Well-Trained Bodies- November Edition

[Soror]

Everyone welcome!

________________________

It's a new month! 

Time to gird our loins for the onslaught of the holidays!

I'm excited because were 1 month away from December when I typically feel my best. As I mentioned in the last thread I have 2-3 lbs I hope to lose, if that doesn't happen I'm hoping just to keep on maintaining, I'm still in a range I haven't maintained since developing thyroid disease and that is wonderful.

But more than a couple of pounds I'd like to be a bit leaner. I'm strong and have a fair amount of muscle but not as much shows as I'd like. Of course, the big question is,- is the cost of being lean worth that much to me?? And how do I frame it in a way to keep my goal and actions rather than negative and restrictive? 

So, I guess that is my current focus, focusing on my health and getting leaner, which got sidelined some during the past few months due to the craziness of life.

Oh, and I need to increase my step count. I don't have a step counter right now but I know I haven't been doing that well on some days, especially with now working 2-3 hrs pretty much every morning at a desk. I just bought myself a basic fitness tracker. Mainly I just want a step counter but it seems hard to find just that in a watch and I don't want something that I have to put in my pocket because I usually don't have any. It also tracks heart rate so we'll see how that works, might be useful for working out.

- eating good whole foods- especially trying to eat as much produce as I can and watching portion sizes

-lift 2-3x a week

-steps- at least 10k a day- this used to be easy we'll see how I do now

Lifting goals- I think I could possibly hit the bench press by the end of the month- I might hit deadlift but squat I got a few months at least: 

-95# 1RM bench press- 75% of my body weight

-BW Squat and Deadlift

[wintermom]

@soror Thanks for starting the new Nov thread. More than holidays approaching, November means cold approaching to me. Cold and dark days. Blah. I much prefer when the snow fall and stays on the ground as it's brighter and I can snowshoe and ski.  

But for now, I can still ride my bike! I went for a very quick and short ride to the doc's office for an appointment. I was running late, so I had to peddle full-speed. The first thing I had to do at the office was get my BP recorded. It was pretty high! I wanted to say, "Wait 5 minutes and let me see how quick my recovery is for training purposes." ?  I'm going for a hike with friends this afternoon.

 

Edited November 1, 2018 by wintermom

[Soror]

16 hours ago, wintermom said:

@soror Thanks for starting the new Nov thread. More than holidays approaching, November means cold approaching to me. Cold and dark days. Blah. I much prefer when the snow fall and stays on the ground as it's brighter and I can snowshoe and ski.  

But for now, I can still ride my bike! I went for a very quick and short ride to the doc's office for an appointment. I was running late, so I had to peddle full-speed. The first thing I had to do at the office was get my BP recorded. It was pretty high! I wanted to say, "Wait 5 minutes and let me see how quick my recovery is for training purposes." ?  I'm going for a hike with friends this afternoon.

 

LOL, on the BP, I tend towards white coat syndrome anyway!! I agree on the cold and the dark- I'm not a fan of that myself but I tend to feel best in winter. 

Gym last night

Bench press focus. I got up to 85# but could only do 1. What's up with that I did 5 before??? And then did a couple of 90, pfft. Anyway, my sets were strong ones so I'm happy for that.

Also did 2x10;

walking lunges w/ 25# db's; 50# total

bulgarian split squat w/ 25

inverted rows

tbar row- 75#, 80#

2x8; pikes in trx strap

I ate well yesterday.

Here's to a great weekend for everybody. 

[Soror]

Saturday lifting with my friend:

It was hard yesterday, the weights felt heavier and I just felt hot. Hormones I guess, my period is likely coming any day. I got in a decent workout but couldn't' go as heavy as I wanted.

back squats- 5x5; 70, 75, 80, 85, 90

dumbbell bench press on the ball- 20#- 2x10 (could have done more weight on the second set after I got used to the balance but I just left it as is)

SLDL- 20#- 2x10 (balance was crap yesterday!)

hip ext curl in TRX- 2x10

body saw in TRX- 2x12

Hoping and planning to do some light yoga today to stretch everything out, I'm feeling tight. 

[Kim in Appalachia]

November!  It's finally starting to cool off in Central TX. ?  

