Weekly Workout Thread 9th Oct - 15th Oct

[Rod]

Hey everyone.........

Good thing I decided to run yesterday instead of today. A cold front is coming through and it''s raining hard in sunny Tampa. I''ll go to the gym this afternoon. I''m feeling a bit down today, so the gym will be good for me. And I''ve convinced Charlie to go out for Sushi after he get''s off from work instead of him going to the gym. He''s going to take a half day tomorrow and we''ll go to the gym at noon and then to the resort around 4 pm, so he was fine with sushi tonight as we usually take Friday''s off and we''ll just swap the day off.

Otherwise, it''s a really slow day on the job hunt front. I know something will come along, but I''m not, nor have I ever been a particularly patient person, so this is just not easy for me to go through. I suppose if this is the worst thing life has to slap me with, I should feel lucky.

Anyway, just thought I''d check in this rainy afternoon. Hope everyone''s doing well.

Mara: I''m rooting for you for the new job next week. I''m sure you''ll knock their socks off and they''ll wonder how they ever made anything happen pre-Mara!!

 

[Mara]

i know rod, sometimes the inactivity and the waiting can drive you insane. would you consider doing contract work in the meantime? i have done that in the past and it definitely brings in some cash and keeps your brain going too...sitting around the house or going to the gym can only take up so much of the day especially if you are used to being very active. anyway just a thought. or volunteering at a local center or something?

today i had mulitgrain frozen waffles and a bit of butter and then this low-cal fat free syrup that was actually quite good when eaten with the waffles. 10 calories per 1/4 cup vs 210 calories per 2 tblspoons of regular. i can work with that! esp since i used real butter, probably about 1/2 a tblspoon, so by doing the real butter and then the fake syrup at least i got the taste i was looking for. and the waffles were yummy and have fiber and protein. nice change from cereal for today. i got the waffles at TJ''s. lunch should be this pizza that i bought a week ago at TJ''s and is on the verge of expiring but i am just not feeling pizza today, so i might throw it in the freezer and make myself a big salad instead. lately i have been so salad obsessed!!! i go through these phases sometimes where i want something all the time. i guess it could be worse than salad.

oh by the way, the dressing i was raving about last week is brand name Girard. i know you guys have seen it at the store...they have it at all the big name stores here and also the nob hill and smaller boutique stores. they have low-fat versions of champagne, caesar, balsamic vinaigrette and raspberry vinaigrette and they are high on taste, and low on cals too. last nite i busted out the low-fat caesar, 90 cals for 2 tblspoons and about 7g of fat, and then did a big mixed green salad, some olives and some multigrain caesar croutons and the whole thing was under 200 cals. a nice side salad for sure.

tonite i am going out with some people from work for drinks and maybe some apps so who knows what evening will bring...also i don''t know if i will feel like working out tonite after having a drink with friends...so i may skip tonite and just chill out and maybe go have a nice dinner with greg. he''s had rehearsals all week so we havent seen much of each other. he''s coming to meet for drinks so we may just walk somewhere after and get food. it might be nice to take a night off for a REAL reason other than ''i feel lazy''. hahaa. so we''ll see. i know greg will whine also if after drinks we come home and i go ''sorry have to run off for class''. typically with our schedules during the week it''s no big deal for me to have classes 2-3x a week since we stay in but if we are out having fun he won''t want to have to cut it short so i can go work out. esp when he thinks my butt is too small anyway. hahaa.

anyway hope everyone has a wonderful day!! burn some calories!

 

[Rod]

Mara, at some point I will absolutely consider taking a contract position. And you''re right, I''m likely going to go insane sitting here perusing the boards and looking for something to happen. Two of our best married couple friends own the shop where we get our eye glasses. I was speaking with them the other day and they suggested I come in and sell glasses for them until something comes along. I just may take them up on that just to have something other than to mope around the house.

It''s stopped raining, but I''m still heading to the gym in a little while. Working out at least helps me physically and mentally.

 

[Mara]

OMG so can i just tell you all how absolutely fabulous this pizza i had just was??? It''s the fresh artichoke, chicken and mushroom pizza from TJ''s and it was like $3.00 and 1/2 a pizza is 220 cals and 6g of fat with fiber and protein and I paired it with a fresh salad with the caesar dressing and the whole lunch was 450 cals and SUPER YUMMY. The pizza literally tasted like restaurant quality. YUM...what a great way to have pizza and keep it fresh and healthy!! I saved 1/2 for lunch on Saturday. I am SO stopping at TJ''s again to get another one today. hehee.

 

[Modified Brilliant]

Rod...don''t stress. You''ll find something better.

I just got back from the gym...it''s so cool to see the seniors working out in mid afternoon!

I want to be just like them....when the time is ready, of course.

Keep on TRACKin

 

[Tybee]

Should I really have my mouth watering when reading this thread? Mara, I don''t know if I should thank you or not for telling
me about the smaller size pot-pies. I used to be a pot-pie junky... mmmmmmmm, when the crust is buttery and browned just
right? Oh, I haven''t had one in years I tell you YEARS!

After a long day of stuffing knowledge into the heads of jittery fifth graders, I threw on my running shoes and hit the road.
I did a five mile loop today of Stone Mountain (a bizarre granite rock in Georgia with confederate heroes carved on the side... sometimes I cannot believe I live in Georgia! ) After my three day hiatus, the run actually felt great! I think I ran at a quicker pace than usual. It maybe that the weather is cooling down a bit.

Now that I''m home, I''m going to take the dogs out for a long stroll. Something about this warm/fallish weather is making me feel great.

Oh, dinner tonight is going to be linguine with seared tuna and green-olive tapenade. We''ve been experimenting with cookbooks given to us as wedding gifts (such fun, totally am a kitchen-phobic!) We''re searing the tuna on the new grill that I got for my hubbie for his birthday! (thanks all who helped!-- it was the funnest birthday present to give ever!) It''s fun since we''ve vowed to save money and calories by not eating out as much.

Rod, I think it might be a good idea to work in your friend''s shop for a while. There''s a lot to be said for getting up and going to a job everyday, plus my dad always said, "you''ve got to have a job to get a job..." I''m not sure if that even applies, or what that means, but always happy to share my little dad''s wisdom.

Modified Brilliant, I know what you mean about the seniors. When I see older people running I often think that I''d like to be them some day (if my knees don''t give out by then

)

Off to walk the dogs and enjoy this beautiful Atlanta evening

Happy almost Friday.

 

[Rod]

Thanks Jeff and Tybee.........

The old adage of having to be employed to become employed went out with company loyalty a long time ago. Companies are no longer loyal, and thus employees are no longer loyal. Fortunately, there isn't much stigma with being laid off anymore. Unfortunately, it happens to the best of us.......me included.

I had a great workout this afternoon. I was just cranky sitting home, so I went early and stayed late. I did almost two hours of weights and my usual 45 minutes on the elliptical. It really helped my mental attitude a lot. Plus I ran into some guys I haven't seen in a long time at the gym and they were all so surprised at how much progress I've made over the last few months. I don't really see the difference in the mirror but I guess others can see the changes in my body. Kewl......as Storm would say.

Then I met Charlie at our favorite Sushi restaurant and we had a fantastic dinner, followed by a visit under the century old oak tree and Starbucks. I got the table outside while Charlie got the drinks. I guess since he wanted a mollasis cookie (not my favorite) he decided I should enjoy a chocolate chip cookie. I must admit I enjoyed every single morsel of that cookie. We're going to work out before we head to the resort tomorrow afternoon, so I can work off the cookie then.

I may or may not have the chance to write again until Sunday evening when we get home. I'm really looking forward to having this weekend diversion. I'm going to do my best to just forget about being unemployed and have some fun.

I hope everyone has a great start to their weekend. Be safe, be healthy, be happy.

PS: Mara you do describe foods so beautifully. You should be trying to get a job on the Food Network and become the next Rachel Ray!!!!

PSS: Whatcha' up to Lorelei???? You've been pretty quiet this week. Are you OK?

 

[mrssalvo]

Rod, I hope you have a wonderful getaway this weekend, you sooo derserve it.

I did the usual walk with the dog and kids, about 50 minutes and tried to walk a little faster to get my heartrate up a bit. Trying to decrease my sugar intake. I love it and eat/drink a lot of wasted calories in things like my daily cokes or sweet teas

. instead of some type of chocolate bar/cookie I decided to drink a glass of choc. milk. I figure at least I''m getting some other nutrients that way. I''m putting together my recipe/grocery list for next week. I can''t wait to try a seared Tuna steak that I know my hubby and i will love. also going to try the splenda cheesecake and see if it''s any good. i''ll let you guys know. I did make a yummy chicken with red bell peppers from Cooking Light and it was so good. I''m hoping to get to the Y next week to rejoin so I can get started in my classes again too.

 

[Rod]

Date: 10/12/2006 8:34:29 PM
Author: mrssalvo
Rod, I hope you have a wonderful getaway this weekend, you sooo derserve it.

I did the usual walk with the dog and kids, about 50 minutes and tried to walk a little faster to get my heartrate up a bit. Trying to decrease my sugar intake. I love it and eat/drink a lot of wasted calories in things like my daily cokes or sweet teas

. instead of some type of chocolate bar/cookie I decided to drink a glass of choc. milk. I figure at least I''m getting some other nutrients that way. I''m putting together my recipe/grocery list for next week. I can''t wait to try a seared Tuna steak that I know my hubby and i will love. also going to try the splenda cheesecake and see if it''s any good. i''ll let you guys know. I did make a yummy chicken with red bell peppers from Cooking Light and it was so good. I''m hoping to get to the Y next week to rejoin so I can get started in my classes again too.

Thanks mrssalvo!

Good going on the 50 minute walk. And chocolate milk is quite good for you. Coke on the other hand, not so good. Sweet tea is OK if it''s green tea. Green tea''s offer good health benefits. In whole, I''ve pretty much developed an anti-artificial stance on just about everything that''s not natural. I know it takes huge amounts to give cancer like it does on lab rats, but the fact that lab rats can get get cancer from artificial sweetners is frightening enough. So, just go easy on the fake stuff, like Splenda, OK? Also, great idea rejoining the Y. I never thought I''d like going to the gym. Now, I can''t imagine my life without one. It''s funny what getting older can do to one!!

 

[mrssalvo]

rod, I hear ya on the artifical sweetners. I actually buy the all natural sugar for home b/c i think it actually tastes better than the bleached kind. Hubby is giving up all sugar (as much as he can) and won''t really substitute the fake stuff often but I figured a one time cheesecake should be ok. We won''t make a habit of it though.

 

[Rod]

Date: 10/12/2006 10:21:09 PM
Author: mrssalvo
rod, I hear ya on the artifical sweetners. I actually buy the all natural sugar for home b/c i think it actually tastes better than the bleached kind. Hubby is giving up all sugar (as much as he can) and won''t really substitute the fake stuff often but I figured a one time cheesecake should be ok. We won''t make a habit of it though.

Ok......if you promise, we''ll let you this one time......

Night Night!

 

[Mara]

it''s amazing how it is possible to decrease something like sugar intake. when you are drinking cokes or sweet teas and coffee with sugar for years, you think what i should drink less? how insane does that sound. and then doing it is even harder. because your taste buds are so well-tuned to the taste. but it is possible. i literally used to be known for my insane sugar intake. we''d go to dinner and people would say things like ''how about some tea with your sugar'' or ''is there any coffee in there??'' because i''d put like 20 sugars into my stuff. i could only drink iced tea if it was laced with floating sugar. well i guess that''s doable when you are 20 and 25 but come 30...not any more!!! sugar was going straight to my booty and hips!! so anyway as part of my whole thing last year on trying to be more healthy, i started slowly cutting out sugar more and more. now i actually crave iced tea with no sugar, i loved iced black tea like tejava, i don''t drink cokes or anything anymore..i maybe have one every 2-3 weeks and when i do drink it, it seem insanely sweet. and the biggest thing for me was about 2 months ago when we did our first detox on here, i cut out sugar from my coffee, my last thing. now i just drink it with vanilla soy milk (about 1/5 of a cup with about 1/2 cup of coffee in the mornings) and that''s it. amazingly enough it''s working for me!! it doesn''t mean i dont have sugar...aka i eat it in cakes or cookies, or i eat natural sugars in fruits etc but i don''t pour sugar into things like i used to. it''s huge mentally for me...i don''t know what it actually HELPED with in terms of weight loss or whatever, but i''m sure i am healthier too. and i just feel that much better about it. so it''s doable...if a sugar freak like me can do it and literally not even miss it...(and i don''t miss it, i swear!) in those superfluous drinks and stuff that i had...then anyone can do it. i can''t even imagine because some people drink like 5 cokes or 10 cokes a day! how does their body process all that sugar??? amazing.

anyway i''m rambling now! we went out for drinks tonite with some coworkers as a going away for me, it was super fun, i had a few ''pomegranate lemon drops'' which were YUMMY and dangerous at the same time. we shared some apps, and then greg and i stayed behind and had dinner at the restaurant where the bar was at (super cool kinda SF''y place but right up the street from our house and amazing food), so i had a salad which i scarfed entirely (i''m seriously obsessed with salad right now) and then this absolutely fabulous special which was coriander and cumin crusted mahi mahi on top of sour cream mashed potatoes with this light corn butter broth around the edges of the plate, can you say YUM ? it was seriously divine. i finished EVERY BIT of it and then joked with the waiter that ''i guess i liked it''. then of course we had to have DESSERT since i haven''t really had it in a while...oh yeah since last weekend when i had my ice cream scoop...hehe. so we got the warm chocolate souffle which is a huge weakness of mine, with raspberry sauce and vanilla ice cream. we ate every bit of it. the funniest part is that i am so not even stuffed full! what is the deal!? i was telling greg that i feel like sometimes i could eat a horse lately. it must be all this working out. on one hand i feel like i shouldn''t have eaten the whole dinner but on the other hand i feel like well i watch my portions 99% of the time so why not eat a really good meal and devour the whole thing? hehe. plus my body must like it since it''s all happy now. anyway, it''s back to the gym tomorrow, i definitely don''t feel guilty for taking a night off from workout for some quality time with my darling husband. we actually had a great time talking at dinner as well...it seems like sometimes life gets so hectic that those *real* conversations don''t happen enough so it was nice to take a breather and catch up.

then we walked home.

so back to the gym tomorrow!! rod you may already be gone but have a wonderful time on your weekend...and that cookie sounded great!!! jeff, thanks for the well wishes on the new job, i am very excited. tybee, lol re: the chicken pot pie, seriously, try the 10oz version of the marie calendars, it''s way less guilty than the big version! oh and rod i agree that the whole ''have a job to get a job'' thing is pretty old school, just like company loyalty. things are very different from when my parents were looking for jobs, like a whole new world. it must be a little odd to be back in the thick of it all after being out of it for so long but the beauty is that you are adaptable, as evidenced by how much you have changed in the last year or so...so you will definitely come out of this like a blingy rose!

lorelei, yes miss where are you?!?

 

[Lorelei]

Sorry guys, here I am! Been a crazy week, but I am back now. Nothing much to report workout wise, we are waiting still for someone to come out and fix the multigym, hopefully it won''t be too long. I am up to an hour a day cardio and am mixing it up on the treadmill and elliptical more, as I was reading that you get the best gains if you mix your routine up. This weekend we will be off hopefully to get that set of weights I mentioned ages ago that a colleague of Hubby''s no longer wants, so this will give us something until our machine is fixed, plus another option to keep things interesting. I think it is a bench so I can still do my beloved leg extensions - ha! - and barbells and dumbells.

Great job everyone, Rod it will all fall into place I KNOW it will, it is just a case of hanging in there which you are doing so well! I doubt that I could cope as well as you are

Also you WILL find a wonderful new job, it is just the hard part now, letting the opportunities open up when the time is just right, I really believe everything happens for a reason. Big hugs outgoing to you!

 

[Tybee]

Well, I have to laugh at myself.
Apparently you don''t sear tuna on a grill, you sear in in a pan.. thus the name "pan-seared tuna." It''s just as well, that''s why my husband is the cook.
Dinner was amazing, but I must say, since we''re still learning about cooking, etc. We''ve been having a bit of trouble with portions!
We ate way too much, probably enough for four people! Well, we''re learning.
Speaking of overeating, I stumbled upon this interesting article in the NYTimes online.
Sorry, I never learned to post a link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/11/dining/11snac.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5087%0A&em&en=95eb3de067ce337e&ex=1160798400

The article is basically about a guy who researches why we eat the way we do... our snacking habits etc. I know that I am prone to over eating if things are in the right place at the right time.

Happy Friday everyone! I envy you west-coasters who are still dreaming in your beds as I head out to work this morning.

 

[Rod]

Thanks Mara and good to know you''re OK Lorelei!!

We haven''t left yet. I''m going to meet Charlie for lunch and then we''re going to the gym, then home for a few minutes and off to the resort.

I''m a bit calmer today. Funny how one''s emotions take over. One minute I''m ok, the next I''m feeling depressed and lacking self-worth. I never thought a job defined me, but after 15 years, it must have defined me more than I imagined.

Last night one of my absolute best friends, who also happens to be our mortgage broker and our longest standing friend in Tampa called and we talked for a long time. She and her husband run a very successful mortgage business and they have just expanded to their second office near our new home. Anyway, she and I are getting together Tuesday to talk about the possibility of me becoming a loan officer for them. Ultimately, I''d become a mortgage broker, but you have to start somewhere. Not sure how much money a loan officer can make, so it could be an option or it may not be. At least the world is full of options and I have to keep that in mind.

Anyway, I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

 

[lovelylulu]

hello all.

tybee -- glad you joined! and have fun experimenting in the kitchen! i

tuna. yum.

rod -- have a great break this weekend. i know all about being jobless. my now husband and i graduated at the same time (but from different law schools) we moved to a city that is overly saturated with lawyers

and it took DH nearly 1 year to find a job. during that time, he worked at a few contract jobs to keep active, pay our rent, etc and even got a couple of offers for full-time employment. however, they just weren''t what he was looking for. he held out and last march got his dream job!! i know that he was utterly frustrated with the job search at many, many times during the wait. I was too. but he kept things in perspective and had a truly amazing attitude. it''ll work out. and hopefully, like my hubby, you''ll be doing what you really want to be doing.

mrs. salvo: i totally agree with mara about being a reformed sugar fanatic. i, too, had/have a special place in my heart for sugar. but, since becoming "conscious" of what i''m eating, i''ve actively tried to cutdown my intake of sweets and have done it pretty successfully. and like mara, i can''t say that i miss it -- of course, that''s probably because i still enjoy things like ice cream (all last week), but never completely empty calories like soda. good luck!

monarch: i love pilates. there is something about the combination -- both relaxing and empowering (you definately feel yourself getting stronger) that is incredible. i would definately encourage your hubby to follow through. i''ve suggested it to my husband, because he''s quite keen on strengthening his abs, but he thinks the movements are somewhat awkward and i''m pretty sure he thinks it''s a little girly-- anyway, i think that he''s really missing out. who knows, maybe he''ll come around.

i did pilates last night -- felt great. for dinner i made a fritatta. so easy and delicious. eggs, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes and feta. pop it in the oven for 30 minutes and voila a simple and tasty weeknight meal.

 

[JCJD]

I did a workout video yesterday - Yoga Weight Loss for Dummies. 35 minutes of faster pace yoga poses to keep your heart rate up and an ab workout. Today I biked to work and will bike home. May or may not go to yoga this evening, I''ll let you all know tomorrow I guess!

 

[Mara]

rod...from what i have heard, mortgage brokers can actually make a ton of money...depending on the market in your location. one of our neighbors is one and he has been doing it for a few years, i guess it takes a few years to really get it down, get past the newbie stage and get the client base growing. anyway we know he makes a lot of money. he is only about 25 and he bought the townhouse (and rumor has it he put a lot $$ down), he has 2 new cars and he just remodeled his whole house (aka got rid of the carpet and put in hardwood, had it painted, had things redone...mind you the house was like 2 years old when he did this) and i am pretty sure he paid cash for it. anyway, he definitely is kind of a flaunter with the cashola, but you can tell he has it. also he hired one of our neighbors friends to work with him and he is training him as well. also one of our mortgage brokers (we had a few playing against each other for our business) we worked with a few times, and he was saying the last time that he is doing A LOT better than he was 2 years ago because i guess the longer you stay in the game the more $$ you make. it has to do with starting out sharing $$ then it''s all you eventually is what it sounded like to me. anyway...i thought gosh no wonder so many younger guys are doing it but i don''t know how lucrative it is long-term...aka do you burn out, or do people actually do this for like 25 years etc. it just seems like if it was THAT easy to make $$ everyone would do it. but maybe it''s the few years investment you have to put in that can put some people off? hard to know. but definitely it seems like from the few people i have talked to locally that you can make a mint doing it if you stick with it and dedicate time to it. around here though it''s super competitive as well...because our housing market is so crazy. so i would imagine locale and your housing market has much to do with it too. but worth checking into for sure!!

anyway, so last nite i dont know WHAT happened but something i ate really just did not work for me at all. i was up like 1/2 the night feeling green. it was pretty painful. i have no idea what i ate, as i didnt eat anything super odd or different...the food was rich but my body''s reaction was SO extreme, i have not been that sick for years. i was kind of worried because the last time i got that urgently sick and for that long was when i had this horrible flu about 8 years ago that i had to go to the hospital for because i was so dehydrated. but i feel better this morning and i was able to sleep 1/2 the night. i ate some cream of wheat with brown sugar and a piece of wheat toast for breakfast...hoping it''s pretty easy to digest and won''t upset the body again. really random though and not fun!!!

so today hopefully i will continue to feel okay and i can get my workout in later today. all night when i was sick i kept thinking, see this is what i get for taking the night off from working out to gorge myself at a yummy restaurant! hahaha. i know it''s not true but it was funny at the time. anyway, rod have a wonderful weekend trip and hope everyone else is doing great. hey miss Lorelei, good to see you back!! tybee, for me most of the time it definitely has to do with ''what is around''. i will eat whatever is around. and many times mindless eating makes portions larger. oh and the other thing about tuna, you CAN make it on the grill if you are talking about the ''on the burner'' flat grills...we do it all the time esp in winter. though it is better on the flat side and not the ribbed. anyway, tuna is yummy but it''s so pricey at about $20 a lb, we don''t eat it as often as i wish we could.

 

[monarch64]

Sorry to hear you were feeling so icky yesterday, Mara. Hope you''re back to normal!

Last night after work I went with DH to see his surgeon, who said he would NOT have to have surgery at this time! (yay!) He did prescribe physical therapy, though, and we are fortunate enough to be close to two Athletico locations which both specialize in physical therapy, and one has a fitness center that offers Pilates. Hopefully he will be able to make some lifestyle changes and not have to go through surgery for a long time, if ever.

I''m still a bit sore from kickboxing Wed. night, but came home and walked the dog this afternoon for about 30 minutes, then did my arm routine after we came back. I''m planning to stay inside where it''s warm for the rest of the evening, have some veggies n'' wild rice with a nice salad, and a big ol'' glass of wine for dessert before I hit the hay. Tomorrow there are a couple of classes at my gym I''d like to try--beginner mat Pilates, for one, but it''s at 7:30 a.m., which means I probably will not make it, lol. There is a step class, though, at 9:30, which I may try, or a yoga class at noon. Hmm, we''ll see...

Have a great weekend everyone!

 

[Lorelei]

Might have a day off from working out today, I hope you feel better soon Mara, take care of yourself.

 

[Mara]

thanks guys, i do feel much better and it seems my body is back to normal which was good. a few people i talked to, one of which is a nurse said it sounded like food poisoning. totally random! i guess i really am just glad that it didn''t get me down for a whole day or something even more serious. greg thought it might be the salad i ate but it was just an arugula and frisee salad, you know those weird looking bitter twiggy greens and a few leaves...so i don''t think those were affected by the whole lettuce scare that was going on, i thought that the lettuces in the warning were more like iceberg and more traditional types. anyway, who knows. nothing else i ate would have seemed like it could be iffy...everything was cooked thoroughly as well. so random!

anyway, i went to the gym yesterday and did my thing...62 minutes, 575 calories and 3.85 miles walked. then i went and asked if they did body fat testing so the fitness trainer tested me. he said that because i had worked out, the results might be better than we''d expect. so the result was 20.8 and he was like wow that''s really good. so it''s probably skewed, haha...he said next time i come in to get tested before i worked out to see what it said. he thinks that it would not be more than 24% which he said is the low end of average, aka next to lean. if i was 20.8 for my weight and height and age he said i''d be in the lean category. so we''ll see. he also gave me some interesting feedback...he said that there is such a thing as doing too much (for a possible reason as to why the scale hasnt moved again for me and in fact i''ve put back on like 2 lbs from 3 weeks ago even though my clothes still fit the same and my measurements are the same) and that also i need to do more back work. he pointed out that he could tell just by my posture that my back was not getting the workout it needed. he said i needed to come in and do more rows (pulling machines and similar) to strengthen up my back and that it would also straighten out my posture a bit as well, pushing my shoulders back more. he said my arms and shoulders are getting a big workout with my kickboxing but then i am not doing anything for my actual back. so it''s kind of pulling me forward a bit. intersting anyway, of course then i was all paranoid like...well gosh is my posture bad? hehe. i felt like a freak! so he had to run to a class but it was an interesting 5 minutes, never having spoken to a fitness person before really.

also my mom and sister go to the same gym and they do a 6pm spinning class and my mom loves it so i might start doing that to break up my workouts a bit and try to incorporate something new. i am feeling kind of repetitive right about now a little bit as well.

so that''s my update...i am going off to my kickboxing class this morning and then we''re going to the pumpkin festival to eat some bad food (and PUMPKIN PIE, my FAVE) and get our pumpkins. then tonite we have dinner at a friends house with our gang of friends...which should be fun. i''m making a big salad so i''ll be sure to use my lowfat dressing that are yummy, and no one will have to know that they are eating something good for them. hehe. however the entrees and the dessert will not be lowfat.

have a great day everyone!! oh and lulu i wanted to say that i was happy that you are healing on the wisdom tooth thing very quickly, i am sure i am just a wussy healer. hehee.

 

[Modified Brilliant]

Hi everyone!

I couldn''t believe there was frost on the windshield and I needed to use the ice scraper this morning! I''m just not ready for 35-40 degree weather...but in the Boston area, anything is possible.

I''ve learned alot about food, calories, helpful tips, etc. Thanks for sharing!

I have a weird attitude about food. I would be fine just taking a pill to survive instead of eating. My 85 year old mom feels the same way. I do crave certain foods..but only rarely. Going food shopping is more of an inconvenience than a pleasure.

I''m going to the gym later today. I''ve been keeping to my schedule of 3 gym visits a week and one Jujitsu/boxing session per week. I''m feeling great.

 

[anchor31]

Hey all!

I thought I''d join this thread, as I''ve started doing Ashtanga Yoga (Power Yoga) again this week after stopping for about a year!

I''ve been having a hard time registering for classes, so I bought myself a DVD. It was made in Montreal and I love it!

I''m starting at 10 minutes a day. I''m hoping it''ll help reduce stress and improve concentration, as well as help me sleep better. I''ve been having a really hard time sleeping these past few weeks...

I''ll let you know how it goes.

 

[Modified Brilliant]

Welcome to the fitness thread, anchor

We''ll motivate you and keep you healthy

 

[anchor31]

Thanks, MB! I have to admit keeping the movation to eat right and exercice regularly isn''t very easy in college... I live on my own (with roomates) with no one to "take care of me" per say, so it''s really easy to say I just don''t have time...

Kudos to you all for taking care of yourselves and your health.

 

[reader]

This week: Tue and Wed 6 hours climbing steps with a mailbag. Monday, Wed, and Sat, 2 hours of climbing steps with a mailbag.
Tomorrow, 10 miles on an exercise bike. Foot pain is amazing, so I am hoping the bike will help keep the legs in shape while lowering the impact.

Weight in Feb: 21l lbs. Weight now, 180 lbs--five pounds less than when FH and I met.

 

[JCJD]

On Friday, no workout for me, except for my usual bike ride to and from work (2 miles total).
This weekend I''m on lab duty feeding and caring for our birdies, so it''ll be a total of about 8 hours of work on my feet for the weekend: 200+ squats while bending to retrieve and then replace food cups, running around to the different rooms, and today I biked in to work as well. Needless to say, my quads HURT!!!

I''ve been holding steady at 150.5 lbs for the past several weeks. I''m going to try to kick up my workouts a bit this coming week and try to get down in the 140''s. I''ve been actually working out 2x a week, so I''m going to make an effort to push it to 3 times a week. With my fruit and veggie intake up as well, hopefully the scale will start moving again.

Last night I had SUSHI!!! Avocado rolls, Carrot rolls, Spinach rolls, and Inari (tofu) and Tamagi (egg custard). Yummy! I had to wait over half an hour for my to-go order, but I got the spinach roll for free.

Hope everyone''s having a great weekend!

 

[anchor31]

After only 4 days of the 10 minutes power yoga routine, I can touch my toes again!

I''ve never been very flexible...

Until I discovered Ashtanga!

One thing I can thank my parents for giving me (asides from the bad acne and too much body hair...

) is that getting back in shape doesn''t take a very long time, I just have to keep it up!

Chicken''s baking in the oven...

I like to bake it with canned soup, rice, herbs and vegetables (oignons and mushrooms today) all in one dish. It''s a quicker recipe and it''s yummy! Anyone has some quick and easy heathy and yummy recipes to share (also not too expensive)? As a student, I like to be able to spend more time studying than cooking!

 

[Tybee]

Anchor,
I really do need to try yoga again, I am SO very infexible (in so many aspects of my life ha ha!) But I''m much too impatient for yoga. EAch time I''ve tried it I''ve been so frustrated, and wishing I was running around and working up a sweat. My friends tell me that is the very reason why I NEED yoga... to calm my busy brain.

I ran my 9 mile run today. I''m really trying to encourage my husband to run too. He ran a 5 miler separate from me. (We had different schedules today.) Dinner was chicken and rice.

I have parent/teacher conferences this coming week, so my schedule is packed, hoping to sneak in some gym work outs instead of long runs.

Hope everyone enjoyed weather as beautiful as we did down here!

Tybee

 

[Mara]

so worked out yesterday at kbox...we ended up not going to the pumpkin festival because it was gray and ugly and we didn't feel like fighting for parking. so we went to this small mission town about 45 min away and had lunch and walked around, we love this one place that has the best albondigas soup. i was so stuffed i didn't even get the chocolate mousse they have there that i LOVE. so then last nite was dinner out at a friends, which was salad (which i made so nice and healthy), then spaghetti and meatballs and some fettucini and garlic bread. all in all not too bad as i did not gorge myself...pasta is so filling anyway! then for dessert i made ice cream sandwiches. they are so fun and super easy for crowds/parties. just get a thing of ice cream ( i used dreyers mint choco chip) and then these small wafer fluted cookies that are chocolate mint and you just sandwich some ice cream between them. you can't fit too much ice cream in there so it's a good way to implement portion control, even 2 of the sandwiches is probably less than one big honking scoop at baskin robbins. and super yummy. another way i make them is with coffee ice ceam and cappucino wafers.

so then this morning we had breakfast, 2 eggs, 2 sausages and then this awesome fresh danish cinammon bread we got at the mission town yesterday, this bakery there makes the best breads. i think the bread was the most calories out of the whole meal as two eggs is only 140 cals and 2 sausages were only 120 cals. the bread was probably like 100 cal each slice and i had THREE. hehee. then for lunch right now i had a light snack of some leftover spaghetti from yesterday since dinner won't be ready for another 4 hours.

in the crockpot right now for dinner is the Slow Cooker Roast with Gremolata from cooking light...the recipe sounds divine...it's in the october issue and on their website. i seared the roast in a pan with oil first to lock in the juice and then cooked onions, thyme, bay leaves, beef broth, red wine and garlic in the same pan as the roast was seared...then poured it all over the roast in the crockpot, put some potatoes and carrots around it and whala. we'll pair it with a light green salad with my light champagne dressing, and for dessert raspberry choco mousse (boxed nestle version, super yummy AND you can use 2% milk and it comes out great). the best part is the choco mousse is only ~200 cals for a serving and the servings are generous. last time i couldn't even finish mine. they sell this at the local store, nothing special but a great way to get a choco fix and a real 'dessert' out of it, it's great for parties too.

so the funniest part is that i think today i will be UNDER my caloric intake which is so odd for a weekend day for me...you figure after 3 pieces of bread and eggs and sausage...well i blew it out of the water there. but in reality i didn't. and the slow cooker roast recipe and the salad is right on the money for calories and fat. and the mousse is just the icing on the cake.

i may not work out today...not sure but i might take a break and just relax. we are also watching a friend's dog today so it's a 2 dog household for the day which means we have been running around more! in terms of working out, i think i might start cutting things back to 5x a week instead of my daily thing. last nite when we met up with our friends for dinner, a few of them haven't seen us in a few months and the first thing they said was OMG Mara you are SO skinny, did you lose weight?! and another friend said i should not lose anymore weight. (i laughed when i said well i have only really lost 5 lbs! hahaa). and then another gal who is one of the tiniest members of our friend group kept calling me 'skinnie minnie'. so scaling it back might be the right thing to do esp with my new busier work schedule up and coming. i don't want to burn out or anything. i also am not SKINNY (i'm still a size 8!) so my friends are on crack, but it was kind of weird to hear all that!

welcome reader and anchor! always good to see new faces around here!! jeff kudos to your workouts, you really came on with a plan and you have stuck to it!! it's funny you mention you could just take a pill for food. i LOVE food, we are total foodies and we are always thinking of eating. you figure as much as i think about food in general, i would be like 10000 lbs. i guess it's a good thing i work out. hehe.

rod hope you had a fabulous time this weekend away from home! lorelei good to see you again miss!!!