40+ Club : Where the Cool Kids Are

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  • Swissmiss
    Swissmiss Posts: 8,754 Member
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    Beeps, I only do that twice a week. Afterwards I stumble down the stairs to the shower.:laugh:
  • LPCoder
    LPCoder Posts: 404 Member
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    No longer a Couch-potato, but a Ball-Belle!

    I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I have a large exercise ball at home. Because I am on my computer a lot with the TV in the background, I bought it so I could sit on it instead of the chair. I bounce, I squeeze it between my thighs, I pulse up and down, I roll my hips, I lean back and then sit up engaging my tummy. This has helped so much with my toning. I don't even realize it! ONe day I looked down and thought, "Where in the world did those thigh muscles come from? And where did my flat butt go?" If you have a Five Below store near you, the ball cost me all of $5.00! Best five bucks I ever spent!

    If you have a desk job, ask the company HR if you can bring in a ball to improve your health!
  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 11,989 Member
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    Good for you, LPC!! Since I came to this company 2 years ago, I have BEGGED them to let me buy my own walking treadmill desk to bring to the office. No dice. I'm a "professional" and that wouldn't look very, um "professional".

    I believe, in the future, companies will see ALL the benefits of permitting their staff to seek out healthy pursuits, even during office hours, and office towers will be FLOODED with walking treadmill desks, swiss balls, etc., etc. But, NOT today, lol!
  • LPCoder
    LPCoder Posts: 404 Member
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    ***On a side note***

    There is a child I know that has ADHD and the school approved the use of a ball instead of a desk chair. Being able to bounce has helped him keep his focus so much better! If any of you have children with ADHD it might be a good idea to give this a try!

    Beeps: you might try approaching HR with the idea anyway... perhaps the treadmill is not acceptable, but a ball that you can roll under the desk to hide during meetings just might get them to approve the idea.
  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 11,989 Member
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    So, I go to the "meet-and-greet" luncheon today, at work. As I normally work-out at lunch, I sacrificed my work-out to attend this meet-and-greet BECAUSE it was hyped (via e-mail from our President's Exec Assistant!) as a "corporate challenge fitness challenge".

    I arrive to be greeted by 3 x overly made-up plastic-looking women from a local spa. Holding cups with a "sample" of a shake (meal replacement).

    I then sit down with about 30 other women from my office and am treated to a 20-minute presentation on "Bodies by Vi" - some meal replacement program - AND, get this - a MULTI-LEVEL MARKETING SCHEME!!

    O.M.G.

    I was sooooooooooooooooooo pissed off, I cannot even tell you. At the end of the 20-minutes, I asked, very politely, but clearly, if the 'corporate fitness challenge' only applied to persons who were purchasing their products. And, the presenters said, "yes".



    Sooooooooooo, somehow it is "okay" for my employer to permit MLM scams to come into our office location and preach to stupid working women?? Moreover, instead of the 30-women saying, "hell, no, we can draw up our own fitness challenge to participate in - we don't need these damn meal-replacement schticks", nope, like lambs to the slaughter they lined up to PAY MONEY to these scammers.



    I walked out. I have a high enough position in the company I would have thought that would have demonstrated some kind of "leadership". But, nope. It didn't.

    So, now, I hate my employer for ALLOWING solicitations like this into my building. I HATE the Exec Assis who is NOW making $$ OFF HER CO-WORKERS by bringing in this b.s. product. And, I HATE my co-workers for being the fools that they are.

    Worst of all, I have NO "corporate fitness challenge" to participate in to help me with "accountability" (in real life). Dammit.
  • LPCoder
    LPCoder Posts: 404 Member
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    Why don't you make a real corporate fitness challenge. Have them all join here and set up a private group for your company only. Then add up all the weight people want to lose in a given time period. Each person can contribute a dollar for every pound that they lose in that time period to be given to a charity of your company's choice and see if the company will match the donation. During the time period, you can post stair challenges, i.e. meet on the first floor and we will walk up 5 floors monday, 7 floors wednesday and 10 floors on friday. Give each person who completes the floor challenge a badge to pin on the bulletin board in the coffee break room. Have a recipe swap. One person collect all the recipes and print them all to pass around. have people sign up to bring in healthy snacks for participants to leave in the break room...

    As they lose weight, they feel good because they are donating to a charity and they feel good about losing weight in general!

    Make a proposal to the company, it can't hurt!
  • hamncheese67
    hamncheese67 Posts: 1,715 Member
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    @beeps2011: So can you have a seminar on organizational habits and sell Tupperware as paper clip holders? I'd be upset to have to sit through that.
  • Swissmiss
    Swissmiss Posts: 8,754 Member
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    OMG Beeps. Yes, RUN from that garbage. I am so sorry that the challenge went in that direction. Do you have an HR department where you can make your case? This is bull.....wow, can't believe how angry I am getting over this. My company did this a few years ago where they brought in a rep from a fitness center, trying to sell memberships. Fortunately now too many fell for it. LPCoder has some great ideas.
  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 11,989 Member
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    LPC, I *do* like the *idea* of starting our own corporate fitness challenge. BUT, I am not prepared to sink the time into this endeavour. (That's kind of why I went to the lunch meeting....I thought someone else had actually picked up the ball and decided to do something - corporate-wide.) When I started, we did have a "fitness club" that operated at lunch hours....it kind of petered out once I dedicated myself to going to the gym (to lift weights) rather than the "fitness club". And, I'm not prepared to give up my gym routine, anymore.

    I'm also not interested in spending the time at HR....sometimes in these situations it is the messenger who gets shot, and I'm not prepared to be that messenger.

    Today I'm off to weight-train at lunch. And, my injury is subsiding quite nicely. I didn't even roll up a towel under my neck when I slept last night! And, I don't recall any throbbing. I still cannot shoulder-check all the way, but I'm definitely feeling better. Yay!!
  • LPCoder
    LPCoder Posts: 404 Member
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    @Beeps: So glad you are feeling better! Sorry your workplace is not so friendly.
  • SlimSammy2012
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    Hello folks..
  • LadyPersia
    LadyPersia Posts: 1,444 Member
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    Hi everyone. Miss you!!! Mom just got moved in to a ortho rehab after her fall so I have been playing nurse, billing coder, psych and parent way to much this month.

    So....I gained back most of the weight lost and feel miserable. Today is a new day so going for a run. Have a great Thursday!!!!
  • tladame
    tladame Posts: 465 Member
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    Beeps - Yikes! I can't believe they allowed that in your workplace. :mad: That's just dirty. I guess you can be grateful that you're not foolish enough to fall for it! I work for a government agency, so I can't imagine something like that ever being allowed here.

    Started the 30-day shred again this month (after slacking on the exercise for a bit). I'm on week 3, level 3, and it's really kicking my butt! I forgot how great level 3 is. I really feel it in my abs and legs, the two places I want to tone up the most. Yay!
  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 11,989 Member
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    I think the impending arrival of April is a GREAT time to re-invigorate one's self, re-commit to a (fitness/nutrition) challenge, or whatever it is!

    Spring is almost here! And, it REALLY makes me want to get my butt in gear and focus, LONG AND HARD, on the goals I made pre-January 1.

    It really doesn't matter what has gone before - only what I do from this point forward....and, I'm committed to digging deep and applying consistent effort towards my short-term goals AND my long-term goals.

    Today is a cardio day. And stretching....TONS of stretching!! (mama mia my glutes are S-O-R-E)
  • Swissmiss
    Swissmiss Posts: 8,754 Member
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    :flowerforyou: Beeps, congrats on working so hard. Doesn't it feel so good?

    :flowerforyou: tladame, great idea to start the 30-day shred again. Keep it up. You are doing great.

    :flowerforyou: LadyPersia, remember to take care of yourself. You can not be of much use to anyone if you are not healthy.

    SlimSammy, hello to you.
  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 11,989 Member
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    Hi swiss! It does feel good when a work-out goes as planned (or better than planned) - a true *win*, for sure!! How are you feeling??

    My neck/back/shoulder is healing up well....I can still feel "strain" when I'm doing certain things with my neck, but it isn't bothering my sleep, anymore, and I am able to get all my lifts in. So, no complaints.

    Today is a weight-training day. The easier routine of the 2 that I do. But, I am also scheduled to move onto the next Stage at the end of next week....because it is Good Friday, my trainer won't be working and I'll have to delay that start until the following Monday. So, I'll keep repeating the work-outs from this stage until I meet with personal trainer.

    Have a super Friday, all!!
  • LPCoder
    LPCoder Posts: 404 Member
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    Who wants a story? Good! I just got back from a Zumba party at a local night club. I had a great time. I danced for 2.5 hours straight! I invited a friend and her fiancee to come along. Now you must picture them. She is a size 2 and seems to be in great shape. He is probably a size 8 and lifts weight. They both line dance so I thought they would have fun at the party. They had a great time! I was surprised when the two of them sat down after about an hour of dancing. It just goes to show that size is not an indicator of fitness. Those of us who have struggled with our weight and have started adding exercise into our lives, may have a great fitness level, so don't feel discouraged! Remember that wherever you are on your journey, that it is a journey.
  • tron3002
    tron3002 Posts: 440 Member
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    It looks like I will be working full time the next couple of weeks with split days off. We will see how my energy level suffers from this. But the pay check will be nice.

    Lpcoder.... Thats a great story. We seem to get so caught up in our size that we forget to be proud of how much we've accomplished health wise.

    Tladame... Great job on the 30 day shred. I have that video too. Maybe I'll pull it back out.

    I'll catch up on the rest of the posts later. Have a terrific weekend everyone!
  • mary127
    mary127 Posts: 90 Member
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    Hi, hope everyone's having a great weekend. This morning was all about getting stuff done around the house and tonight I'm going to a zumba party, I can't wait! Two hours straight of zumba and the theme is "White Party", they said to wear white or anything that will glow under a blacklight. :bigsmile: LP, sounds like something similar to what you did last night. I have a similar story as yours, I've noticed the exact same thing at the gym where I do zumba. Young and skinny doesn't mean "in shape"

    Tomorrow my son goes back to his dorm and I will be back on a more regular schedule. I did okay with getting some workouts in this week while he was home, but my eating wasn't too great.

    Monday will be one year of my logging in, even though it's not reflected on the counter (I missed one day because I zoned out when getting the house ready for my daugher's halloween party). I love MFP and am so thankful to have found it and all the great people who have been so supportive.

    :flowerforyou:
  • LPCoder
    LPCoder Posts: 404 Member
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    @ Mary: I hope you have a great time at the Zumba Party! Your party sounds exactly like mine! We did the whole wear white with black lights too! Congratulations on your one year anniversary! My son graduated last May so he is back home now, getting his feet wet in the job market.

    True Story: In regards to cooking for teens and young adults: It was always hard to cook what is healthy for me, and tasty for my son. (his tastes were not so mature..."really mom? Do you have to put in the blue cheese?") He complained in high school about my "healthy menu, " so I taught him how to cook when he was 15. Sometimes he eats what I cook, and sometimes he makes his own food. I did the same thing when he was 13 with the laundry. He complained that his fav shirt was dirty and he wanted to wear it... wah, wah. SO I taught him to how to do his own laundry and I never touched his again! LOL! He has learned that complaining about things never solves a thing! Funny thing is, now that he is older and his tastes are changing, he likes my "healthy meals" now!

    @ Tron: I hope you don't get too stressed with your schedule over the next two weeks, but you are right... a bit of extra cash feels good, especially in these times!