February 2020 Well-Trained Bodies

[IvyInFlorida]

2 hours ago, soror said:

 

So, they are expecting 3 weeks or so for rehab? How is his recovery going?  Not surprising nutrition hasn't been perfect with all the busyness and stress, stress is not helping recovery either I'm sure 😞 It is so hard, I'm sorry you are going through this. Some of us tend to be too strict and some too lose, it is good to know which way you lean, I hope the scale is a helpful tool for you. What is the new goal? 

Oh, that doesn't sound nearly as bad. I have to get up in front of a huge giant church I don't even attend, again trying not to think about it.

_______________________

I had another good workout, woot ! No PRs or such but felt solid and had good endurance.

Got to bed later (for me) and am feeling tired today.

Hoping for a walk today and bucket carry- we'll see if I'm in the mood for the lighter or heavier one.

Eating has been good after a few days of cookie indulgence as long as it evens out I'm happy. 

Lunch will be some leftover beef w/ mushrooms, pepper, onion, spinach, and half a large baked potato (with a pat of butter). Dinner will be frozen gf pizza (easy night) w/ extra veggies on top. I'll have eggs w/ veggies this am or steel cut oats w/ fruit, not sure which for breakfast. 

 

I guess 3 weeks will be the limit of his rehab stay.  They are saying that he could go home sooner since he's otherwise strong and healthy, but I am going to push to make sure his walking is really really stable before he goes home.  My mom is like 5'1 and can't be helping him get up.  If he were to fall, probably the 2 of us couldn't get him up.  He's just a large-framed guy (guess which side of the family I take after lol).  It's really really hard to see him affected by stroke.  I wish we could know what his new normal will end up being so we can at least prepare for it.  Sometimes it seems like he'll be mostly ok, sometimes (like when they brought him a kiddie handwriting sheet to try out) it hits me that maybe not.

Re: food and goals... I have been mulling this stuff over a lot and I waffle on what I want or think I need to do.  One thing I know for sure is that I need a good template for every day bc I go off the rails big time without boundaries when it comes to eating.  I know I don't always have the energy I want...I tend to crash about 35 or 40 mins into a workout.  But it's hard to know if that's from not sleeping well enough or not eating enough calories.

Re: crash diets...that's so infuriating.  That's like recently when my relatives were so interested in what I did to lose weight and get fit--until they realized my way of eating wasn't a "named" diet that excluded food groups or blocks of time.  They literally turned away and started looking at their phones mid-sentence.  LOL.

Good luck everybody with presentations and workout plans and everything else going on!  I did some CKD drilling this morning and a short run, but I was NOT feeling it.  Disrupted sleep and last night's gin and tonic (another bday present from my mom) to blame I imagine, haha.

[Soror]

1 hour ago, IvyInFlorida said:

 

I guess 3 weeks will be the limit of his rehab stay.  They are saying that he could go home sooner since he's otherwise strong and healthy, but I am going to push to make sure his walking is really really stable before he goes home.  My mom is like 5'1 and can't be helping him get up.  If he were to fall, probably the 2 of us couldn't get him up.  He's just a large-framed guy (guess which side of the family I take after lol).  It's really really hard to see him affected by stroke.  I wish we could know what his new normal will end up being so we can at least prepare for it.  Sometimes it seems like he'll be mostly ok, sometimes (like when they brought him a kiddie handwriting sheet to try out) it hits me that maybe not.

Re: food and goals... I have been mulling this stuff over a lot and I waffle on what I want or think I need to do.  One thing I know for sure is that I need a good template for every day bc I go off the rails big time without boundaries when it comes to eating.  I know I don't always have the energy I want...I tend to crash about 35 or 40 mins into a workout.  But it's hard to know if that's from not sleeping well enough or not eating enough calories.

Re: crash diets...that's so infuriating.  That's like recently when my relatives were so interested in what I did to lose weight and get fit--until they realized my way of eating wasn't a "named" diet that excluded food groups or blocks of time.  They literally turned away and started looking at their phones mid-sentence.  LOL.

Good luck everybody with presentations and workout plans and everything else going on!  I did some CKD drilling this morning and a short run, but I was NOT feeling it.  Disrupted sleep and last night's gin and tonic (another bday present from my mom) to blame I imagine, haha.

I think that is a very good idea to make sure he can walk very well before leaving, I'd feel the same way, although I'm sure he is ready to get home. I hate uncertainty too, even more stressing when it is the health of our loved one that is in question.

Right now the 2 big diets are vegan and keto, so different. This person tells me they don't think extreme diets are good for us but is blind to the fact that is what they are doing. 

I think the lack of energy is likely multi-faceted. I know plenty say you can gain strength and lose weight at the same time but I can def. tell I don't have as much to give when I'm in a deficit vs maintenance level. I lost a few pounds in July but my workouts were pretty crappy. Now, in Dec I lost a few pounds too but following the PN recs felt much better in my workouts.  But sleeping a bit better and eating at maintenance I got more umph now for sure and am powering through longer and harder workouts. 2k was your body comp, and you are only hitting 1700 that is a sig. deficit for your activity level. Another thing to look at is  scaling back your mornings on CKD day, maybe you'll have more in the tanks to make it through if you don't push as hard in the morning? Since CKD is your primary focus I'd give it first priority.

I think you are being too hard on yourself re the diet. You have demonstrated amazing long term adherence to a very strict diet. You are not the same girl you were! I'd also venture a guess that the reason you are going off the rails when you do is because you are keeping such a big deficit and such a strict diet the rest of the time. I've done the same thing to myself a billion times. I get down on myself that I'm not eating as well as I should, pull back, then bam there I am hit by rebound hunger. I do better overall keeping some treats in my day, I don't know if it is because I inadvertently cut carbs or calories in general too much (and still am working on figuring out how to eat as well I can and feel the best I can). It has been a big learning curve to figure that out coming out of eating low carb for so long and I'm sure that is different for everyone and I still do that sometimes especially when hormones hit but it is so much better, the ups and downs are smoother and I'm still working on it.

