SBF2: Reboot boogaloo...first week of 2011

lotusfromthemud

Holy moley, back to business....just starting....

lotusfromthemud

Morning, pebbs...I'm up early and facing the reality that I need to go back to work. I'm trying to get excited about it. Um...yay! (?)

The goals for the week are as follows:
M: cardio salsa
T: v. light stretchy yoga @ home
W: cardio salsa
T: Zumba
F: spin bike for my 40 mile challenge
S: steps (as many as I can manage) and 5K for time on the treadmill
S: Zumba

Ambitious, I know...but I'm incorporating fitness test/"try" athalon fitness goal over two days. I was going to do it all in one day, but I think breaking it up the first crack at it is wise. Also, to continue to stay away from flour, refined sugar and alcohol. So far, so good. "Baked goods Sunday" helps with this. Better for me things that feel like treats (with non-refined sweeteners and actual nutrition) once a week that I make myself seems like a reasonable level of indulgence.

Also, brain work every day except Tuesday to get back in the groove.

Back in the groove, boogaloo.:flowerforyou:

crystaltrejo

tell me more about the guidlelines for now refined sugar, flour or alcohol, the last one is self explainitory but tell me more about the first two, what do you watch out for on labels, etc. I would like to try that but what do you eat for bread for instance? Helpppp. thanks.

lotusfromthemud

tell me more about the guidlelines for now refined sugar, flour or alcohol, the last one is self explainitory but tell me more about the first two, what do you watch out for on labels, etc. I would like to try that but what do you eat for bread for instance? Helpppp. thanks.

I don't eat bread, or anything that contains wheat. (I have an intolerance to wheat, not a prejudice against it.) Although there are non-wheat breads, I don't find any of them worth it. I do eat rice and corn rarely, but most of my carbs come from fruits and vegetables.
As far as sugar goes, I avoid refined sugars (so white sugar, high fructose corn syrup). Here's a link with all the "code words" food manufacturers use for sugar:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/87268-different-words-sugar-labels/

It's hard to say what I watch out for on labels, as I don't eat much processed food. Essentially, if you read a label and sugar is one of the first four ingredients (this includes anything that ends in "cose" such as "glucose" or "fructose") it's a bad bet.

HTH.

mechanicmom

Good morning Pebbs. :yawn:
Had to get up with the alarm this morning. First time in about 10 or more days. I liked having Steve home for a week, but working on the cars really got me out of my routine, so I have a lot to catch up on today, and this week. I also feel like I am trying to get sick again. Maybe it's just allergy sinus but allergy medicine did not help me at all. :frown:

My goals for today: clean the house, school with Alex, and walk at least 30 minutes on the treadmill. If all this does not wear me out I will do some upper body as well. (I sneezed and deleted half my post. Thanks goodness for Ctrl+Z. :laugh: ) Eat less, especially sweets.

My short-long term goals: weigh in once a month (this is going to be a hard thing for me. I don't check it as often when I am not losing weight but when I am losing I want to check it everyday), and trying to walk everyday now until February 15th, or substitute it with some other form of exercise (raking the yard, taebo, etc). I weighed myself yesterday so I will weigh again February 1st.

Long term goal for the year: move more everyday. I can easily sit on the couch for two hours or more (doing a cross stitch usually or when I used to play games on the computer) without getting up at all. Thinking about setting an alarm for every hour I am sitting and doing some kind of exercise, like sit ups, squats, jump rope, or lunges. I know there will be some days I will not be able to do this (some lady days or sick days) but I want it to be the goal overall. Also quiet time everyday. I can typically sit and read my Bible on the week mornings but weekends are a challenge. So I will also add weekends. It starts my day off right and helps me get through the tough ones, so I need it every morning.

Maybe I'll print this out and hang it on my bathroom mirror or something, as a reminder.

Finally set some goals boogaloo!
MM

yoginimary

So sleepy this morning - that's what a week off will do to you, though I did set the alarm 3x during the week off to go to yoga classes. So maybe it's staying up until 1am on Sat night - I usually have carry over sleepiness - I guess it's like second day soreness.

Today - short walk and double yoga. My husband talked me into taking a mediation class - well, the $25 for 5 classes didn't hurt either. I'm not stressed, but I think I should learn how to do it outside of yoga. It starts 3 weeks from today.

Tomorrow I will put a good session of homework in - today I will read a little if there's time.

