Weekly Workout Thread 8th Jan till 14th Jan

[Mara]

eleguin i was seriously snacky last week, during my ttotm...which typically i am not but last week got me. but i was good..what i did to combat it was just have a smaller lunch and therefore i could have 3-4 100 cal or less ''snacks'' that kind of kept my mouth busy with eating all through the workday...and then i was good. like a 250 cal breakfast, then a 200 cal lunch, then 100 bag of popcorn, a 10 cal jello cup, a 75 cal rice crispy treat, a 100 balance bar and 50 cals of blueberries. that all from about 1pm - 4pm! i was just sooo snacky. but once i left the office i was fine. dinner was about 500-600 cals and then i''d have one snack before bed, like a dessert for 100 cals or some mexican hot chocolate for 200 cals. so just by knowing that i might be snacky i cut back so i could add more in slowly. if that makes sense.

oh that post reminded me, can you gals who do your ''shakes'' in the morning post your recipes that you use? i''m curious and want to try one or two. thanks!!!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 1/8/2007 3:50:25 PM
Author: eleguin
Happy Monday everyone!

For the past few weeks I have been on a pretty strict workout routine. I''ve been doing at least half an hour of cardio every night when I get home from work (minus a few nights when I didn''t get home till midnight). Last week was great because I was able to get off work so early (around 7- so I got home with plenty of time to work out. I did about 1 hour of cardio on a few of those days. It definitely feels great afterwards!

This weekend was marked by a lot of food

On Friday my friend and I went to Bond St, one of the hip sushi places that people in NYC like to rave about. All the reviews were spot on because the sushi was so delicious! It was so good and nice to look at, I couldn''t help but snap a picture of it:

I can''t even imagine how many calories are on that platter (which I shared with my friend, not on my own!!), but sometimes you just can''t feel that bad about food that good. Restaurant week in NYC is coming up at the end of this month. I already have 3 reservation and can''t wait!

So on Saturday, FI and I went to visit my parents. My mom had gotten an 18 pound turkey for free after spending some amount of dollars at the supermarket over the holidays, so she cooked up what looked like thanksgiving dinner part 2. She also packed us half the turkey to take home since we are so busy during the work week. We got home that night and I did 1 hour of cardio and burned 500 calories.

Yesterday we stayed home to watch the NFL playoffs (more like FI watching and me complaining about losing the TV for 8 hours). I made a strawberry and banana shake with a little bit of low-fat milk and lots of ice. It was so yummy and filling. For dinner, I made my own version of jambalaya using a mix of seafood and meat (shrimp, scallop, chorizo, and some of my mom''s turkey) and lots of veggies (peppers, onions, celery) and long-grained rice, seasoned with paprika, pepper, and thyme. It came out soo tasty!

We''ve got a lot of leftovers for tonight. I was thinking of making some tortilla wraps with my whole wheat flower and using that to wrap some turkey and veggies with peking duck sauce. Peking duck is one of my favorites and the sauce is really what makes it taste so great. It works great on turkey too and I believe turkey white meat is healthier than duck. I am also going to the gym tonight for hopefully 1 hour.

I''ve felt more ''snacky'' than usual these past few days. I tend to feel that way the week before that time of the month. Does anyone else have increased cravings around that time? How do you combat that?

Anyway, happy working out this week everyone, and happy eating too!

That is a very very cruel pic to post during lunchtime.

 

[eleguin]

Thanks for that tip Mara! So far I''ve snacked on 1 banana, 2 cups of red seedless grapes and 2 rice cakes that have 35 cals each. It''s 4pm right now and I feel hungry again. I''m not normally so bad but this week is going to be one of those weeks. Is there a limt to how much fruit one should eat a day? You always hear about how you should load up on fresh fruits and veggies, but that certainly can''t mean you can sit there eating grapes all day, right? I assume that sugar from fruits are different from sugar from cookies or cakes. Is there a point where there is too much sugar in fruit to be healthy?

 

[eleguin]

Date: 1/8/2007 4:08:35 PM
Author: TravelingGal

That is a very very cruel pic to post during lunchtime.

Sorry TG!

I was actually hungry when I posted it too and then it made me hungrier. I like taking pictures of well-presented food in restaurants. I feel like it makes me appreciate and remember the food more afterwards.

 

[Mara]

ele..if you are hungry, eat! fruit is good for me as a snack but it does not keep me full. can you eat oatmeal or a fiber cereal or soup or something to help with keeping you full? fruit does have sugars but they are more easily processed and used by the body.

for me i don''t really count sugars and all that in general, i just try to eat healthyish stuff and also keep my daily cals in check. doing that has seemed to work for me.

shake recipe? anyone? i know we have some shake lovers on here!

 

[katebar]

Date: 1/8/2007 4:01:38 PM
Author: Mara


oh that post reminded me, can you gals who do your ''shakes'' in the morning post your recipes that you use? i''m curious and want to try one or two. thanks!!!

Hi Mara I do this shake every morning and whilst I can think of much more delicous breakfasts (Smoke salmon scrambled eggs

this is far healthier for you!
200 ml water or low fat milk
couple ice cubes
Handful of berries (i use frozen blue berries)
2 tblspns of biodynamic fat free yoghurt
2 tblspns of whey protein isolate powder unsweetened (I don''t like sugar at all)
2 tblspns of flaxseed meal. ( I use stoney creek orgainic flaxseed meal it like light fluffy bran flakes)
6 almonds
Blend together and drink quickly. If it sits around for too long it becomes a real thick shake
This keeps me full to lunch time

 

[Aurelia]

hey foks : )

After watching a co-worker drop about 25 pounds since the summer, I figured I''d ask what her strategy was. She says she has been walking @ maximum incline at the gym 4-5x per week. I decided it couldn''t hurt to try (I typically switch it up between running & elliptical)...

So today I did:
-60 minutes (+5 minutes cooldown)
-maximum incline (15)
-4.04 miles
-819 calories

YAY!!! BUT... when I got home to shower I noticed that I have a pretty big (like 2" wide, 3/4" high) bruise on my heel. Not on the bottom of my foot, but below my achilles tendon... I''m guessing it''s going to develop into a full fleged blood blister but I''m really not sure. I''ve NEVER ever gotten this kind of thing from running or using the elliptical, so it must be the high incline pushing me back to the edges of my sneakers. What should I do? Pop it later? BandAids? Leave it alone?

Is this normal? Anyone else have problems when they use a treadmill on max (or high) inclines??

Thanks : ) And sorry if this is gross!
Aurelia

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 1/8/2007 5:26:34 PM
Author: Aurelia
hey foks : )

After watching a co-worker drop about 25 pounds since the summer, I figured I''d ask what her strategy was. She says she has been walking @ maximum incline at the gym 4-5x per week. I decided it couldn''t hurt to try (I typically switch it up between running & elliptical)...

So today I did:
-60 minutes (+5 minutes cooldown)
-maximum incline (15)
-4.04 miles
-819 calories

YAY!!! BUT... when I got home to shower I noticed that I have a pretty big (like 2'' wide, 3/4'' high) bruise on my heel. Not on the bottom of my foot, but below my achilles tendon... I''m guessing it''s going to develop into a full fleged blood blister but I''m really not sure. I''ve NEVER ever gotten this kind of thing from running or using the elliptical, so it must be the high incline pushing me back to the edges of my sneakers. What should I do? Pop it later? BandAids? Leave it alone?

Is this normal? Anyone else have problems when they use a treadmill on max (or high) inclines??

Thanks : ) And sorry if this is gross!
Aurelia

Eek, just thinking about max incline gives me shin splints!

Just a guess, but perhaps there is some serious form to consider when doing big inclines like that. I am not sure what that could be, but just thinking of all the different posturing you could have doing this...leaning back and straighter legs vs forward a little and bent knees. Maybe someone else would have better insight.

That being said, I am all for hills. When I dropped 25 pounds 3 years ago, all I did was walk hills. I walked hills 4 to 5x a week, just like your friend. Even now when I do my walks, I always add hills. However, I actually walk outdoors so there is a progression of uphill, downhill. Don''t think I could do an hour of straight uphill. That''s just hiking! I remember doing a full day half dome hike 3 yrs ago...it nearly killed me. Hiking is some serious exercise!!!!

Speaking of, just did a lunchtime hill walk to supplement my morning gyrotonics. Note to self...don''t do hillwalks when it''s 80 degress outside...so hot today!!!

 

[Aurelia]

TravelinGal,

I should definetly have been more cautious, but I really didn''t hurt (and still don''t really). It was strenuous, but my fiance and I do a lot of hiking, so that probably helped. Perhpas I should wear my hiking boots next time

! Will have to think if it''s really "worth" the foot damage next time!

Aurelia

 

[CrownJewel]

Date: 1/8/2007 6:03:45 PM
Author: Aurelia
TravelinGal,

I should definetly have been more cautious, but I really didn''t hurt (and still don''t really). It was strenuous, but my fiance and I do a lot of hiking, so that probably helped. Perhpas I should wear my hiking boots next time

! Will have to think if it''s really ''worth'' the foot damage next time!

Aurelia

hahaha. I can just imagine going to the gym and seeing someone on a treadmill next to me wearing hiking boots and a backpack. I love it!!!

 

[jadeleaves]

Hi everyone!

I don''t usually come into the family, Home & Health thread but started reading last week, and was encouraged by all the positive posts here in the workout thread that it inspired me to try and get into an exercise routine again, and start eating a bit more healthily.

Of course, "try" is the operative word here, so I''m going to need lots of encouragement! I''m going to go and read some of the older threads, but can someone give me the gist of what we''re meant to post here?

Having given birth a bit over 3 months ago, I am finding it hard to have regular meal times because Button takes up so much of my time that when I have a spare moment I just want to have a nap! Exercise has fallen by the wayside too, except for the walks I take my little boy on, in his stroller. However, he *hates* being in his stroller, so we haven''t had enjoyable walks, but he''s slowly starting to get used to being in it, so hopefully we can have nice long walks soon.

I''ve now got a babysitter twice a week so I can get out and have some ''me'' time, and decided to take advantage of that and start going to the gym again. Well, yesterday was my first ''day off'' and I went to the gym, did a pilates class for an hour, did 25mins of cardio, had a 30min personal training session.

I''ve rediscovered muscles I haven''t used in awhile

, and I am aching everywhere today.

I''m going to try and go for a yoga class mid week, and another session at the gym on Friday, and fit in some walks in between.

Hopefully I can stick to this!

 

[Mara]

lol aurelia...just wait til tomorrow. walking on an incline seriously works your butt big time. i did it for months and i loved it but i ended up getting some quad pain anytime i walked after a while so i switched to elliptical and that has been great for me (and i shed even more weight doing the elliptical). i think that with any kind of lifstyle change you have to figure out what works great for you and your body. i noticed on the incline treadmill that my legs and butt were bigger than when i started using the elliptical, i think i was building up more muscle in those areas and on the elliptical it''s leaning me out more. just depends on the goal i guess. but be careful with your quads long term on the treadmill incline. and yes i got blisters when walking on an incline like that...some pretty big ones on the bottom of my toes!! i just left them alone and they eventually re-absorbed but then i had to kind of cut off the dried blister part, not attractive. hehee.

thanks for the shake recipe kate, i might try it tomorrow!

 

[TravelingGal]

Welcome Jadeleaves!

When I walk those major inclines, my toes tingle and kind of fall asleep, so I must be doing something wrong...or tying my shoes too tight!

Mara, sorry I don''t have a great recipe for you. I always made very simple shakes with frozen berries, a banana (which I kept frozen) and a bit of pineapple juice. When mangoes were in season, I added them. Sweet and natural and pretty low cal. I suppose I could add some kind of protein to that to make it more filling, but I was pretty full with these anyway.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 1/8/2007 11:31:43 AM
Author: AmandaPanda
Mara -- just a note about oatmeal. If you can microwave it, it''s not good for you. You need to get steel cut or whole grain (I think that''s the name) and it has to be the one that cooks for about 20-30 mintues. Otherwise, all of the ''good stuff'' has been pre-washed out of there in order for you to be able to cook it in 2 minutes.

Just one of the many things I''ve learned in culinary school!

What about regular cream of wheat? thoughts?

 

[Aurelia]

Date: 1/8/2007 6:35:38 PM
Author: CrownJewel

Date: 1/8/2007 6:03:45 PM
Author: Aurelia
TravelinGal,

I should definetly have been more cautious, but I really didn''t hurt (and still don''t really). It was strenuous, but my fiance and I do a lot of hiking, so that probably helped. Perhpas I should wear my hiking boots next time

! Will have to think if it''s really ''worth'' the foot damage next time!

Aurelia

hahaha. I can just imagine going to the gym and seeing someone on a treadmill next to me wearing hiking boots and a backpack. I love it!!!

CrownJewel... I''m actually considering the hiking boots idea... GEEZ, I''m a DORK! But seriously, if the high incline walking is really just hiking with CRAP-scenery, might it not make sense? I promise to leave the back pack at home!

And yes, I realize talking about my disgusting feet issues is not exactly lovely, but hey, I appreciate the advice

Aurelia

 

[Modified Brilliant]

A new week already?? WOW!!

I just finished my one hour one-on-one Brazilian Jujitsu lesson and it went well.
I seem to get a huge energy rush both physically and mentally after my lesson.
It''s a good combo for me to go to the gym and also the one on one instruction.
If there is a good martial arts school in your area, I encourage you to check it out.
Usually the first session or two is free. There are all age groups for both men and women.
Our academy starts at 3 years old. I am the oldest student at "50."

Also, ladies, a little self defense training is a good thing to know.

Have an energetic week everyone and KEEP ON TRACKin

 

[Mara]

go jeff!!

ellen i LOVE cream of wheat. it''s my ''guilty'' pleasure even though it''s really not guilty. i mix it with some brown sugar and eat it with buttered toast. YUM. it stems back to childhood so when it''s really cold outside i like to make it.

 

[TravelingGal]

Jeff, your class sounds great! I agree with learning some form of self defense...I took TaeKwonDo for years as a kid/teenager, and I still have some moves that are just gut instinct...

Hey, I wouldn''t laugh at hiking boots and backpack...that might just be the key to unlock eternal youth (or eternal svelteness!) When I was in Europe, I lived in my boots, had that darn pack strapped to me a lot of time, and ate and drank like mad. I still managed to lose 10 pounds (even after having steak and all kinds of rich foods all the time. I suppose climbing 1000 steps in Positano DID help....

 

[jadeleaves]

hello again!

Can someone recommend a good calorie counter or perhaps a list of everyday foods with their calorie content?

 

[Ellen]

Date: 1/8/2007 7:24:16 PM
Author: Mara
go jeff!!

ellen i LOVE cream of wheat. it''s my ''guilty'' pleasure even though it''s really not guilty. i mix it with some brown sugar and eat it with buttered toast. YUM. it stems back to childhood so when it''s really cold outside i like to make it.

Yeah, I love it too. Raisons with the brown sugar are even better, but then you''re tacking on some more sugar there...

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 1/8/2007 7:38:44 PM
Author: JadeLeaves
hello again!

Can someone recommend a good calorie counter or perhaps a list of everyday foods with their calorie content?

I just use calorielab.com. Once you get used to it, it''s not hard to read.

I have seen this site mentioned a lot as I''ve done some web surfing: http://www.calorieking.com.au/ You are in Oz right? That may help with some foods that are more local to you, plus they note kilojoules too (not that I really understand how that all works.)

 

[Mara]

Date: 1/8/2007 7:38:44 PM
Author: JadeLeaves
hello again!

Can someone recommend a good calorie counter or perhaps a list of everyday foods with their calorie content?

welcome jade!!

i like sparkpeople.com for signing up and checking out, it will also track your foods for you with their tracker, they have recipes, message boards, etc. it will also calculate how many calories, fat etc you should be eating to reach the goal you input on X date.

but if you just flat out want to find a calorie counter to plug in things and see what they are calorie-wise, calorie-count.com is wonderful. i use it all the time. there''s also calorieking.com which has a lot of processed foods and packaged foods as well in there as well as fresh.

 

[jadeleaves]

Thanks TG & Mara!

I signed up with sparkpeople yesterday, and am trying to work my way through the meal planner & fitness program etc etc. I will try the websites mentioned, especially the aussie one!

So for today (tuesday) I am going for a long walk later in the afternoon when it''s not so warm, and I am so far on track with meals - had a mango and a serving of mixed berry yogurt with a cup of lady grey with no sugar/milk (i like my tea black! lucky, cos I save on the calories

).

For lunch I am planning to have a green salad with avocado, cherry tomatoes and tuna with a little bit of balsamic vinegar.

Dinner will be baked portugese chicken & potato + salad.

Fingers crossed I can stick to that!

 

[turtledazzle]

Date: 1/8/2007 7:09:43 PM
Author: TravelingGal
Welcome Jadeleaves!

When I walk those major inclines, my toes tingle and kind of fall asleep, so I must be doing something wrong...or tying my shoes too tight!

That happens to me, too! I''m not alone! Everyone I''ve ever told about this sort of looks at me funny. I don''t really have an explanation, though, but it is definitely weird. My only thought is that somehow some blood circulation is being cut off ... but for me it is usually just my big and second toe ... sometimes the third. I dunno. Any way, thought I would share.

Tonight was a strength training circuit class for an hour ~ so some strength and some cardio. Then I did the elliptical for 30 minutes for about 275 calories. Feeling pretty good today.

Did fairly well eating today, too: Breakfast - peach yogurt; lunch - lowfat mac-n-cheese with broccoli and soy hotdogs (I''m a vegetarian that eats fish on occasion); snacks - grapes and a few prunes
I don''t know about dinner yet, but I do have leftover black bean soup from the weekend ...

Mara ~ as for shakes, I don''t really have any good suggestions. I haven''t done it in a long time, but I used to make a ''smoothie'' of sorts by blending whatever fruit I had (usually blueberries or bananas) with vanilla soy milk ... sometimes I added in some ice as well for texture.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 1/8/2007 8:36:45 PM
Author: turtledazzle

Date: 1/8/2007 7:09:43 PM
Author: TravelingGal
Welcome Jadeleaves!

When I walk those major inclines, my toes tingle and kind of fall asleep, so I must be doing something wrong...or tying my shoes too tight!

That happens to me, too! I''m not alone! Everyone I''ve ever told about this sort of looks at me funny. I don''t really have an explanation, though, but it is definitely weird. My only thought is that somehow some blood circulation is being cut off ... but for me it is usually just my big and second toe ... sometimes the third. I dunno. Any way, thought I would share.

Tonight was a strength training circuit class for an hour ~ so some strength and some cardio. Then I did the elliptical for 30 minutes for about 275 calories. Feeling pretty good today.

Did fairly well eating today, too: Breakfast - peach yogurt; lunch - lowfat mac-n-cheese with broccoli and soy hotdogs (I''m a vegetarian that eats fish on occasion); snacks - grapes and a few prunes
I don''t know about dinner yet, but I do have leftover black bean soup from the weekend ...

Mara ~ as for shakes, I don''t really have any good suggestions. I haven''t done it in a long time, but I used to make a ''smoothie'' of sorts by blending whatever fruit I had (usually blueberries or bananas) with vanilla soy milk ... sometimes I added in some ice as well for texture.

Hey, you''re my toe-twin!

I freeze the bananas for texture...ice is just murder on a lot of blenders. Frozen fruits give it that slushiness without the ice.

 

[Mara]

yeah i''d rather have a smoothie with no ice, the blender never quite makes it fine enough for my taste..the frozen banana sounds neat. i will hit up the store tomorrow to get a few things then try it on wed!

i also got tingly toes on the treadmill after 30+ minute workout, and also i do sometimes on the ellitpical. my friend said it''s when your shoes are too small but i know that''s not the case since i let her take me to get fitted for shoes and i love them and yet it still happens at times...and it happens to me on the ellitpical now and i think it''s how i press on my toes during the workout...they end up falling asleep or something from the pressure of being in that same position for 40 minutes!! when it happens i just tend to wiggle them pretty vigorously for a minute or so then they are fine til the end.

tonite is a ''rest'' nite but man i get really bored when i come home early and greg isn''t here so i took P out for a very brisk 25 minute walk...did about 1.5 miles around our neighborhood. now i feel like okay i can rest...haha. tonite we are having the whole foods chicken stuffed with wild rice and mushrooms which is yummy and a whole foods salad with my own vinaigrette on it. i have been thinking about cookies and cream ice cream for dessert, from dreyers slow churned, mmmm. we''ll see.

the funny thing is that i am really craving breakfast right now, not dinner! i''d be jazzed if i could just eat some waffles and oatmeal for dinner. too bad i have a husband who likes real dinner, lol!!!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 1/8/2007 9:16:53 PM
Author: Mara
yeah i''d rather have a smoothie with no ice, the blender never quite makes it fine enough for my taste..the frozen banana sounds neat. i will hit up the store tomorrow to get a few things then try it on wed!

i also got tingly toes on the treadmill after 30+ minute workout, and also i do sometimes on the ellitpical. my friend said it''s when your shoes are too small but i know that''s not the case since i let her take me to get fitted for shoes and i love them and yet it still happens at times...and it happens to me on the ellitpical now and i think it''s how i press on my toes during the workout...they end up falling asleep or something from the pressure of being in that same position for 40 minutes!! when it happens i just tend to wiggle them pretty vigorously for a minute or so then they are fine til the end.

tonite is a ''rest'' nite but man i get really bored when i come home early and greg isn''t here so i took P out for a very brisk 25 minute walk...did about 1.5 miles around our neighborhood. now i feel like okay i can rest...haha. tonite we are having the whole foods chicken stuffed with wild rice and mushrooms which is yummy and a whole foods salad with my own vinaigrette on it. i have been thinking about cookies and cream ice cream for dessert, from dreyers slow churned, mmmm. we''ll see.

the funny thing is that i am really craving breakfast right now, not dinner! i''d be jazzed if i could just eat some waffles and oatmeal for dinner. too bad i have a husband who likes real dinner, lol!!!

OK, I know this may sound like a "duh" thing to say, but unpeel the bananas before you freeze. I told my friend to freeze bananas and she threw them in the freezer as is...I think they are hard to peel that way! I usually cut them in halves, then throw them in ziplocs as I find I only need half a banana per smoothie. I think the frozen berries are a must too (I''ve only used frozen strawberries). You may need to half them if they are whole frozen, as they are tough on the blender too.

And my shoes are not small either, and like you said, if I wiggle my toes for a minute they are fine.

I had tuna salad wraps for dinner. TGuy is at a friend''s watching the football game, so I am happy to sit at home in peace and quiet (the TV is always on with sports when he''s home!)

 

[royalasscherlover]

hi all! i''ve been lurking on this thread for a few months now, but i think i''m going to be bold and start posting too, at least occasionally. i love to cook and have always eaten pretty healthy stuff, but i''ve really been trying to get consistent about working out. i like to go on the elliptical or treadmill at the gym, and in december i started doing bikram yoga twice a week, and have started to see some results from that. today is my strength training day, so i did a series of arm, leg, and core exercises.

food for today: breakfast was a homemade pumpkin spice bran muffin, lunch was carrot ginger soup, a little canned tuna, and an apple, and dinner was a chicken fajita, made with grilled chicken breast, onions, and peppers wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla with a bit of nonfat plain yogurt and salsa. plus i''ll have a small scoop of edy''s slow churned light ice cream for dessert.

mara, i have a great smoothie that i make for breakfast pretty much everyday in spring and summer. it sounds a little weird, but everyone who tries it likes it!

blend in blender:
1 cup skim milk
1 cup frozen fruit (mango is my favorite, peaches and berries are also good)
3 oz (1/4 block) silken tofu (i use mori-nu lite, you can also use yogurt if you prefer)
2 big handfuls baby spinach (i promise you can''t taste it, and it adds good fiber and vitamins)
Honey to taste (about 1 t for me)

 

[Mara]

shortblonde said:

"breakfast was a homemade pumpkin spice bran muffin"

_________________

okay woman post that recipe!! that sounds DIVINE. i love bran and pumpkin spice and i need a new muffin recipe!! welcome to the thread!

 

[Mannequin]

Good breakfast and lunch today: Special K Red Berries with skim milk, Lean Cuisine entree, sugar free pudding, some tangerines, diet soda. I had kids in my room for a club meeting after school and had snacks with them, though, which kind of sidetracked everything from there food-wise (eating some popcorn and having Crystal Light right now). I did not sleep well last night (first night in my place with none of my ex''s stuff there anymore, a very lonely feeling) so I took a short nap and then managed to rouse myself for aerobics. Tonight was my first cardio-sculpt class - one hour long, cardio and weights and floor work combined. This instructor is new to me and I liked her a lot. My muscles are "happy-tired" as I haven''t taken an aerobics class since the last one ended before Christmas. Taking a boot camp class tomorrow, whee! I am hoping to make some friends in the classes to spend more time with since many of my closest friends do not live in this area. I also want to start using the school gym equipment available to use for free once my club''s season is over. I''ll keep at things and I''ll try to keep posting regularly.

TG - Noticed your Freya quote - good one. A book that you may like (if you haven''t already read it) is Without Reservations by Alice Steinbach, who takes time off from her job to travel Europe solo. She draws inspiration from Freya and mentions her frequently in the book. I read it last year and loved it.