[Laura Corin]

1 hour ago, soror said:

I think the lack of energy is likely multi-faceted. I know plenty say you can gain strength and lose weight at the same time but I can def. tell I don't have as much to give when I'm in a deficit vs maintenance level. I lost a few pounds in July but my workouts were pretty crappy. Now, in Dec I lost a few pounds too but following the PN recs felt much better in my workouts.  But sleeping a bit better and eating at maintenance I got more umph now for sure and am powering through longer and harder workouts. 2k was your body comp, and you are only hitting 1700 that is a sig. deficit for your activity level. Another thing to look at is  scaling back your mornings on CKD day, maybe you'll have more in the tanks to make it through if you don't push as hard in the morning? Since CKD is your primary focus I'd give it first priority.

I had to dial back on exercise a bit when I was losing weight seriously. If I was doing yoga for an hour, I couldn't do an hour of serious walking beforehand. I did warm up strolls instead.

,........,

Managed the yoga at lunchtime. Rather ludicrously, I accidentally downloaded a routine I had done earlier in the week. It felt a bit odd to be doing it in the office, but I like the idea of fitting both yoga and walking in most days by having the flexibility of doing yoga at lunchtime. That should also mean more reliable early bedtimes if I'm not trying to fit in yoga last thing.

NW this evening was largely by moonlight, and the wind was cold, but I managed under-13-minute miles, so that felt good.

 

 

 

[IvyInFlorida]

17 hours ago, soror said:

I think that is a very good idea to make sure he can walk very well before leaving, I'd feel the same way, although I'm sure he is ready to get home. I hate uncertainty too, even more stressing when it is the health of our loved one that is in question.

Right now the 2 big diets are vegan and keto, so different. This person tells me they don't think extreme diets are good for us but is blind to the fact that is what they are doing. 

I think the lack of energy is likely multi-faceted. I know plenty say you can gain strength and lose weight at the same time but I can def. tell I don't have as much to give when I'm in a deficit vs maintenance level. I lost a few pounds in July but my workouts were pretty crappy. Now, in Dec I lost a few pounds too but following the PN recs felt much better in my workouts.  But sleeping a bit better and eating at maintenance I got more umph now for sure and am powering through longer and harder workouts. 2k was your body comp, and you are only hitting 1700 that is a sig. deficit for your activity level. Another thing to look at is  scaling back your mornings on CKD day, maybe you'll have more in the tanks to make it through if you don't push as hard in the morning? Since CKD is your primary focus I'd give it first priority.

I think you are being too hard on yourself re the diet. You have demonstrated amazing long term adherence to a very strict diet. You are not the same girl you were! I'd also venture a guess that the reason you are going off the rails when you do is because you are keeping such a big deficit and such a strict diet the rest of the time. I've done the same thing to myself a billion times. I get down on myself that I'm not eating as well as I should, pull back, then bam there I am hit by rebound hunger. I do better overall keeping some treats in my day, I don't know if it is because I inadvertently cut carbs or calories in general too much (and still am working on figuring out how to eat as well I can and feel the best I can). It has been a big learning curve to figure that out coming out of eating low carb for so long and I'm sure that is different for everyone and I still do that sometimes especially when hormones hit but it is so much better, the ups and downs are smoother and I'm still working on it.

 

Thank you so much, and @Laura Corin too--I needed to hear all this!  I mulled it over all day yesterday (while I was cleaning up debris from a ridiculous windstorm that hit the night before) and realized just how much less fun being active is when you're not sure you're going to have the energy to drag yourself through it.  And since the mental/emotional aspect is a big motivator for my active lifestyle, that's a problem!  Also my blood sugar tanks if I can't eat a meal on time or at the end of a long workout (I can tell because I get panicky and irritable) and that's been happening more often lately.  And I KNOW rebound hunger is a thing for me and yet I shove that to the back of my mind.  Ugh, I know better!  But I love a challenge and challenging myself so I rationalize.

I think being smarter about programming the different workouts is something I need to do too, like you said.  I actually felt really great right around Thanksgiving and Christmas and I'm sure it had to do with the fact that my workouts were dialed down about a third and my calories were slightly up.

@Monica_in_Switzerland that thing you said a few days ago about being well-trained to meet life's challenges--that has been rolling around in my head ever since.  Thanks so much for that!

I really appreciate all of y'all encouraging me during this tough time!

 

[IvyInFlorida]

16 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

Managed the yoga at lunchtime. Rather ludicrously, I accidentally downloaded a routine I had done earlier in the week. It felt a bit odd to be doing it in the office, but I like the idea of fitting both yoga and walking in most days by having the flexibility of doing yoga at lunchtime. That should also mean more reliable early bedtimes if I'm not trying to fit in yoga last thing.

NW this evening was largely by moonlight, and the wind was cold, but I managed under-13-minute miles, so that felt good.

 

 

 

 

I'm impressed at you working out in the dark and cold like that!  That kind of thing makes me want to hibernate until spring!

[Laura Corin]

39 minutes ago, IvyInFlorida said:

 

I'm impressed at you working out in the dark and cold like that!  That kind of thing makes me want to hibernate until spring!

It was rather lovely despite the cold, with a full-ish moon across the water.

Today my angelic husband is taking my mum out to lunch. I'm walking the dog, then going out to lunch on my own with a book. Thereafter I'll start work on clearing up the garden for the spring, then do some yoga when it gets dark.

[Soror]

16 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

I had to dial back on exercise a bit when I was losing weight seriously. If I was doing yoga for an hour, I couldn't do an hour of serious walking beforehand. I did warm up strolls instead.

,........,

Managed the yoga at lunchtime. Rather ludicrously, I accidentally downloaded a routine I had done earlier in the week. It felt a bit odd to be doing it in the office, but I like the idea of fitting both yoga and walking in most days by having the flexibility of doing yoga at lunchtime. That should also mean more reliable early bedtimes if I'm not trying to fit in yoga last thing.

NW this evening was largely by moonlight, and the wind was cold, but I managed under-13-minute miles, so that felt good.

 

 

 

LOL, I've accidentally done the same workout twice too, no harm I guess but a bit annoying. That is wonderful to have the option to get it done during the day, even better if you can get to bed early.

17 minutes ago, IvyInFlorida said:

 

Thank you so much, and @Laura Corin too--I needed to hear all this!  I mulled it over all day yesterday (while I was cleaning up debris from a ridiculous windstorm that hit the night before) and realized just how much less fun being active is when you're not sure you're going to have the energy to drag yourself through it.  And since the mental/emotional aspect is a big motivator for my active lifestyle, that's a problem!  Also my blood sugar tanks if I can't eat a meal on time or at the end of a long workout (I can tell because I get panicky and irritable) and that's been happening more often lately.  And I KNOW rebound hunger is a thing for me and yet I shove that to the back of my mind.  Ugh, I know better!  But I love a challenge and challenging myself so I rationalize.

I think being smarter about programming the different workouts is something I need to do too, like you said.  I actually felt really great right around Thanksgiving and Christmas and I'm sure it had to do with the fact that my workouts were dialed down about a third and my calories were slightly up.

@Monica_in_Switzerland that thing you said a few days ago about being well-trained to meet life's challenges--that has been rolling around in my head ever since.  Thanks so much for that!

I really appreciate all of y'all encouraging me during this tough time!

 

I think all of us that are active have been there, there are so many things we want to do it can be easy to keep adding on but more isn't always better (you usually find out where too much is after you have went past it!). I have been worried about you pushing yourself so hard. I got to dragging some as I finished Morning Meltdown along with my other activity. I ended up putting a lot of thought into my goals with exercise and thinking about what would get me there and what I think was reasonable for my body, so far sessions are feeling stronger and more productive and I'm getting more recovery work. I also have put a lot of thought into balance with exercise and life, I could see some days I was giving all my energy and too much time to exercise and not leaving enough for the things I needed to do around the house, so I have been getting more things done and that feels great too, might not be the exercise high but it is a good feeling of accomplishment.

I did not do bucket carry yesterday, maybe my once a week goal is too optimistic because I have a hard time doing it that often...

I did a whole lot of cleaning and got a 2 mile walk with the girls outside.The sun came out but the wind was fierce.

Today I'm lifting with my friend 🙂 We'll do a billion things but plenty of talk breaks so my HR doesn't get up and stay near as high but we get a lot done as we are there at least 90 minutes. We do the Pull-Up program the first half and then whatever she feels like doing.

 

 

[Soror]

And today I got my chin clearly over the bar for 2 very solid and beautiful dead hang pull-ups. 🙂 🙂 🙂 

My friend videoed the first which is pretty good but my second one was perfect.

Overall it was a good workout, I felt strong. Ended with tire flips inside (so a bit easier as they are not as hard to grip) we did the 100# tire 5x, then 160# 5x and 200# 2x2. Added weight on my kneeling press but not on any other lifts as we had went pretty heavy last week as it was. I added reps to my pull-ups, although after those first 2 wonderful ones I didn't quite make it up I just pulled as far as I could. Endurance was not as good today but it was a solid workout. I had a small headache this morning, my period is due, so I'm guessing it is hormones.

 

Edited February 8, 2020 by soror

[IvyInFlorida]

19 minutes ago, soror said:

And today I got my chin clearly over the bar for 2 very solid and beautiful dead hang pull-ups. 🙂 🙂 🙂 

My friend videoed the first which is pretty good but my second one was perfect.

Overall it was a good workout, I felt strong. Ended with tire flips inside (so a bit easier as they are not as hard to grip) we did the 100# tire 5x, then 160# 5x and 200# 2x2. Added weight on my kneeling press but not on any other lifts as we had went pretty heavy last week as it was. I added reps to my pull-ups, although after those first 2 wonderful ones I didn't quite make it up I just pulled as far as I could. Endurance was not as good today but it was a solid workout. I had a small headache this morning, my period is due, so I'm guessing it is hormones.

 

 

YAY!!!!!!!!   Congratulations!!!  You have worked so hard for those pull ups!  Yay!!!

[Soror]

11 minutes ago, IvyInFlorida said:

 

YAY!!!!!!!!   Congratulations!!!  You have worked so hard for those pull ups!  Yay!!!

Thank you!!! Not enough exclamations for my excitement, it is a happy day 🙂 Feeling very pumped. I had to take dd out afterwards to get some clothes and found myself a new skort as a reward. I told my friend that I know that it is likely I might not get another one for a bit b/c that is how strength, it is not always linear, but it is a start. Some days are better than others but I am gaining strength bit by bit and you know I sure felt at times that perhaps I was delusional and I should just give up but I kept at it. Heck, a few weeks back I was sure going into the workout that I was going to nail it and it was my worst workout I had in ages. I wanted to cry so bad but I licked my wounds and got back to it.

Edited February 8, 2020 by soror

[Laura Corin]

Well done, @soror

[wintermom]

Hey ladies. Congratulations on all the exercising you've been doing while I've been sitting at a conference, sitting in a car driving, and sitting at my aunt's visiting. I'm so happy to be home again, and the best part is that dh and I have our competitive tennis league match tonight! So I'll get to jump right back in to some intense exercise. I hope my body survives. 😉

The conference was awesome! The poster presentation went very well, and it was a really nice way to talk with other professionals in the field. It was a conference all about Traumatic Brain Injury. I did a program evaluation for an agency that provides out-patient services to individuals with brain injury, and I knew very little about the field back then. Ironically I've experienced a ton more in-person when my ds 17 sustained a minor brain injury, so all the presentations at the conference were of very high interest to me. There were researchers from both the US and Canada presenting their findings.  

