40+ Club - Summertime Fun

alf1163

Sing, Sie sind verrückt. :laugh: :laugh: Zebras, are you saying Sing is trying to trick us?? LOL I think it has to do with a Steam Company. Right? MK, Ich mag Kola Bier!! Have you tried it? Mmmmm!! Now, remember Sing, if I hit it big in Vegas you were going to have to dress like a girl cause it was going to be a girls' trip. :laugh: I am glad you clarified that you do like "What not to wear". :laugh: My husband watches it sometimes. LOL

Stiring, thank you so much for your insight. I think you provide us with a wealth of information. I appreciate it very much. You are still my hero, I don't care what you think. It makes me feel better what you said about carbs and fat. I always go over my fat and protein before I reach my carbs and I have worried about it but let me tell you, when I was not eating as many carbs as I am now, following this plan that a member gave me, I felt pretty good and I did not have that bloated feeling. My stomach was pretty flat. Yes, I overindulge, occasionally, but like Stiring I watch closely, about 80-90% of the time, what I eat and choose healthier foods over the not so healthy ones.

I went to a water park with my family today. I will post a pic with my son. We had a great time. I am tired. I also ran on the treadmill this morning before we left.

Take care! :flowerforyou:

cardigirl

Thanks Stiring. I so appreciate all the research you do. I tend to agree with your take on eating...just trying to get the carb-fat-protein balance right and be the usual thing, rather than a once in awhile goal. I do eat fruit, and I don't worry about the sugars in it. As long as it's natural sugar, I think it's a good thing. I think the lecture on sugar you were talking about he says the same thing, it's fructose that is dangerous, but sucrose is necessary.

I too, eat whole grains instead of processed ones, lean protein, lots of veggies, and fruit and that's what I try to stay with 95% of the time. (have to have wine or mexican food once in awhile) Even so, I'm not seeing the results that you have, although I am closing in on 30lbs lost. Today, after my workout, I had a whole wheat English muffin with almond butter. And later in the morning yogurt and fruit. The almond butter, even though it was only a tablespoon, was one-third of my fat allotment for the day. :grumble:
That 's what makes some of the decisions I make about food so difficult for me. Trying to stay within 40 grams of fat, and be closer to 30 grams rather than 40 is kind of tough.

Was wondering what any of you thought about my trainer suggesting that 150 was a good weight for me? Certainly, according to the BMI charts, it's a bit heavy. I'm 5'3" tall. I am wearing much smaller clothes, but certainly wouldn't feel I would look skeletal at a lower weight. I'll ask him again, but I know he doesn't want my BFP to go much lower than 18%

thanks everyone for all your help. Really keeps me going!

tron3002

I'm back from Reno, Hot August Nights was a blast like always. We went to the Peppermill and had their crab buffet for our anniversary. So yummy. But they raised the price to $30 a person. :grumble:

String... Thank you for providing all that information for us. So, if I am reading it right women dont need to eat the extra carbs? My "diet" plan that I started before said to make sure you eat some carbs before working out or else you burn blood sugar instead of fat. Is this correct?

StiringWendel

Thanks for your kind words y'all!

cardigirl, regarding your weight....I actually think it's a pretty good thing your trainer is focused on your body fat percentage. You are close to what is considered 'healthy' by BMI standards, but BMI is so incredibly flawed that I don't trust it as anything other than a vague guide. But even in using it as a guide....you're where a person your height can and should be without worries.

I think what is more important are things like your body fat percentage. And I think the most important thing is how you feel. Your body composition/musculature/etc may be one that 150 is the weight you should be at. If you think you can lose more weight, and think your trainer is too focused on the body fat percentage, then you would know that best. Listen to your body most of all. And if your body is telling you 'I feel good at this weight', then be happy with the weight. If your body still feels sluggish or achy or all the things I know I felt with excess weight, then maybe talk to him about trying for another five pounds or such. I'm no expert on the subject, but I would think you could lose an extra few pounds (again, only if you think it would be best) without a significant/dangerous dip in your body fat percentage. But, again, if your body composition is such that 150 is your ideal weight, then it may not be prudent to try to lose more weight.

Honestly, I can't imagine trying to stay within 20 percent fat each day. I, like alf, have a tendency to want more protein, which means more fat, during the day than I do carbs. It's just what I like. So I don't doubt you are struggling with that. Again, the recommendations may be coming from your trainer because he is focusing on body fat percentage (which is good), but if this isn't working for you in terms of being something you think you can maintain as a lifestyle--presuming that is what you are trying to do--then maybe you need to talk with him again about the numbers.

I think that's why I don't focus on the macro/micro nutrient numbers so much....because I don't have the patience to do that for the rest of my life. It would drive me crazy to even try. But that's just me...and any suggestions I make are based on that.

And don't sell yourself short! You talk about not getting the result I have. I, frankly, think 21% body fat and 30 pounds lost are incredible results!! Your body is different than mine, and while my weight may be lower, that doesn't mean our results in terms of body fat AND weight lost are not close to the same....because I think they are. So celebrate your accomplishments! :drinker:

tron, good to see you back! I hope you had a great anniversary. I've never been to Reno. Is it worth going to?

Regarding your question and carbs....women don't need to load up on excess carbs like men do to perform sports/fitness activities because women can draw easier from fat. That doesn't mean you don't need carbs....because you do. It just means you don't need extra carbs to sustain a workout the same way a man might. While working out, you burn a mix of glycogen (carbs) and fat, the rate of each depending on the type of workout you are doing. The first thing to get burned (from what I understand) is the glycogen, which comes from carbs. So I think it is good to have some carbs pre-workout. What I try to do, to be honest, is to have carbs, protein and fat in every meal (for instance, breakfast of oatmeal with almond butter in it is all three) just to keep things balanced. If you don't have stores of glycogen to burn working out, chances are you may run out of energy in your workouts.

But when you are doing one of your marathon hikes in Yosemite, your husband may want/need extra carbs to sustain himself through that hike, but you would probably be fine if you ate your normal percentage of carbs (in relation to your overall calorie consumption for that day which, understandably, would be higher than a day when you aren't hiking for 5 hours). As I understand it, that is the difference between men and women. And, again, this professor said that if you were to eat extra carbs (load up on them), you wouldn't actually perform any better on that hike than if you'd just eaten a normal amount of carbs/fat/protein. But, again, you still to eat SOME carbs, of course, to sustain yourself through those paces.

That's probably as clear as mud! But I tried. :blushing: I hope everybody has a good evening. I've just had an invasion of sugar ants in my food pantry, so off I go to conquer that. So annoying! :explode:

Swissmiss

I am thinking of trying to pronounce that German word. With enough alcohol maybe I can. I imagine that when I have a lot of alcohol I sound like that anyway.

Cardigirl, I am planning on getting an assessment from the gym to see where I stand with body fat percentages. I am about 1 1/2 inch taller than you and I weigh 145. I think that is too much. It is actually just below the unhealthy percent. But, I am wearing size 8 pants and the work pants that were just ordered for me are 6. I think that a lot of my weight is muscle.

Stiring, I have been dong more eating of healthy foods. Like whole grain and natural ones. Not too worried about the fats as long as the food is healthy. I have also been cheating a little and have found that I am losing faster. I think that I was not eating enough.

I stayed within my calories today even with the brownie.

singfree

Alf is pretty close on this one.

Donau: Danube River

Dampf: Steam

Schiff: Ship

Fahrts: To travel

Gesellschaft: Company

The Steamship Company that travels the Danube River. (www.ddsg.at)

April, you may be using this very company in Austria. They travel from Vienna to Passau in Bavaria,

What a fountain of useless knowledge!

singfree

Good morning!

