40+ Club: Spring Fitness Challenge
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jprice...I've never run a marathon but I d do the cancer and alzheimers walks every year in NEPA. Not ready for a marathon yet but I'll get there.
Sodium is my nemesis. I am trying to cut back. I log my foods even if I am embarrassed, just to hold me accountable.
Have a blessed fit week!0 -
It is so good to see new faces. We all can use the support.
JPrice - Welcome!! I hope to run a 5K soon. I am not up for a full marathon. I dont know if my back could handle that much pounding. I love to run, but my bulging disks do not.
I have a question in regards to all the sodium talk. What is the issue? I guess I never have even thought about sodium when considering my diet. Is this a bad thing and should I be watching it? I thougt it had to do with High Blood pressure? Mine is almost always around 115/120 over 65/70.
Jujubie - Welcome!! glad you have found us. You will find alot of friendly people who are willing to help keep us on track.
I didnt get to check in on Friday, Work was so busy, I am down 1.4lbs if I remember right. I was happy with that after the week of eating that I did. I havnt posted in a for a few days so I would lik to share a major accomplishment for me. I was able to run 3.25 miles in 35.32 minuts. I have never ran that far or for that long before in my life. I never dreamed that I would be able to do it after I turned 41. I would love to be able to run a marathon but not sure the old back will let me. I did Zumba on Saturday. I took my mom and niece, My niece thinks I'm crazy because I have a coin skirt that I wear. She was laughing at me, but as I was putting it on she looked at me and said, I can tell you have lost alot of weight. I was so happy, but 10lbs I dont feel is alot but I will take the complement :blushing:
I was getting ready for church this morning and came across a skirt that I bought last winter that I had not been able to wear this year and decided to try it on. It fit me better than when I bought it. I was tickled.
I just hope that I do not start slacking off. Once people start telling me that they notice I have lost weight its like I tread backwards again. I dont know why that is, but I am not going to let myself do that this time. I only have only 3 months and a few weeks before my 25 wedding anniversary and need (want) to loose at least 30lbs.
Sorry I didnt comment on everyone and how great they are doing, keep up the good work all, we can make it through this together.
Have a good night.
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In the January/February issue of Cooking Light there is an article about the sodium in chicken breast... about 1/3 of fresh chicken has been "enhanced" synthetically saturated with salt/water and other additives to make the meat jucier and more tender. A 4 oz serving can contain as much as 440mg of sodium - nearly 1/5 of the 2300mg daily allotment from a source you'd never expect.
Non-enhanced poultry has 45 - 70mg of sodium.
Looks like more label reading is in order!
When I eat too much sodium, I can hear my pulse in my ears. It's really wierd, but it goes along with a rise in my blood pressure.
gbryant - thanks for the friend invitation! Good luck with your continued wt loss in preparation for your anniversary. Sometimes success has derailed me too, but it's cool that people are commenting!
Jujubie, LadyPersia & NickNick - thanks for accepting my invitations!
I feel royally welcomed to the group and look forward to getting to know you all.
Just to clarify, I saw LadyPersia was interested in a Marathon - I'm not sure that's on my list. I'm training for a sprint triathalon. I started running about 2 years ago, and I'm still very slow and very low mileage. I wanted to get more cardio and I was worried that running too much might hurt my knees, so that's why I like the idea of cycling & swimming as well. My goal is to do one :-) I don't own a bike, and can't afford one, so I'm having faith that one will appear when I'm ready. I'm working on the cycling via spin/cycle classes at the gym.0 -
Good evening!
It's nice to be missed by someone! Sorry about not posting, but every time I think about it I get sidetracked somehow. Must be the night shift....
All is well here. Still trying to get this last layer of fat off me. I have one month to do it, so I better get my butt in gear! I wish it would warm up so I can get outside for some hiking & biking. I'm enjoying the gym, but the eliptical is getting a bit boring. I need some outdoor stimulation.
Stiring, did you get any snow in DC? We missed it for a change. We have friends who were in DC on Saturday and they commented about how beautiful the apple blossoms are this year! I know that Spring is just around the corner, because the robins and cardinals are acting very "amourous" .
The German Show at the Evergreen was great on Friday night. There were 4 acts from Germany, and it was just like watching Bavarian TV on a Saturday night. Corny, but a lot of fun! they asked if they should narrate the show in English, but everyone prefered everything "auf Deutsch". That made it even better. There were a lot of people in the audience who came from the old country. I even got a kiss from "Romy", a rather attractive young lady in hot pink (and skin tight) lederhosen...enough said!
Have a great day!0 -
So many new people! This is great....
We finally got our power back on. These outages are getting SOoooooo old. Tomorrow I am heading off to Nevada so I will try to catch up when I get back on Wed.
Keep up the great work everyone!
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Good Morning!
altushe, I am SO happy to hear that your edema is gone now. I hope the endoscopy reveals the issue, but also reveals it has corrected itself. As you already know, take it slowly when increasing your calories and you won't gain. Up them to a level for a couple of weeks at a time, and when you stop losing, then you are where you need to be.
tron, so happy to hear you have power again. What a pain! Hope things go well in Nevada.
JPriceGA, congrats on the great workout! Sounds like you are doing great.
gbryant, sodium is a bit of a tricky thing. As I said on Saturday, it is a transient mineral, which means it leaves your body. So, ultimately, going over your sodium levels every now and again isn't a really serious issue because you can flush it out of your system eventually. Last I read/heard, it may have some minute impact on weight loss in how it impacts your metabolism, but I've never seen anything really firm on that. It IS a BIG problem if you have high blood pressure, so it needs to be avoided if you have that. And there are people with sodium sensitivities (like altushe) who really need to keep their sodium low. But sodium is bad from the mental viewpoint when trying to lose weight because of water retention. It is amazing how much water you can retain from eating too much sodium, and that can be completely counter-productive. For me, when it comes to things like restaurant foods or fast foods, I find the excess amount of sodium completely unnecessary. It has a tendency to cause people to crave more food and such, and, in my opinion, isn't being added to the food for any true culinary need as much as it is being added to aid the corporation (see fast food) or to make people eat more (see most restaurant food). In processed foods you buy in the store, it is being added for preservation purposes. And I wonder how we've gone from a world where bread last for a week on the shelf to one where it can last for a month on the shelf.....but we have. And much of that is reflected in the sodium content. I don't need my bread to last for a month since I own a freezer.....so I opt not to add those preservatives to my body because they are unnecessary. Again, those are decisions being made to benefit the corporation and not the consumer....and I don't like that when it comes to things I'm putting into my body. So.....there's my opinion on sodium.
singfree, so good to see you!!! Yes, you were missed....of course you were missed!! Yes, we woke up to snow yesterday morning. It was actually a little pretty, and only lasted a couple of hours. We only got about an inch, and it was all melted by mid-afternoon. But it has been chilly down here. We went into DC on Saturday to see the cherry blossoms (my new photo!), and I got really chilled. We've been in the 40s with a nice breeze blowing so not-so-like spring right now. But....at least we've got sunshine (minus the few hours of snow yesterday) so I can't complain TOO much.
All here is well. Eating not great this weekend, but I've cut my calories quite a bit over the past few weeks and wanted to give my body a break. I'm back on track today. I even took both days off working out this weekend as I'm starting back up on P90X today. We ended up walking about 9 miles or so on Saturday when we were in DC, and even though I didn't really feel it too much, I decided it better to take yesterday off as well so I start on P90X again a little more 'fresh'. So off I go in about an hour to do that.
Hope you all enjoy your days!0 -
Hi there, everyone!
LadyPersia & Tex--you all are inspiring me to try some planting this year. We live in a condo, so it's not like we have a yard, but we do have a little strip out in front that could use some colorful attention. I've also seen commercials for growing your own vegetables upside down on your porch or in your house. I may try that.
Alf--Did I miss it? How did your PT eval of your hip go?
KimKelly--congrats on your mini marathon and your weight loss! WTG!
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Anyone know of the best kind of bike to get? My hubby is inspired to get us some bikes to ride this spring/summer. He is 300 lbs+, so we need something sturdy for him. I'm hoping to use my bike to do the Tour de Pink fundraiser for the Young Survival Coalition: http://www.ysctourdepink.org/site/TR/TourdePink/TourdePink-EastCoast?fr_id=1170&pg=entry. It's only 61 miles :noway: , I'm sure I can do it.
Upside down gadens work but they need a little extra watering. a water work at the top is a great investment. Kim0 -
Thank you so much for the welcome.
I can feel that I am slowly edging towards a slum; I was away on vacation and didn't log in my food though I did pay attention and that resulted in a 0.6 pd gain in a two week period. I'm afraid to get back on now. My official weigh in is on Wednesdays.