[IvyInFlorida]

That's really neat, @wintermom!

[Laura Corin]

Glad it went well @wintermom. The tennis sounds like fun, too.

,...............

I made good use of the last of the good weather to view a different house, take a walk, prune our apple trees and tidy the flower tubs around the house. It's raining in sheets now, so the heathers I transplanted will be well watered in. I hope for lots of yoga tomorrow, plus a wet walk with the dog.

[FarmingMomma]

Finished up week 10 of 80 day obsession, only 3 weeks to go!  Didn't get my workout in until late, but I'm glad I didn't put it off until tomorrow.  Tomorrow I'll do some stretching and hopefully go snowshoeing.  

[IvyInFlorida]

Lifted weights in the afternoon--felt good.  I had a little more sleep and a good lunch in the tank and ended up with a satisfying workout.  Today will probably be a rest day unless I need to get out and burn off some stress.

[wintermom]

Tennis last night was really fun and a good work-out. I could still run around after the ball, and I didn't get injured. I made a whole lot of errors, though. It's tough to keep up the accuracy when I only play once every 2 weeks. I need a lot more practice than that! 😉

It's -20 outside, and we're hosting a big family dinner, so I probably won't get outside to exercise today. I did my physio strength and stretches, at least. 

[wintermom]

22 hours ago, soror said:

Thank you!!! Not enough exclamations for my excitement, it is a happy day 🙂 Feeling very pumped. I had to take dd out afterwards to get some clothes and found myself a new skort as a reward. I told my friend that I know that it is likely I might not get another one for a bit b/c that is how strength, it is not always linear, but it is a start. Some days are better than others but I am gaining strength bit by bit and you know I sure felt at times that perhaps I was delusional and I should just give up but I kept at it. Heck, a few weeks back I was sure going into the workout that I was going to nail it and it was my worst workout I had in ages. I wanted to cry so bad but I licked my wounds and got back to it.

Great job on the accomplishment! I'm going to nickname you "Muscles." My hero! 😀  We also have "Superwoman" who can carry cows on this thread. Very inspiring!! 

[Soror]

2 hours ago, wintermom said:

Great job on the accomplishment! I'm going to nickname you "Muscles." My hero! 😀  We also have "Superwoman" who can carry cows on this thread. Very inspiring!! 

LOL, thanks. We have lots of strong and fit women on here!

I'm having one of those days. Girls and the cat woke me up multiple times on my one day to sleep in, ugh, I gave up at 3:40. My period came. Woke up to teenage children stress and angst (HUGE ugh). 

And we had our presentation at the church. You guys know I was so nervous but the stress of waiting for it was the worst part, we made it and all went fine. Still dealing with teenage children issues, little kids are so much easier.

Today is a rest day and I plan on working on stress management today, relaxation, a nap, maybe a slow walk and a bath. I need to lower the stress hormones.

[wintermom]

1 minute ago, soror said:

LOL, thanks. We have lots of strong and fit women on here!

I'm having one of those days. Girls and the cat woke me up multiple times on my one day to sleep in, ugh, I gave up at 3:40. My period came. Woke up to teenage children stress and angst (HUGE ugh). 

And we had our presentation at the church. You guys know I was so nervous but the stress of waiting for it was the worst part, we made it and all went fine. Still dealing with teenage children issues, little kids are so much easier.

Today is a rest day and I plan on working on stress management today, relaxation, a nap, maybe a slow walk and a bath. I need to lower the stress hormones.

Yes, we do have a lot of strong and fit women here! It's wonderful to see.

Great job on your presentation!!!!  I had the exact same feeling about my driving and conference - the pre-event anxiety was way worse than the actual experience. Driving on my own into and out of downtown Toronto went very smoothly, as did all the rest of my activities. 

Also YES to dealing with teens being more challenging than little kids!! What am I thinking having 4 teens in the house all at once! I'm a disaster at planning. 🥶

[IvyInFlorida]

@wintermom -20!  Yikes!

@soror I'm sorry you are having a cruddy day.  I hope it turns around for you and you can shed the stress.

It was in the upper 60s and sunny here today, so I couldn't help but get outside for a nice run before lunch today.  Last lap, I tripped on a root and bit the dust right as my husband happened to be walking nearby.  Why do 100% of the goofy things I do happen around him?!  LOL.  So my whole left side is banged up, but thankfully I did not squash my phone in the pocket on that side.

I have been trying to change a few things with my eating...I definitely have had more energy yesterday and today even though I'm not really getting out of a deficit level.  I think I am so used to eating stuff that is high volume/low calories that I fill up on that pretty easily.  I am very surprised to be having this problem to say the least!  I have been looking at my macros in my app and I think maybe it would help to up my carbs more.  Average daily carbs are like 25% when maybe they should be closer to 40%.  Thoughts anyone?

Tomorrow, if I'm not needed by my parents, I'll do something light in the morning (CKD technique drills, maybe) and then CKD class in the evening.

[Laura Corin]

It's blowing a hooley out there, but we managed to find a dry period for walking the dog. This morning's yoga was gentle but good.

I'm considering going to the pool after work tomorrow, as it will be windy and sleety. There's a women's session at the pool, which could be interesting.  I'm also hoping to do some yoga in the office at lunchtime.

[FarmingMomma]

Went for a two mile snowshoe with my 13 yo and all the dogs.  The snow is good and hard and the sun was kind of peeking through the clouds, so it was a perfect day for it.  

[Soror]

13 hours ago, IvyInFlorida said:

@wintermom -20!  Yikes!

@soror I'm sorry you are having a cruddy day.  I hope it turns around for you and you can shed the stress.

It was in the upper 60s and sunny here today, so I couldn't help but get outside for a nice run before lunch today.  Last lap, I tripped on a root and bit the dust right as my husband happened to be walking nearby.  Why do 100% of the goofy things I do happen around him?!  LOL.  So my whole left side is banged up, but thankfully I did not squash my phone in the pocket on that side.

I have been trying to change a few things with my eating...I definitely have had more energy yesterday and today even though I'm not really getting out of a deficit level.  I think I am so used to eating stuff that is high volume/low calories that I fill up on that pretty easily.  I am very surprised to be having this problem to say the least!  I have been looking at my macros in my app and I think maybe it would help to up my carbs more.  Average daily carbs are like 25% when maybe they should be closer to 40%.  Thoughts anyone?

Tomorrow, if I'm not needed by my parents, I'll do something light in the morning (CKD technique drills, maybe) and then CKD class in the evening.

Fruits and veggies can really fill you up easily. Do you have grains at every meal/ they are calorically dense? Might need to cut back on the veggies and/or eat more higher carb varieties some to allow room in the belly. Sorry about the fall 😞

13 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

It's blowing a hooley out there, but we managed to find a dry period for walking the dog. This morning's yoga was gentle but good.

I'm considering going to the pool after work tomorrow, as it will be windy and sleety. There's a women's session at the pool, which could be interesting.  I'm also hoping to do some yoga in the office at lunchtime.

A hooley?? LOL. It is nice that you have access to a pool, do you like to swim. My gym has one but it is nearly always busy with a class when I am there, I'm not much of a swimmer, it would be good to practice.

16 hours ago, wintermom said:

Yes, we do have a lot of strong and fit women here! It's wonderful to see.

Great job on your presentation!!!!  I had the exact same feeling about my driving and conference - the pre-event anxiety was way worse than the actual experience. Driving on my own into and out of downtown Toronto went very smoothly, as did all the rest of my activities. 

Also YES to dealing with teens being more challenging than little kids!! What am I thinking having 4 teens in the house all at once! I'm a disaster at planning. 🥶

I think I'll have at most 3 teens at a time (if I'm doing the math right), seems like more than enough. Dd1 is just a couple of months from 13 and well into the hormonal swings, she was such a sweet girl but now she's a little rough at times. I feel sorry for the younger 2 girls she can be a butthead.

_________________________

My day did get better in the afternoon, thank goodness. I got in some deep breathing, a nap, chocolate, and a walk 🙂 I also got in some cleaning which really helps stress as starting the week with a clean house puts everything on a better note.

[Soror]

I never did recap last week- it was one of the best I can remember. I finished the week with an avg sleep score of 78, my highest yet, even during PMS which is always a bit rougher on sleep (progesterone is def. helping). Activity level was good both exercise and general activity and exercise was well balanced between strength training, cardio, stretching/recovery.

I have been nearly religious with trying to do everything to ensure optimal sleep, I've noticed so many things that affect it- if I eat too little (or just too few carbs even with sufficient intake), activity level (lots of low level activity good- too much high intensity especially later in the day) bad. Getting time outside very good (wish the weather cooperated more). Time release melatonin is a life saver and the mag. glycinate helps too. Tart cherry juice is not enough on its own but does give some improvement. Early bed time is absolutely critical with my wake up time.

Fingers crossed for another good week, hoping for mostly a recap of last week although I don't know that I'll get as much outdoor time as the weather is not looking as favorable- we'll see.

Lifting Tues/Thurs/Sat 

I am going to be out of town Saturday but it looks like I will have plenty of time with nothing to do so I'm hoping to visit a gym and get in a walk.

20 min HIIT on stair climber after Tues lifting; 3 miles incline walking- moderate HR Thurs. Aiming for 1 more short HIIT at home 10 min- maybe I could do stop and start w/ the bucket on hills- that gets my HR up easily. One more moderate cardio workout at home- going to try a LesMills Body Combat from YouTube it is supposed to a mix of different martial arts and I really enjoyed the one from Morning Meltdown and the description sounds similar. 

4 days of mobility/stretching work and ample stretch time after my lifting sessions with good warm-ups. Goal is 3 easy walks- did 1 yesterday.

Today- trying out Body Combat- I think it is fairly short under 30 minutes for sure and some stretching.

Edited February 10, 2020 by soror

[Laura Corin]

@soror I like swimming, and took adult swim classes in my thirties to improve my strokes.  I get bored really quickly though of swimming in a pool, so once every few months is about all I have the enthusiasm for.  It's just he local municipal pool, so you need to fit in between classes.

Edited February 10, 2020 by Laura Corin

[wintermom]

5 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

@soror I like swimming, and took adult swim classes in my thirties to improve my strokes.  I get bored really quickly though of swimming in a pool, so once every few months is about all I have the enthusiasm for.  It's just he local municipal pool, so you need to fit in between classes.

I get extremely bored swimming as well. It was fine when I was on a swim team and there were other people doing a group thing.  When I do swim, I really have to add in some components for interest. I can't even focus enough to count more than 4 laps at a time. My mind wanders too much. Here are some things I do:

- Short intervals: 25 or 50m laps, taking 15 or 30 sec rest x 10 reps

- Vary the strokes: 50m front, 50m back, 50m breast, 50m kick x 5 reps

- 100m front crawl changing up the breathing pattern (25m breath every 4 strokes, 50 breath every 3 strokes, 25m breath every 2 strokes)

If you have any ideas that work for you, I'd love to hear them. 

[wintermom]

It has warmed up quite a bit here, but still below freezing. And there is lots of fresh snow. My walk in the woods will probably be snowshoeing with my big, heavy boots and poles. That should be a decent work-out. 

Food wise, my weight has hit a good level for maintenance where I feel satisfied and don't over eat. 

Sleep wise, I got the best sleep at the hotels last week. I did not think about all the things that need to be done to fix up the house of the move. That seems to be my mental rut for negative thoughts these days. My strategy is going to be to write a list of small, achievable tasks. Then I will have to actually complete the tasks, I suppose! 😉

[Laura Corin]

5 minutes ago, wintermom said:

I get extremely bored swimming as well. It was fine when I was on a swim team and there were other people doing a group thing.  When I do swim, I really have to add in some components for interest. I can't even focus enough to count more than 4 laps at a time. My mind wanders too much. Here are some things I do:

- Short intervals: 25 or 50m laps, taking 15 or 30 sec rest x 10 reps

- Vary the strokes: 50m front, 50m back, 50m breast, 50m kick x 5 reps

- 100m front crawl changing up the breathing pattern (25m breath every 4 strokes, 50 breath every 3 strokes, 25m breath every 2 strokes)

If you have any ideas that work for you, I'd love to hear them. 

I need to be able to listen to podcasts......

[wintermom]

12 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

I need to be able to listen to podcasts......

What kind of gear do you need to have to be able to do this? I don't even wear my watch in the water.;)

[wintermom]

1 hour ago, soror said:

I never did recap last week- it was one of the best I can remember. I finished the week with an avg sleep score of 78, my highest yet, even during PMS which is always a bit rougher on sleep (progesterone is def. helping). Activity level was good both exercise and general activity and exercise was well balanced between strength training, cardio, stretching/recovery.

I have been nearly religious with trying to do everything to ensure optimal sleep, I've noticed so many things that affect it- if I eat too little (or just too few carbs even with sufficient intake), activity level (lots of low level activity good- too much high intensity especially later in the day) bad. Getting time outside very good (wish the weather cooperated more). Time release melatonin is a life saver and the mag. glycinate helps too. Tart cherry juice is not enough on its own but does give some improvement. Early bed time is absolutely critical with my wake up time.

Fingers crossed for another good week, hoping for mostly a recap of last week although I don't know that I'll get as much outdoor time as the weather is not looking as favorable- we'll see.

That is awesome you are getting some excellent sleep! Kind of sucks that the balance can be so delicate, but if you have a formula that works that is super. Sometimes I feel like, "Who has time and energy to precisely control all these variables just to get some decent sleep!" Too much stress. 😂

[SKL]

As of yesterday, I finished 21 consecutive days of doing my daily "yoga etc." routine and TKD form practice.

Walking hasn't been so good due to mega work deadlines and other things.  I try to fit some in here and there.

I need to be better about my food choices also.  But our kitchen has been a mess due to repairs / renovations.  I have maybe 2 square feet of counter space and it's just not fun to be in there.

[Laura Corin]

10 minutes ago, wintermom said:

What kind of gear do you need to have to be able to do this? I don't even wear my watch in the water.;)

You can get waterproof MP3 players for a price: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/body/best-waterproof-headphones/

I wear my Fitbit in the water.  It could do with a chlorine bath.  I may not go tonight though: I managed a brisk walk at lunchtime between snow showers, and I'll probably just do a taxing yoga session this evening (Laura chickens out of boring swimming).

[Soror]

43 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

@soror I like swimming, and took adult swim classes in my thirties to improve my strokes.  I get bored really quickly though of swimming in a pool, so once every few months is about all I have the enthusiasm for.  It's just he local municipal pool, so you need to fit in between classes.

I took adult swimming lessons in my 20s and again a couple of years ago, still don't feel that proficient at it, I should take another set of lessons really, maybe this summer. It isn't my favorite either although I don't know how much is because I'm just not that great at it!

9 minutes ago, wintermom said:

That is awesome you are getting some excellent sleep! Kind of sucks that the balance can be so delicate, but if you have a formula that works that is super. Sometimes I feel like, "Who has time and energy to precisely control all these variables just to get some decent sleep!" Too much stress. 😂

LOL, I know, some of the things are easy, like the cherry juice and supplements. I am doing pretty well on food as I'm not trying to lose weight but gain strength.The early bedtime can be hard with activities but we just do the best we can to hit most nights and I'm doing better at cooking food earlier so we can either eat before activities or right after them. Dh gets up with me and is even busier so he really needs the sleep too, so it had to move up on the priority list. Getting more sleep makes you realize how much it makes a difference too, I wish I would have worked harder on it earlier to be honest but when you are tired it is hard to put the effort to it. I keep getting more sleep and then each step better I'm thinking, wow, I felt like I was doing so much better to get this much and now I see that still wasn't enough.

26 minutes ago, wintermom said:

It has warmed up quite a bit here, but still below freezing. And there is lots of fresh snow. My walk in the woods will probably be snowshoeing with my big, heavy boots and poles. That should be a decent work-out. 

Food wise, my weight has hit a good level for maintenance where I feel satisfied and don't over eat. 

Sleep wise, I got the best sleep at the hotels last week. I did not think about all the things that need to be done to fix up the house of the move. That seems to be my mental rut for negative thoughts these days. My strategy is going to be to write a list of small, achievable tasks. Then I will have to actually complete the tasks, I suppose! 😉

I am glad you have settled in to your maintenance and are feeling satisfied. I never sleep well away from home, that is a good skill to have but it is understandable that you have a lot on your mind with such big changes coming up. 

_______________________

24 min of Body Combat- it was about half slow instruction and half class

15 min stretching

[wintermom]

I explored a new trail on snowshoes this afternoon. It was lovely and mild with lots of fresh powder on the trees and ground. I had to shed layers and wear sun glasses, but no complaints from me when the sun comes out! It was a really good work-out without straining any muscles too much. 

[Soror]

Yesterday afternoon I didn't feel like going outside so I walked inside and watched some tv, then when dh got home he wanted to walk together so we did a short (.5) mile walk together.

This am is stretching- pm is gym- lifting and then stairclimber intervals. About 30 min lifting and 20 min. stairclimber- finished w/ 10 min cool down and stretching.

Dh asked me if I'm doing pull-ups tonight, well I always do pull-ups on Tuesday, I'm trying not to think about it and psych myself out. We'll see how I do.

[IvyInFlorida]

10 hours ago, SKL said:

As of yesterday, I finished 21 consecutive days of doing my daily "yoga etc." routine and TKD form practice.

Walking hasn't been so good due to mega work deadlines and other things.  I try to fit some in here and there.

I need to be better about my food choices also.  But our kitchen has been a mess due to repairs / renovations.  I have maybe 2 square feet of counter space and it's just not fun to be in there.

 

2 ft of counter space?!?!  UGH.  I bet you can't wait for that to be over!

 

@soror I'm so glad you had such a good week of sleep and fitness!  I feel you on how hard it is to balance everything to get good outcomes with sleep and all the rest. 

Re: carbs...I have 2 pieces of homemade whole wheat bread at breakfast, carbs at lunch come from things like carrots and apple, afternoon snack from a banana, suppertime I either have white or sweet potatoes about half the time, the other half the time rice or a homemade roll or cornbread.   So not a ton of non-fruit/veg carbs, but some.

@wintermom and @Laura Corin I love hearing about y'all's outdoor adventures in all weathers, especially since I'm such a wimp about the cold!

 

CKD class was pretty fun and strenuous since the chief instructor was there.  Spinning kicks made me a little less dizzy this time, so that's good.  Today I'm going to see my dad at the stroke rehab place (which means a drive to The Big City), then over to my parents' house in the afternoon.  If my mom's to do list isn't too long, I will go running on my old trail in their woods.  I'll have to go easy, though--it's supposed to be 83 and sunny today and it always is good to ease back into working out in the heat after a long hiatus.  Need to get new running shoes!

[IvyInFlorida]

17 minutes ago, soror said:

Yesterday afternoon I didn't feel like going outside so I walked inside and watched some tv, then when dh got home he wanted to walk together so we did a short (.5) mile walk together.

This am is stretching- pm is gym- lifting and then stairclimber intervals. About 30 min lifting and 20 min. stairclimber- finished w/ 10 min cool down and stretching.

Dh asked me if I'm doing pull-ups tonight, well I always do pull-ups on Tuesday, I'm trying not to think about it and psych myself out. We'll see how I do.

 

Pull-ups are bizarrely psychological.  I'm not sure why.  I always have to stoke up my confidence and visualize myself doing the reps before I start.  But I do remember that once I broke the barrier of the first one, I was able to jump up to 2x3 pretty quickly.  Hopefully that will be your experience too!  Report back!  🙂

[wintermom]

3 hours ago, IvyInFlorida said:

 

@wintermom and @Laura Corin I love hearing about y'all's outdoor adventures in all weathers, especially since I'm such a wimp about the cold!

 

CKD class was pretty fun and strenuous since the chief instructor was there.  Spinning kicks made me a little less dizzy this time, so that's good.  Today I'm going to see my dad at the stroke rehab place (which means a drive to The Big City), then over to my parents' house in the afternoon.  If my mom's to do list isn't too long, I will go running on my old trail in their woods.  I'll have to go easy, though--it's supposed to be 83 and sunny today and it always is good to ease back into working out in the heat after a long hiatus.  Need to get new running shoes!

Trust me, we are not all "happy for the cold." For me, getting out in the cold is pretty much the same cycle every year. In the late fall, there is the feeling of disappointment that the long, summer days are gone, the denial that it's going to be cold and dark for a long time, a desire to hibernate until the spring, and then a slow reluctant move toward the inevitable of getting out there and getting used to the cold again.  The highlight in my area is late Feb/early March when it's sugaring off time (sap in the maple trees starts to run, gets collected, and boiled down into syrup). This indicates spring is coming, and getting outside to ski can be done in a more "humane" way. 😂

 

Edited February 11, 2020 by wintermom

[wintermom]

Guess what, there is still snow and cold out there. I'm going to be wild and crazy and go for a hike in the snow. I know, you are all shocked. 😁

[Soror]

3 hours ago, IvyInFlorida said:

 

Pull-ups are bizarrely psychological.  I'm not sure why.  I always have to stoke up my confidence and visualize myself doing the reps before I start.  But I do remember that once I broke the barrier of the first one, I was able to jump up to 2x3 pretty quickly.  Hopefully that will be your experience too!  Report back!  🙂

There is very much the mental aspect. I have figured out that I do much better if I go straight to it rather than hang there and try to get my nerve up as I pysch myself out. I'm trying not to think about it so I don't have too many expectations and get all in my head. I will certainly report back as to how it goes, fingers crossed. 

1 minute ago, wintermom said:

Guess what, there is still snow and cold out there. I'm going to be wild and crazy and go for a hike in the snow. I know, you are all shocked. 😁

Shocked, I tell you!

__________

30ish minutes of stretching/tai chi/yoga- etc hodge podge of a few different videos trying to find something I liked. I really wish I could buy just the Morning Meltdown yoga and revibe videos, I really liked them. I tried a Les Mills Bodyflow today and I think it is similar so I'll try that out again, only problem most of the videos were near an hour and I don't generally want to do that much in the am. 

[SKL]

I just realized that a marshmallow is only 25 calories.  Bye bye, marshmallows!  😛

[Laura Corin]

4 hours ago, wintermom said:

Trust me, we are not all "happy for the cold." For me, getting out in the cold is pretty much the same cycle every year. In the late fall, there is the feeling of disappointment that the long, summer days are gone, the denial that it's going to be cold and dark for a long time, a desire to hibernate until the spring, and then a slow reluctant move toward the inevitable of getting out there and getting used to the cold again.  The highlight in my area is late Feb/early March when it's sugaring off time (sap in the maple trees starts to run, gets collected, and boiled down into syrup). This indicates spring is coming, and getting outside to ski can be done in a more "humane" way. 😂

 

It's not nearly as cold here as what @wintermom experiences, but it is dark. At this time of year my heart starts to leap as the days get longer and I no longer spend all the daylight hours at work.

Not much walking at lunchtime - I was tied up with work meetings - but a good half an hour of yoga just now. I've got into a really good habit of coming home, making myself a cup of tea, chatting to Husband, then doing a little yoga before he or I cook supper. The tea and yoga form a good bridge into the evening and help to damp down the stress snackies.

The fish man came from the coast with his van today, so Husband bought sea trout for tonight and locally-smoked salmon for later in the week.

[Matryoshka]

I have been lax about updating here... Wintermom, I'm a bit jealous about the fun in the snow.  Here it's cold, but there's been very little snow this year, so it's just kinda muddy with icy/slush patches.  Yuk.  Soror, great job on the pull-ups!!  

Still just OT here... we had a 2000m benchmark on the rowers last week.  It was after they gave us a few days that killed the legs - I'm almost never sore anymore, but my legs were killing me last week, and then they threw in that benchmark!  I didn't think I'd manage to improve from my last benchmark, but I actually managed to beat it by 1 second!  (7:57 min)  For PinkTulip, my fellow rower here, on the water rower I'm managing to maintain just about a 1:59-ish split time, so on a Concept 2 that same "2000m" would take me a lot longer.  I know over that distance I can maintain something like a 2:20 split or maaaybe a little below that.  The only time I've gotten below a 2:00 split on a Concept 2 is on, say, the first 5 strokes of a 100m sprint.  After the first 10-20 strokes I can't maintain close to that.  That's why I know the times on the water rower are bogus - so it is nice to have those benchmark days where I can compare against my own previous times, so at least it's apples:apples.

[Matryoshka]

On 2/5/2020 at 7:27 AM, Laura Corin said:

Supper: Yotam Ottolenghi's chickpea and onion soup: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/feb/01/yotam-ottolenghi-soup-recipes-chicken-black-eyed-bean-yemeni-onion-chickpea-celeriac-rice

These look really yummy and I think I may try a couple, but first I need to know what in the heck "tomato passata" is...?  Is that a fancy British way of saying "tomato paste"???  I'm just blanking on whatever else it could be...

[Laura Corin]

7 hours ago, Matryoshka said:

These look really yummy and I think I may try a couple, but first I need to know what in the heck "tomato passata" is...?  Is that a fancy British way of saying "tomato paste"???  I'm just blanking on whatever else it could be...

Passata is pureed tomatoes, so it's not concentrated like tomato paste. I would substitute canned tomatoes.https://www.thekitchn.com/what-is-tomato-passata-and-how-156321

[Soror]

For all those waiting... I did NOT manage any full pull-ups last night but all my pulls were strong and consistent, just quite not over the bar. I was actually really pleased. Usually after a really good session I'll have one that bombs. I've never had that many pulls so good, so still progress and I didn't choke🙂

I added reps to my renegade rows and my deadlifts (bodyweight) I upped the intensity on my stair climber intervals and really kept the HR up and ended with a feel good stretch.

 

I'm very much looking forward to stretching this am and trying out Les Mills on demand.

[Soror]

13 hours ago, Matryoshka said:

I have been lax about updating here... Wintermom, I'm a bit jealous about the fun in the snow.  Here it's cold, but there's been very little snow this year, so it's just kinda muddy with icy/slush patches.  Yuk.  Soror, great job on the pull-ups!!  

Still just OT here... we had a 2000m benchmark on the rowers last week.  It was after they gave us a few days that killed the legs - I'm almost never sore anymore, but my legs were killing me last week, and then they threw in that benchmark!  I didn't think I'd manage to improve from my last benchmark, but I actually managed to beat it by 1 second!  (7:57 min)  For PinkTulip, my fellow rower here, on the water rower I'm managing to maintain just about a 1:59-ish split time, so on a Concept 2 that same "2000m" would take me a lot longer.  I know over that distance I can maintain something like a 2:20 split or maaaybe a little below that.  The only time I've gotten below a 2:00 split on a Concept 2 is on, say, the first 5 strokes of a 100m sprint.  After the first 10-20 strokes I can't maintain close to that.  That's why I know the times on the water rower are bogus - so it is nice to have those benchmark days where I can compare against my own previous times, so at least it's apples:apples.

Great job improving!

16 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

It's not nearly as cold here as what @wintermom experiences, but it is dark. At this time of year my heart starts to leap as the days get longer and I no longer spend all the daylight hours at work.

Not much walking at lunchtime - I was tied up with work meetings - but a good half an hour of yoga just now. I've got into a really good habit of coming home, making myself a cup of tea, chatting to Husband, then doing a little yoga before he or I cook supper. The tea and yoga form a good bridge into the evening and help to damp down the stress snackies.

The fish man came from the coast with his van today, so Husband bought sea trout for tonight and locally-smoked salmon for later in the week.

Oh, I hate the extended darkness too, every day we get a bit more daylight though. Great job on the bridge! I had one in a stretching video the other day and was happy to see mine was stronger than it had been as I am stronger but it still needs work.

19 hours ago, SKL said:

I just realized that a marshmallow is only 25 calories.  Bye bye, marshmallows!  😛

LOL, enjoy them 🙂

[Soror]

40 min Body Flow- total/flexibility/stretching from Les Mills on demand

LOVED, loved this, excellent instruction, cinematography, and music

[wintermom]

I was up early to drive my ds to band practice, and then I went directly to the ski trails. It was amazing! Excellent conditions for skate skiing, and even some deer to keep me company. The skiing felt great. I definitely need a day rest for the arms for using poles with skiing or snowshoeing. 

I was noticing my quad muscles last night. They are looking pretty strong. All that walking around with heavy boots on is doing something in the legs. 😂