40+ Club: Spring Fitness Challenge

LadyPersia

Thank you for the wonderful support. Keep up the good work. We are above 40 and strong!!!
Jprice---Keep the cheer!!! Namaste

StiringWendel

JPriceGA, I hope you feel better today. :flowerforyou: Don't let these set-backs (as you see them) let you down. They are a part of the process and everybody goes through them. The key is that you are back to logging in and that is really the most important thing right now. I listen to Jillian Michael's podcasts from when she used to have a radio show, and just in case you haven't heard this, I thought I'd share it with you. She compares 'falling off the wagon' or 'set-backs' to getting a flat tire. You get out, fix it and move on......you don't slash the other three tires. Well, set-backs are the same way. You experience them, you fix it, and you move on. It doesn't make everything you've done to date null and void and it certainly isn't worth 'slashing your other tires'!

tron, so happy to see you!! I was wondering if you'd gotten lost in Nevada!! I'm so sorry to hear about your brother's family, but think it is wonderful he had you to turn to when he needed some help....and that he turned to you. It sounds like it was just what he needed. As you stated, moving may not solve their issues or heal their hearts, but maybe being closer to family and just a change may be the best thing for them. You are so wonderful in helping them out like you are. :flowerforyou: I hope everything works out for them.

niknik, congrats on your weight loss last week!! Sorry you aren't feeling too well right now. It may take a couple of days to get back on track, but I have no doubt you'll be able to do it. Look at what you've accomplished so far!!

LadyPersia, hope you are well!!

All here is good! Enjoying some sunshine this morning after the rain yesterday. Looking forward to doing my P90X Back/Bicep workout in a little while. My eating hasn't been great, but that's by design on my part right now so I'm okay with it. I wore a pair of jeans yesterday that I haven't worn since September, so I'm happy with where I'm at right now. I'd like to lose a few more pounds if possible, but I'm going to let that come off slowly.....if it comes off at all.

Hope you all have a great day!

Victorious_One

My DH has been as sick as a dog for three weeks. He finally went to the doctor and got some anti-biotics.

I've been dragging around like I still weight 250 lbs :ohwell: . I'm exhausted all the time. I know that my iron is low, but it's slowly rising with supplementation. I don't know what the heck else is wrong with me.

Pray for us, please!

At least the weather is beautiful, no excuse not to walk!

alf1163

Good morning!!!! Not much to report, usual eating pattern (which I am happy about) and teaching my classes. I couldnt get up early this morning to attempt an upper body workout so once again none was done. :ohwell: I've always enjoyed working my lower body and doing cardio more than working my upper body. Maybe I need a good upper body dvd instead of just trying to working out on my own. I am going to look at the P90X chest, shoulders, tri dvd again and see if that is suitable at this time, of course I will need to modify some exercises. Stiring, what do you think?

Tron, I really hope your brother and his family can find the peace that they need. We truly do not understand how one must feel about losing a baby but I can imagine the pain can be unbearable. My prayers and thoughts go out to them and to you as well, to the the strength and wisdom to help them deal with it. I think it is a good idea they are moving closer to family.

niknik, congrats on your weight loss!!!! Keep up the good work. You will get back on track soon. :drinker:

Jprice, hang in there, keep moving forward...the most important thing is to not give up.

Stiring, how is the studying for your personal trng certification going? I am really thinking about getting my certification again for group fitness instructor. I might go with ACE again, easier to take. That is what I had in Germany when I was teaching aerobics, step and resistance trng classes. Being in the Zumba Instructor Network gives me a discount on the cert and study materials. From there I might do the personal trng one, just to have for myself and help out my students. My husband says that with my knowledge I have a PHD in fitness :laugh: but it is good to have something in writing to show. :happy:

Have a wonderful day!!!! :flowerforyou:

alf1163

My DH has been as sick as a dog for three weeks. He finally went to the doctor and got some anti-biotics.

I've been dragging around like I still weight 250 lbs :ohwell: . I'm exhausted all the time. I know that my iron is low, but it's slowly rising with supplementation. I don't know what the heck else is wrong with me.

Pray for us, please!

At least the weather is beautiful, no excuse not to walk!

I really hope you both get better soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am also taking iron, now twice a day. I was taking it 3 times a day. I am stable now but they want me to keep supplementing. My iron levels were very low. :flowerforyou:

alf1163

Stiring, Robin and others with bread machines. I found the Zori... machine, the mini breadmaker, at the military exchange online site. It sells for $175, no tax, there might be a shipping charge. Right now until Apr 11 there is a 15% discount code. They also offer a 2 yr extra warranty for 18.99 Is this a good price? Is it worth to buy the extra warranty? I think I am going to get it. I really hope I use it, dont want to waste the money. Is it easy to make bread? How about the ingredients? Will I save money making my own bread? I know it will be healthier but is it tasty? Please let me know as soon as you can. Thanks!!! :flowerforyou:

zebras

Alf:

As a bread machine newby, I think you should go with a brand that goes for about $100.00 a breadman or a cuisinart. And for that $100.00 you could get a 2-lb machine instead of 1-lb machine. I would hate for you to find that you like the bread, but can't be bothered to make the loaves because they are so small and they get eaten up so fast. You will find the breads much tastier than store bought, and you really know what you are eating, and you probably will break even or save money on the storebought ingredients. I'm not not knocking the Zori brand at all. I would have bought their 2 lb model in a heartbeat, had finances not been so tight As it is my Breadman for about $100 is working very nicely, it is just a little noisier than I would like.

StiringWendel

alf, like zebras said (hi zebras!!!!) it really depends on what your needs are vs. how much you're willing to spend. The PX/BX price at $175 with 15% off is a GREAT price. I spent about $185 on mine. If you do decide to get it, I wouldn't recommend the warranty.

Regarding the machine itself, if you think you'll use it and you have the money, then I recommend it. But if you aren't sure if you are going to use it, then zebras is right and you can find less expensive models to try on. That's up to you.

Regarding the size of the loaves, I have the 1lb machine, and I get 10 slices of bread per loaf. That's perfect for me and my husband. When we are eating bread regularly, it lasts us five days, and I don't find it difficult to make bread that often. We actually don't eat that much bread on a regular basis, so I end up freezing bread, so the small machine is perfect for us. But if you think you'll be eating more, than, again, zebras is right, that you might want to go for a larger machine.

I would say that it takes less than 5 minutes to make the average loaf of bread. Most have 6-10 ingredients, depending on what you are making. I find it remarkably easy to do and not all that time consuming (but, again, I'm not doing it every day either, so.......) As I said before, I don't know if it is less or more expensive to make my own bread because I've never costed it out. It is worth it to me to avoid some of the crap they put into grocery store bread, so I've never cared about the cost. The taste is totally different and it is good. Store bought bread will taste WAY too sweet to you if you make your own bread for a little while. It definitely as a different taste, but it is also a good taste (at least it is for me!).

Okay, on to workouts. I actually think P90X Chest/Shoulders/Triceps would be too hard on your shoulder if I'm being honest. He does some weird moves in that workout (like the scarecrows, the dips, the various push-ups) that could put alot of stress on that shoulder joint. I'm happy to recommend some Cathe Friedrich DVDs though for upper body work that I find a little safer than the P90X workouts. Let me know if you'd like some recommendations because she's got all upper body workouts, total body workouts and split sets (like P90X), and I'd be happy to recommend a couple to you if you'd like. Just my input based on what I know about your shoulder on P90X though. Feel free to ignore it!

And, yes, I'm still working on the Personal Trainer reading. I'm at the point in the book where they are discussing how to design programs. Aside from the names of all the muscles and tendons and all that not-so-fun stuff, I'm finding that I'm not actually learning much. :ohwell: I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing...but most of it I know already. I think it would be great to get your group fitness instructor certification again!! It will probably be a breeze for you!

zebras, again, great to see you in the thread!!