Saturday I just did 12 minutes of kettlebell.  It was 5 rounds of swings/push-ups/pull-ups.  It was quick but felt good.  

This morning I ran 3 miles.  The weather felt perfect.  Sunny and low 50's.

I'm hoping for a good week workout wise and eating wise. I can not get my eating back on track. 

[hshibley]

I've been out of the loop lately. Exercising has been going pretty well. I've been consistent with hitting the gym. Eating is still some what hit or miss (curse you Halloween candy ??). I manned a water station at a local 1/2 marathon 5k with my son's boy scout troop, which got me thinking I should try a 5k. I've never been a runner but I really want to give it a go. I'm going to try couch to 5K and see how it goes. Today will be day 1.

[lynn]

I am on my last week of the insanity workout.  The complete 63 days program as written.  I'm looking forward to taking the last fit test on Saturday.  Sunday I start half training and liift4 to end the year strong.   What are your fitness goals for the rest of the year?

[Soror]

Glad to hear everyone's adventures.

It's been crazy here, again.

Tuesday night workout was great. I got a PR on deadlift 130# for 5 reps- just a bit over bodyweight, I'm coming for 135#- Using those 45# will be a big accomplishment but that 130# was my max for now

Then presses, lunges, step-ups and probably a couple of other things

Got in my fitness tracker late Monday, did not make step goal Tuesday, ended with 7500 maybe? Yesterday hit 12k but that was a lot of extra stuff I can tell I'm out of practice. My tracker seems to be doing ok although it is not 100% accurate, I see it skipping steps but it is a rough guess.

Tonight is gym bench press and other things.

[Soror]

On 11/6/2018 at 6:55 AM, lynn said:

I am on my last week of the insanity workout.  The complete 63 days program as written.  I'm looking forward to taking the last fit test on Saturday.  Sunday I start half training and liift4 to end the year strong.   What are your fitness goals for the rest of the year?

 

Well, as I'd posted I planned on working on leaning out so you can see all these wonderful muscles I'm building but I'm thinking maybe I should just stick with maintenance for now and focus on building strength because I'm having some awesome gains right now.

Last night I got 5 reps of 90# on the bench press, last time I did 90# I only got 2 and they weren't as strong. I forgot my notebook so I had to improvise some- I did lunges w/ one foot in the TRX- 2x10 (left and right), 2x8 pikes in TRX, 2x10 t-bar rows w/ 75#. I think that's it I ran out of time.

Step count over 10k yesterday but not looking good for today, need to go take a walk, we'll see if that happens, I'm not sleeping enough.

 

 

 

[hshibley]

I managed to get the first 3 days in of C25K in addition to my regular gym workouts. I'm pretty pleased with that. On to week 2 of C25K.

[Ali in OR]

Checking in after many months off! Hoping to end 2018 in a much healthier fashion than I ended 2017 (where I gained 4 pounds over the holidays and went over 150).

Last spring I was maintaining at around 142 for a couple of months (lost the holiday weight then lost 4 more with winter colds and a work schedule that kept me from overeating). But I gained 4 back over the summer and have been staying pretty close to 146 since. There are only 3 weeks between Halloween and Tday, and I'm trying to focus on healthy eating, portion control, no sugar. I'm down 1 pound and would love to drop one more before Tday and then maintain through the end of the year.

Our treadmill was out of commission while we got new carpets last week, but it's back up and I was back on it today (just my usual 30 minutes of walking at 4 mph).

[wintermom]

I've been bogged down with school and home life, so I haven't checked in much. I am still walking daily, cycling up until we got a dump of snow on Friday, and playing indoor tennis. 

I haven't been eating many veggies over the last few weeks, and I thought that was a bad thing until I realized that my stomach aches have really decreased. I think my gut has trouble dealing with a lot of raw veggies. I will try re-introducing them back in the diet, but cooked (e.g., steamed, grilled, etc.). I never expected my seeming lack of healthy diet would provide some helpful information! ?

[hshibley]

This week has been pretty good. I completed week 2 of C25K and got my gym workouts in. On to week 3 of C25K and hopefully getting in 5 gym workouts plus all the kids home for the holidays ?.