Stiring, I was reading your post about nutrition, and I found it to be very clear and informative!!! I agree with Alf, you are the Master of this Domain!!

Alf, I already have a pretty Dirndl picked out for our trip. Believe me, I would wear it for a trip to Bavaria!! Bavaria & Salzburg is the most beautiful places on earth for us. That is why we try to return every few years. People ask why we go to the same place all the time. We feel like we "belong" there. Staying in one or two places, one gets to feel like they are native born there. You feel as one of the community. It might sound strange to some, but I'm sure those of you who have experienced that part of the world will agree with me.

Stiring, another question: Do you change your ratios or even amount of cals daily depending on your activity level? I've been thinking about this, and am undecided about whether to up my cals, carb, etc... if I have a heavy workout day planned. Heck, just about every day is a heavy day for me!

Insanity: It's going well, but as I stated earlier, my kneee & calf is a bit sore. I was able to work around it yesterday with some success, so I'll keep going. In a few days I will be in my "recovery" week. I plan to do NO plyo type exercises to let the body heal before the 2nd month, which is even more difficult than the 1st.

StiringWendel

Thanks for the translation, singfree. I knew the 'Donau', the 'ship', the 'travel', but couldn't remember that gesellschaft was company! I recognized the word, but just couldn't pull it out of the old memory banks. Ah....life in my 40s. My memory just isn't what it used to be.

I totally get what you are saying about Bavaria. For my husband and I, we found a place like that in Switzerland. For me, it was like going home everytime we visited (and we visited it over a dozen times when we were living in Germany).

Regarding my nutritional ratios, I do about the same level of activity every day (plus or minus 100-200 calories), so I don't alter my calories too much. I may add a little extra peanut butter here or there depending on the day (or take some away), but I don't really change it too much, even on days when I'm not working out (though I'm more mindful not to add things to my menu on those days).

As to whether I alter what I eat (like more carbs on cardio days, more protein on weight lifting days, etc), I do that to some degree. I notice if I eat too many carbs, regardless of the activity, that I don't recover as well from my workouts, I feel puffy, and I actually don't have as much energy. So if I start noticing that, I try to up the protein a bit and take down the carbs a bit.

I'm all for simplicity, to be honest. I think that's why I listen to my body first of all. For instance, I knew I needed to change my breakfast awhile back because I was having a sugar crash about half way through my workouts (especially as I was losing the weight). So I changed my breakfast and have found something (oatmeal instead of toast) that I like AND that gets me through my workouts. So, pretty much, whatever tweaking I do is because my body tells me I need to do something differently.

This seems to be working for me as I seem to have enough energy to get through my workouts and, for the most part, feel pretty good throughout the days. I am mindful with P90X (like I was STS) that I am going to need more protein to repair the muscles, so I've been having a bit of a 'carb holiday' these weeks off between those programs. And, oddly enough, even though I don't think the workouts I'm doing are nearly as challenging, I'm having a much more difficult time recovering from them. So, to me, that's a pretty clear sign that I need to focus more on protein starting next week than I need to focus on the carbs.

But I also think everybody is different and reacts differently to foods/nutrients. I think that's why I get frustrated with anybody who suggests (be it a trainer, a fitness instructor, a doctor, a diet book guru, or the random person on the internet) a one-size-fits-all kind of solution to people when it comes to this subject.

Take care of those legs, singfree! I hope laying off the plyo workouts a bit will help.

I'm going to do another full body strength training workout today....and then I'll take the rest of the week off from strength training before starting P90X. I've been focusing on endurance the past couple of weeks since I know the early weeks of P90X are more endurance focused....and I lost alot of my endurance throughout the strength portions of STS. I was back over 100 pounds this morning. :drinker: I've really been focusing on getting my calories up, so, hopefully, I have at least stopped losing weight.

Enjoy your day everybody!

singfree

Thanks Stiring for the advice and pep talk! I'm with you on keeping it simple. I tend to eat the same things during the week, so I can get a pretty good idea in my head how the day is going nutritionally. I really need to tap into what my body is telling me, especially before and after workouts. Yesterday, for example, I did an Insanity workout before going to Hershey for rehearsal. After the workout I had more water and a banana, took a shower and made a protein shake. That filled me up. About another hour later I was starving, but could not eat because I was on my way to Hershey. So I did not get to eat anything until 10 pm when I got home. What delicious, nutritious morsel did I have? Red wine & pretzels!! Way to go!!! :grumble: :grumble: Sometimes I think Insanity is my middle name!

alf1163

I'm so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :drinker: :drinker: I have, in my possession, P90X!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :drinker: :drinker: I'm jumping with joy!! :laugh: Call me crazy!!!! So, Stiring, starting next week? When?? Will wait for you! I am going to really plan this one so I can follow it as recommended. I work outside the home plus I have to make time to get my son ready for school, pick him up some days a week, etc etc. I am going to read the guidebook the rest of this week and get ready for it. :drinker: :drinker:

Cardi, what has your trainer said about wanting you to weigh 150. I looked it up for you and at 5'3" and 150lbs that puts you in the overweight category. He is right about the bfp, 18-21% is good but weigh 150lbs? Not sure about that...I am 5'5" and weigh about 127lbs and last time I measured my bfp it was about 18% if not mistaken (old age :laugh: ). I consider myself pretty lean, too lean or "skinny" for some people :grumble: :laugh: I can't wait to hear what your physician tells you about his recommendations. Then again not all physicians have the best info when it comes to physical fitness and nutrition, unfortunately.

:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

StiringWendel

Yay alf!!!! :drinker: Oh, this is going to be fun!! :drinker: I am planning on starting Sunday, but I can pretty much start any day after tomorrow, so let me know what works best for you.

I'm going to do the classic rotation with some minor modification. I plan on substituting different kickboxing cardio for Kenpo X (because it isn't challenging enough for me) and adding a session of cardio on the yoga day (I don't like the yoga program in P90X, so I'll do a shorter session on my own and some cardio). Later on in the program, if I get too used to the plyometrics included in P90X, I may substitute some of Cathe's plyometrics from STS....just for variety.

My goal right now is to build strength and increase definition. The latter is one of the reasons I want to add some more cardio, but I don't want to do the P90X lean rotation because I want the extra weight work included in the classic rotation AND the plyometrics.

As far as the recovery week, I plan on doing it as listed (including Kenpo X) except I may substitute my own yoga for one of the P90Xs yoga that week. We'll see how it goes after the first recovery week!

I think I'll do my fit test tomorrow so I'll be prepared to go! Let me know what you think after you read the guide. I'm so looking forward to this!! :drinker: :drinker:

Love your new photo, btw!

singfree, it is hard to plan for meals when you are on the move, isn't it? That's one of the more frustrating things for me as well. I'm always like 'If I workout now, then I'm going to need to eat. But I'll be here then, so how am I going to eat?' I haven't mastered it completely, that's for sure. But I try.

cardigirl

Alf, as I understand it, he is concerned about me losing lean body mass if I try to go below 18% body fat.
I'm not certain which calculations he is using and I will talk with him some more. I do know that a certain amount of fat is necessary. 14 -20% is considered athletic for women. Going below 9% is dangerous. So even at 18% BF I still have some leeway with my weight.

I do like and trust my trainer, and so far the 50% carbs and 25% fat and protein seems to be working. I don't feel puffy at all, and even feel a bit stronger during the workouts. I really think he tries to tailor my workout to me and I know if this calorie percentage doesn't work long term, we will try something else. He encourages me to listen to my body, and I do just that. Honestly, I never thought I'd come close to losing 30 lbs, but I'm determined to keep it off. I'm sorry if anyone thought I was pushing his theories on here. I'm just mainly looking for more information, and I appreciate everyone helping me out. Stiring, your information has really given me some stuff to think about and I really appreciate you taking the time to post all of that.

Swiss, congrats on getting to 145 and the size 6!!!! You must feel great! I know your new picture is awesome!

Tomorrow is plyometrics day, so I'm heading off to bed to rest up. Thanks everyone for your input! :drinker:

aprilvet

Hello, all! Wow, take a few days off and miss so much!

sing- I leave on Saturday!!!!:drinker: Yes, I am looking at that cruise line for a day trip to the Wachau. We will have a car so plan to drive to Krems, boat to Melk, ride back. Do-able? With 10 and 7 year olds?

Stiring- your comments and philosophy on nutrtion are spot-on!!! I completely agree with quality being the key. Also, variety. Eliminating an entire food group just doesn't make sense.:grumble:

I think the whole discussion on weight, height, bfp, and "ideal" is great!!! Every body is different. I'm 5'1". My lowest weight was 120, in high school. I rode horses and was very muscular. I would look emaciated at 100 pounds! I currently weigh 142 and wear a size 6. So you never know!! Saw my Dr. for my annual on Monday. She was so surprised at my actual weight- thinks I look much smaller than the number!! I'll need to have my trainer do my bfp, especially before I start Insanity. Yes, I ordered it! Plan to start after back from Europe!!!

I'm going to post my itinerary below for any comments or suggestions of things to do, see, etc.

April

aprilvet

TRIP NOTES

8/15Sa-- Flight Newark-Vienna

8/16Su-- Arrive Vienna

8/17M-- Vienna

8/18Tu-- boat trip Krems to Melk, stay Vienna---- 3 nights 8/16-8/19
boat Krems-Melk is 2 hours; can cycle back- 35km

8/19W-- Korneuburg?, Durnstein?, travel to Salzburg- half day, 3 hr drive; stay Salzburg-- 1 night 8/19
Salzburg festival- chamber concert, opera

8/20Th-- Salzburg- half day, travel to Chiemsee; stay Chiemsee

8/21F-- stay Chiemsee

---

2 nights 8/20-8/22
Rosenheim- SW of Chimsee- beer festival
Tittmoning- NE of chiemsee- walled town
Herrenchiemsee- island, Versailles castle
Stein an der Traun- NE of Chiemsee- medieval castle

8/22Sa-- Chiemsee, travel to Garmish; stay---- 3 nights 8/22-8/25

8/23Su- Munich day trip

8/24M-- day trip- Neuschwenstein castle

8/25Tu-- Garmish, travel to Lucerne- 4 hrs; stay Lucerne

---

2 nights 8/25-8/27

8/26W-- Lucerne

8/27Th-- Lucerne; travel to Zurich; stay Zurich

---

2 nights 8/27-8/29

8/28F-- Zurich
Dörflifäscht - The Niederdorf takes its drinking outdoors for two days, with music and lots of food&drink booths. On and around Niederdorfstrasse and Hirschenplatz, August 28 and 29.

8/29Sa-- leave Zurich

So, this is it!! I'm so excited but fear I may be crazy trying to do all of this. But, we aren't likely to be back to this area any time soon, so why not???:laugh:

singfree

Hi April! There are may of us here who are wishing we could tag along!

The trip looks great! Most of it is very doable. Please indulge me with a few thoughts from a guy who has been to most of those places.

Vienna: Save some money by purchasing day passes for public transportation (Tageskarte). The ticket is valid on subways (U-Bahn), trams (Strassenbahn), and buses within Vienna's Kernzone (most of the inner districts, downtown area). Don't forget to validate your tickets upon using your 1st bus, subway, etc... Look for a small machine that says "ENTWERTER". Insert the ticket and it will be punched with the date & time. They use the honor system, so you don't have to show the ticket again, unless a Transit Inspector asks to see it. Good beer tip: Ottakringer Gold Fassl.

The drive along the Danube through the Wachau is wonderful. Enjoy Melk Abbey. A spectacular sight.

If you leave early, you can see Duernstein and maybe Korneuburg then on to Salzburg for some sightseeing there. Driving to Salzburg on the A-1 Autobahn, there are some good rest stops where you can gas up the car and get a nice meal or snack. These places are far better than here in the USA. Also, get you gas in Austria, because it is more costly in Germany.

Ahhhhh, Salzburg!!! One of my favorite places on earth!!! Relax, and savor this beautiful city that was once called the "German Rome". IMHO, Salzurg needs a longer visit, but I know you need to press on. Salzburg to Chiemsee is about one hour by car or train. All of the places you mention are good day trips using Chiemsee as a base. Are you staying in the town of Prien? That's where the main boat landing is for Herrenchiemsee.

Garmisch (Alf is yodeling at this point!!). Garmisch is great during the summer. Each night they have a free concert downtown in the Kurpark, near the Tourist Info Center. Note about Munich: Parking is a nightmare and expensive. Take the train (1 hr 20 min). Buy a Bayern Ticket. It is valid all day on Sunday. Your local transportation in Munich is also valid on that ticket. Your whole family can ride using that ticket (up to 5 people traveling together). It only costs 28 Euros, using 2nd class regional trains!!! Trains leave Garmisch hourly for Munich Hbf (Hauptbahnhof, or main station). The scenery is great and you ca relax and enjoy the trip to Munich. Beer tip: Ask for a beer, enjoy!! All Munich beer is outstanding. "Ein Prosit der Gemuetlichkeit!!!".

From Garmisch, Neuschwanstein & Hohenschwangau can be seen easily as a day trip. You are going on a Monday...good! The lines are very long on the weekend. Arrive early and go directly to the ticket counter. You will be given a time slot for your tour(s). Depending on your route of travel, you might want to consider also: Oberammergau, Schloss Linderhof, Wieskirche, or Ettal Abbey. BTW, you can call to reserve your tickets (and entry times) or do the same on their website.

Lucerne & Zurich: Places I would love to see, but i can't offer any help there, sorry!

My best piece of advice: RELAX and ENJOY!!!! It all sounds hectic, but the wonderful sights, the food & beer, the warm & friendly people will make this trip one that you will repeat (if not in person, in your memories)!!!

alf1163

April, PLEASE TAKE ME WITH YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :laugh: IN MY DREAMS!! :laugh: I have also visited most of those places. Reading your itinerary brought back beautiful memories of me there with my family. Have a wonderful time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cardi, I never thought you were pushing your trainer's ideas. I just think you could still be below 150 and have a healthy bfp. 30lbs loss is awesome and 18% bf is excellent. Keep up the good work! :drinker:

Stiring, I also thought about starting on Sunday. I just started reading the guidebook, last night, so I am not familiar with the program yet. I have not looked at the videos either. I really hope I can continue running in preparation for the half marathon in Nov. I will try to follow P90X as close as possible. I am so excited!! But I am nervous as well, I need to be careful and not do too much too soon. I dont want to get injured.

I did ChaLean's burn it off and ab burner this morning. It is time to get ready to go to work. Have a great day! :flowerforyou:

cardigirl

Good morning all! First off, I'm extremely envious of April's trip, but so glad you're sharing the details a bit. At least I can live vicariously through you!

Second, talked to the trainer about the 150 weight and he explained it like this. If I weighed 150 and had 30% body fat he would be shooting to help me get to 120. But since I'm at 155 (give or take a pound cause it varies) and at 21% body fat there isn't that much more fat for me to lose without starting to burn muscle, which I don't want to do. He also said if I can get to 148 he's not gonna fight that, but that he thinks it will be very difficult to do. So I have a much better understanding of where he is coming from.

Like April said, and as I must get through my thick skull, "ideal" is what is best for each individual. And I need to be happy with that. Which I am, because I feel so much better at this weight than I did last year when I hadn't started working out.

And Alf, I know you weren't thinking I was pushing anything. I'm really really very much in awe of all you've done and are doing with your workouts and running. It's awesome. Good luck with the P90X because I think you will find you love it. (just guessing from what I've seen of it)

So...gonna keep working out, keep following the food plan, and stop worrying about the scale. All things I've been told before, but I'm kind of a slow learner.:laugh:

Everybody have a GREAT DAY!!!:drinker:

mkwood10

April............I'm SO JEALOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would LOVE to take a trip to Austria and Germany - it's been over 20 years since I visited southern Bavaria.:sad: :sad: Garmish, Neuschwanstein & Hohenschwangau, Chimsee....... all those names bring back great memories. I didn't see Bertchesgarden on the itinerary - you should try to squeeze it in if you can; the valley and the Konigsee by Shonau are beautiful! We went there more times than to Garmish.
One of the funniest memories of my parents' trip to Bertchesgarden was walking around in the ruins of WWII Nazi buildings and my dad walking over to an old foundation and peeing on it so he could say he'd taken a pee on Hitler's house! :laugh: Granted, it wasn't the Eagle's Nest on top of the mountain, but it was so funny at the time!! (And yes, I know it was totally disrespectful too!) My dad had several older brothers in the Army who served in Germany during WWII, so I think he felt he was getting back at the Nazis for all the horrible things they did during the war. Strange yes, but that was my dad!

Anyhow................enjoy yourself..............opportunities like this one don't come nearly as often as we'd all like them to!!!:laugh: :laugh:

singfree

MK, you are correct about Berchtesgaden. The Koenigsee is beautiful, especially the Church of St. Barthomae at Salet, at the far end of the lake. We love that region, Ramsau, Markt Schellenberg, and over to Bad Reichenhall. So much beauty & unspoiled nature! I totally agree with your Dad's "one gun salute" to old Adolf!! :laugh:

duffyzmom

Just a quick hump day check-in. Too busy to read all the posts but can tell that there is lots of good news on our thread. April enjoy the trip. ALF: Can't wait to hear about P90X and how it compares to CX. I have completed the first 30 days of CX but plan to do the Burn Circuit for another week. My 10 mile race is the 22nd and I just don't want to move into something new right before the run. Had a great trip to Northern Michigan visited lots of local wineries and even completed my long run for the week. It wasn't pretty though - probably because of all the wine tasting

aprilvet

Thank you all for all of your thoughts and encouragement!! I know we are very fortunate. I want to savor every moment!!! We're watching "The Sound of Music" to get us in the mood!!!:bigsmile:

What about my proposed cycling from Melk to Krems? DDSG suggested taking the boat from Krems to Spitz and cycling back, as an early cycle drop-off is not possible. I'm torn- I so want to take the boat the whole way to Melk, then enjoy the abbey. Any thoughts on how hard or long the return trip is by bike?

Thanks, all! I know I seem like a neurotic pain. Normally, I'm much more certain in my planning, but this is the first major trip with my kids!

singfree

April, I think DDSG has a point. You can have your boat ride and bike ride too. The route along the river is flat, but the Abbey itself is high on a bluff overlooking the town & river. Melk to Krems is doable IF you allow enough time. I really can't say how long it will take, but I feel that you will enjoy the day more if you don't try to cram too much in. Also, the Wachau valley in mid-August can be hot, and there might not be an abundance of shade along the river. The Melk Abbey wines are renowned as the cream of the crop of Wachau wines! There is a restaurant on the Abbey grounds. The kids will love the ice cream treats there. If you need any assistance, feel free to send me a message. GuteReise!!

PS Some fav restaurants in Wien:

Augustiner Keller

Griechenbeisl

Bretzel Gwoelb

Strolling along Kaerntnerstrasse with a flavorful Gelato!

Texssippian

Hi all! Made it back from Mississippi. Good visit with family. Brother-in-law still in ICU at Ochsner in New Orleans. Hoping to complete the tests today get him listed for liver transplant. Family is all holding up for now.

Did pretty well while gone. My kids and I went to my mom's gym and worked out one day while we were in MS. Did not gain any weight. Yea!

Alf, you are looking great! I think you are getting some rain.

April, have a wonderful time. I am so jealous!

We are planning on going to San Francisco in September to see our son who will be in graduate school. That is about the extent of our travels, except me going back to Mississippi when family needs me.

Will be starting focused training for a triathlon in September. I just want to better my time from February. Take care all. TxMs

singfree

April, I just looked it up. Melk to Krems is 36.5 km, or around 22 miles.

alf1163

April, relax, whatever you do I know you will have a wonderful time with your family and you will remember it forever. How old are your children?

Tex, YES!!! We are getting rain!!!!! :drinker: :drinker: FINALLY!!! We desperately need it. And I watered the lawn this morning. :grumble: Oh well, I guess it is getting more. Glad you had a good time with your family.

Duffy!! How are you? Tron, good to hear from you!!! :drinker:

Ok, what's up with yogurt and cottage cheese????? I find it so hard to buy good yogurt that will satisfy me. The ones I find are either too high in fat or too high in sugar or have artificial sweeteners. The cottage cheese has way too much sodium. What brands do you buy if any? I have been wanting to get other foods for variety but I am avoiding too much processed foods or foods with too much sodium, artificial sweeteners and foods high in saturated fats. Stiring, could you share a sample of your food diary with me? Feel free to email it separately if you want to. I just want to get some more ideas for snacks and lunch.

I am going to continue reading the P90X guidebook and might do the fit test tomorrow, if not on Friday for sure. I was told the Iron Gym is great for the pull ups. Which one do you have Sing? I dont want to buy anything over the internet or spend too much money. I was told Walgreens, Wal Mart or Linens and Things might have some of those as seen on TV products. I need to get one soon.

Have a great evening!!! :flowerforyou:

singfree

Alf, I made my own from various pieces of pipe from Lowes or Home Depot. I attached it to the ceiling joists in my garage. It probably cost about $15 to make it myself. It does not have to be anything fancy, just something to hang on. The way I constructed mine allows me to use many different grips an hand positions. The bottom line is getting enough strength to pull your body weight up. It sounds so simple, but is very difficult in the beginning. More than arm strength, it's the back muscles that are developed.

tron3002

Alf... If you click onto string and go to her profile, click onto diary you can view her food diary.

April... Have fun on your vacation. It sounds amazing.

cardigirl

Alf, I buy greek no fat yogurt, Fage is a good brand. They also have full fat and 2% yogurt. Or if you have a Trader Joe's they have their own brand of greek yogurt. I get plain and then add my own fruit, nuts and a smidge of honey. That way I have some control over the sugar content. Very yummy. Greek yogurt is thicker than regular yogurt and I find I like the taste of it a bit better. Chobani is another brand of Greek yogurt, and they have some nice individual cups for sale with fruit, i.e. strawberry, blueberry, and peach. As for the cottage cheese, I really don't know of any low sodium ones. I get Breakstones' 2% which is quite tasty.

cardigirl

oops, don't know how I did a duplicate post.

aprilvet

Thanks, again, everyone! I think I'll take my chances!! We'll have a car @ Krems, so worst case, my dh and son car ride to the car and come back to pick up my daughter and me.

alf- I agree with cardigirl on the yogurt. I love Fage, 2%. I add fresh blueberries. As for the pull-up bar. I use the Iron Gym- $30 at ****'s or Sports Authority. Probably can get one at Wal-Mart or Target. Good luck with the "X"!!! You're going to love it!!!