I just found the original and noted that it was closed. I'm not sure why but thought I'd resurrect it with part 2.
Moonlady, did you get your dumbbells and cage yet?
I haven't lifted in over a month but plan to start again soon. I had to take about three weeks off running as I had stitches and then picked up a wicked cold. I started again last week and did three days in a row with 3 10:1 run:walk. Then I was at a resort for a workshop last week and ran while there. It was pretty hilly terrain and I managed to add one 5 minute run to the end. I did another run this evening and did the 3 10's and 1 5 for a total of 3.15 miles. That's my best so far.
I also got my biopsy results last week and no more skin cancer. woo hoo.
Who else has some good news or a success they would like to share?
I get migraines for about three days every month, and I hesitate to say anything too soon, but I did NOT get one this month!!!!! YAY!!!! This would be for maybe the third time in over twenty years that I have not had one. I started a raw foods diet, and though I have not gone 100% raw (about 90%) I feel 100% better. I did not eat a whole lot of junk to begin with, but cutting out the little I did eat has done wonders so far.
I admire people who run for exercise, though I can't, my body just isn't made for it (bad knees and ankles), so I walk and hike and do a lot of other outdoorsy stuff. And speaking of lifting, I've worked my way up to 30 "man" push-ups this last week.
Cheryle, congratulations on being cancer free. Woo hoo is right!!!
Originally posted by cheryleb99: Moonlady, did you get your dumbbells and cage yet?
Ah, there's no room in my 900 ft^2 apartment for a cage, sadly. I continue to pine for a garage. I am considering getting an adjustable bench and some dumbbells, though. It won't help with squats, but it will help with presses, and it's part of the eventual home gym I'd like to have. We might be able to arrange them at the foot of the bed and cleverly disguise them somehow...
I'm still running regularly but not doing any better. This Sunday I ran my usual 1.75 miles at my plodding 4 mph (15 min mile, LOL) and had to drop to a walk for a couple of minutes partway through (HR went and stayed above 160, my self-designated "upper limit"). I'm just not a good runner.
On the other hand I'm zeroing in on doing 3 sets of 10 bodyweight dips. Something is getting better.
That's great about your biopsy, cheryle. And great about a migraine free month, ibtihaj! I get lots of headaches (probably stress related), but at least they're not migraines.
Now you're scaring me Cheryle. I was thinking last night that no one had posted to the thread in a long time, and I needed to bring it back up to the top of the page. But I couldn't think of anything worth adding, so I left it alone.
I was looking through the other pages in here and anything beyond about halfway down the page is closed. I wonder why. is it that way in the other sections as well?
Migraines can be very debilitating. Ibtihaj, I'm glad to hear you are having some relief.
Moonlady, the fact that you are running is great. My average HR is usually in the mid-150's but often peaks closer to 180 when I push a bit. When I was running and lifting, I found my squat improved more in two months of running that it had in a year of lifting alone. You should be very proud of the dips. I tried them once and they are darn hard.
Matt, glad to hear we were on the same wavelength.
My son turned 19 today and we are going out for dinner tomorrow. I am hoping to get home on time to go for a run afterwards.
Well I didn't feel like running after the dinner but went on Thursday instead and had a great run. I added one 6 min run to the end of my 3 10's for a total of 3.17 miles. My middle run was a bit slower but I was running into the wind. My left knee was a bit tender so I skipped Friday and ran last night. I just did my 3 10's but my pace was better than usual. I usually average 5 mph or a bit slower and my average was between 5.2 and 5.3 mph. Not a huge difference but it felt good.
The downside is that I put on 2 pounds in the last week or two but when I'm running I don't worry about it as much because it is easier to lose again.
I now have proof of how much excercise mowing the lawn gave me. It's been three weeks since I mowed the lawn, and I've actually been on my feet more at work, meaning more excercise there, but my clothes are tighter. Yard work and house work is a great form of exercise.
Yard work is definitely a calorie burner. After a few hours of raking, the muscles on my rib cage usually feel torn. Same for shovelling snow.
I went out today and bought a pair of snow pants that are light enough to run in and another pair of moisture wicking long underwear. I ran in -1C this morning and survived but its going to get pretty darn cold in the next month and a half.
This is very strange. The last post was mine but every time I try to sign in it has a different members nickname on it.
They seem to be still working out some kinks.
I ran 2.72 miles both yesterday and today and my average speed was 5.2 mph. I weighed myself yesterday and have gained about 3-4 pounds. I am now watching what I eat. I have a gala in three weeks and those silk dresses don't hide lumps well.
I decided I wasn't making any progress on my running because I wasn't pushing myself. I've started adding an extra 5-6 minutes to the end of each run and manage to add about half a mile. I am up to about 3.25 miles. I'm either going to continue with the 10:1 run:walk with the extra one at the end or switch to 12:1. Its my cardio that's holding me back.
I'm going to start swimming once a week soon, so I'll have to rearrange my cardio schedule, and replace something with it. Dunno what yet, but I don't want to give up my 1.75 mi run every week (took me a couple of years to get it and I don't want to lose it).
Lifting weights gets better ever so slowly. A couple of years ago I started reading up on it, wondering why I was progressing so slowly. Common wisdom seems to be that I wasn't switching around my schedule enough (I find a routine that works and it gets comfy). So for the last couple of years I've changed things around, and it hasn't really helped me increase my capacity all that much. It did open my eyes to new lifts -- I've taken up deadlifting and squats, etc. But I hit the same slow progression in the end anyway. My body just isn't the type to put on muscle quickly. But, I've got time, I figure. I'll keep plodding onward.
I was diagnosed with PCOS this year, which explains (among other things) why I am constantly struggling with my weight. After a 30 pound weight gain (in two months!!!), I am finally within 10 pounds of my previous size. I find that the thing that has been helping me the most is Tae Bo a couple times a week, walking everyday, and strength training on my Bowflex. I'm going to be reforming my diet (again) to take into account the GI of foods, and we'll see how that goes. It's frustrating because I can feel the muscles underneath, and I can see that they are getting stronger....but the layer of fat covering them just will not budge!
This thread is a really great idea, btw! It's nice to be able to share success (and almost success) with other people.
I just got back at midnight last night from the largest of the conferences I attend every year. Many good things this year.
I always lose a couple of pounds every time I go--between the enormous amount of walking (indoors and out), and coping with serious allergies to common food ingredients (try relying on restaurants to produce things with no wheat and no dairy, you get the idea) in new places, travel almost always means more activity and less calories for me.
But it made me realise I need to get back on my little mini-stepper to keep up the good effects! So between now and the visit back to the US to see family for Christmas, gotta get those steps in!
p.s. I've also gone back to using my balance ball instead of a chair at my desk.
It does a lot of good things for me. First, it makes bad posture impossible, and I can't do things like hook my foot around the leg of a chair or sit with one foot tucked up under me (which pulls muscles and causes a lot of pain if I do it too long).
Secondly, it means that I'm continually working core muscles to stay upright, which is very good for keeping the abs toned and waist defined.
It's also the most comfortable thing for the base of the spine that I've ever used.
Since I sit for about 12 hours a day at the desk (and will be doing more--I've just had six 'invitations to submit proposals' from publishers), I may as well make it work for my body rather than against it.
I had a very stress filled day today. I also had a major headache. I was debating between going to bed or going for a run and opted for the run. I'm not sure if it was because I had so many thoughts bouncing around in my head or not but the first 2 miles just flew by. I ended up going for 40 minutes and covering 3.5 miles and felt great by the time I got home. I think I need to run more often.
I tried to keep running outside but it was -25C and there was about 6" of loose snow on the ground. It was just too hard to manage so I bought a 4 month membership at a gym with an indoor track. I am up to running 5 10:1 run:walk. My garmin can't get a signal inside so I'm estimating that I am running about 4.1-4.3 miles each time. I'm going to continue for another week and than add one more 10 minute run on for a full hour.
After a devastating 30 pound weight gain (in 2 frigging months!) from a change in medications, I have finally lost 25 pounds. I've got about 25 more to go to get to my goal weight, but this week I am really going to pick up my activity level. I figure within the next two to three months I could lose the rest of it. But, sometimes it can be so hard to keep it up!
It's great to see everyone.s positive outlook from exercising. At one time I was big swimmer but I haven't been swimmming since I started smoking again about 8 years ago. Smoking quickly deteriorated my desire to swim. In the past 2 years, I got on the patch and I had my last cigarette about 2 months ago. My addiction quickly switched from nicotine to food when I started my quit program. I was finding that even one cigarette would cause cravings that ended up being "fixed" with food and I gained about 40 lbs in 2 years. I went from 10 to a 16. 12 is around where I should be, at my height.
Last week I found out that my blood glucose and cholesteral were dangerously high. That information radically changed my life. I've gone on a diet that is vegetatarian and cut out sugar and I have lost a size in one week. I expect the loss to level off as I will not starve myself but it feels wonderful to have lost the weight. One of the greatest benefits of cutting out sugar I have noticed is that I don't seem to have the "acheys" I was attributing to getting older. That's been a great benefit. I miss sugar but as many who quit smoking do, I went overboard and now I have to deal with that.
I wanted to mention that I used to have migraines. Acupuncture got rid of them for me permanently, after about a year of weekly treatment. Congratulations to Cheryl for your negative diagnosis and thank you to everyone for inspiring me to get aerobic again.
Siepres it sounds like you may have found the recipe to success for your body. Congratulations.
Oshngirl, just remember how many years you've added to your life by giving up cigarettes and I'm sure you will know you made the right choice.
There are too many diets and weight loss plans that assume we are all the same. The truth is we have to experiment to find what works best for our body. When you discover that magic formula, you feel so much better that it makes it easier to stick to it.
Moonlady, how is the swimming coming along. I have a pool but its only warm enough to use it for about four months a year. Swimming is a great way to get some cardio without the stress of many impact cardio. Have you read the New Rules of Lifting? I have heard its a very good book for strength training.
Congrats everyone. Hopefully we can keep this going.
Congrats to too you Cheryl! My cardiovascular fitness has never been good even when I was in great shape, so I could never imagine running for an hour.
I found that what is working for me is both new medication and mixing up the exercise routine. I get bored easily, but if I am constantly doing something new then I'm more likely to stick with it. I'm really depressed that I have had to cut back my carbs so much. I love all things sugary and/or starchy, so that's been pretty hard. But, I'd rather be healthy and fit without as much sugar in my diet, then unhealthy and able to eat all my favorite sweets.