[Soror]

On 11/12/2018 at 2:14 PM, wintermom said:

I've been bogged down with school and home life, so I haven't checked in much. I am still walking daily, cycling up until we got a dump of snow on Friday, and playing indoor tennis. 

I haven't been eating many veggies over the last few weeks, and I thought that was a bad thing until I realized that my stomach aches have really decreased. I think my gut has trouble dealing with a lot of raw veggies. I will try re-introducing them back in the diet, but cooked (e.g., steamed, grilled, etc.). I never expected my seeming lack of healthy diet would provide some helpful information! ?

1

Interesting about the veggies, I've read that some have trouble sometimes due to the fiber, sometimes certain chemicals in them, regardless glad you are finding out what works, that is good information for you. 

3 hours ago, hshibley said:

This week has been pretty good. I completed week 2 of C25K and got my gym workouts in. On to week 3 of C25K and hopefully getting in 5 gym workouts plus all the kids home for the holidays ?.

 

Good for you! You're doing awesome!

On 11/12/2018 at 1:38 PM, Ali in OR said:

Checking in after many months off! Hoping to end 2018 in a much healthier fashion than I ended 2017 (where I gained 4 pounds over the holidays and went over 150).

Last spring I was maintaining at around 142 for a couple of months (lost the holiday weight then lost 4 more with winter colds and a work schedule that kept me from overeating). But I gained 4 back over the summer and have been staying pretty close to 146 since. There are only 3 weeks between Halloween and Tday, and I'm trying to focus on healthy eating, portion control, no sugar. I'm down 1 pound and would love to drop one more before Tday and then maintain through the end of the year.

Our treadmill was out of commission while we got new carpets last week, but it's back up and I was back on it today (just my usual 30 minutes of walking at 4 mph).

3

OH, you don't have much to lose.

_____________________________________

Gah, sleep was BAD this week, still adjusting to this new schedule. I fell asleep before 7 on the couch, went to bed at 7:15. I feel much better today, here's hoping for a week of early bed times!

Food has been meh, sometimes ok and sometimes not so great. Things inevitably go downhill if I miss a meal. 

Thurs. and Sat lifting. Hit a new PR on deadlift Thurs. 135#, WOOT! Today's focus was the bench, no PRs, only went to 85#.

[wintermom]

@soror I'm so glad you posted. I've been trying to find our thread, but haven't had time to search. Glad you are able to keep up with some awesome weight training! Great job!! Sleep is an issue for me, too. My ds has been in a 2-week theatre production and I've been helping out with sound at each show. It means a lot of late nights in a row, but I still have to get up in the morning and try to function normally. Not easy! I've got "foggy brain syndrome." ?

Still a little walking and tennis going on. We have a good base layer of snow on the ground now, so I can soon get out and do some cross-country skiing! 

[Soror]

6 minutes ago, wintermom said:

@soror I'm so glad you posted. I've been trying to find our thread, but haven't had time to search. Glad you are able to keep up with some awesome weight training! Great job!! Sleep is an issue for me, too. My ds has been in a 2-week theatre production and I've been helping out with sound at each show. It means a lot of late nights in a row, but I still have to get up in the morning and try to function normally. Not easy! I've got "foggy brain syndrome." ?

Still a little walking and tennis going on. We have a good base layer of snow on the ground now, so I can soon get out and do some cross-country skiing! 

Foggy brain syndrome here too! Too much to do but not enough brain power or energy to do it! Hopefully your schedule is better soon, how long until theatre is done? I HATE late nights. I've just decided I have to go to bed without everyone as I get up earlier than everyone else.

[wintermom]

1 minute ago, soror said:

Foggy brain syndrome here too! Too much to do but not enough brain power or energy to do it! Hopefully your schedule is better soon, how long until theatre is done? I HATE late nights. I've just decided I have to go to bed without everyone as I get up earlier than everyone else.

Last night was the final show and wrap-up party. So it was extra late, extra emotional, and really tough this morning with "nothing" to look forward to later in the day. ?

[Soror]

On 11/18/2018 at 11:25 AM, wintermom said:

Last night was the final show and wrap-up party. So it was extra late, extra emotional, and really tough this morning with "nothing" to look forward to later in the day. ?

It is bittersweet. I feel that about a lot of things we do, glad to do it, glad to have it done!

________________

PE day with the kids I led them in some exercises, got my heart rate up and am a bit sore (I don't usually do crab walk races!).

Weighed this am, haven't in a bit - maybe a week- I don't know. WEight is up, le sigh. Not surprising with the lack of sleep and busyness food could be better. Must keep scale in the other bathroom to stay away and focus. I want to keep my weight in range. I DO NOT want to have to do this weight loss thing again, my thyroid numbers are staying steady it is on me now! Do not get sucked into the holidays and make food a priority.

[Carrie12345]

This has been my first month back in quite a while.  Consistency has been my main goal, and I'm hitting it so far. I've got two M/W/F weeks done (last Friday being an intense snow shoveling workout) plus yesterday.

I don't generally go much by weight, but MFP tells me I gained almost 10lbs since August. 😒 I'm uncomfortably close to my all time high.   

Trying to focus on the consistency for the rest of the month so I can start adding in a million other goals!

[Soror]

23 hours ago, Carrie12345 said:

This has been my first month back in quite a while.  Consistency has been my main goal, and I'm hitting it so far. I've got two M/W/F weeks done (last Friday being an intense snow shoveling workout) plus yesterday.

I don't generally go much by weight, but MFP tells me I gained almost 10lbs since August. 😒 I'm uncomfortably close to my all time high.   

Trying to focus on the consistency for the rest of the month so I can start adding in a million other goals!

Good job on you for the consistency. ITA about the goals, get one thing going and add in something else, focus on what you can accomplish.

__________________________

I taught in the morning but was mostly lazy otherwise. Too much busyness caught up to me, I was TIRED. I took a power nap at 10 am (of course I had been up since 3:30). I did go to the gym yesterday. I decided to wait until next week to start my new lifting cycle since this week's schedule will be all wonky. BUT when I got there the backroom, where I always work out, was all closed off for painting, UGH. I had to work in the main floor, that was not my favorite. Thankfully I got a trainer to grab me a TRX strap from back there. 

I did a mix-up:

dumbbell bench 3x10

rear foot in the strap lunges  2 or 3 x 10

pikes 2x8 (those still kill me)

chin-up from platform and then bent armed hang x2

goblet squat w/ 50# kettlebells

inverted rows 3x10

lateral raises 3x10 

front raises and bent over raises - can't think of the name now- 20

Today is another quiet day, I don't even have that many classes (just 4 today). I don't know what we'll do. I was supposed to go teach yoga but that has been moved to next week. I should do some yoga at home to stretch out, we'll see. Maybe a walk since the weather is decent- hopefully I have some energy today. Food was pretty good yesterday. I did not have even one of the salt water taffy because it is hard to stop at 1 and I'm trying to back off sugar, I've been way too loose with it.

[Soror]

I felt really crappy yesterday morning. I don't know if I just got my bath too hot or what but I ended up laying down and watching a movie after that. However, the girls and I did end up going on a walk later, we did a couple of miles- up and down some steep hills. I didn't walk a ton otherwise but that's something. I also did a bit of yoga in the afternoon. 

Today I have 3 hrs of teaching this am then a bit of cooking and out the door for lunch at my Mom's, then back to desert at MIL's. It will be a pretty lazy day. 

I plan to get in 1 more lifting workout this week, not sure what day. I think it would be nice to do a hike or bike ride Saturday as it is supposed to be unseasonably warm but we'll see if we can manage that. 

Weight came back in "range" today, just barely but I'll take it. I do not plan any big indulgences today. It is not worth it, I've been indulging far too often as it is. 

Edited November 22, 2018 by soror

[Carrie12345]

If any strength trainers have great meal prep resources to share, I'd love to hear them!

3 weeks back in, I'm feeling over tired (despite decent sleep) and I think it's nutrition related.  I counted macros and calories yesterday to try to see where I am, and I struggled to meet a "typical" weight loss recommendation, so there's no way I'm currently meeting strength training recommendations! (I resorted to instant pudding leftover from tonight's chocolate pie, lol. Still short.) 

I've studied personal training and nutrition, so it isn't that I don't know what I "should" be doing. I'm just looking for something that takes less brainpower to get back on track so that I don't resort to staring into the fridge and justifying whatever happens to jump out at me.

I need to start meal prepping anyway.  One of my girls has gone vegetarian, but hasn't really progressed from avoidance to replacement yet. And dh is struggling to make gains in a healthy way.  Then I also have a kid who needs to continue losing weight and another who needs increased calories.  Plus a teenager who is mostly okay but starting to go a bit overboard with her new financial+food freedom outside of the house. And an (almost) 8yo who has The Most incredible intuitive diet I've ever seen and we'd all be better off if we had the brains to mimic him!

So, yeah; I need to pack the fridge with healthy, yummy stuff that can be mixed and matched to 7 different needs. 😮  

[Soror]

3 hours ago, Carrie12345 said:

If any strength trainers have great meal prep resources to share, I'd love to hear them!

3 weeks back in, I'm feeling over tired (despite decent sleep) and I think it's nutrition related.  I counted macros and calories yesterday to try to see where I am, and I struggled to meet a "typical" weight loss recommendation, so there's no way I'm currently meeting strength training recommendations! (I resorted to instant pudding leftover from tonight's chocolate pie, lol. Still short.) 

I've studied personal training and nutrition, so it isn't that I don't know what I "should" be doing. I'm just looking for something that takes less brainpower to get back on track so that I don't resort to staring into the fridge and justifying whatever happens to jump out at me.

I need to start meal prepping anyway.  One of my girls has gone vegetarian, but hasn't really progressed from avoidance to replacement yet. And dh is struggling to make gains in a healthy way.  Then I also have a kid who needs to continue losing weight and another who needs increased calories.  Plus a teenager who is mostly okay but starting to go a bit overboard with her new financial+food freedom outside of the house. And an (almost) 8yo who has The Most incredible intuitive diet I've ever seen and we'd all be better off if we had the brains to mimic him!

So, yeah; I need to pack the fridge with healthy, yummy stuff that can be mixed and matched to 7 different needs. 😮  

Girl, I just do my own thing. My easy meal planning is just to rotate through our favorites and keep it simple. I like making nice meals but that doesn't get done with not enough sleep. So, that's what I'd suggest make a list of your easy and healthy favorites and don't worry about repeats.

My very basic plan is:

monday- italian - can do whole grain noodles/ zuc noodles, turkey meatballs, w/ lots of veggies serve w/ salad

tuesday- tacos/mexican- serve as a salad or whole grain tortilla; extra veggies, beans for the veg lover

wednesday- stew/soup- endless possibilities

thursday- leftovers/fish

Friday- pizza- sometimes I just do reg gf pizza- sometimes might do lots of veggies, or a low carb crust

Sat- chili- can be done veg, reg (w/ beef or turkey), or white chicken chili

Sun- roast chicken- w/ veggies

This can be tweaked according to goals, suggestions above. Breakfast is pretty simple for me, these days my current rotation is eggs/ w/ whole grain gf toast and greek yogurt w/ raspberries, chopped pecans, and gf granola.

Lunch is leftovers- tuna sandwich w/ veggies and chips or chicken wrap

Nope, not uber healthy but this is what I can maintain w/ my current level of sleep. The better I feel the more I try to up the produce, the worse I feel the less I eat but having a general plan keeps me from the worst things and too much snacking. 

Last night was korean beef homemade marinade, jasmine rice, and roasted cauliflower. Meant to do a slaw too but it didn't happen. I measure my rice servings but take extra cauliflower.

Fri night will probably be some leftovers. 

Coming up this next week we will have Chicken Pho (nom nom paleo) and Moroccan Chicken (simple recipes) because those were requested. The rest will be the default menu unless I come up w/ something else.

[wintermom]

Happy Thanksgiving! We had our celebration back in October, so it's just a regular day here in Canada. Hope you all have a good time.

I'm going for a walk in the woods with homeschool friends this afternoon. It's going to be cold (- 20C) but we'll dress for it and just get out there and be tough. 😉  I went for a walk on my own yesterday, particialy on a wooded train and partly on fields. I had to break a trail through the snow (about a foot deep) in some areas so it was a pretty good lower body work-out. Then I did an upper body work-out eating some chips after lunch! 😁 Have to replenish salts and electrolytes!

[wintermom]

I went for another walk through the woods this morning. My new hiking/winter boots are pretty big and heavy, so I don't bother putting on snowshoes. I don't want anymore weight!

I also played tennis this evening for 2 hours. It was a lot of fun to get out and hit the ball around. I wish I could play more often, as my skill level seems to plummet when I only play once a week. 

[SKL]

Hi guys.  I have been terrible this month, BUT I did run [aka jog/walk] that 5K on Thanksgiving day.  😛  Hoping it jump starts better behavior all around.  🙂

 

[Soror]

9 hours ago, SKL said:

Hi guys.  I have been terrible this month, BUT I did run [aka jog/walk] that 5K on Thanksgiving day.  😛  Hoping it jump starts better behavior all around.  🙂

 

Good for you, congrats!

On 11/22/2018 at 9:42 AM, wintermom said:

Happy Thanksgiving! We had our celebration back in October, so it's just a regular day here in Canada. Hope you all have a good time.

I'm going for a walk in the woods with homeschool friends this afternoon. It's going to be cold (- 20C) but we'll dress for it and just get out there and be tough. 😉  I went for a walk on my own yesterday, particialy on a wooded train and partly on fields. I had to break a trail through the snow (about a foot deep) in some areas so it was a pretty good lower body work-out. Then I did an upper body work-out eating some chips after lunch! 😁 Have to replenish salts and electrolytes!

2

Thank you! Glad for the walk (sounds like a buttkicker) and some tennis, hope you can fit more in.

___________________________

We did a 4 mile hike yesterday, the weather was so nice, it was beautiful. I think I'm going to skip lifting this weekend. My one shoulder is still a bit sore and I want some family time, so I think I'll give the body a few extra days off before starting my next phase. Food has been ok, I could have done better but I could have done much worse too.

[hshibley]

I got my gym workouts in and 3 C25K run/walks. I'm pretty pleased with that given that its Thanksgiving and I have a houseful of people. I tried a couple of yoga classes in addition to my regular workouts and I really enjoyed them. I think I'll try to squeeze in a couple of classes a week. Goals for the week - Gym workouts 5 times this week - 2 strength and 3 cardio, switch my Saturday C25K run/walk to Fridays (it's getting to be too much after kettlebells), and try to fit in 1 or 2 yoga classes. This weekend I'm off to see Hamilton so no gym but loads of fun.

[wintermom]

I got in a lot of walking and some running in yesterday. The weather has been mild, which makes being outside pleasant. Still some snow on the ground and ice on sidewalks, so I have to be careful. I haven't done much running lately, so I'm a little sore this morning. 

[Carrie12345]

I hit my goal of M/W/F workouts for 4 weeks! Also consciously increased my calories (especially protein) this past week, and I feel SO much better now!

I haven't decided on which new goal to set next. I guess that's my goal for the weekend!

[HollyDay]

I am super sore today!!  My trainer spent half our session yesterday just trying to stretch me out and loosen up all the knots.  The other half hour was great fun!  Lots of total body work but I'm super super sore today.

I made the mistake was walking 2 days in a row.  I'm walking 2.0 - 2.25 miles now (something the PTs said I might never be able to do again).  The weather has been so great this week that I walked 2 days in a row then went to the gym on the 3rd day.  So, no wonder I'm sore.  But, goodness...I didn't run a marathon, I just walked to the park and back.  I miss the carefree days of just getting out and biking or walking and not worrying about how much pain it will cause the next day...

On the plus side, I now remember why my sports medicine doc told me to take a solid day off between workouts.  I just never equated a walk on a glorious day as a workout 🙂

 

[hshibley]

I got my regular workouts in plus learned how to do my C25K runs on the treadmill. I've been super busy so being able to get those in at the gym in the morning is a huge help. I also squeezed in 2 yoga classes. After Girl Scouts this morning I'm off to see Hamilton with my older daughters and visit for the weekend. Next week I'd like to get in my 3 strength training classes, 2 days of elliptical, 3 C25k runs and 2 yoga sessions. Looking ahead at this weeks C25K the 3rd workout in run 20 mins that seems so long 😮😂