40+ Club - Fall Fitness Fanatics

singfree

Alf, I'm glad that you're doing well...too bad it's not vacation!!! :laugh: This is it!! I just know you are going to do great as a teacher!!! :drinker:

mkwood10

Hello everyone!!!
Been a busy week at work; and I rarely get on the computer at home during the week - sit in front of one all day at work, so don't even want to look at it at night!:laugh:

Yesterday was weigh/measure day Weight went UP since last time I got measured (Aug), one pound, no big deal, but lost 1" on my belly, 1/2" on thighs and dropped a little body fat (.8%). The only way I can tell that things are changing is fitting into winter clothes that were tight last spring - yeah!!! :bigsmile:

I've been working out 3 times a week pretty regularly for awhile, haven't broke the 500 calorie barrier again :frown: (big surprise - the computer changed my fitness level, :huh: which made resistance on the machines change:grumble: The next 2 times I worked out after that 500 calorie workout the computer increased my performance index expectation by 17 and 19 points!! Not fun:grumble: :grumble:

Back up to 466 calories burned and progressed on 11 machines, so that's good.

Motivation sucks these days.:embarassed: :embarassed: ..........don't know what to do to get re-motivated.....obviously NOT gonna make my birthday weight goal :noway: :noway: .......any suggestions???

Sooooooooooooo frustrated!!!!

singfree

MK, the only suggestion that I would make is to add some variety to your workouts as well as your food. Sometimes we get in a rut as our bodies get used to the same routines. When we are forced out of our comfort zone, the body will probably respond in a positive way. For example, when I started doing Insanity, which is cardio based, I could see a difference in the first week. Of course, my diet is not always stellar, but that's another story.

For your diet, assuming your total cals are under control, try upping your protein a bit. Nothing drastic, just monitor it for a few days to see how your weight and shape responds. When you start seeing an improvement, you will be plenty motivated!!!

I hope this helps!

StiringWendel

Hey all! Hope everybody is having a good day. :flowerforyou:

singfree, enjoy your day with your mother. While I understand not wanting to burn vacation time to go shopping, I think it is wonderful that you get to spend that time with her. My mother is turning 80 in January, and, more and more, I wish I were geographically closer to her. Of course, I'm moving about as far away as I can get, so maybe this is just something on my mind right now.

alf, good to see you!! Are you still keeping up with P90X with everything else going on? And, yes, I'm excited about the move. It's just that this part of the move....preparing, dealing the Air Force bureaucracy, constantly changing targets, etc....is not my favorite part of moving. But each day I find at least 10 minutes to sit down and read a little about Korea, and that gets me so very excited about this opportunity. It helps me keep my perspective when dealing with the less-than-pleasant things....like all of the shots I need to get tomorrow. :frown:

mk, I so hear you on motivation right now. What I do to keep myself going is remember what it was that got me doing what I'm doing right now in the first place. For me, there were two things. The first was putting on so much weight last fall that when my husband and I were going to a Christmas party last December, I was struggling trying to find something in my closet that fit. And I HATE that. There are few things that I find more discouraging than staring at a closet full of clothes--clothes that were purchased as 'fat' clothes in the first place--and not having anything fit because they are too small. I get so frustrated, mad, upset, disappointed, embarrassed...you name it. So when I get to thinking that the workouts are too hard, or the eating clean is too hard, I remember the feeling I have had (and I've had it many times) of trying on pieces of clothing just hoping I can find something that is big enough so I can leave the house. And that works as great motivation for me. My second motivator was seeing my father-in-law, who visited over Christmas this year, and his struggles with Type II Diabetes. I don't want to lose my vision in my 70s. I don't want my husband to lose his vision in his 70s. Not for Type II Diabetes, that's for sure. I think about that often. That's just a road I don't want to go down if I can prevent going down it.

So I'm sure there is something that motivated you to take the course you are taking right now, so maybe just take a couple of days to really sit back and think about what that was, and, maybe, that will help you with your motivation a little bit. While I understand you had a goal in mind (your birthday), I would wager there was a bigger motivation behind setting that goal.

And singfree is right....change things up. Just changing a workout or changing what you eat (even if that means incorporating in a treat where you otherwise wouldn't have one) for a little bit can really help with the motivation. For instance, I'm struggling with a sweet tooth right now, so I've eliminated a couple of healthier things from my diet so I can have a few pieces of chocolate at night. Is this the best choice I can make? Heck no! But it is the choice that is working for me right now, so I'm willing to do it because I am controlling it.

And make sure that you keep your workouts fun. For instance, today I am tired. I am actually so beyond tired it isn't funny right now. So I knew I needed to get through P90X Back/Biceps to stay on track with that program. And I did. But I also wanted to do some cardio. I, literally, sat and stared at my DVDs and said 'Okay, which one sounds like fun today'....and that's the one I did. I didn't think about what I should have been doing, what would have been the best workout in relation to my other workouts this week, what was going to burn the most calories....I just wanted to do a workout I could have fun with. And it ended up being a great workout--both the P90X one AND the cardio--because I knew at the end of Back/Biceps (a workout I love, btw) that I had chosen a workout that I knew was going to be fun for me.

So there are my suggestions. Give yourself a little break if you are pushing too hard, change things up, let yourself have some fun both in your workouts and in your diet....and remember why you are doing what you are doing.

And congrats on the body measurements!

Hope everybody enjoys the rest of their day!

singfree

Good morning!

Not too much to report this week. I'm doing a combination of Insanity and P90X workouts and I feel good getting an aerobic-strength workout each day. I still have a small amount of body fat that I need to shed. The battle goes on!

We are taking my mother to her Dr. appt today and then shopping & lunch. This should be a riot since she is in a wheelchair and it's supposed to rain all day! We'll manage. She has not been out for a few months since she is in assisted living. Stiring, my mother is 80 also. She is in this condition partly due to not eating well and never exercising. It's a shame, really, because many afflictions can be avoided.

I'll check in later, have a great day!

alf1163

Good morning!! Well, still at the same weight as last week, 122.4lbs. Not bad. I am still doing P90X, I am on the second recovery week of the program. I might need to extend it because next Wed I am scheduled for an oral biopsy. :frown: And the dentist said I cannot do heavy exercise for a week, actually first three days are critical. Ouch!!! So my plan is to start phase 3 of the X on Sunday 18 or Mon 19.

Sing, enjoy your day with your mom. Hope you can stay dry. It is pouring here right now. :noway: I hope it stops by the time my son gets on the bus and I have to head out to work.

MK, congrats on losing inches!!!! :drinker: How much more weight you need to lose? Maybe focus on your diet right now, eating very clean/healthy. Hey and if you dont get to the weight you wanted on your birthday just celebrate anyways, all that you have accomplished so far and what is to come. And losing inches is a big accomplishment!!! My husband's birthday is Oct 21.

Stiring, lately I've been craving carbs, not so much sweets but carbs in general, dry cereal, bread, etc. I've had episodes of just eating dry cereal out of the box and stuffing my face....crazy!!! I was very surprised when I stepped on the scale this morning and I was still under my goal. I guess my body is telling me what I need right now and it probably needed lots of carbs. :laugh: I did much better last night, I almost grabbed the box but stopped myself.

My daughter and grandaughter are coming this weekend. We are going to Sea World to the Halloween Fest/Haunted Forest, spooky!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So chocolate ice cream on a waffle cone, here I come :noway: :noway: :laugh: That is my treat when I go to Sea World. :laugh:

Have a great day!!!! :flowerforyou:

zebras

Alf:

I've been meaning to tell you how cute you look in you new pic with those pigtails! Hard to imagine you are a Grandma!

Sing:

I always look forward to seeing your bright and early post when I get into work. We can always count on you to get our day going.

MK:

Does your gym have some kind of central computer system, doing things based on your fitness level? I'd be interested to hear more about that.

I report for myself that I am continuing using the weight machine and doing a little less cardio, and it worked because I dropped a couple of pounds this week. I am trying to eat better, too. I brought in fruit cups to keep me out of the cafeteria sweets after lunch, we'll see how that goes by next week!

mkwood10

MK:

Does your gym have some kind of central computer system, doing things based on your fitness level? I'd be interested to hear more about that.

I report for myself that I am continuing using the weight machine and doing a little less cardio, and it worked because I dropped a couple of pounds this week. I am trying to eat better, too. I brought in fruit cups to keep me out of the cafeteria sweets after lunch, we'll see how that goes by next week!

Zebras,
My gym is Curves, and yes they have a central computer system. It's called CurveSmart. There are sensors on each of the 12 machines that measure intensity of workout, range of motion, repititions made on each lap thru the circuit and I don't know what all else. We have a swipe tag that gets put into each machine and then we log into the computer again at the end of the workout. It then tells you how many machines you progressed on that workout, which muscle groups you achieved 100% of potential on and which ones you didn't, to include % of potential you actually did. It also tells you how many calories burned each workout and how different muscle groups were worked. That's a very simplified explanation, but you get the idea............
I really like Curves for several reasons; it is only women, there's no set class schedule- you just come in, scan in, rotate thru the circuit twice, stretch and then check your results on the computer, and it's always a positive atmosphere there.

zebras

The Curves here was very short lived, so I never checked it out. I've always heard good things about it. Does doing the same circuit over and over again get boring?

mkwood10

The Curves here was very short lived, so I never checked it out. I've always heard good things about it. Does doing the same circuit over and over again get boring?

I try to start on a different machine every time, so that helps fight boredom. it gives me a good workout in a very short period of time - I'm in and out in about 45 minutes and usually burn between 450 and 500 calories.

tron3002

Hello everyone.... I'm sorry I havent been chatting s often. My lap top is old and keeps shutting off. I need a new one but at the moment thats impossible.

As for check in.... I've gained.... again. I need to reevaluate whats going on and take care of it.

I did buy my fitness coach and another wii program golds gym I think. I really like my fitness coach though.

Here's hoping I have better weight loss news next week and my computer cooperates with me.

zebras

Tron:

I have both, and you will really love Gold's Gym once you work through the basic stuff. Its amazing how the equivalent of shadow boxing can really work you out.. I got a 6" aerobic step when I got My Fitness Coach, which really helped since I couldn't do so much jumping jacks, but had no problem with the step aerobic stuff. I just got the Wii Fit Plus this week, I've been playing around with it. It has a silly program called rythmic Kung Fu. Hardly burns any calories, but I keep at it trying to do better, so it adds up. There is also a marching band game which challenges your ability to keep rythm and do two things at once, you are marching in place on the board, and drumming the remote and nunchuck when designated, and my legs feel really worked out because the movement is different from walking on the treadmill and using the ellipitcal. The reward is if you get enough in rythm in a row, you get more members of your marching band, but if you screw up, they go away.

Whatever keeps me up and moving is a good thing!

If you aren't already doing so, when you use My Fitness Coach, hit the mute button on the tv, and put your own favorite music on.

singfree

Tron, sometimes weight gain is unpredictable. We think that all is well and, voila...weight gain!!! Take heart and change things up a bit with your new workouts. Keep your spirits up and never admit defeat. Sometimes weight gain can be as simple as too much sodium or carbs. Log your food for a few days to see if that is the problem. I can eat once at a Chinese restaurant and I get more sodium there than a week at home preparing my own food. I've pretty much completely cut out fast food. We only go to restaurants that serve food that is prepared without a lot of additives.

MK, 450-500 cals in only 45 mins is awesome! Are you limited to 45 mins or can you do extend your workout to an hour? The extra cals burned really adds up!

alf1163

Happy Saturday!!! :drinker:

Good to hear from you Sing on a weekend. How was your day with your mom?

I did Core Synergistics this morning. I enjoy that workout! I am also planning on working on my Zumba routine today, at least I am hoping. My daughter and grandaughter are here and we are going to Sea World tonight to get spooked at the haunted forest. :laugh: She was so cute last night, she is imitating a lot!!! Every time I see her she is doing something new. I just love to kiss her and hug her. :smooched:

Zebras, thank you for the compliment. I am trying to achieve the Zumba "look" with the bandanna and all...:laugh: All that talk about the wii fit makes me want to play. I have not used it in months, close to a year :noway: At least my son uses the wii with his attendant but they dont use the wii fit.

Tron, glad to hear from you. Hang in there girl. It is tough once you get close to your goal. The body fights it. Tweak your plan here and there, exercise and nutrition. We usually think that we need to exercise more in order to lose weight when we really have to do is focus on nutrition more. I started seeing better results when I started eating more nutritious, less processed foods. I know it is easier said than done, I still struggle to eat better but it is getting easier the more I practice. :laugh:

MK, I agree with Sing, about 500 cals in 45 mins, Holy Cow!!! You have been doing Curves for a while and I know you enjoy it but can you do something different for a while or do extra exercises on days you dont go to Curves? That might shock your body into burning more and get out of your plateau. Also as I suggested above, focus on your nutrition, make sure you are eating clean foods and the amount you need.

Have a great day!!! :flowerforyou:

singfree

Twice on Saturday!!! You're right Alf, I'm usually AWOL on the weekend. We had a nice day with my Mom yesterday. She had a good report from the Dr., and we did some shopping and lunch before she went back to assisted living. At least the place is only 5 min. from my house, so I can pop in anytime. The facility is run by the local Catholic Diocese. The staff is very kind and compassionate. I'm glad you are getting some quality time with your Granddaughter, too. I get withdrawal when I can't see my Grandson as much as I'd like.

singfree

Good morning!

I hope that everyone had a great weekend. It is starting to get COLD here in the Northeast. I had a bit of frost on the roof of my car this morning. They are forecasting snow showers in the higher elevations of PA on Thursday...YIKES!!! I don't like cold weather.

I think our remodeling will finally get done this week. The last phase is to finish a custom fireplace-entertainment center in the corner of our living room. It's almost finished, just some glass tiles and trim to go...and some staining. Our carpenter had to design & build a surround for out new TV and sound system so it all looks "built-in".

Back to the grind after being off on Friday for my mother's Dr. appointment. Now I have twice the work to catch up on. Mondays are my busiest day anyway, because I have a rehearsal with the Susquehanna Chorale this evening and won't get home until after 10:30 tonight. I'm getting too old for this stuff!

Not much exercise this weekend, I was a bit lazy. My eating was ok but not great. For me, weekdays are easier to maintain a good eating-exercise schedule. I'm really going to TRY to eat more protein and less carb, especially junk carbs. This is where we need to stick together. The holidays are a-comin' and we need to start preparing for them right now!

Are you with me, gals?? Have a great day!

zebras

Good morning Sing and everyone.

Sing you are making me nostalgic for Pennsylvania. I went 5 years in a row to a summercamp in the mountains, and one year to Lebanon Valley College in Annville. I did go back to the camp several times one year when I was't working and volunteered a little, and they offered me a job. But I realized that it was so far from anything (nearest neighbor was about a mile from the entrance to the camp, and most of the buildings in the camp were a further mile in, that my social life would have been non-existant. At the time, I was hoping to find my 2nd Mr. Right, and I did find "Mr. Zebras" within a year of that time. So, it was a good decision.

Hope everyone else is having a good monday!

singfree

Zebras, I travel very near to Annville on my way to Hershey every Monday evening. It's funny, Lebanon Valley College are the "Dutchmen" !!! Appropriate mascot, eh? :laugh:

StiringWendel

Morning everybody! :flowerforyou:

singfree, you are right that now is the time to stick together. I was at the grocery store yesterday, and I couldn't believe all of the Halloween AND Thanksgiving AND Christmas foods on display. Everytime I turned a corner, there was another food item that I wanted to throw in my cart and savor because they are seemingly offered only 'once a year' (for three months....but still just 'once a year' :laugh: ).

I didn't throw anything extra into my cart yesterday, but I haven't had the best food weekend either. Part of that is trying to eat up what we have in the house (like the whole wheat pancake mix I ended up finishing yesterday morning :bigsmile: ). And part of it is because I'm baking for my husband's co-workers (a request on their part because I have baked for them quite a bit, and they enjoy it), and I can't seem to stop myself from 'testing' what I'm baking.....over and over again. :embarassed: And part of it because I am losing my willpower! :frown: So I definitely need some encouragement right now.

I did finish up week 2 of phase 3 of P90X on Saturday, and will start the third week today with Chest/Back and ARX. I'm also planning on doing an Insanity workout after I finish that. So I'm doing all right on the exercise part as long as I have time. I just need to keep the eating under control right now.

tron, that being said, don't be too upset about your weight gain. I think it is pretty clear that all of us have had cycles in our lives where we've done better with weight loss/eating healthy than other times. What I admire most about you is that you haven't just thrown in the towel. In other words, you are still here!! You've had some tough stuff going on, so give yourself credit for what you HAVE been doing (like I give myself credit for continuing to workout even though my diet is becoming a disaster). Eventually, you'll experience another wave of motivation, and you'll be fine. Accept the cycle, and I believe that as long as you stay aware (like being on MFP), you won't get too far off course. So take care of yourself, and don't beat yourself up!! These things happen in life, and we're here to support you. :flowerforyou:

I hope everybody has a good day. I have more baking to do today....and a dinner party to plan for tomorrow night. I suppose it is little wonder that I can't stop thinking about food right now. :grumble:

zebras

Sing:

Would you beleive that the entire year I was there, I never actually went into Hershey Park? Even years later, when my mother and I stayed at Hershey Lodge to tour the area, we did do the fake factory tour, but still didn't do Hershey Park. I do have my crystal Hershey's Kiss from that visit though.

When I was at LVC, the football team was so bad, that we gave them a standing ovatio for a tie.