My strategy is to have a scheduled workout that is non-negotiable on the same day each week and a night bowling with a league. My husband is pretty good at coaxing me for one or two sessions a week on the treadmill or recumbent bike but those I sometimes pass up. I know that the more I do, the better the results.
Just logging in my food honestly and facing what I eat has been a big step for me. i find that showing it to my MFP friends keeps me on my toes a bit more so thanks to my new supporters. I hope that my messages help you too.0 -
Good evening!
All is well here this evening. An uneventful day as well. I went to the gym for a good workout, but I was a bit tired doing so. I'm making a big effort to eat cleaner and to add a bit more protein to my diet as well (less refined carbs). For a change of pace I am having an egg or two with some turkey bacon and whole grain toast for breakfast instead of my usual oatmeal. I try to eat some steamed veg after my workout. I'm also enjoying a protein shake in the afternoon when I get a sweet tooth. The EAS Vanilla Protein tastes like a milkshake when blended with low fat milk and ice. If I make even these simple adjustments to my diet, the weight comes off pretty easily, just in time for vacation in May.
Stiring, did I say apple blossoms in my earlier post? Meant to say cherry blossoms, the ones George Washington forgot to cut down!! You are going to love the DC weather in a few weeks. Nice and warm, and everything is green and in bloom. Have you considered riding a bike on the path along the Potomac River? It looks like fun, even if you walk it. I think we are going to get a warm-up next week...I hope!
Have a great day!0 -
Jujubie, a .6 pound gain is NOTHING! You really should be proud of yourself for handling your vacation so successfully. I know how hard it is to get back into the habit of logging, but think about all you learned by logging your food because that obviously made this last holiday a success for you. I've been in maintenance for almost two years, and I still log my foods periodically to remind myself of what I am eating and to re-teach myself about appropriate portions (something I struggle with). So look at it as an education instead of a chore. Maybe that will help. Sounds like you've got a great plan for your exercise. Don't push yourself too hard if you are just starting out. I think the ideal right now if you are just starting is to aim for 4 workouts per week of about 30 minutes. It is just something to reach for. If you meet it.....great. If you don't.....there's always next week.
singfree, I'm definitely looking forward to the spring weather. Alot of trees/bushes are in bloom right now, which is reminding me that spring is on the way. But we are chilly. The last time I checked, we're supposed to get quite a bit of rain (maybe a little snow tomorrow) over the next week, so I'm still looking forward to hitting our 'average' temps for this time of the year (low 60s). But I really can't complain after the relatively harmless winter we had. Good job on changing your diet up a bit. I've been trying to eliminate some fat calories from my diet recently, and one of those is cutting some of the peanut butter out of my oatmeal in the morning. I'm finding that I get really sluggish about 45 minutes after I eat now as a result. I think it is that hit of carbs. I'm wondering if changing my breakfast would help....or adding the peanut butter back in. I think I'll experience with both because it is beginning to impact my energy levels for my workouts which I don't like.
I started the second round of P90X yesterday. I don't like the Round 2 upper body workouts as much as Round 1, but they are good workouts nonetheless. I've also decided to try to do something of an Insanity rotation at the same time. I know....what am I thinking? But I really want to get my cardio capacity back up, so I'm going to follow up my P90X workouts with one of the shorter Insanity workouts for these next three weeks and see how that goes. My biggest concern is whether my upper body can handle that. Yesterday was fine.....so here's hoping. My eating is back to good again. Wish I had an easier time keeping my eating clean over the weekends, but I'm working on it.0 -
Stiring---I LOVE your new picture--you look fantastic!!!
Just wanted to start off by saying that.....
Hello everyone! Hope the week is going well so far.
Things are good with me. I had a slacker week last week where every minute of exercise felt like 10....but that feeling subsided thankfully by the weekend and now I'm back on track. I have been playing around with upping my maintenance calories slightly and have seen no issues with it so far...so may tweak it up a little more. I did get on the scale today after avoiding it for the last month or so, and I'm right in the middle of my range so A-OK!
For exercise I'm still trying to get outside more, but it's still freezing out. I tried to wear my HRM outside yesterday and I was going to walk briskly up and down a huge hill in our field next to the house (the snow finally melted so I can see the ground!), and my lab was happy to get another walk, but then my HRM decided not to work. Very disappointing. I don't know if it was the coat I was wearing or if my battery is dying---anyway, maybe I'll try again today. So far my quest to make myself less reliant on my elliptical is working really well...if I can get some hill walking in that will be another added "something" I can do. Right now my winter/inside activities have included about 25 minutes of circuit training, 20-30 minutes on the elliptical, and some days jump roping (I have made it up to 23 minutes!). Between the 3 of them, it seems to go quickly most days but I'm ready for the fresh air, definitely.
I have also tried to set some mini-goals for myself. Since I don't lose weight anymore, some others suggested this as something helpful to keep us motivated. One goal is to make dinners a little more interesting. Last week I made 2 new recipes, that were not high in calorie at all, but made us all much more happy. I made a lemon/sesame tuna steak over asparagus, and I made homemade whole wheat tortillas and steak fajitas. YUM! That reminds me I should think of something new to make tonight. The other goal I have had is to write my thoughts down more so have been trying to use the blog feature here each week to focus my fitness/food thoughts rather than internalize so much. It's certainly not ground -breaking but it's kind of nice to get in the habit of focusing and organizing my thoughts and I find once I do, what I'm over analyzing leaves my head and makes room to think about other things.
Anyway, I'm going to get caught up on all the latest posts now....hope everyone has a great week!!0 -
Hi, everyone! I hope all is going well.
Altushe, I'm glad to hear about your edema being resolved. Let us know how the scope goes. And thank you so much for your information about bikes. I will get the fam to go to the bike store in the next couple of weeks. SingFree has me curious about the bike path on the Potomac. That can't be more than 3 hours away from us. It sounds like a great Saturday afternoon trip.
JPriceGA, I LOVE that you say "young pup!" Ha! I tell my daughter all the time that she's still a young pup comin' up. She rolls her eyes but she'll appreciate it when she's 40+ :laugh:
Sodium is the devil! Weight Watcher says that you can just drink it off with water if you don't have a heart condition or high blood pressure. I hope that's true, but then again, we all know my problems with water. :ohwell:
I did get off my rusty dusty yesterday and take the pooch for an hour-long walk. It was ridiculously cold outside! My fingers were totally hurting! By the end of the walk, it felt like it had warmed up about 20 degrees outside. That's just great. :grumble: I'm committing to do it again today. It's not as cold outside, and it's nice and warm.
Have a great day, everyone!0 -
Thank you for putting things in perspective. I guess that since I've been losing a little each week, I was somewhat disappointed. But hey, I'm OK and back on track. I'm now actually looking forward to my weigh in tomorrow.0
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This is awesome having a 40+club! I am new to myfitnesspal. My friend told about it and decided to check it out. I love the calories count which is so easy to use. For exercises, I have to be careful for my back flare-ups which really brings me down. I had a back injury in 2004 and never became the same. But I am happy to say I can do brisk walks My goal is to lose some weight and exercise to strengthen my back but most of all, be healthy,fit and eat right . It will be long and slow but I am willing to give it all. Again, its great seeing a 40+ club!
Have a great Day!!:flowerforyou:0 -
Victorious, turns out I gave you the prior bicycle models for my husband and daughter who both upgraded last year. They did both love the old ones that I gave you - but here are the updates...Giant for my husband and Speciaiized for my daughter. All four are bicycles worth considering and are good for street riding, dirt paths, etc. All of our bicycles are hybrids (vs. racers, etc.) and are 21 speed (gears shift into 3 tensions, 7 positions each). Hope this helps.0
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Good Morning!
Robin, thank you for the compliment on my new photo! I'm glad you've worked your way through the slump. March, for me, is always a tough month for motivation because I so want winter to be over....and it just never quite is. I love your new goals! I'll check out your blog. I've thought about doing the same thing at times....just never got around to doing it.
Victorious_One, there is a path called The Mt. Vernon Trail that extends about 25 miles along the Potomac. It is really a great path and once out of DC itself (where they are doing alot of work along the path), it is really beautiful. We've walked portions of it, and I think it is better for bikers than walkers (because there are too many bikes on it to be comfortable walking), but when/if my husband and I start training for our half-marathon, it will be on that trail.
Jujubie, perspective is something I struggle with all of the time still. When I start feeling 'fat', I have to remind myself that I'm still below my goal weight and I'm feeling 'fat' in clothing that is six sizes smaller (or more) than I was wearing two years ago. It's so easy to beat ourselves up at times....and so counter-productive. So I'm happy that you're back on track and feeling better!
deafmom, welcome! I'm sorry to hear about your back. I suffered quite an injury back in 2000 and have never been the same. But through good stretching and building strength, I rarely have any flare-ups any more...and when I do, I get better much more quickly than I used to. So there is hope!!!
All here is well. Working out hard and eating clean, so all is good.0 -
Hi--just a quick note --Stiring--thanks so much for your ideas a few weeks ago on more exercise videos. I finally checked them out yesterday and did order the six pack --six weeks (I think it's something like that)? I did look at the P90x, and would like to break away from Jillian a bit, but am not sure I want to dish out the $140 for the whole set just yet. It sounds like you think it's worthwhile??
Altushe---I'm so glad to hear the edema has subsided! Don't worry--it's not just you--all of us maintainers are still in the same up/down cycle too. I'm thinking this is our new "normal" so I'm trying to get used to it......
Deafmom--welcome! glad you joined MFP and this thread, and it's great you are taking it slow with the back injury. That's nothing to mess around with.... since having my son I have a weak back, and have been watching myself because I know that bad backs run in our family. My younger brother just had surgery at 39 on his back a few weeks ago. Terrifying that he is so young and had to do this--but has been abusing himself w/running, soccer, and stuff like that since he was a kid. And my sister-in-law has had 3 back surgeries in the last 2 years. We need to be good to them, big time!
Anyway, enjoy the day everyone! We are finally seeing the sun--even the bluebird and wife are out in our yard singing away this morning. spring is coming!!0 -
Hi everyone,
Sorry Ive been MIA...but work is crazy!!! I am really dragging butt this week...Im going to try to get in bed alittle earlier tonight. Been okay with my food this week. Watching my sodium closely. One day so far has been over, the rest within the limit. Its difficult but Im finding that eating less processed food helps.
I saw a documentary over the weekend, Food Inc. Has anyone seen it? It shows how big corpoartions are controlling our food supplies and how they are raising, harvesting etc...the food we eat. It was very interesting and slighly disturbing.
I have decided that we are going to start buying locally raised and grown meat products and more organic fruits and veggies. I am so ready for spring/summer so I can start my veggie garden!
Altushe - glad to hear the edema is better. Hope the scope shows the answer.
Deafmom - Welcome! Good luck on your journey.
Stiring - Im with you on March being a difficult month, not quite spring and but not quite winter. But only a few days left and it will be April! Hoping for lots of sunshine!
Robin - Do you have Jillians shredd? Did you like it? Would it be difficult for a newly active person to do? or someone with back issues? Im interested but kinda weary...
Well Im sure glad its Weds already. Two more days left of work and then Im on vacation next week. Its a stay vacation. I will be visiting colleges with my daughter a few days next week and just relaxing! Ahhhh I can't wait! :happy:
Hope everyone has a great week~!0 -
Turns out that going back on track was positive and worth it as I lost 2 1/2 pounds since the last weigh in. I wasn't expecting that much and I'm reassured that tracking food works wonders.
I have never been on a diet nor I am now but I'm simply doing math with MFP, "buying" calories with exercise when I run out of calories to eat. It seems to be working and I find myself adjusting food choices so that there is a better balance throughout the meals.
The only real thing that I find that I have cut is milk. I used to drink it all the time and now hardly drink more than a glass and only if my calories allow it. That's got me somewhat worried so I might have to think about that. I really don't want to get into any kind of supplements.
Thank you all who commented on perspective. It's too easy to get caught up in our perceptions and forget about the overall picture.0 -
Good morning!
What crazy weather we're having! Right now it is raining, but it's supposed to snow later tonight. I keep watching different weather forecasts to see which one I like best and go with that one...now that's a real optimist!!
Stiring, I have to say that after only a few days of lowering my carbs a bit, I am seeing some results. I don't feel bloated at all and I can actually see some slimming in the mirror and in my clothes. Again, I hesitate to say this is Atkins-like because it is not at all. I am eating some carbs (mostly in the form of whole grain bread) throughout the day. I also have some steamed veg and maybe an apple or applesauce, depending on my mood. I'm trying to be as balanced as possible. It's not a perfect diet, to be sure, but it's a short-term solution to something that has been frustrating me for a long time. I am not limiting my cals, although I am not counting them either. I'm just playing it by ear and seeing how it goes.
I hope I have something good to report tomorrow. My fingers are crossed that I have found the right combination so that I can lose these final few lbs during the month of April and hit my goal before we leave for Utah.
Have a great day!0
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