40+ Club - Fall Fitness Fanatics

singfree

Good morning!

I trust everyone is doing well this fine morning!!! We, back to work after chasing our Grandson around the house all day yesterday. He is a little ball of energy!! He was so excited to be at our house that he did not want to take his afternoon nap. We took him to the community pool, which is only 200 ft from our house. He loves the water.

After the pool, I decided to try my Insanity workout. I was pretty tired, but got through it the best that I could. I was not happy with my lethargic performance. I don't know if I was tired from the pool, or I did not have enough food in me to power the workout. Oh well...there will be days like that. At least I tried, and that's what counts!

We are supposed to get some cooler weather here in the next week, with highs in the upper 70s and lower humidity. Tex and Alf, I'll try to send some of that refreshing air your way. You can really use a break after a summer of intense heat!!

StiringWendel

Morning! :flowerforyou:

singfree, I kind of had a lethargic workout yesterday as well. I did P90X shoulders/arms, which was great. I really do enjoy that workout. Then I had planned a higher intensity cardio session since today is yoga. But I just didn't have it in me, so I ended up doing a steady-state step workout. I'm going to do some cardio drills today before I do the yoga since I seem to have a bit more energy today. It has warmed up a bit around here, and early this week it was very humid (for Los Angeles that is), so I think the combination of the two might have had an impact on my energy levels yesterday. I don't mind because I actually enjoy the heat!

Tex, that's funny about your water aerobic companions! :laugh: I hope you find something you enjoy to do, though I imagine it is hard to find a good replacement for something like water aerobics. I know I'd struggle with that.

Like I said, I'm going to do some cardio drills and YogaX today. I'm not looking forward to the yoga, but I promised myself I'd stick with it, so I'm going to. This week of P90X is going much better than last week, which makes me happy.

Hope everybody has a good day.

alf1163

Whew, I have not had time to post at this thread. I wanted to do some reading before posting. Very busy week now with my son starting school and P90X. I got up at 4:45am this morning so I could do Yoga X. This second time around I can tell you that I did like it better than the first time. I even noticed some improvement in some of the moves. I want to continue following the program as suggested. The diet is something else. 50 % protein is definitely a no no. I am even considering eating less than 40%. It is so difficult to meet that amount and I am normally going over the 20% fat recommendation. I worked really hard today entering my foods in the morning so I can stay within the requirements. I can tell you I did a pretty good job today but it took some planning. I will continue trying it and see what happens. I do feel great, little hungry though, but will all the lifting that is normal. When I did shoulders/arms, I increased the weights so I could fail at the 10th rep. I did pretty well.

Tex and Zebras, good to hear from you!!! :drinker:

Swiss, Tron, Duffy, Cardi, where are you gals??? Miss you!!

I'd better get going to get ready for bed. Early morning wake up to BRING IT!!!!!!!!!!!! :laugh:

:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

alf1163

Good morning!

I trust everyone is doing well this fine morning!!! We, back to work after chasing our Grandson around the house all day yesterday. He is a little ball of energy!! He was so excited to be at our house that he did not want to take his afternoon nap. We took him to the community pool, which is only 200 ft from our house. He loves the water.

After the pool, I decided to try my Insanity workout. I was pretty tired, but got through it the best that I could. I was not happy with my lethargic performance. I don't know if I was tired from the pool, or I did not have enough food in me to power the workout. Oh well...there will be days like that. At least I tried, and that's what counts!

We are supposed to get some cooler weather here in the next week, with highs in the upper 70s and lower humidity. Tex and Alf, I'll try to send some of that refreshing air your way. You can really use a break after a summer of intense heat!!

Sing, we REALLY need cooler weather. It is brutally hot here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :noway:

I cannot wait to see my grandaughter. She is walking now. :noway: :laugh: We might see her on Saturday in Austin and they are also visiting the Holiday weekend. :drinker: :flowerforyou:

singfree

Good morning!

I decieded to take a day off from Insanity yesterday. We still had our Grandson with us (he is always under foot when I am exercising) and it allowed my calf to heal a bit more. Saturday is the scheduled "off" day, so I will just switch my off days this week. I would feel guilty if i spent all this money and did not finish the program as planned.

Alf, I really know what you mean about the nutritional ratios. It is hard to be exact in your eating. I also think that 40-50% protein is way too high, especially for a slim & fit person. That much protein is for heavy weight lifters and people who need to shred fat fast. I tried to do those high protein ratios and failed to stick with it for very long. I am now a believer in a sensible & balanced diet. If I had to eat a bodybuilder's plan, I would get sick of it quickly. Of course, I want to feel and look good, but I also want to enjoy life too!!