Victorious_One, I'm so sorry to hear about the sick hubby AND that you aren't feeling well. Have you talked to your doctor at all about how you're feeling? Could this have anything to do with your protein absorption? I hope not. I'll be thinking about you. Please keep us posted on how you are doing!!! I'm worried!

alf1163

Interesting points!!! Thanks!! I would love to save $ but then again I want to get a good machine that will not give me problems in the future. We do eat bread and there are three of us in the family. I also dislike all the crazy stuff they put in the bread, even the "healthy" ones. I am getting kinda excited about this. If it is that easy to make bread I wouldnt mind making it 1-3x a week. Also with the smaller loaves I can experiment different recipes and have different types of bread available. :happy:

Stiring, please recommend a safe but effective upper body workout. I understand about P90X, while I was doing it I didnt think it was the safest to do. We both seem to know what is safe but I always wonder how many people have gotten seriously injured doing this program. I appreciate your feedback and trust your knowledge. :drinker:

gbryant

Thanks guys for the great advice. Were do you find a heart monitor with the chest band?

Had my Doctor appointment on Monday. More tests are being orderd, 24 hour halter monitor and they are going to do an Echocardiograhm. My last one was in 2006. I have a heart murmur. I do not take any medications. I only have nexium when needed. My blood pressure is great 100/60. I dropped my Cholesterol down from 189 to 143 and my triglycerides is down from 186 to 89. I have lost 14 lbs since I was at the doctors last. She was very happy with my checkup. She seems to think that I am just under alot of stress (I deal with the medical staff:laugh: ) and that it is whats causing me to throw PC's.
My heart is acting alot better. Nothing going on with it since Monday.

Hope everyone has a great weigh in on Friday. I know that I have not been real good so far this week with calories, but there is always my next meal to try and do better :bigsmile:

StiringWendel

alf, the workout I'd recommend right off the bat is Cathe's Pyramid Upper Body/Pyramid Lower Body DVD. It is part of her 'Intensity' series. As indicated in the title, it is a 'pyramid' workout, which means you start with lighter weight for 12 reps, up the weight and do 10 reps, up again and do 8 reps and then go back down the latter (10 and 12 reps using progressively lighter weights). It is an endurance workout without a doubt. The upper body workout (without the abs section) clocks in (with warm up) at slightly less than 50 minutes. There is a premix option on the DVD to do either just pyramid up (12, 10, 8 reps) or pyramid down (8, 10, 12 reps) if you want a shorter workout. The abs section is KILLER if you opt to do it (especially the stability ball work). The Lower Body workout isn't my favorite leg workout, but it is very effective (especially the floor section) so it is worth owning.

Back to the upper body. Why I recommend this particular DVD is that all of the moves are straight forward. The chest work consists of bench presses and flies (the only unusual thing she does is her flies with your palms facing you which I don't like....I just do them standard). The back work is lying pullovers followed by bent over rows. The shoulder work is bent over raises, lateral raises and front raises. The tricep work is overhead extensions (I do them as lying extensions for better range of motion....something you could do as well if your shoulder is bothering you) followed by kickbacks. The bicep work (which is also KILLER) are bicep curls and hammer curls. So.....straight forward. All exercises are performed as supersets or tri-sets (as I've indicated). And, boy, you can get a burn from this workout if you want. I use weights from 3lbs (shoulders/12 reps) up to 20lbs (bench press/8 reps) to give you an idea of weight needed. It only requires dumbbells.

Okay, and the real kicker, is Cathe is having a sale on this DVD this week. As you know, her workouts are really expensive. But if you are interested in this DVD, I can send you a code to put in when you check-out for $10 off. That makes it still expensive, but with the options (upper and lower body, premixes of both workouts and premixes combining the workouts if you want a total body workout), I think you could do worse, especially given your shoulder concerns.

And, no, I don't make anything by pushing Cathe on to people! :laugh: If you want more info, let me know!

gbryant, I'm glad you are getting more tests done on your heart, but your numbers look great! No doubt your doctor was pleased. My heart rate monitor is from Polar and I found it at ****'s Sporting Goods. You can find them in any sports store, and I think even Walmart and Target carry some (if I'm not mistaken). You will have options ranging from very cheap (not really recommended) to very expensive (not really recommended by me either!) I think the best choice you can make is one that will suit you, like whether you want one that estimates your calorie burn as well as monitoring your heart rate. If you don't need that, you will get a monitor for less. But it is a nice tool that really provides some incentive for working out! Like I said, I have one from Polar (F4 I believe) but know that Reebok makes a good one as do many other companies. Hope that helps! Ask if you have more questions.

Okay, I've certainly been chatty today! I better sign off for now. Enjoy the evening everybody!

singfree

I must be in a time warp or something! I can't believe that I haven't posted since Monday! Sorry about that! Night shift must really be rattling my brain...

I went to my Dr. on Tuesday for a one-year checkup after my concussion. Yes folks, It's been nearly a year since the big episode. I wanted to go to the woman who originally treated me. She since left the local practice, but I was able to track her down in a nearby town. She was surprised and happy to see me, as was I her. We discussed how I've been doing and that my symptoms have not yet gone away. She feels that the symptoms will probably fade over time, but maybe not ever go away completely. My BP is perfect (I am still on a low dose med), so she wants me to stay on it for a while longer. She may consider lowering the dosage even more to see if that has any effect. She also wants me to get a follow-up exam with my Neurologist so he can evaluate my progress (or lack therof).

I promise to catch up on your posts, but I might not be able to comment on all of them. I'm pretty busy here at work in my new position, and I am still trying to adjust to the new sllep schedule. Still going to the gym daily and watching my diet as much as possible. My wife brought some home made Easter candy home from the Church (my favorite, coconut cream eggs)...must have....

Have a great day!

alf1163

Sing, great to hear from you!!! Wow, I cant believe it's been a year since your concussion. Glad to hear you feel better. Mmm, anything with coconut, yummy!!!

Stiring, thank you for the recommendations. Please send me the code if you can, I would like to use it if I decide to purchase it.

Gbryant, congrats on your blood work results!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :drinker: Wow!!!! Keep up the good work. I have the Polar F4, havent been using it lately, just the watch, but I need to monitor the calories burned doing Zumba so I can eat accordingly. As Stiring said you can find it in any sports stores. I got mine at the military store and paid a little under $70. Some models are cheaper than others. Polar brand is one of the ones highly recommended.

Logged in my foods for the past 2 days and it looks like I am undereating. I have it set up to 1600 which might be too low for maintenance, well, that was when I wanted to lose some more. And both days I was under by 200 or so. That is not counting the calories burned from doing Zumba, last time I monitored was between 350-450 depending on the intensity. I'd better work on that next week and re-adjust my calories on the site.

Have a wonderful day!!!! :flowerforyou:

StiringWendel

singfree, good to see you! No doubt you are still adjusting to this night shift work. I think it would take me forever to fully adjust. Glad you were able to find your doctor and talk to her about your continuing symptoms from the concussion. I hope the neurologist will also be able to give you some answers. I really hope these symptoms go away eventually. Sounds like you're doing great with the workouts!!

alf, you are definitely undereating if you are only getting in about 1400 calories a day....especially since you are so light anyhow! I'd definitely up those a couple hundred (at a minimum!) I'll send you that DVD coupon code a little later this morning.

All here is well. Already got my Insanity workout in this morning. Today is Yoga day, so I'll be doing that later. Hope you all enjoy the day.

Robin1117

Good morning! I am so behind on reading! Hope everyone is doing well. I had a birthday yesterday...yay me....42! So was trying to stay off the computer yesterday as much as possible. I had a role reversal day w/my husband. He took off from work and did the child school shuttling back and forth, and we had a nice day together. Instead of computer time I was able to get moving on my book--something I never get to do during the day. So nice!

Anyway, just read the latest post and wanted to comment. Alf, I have been maintaining at around 1450-1500 net calories and then I add in exercise (from between 400-500/day and try to eat all of them back). I am trying to work my way up to over 1500 but it hasn't been easy--I'm worried about gaining but hoping if I take it turtle-pace slow eventually I'll get there! I think I remember we are around the same size? I'm 5"6', and maintainance range from 121-125.

gbryant--I have the Polar FT60 and bought it from Amazon--they have an amazing assortment and you can read a ton of comparisons and customer reviews on each one--I find customer reviews really helpful when deciding what to buy.

Will catch up on all the posts later today and hopefully check in more tomorrow. have a great day!!

alf1163

Robin and Stiring, thank you for the suggestions. I have been feeling really hungry lately so my body is feeling the need for more calories. As tedious and time consuming logging in my calories is I'd better start doing it now until I find a happy medium. I also need to wear my chest strap and monitor my exercise calories. Yes, I am 5'5 and last time I weighed in 126lbs, want to be between 120-125. I know that is a number on a scale but at that weight is where I feel most comfortable.

My husband is being affected by the furlough starting this Monday. He has to stay home until further notice. I really hope they cancel it. We have savings and his retirement pay wont be affected, thank God. So I'd better not spend money unnecessarily now until this situation settles down. :grumble: :noway:

singfree

Good morning!

Happy TGIF to all! I'm looking forward to tonight. We are going to a performance by Ronan Tynan, one of the original "Irish Tenors". I consider him to be an exceptional talent (classically trained as am I). He is also a Physician who had both legs amputated. I think it will be an inspirational evening.

As for me, I am doing well with diet and exercise. Considering that I am tired most of the time, I am happy to get a workout in every day. I have about 3 more weeks to reach my fitness goal. I really think that i can get there, as long as I don't backslide.

I didn't go to the gym today, but I did a long hike up on the mountain. Believe me, hiking up a 1000+ foot mountain is a real workout. The views were great, although I am hoping that the trees will soon get their leaves. I love it when everything is green!

Speaking of green...I am helping outdoors at the Evergreen German Club on Saturday, getting the grounds ready for the summer "Biergarten" season. I can't wait for that to start!

Have a great weekend!!!

StiringWendel

Happy Friday!

Robin, Happy Belated Birthday!!! I'm glad you were able to spend the day with your husband AND have a day off from your normal routine. How fun!

alf, I think you'll probably have your calorie situation figured out within a week or two of logging. I know it is tedious, but I find it helpful to do it for about two weeks every few months just to see where I'm at. It really keeps me in line in so many ways.

singfree, sounds like you've got a great weekend planned! I hope you enjoy the performance tonight. Can't believe the 'Biergarten' is opening soon....but it is that time of year, isn't it? Things here are definitely beginning to turn green right now. Every day looks a little more like spring.

All here is well. I let myself eat pretty much everything I wanted this week (and, no, it hasn't all been good for me), but it has really helped my body a bit. I think I was undereating and getting a kind of bloated effect as a result. I'm going to go back to cleaner eating now, but keep the calories up. I'd like to lose about 3-5 pounds (just an estimate since I don't weigh myself) but I'm happy with where I'm at right now. My exercise is great. I'm finishing up my second week of the second round of P90X AND my second week of a new Insanity rotation (I'm undecided as to whether I'll actually try to get through another Insanity rotation right now, though). I'm definitely seeing the changes in my body, without a doubt. P90X does some great things for my body....my arms are getting stronger and more defined and my core strength is really improving. Those are the same things I noticed last time I did P90X and are the things that will have me keeping this program around for a long time. Don't think I'll ever be able to do it more than once every 18 months or so because of the repetition, but, boy, when I do get around to doing it, I really enjoy the results.

Hope you all enjoy a great weekend!

alf1163

Good morning and happy Friday!!!!! :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

Robin, glad to hear you had a nice relaxing birthday!!! I wish you many more!!! Do you eat no more than 1500 calories including your exercise calories? Or minimum 1400-1500 plus exercise calories?

Stiring, I just cannot imagine you eating "badly". How bad are you talking about? :laugh: I miss doing P90X. :sad:

Well, this week for me has been fantastic as far as eating and exercise is concerned. No weigh in, I will only weigh in once a month so next time it will be first Fri in May. I think that will be right before we go on vacation to Orlando. :noway: We will see how that goes but I know we will be walking a lot at all the parks. This morning I did Yoga Meltdown by Jillian Michaels. It is only about 30 mins but boy I was sweating. I really enjoyed it. It has 2 levels, I only did level 1. I've had this video for months now and this is the first time I use it. :noway: I am going to try to do it at least once a week. Busy, fun, day ahead for me. My granddaughter is here, she is still sleeping, and I am taking her to the zoo and the park. I already have my tennis shoes on. :laugh: I am packing some healthy eats. :laugh:

Have a wonderful day and a fantastic weekend!!!! :flowerforyou:

LadyPersia

Good morning,,,, Missed Friday check in....

Update Friday both my father and my husbands Grammy past today. Two more beautiful angels have thier wings.
I weighed in today at 142. The next few weeks I will be traveling alot.

Funerals are so expensive, I dont know how people can do it on the spot. I am so not prepared for my own death....LOL

Have a awesome week. Stay on track and dont forget to live. My father lived....he traveled.....talked to everyone no matter who they were.....and did his best to be better, always better.

Have a blessed week!

singfree

Good morning!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend! Mine was very busy. We went to a great concert on Friday night to hear Ronan Tynan, the famous Irish tenor. I had to work for a few hours on Sat. morning to do some maintenance in our plant. I went right from there to the German Club to do some outdoor "Spring Cleaning". Hard work but rewarding. The head chef Siegfried aka "Ziggy" made a tasty lunch for everyone. They also provided free beer for all (yum)!!

The weather is finally going to get warm here today. We are expecting a high in the 80s this afternoon. I am going to take a long bike ride after hitting the gym today. I think I will run some of my errands on my motorcycle. 50 mpg looks pretty good when gas is approaching $4 per gal. I overdid it a bit with the food & drink this weekend, so I need to get back on the wagon if I want to slim down in the next few weeks.

Have a nice (& warm) day!

StiringWendel

Good Morning!

LadyPersia, I am so very sorry to hear about your losses. What wonderful words you shared about your father. Thank you for sharing them. Please take care of yourself over the next couple/few weeks. No doubt this will be a difficult time, but don't forget about yourself in all of this. Take care and please let us know how you are doing. :flowerforyou:

singfree, sounds like you had a great weekend! We are headed for the same warm-up today you are, and I'm looking forward to it. Unfortunately, it is going to be followed by some violent storms....just like last week. Oh, well.

All here is well. We visited the Shenandoah National Park on Saturday. The weather wasn't great (very foggy) but it was wonderful to be out of the city, and we pretty much had the park all to ourselves. We look forward to going back on a clearer day. Yesterday was nicer and, after some errands in the morning, we were able to visit a driving range to hit some golf balls. It felt great. I hope we're able to get out and play this summer, though I really am pathetic at it still! I started my last week of the second round of P90X yesterday. Making great improvements in overall strength right now, and that makes me happy. My eating was bad (really bad!) all weekend, but I'm back on track today.

Enjoy the day.

LadyPersia

Robin....Happy Belated birthday 42 is a great year!!! Enjoy yourself! Thank you for your comfort and support! Stay fit!

Texssippian

Hi all!

LadyPersia, so sorry for your losses. Funerals are rediculously expensive. Hopefully you will not have to deal with "funeral idots" like we did when my sister and my father died. I tried to pay for my father's funeral over the phone while we were driving to Mississippi. I talked to three different people at the funeral home who had three different amounts that were owed. He would have not gotten veteran's benefits if I had not pushed...

We finally got rain last night. Last precipitation we had was the snow and ice during the Super Bowl week. We did lots of yard work yesterday. Hubs is still planting new things. We actually made it to the gym on Saturday.

Take care all! TxMs

pepper06

hi Alf-hope all is well with you to? If your brother moves to your area-is there other family around too?

Lady Persia-sorry for your loss-yes they are expensive and you have 2 at the same time-gees and ouch! Hopefully if the deceased person did not make arrangements (already have their site, stone etc)-they have left enough funds to provide this, and then you pick.

I have not weighed in in awhile. I have kept up with my workouts 5 days a week, and my old clothes are still loose
This week a lady at work is turning 50, so every one chipped in for The Cupcake Truck to come to the office, and we are having pot luck(I am bringing the salad). I have never tried the cupcake truck, but I think I am going to splurge-means in 2 weeks I will step on the scale for a check point....maybe:grumble: .

mkwood10

Hello everyone.......just thought I'd let you know I'm still alive!:laugh: :laugh:

It's been pretty crazy for me, both at work and with home life. Youngest daughter's preparing to 1)graduate from college, 2)join the Army and 3) go to Officer Candidate School immediately after basic training. She's already met with the review board and we know she's accepted, just have to wait on the "official" word after May 5. After that we'll know quickly when she'll leave for basic training, based on when they have a training slot for her at Officer Candidate School in Ft Benning, GA. So.....we're kinda hanging in limbo til then. If something happens and this falls through, I don't know what she's going to do - she's wanted to do this since probably middle school, but didn't think that it would really happen until about Christmas time.

Oldest daughter's future MIL now has terminal lung cancer. She was in the hospital 2 weeks ago and the oncologist told her that there's nothing more medically they can do to stop the progression, but lots of things they can do to keep her as comfortable as possible. She now has a portable oxygen canister, so is able to venture out of the house for short outings in the wheelchair. Daughter's not dealing with it all real well; hard for her to watch her guy watch his mother battle this.

Oh, on top of all that craziness and waiting, the husband got notified last week that he's going to be transferred to Korea for a year beginning in January :frown: . I'm not thrilled, but I keep telling myself it's not a deployment to a combat zone. He'll actually be back in the same town/base that he was stationed at in 1982-83!! Of course, this time they'll give him a decent housing allowance for an apartment and allow him to sign for furniture! As usual, I'll stay behind; doesn't make sense for me to leave my job when I'm FINALLY earning a decent retirement. He's guaranteed to return here to Ft. Riley, for some reason very few people want to move to the middle of Kansas!!! :laugh: :laugh:

Not doing so good on the scale or regular workouts :frown: Shoulder/neck/back are still giving me lots of problems. My supervisor ordered an ergonomic study of my work space; maybe they'll come up with some reason why I hurt at work but not on the weekends! I already do everything I can think of at work; good posture, a gel wrist rest, track ball instead of mouse, foot rests under all 3 parts of my workstation so my feet aren't dangling or hunched up on the chair legs (really bad for you). I'm totally puzzled, so yes, I'll let somebody come evaluate where I spend most of my waking hours and see if they can come up with something to make me stop hurting!!!

Haven't had time to read the thread except the last couple of posts - Lady Persia, you have my deepest sympathies during this troubling time..........hang in there!!

Hope everyone else is happy, healthy and working out like crazy!!
Later,
Marla

KimKelly65

Hello everyone,

Sorry Ive been MIA...but last week was vacation/college visit week. My daughter and I visited three different campuses and I caught up on some long overdue yard work and organization of the home. Busy week and it flew by!
My eating wasn't great, but I did walk alot on the tours and with my pup. Forgot to weigh in but Im sure I put on a pound or two.:ohwell:
Its back to healthy eating and hitting the gym today. Good day so far! (one day at a time)

LadyPersia- Sorry for your loss.

I will need to catch up on all the posts this week.
Take care everyone.

singfree

Good evening!

Lady Persia, I am very sorry for your losses.

MK, I can't believe your hubby has to go back to Korea. Enjoy your moments together until then!

Robin, sorry I missed your birthday! Best wishes to you and many more!!!

Stiring, I've never been to the Shenandoah Valley. Maybe when we retire we can take a long driving vacation and see some of this country, not just flyover!! We dodged some of the heavy weather tonight, but more rain is coming tomorrow.

I took a nap for a few hours after work and enjoyed the warm weather. I took my motorcycle to the gym and some errands. Later I took my bike for a 15 mile ride. I was really dragging the last few miles. Probably not enough rest, duh?? Anyway, it felt good. I am on the final stretch of my get-in-shape routine. I am concentrating on cardio and protein more than anything right now. Hopefully I will have a good report for you on Friday.

Have a good night!

StiringWendel

TxMs, good to see you! Glad to hear the husband is still planting despite the dryness! Hope you are doing well.

pepper, good to see you too! Sounds like you are doing great if you are keeping up with your workouts and your clothes are still a little big. Don't worry about the scale too much....go with how you feel instead. And enjoy a cupcake!

mkwood, good to see you also! I was wondering how your back/neck/shoulders were doing. I'm glad they are doing a ergo study at your work. Maybe that will give you some answers. Sounds like things are crazy for your daughters. Congrats to your youngest on graduating college and getting into OCS. Hope that goes well for her. I'm sorry to hear about your oldest's future MIL. That's got to be tough for she and her fiance during a time like this. And then there's KOREA?!? Wow. Your husband will find a very different country than the one he lived in back in the mid-80s. Where is he going to be stationed/living? Just curious. I hope you get a chance to go visit him while he is there and enjoy some of that good Korean food!

KimKelly, welcome back! Glad you enjoyed the trips with your daughter. Good job getting back on track!

singfree, I think you'd like the Shenandoah Valley. It is very pretty. I hope we get a chance to explore there a little bit more in the future. It only took us about 90 minutes to get there, so I don't see why we won't be able to. We haven't gotten any bad weather either. In fact, it is still pretty warm here, though it is still supposed to cool off throughout the day. I don't really like these one-off days at near 90 preceded and followed by days in the 50s. Kinda strange. I guess I shouldn't complain too much because at least we are getting warmer weather every now and again. It could be worse. But I'm ready for more consistency!

All here is well. I've cleaned up my eating, and that's a good thing. Keeping on with this Insanity/P90X rotation. My body is definitely feeling it right now. Next week is a 'recovery week', and I think my body will really appreciate it. But I'm enjoying what I'm doing, so it's all good.

Robin1117

Good morning everyone! Hope everyone is doing well.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes. I had a nice time last week and was able to spread the b-day splurges over a few days so I could prolong getting pampered just a little.

LadyPersia, I'm so sorry for your losses as well. And MK it sounds like you are having quite a time-of-change in your life. Wow.

This week I'm feeling kind of, well, boring! Eating is on track. Exercise is down to a routine. And it all feels like one day after the next...and the next...everything is beginning to blur. I guess there is nothing to complain about but I need to figure out something to give me a little more spark in my day. Maybe I'll look at taking a class this spring, or go back to yoga. Hmmm, something to research. I suppose this is what everyone feels at end of winter/early spring before we perk up to new growth and fun new spring activities.

Anyway, like I mentioned, exercise has been good. I do between 45-65 minutes a day and have been rotating between a few different activities within the time. I feel really strong, am at the low end of my maintenance range again and actually even though I haven't lost any weight, have moved down a pant size. That was a surprise.....a big one! And for eating, I have kept my maintenance range at around 1450 + exercise calories of 400-500, and have been planning to be under on some days and very, very over on a few days. Averaging out to my goal. This routine has been good. I feel like I'm not depriving myself of anything I truly love this way.

Pepper--a cupcake truck? Wow--I really must be missing out by living in the country. I have never heard of such a thing! Glad you are maintaining so well!

Sing--sounds like you have a good routine going. Fantastic.

Stiring--as usual, on track! Shenandoah Valley sounds beautiful. Would love to visit sometime. My husbands daughter (I have a tough time calling her a step--because that makes me seem old!), who is 24 lives in DC right now and I really should have planned a trip to see her this spring. Love my little boy but feel wish I had some time to do some solo traveling like I used to when I was working.

Well, I'm off---hope you all have a great rest of the week!!