WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JUNE 2014

CoachDanJudge

Hey guys, I encourage all of you to not only do cardio, but perform strength training as well. I've told my mom so many times about the importance of this, and for some reason the notion that lifting weights for women is bad still exists. If you guys need any help at all, please send me a personal message. I have some workouts I could help you get started with. Glad to see everyone is supporting eachother, it goes a long way!

cathyb60

This will probably be a first and last for me...posting twice in one day! LOL! But when I saw Brenda's comment about always giving up on things I thought I found my twin...I have always been like that especially with food issues. I came to check out the site just now because I was sitting there thinking "what the heck I think I'll have some cookies" now I'm going to have a banana instead! When I gave up smoking 35 years ago I did it cold turkey, but I've dealt with food issues most of my adult life. I guess we all have our crutches. It took my husband several tries over many years to give up smoking but he can say no to food very easily.
My fall yesterday scared me, simply because I couldn't get up. I have no balance and my knees are shot. I even went to an aquatic class and couldn't take the 2 inch step down into the pool (there is no railing) I am embarrassed to go back and have to get ladies that are much older than me to hold my hand so I can take that step.

Thanks Brenda for letting me know I am not the only one who gives up too easily, maybe we can encourage each other.

Cathy in NS

Poerava14

Hi Friends.
I’m slowing catching up after falling behind by over a week. We got a new cork floor put in, which created a huge mess. We’re still finding dust everywhere. Dee Dee, Carol and others on the home improvement train…I feel your pain. :grumble:

Great NSV yesterday. I was opening a stubborn new jar of salsa, and was just about to call DH to help, and then ‘pop’, it opened. Months of strength training is paying dividends. My arms are getting nice muscle definition. Now if I could just get rid of the loose skin.

My June goals will be the same as May with the addition of trying to eliminate wheat. Just finished reading the book ‘Wheat Belly’, and so I’m going to test the writer’s hypothesis that wheat is what is actually keeping us fat. :frown: Wish me luck.

Stay well,

Rori in the Colorado Foothills

June Goals:
Strength training 90 minutes per week..
Try out an aquatics class and check out Masters swim.
Three times a week, consume fewer than 50 carbs. Less wheat the better.
Pick up the phone and call a friend or relative 1x per week just to check in.
On a daily basis, list 5 things I’m grateful for.
My word for 2014 = Release

margaretturk

bump!

trisH_7183

DH has never had a symptom except for being tired,so very hard to know if meds are helping.No fluttery feeling in the chest,BP has been kept under control for years.It's like trying to corral a ghost!

OK, all arrhythmia people: do you freak out every time you feel something in your chest? Arrrrggghh.... :frown:

jmkmomm

WOW, it sure was strange seeing a post from a man. I appreciate his words of encouragement though. i wonder if there is a similar group for men her on MFP.

I am watching this weeks episode of Extreme Weigth loss. It's a mother and son team this time and it is interesting to the dynamics of the two, how attached the son is to the Mom because of his insecurities.

Yes Meg, once a nurse, always a nurse. But I saw so much of my Mom in the situation also. I miss her so and helping this little lady was like me helping her all over again. Even though I complained to my husband so many times of Mom's dependence on both my sister and I I would do it all over again just because of how much I love and miss her. There is not a day that goes by that I don't see something in my world that reminds me of her and I love her for that.

OK ladies, I am in an exercise slump. I need some one to come over and lock my pantry so I can't get into my husbands cereal or any other kind of carbohydrate. I was talking to Charlie about it tonight and it's not carbs like fruits and other natural carbs. It's the processed carbs like sweets, cereal, breads, crackers, etc. It would not be fair to not have anything like cereal in the house for him but late at night I can be found with a bowl of dry cereal just munching away. I'm not a big milk drinker so I really don't eat it much with milk and sugar. Before I started on this journey 18 months ago it wouldn't be unusual for me to eat a whole tube of saltines or a box of Little Debbie brownies. OK, that's it for confession time!!!!

Got my hair cut today!!!!!!!!!!!! I get the same cut every time, have for years. It's much easier for my MS in drying and rolling it. So this time before i left her shop I made an appointment for 2 months. She says 2 months is to long, that hair should be cut every 4 to 6 weeks but to do that I would have to convince Charlie that I really needed it. She says she gets her hair cut every 3 weeks. So I get it cut again July 31 and then will make a 2 month appointment again and it will make it right before vacation which is what I really want. What gets me is when I look at the back of my hair I only see dark brown hair. So why does a person have gray hair only in front???? Not fair. When I first got to her shop she was just finishing up two young boys. One had brown hair and the other an auburn/blonde mix. The hair on the floor looked so pretty, reminded me of my cat who is a tortie. I would love to have my hair highlighted just like hers:laugh: I had my hair highlighted only one time in my life and I really couldn't tell it was highlighted, it hurt for her to pull my hair through those little holes in the plastic cap so I didn't do it again. No one else noticed it either so why pay to have it done if you can't tell it's there and it hurt. My MIL, the one who has all these mental illnesses was the only one who noticed it, bless her heart. I love her and miss her so much also

So glad that all those who were in the path of yesterdays storm are all OK.

Joyce, Indiana

edraper70

Woo hoo! School's out for the summer! First day of vacation today. Back to school tomorrow for meetings with the principal.

We have a couple sets of friends coming to visit from Wisconsin. None are staying with us but will be over to swim and barbeque one day or another. I love talking with friends, but I'm not very good at making meals and entertaining. Good thing they all know I can't cook and don't expect fancy.

Prayers and cheers.

Eileen near San Diego

gabbygirl37_2001

Hey everyone. I'm Jackie. I am back here again after a very hard year I figured it was time to stop eating my feelings and get out and do something about this weight gain. I have a lot going on in my personal life including being separated from my husband right now, (not by choice)being off work with an injury and goiing to have shoulder surgery on June 17.

I am a stress eater.

hoping to find new friends here who can help me get thru this without letting things get to me. I am on day 5 of walking and counting calories again and it feels soooo good!

I'm in Vancouver Washington and would love some friends as I'm fairly new to the area.

exermom

Did 90 minutes of Jillian Michaels Hard Body DVD. I'm not so sure that I like it. She only does the exercise for like 30 seconds and by the time I figure out what it is she's doing and how I can modify it when I need to, the exercise is over. But I did find that I was sweating and drinking. Tomorrow I'm planning to do a Step DVD.

After exercising, Vince and I worked outside. He wanted to fix up some places where the rocks had shifted over the winter. Then I went in the pool. Made this cake for a lady at mahjongg, I found the recipe online. Was not at all happy with the first cake so I made another one. Then went to that gym where I have the free month certificate. He sounds to me like he really knows his stuff, but I'm not so sure that I'd join only from the perspective that by being a member at the Y I can use the Y when I go to FL or when I go to see Jessica. If I were to join here, I couldn't do that. Then I went to Aldi, they had baby bella mushrooms on sale so I bought some, I'll roast them and then freeze them. Came home, had dinner now here I sit

Kim - I guess we should just invest in Kleenex Have fun at the graduation

grasgal - we had been outside working for maybe 1-1/2 hrs and Vince felt he needed to come inside into the a/c. It's interesting -- I'm the one who tolerates the heat better, yet he's the one who really wanted to move to NC

sandy - do you do your aquatic exercises in the deep water? Thanks for telling me about the nail wraps. Sounds interesting. I'm so glad you found a good doctor in VA!

jacqueline - that is so cool that you're studying to be a group health instructor

Kim W - we used to live in Stroudsburg!

katla - to tell you the truth, I really couldn't care less if the dip was healthy or not because I won't be eating it! Have fun at the concert. Who are you seeing?

Sylvia - take care of yourself when your bp gets that low. I've just recently started liking mushrooms and sweet potatoes.

Robyn - welcome! You've certainly found a supportive group!

BJ - no wifi for 4 to 5 days -- do you think you'll survive ? There are times when I actually like not having access and just having time to myself.

jane - so sorry you are in such pain, but it'll be worth it in the end.

Vicki from N Cal - congrats on the 5K time

gabbygirl - no, you're not too young, not at all!

barbie - so you think it would be OK to bring veggies again? I'd love it, even if others wouldn't.

Brenda - I agree with Kim -- that was probably the best comment you could have gotten

Our internet has been up, then down, then up, then down. It seems to be going out for no reason at all. We have no idea why this is happening.

Meg - yup, that workout is one of the ones I do on the dereadmill. Good luck to you! It also helps to pass the time. Stay safe.

CoachDanJudge - I try to do cardio at least 3 days/week, I do some form of weights (DVD, class) 3 days/week, and the 7th day I usually do some active recovery exercise. Thanks for the reminder how important strength training is. As I recall, when you do it you burn more calories afterwards than you burn when you do cardio. And don't forget nutrition!

Joyce - I bet your new haircut looks wonderful! Hopefully, you'll post a pic of you with it.

Jackie - welcome

Michele in NC

sandydoyle33

Hello Ladies,

I want to say "Thank You" to all of you for your warm welcome and encouraging words. It means a lot to have a place to come and share what is going on and to see that I am not the only one with some of the issues and difficulties in life. Although I have tried to find a supportive and encouraging group of ladies, I had not been successful until now. I am glad that this site was suggested to me at the fitness center.

I have good days and I have bad days. Some days I am very good at watching what I eat and other days I totally fail. I have a tendency to be very hard on myself when I feel I have failed. I am and have always been my worst critic. But, I am slowly learning to not dwell on the days when I don't do so well with my eating habits and just be more careful the next day. Taking it day by day is better for me than trying to plan out a month or 6 months.

Same with my fibromyalgia, I have good days, bad days and terrible days. But, my goal with this is to have more good days than bad and terrible days. That is what my doctor in Ohio suggested my goal with fibro be. He said that as long as I have more good days than bad, I will always be a step ahead.

It's interesting that when I was diagnosed I thought that exercise would be the worse thing for me. It's always been said that with exercise "no pain, no gain", but that is not true. Even though it has been a slow build up, I can honestly say that no pain, some gain. This is how I wan to keep it.

If there is anyone else on this board that has fibro and needs a support and encouragement partner, just let me know. We can work through it together.

Katla, Yes, you are correct about the treadmill. My knees are one of my week points too. The medical trainer specialist at the fitness center suggested that I use the elliptical and a machine called the Occtane, which is what I call a seated elliptical and you can work out the arms just like with the elliptical.

Thanks to all you beautiful ladies. :flowerforyou:

jmkmomm

Sandy, my sister has had fibro for years. Luckily for her, her doctor is another one who truly believes in the illness. But she also has a lot of orthopedic problems that she seemed to inherit from our Mom. So she has a really double whammy. She has cognitive and IBS problems with it along with a lot of sleep problems. She takes a boat load of medicines but I think she is one who likes to wallow in her problems. It is hard to talk to her sometimes because although I know she has a need to talk about her problems, she can go on and on and on and on. She loves to say how many medicines she takes a day.Because of both problems she has very little mobility anymore and has a power chair. She does go to the Y and takes the senior aquatic programs. All the different immune disorders seem to run in our family, thanks to our Mom!!! Her daughter has fibro, I have MS, my oldest has chronic fatigue and my other one has some sort of skin disorder that she has these awful looking skin eruptions. But we are all happy in our love for each other and our knowledge that God is watching over us, love to laugh and have fun.

Joyce, Indian

sandydoyle33

Hello Ladies,

Reading through the posts, I noticed that several of you are having problems sleeping. I was in a terrible funk with my sleep where I was sleeping maybe 3-4 hours a night. Initially I didn't have any problems falling asleep, but staying asleep, then the problems falling asleep started and for about 3 years I had these issues. Then came the problems staying asleep, if anything woke me in the middle of the night it was at least a few hours before I would fall back asleep.

When my menopause symptoms started, I did some research on the internet because I did not want to be put on hormones and fortunately my OBGYN agreed. I found that taking a combination of Evening Primrose, Vitamin E and Fish Oil helped me with my menopause symptoms and mood swings from periods. That helped for a while, until Fibromyalgia came into my life. Then the sleep issues got worse.

My doctor then prescribed a medication named Doxepin and started me on 10 mg at bedtime, it helped a bit, but not as much as I thought. Well the Dr. upped the dosage to 20 mg, this medication you can take up to 50 mg at one time. The 20 mg worked well for awhile and just recently I started having issues just falling asleep. If I wasn't asleep within the first 30 mins of going to bed, then I would be awake for hours. So, I spoke with my Dr. again and she suggested that I take over the counter Melatonin, the 3 mg not the 5 mg, in conjunction with the Doxepin and it has been a wonderful combination. I have been sleeping so well and feeling a lot more rested than I have felt in a few years.

I still take the Evening Primrose and Fish Oil as well. Not sure if this will work for you all, but it has worked for me and I am so glad it has because on top of the fatigue that is normal with fibro, the lack of restful sleep just compounded and made things worse.

You can check on the internet and ask your doctors, of course, before you try. Just wanted to share with you all what has worked for me and hopefully will work for you.

:flowerforyou:

Janette3x4

I am 53, I forgot to add my age! Lol.
Thank you for all of the welcome and kind words! I think you are all awesome. That is a lot of work to post personal messages to so many. And time consuming! Thanks again. May your Friday be as wonderful as you all are.
Janette ????

Patchworkperson

Bump

jmkmomm

We are a group blessed with beautiful grand children!!!!

CynthiaT60

Good morning everyone!

Sylvia: glad you went to the GP; if you’re feeling so bad *someone* must help. Could he/she offer any help?
BJ: have fun at the cottage.
Tere: good you were able to sleep so long; you need it.
Meg: wild weather there! Hope you’re OK.
Michele: love your chatty posts about what you’ve been doing.
Joyce: I’m blessed with no (grand)children!

No real news about my job, except that there's an additional financial hurdle to keeping me on. I didn't know about that. Anyway, I had a good conversation and appreciated the person wanting to keep me in the loop as much as possible.

Cynthia :flowerforyou:

cityjaneLondon

Good morning everyone!:flowerforyou:
I have changed my ticker to show the two pounds I have put on from my holiday. I hope it will motivate me to up my game. I took my measurements this morning and they are the same so I am daring to hope that some of it might be muscle.:laugh:

Cathy - it seems that you are realising what you need to do to gain back your health and fitness. When I say I have achieved miracles I really mean that. I do not recognise myself from the state I had let myself get into. Other women on this thread are slso testament to the miracles created by healthy eating and exercise.:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: I must echo the CoachDan who popped in and say that strength training is wonderful, especially as we age, (I am 64). I started with small dumbbells and worked my way up. I bought them on Amazon, (poor postman!:laugh: :laugh: ) and looked up exercises on the internet, good form being essential. I do the bicep curls sitting down to save my knee. I also recommend planks and push ups, squats, crunches etc. You only need the space of a hearth rug for all this. Balance comes from the core. Pilates is grest if you can get to a class. I go to yoga once a week at whivh many participants are over 70. I use many of the exercises daily especially the BALANCE, which I can't emphasise enough for the older ladies.
Everyone has to start somewhere. From an obese, nearly cripple, I am now very fit and slim for my age, although some bits of me are still protesting!:laugh: :laugh: I have a hospital appointment for my knee on the 16th - just when it is very much improved!:laugh:

Our trip out was a triumph yesterday. Chichester was good, with the art gallery and the cathedral, but the best part of the day was the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum, with its very old buildings and amazing rural craft displays. I love all that sort of thing so I was in my element. Wonderful old barns and farm implements, ancient houses and gardens and plumbing and buildind displays. I love old stone and bricks! ! ! ! ! :laugh: And beams! ! ! ! ! :laugh: All this with gorgeous sunshine and lovely scenery. Traffic jams on the motorway on the way home, but I sst in the back and read my Jack Kornfield on my phone and was fine.

I will tell you the latest episode in my window saga another time.:frown: :ohwell: :huh:

Love to all. Stay away from those hailstones!

Heather in sunny Hampshire UK

trisH_7183

Kim,this is a recipe we had for Memorial Day potluck.I had/ used strawberries,but bananas would work.As written,it fills either a glass 9"x13"or can use a clear trifle bowl.

Buy or make an angel food cake.
1 small pkg of sugar free instant pudding.Any flavor works,chocolate,cheesecake,vanilla
Whatever goes with bananas
1 8oz Cool Whip thawed
Bananas sliced
In chosen container slice cake & cover bottom ,using as much cake as you can.Cover cake with sliced bananas.
fold dry pudding mix into Cool Whip.Cover bananas with pudding Cool Whip mixture.Repeat layers of bananas & pudding mixture,ending with sliced bananas.

Mine was cake,then berries,then pudding mixture,then berries.With bananas,I would cover them with the Cool Whip mixture to keep them from browning.keep in fridge.
Was told it's best made the day you serve it,but I made a small 2 serving container for DH
& it was fine the next day.

Pat in Ohio



"Anybody have a MFP safe banana based recipe? I was at the market and they had a bag with 10 big bananas in it for 59cents, I had to buy it - I could freeze them but was thinking I'd cook something tomorrow - I need a dessert for a gathering on Friday--would like something I could have some of... any ideas? "

LKM54

Hi Gabbygirl, I tend to be a stress eater as well. My worst time is at dinner or after dinner. I am working on that issue. Sometimes, if I go upstairs after I eat, it solves the problem. Right there with ya so we can muddle through together Have a good day!

:drinker: Coffee, coffee, coffee, to everyone else, is there enough today? I say no but will plow through anyway. Off to do the Firm and making myself do the stomachs this time!

47Jacqueline

Good morning - I'm going food shopping as soon as whole foods opens - opps it's open! Yesterday I did a morning workout using Fitness Blender - a real sweat generator. Today is my Friday Body Pump class.

megblair1 - thanks for reinforcing my shortened sleep cycle

yanniejannie - Greek chicken sounds good. I've been taking natural proteserin (sp) not sure it's working but I'm sleeping through the night. I usually get about 6 to 7 hours of sleep and get up about 4:30. I just stopped fighting it.

Well today's my friday body pump class at noon and I better get over to Whole foods before it gets crowded

Have a good day