Mediation, boogaloo!

mechanicmom

Update:
Got my first "hard core" work out in today since probably November. I am shaky and will probably be sore tomorrow. I also got almost two hours of cleaning done, or will have it done by this evening.
I will try to make time to work out tomorrow, but I will be gone all morning and then a guy is coming over to upgrade our cable and give us a free DVR for a year. We hardly watch TV but the price is staying the same for better Internet and more channels, so we went for it. The guy is coming some time between 2-5, my work out time. I'll try to get it done. Since I haven't worked out for awhile, I'm not really enjoying it. I know once I get back into it I will be more happy about it. lol.

MM

wanderinglight

Hello All! It's been a while, and I'm glad to see that you are still here. I have been off and on for the past few months, and then went off the rails for a little bit. I have to confess that I was too embarrassed to even check in on the thread every day, although I have been still doing MFP off and on. I just got discouraged with months of working hard and not seeing results, and I slipped back into some bad habits. Everything else in my life has been going amazingly well; it's almost like I decided to have something to be unhappy about and that was food.

I've been back with MFP now for a few weeks and am trying some new things. I may not be checking in every day, as I'm trying to make a personal plan of "less talk, more action" until I see some results.

Hope that your 2011s have been going very well so far, and that you are making positive changes as well!

lotusfromthemud

Good to see you, Wandering! Don't be afraid to check in. Not to push you, but for me checking in when I'm not doing well is as important as when I'm chugging along. I get what you say about "something to be unhappy about". I get nervous when everything is going too well, too.

I'm trying to chug along...yesterday the headache was back with a vengeance, and luckily my acupuncturist could fit me in. I'm actually going to try two sessions a week for a few weeks until I get re-set. It seems to be the old familiar neck/shoulder/upper back spasms. Stupid spasms. It's amazing how our bodies are like dominoes all set up...one thing effects the other.

Anyways, today I'm aiming for some light walking (I have an appointment at the mall after teaching, so some walking before that as I have about an hour to kill) and then home for a short yoga session. That's enough for the day, I think.

Body dominoes, boogaloo.:flowerforyou:

mechanicmom

Hi WL! Good to see you! Come back and check in with us! We miss you!

V, I hope your head gets better today. :flowerforyou:

I am a little sore this morning, and a little late getting around. I kept dozing for about 45 minutes after the alarm went off. Goals today: horse therapy and visit with a friend, finish getting the house clean (still a couple hours of cleaning left I think), school (hopefully I can fit this in this afternoon), and a walk on the treadmill. I didn't eat AS many sweets yesterday but I still ate a lot of food. Need to work on that too. I hope the cable guy comes closer to two than five. I can't work out till he comes and goes. :ohwell:

I need routine boogaloo!
MM

yoginimary

Good to see you, WL, glad most things are going well.

I tried to do every pose on my syllabus from memory last night. I missed three of them. I think I need to do more backbends to 1. clear out some of this coughing (yes, still), and 2. get ready for the workshop in two weeks. The workshop is with the hard teacher and the woman on the cover of Yoga Journal this month. I really wish Yoga Journal would be less of a "woman's magazine".

I wrote out a schedule for today - then I realized I had three other errands to run - grrr. I think I will do all the errands this morning so I can do the schedule this afternoon (basically homework with walking/cleaning breaks).

All the poses, boogaloo.

Mummsy

Hi everyone. I am in a terrible mood! Ha. Way to start off my HELLO! I have gone so astray it is just awful. I did quit smoking and all in all I think that is MOST important! However eating well and exercise have completely fallen off the radar! :devil: I want to get back to working on my weight and health. I just don't want it to be a resolution necessarily. So, I find myself boycotting the making of resolutions! However, I need to get back to the work of working on me. Thanks for letting me vent a bit. Smoke free since 11/20/10! :glasses: :glasses: :glasses: :glasses:

cp005e

Did I post yet this week? I don't think I did. Happy New Year, all!

Hey, welcome back, Wandering and Mummsy!
WL, I know what you mean about being too embarrassed to check in sometimes. I've been frustrated for awhile and don't check in as often as I used to, but I want to get back into thinking positive and focus on what I can do instead of getting depressed about what I can't. Your new pic is beautiful!
Mummsy - congrats on quitting smoking! :drinker: That's a big accomplishment. Hope your mood improved!

I had to go back to work today. :sad: But, it was so good having some time off - even though I didn't exactly spend a lot of focused time thinking, I feel like I was able to get some perspective. I am really happy that it's a new year and I can make a fresh start. I have a lot of things that I want to accomplish this year, but the first thing I am going to focus on is no more distracted eating. No eating at the computer, no eating with a book or newspaper, no eating in front of the TV, no eating while I read email or check Facebook on my phone, no eating in the car. At my desk at work is OK, but I have to lock my screen. So far, I'm doing well, but it is definitely a big change for me.

I spent some time with the Your Shape fitness game yesterday, but haven't unlocked everything yet. It should be a good tool to use when I just don't want to leave the house in the winter. I also went back to belly dance class today, and I'm really glad that I did.

Positive attitude, positive changes, boogaloo.

lotusfromthemud

I love it when everybody checks in...if only Bobbie or Niccole would pop in, my curiosity would be completely satisfied.

That is awesome about quitting smoking, Mummsy! Be proud of that!

I had a frustrating first day back to work yesterday, and then wanted to eat poorly. (I described it to a student who is very smart who met me outside at the bus stop: "imagine that you are told nothing, expected to know everything, only want to do the best for your students and feel like some days, no matter what you do, you can't do that." I only shared this with her because she's indicated that she wants to apply to grad school...and was genuinely curious.) Instead of having a red wine/pizza/ice cream buffet, I picked up the journal and made a list. I'm listening to this really interesting lecture by Pema Chodron (I googled "how to deal with resentment" and it came up). She encourages that instead of getting all worked up at what we think are injustices (this is my specialty) that we should just think "I don't like that." So, I made a list of things that are happening right now that I don't like. No wonder I'm stressed out...it was a big list. Then, I went through the list and looked for things I could do something about. Out of the big long list, there was only one thing I could sort of do something about. Big realization time. So, practicing patience and sitting with cravings was the order of yesterday. I was having elaborate fantasies about all three of the foods I'm trying to avoid this month, but didn't give in. The big list/realization really helped me.

Order of today:
dance class at 9, then home to work for at least two things on the current project list (another long list right now). Making lunch + leftovers today. Also, I'm addicted to cauliflower crust pizza. It's helping me with the "no wheat" part of the plan.

Novel of my troubles (sorry), boogaloo.:flowerforyou:

mechanicmom

Mummsy so glad to see you back! And that is so awesome about not smoking. So proud of you!:bigsmile:

CP, I do a lot of distractive eating as well. I need to work on that. Good to see you back with us too. I'm glad you had some good time off of work. I know you needed that.

WL, I meant to also say you are a beautiful lady. :flowerforyou:

V, sorry you had a bad day yesterday. Good for you not giving into you cravings though! I hope you have a better day today!

Well, I failed yesterday. I didn't get on the treadmill. I was just too busy and by evening my knees were aching. Probably would have helped to get on the TR but I didn't. I'm not going to beat myself up about it. I knew there would be days I couldn't/wouldn't.

Today I have to go sign Alex up for his tumbling class. I should have done this weeks ago because now it looks like all the classes are full except Thursday which is my grocery shopping day. I may have to rearrange my schedule for eight weeks. :frown: The rest of the day will be spent doing school (an hour or so) and then raking up the leaves in the yard (could take days). I need to get the yard work done this week because I heard an Artic blast is coming through next week. So I may not get any more walking done the rest of the week.
My wrist is hurting pretty bad now. I wish the cyst would just pop, even though that in itself is painful. At least then it would be gone and I could get back to push ups and working on cars. :ohwell: I'm not complaining. Just stating the facts. :laugh:

Pushing through the discomfort boogaloo!
MM

yoginimary

I tried to find our post from last year so I could find any New Year's Resolutions, but alas, I can only find back to April.

Welcome back Mummsy. I started on this site right after I quit smoking. It really helped me to exercise a lot.

CP - my hardest times are when I'm really busy and when I'm bored. I think I've not read while eating for a year now. It is hard when I have homework to do. I just remind myself that I enjoy eating, so enjoy it, dang it!

Well, I was up coughing last night :explode: , so I started the inhaler again this morning. I think I need another appointment with the allergist. I've been allergic to cats for years, why the cough now? I'm also thinking of an extra air filter. We have one attached to the main system, but the heat hasn't come on (I know, right?), so the air isn't being filtered.

So today is double yoga and that's enough.

Looking for answers, boogaloo.

Mummsy

Good morning all. Thanks for all the comments.

V: I love love love that approach! I may try that! I hope you are feeling better today.

MM: You did not fail. You just didn't get on the tm. You are not a failure. Not in anything you do!

I hope that we all have a great Wednesday!

Good day boogaloo!

yoginimary

Just googled PX90 Yoga to see what all the fuss was about. I watched a 5 minute routine that someone video taped of themselves. Please, please, please do not do shoulderstand straight from the ground - less you can bend your neck at a 90 degree angle while upright. That is all I have to say.

lotusfromthemud

Morning, pebbs...

Had an unpleasant personal best yesterday...went to the pt and he said "wow, this is the tightest I've ever seen you. You feel like an accident victim." So, ugh. The good news is that this amount of neck/shoulder tension explains my vertigo, nauseau, vision issues, migraines and general crankiness. The bad news is, well, I'm so tense that I feel like an accident victim. He urged me to go back to the GP and ask for a neck ultrasound. I am so tired of going to the doc and asking for tests, which come back "normal". Sorry, I'll stop whining now.

Today is Zumba at 10, and then some (apparently much needed) brain therapy. I'm also going to try to find some sort of meditation class. I meditate for "stress relief" but apparently I'm doing it wrong.

On another positive note (or one positive note) I'm on day ten of no sugar/wheat/alcohol, and I've only experienced minor cravings, even with special lady time here.

Mary, instructors are forever doing shoulder stand that way (I've actually never had a teacher do supported shoulder stand with blankets or anything.) Is it OK to do plough right on the floor? I usually go into that or "goddess pose" when we do shoulder stand.

Car hit me, boogaloo.:flowerforyou:

mechanicmom

V, get better soon! :flowerforyou:

One of my quick posts. I have a lot to get done today and I overslept this morning. I think being out in the sun made me super sleepy/groggy. I was aching last night from all the work, and this morning I am a little sore but not as bad as I expected. That's good because I have to go out and clean up more leaves today. I might possibly get it done today.
I have to finish making my grocery list, then get to the store. After that if we have time, we will do some school, eat lunch then spend the afternoon in the yard again. No plans for tonight so I am looking forward to a relaxing evening. But breakfast first! Hope I can find something to eat!
Have a great day everyone! So glad to see you all checking in!

MM

yoginimary

V, I wouldn't do plow either - it's less pressure on the cervical spine, but a stronger angle for the neck - especially after what you just said about your shoulders. The alternatives are bridge pose or the jack knife shoulderstand (where most of the weight is on the hands and elbows rather than the neck). The weight should be on the shoulders in shoulderstand, not on the neck. To see the anatomy of this: http://www.yogajournal.com/for_teachers/1091# I was taught that if you can't feel space (someone else placing a finger under your cervical spine), you need props - almost everyone needs props. It's odd - people that wouldn't think of doing headstand because it hurts their neck will put 80% of their weight on the neck in shoulderstand. There are plenty of yoga schools that don't use props. I just happen to disagree with teaching shoulderstand to people that don't have the flexion. Rant over.

So, I have a cold - it was officially diagnosed yesterday by the allergist - and I am supposed to rest. I took a great nap yesterday. I also ordered some air cleaners - they now have them with permanent filters, what genius. So no exercise for me today - though I might do the yoga sequence for colds.

Cold, boo, boogaloo.

Mummsy

:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: I sure hope everyone feels better today! Hugs all!

mechanicmom

Update:
Backyard is raked and leaves bagged. And I got my dosage of Vitamin D for the day. At one point I thought about getting on the treadmill too but as the hours wear on I am feeling pretty sore. So back on the Treadmill tomorrow. Glad my yard work is done until the last batch of leaves in the front finally falls off that tree.
Have a good evening!
MM

mechanicmom

I'm looking forward to today. It should be a fairly easy day...I hope. And it's Friday so that's a plus! Tomorrow we are going to my in laws so I'm looking forward to that too. Not many people can say that.

This morning I am going to clean the house, which shouldn't take too long because I've actually kept up on most of it this week! :bigsmile: Then I will probably walk on the treadmill for about 30 minutes or so. If it has warmed up enough outside (high of 67* today, but 38* right now), then Alex and I will have a picnic lunch in the backyard and do school and play out there for a few hours. I like being outside this time of year (when it's warm) because there aren't any mosquitoes! So it's going to be a fun day. Then his OT might come out this evening, and that's always a good time.

I have heard twice in the last day or so that intervals are really good for burning fat. Have you all noticed a difference doing intervals compared to just walking or running for 30 minutes? I have been wondering about doing intervals again (even before all this came up). I'd like to get back to jogging.

Enjoying the sunshine and my sweet little boy boogaloo!
MM

lotusfromthemud

Morning pebbs,

Just having coffee before I head to the gym and time myself riding for 20 miles. If, after 20, I still feel good, I'll keep going (phase one of the "try"-athalon/fitness test). Other than that, it's off to my GP to convince him to have my head further examined.:laugh: In between those two things, I'm spending time in the chapter outline (first chapter of diss...essentially I've been skert to start without approval of the proposal, but I am tired of waiting). Also, figuring out what to eat for dinner, and a possible trip to the bookstore. That seems like enough for a day.

Enough for a day, boogaloo.:flowerforyou:

yoginimary

I think Intervals a great for getting HR up. I also think you will burn more calories doing intervals than walking.

I didn't do any exercise yesterday - other than cleaning - and was worn out last night. I slept for almost 10 hours, and I feel better today. I got a sub so I could sleep in and try to kick this cold. I think another good night sleep should do it. I will try the "cold" series of yoga today. I was too tired yesterday. It would be a great day to go to the nursing home if I didn't think I could be contagious. It will have to wait until next week.

Plan for the day: grocery store, easy yoga, lunch, homework, more easy yoga or easy walk, more homework.

BTW - I hate group homework. We've had 5 weeks to watch a video and make an outline - I stupidly volunteered to join the outlines together - still haven't received one part. I do feel for this person - she is European, and while her English is very good, it's not her native tongue. So she has an extra barrier to grokking this stuff. If she would just turn in her assignment, I would clean up the English! Thus, I hate group homework. I never know how to proceed when someone doesn't do their part.

Getting better, boogaloo.

lotusfromthemud

Up bright and early...

I'm aiming to finish my second cup of coffee and head to the gym. Phase two of my fitness goal test. The knee is a bit wonky today, but it just feels like muscle soreness.

Had a pretty bad experience at the doctor yesterday. Suffice it to say, I'm asking around for recs for a new GP. Maybe I'm too sensitive, but he just seems rushed and not interested. I got him to (begrudgingly) order a test on my neck (where the headache pain seems to originate) But... recurring partial blindness and near-daily migraines are apparently not enough of a symptom for him to feel it warrants a recommendation to a specialist.:noway: Maybe that's just how doctors are nowadays. I left in tears. Not cool.

Anyways...gym, grocery store, possible trip to the movies. I found a meditation podcast for pain and stress, and I did that this morning. I'll continue to do that.

Mary, I hate group projects as well...one of my vows when I get to prof-land is to never assign a group project that takes place outside of class time (I think group discussion in class is an occasional useful tool, but outside of class it's almost always one or two conscientious folk and three or four slackers in every group.)
Frustrated with doctors, boogaloo.:flowerforyou:

yoginimary

Sorry about your GP. It takes courage to say what you want or need.

I'm off to SA today. Will check in tomorrow morning on the itouch. Seems weird to call it that. I've named all the i machines - the one that is now mine was Charlie's old iphone named Cleo. His current one is Doris (this is the "other woman" in his life). The ipad is "the precious".

I was almost back to normal yesterday. I didn't go to group practice, but did get a little practice in at home and an easy walk. Today - a walk before school as well as one after. Maybe some yoga during the breaks.

The precious, boogaloo.

mechanicmom

Hey! Quick post! At my in laws in the sticks!
V, so sorry for your bad experience yesterday. Hope you can find a more helpful doc. They seem more hard to come by these days.
I really don't have much to say. If it warms up maybe we will go for a walk later. Other wise just visiting.
Hope you all have a good day.
MM

wanderinglight

Viv, sorry to hear about the doctor. I had a similar experience -- I have an ear infection that has been lingering for months. Finally got into an ENT and he did not even examine me; just gave me a pre-printed card with a list of antihistamines and other "prescriptions" on it. I looked up another ENT (checked reviews on Yelp first), went to her and showed her the card and she laughed out loud, then got angry at the fact that he is pre-printing his diagnoses without an exam. There are so many bad doctors around and we are so handicapped by our healthcare system of referrals and HMO's. It can be so frustrating. Just MHO on HMOs!

Today I'm walking and doing mellow yoga and hating on my iPhone (just switched from Blackberry and am still trying to learn it).

My Precious!

lotusfromthemud

update: I'm getting a recommendation for a new doc from a friend with chronic pain. I need to find someone who will believe/treat me, and not infantilize me. I'm pretty sure I was articulate, and feel like if you're so desperate you're in tears in a doctor's office that should count for something. Perhaps there's a day in med school where you learn "ignore any reports of pain from a patient." I need to find a doctor who was absent that day.:laugh:

Also, please (if you have a moment) vote on my blog for what I should do for the third leg of my "try". :flowerforyou: