40+ Club - Fall Fitness Fanatics

singfree

Good morning!

Sorry I was not able to post over the weekend, I was really busy.

I'm just catching up on the posts now. Sorry if I miss anyone!

Stiring, I'm glad you are going to try the Fit Test. I think you will like it. It dosen't really give you a true sense of the workouts, but a benchmark to measure your level of improved fitness over the 60 days. It is a good workout in it's own right.

Alf!!! :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: Here's to you!!! Super news on the Zumba certification. We all are very happy for you and very proud of you, too! With your passion for fitness, you will be successful. Your picture makes you look so young...is that your daughter's pix???? :laugh:

About the running...this is something we all must deal with as we grow older. The body breaks down over time and we must deal with it. I deal with it every day. I've said it before, but it's true: Your body will tell you loud & clear when it's time to cut back. Until then, do what you are doing and enjoy it. We all live with mild aches and pain. When the aches are more than the mild stuff, you know it's time to stop or modify.

I don't run any longer due to the pain in the knees. But I do exercise A LOT. Not running is not the end of the world. Actually, I don't miss it at all! If you are set on doing the half marathon, do it!!! Enjoy the remaining time you have with running. With Zumba, you are clearly going in another direction. Your body probably will break down doing both. Zumba seems like a keeper, since it might lead to a career change.

Kathe Friedrich (sp?) was feathured in an article in the paper the other day about Baby Boomers and injury, especially in the knees and other joints. She is in her mid-40s and suffers from bad knees too. She continues to work through it, but smarter. This is how we all must do it. If any of you are interested in the article, please send me a message and I will be happy to mail you a copy. I know Stiring does a lot of her work.

Thanks for the positive feedback on the "sermon". It was really meant for me. I just need to heed my own advice.

I will check in later. Have a great day!

sunnysmile

I also have mild osteoarthritis. Xrays were taken of my knees last week. She said I should only do low impact exercises and if I have pain take motrin or tylenol. My husband said I should stop running. I want to continue with my half marathon trng, it is in Nov, but I might reconsider running after I finish it. My doctor said that if I continue doing high impact exercises my condition might stay the same or get worse. What I love about Zumba is that I can make it low or high impact so that should not be a problem for my condition. What do you guys think about that?

Good night!! :yawn: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

Hi everyone ... hope you all had a great weekend. We got drowned on the East Coast on Saturday ... thunder, lightening, massive terrential rains ... drowned waterrat hair, etc

Alf1163 ... Congrats on Zumba, sounds like fun and a great career opportunity. Like you, I also have osteoarthritis (kicked off by a SUV hitting me as a pedestrian) so I know more about it than I'd prefer to. If you love running, have you considered aqua jogging / running in the pool in the deep end? I know that many runners use this as a supplemental exercise, a way to train as well as a way to run when they are injured. You can go full force in the running motion and in fact you might get a greater workout because of the resistance in the water. Plus you can add weights and such to your legs and arms for a more intense run. So, just a thought for when you don't want to run on land.

Today I am pleased that I swam for 45 minutes. I am skeptical that burning 600 calories is right? Is that possible? I don't have a cardiomonitor ... don't even know if they are waterproof/

StiringWendel

Morning everybody!

Swissmiss, it is always good to see you. Please keep checking in and letting us know how you are doing. Good going on the Zumba!

TxMs, good to have you back. You must be exhausted after the summer you've had. Enjoy this next weekend with your daughter!

singfree, I did the Insanity Fit Test yesterday. I loved it!! I don't know how well I did (I did better in some areas than the participants....and worse in others), but I loved how it made me feel. I've toyed with incorporating some of the Insanity workouts into my P90X rotation over the next few weeks since they are shorter and time is becoming something I don't have much of right now. Should I, or do you think it is best to wait and do the program in full when I get a chance after the move? Any thoughts are appreciated.

I, too, saw that article on Cathe Friedrich (it was posted on her website), and I think it contains some good information on exercising with some recurring injuries and such that can happen over time. alf, you may like to read it as well.

alf, in terms of your knees, I agree with singfree. You need to listen to them. I know doctors have told me to do somethings that I'm not comfortable with. And they've told me NOT to do somethings, and that doesn't work for me either. So listen to your body, and if running is too hard on your knees, then you may need to find something else. I don't run because of my back problems. But I can do high impact aerobics without a problem. So, as you've found with Zumba, there are always alternatives out there in the fitness world if your body stops enjoying the long runs. I can't imagine, though, that it was pleasant to hear that news from your doctor. So this is for you. :flowerforyou:

sunnysmile, I'm not too familiar with how many calories are burned with swimming, but I'm inclined to think that, depending on how hard you were pushing yourself, 600 calories may not be too far outside of the ballpark. I know swimming burns tons of calories, so...........great job doing that! I can only swim for about 30 seconds before I sink to the bottom of the pool. :laugh:

I'm going to struggle to finish this rotation of P90X because our move keeps getting pushed up. But I'm going to give it my best shot, that's for sure! I figure if I end up one or two workouts short of completing, I'll still be able to say that I did P90X. I'm shortening the weeks a little since I combine cardio on P90X days, so I'm going to skip the Kenpo days (use them as my rest) and then start the next week on the day I'm supposed to be resting (in other words, I'm making the weeks six day weeks instead of seven). Hopefully that will allow me to finish. Things are getting crazy around here, that's for sure. They always do. But, so far, I'm sticking with the workouts and clean eating. I made a ton of food this weekend and threw it all in the freezer so when things start getting really hectic, I have something here to eat instead of going out (which is what we've usually done through the moving phase). Hopefully that will work at keeping off some of the weight gain I usually experience through moves.

Off to do some cardio today and will start week 2 of phase 3 of P90X tomorrow. Hope this finds everybody doing well.

singfree

Stiring, I'm glad that you saw the article too. I noticed that I spelled Cathe witha "K", I'm really in German mode now!!! So glad you found the Insanity Fit Test to your liking. You might actually benefit from it by using the shorter 1st month (Insanity) workouts with P90X. This is especially true when you move and not have time for workouts. It should increase your fitness level even higher in a short time, so that when you don't exercise, you will maintain a fairly high level of fitness. Then when you go back to regular exercising, you can get back up to speed more quickly. That's just my warped theory!!! But you & I seem to think alike, don't we???? :laugh:

StiringWendel

Thanks singfree! What you've written is exactly how I intend to use Insanity right now....to maintain my current level of fitness as best I can through this move. So, yep, we do think alike! :bigsmile: I think I might start using the Insanity workout as my cardio a couple of days a week next week.

I did an hour of drill-type cardio this morning, and then YogaX, even though I wasn't planning on doing it. How did this workout become one of my favorites? :noway: Never though that one was possible. Now I'm off to work on the house some more. :grumble:

singfree

Good morning!

Happy Tuesday everyone! The best part about Tuesday is Payday. Just kidding...it is payday though. :laugh: When I think about where I am at health-wise at 55, I feel very blessed. I guess my active lifestyle (my whole life) has really payed dividends. When I was younger, it was much easier to attain fitness. Now I must work at it. I also realize that as I grow older, I have to work even HARDER to maintain the fitness level I enjoyed just a few years ago. This is the complete opposite of what most people actually do. This is why most people around us are in poor health. Excuse me while I step off my soap box. :bigsmile:

Even though I was very busy yesterday, I still managed to eat well and do a shorter Insanity workout. Today I will do another Insanity and a P90X strength workout (probably pushup/pullup). Insanity leaves me in a quivering puddle of sweat and P90X works me out so hard I can't lift my arms to shampoo my hair!! Now THAT's a good feeling!!

I still get motivated and inspired about "Biggest Loser". When overweight people tell you that they cannot lose weight, just point them to the BL show. Yea, I know it's got it's problems and while I don't like the entertainment aspect of the show, it is saving lives. I still cannot believe that they only eat 1200 cals per day though...

I hope eveyone is well...take care!!

zebras

Sing:

We can always count on you for the first bright and cheery post of the morning!

I'm glad you talked about your health and your age. I've come to realize how important it is to get into good shape before we get too old, and it should make the aging process easier. Not just the physical health, but also the mental health. Its supposed to help out with our memory and stuff. Though I like to workout my mind to with my daily dose of Jeopardy.

I'm going to be the big 45 soon, and its taken me 17 months to do it, but I think I'm up to the abilities exercise-wise I was at before my thyroid became severely underactive, which was about 7 years ago. However, I was only into exercise for about 2 years at that point, so I spent my 20s and 30s not very active, so I have a lot to make up for. I have vowed, no matter what happens, not to backslide anymore. If I get a severe illness that sidetracks me again, I have promised myself to keep my eating in check until I can get back to the exercise. It helps to say this to you all, because I can come back to you all for encouragement if something like that were to happen again!

As for BL, I can't imagine they can do what they do on 1200 calories either. I think that's for the women an its like 1500 or so for the men. I don't eat all my exercise calories, but on days I'm working out I have to eat more than the 1200 calories to be able to function!

singfree

Zebras, I know you can do it!! You know first hand what happens to your body when it is not in balance, no matter if it is a condition beyond your control or due to bad choices. Yes, it's good to admit your weaknesses, as it makes you accountable for your actions. You have a great support system here with us. We all struggle to some degree with diet, exercise, illness, etc... Sometimes progress comes painfully slow, but have patience. Stay determined and set small, intermediate goals for yourself. You will be amazed how you look and feel in a very short time! Best of health to you!!!

singfree

Good morning!

Looks like everyone is pretty busy!!! Not much fun writing to myself...

I had a pretty good day yesterday. Ate my usual weekday stuff: Special K, stemed mixed veg, tuna, yogurt, apple sauce, etc... It's all things that I can keep here at work, rather than always planning and bringing in prepared meals from home.

I did most of the Shoulders & Arms P90X workout and a shorter Insanity workout. I'd really like to get out on my bike, but either I'm too busy or the weather won't cooperate. I still need to keep focusing on the big prize, that is total good heath. As long as I have even a small layer of fat to lose, I feel that I need to improve that before I can claim victory.

I hope and trust all is well. Take care friends!

zebras

Good Morning Sing:

I'm here always wondering what you will say first thing in the morning. I got my Wii Fit Plus in the mail last night, and even though it no longer gets my heart rate going very fast, it was fun to set it up and play some of the new games and some of the old ones, and my legs are actually sore this morning. So it did work some of my muscles.

Hope everyone has a great day!

StiringWendel

Good morning!!

Sorry I was MIA yesterday, but things are getting busy with the move. Yesterday was the day I had to get my medical clearance for going overseas. I didn't have full bloodwork done, but the doctor did proclaim me very fit and healthy. My blood pressure is good, my resting heart rate is really low (it was 44 when I was sitting in the dentist's chair....which I think is remarkable given the location! :laugh: ) It felt so good to go through the myriad of appointments I had knowing I was as fit as I've ever been and with the confidence of knowing that my numbers were going to be strong. Needless to say, I've been cleared to move back overseas again. :drinker:

I then took a minute to stop by the base gym to have my body fat measured (on their scale, so accuracy is in question). It told me it is 18%, which I think is pretty good for a woman my age. I was happy with that.

So then after a quick stop to sell my husband's car :sad: , I came home to do my workout. I felt good, so I did P90X Chest/Shoulder/Tricep, ARX....and my first Insanity workout (Plyo Cardio Circuits)!! I think I'm going to love Insanity, though I imagine there will be days when I don't feel quite up to pushing it like that. But I felt great after doing those workouts yesterday. Of course, to end the day, I had a glass of wine :blushing: which created quite the chocolate craving. But I did manage to ignore that craving and had some grapes instead.

So, all in all, it was a really good day, and I loved to see the positive effects of what I've been doing for the past nine months on display in so many areas on one single day. Days like yesterday will, hopefully, help me stay on track over the next couple of months.

singfree, your words yesterday morning really resonated with me as well because there was one piece of bad news yesterday. I had a bone density scan done in Italy back in January 2001, and because that wasn't the test that they were supposed to be doing on me, the doctor never gave me the results (and I didn't ask for them, to be honest....long story there). Anyhow, the doctor who was reviewing my records indicated that the test (from 9 years ago!!) indicated I had signs of early osteoperosis. Not good. BUT she indicated since I am obviously fit (her words, not mine) that as long as I'm taking calcium and such, it shouldn't be a problem. It made me realize just how important it is to be fit as we age, despite how difficult it is to do it some times.

zebras, you are so strong! I love your determination. I most especially love what you said about setbacks. Those are words I need to remember because I have let setbacks get in my way in the past, and you are right....at our ages (I'm 44), giving in to setbacks just isn't a good idea (for reasons like I stated in the paragraph above). Let us know about the Wii Fit Plus. My husband was looking at that last night on the internet. While I don't think it would be challenging enough for me to count as a workout, it looks like fun!

Off to do Plyometrics, which should seem relatively tame in comparison to yesterday's Insanity workout. I hope everybody has a great day. :flowerforyou:

zebras

Stiring:

You were awfully young for a bone density test! But as you said they ran the wrong test. You're so strong now, it will hardly be an issue for you as you get older, I would imagine. We are practically the same age, and when I compare myself to my Mom at this age, I feel like I am a much younger person than she was at 44. At my current age, she was helping me get ready for my first wedding, she was too self-conscious to buy dresses, but she did wear one to my wedding. By the time she was like 65, she had shrunk down to my height, and she had been about 8 inches taller than I am. So, I kept thinking if I shrink that much from my 5'2" I would be a hobbit! Though many people already call me a Munchkin. So, I decided to start fixing me as much as I can now, so I can have a pleasant old age.

You really are the brave one though, you are embarking on a great adventure to live in a new country with a different language, etc.

As for the Wii Fit Plus, people in your range of fitness can only call it a game. However, it is fun, and a game that keeps you moving is much better than one you just sit through. If you have any friends or family that are sedentary, it could get them started on the road to fitness like it did for me.

singfree

Stiring, my wife is dealing with the same thing. For a few years she was taking meds to combat osterporosis. Now she exercises reagularly, strength trains a few times per week eats well and takes supplements and no meds. Her last report showed no further deterioration, so the whole exercise thing must be working! I'm glad you are enjoying Insanity!! I have a hard time believing you are at 18% BF...I would have guessed 13-15% max. (unless you are covering it up in your pix :laugh: )!

Zebras, anything that gets you moving is GOOD! Whatever works for you is super. As you become more fit, you will probably seek more difficult workouts to keep challenging your body and not get bored witha particular routine. That's why they developed programs like Insanity and P90X. There is a need for challenging workouts for people with a high level of fitness. I am super challenged by Insanity. The month 2 workouts are killers!

zebras

Sing:

I'm challenged by a different kind of Insanity LOL. I looked up some of those workout programs on line and they all seem to be around $119.00. wow. There is one gym near here that $99 for the whole year. Not that I haven't spent more on my Wii stuff, but we have other fun with the Wii than just working out, too. Right now the elliptical and treadmill are challenging me nicely. The Wii has mostly become a fall back for when our little gym in the building is crowded. I have My Fitness Coach and Gold's Gym and Sports Active for the Wii that are much more challenging than Wii Fit, but since I started going to the gym, I don't use them too much. They will be good to have on weeks that I need to mix things up too. I have a Gilad Step aerobic that I can never get through. The only aerobic step the store had was one that started at 6 inches, so when I graduated from Wii Fit to My Fitness Coach, my legs got much stronger really fast, but My Fitness Coach is a mix, so when I got the Gilad DVD, I got really out of breath really fast, so once in a while I try it and try to go a little farther with it.

Boy am I getting long winded. Usually I'm not this talkative! Everyone else "Tawk amongst yourselves!"

Texssippian

Hi all! Sunnysmile's comments about swimming got me hankering for water aerobics. I purposefully left work early enough to make it through Dallas trafffic to get home, change into my my swim duds and make it to 5:30 deep water aerobics! Yea!!! I LOVE deep water aerobics. There is a shallow water class at 7:00 pm but it is not challenging enough after doing river aerobics in the summer. I am going to try to make it to deep at least once if not twice a week. Thanks Sunnysmile for inspiration.

Our trainer did a pyramid workout with us on Monday. Do 12 reps at one lighter weight, then do 10 reps at a higher weight, then 8 reps at an even higher weight, then go back to 10 reps at the lesser weight and 12 reps at the lowest weight. The low weights seem easy at first but get pretty heavy.

Speaking of osteoporosis, it runs in my family. I even have a brother with it! I am very faithful about taking calcium with vitamin D and an "old lady" vitamin with additional D. Last densiometer showed increased calcium. (Also take generic fosomax.)

Brother in law is still in New Orleans. They are adjusting his anti-rejection drugs which is messing with his kidney function. They think he can go home to Mississippi maybe end of next week. Today is 7 weeks post liver transplant.

We are hitting the holiday season! I agree that we all need to support each other through all the food temptations. I am married to Mr. Holiday. Halloween is his most favorite: He grew two pumpkins this summer which he will display. He usually intricately carves several pumpkins, orange lights in the trees, pumpkin lights in the bushes, TWO fog machines at the front door, various creatures in the yard and on the front porch, outdoor speakers with creepy music. Can't just hand out candy: we put together goody bags with candy and little trinkets. Usually make around 150 to 200 bags. One of the best years for me was a cold Halloween when the kids were little. I was able to get rid of an entire basket of unmatched socks by giving them to the trick or treaters with very cold hands.

Tron: good luck with your move. My dad was stationed in Korea 55 years ago and my brother was stationed there 25 years ago. They both enjoyed it.

Take care all! TxMs

StiringWendel

zebras, I agree I was too young for a bone density test! Actually, I was supposed to be going in for a bone scan because the doctor thought I might have a hairline fracture in my back. But when they translated the name of the test from English to Italian (since I had to go to an Italian hospital for the test), they translated it incorrectly. The worst thing about it is I knew I was getting the wrong test when I was being given the test, but my Italian wasn't good enough to even attempt to explain that to the technician responsible for administering the test. :laugh: So.....I had it done. It had taken two months to get that test, and by the time the US hospital realized I had been given the wrong test, the pain was gone and I never did get the test I was supposed to have. But because osteoperosis was never considered an issue for me then with regard to the pain I was having, nobody bothered to share the test results with me. And since I didn't even remotely think about having osteoperosis back then, I didn't bother to ask! So it came as a bit of a surprise to learn the results of that test....nine years later. :noway:

Needless to say, being diagnosed with osteoperosis nine years after the fact wasn't really on my scheme of things to do right now, so I haven't given it a whole lot of thought. I suppose after we move, I'll think about it some more and make sure I'm doing what I need to do now since I'm aware of it. But, singfree, your post was very encouraging to me. Aside from the number of months I was out of commission because of my shoulder injury back in 2006, I've managed to strength train very regularly since I healed from the back injury that resulted in this test being taken in the first place. I will probably attempt to get another bone density test at some time (if I try in Korea, it will be in a Korean hospital, and after my Italian experience, I'm not so sure how anxious I am for that right now! :laugh: ), but for the time being, I'm not going to get too worked up about it. I show no signs of having osteoperosis, so if it hadn't been for an incorrectly administered test, I would be completely unaware. While I don't think ignorance is bliss when it comes to health in all circumstances, I also think as long as I'm doing the things I should be doing (taking supplements, working out, etc), there is no reason to panic.

Moving on......Texssippian, I love pyramid training! I find it a really effective way of increasing endurance. And YAY for starting deep water aerobics!!! Halloween is one of my favorite holidays as well. I don't do what your husband does, that's for sure. But if there is one night a year I love....it is Halloween. I love handing out candy. I love eating candy. I love staying up late and watching scary movies while eating candy. I love Halloween....and the candy. This year....I think we'll be out of our house and living in a hotel. So that means no handing out candy, which means I have no reason to buy candy. I should be happy about that because that probably means I'll make it through the holiday as healthy as possible. But I'll also miss my Halloween traditions.

Hope everybody is enjoying a great evening.

Texssippian

Hey Stiring,
Plan to give out candy or treats at your hotel! Doesn't have to be given to kids... Celebrate your moments regardless of where you are. We eat grits in north Texas. Not on many menues, but we eat them and offer them to our guests. Life is you, life is not only tied to place. Love and enjoy all moments. Life is too short to do otherwise. TxMs

singfree

Good morning!

I hope eveyone had a restful night's sleep. It's going to be a busy day here at work, since I need to catch up on a few things and work ahead a bit since I am off tomorrow. My mother, who is in assisted living, has a Dr. appt. This is usually an all-day ordeal since she is mostly wheelchair bound and does't get out much. So after the appt. we will take her to a few stores to do a bit of shopping and then lunch. She really seems to enjoy it. The only thing that I don't like is the fact that I must burn a vacation day. Oh well, I'm sure she's sacrificed a lot for me...It's my turn to repay the favor.

What am I complaining about? My life is GOOD! I'm healthy & fit, good marriage, kids & grandson. I have a LOT to be thankful for!!! I'm also thankful for my wonderful friends here. You are kind and encouraging and bring me a smile daily!!!

Yesterday I did a long (month 2 ) Pure Cardio Insanity workout. It is very tough to keep up. That's the beauty of the BB products that I have. I won't outgrow them anytime soon, maybe never. But if I can keep up with people half my age, I'm doing something right.

Zebras, $99 per year at the gym is really cheap. When I was going, I paid $105 per 3 months. The Beachbody (BB) products are a bit expensive, but you will have them a long time. Also, the CDs push you to keep going. There is nobody at the gym to tell you to do that, unless you hire a $50 per hour trainer. You are doing well with the things you currently have. As I stated yesterday, you might want to change as you become more fit and are not challenged by the workouts you currently do.

Tex, hello! The news about your BIL is very encouraging. I used to do pyramid weight lifting at the gym. It is very effective for building both strength and stamina. My problem is building muscle size. I feel that my strength is quite good, but the muscles are not showing it. Fo me to put on muscle mass, I need to increase my cals by a substantial number. I am not willing to do that right now. I am still fighting the "battle of the bulge".

Is Alf on vacation? We miss you!

Have a great day!

zebras

Sing:

There is also one gym by my old house that I wanted to join for the convenience of location, so I went to check it out, and that one was close to $100.00 a month, so we have quite a wide range in this area. I actually knew someone who was willing to pay for that when she lived in that town.

Well my change of routine adding the weights this week has definitely shook things up, you might notice a happy change in my ticker when you read this!

Stiring:

You'll have to find a good translator for future visits to foreign hospitals! Hopefully you will not need foreign hospitals when you are away anyhow.

Tex:

When did you start taking calcium, etc? I'm very concerned about osteoperosis because of how much my Mom shrank and stooped, and since I'm about 8 inches shorter than she was, I don't have so much height to lose!

alf1163

On vacation? I wish!! :laugh: :laugh: I guess on MFP vacation. :grumble: I have been very busy lately with work, family and Zumba. I really need to get my routine ready and cant find the time to do so. I am going to a class tonight to keep getting ideas on how different people cue their classes. I just need to get my feet wet no matter what. I contacted the HOA in my neighborhood for a possibility of starting classes here. I will also call the AFB when I finish this post to offer classes there.

Sorry I cannot answer to everyone's posts. You are all in my mind! You are doing great!! Stiring, hang in there, I know how hard it can be to do a military move especially to a foreign country. But it is also exciting, right? :noway:

Sing, thanks for checking up on me. You are so sweet! Where is Swiss, Annaliza, Tron, TexasMom, Duffy???? We miss you!!!

Have a great day!!! :flowerforyou: