cool down, cut the workout portion" because I really wanted to get in my 30 min of jogging. I left myself only a 3 min cool-down. However, other people were late leaving the park so I actually got 5 min in! Yea! Probably not good that I got rewarded for cheating a bit. :)

 

Also did core, upper body. and lower body strength. Today I got back to where I was on deadlifts at the end of Sept. I hit some kind of weird wall and kind of went backwards in terms of how many reps. I think the first time I failed (to do ONE rep! after having done 3 sets of 8 the time before) , there were a lot of factors playing into it and then it affected my mental "game." . Next time, I should be able to do 3 sets of 10 reps and then I'll move up weight.  Anyway, glad about that. 

 

I've been skipping my flexibility too much recently but did it tonight. It feels so. darned. good. I don't know why I skip it. 

[Laurie4b]

Soror or other yoga practitioners: I don't do yoga, but I do do cat/cow stretches. My question is about how they are supposed to be done---like a static stretch (and hold each for like 30 sec) or a dynamic stretch (where you move from one into the other in a kind of nice stretching flow). 

 

Can I do it in the morning (or really anytime during the day) without warming up first? I would stretch more if I didn't have to do a warm up before I stretch. 

Edited October 21, 2017 by Laurie4b

[wintermom]

My dd and I went for a nice hike in the woods this afternoon. It was beautiful with the golden leaves of the maple trees. Then dh and I played doubles with friends until the sunlight disappeared. We're playing tomorrow in the daytime, so we won't have to worry about lighting issues. 

[Laurie4b]

This is a really good article by Nia Shans. She's a personal trainer and is very straightforward in her approach. She also has a sense of humor. Slight language alert. 

 

https://www.niashanks.com/one-simple-hack-stop-screwing

 

[Greta]

This is a really good article by Nia Shans. She's a personal trainer and is very straightforward in her approach. She also has a sense of humor. Slight language alert. 

 

https://www.niashanks.com/one-simple-hack-stop-screwing

 

 

The "I ate a cupcake, so I'm gonna eat 14 more" hole digger.  Yep, that's me!  I've always struggled with a very "all or nothing" attitude about my diet.  I'm getting better.  Slightly.  Okay, not much.  But a little.  A little counts, right?  :D

[wintermom]

On the weekend, dh and I played lots of doubles tennis in the gorgeous weather. Ds and I went for a 50 min power skate yesterday. This morning ds's went to the gym with me. I ran 30 min and did weights and core work. 

[Laurie4b]

On the weekend, dh and I played lots of doubles tennis in the gorgeous weather. Ds and I went for a 50 min power skate yesterday. This morning ds's went to the gym with me. I ran 30 min and did weights and core work. 

 

What is a power skate? Inquiring minds want to know!

[Laurie4b]

Thought I would share that I have decided to pursue Nordic walking as an alternative cardio activity. I have researched and researched and learned that Nordic walking differs from hiking with trekking poles in that 1) NW is designed specifically for fitness ie to increase cardio through the use of upper body/core more while making it easier on joints (at 61 "easier on joints" sounds good! Mine aren't bad yet... want to keep it that way!)  2) the poles are used differently than trekking poles which are used to help pull you up a slope or help you get down without overloading your knees)  3) It is suitable on pavement. 4) NW is used in Europe by physical therapists for rehabbing people's gait and for people with balance issues. So it could be especially good for an older population needing to exercise. 

 

There is no group or instruction where I live, but there is an instructor and a group near my dad, whom I travel to see once a month. So I've contacted the guy up there. I am shooting for November for a free trial and a private lesson. If I like it, which I think I will, I'm going to pursue getting instructor certification. 

 

Anyway, just thought I'd share! I'm excited about it. (I decided to buy both NW poles (will use birthday gift money I've been saving)  and some trekking poles for hiking but will have to wait till Christmas for the trekking poles!) 

 

 

[wintermom]

What is a power skate? Inquiring minds want to know!

 

Skating with speed, doing cross-overs, combination of cross-overs, and other movements to work on skate control. It's more intense than just gliding around the rink, so I get a better cardio and muscular work-out. It's pretty fun, too! 

[wintermom]

Thought I would share that I have decided to pursue Nordic walking as an alternative cardio activity. I have researched and researched and learned that Nordic walking differs from hiking with trekking poles in that 1) NW is designed specifically for fitness ie to increase cardio through the use of upper body/core more while making it easier on joints (at 61 "easier on joints" sounds good! Mine aren't bad yet... want to keep it that way!)  2) the poles are used differently than trekking poles which are used to help pull you up a slope or help you get down without overloading your knees)  3) It is suitable on pavement. 4) NW is used in Europe by physical therapists for rehabbing people's gait and for people with balance issues. So it could be especially good for an older population needing to exercise. 

 

There is no group or instruction where I live, but there is an instructor and a group near my dad, whom I travel to see once a month. So I've contacted the guy up there. I am shooting for November for a free trial and a private lesson. If I like it, which I think I will, I'm going to pursue getting instructor certification. 

 

Anyway, just thought I'd share! I'm excited about it. (I decided to buy both NW poles (will use birthday gift money I've been saving)  and some trekking poles for hiking but will have to wait till Christmas for the trekking poles!) 

 

Nordic walking is pretty popular here. I see groups and individuals out doing their thing. My mother does Nordic walking, too. She likes the added balance with the poles.

 

I prefer to use my poles with my skate skis!  

 

Hope you enjoy the activity!! 

[Laurie4b]

Nordic walking is pretty popular here. I see groups and individuals out doing their thing. My mother does Nordic walking, too. She likes the added balance with the poles.

 

I prefer to use my poles with my skate skis!  

 

Hope you enjoy the activity!! 

 

What are skate skis? 

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

I had karate class today. It was a good one. The warm up included box jumps, and sprints and it built from there. I think I’ll be feeling it tomorrow.

[wintermom]

What are skate skis? 

 

There are two types of cross-country skiing, and they use different equipment, different techniques and the snow is groomed differently. Skate skis are shorter, the poles are usually longer, and the technique is like skating, with wide strides out to the side. Classic technique is with longer skis and they stay parallel to each other. It's more of a push down and kick back, in order to move forward.

 

I love the speed of the skate skis! 

 

[Laurie4b]

Thanks, Wintermom! That is awesome! I had never heard of skate skiing before. Hope you get lots of snow this year!

[Laurie4b]

Man, the sunset keeps getting earlier and earlier! I thought I was all set and had plenty of time and checked online and it was 15 min earlier than I was thinking! 

 

Anyway, I managed to fit in my whole hour and get home before dark. The leaves are starting to turn so the beauty was good for the soul as well as the physical heart!  30 min of embedded jogging intervals. Also got in upper body, squats for lower body, and flexibility. 

[wintermom]

Thanks, Wintermom! That is awesome! I had never heard of skate skiing before. Hope you get lots of snow this year!

 

Me too!!  I'm looking forward to ski season, but I'm loving our warm fall this year. 

[OlgaLA]

Me too!!  I'm looking forward to ski season, but I'm loving our warm fall this year. 

 

I am not loving *our warm fall this year. It was in triple digits for the last two days and windy. Plus, I didn't sleep well last night because AC kept turning off, so today I am absolutely exhausted. Didn't do anything all day. Hmm... I did ran two loads of laundry,  drove DD to college and then back, napped, and ate probably two days worth of calories. I hope tomorrow is a better day.

[Laurie4b]

I am not loving *our warm fall this year. It was in triple digits for the last two days and windy. Plus, I didn't sleep well last night because AC kept turning off, so today I am absolutely exhausted. Didn't do anything all day. Hmm... I did ran two loads of laundry,  drove DD to college and then back, napped, and ate probably two days worth of calories. I hope tomorrow is a better day.

 

Whoa! Triple digits? Yikes

[Soror]

nt

Edited October 27, 2017 by soror