Weekly Workout Thread--June 19-24

[scarlet16]

I just found this thread...and I need help!!! I had been so good before my finals started (ie, I was running 4 miles 4-5 times a week, eating VERY healthy, and OLD clothes fit again). I had been getting to the gym before work at 6 AM and my day typically didn't end until 9-10PM.

BUT now that classes are over (and finals done) and I'm only working, I find that I can't wake up! And I'm definitely gaining all that weight back...which I'm really pissed about!

Someone help...I need some motivation!!!!

 

[Lorelei]

Scarlet welcome to the WWT

Of course you can do this! Work out a plan where you can fit some workouts in and your daily menus - I am sure the other busy ladies on this thread will chime in and give you some great suggestions! You are doing the right thing by realizing you have slipped a little, but as you are taking action now it will only be a small blip which happens to all of us. Success comes from planning I find rather than winging it with weight maintenance - keep stocked up with the right foods, drink lots of water and stay away from trigger foods you can overeat. Don''t let yourself get too hungry and eat at least 3 meals a day, or 4 - 6 smaller ones. Eat breakfast and fill up on fruit if you get hungry. Set small realistic goals, the first of which is to work out your gameplan. You can do this and the thread is a great support and motivator, check in here each day if you can and let us know how you are getting on.

Hope this helps a bit.

 

[Lorelei]

Dang . Second double post in a day.

 

[scarlet16]

Lorelei-
Thanks so much. Unfortunately, it''s moved from a "small" blip to a fairly major one. My exams ended on May 3. I was good for a little bit after that because I went to a wedding in Jamaica...but since I got back (May 23rd), I can count on one hand the number of times I''ve been to the gym.

I definitely do realize its time though...my clothes are again starting to feel a little tight...sigh...

 

[Lorelei]

Scarlet - tell yourself that TODAY is the worst it is going to be and that you have commited yourself to getting back on track, also once you get going weight comes off quickly. Tomorrow and the days ahead are new days where you can turn this around. You can do it! Cut yourself some slack - you are human and we have to eat and sometimes life just gets in the way of eating properly and working out. You have had a hectic time by the sound of it recently, so don''t be too hard on yourself, just pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again ( as the song goes?!)

 

[lovelylulu]

ladies, you all sound like you are doing splendidly! i haven''t been posting as much because work is madness and there are just a little over two weeks until my wedding. however, i have been working out -- more pilates than running, but that''s because it''s easier to fit into a busy schedule. and i''m happy to report i know fit into jeans that i haven''t worn in three years.

holla!

 

[bee*]

I ran my first mile ever yesterday! I cant believe that I did it as I couldnt even run for 30 seconds a few weeks ago! Went to the gym after work today as well and have just come back from walking the dog with D. Hope everyone else is doing well

 

[Mara]

welcome scarlet..

i have to say that one of the best things for me to find re: watching calories and what i eat, was Lean Cuisine, i don't eat that much processed food but these are fab for lunch...they are the best tasting out there after trying a bunch of different brands...and they are pretty filling, depending on what you get. they range from 8 oz to 11.5 oz for the regular ones, so if you feel really hungry you can eat something like the meat spaghetti which is like 11.5oz so it's definitely filling, but only like 350 calories and 7g of fat. they also have smaller ones like the herbed chicken is one of my faves..and it's only 8.5oz and 250 calories i think. anyway i have really cut back on some calories by eating these maybe every other day for lunch.

so i went to class tonite which was good even though it was SO HOT in there, because it was over 100 today...which is unusual for us at this time of year...so very hot!!!! i sweated like a piggy. but i was really glad i went.

we had sushi for dinner which was super yummy...probably could have been a little more healthy with fish and veggies but we just haven't felt much like cooking this week. so at least it was fresh fish with lots of protein. i also love edamame!!! yum.

oh, and positive...i went to the movies with my mom and sis and i didn't have a thing from the snack bar. i was tempted as i was a little hungry but i held out!

congrats lulu and bee on great milestones reached!!

 

[monarch64]

Date: 6/22/2006 5:25:27 PM
Author: lovelylulu
ladies, you all sound like you are doing splendidly! i haven''t been posting as much because work is madness and there are just a little over two weeks until my wedding. however, i have been working out -- more pilates than running, but that''s because it''s easier to fit into a busy schedule. and i''m happy to report i know fit into jeans that i haven''t worn in three years.

holla!

"Holla back!!!" LOL, I haven''t used that expression FOREVER!

But for you, lovelylulu, I WILL gladly use it! I''m so proud of you, being able to fit back into 3-yrs.-ago jeans is fantastic! Way to go!

You deserve major "props" for that! In fact, I have a pair of old, old Silvers that I used to absolutely love that I''m trying on every week waiting to fit back into--I can picture you doing the same thing with yours! Isn''t it funny how we care more about how our jeans fit sometimes than we do our swimsuits?!

Anyway, I''m really proud of you and it''s awesome to hear a "success story." Thanks for sharing and giving us inspiration!

I didn''t work out tonight at all! We had our friends who are joining us for the first leg of our vacation together over to discuss the last-minute details, but I saved up major calories all day because I knew I''d be having a few beers/glasses of wine, etc. I also cleaned house like a madwoman all evening last night and before they arrived this evening--so that has got to count for some sort of workout time, right?!

Also, I know I''m walking 10 miles with my old friends from the breast cancer walk (hee hee, "old friends,") on Sunday, so I''ve totally been slacking knowing that.

Tomorrow I do plan to do some "calesthenics" in the a.m. when I roll out of bed--push-ups, jumping jacks, etc., followed by some plie squats and crunches, enough for a 30-minute workout. I''ll let you all know how it goes!

 

[coda72]

Bee, that''s great that you ran a mile! Keep it up and soon you''ll be running a marathon!

I had a very good workout last night. It ended up not raining so I went to the local park and ran over 4 miles. It gave me a break from my very hilly neighborhood that I usually run in. I''m pretty happy; I didn''t run my 5 miles, but I felt pretty good running as far as I did. It was also hot and humid as it has been all week, and I''m sure that''s part of what was wearing me down. Today after work I''ll do my normal run, and that will put me at 5 workouts for the week. Next week and the week after I would like to get at least 3 workouts in each week.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

 

[Lorelei]

Great job Coda and Lulu - and everyone else of course!

We went to the gym this morning and did 20 mins crosstrainer then drove over to the track and Hubby ran a mile and did well apart from his calf hurting, I did mainly fast walking with a little running. So 5 workouts this week.

 

[AsscherGirl]

Hi ladies!

Bee - congrats on the mile!!!! That is soooooooooo exciting. There is nothing like accomplishments to keep you motivated. Coda is right - you will soon be running a marathon

.

Lulu - you must be so excited that your wedding is so soon! Congratulations on fitting into your jeans - that is a huge feat!

Welcome Scarlet! I know you''ll get back on the bandwagon - maybe something different in your workouts will help with the motivation. You could try a class or sign up for a race or something....

Mara - congrats on not having any snacks at the movie theater - snowcaps are always my downfall! Oh, and I never responded the other day, but Ican''t believe you don''t really ever crave pizza! I''m not surprised Greg wants it a lot - pizza is definitely more of an east coast thing than a west coast thing.

Lorelei - 5 workouts - you go! Are you enjoying the gym? Also - congrats to your hubby - 11 pounds already?! Men are so lucky!

Monarch - cleaning definitely counts as a workout, especially when you''re scrubbing away

.

Coda - good job on the run. I think 4 miles in the heat & humidity is definitely commendable. I hate running outside (except for races). I like the treadmill with my personal t.v.

.


As for me.....I never made it to the gym on Wednesday night. The fi & I went out shopping and then I cleaned our bathrooms & did the laundry. however, I did do some jumping jacks as I was doing the laundry, because I was feeling really lazy and guilty about not going to the gym. Last night, we did go to the gym. I decided to lift arms & I am sore, sore, sore this morning. It feels good though! I also did some ab work & leg lifts. I have weak hips & I find nothing challenges them like leg lifts with no weight. It''s really hard to stabilize all the muscles to properly do them. I do 3 sets of 10 on each side & my legs are killing afterwards! But I know it''s really good for me & makes the every day pain much, much less.

I want to go to the gym after work today (whooooo, half day Friday!) since the gym is closed all weekend. I want to run today!

Have a great weekend everyone & keep up the good work!!!!!!

 

[KimberlyH]

Good Morning Everyone:

Yesterday I did 1/2 an hour on my eliptical and then free weights for a bit. I spent the rest of the day cleaning out fiance''s mom''s bedroom (closets, drawers, etc.) which involved a lot of physical activity...and then we headed to Solana Beach for dinner at a delicious Mexican restaurant which totally negated all of the calories I''d worked of but it was well worth it.

Today I hope to get in another 1/2 hour on the eliptical as we have plans tonight so a walk/hike won''t be happening. We''re supposed to warm up this weekend so we''ll probably head to the coast for a hike (I live in inland SD which is about 10 degrees warmer than the coast).

Mara, I''m so glad you got your pizza!

Coda, glad to see you were able to get to four miles. Listen to your body and don''t overdo it, but keep exercising!

Bee-that''s so awesome, congratulations!!

Have a great workout day everyone!

 

[sk8rjen]

Hey all, sounds like everyone''s been up to lots of good! I worked out last night at the gym, but only did a mile and a half on the elliptical (been consistently doing 2) but that was because I tried a cross-country program and it worked me a lot harder, so I felt really good about it. Did a whole circuit on weights, too.

BUT I won''t be doing anything over the weekend while we''re away, exercise-wise. I will be eating *a lot*, probably drinking *a lot* and gambling alot (we''re off to Tunica, MS -- casino row-- I''ve never been and I don''t have the best luck..

) Anyway, I don''t feel too guilty about it yet ... hopefully there''s a sparkly attached to this weekend

Talk to y''all Monday...
(ps please please send me some of that PS fairy-dust)
(pps I hope none of you will be as bad as me this weekend with your food/exercise!)

 

[Mara]

wow congrats everyone!!! this thread is really hoppin'' now!! i''m so proud of everyone!

danielle, i know, i''m just not a huge pizza or pasta person at all. i kind of view it was wasted calories and fat. but i swear that pizza craving this week was BAD...like i could have eaten the whole pizza. hehee. there are still two slices in the fridge but i''m not really tempted. once i had it i was pretty much over it. greg loves pizza AND pasta so he is always chafing at how i don''t really care for either of them at all. sometimes we get a pizza if he really wants one but i am always like damn what a waste of a dinner!! hehee. and if we go places that have seafood he almost always gets things like clams with linguini so he can have his pasta fix. there is a great little italian place we go to sometimes that he really likes.

i am much more of an eating out fish/seafood lover or a california grill type place where you can have various different things than pasta/italian..oh and we both just love mexican!! sometimes greg jokes around i am trying to turn him mexican. haha.

tonite i am thinking either this singaporean place we love (with a horribly greasy fatty roti prata that is just divine!!) or maybe this outdoor cafe place a few towns away that has outdoor seating, you can bring your dog and the food is just divine, soups and sandwiches but REALLY GOOD stuff. and they also have the best frosted mocha coffee/ice cream blend dessert. yummo!!!! so either way...it''s bad. hahaa!

 

[AsscherGirl]

Yay, I got back from the gym a little while ago! I decided to run today - I did 3 miles in 42 minutes. It''s almost like starting over for me, since I took quite the hiatus from running since our last race (April 29th!). It was so hot in the gym - I was sweating like crazy

.

I''m determined to do a little exercise this weekend at home. Whether it''s just some crunches or jumping jacks or leg lifts - anything. I don''t want to get out of my workout groove before Monday!

So have a great weekend everyone & hopefully we enjoy ourselves without over-indulging too much!

 

[Mara]

OH by the way gals, I read this in my US Weekly...

One of the trainers to the stars said that the fastest way to break up cellulite is to JUMP ROPE and that it''s an excellent exercise.

So get out the jump ropes!!! I figure jumping jacks are kind of like jumping rope? heheh.

 

[monarch64]

Date: 6/23/2006 4:20:20 PM
Author: Mara
OH by the way gals, I read this in my US Weekly...

One of the trainers to the stars said that the fastest way to break up cellulite is to JUMP ROPE and that it''s an excellent exercise.

So get out the jump ropes!!! I figure jumping jacks are kind of like jumping rope? heheh.

Ha ha! I''m going to Sports Authority right after work today to buy a jump rope! Wait, is the trainer implying that I CAN''T wear my girdle, er, Spanx, lol?! I wonder if you have to be totally unemcumbered and jiggly for cellulite break up to occur? I need more info, ha ha!

 

[Mara]

Date: 6/23/2006 4:46:41 PM
Author: monarch64

Date: 6/23/2006 4:20:20 PM
Author: Mara
OH by the way gals, I read this in my US Weekly...

One of the trainers to the stars said that the fastest way to break up cellulite is to JUMP ROPE and that it''s an excellent exercise.

So get out the jump ropes!!! I figure jumping jacks are kind of like jumping rope? heheh.

Ha ha! I''m going to Sports Authority right after work today to buy a jump rope! Wait, is the trainer implying that I CAN''T wear my girdle, er, Spanx, lol?! I wonder if you have to be totally unemcumbered and jiggly for cellulite break up to occur? I need more info, ha ha!

LOL Monarch...that is all it said!!!!! I was like HMM interesting. Fastest way...break up..and cellulite in one sentence is bound to get the sales of jump rope skyrocketing all around the US!!

 

[monarch64]

Going to investigate jumping rope and cellulite break up right away...

 

[monarch64]

Here we go--from shapeupshop.com:

Jumping rope is an intense and effective aerobic activity. Skipping can actually tone the muscles of the upper body (especially the deltoids and to a lesser degree the chest and upper back) as well as the lower body (especially the calves and hamstrings). It also promotes definition of abdominal muscles and reduces cellulite.

As recommended by ''WF health and Fitness Experts'', you can adapt moves, such as marching or running in place, from aerobics classes, while turning the rope alongside your body.

Research indicates that 10 minutes of jumping rope is equal to 30 minutes of running at a 5.7 mph pace.

A 150-pound person jumping 120 times per minute burns about 12 calories per minute.

Rope jumping improves your coordination, speed and agility - which can vastly improve performance in other sports. Jumping rope is a plyometric workout. Thus, it is excellent for developing power, speed and endurance in your calves.

Not only is it a good CV workout, but also it improves your agility, fluidity, coordination, lateral movement, explosiveness, speed, and timings.

While you cannot really increase your muscles'' size by jumping rope, you can (and will) increase the muscles efficiency, and because of this, many coaches employ it as a means to complement strength or weight training.

Skipping also helps to improve coordination for sports such as tennis or racquetball.

WELL ISN''T THAT INTERESTING

I''m officially converted, lol!

 

[bee*]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement! Im hoping to do the ladies mini marathon in dublin next june so at least I have something to work towards.
That jumping rope idea seems good. Ive actually noticed that any cellulite that I had has started dissapearing in the last few weeks so I must be doing something right-compared to how it used to be it''s so much better.
Well done on the three miles in 42 minutes Danielle-thats great! I hate it when the gym is hot-although living in Ireland it doesnt happen too often

, but when it does we cant cope with it at all!

 

[bee*]

Mara, Im with you on the food thing-Pizza wouldnt really appeal to me often but Mexican I could eat all day long every day-mmmmmm

. I would love some now!

 

[Mara]

lol bee..mexi is the best!!

monnie thanks for finding that article!! i am thinking i''m converted too...i have to say that in my other kbox class he''d sometimes have us jump rope for 4-5 minutes..aka a 2 minute jump then 30 seconds rest then 2 more minutes then 30 seconds rest then 1 minute and we were DYING DYING DYING...it''s very hard to jump rope like that, your muscles get so tired! but it''s good to hear that it''s so positive! thanks for finding that info!

 

[monarch64]

Ya ha ha--I bought my jump rope!

I got the super cheap $4.99 speed rope to start with... They had everything ranging from the old beaded ones I remember from grade school, to high-tech digital ones that tell you how many rotations you''ve done and how many calories you''ve burned, but those were $15-20. Of course they all come packaged up neatly so I couldn''t take any out to test them, boo.

I got home with my cheapo and it''s a little on the long side (9 ft.), but I figure I''ll practice with it first and then spring for a better one that is adjustable later.

I found a ton of websites related to jumping rope...I did a search for "health benefits of jumping rope" and found all kinds of stuff. Also lots of sites that sell fun "professional" ones, some even talk to you and have radios! How cool is that?!

Buh-bye cellulite, hee hee hee...

 

[Mara]

hehee ... the other thing is i have to figure out where i am going to be doing this jump rope thing..we don''t have a yard...we do have a 15x25 patio in our front, but i dont know if i want all my neighbors checking me out huffing and puffing, sans girdle...so we''ll see.

i hate too short jumpropes...what is the best length i wonder depending on height?

keep us posted!!

 

[monarch64]

Mara, I read on one of the jump rope sites that you can "fit" yourself for a jump rope. You step on it with one foot, and the handles should come up to your chest. The ones I looked at today were either 8.5 ft or 9 ft long...I got the 9 ft. because I''m 5''10" but it turned out to be a bit too long. I could''ve gone with the 8.5, I think. They were all packaged in clear plastic box things that seemed to be sealed, so I didn''t try any on, so to speak, for fit while I was in the store. When I got home with the cheapo model the package wasn''t really sealed shut, it just opened, so I really could have tried it on in store. But whatever, it was $5 and I will use it a few times to determine whether or not I am a jump rope junkie...then research more and find a better quality one. Heck, I''m surprised I went so far as to buy one--I''m not the type who appreciates change, ha ha!

Re. you not having much backyard space: first of all I read that if you get the right fit you can use a jump rope inside. Think about it--you do jumping jacks inside and your arms go way farther above your head than a properly fitted jump rope will! Plus you''re not supposed to jump more than a couple of inches off the floor during a rotation (I love it, I''m learning the lingo of jumping rope, lol), you''re supposed to focus on using your core muscles and not your calves exclusively. My problem with doing it inside is that we have ceiling fans in every freakin'' room and of course they''re right in the middle of the ceiling. Also our hardwood floors are rather creaky and I feel like I would come crashing through them.

Our backyard is pretty visible, even with a 5 ft. wood fence, as we are on a corner lot, and I will feel weird with neighbors and passers-by being able to see me hyperventilating AND jiggling, but oh well. I figure if they''re out walking in the neighborhood they care about fitness too and probably understand why some girl is jumping around in her backyard!

 

[Mara]

lol mon...well keep me posted. hmmm maybe i will go get meself a jump rope today..

i actually got up this morning at 8:30 and went to kbox class at 9...which was tiring but felt good...esp after we ate alot of singaporean food last nite, hehee.

now i am drinking my coffee and eating an egg white omelet with a sprinkle of monterey jack cheese, pepper, salt on a flour tortilla. yum.

we may get mexican tonite but at least i won't feel a whit of guilt knowing that i did something good this morning!! tomorrow we will most likely go for a 2-3m walk in the evening or similar. it's supposed to be high 90's here again today, this is unusually hot weather for us so everyone just hides inside until it gets cooler!!

have a fab weekend ladies!

 

[hlmr]

Hi Ladies:

I just got back from the west coast of Canada and I so love it there and envy you west coast/california girls!!!! It rocks!

As far as being a good girl diet wise - well.....the scale will tell tomorrow.......

I will be fully engaged in behaving myself next week!!!! I hope everyone is well!

Mara, have you weighed yourself yet? Did you lose pounds or inches or both?

 

[Lorelei]

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I AM NOT DOING JUMP ROPE! I was useless at it as a child anyway and I would probably end up in a heap on the floor if I tried it now! You ladies go though!

Had yesterday off and had a bit of backache, but this afternoon Hubby and I are going for a walk then back to the gym tomorrow.