Good job with the weights. Failing at 8-10 reps is the way to go to build some muscle. I really miss not lifting, but I'm enjoying the Insanity workouts. He does incorporate a lot of pushups in his program, so at least I'm getting some strength work done. Even though I am making good progress, I feel that I am not doing as well as I can with my eating. Too many temptations!!

Stiring, you must be my long lost little sister! I don't mind the heat, either. In fact, I would much rather have heat than cold. Today I am going to make sure that I have some good carbs and get well hydrated before my workout this evening. I love the feeling of being drenched in sweat during an Insanity workout. I feel that I've accomplished something!

Have a great day!

alf1163

Good morning!!! :drinker: :drinker: I am all pumped this morning. :laugh: I did legs/back and ab ripper very early (5am). It was a really good workout. I added weights to most leg exercises and when I was doing pull ups I used my feet to help me but the let the legs hang and came down slowly. Wow!!! That tip was given to me by my BB coach.

Sing, I know what you mean about all the temptations!!! :noway: It is really hard for me to pass when invited to eat out and see "goodies", I am doing better but not at Stiring's level. :laugh: So, so far this week I've eaten out twice. :noway: We are having car trouble so my husband and I took the day off and he already tempted me to have lunch at our favorite Korean Rest. Then on Sat we might go to Austin to meet with daughter and grandbaby so we will eat out over there...:noway: But you know, it's ok, time with family. I always try to be more selective at the restaurants and choose the healthy options and if I go for dessert, not always, I share it.

Have a grand day!!! :flowerforyou:

annaliza

Afternoon everyone!!

I've been doing well as always Just checking in to say hi to everyone and show you the pic to my new pup. He's a doberman named Jett (yep, I finally found the cord to get pics off my digital camera). I hope to take him running with me someday.

I've been going to the gym at lunch lately. It's been a pretty good experience. I'm liking this whole gym thing...I just might become a gym rat lol. Hopefully this will help me with my weightloss as I have been on a plateau for about a month now.

Hope you all are doing well and take care everyone!

singfree

I was just thinking about Aprilvet. Right around now they should be enjoying my favorite place in Deutschland..."Willkommen in Garmisch" April!!!:drinker:

StiringWendel

singfree, regarding hot weather, two winters in Fairbanks, Alaska was enough to make me a hot weather lover! :laugh: My mother, who lives in Phoenix, would tell me that their 115 degrees was every bit as bad as our -50 degrees. So, last year, I lived through a week of -50 in February, and on our way to LA, we drove into Phoenix and it was 115 degrees on the day we drove in. I'm happy to say....my mother was completely and totally WRONG! :happy: I'll take 115 degrees every day of the week and twice on Sunday over -50, that's for sure! So, yep, I'm a lover of hot weather now! I just feel so much healthier and my body doesn't hurt all over when I'm not cold.

I got through YogaX yesterday...all of it (for the second time). I agree with alf that it was easier the second time through. I just find that I'm looking at the clock the entire time, though. I love yoga and pilates, but there is something about the constant repetition in this workout that has me wanting to beat my head against the wall. But I'm going to stick with it, even if just through the bulk of the phases and not during the recovery week. I do think it is a beneficial workout....if just TOO long.

Did legs/back this morning. I have alot going on this week, so I wasn't with it 100% mentally. I managed to increase all of the weights on the legs, though, which was good. I'm getting through ARX easier now too. I'm doing more and more of the advanced moves in it. I then added on a short, not-to-intense cardio session. It felt good.

I'll be doing my own cardio tomorrow (not KenpoX), so this ends my second week of P90X. I can't believe there is just one more week before the break. But, to be honest, I'm looking forward to the break. My appetite is out-the-roof right now (I can't even imagine how many grapes I ate yesterday :blushing: ), and I think the workouts are responsible for that. And I'm feeling a little more tired than usual (though that could be the heat), so a bit of a break week may be just what I need....and then on to different workouts! :drinker: Well, at least a couple of different workouts during the next phase.

Still eating well (though I'm eating alot!), but I've been invited to my third dessert social of the summer tonight! What is it with dessert socials? :noway: Last time, I took fruit. This time, I decided to actually take a dessert and baked some lovely chocolate chip cookies that use pastry sheets (and cream cheese). Sinful...but delicious. Well, I hope they are delicious since I don't plan on having any.

annaliza, good to see you. :flowerforyou: Cute pup!! I'm happy to hear you are enjoying the gym. Keep up the great work!

And I, too, hope april is enjoying her visit to Germany! :drinker:

Enjoy your day everybody! :flowerforyou:

alf1163

Annaliza, hi!!! Good to hear from you!! That is a huge puppy!! :laugh: Dobermans are so smart. I used to have one a long time ago.

Stiring, I definitely agree with you, Yoga X is way too long. I bought a yoga block today at this cute trendy yoga store. You must be an Officer's wife with all those socials. Are you in Monterey? I have a friend who recently moved there with her family from Ramstein AFB. Her husband is a Colonel.

Any of you use the Agave Nectar? I keep hearing so much about it. I bought some today at whole foods. I got it from the bulk section. Does it need to be refrigerated? I liked that store but was overwhelmed with all the different products. :laugh: I was also shocked by all the high prices. :noway:

Have a great evening!! :flowerforyou:

Texssippian

Hi all! Big news! Brother-in-law Richie got a new liver at Ochsner last night. He is doing very well. Was off the vent 12 hours post surgery. Awake and oriented (as well as can be on pain meds). My brother-in-law, Mike, was able to drive my mother to New Orleans from Jackson Ms yesterday afternoon so that Mama and Mike could be with Richie's mom during the surgery. My little sister (married to Richie) stayed in Mississippi with their 7 year old daughter last night. She traded places with Richie's mom in NO today. This was so very good on so many levels. Mike was married to my sister, Gretchen, who died very suddenly and unexpectedly from a stroke last September. My father died 9 weeks later. For Mike and Mama to be there for Richie's life saving surgery was so wonderful! Many, many prayers have been said for the donor family. I tear up every time I think I of the generousity of the family and the donor. Doctors said today that Richie would not have lasted much longer. He still has a very long way to go, but this is huge step.

It is so wonderful to hear how everyone is working so hard to take care of themselves here. It is so important to live life the best way possible with love and support both given and received. We are very blessed.

alf1163

Tex, FANTASTIC NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :drinker: :drinker: THANKS BE TO GOD!!!! :drinker: Best wishes for him and the entire family. I am so sorry to hear about your sister and your dad. Hugs, Annette :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

annaliza

Tex. that is so great!!! I am happy for your family!!! My thoughts and prayers (and thanks to the donor family) will be sent your way!!!

Wow. girl....your family has been going through some pretty rough times. Hang in there....there are always reasons for things that happen that we don't quite understand.

Take care and well wishes!!!

zebras

Great news Tex. Here's to his full recovery!

We're off to Niagara Falls in the morning, so I'll "check in" now. Still hanging at 215 lbs, but amped up my gym work. I worked my way up to 40 minutes on the elliptical following up with 60 minutes of the treadmill at 3.1 going up to the 15% incline.

Everyone have a great weekend. Looking forwarding to catching up with everyone sunday night or monday.

tron3002

Tex... I am so happy to hear that your brother in law is doing so well. Must take a lot of the stress off you and your whole family.:flowerforyou:

Zebras... Have fun in Niagara Falls. I hope to one day see it.

Alf... I missed you all as well. :flowerforyou: I see P90X isn't as difficult as you thought it was? Thats because you are a machine woman! :laugh: The commercials still look so intimidating to me though.

Sorry I haven't been checking in as much this week. I cant believe how busy this week has been and quite honestly I don't feel like I've accomplished much. Nothing exciting done, just normal errands so I dont have anything fun to report... Except we are planning on going back to Utah on for a couple of days around the 6th to hike up the narrows again in Zion National Park. My husband is hoping the trees will be starting to change to their fall colors plus be able to hike deeper into the narrows this time.

singfree

Happy Friday!!

Tex, this is great news about your brother-in-law!! One giant leap toward full recovery!

Zebras, have a great time in Niagara Falls (NY or Canada)? I'd love to ride on the Maid of the Mist boat sometime.

Annaliza, it's good to hear from you again. Love the puppy pix.

Reporting day...well, this week started with good intentions. I started month 2 of Insanity, but strained a muscle in my calf which hindered my workouts. Our Grandson was with us for a few days (which hindered my workouts). Yesterday I was so tired from work, that I didn't do ANY exercising at all. On top of that, my eating was not stellar either.

I am definitely exercising today. Hopefully my calf will not be sore for the workouts. I will stretch a lot before the Insanity begins.

Friends, give me the virtual kick in the pants that I deserve!!

Happy weekend!

StiringWendel

Good morning everybody!

Tex, I'm so happy to hear about your brother-in-law. I hope his road to recovery is a smooth one. He will continue to be in my thoughts and prayers!

tron, good to see you! :flowerforyou: I hope you enjoy your trip back to Zion. I was there (about 20 years ago!) in early November, and the trees were colorful then, so I'm no so sure they will be changing this early. But I could be wrong. Regardless, I'm sure it will still be beautiful and, hopefully, there may be less people.

alf, my husband is the equivalent of a Command Sergeant Major. We are stationed in LA itself.

Regarding agave nectar, I use it in my oatmeal. I like it because the glycemic index is lower than that of honey or sugar, so it helps me get through my workouts better (because I was having problems with 'sugar crashes' when I was eating bread/peanut butter and even when I was eating oatmeal/peanut butter with brown sugar). I didn't keep mine in the fridge when I first got it, but have it in there now since the attack of the sugar ants I experienced a couple of weeks back. But, no, it doesn't need to be refrigerated.

Whole Foods is kind of an interesting place to shop, isn't it? I find it best to go in there when I am looking for something specific (like agave nectar or wheat gluten for my bread or such). I find it way too expensive to shop at regularly, but I do like that they have things there (like the agave nectar) that I can't find elsewhere. And just a tip....I LOVE summer salads, like raspberry/spinach salads with grilled chicken breast. Raspberry Vinaigrette is my favorite salad dressing, and most of the recipes I've seen call for raspberry vinegar. I couldn't find any anywhere except Whole Foods. And, boy, does it make for one heck of a good salad dressing!

zebras, enjoy your weekend! :drinker:

singfree, you aren't going to get a kick in the pants from me! I think it is smart that you are taking the time you need to heal your calf AND that you are listening to your body and not working out when you are too tired to do so effectively. But if you do workout today....enjoy! :drinker:

Check-in today.....my weight is staying steady (99.9 this morning). My eating is good. In other words, everything the same. This lifestyle is truly becoming a habit now, which is good. I still have alot of weak moments (and this week has been tough) but, for the most part, I'm finding it easier and easier to just keep doing my thing.

One thing I have been doing with my eating to get off the whole 'I'm obsessed with calories' wagon that I feared I was getting on is record the core of my foods for the day to make sure I'm getting the minimum amount of calories I think I need. Then, as the day goes on, I listen to my body. If I'm hungry, I eat more. If I'm not, I just stick with the core foods. But I think that is helping me listen to my body more, which I think will be important for me in maintaining this weight. I want it to feel natural, and counting every calorie just doesn't feel like 'natural' to me. I've been doing this for a couple of weeks, and it seems to be working. I make sure that whatever I fill my day in with outside those 'core foods' is healthy, but, aside from that, I don't think about it too much. And one of the things I've learned over the past seven/eight months is to tell the difference between real hunger (which I respond to) and appetite (which I don't respond to). I think being able to discern the difference will, again, help me to maintain this weight. At least I hope that's the case!

Well, we have a wild fire about five miles down the road from us that started last night. The sirens from the fire engines kept me awake until well after midnight. As of an hour ago, it still wasn't contained. There are multi-million dollar houses down there, so I'm sure they are doing everything they can to get it under control. I'm hoping they do! But keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't move our way! It's going to be another hot day here, so I'm sure more fires are going to start throughout the city. Not good.

Off to do some kickboxing! I hope everybody has a great day.

alf1163

Sorry, I have not had time to post. :grumble:

Stiring, how are you??? I hope you are ok. Were they able to contain the wildfires? I hope so. Let us know how you are doing when youj get a chance. :flowerforyou:

My husband and I went out this am, 0630, for our distance jog/walk. We did 12 miles in 3:14. The temperature was much better since it was early am. We still have to cover one more mile to make it to 13 and do it in less than 3 hrs. I think we will make it because the route for the half marathon is completely flat and we train in hilly terrain around my neighborhood. I burned 1,111 cals :noway:

I have been able to maintain my weight, 125lbs. I have been eating so much so I am happy that it has not affected me. I feel pretty lean, my clothes are looser. :noway: Time to go shopping again?? :laugh: Yes, one more week of the X and Stiring and I go on the recovery week. I cant wait to see what the next phase will bring. :drinker: I want to stay optimistic. :laugh: Stiring, how can tell when it is real hunger and appetite? I am becoming a little frustrated and exhausted about monitoring every food I eat. I do not want to start entering my foods just yet, I dont feel I am ready, but I am getting a little tired of it. I tried it last year around this same time (Oct) and it did not work. I found myself going back to my old way of eating and of course I gained. I think I have gotten better at eating healthier this time around but I know I am not 100% there yet.

Have a wonderful evening! :flowerforyou:

singfree

Happy Saturday!

I hope everyone is having a good weekend. They go by all too quickly!

Alf, IMHO, I think your body is telling you to eat a bit more. You said yourself that your clothes are fitting looser. This is a good sign that the muscle confusion is working. Your weight may fluctuate a bit during P90X, but as long as things look good in the mirror and the clothes are behaving...it's all good! You and Stiring are doing great with this program, trust your own judgement and listen to what your body is telling you. This is especially true when you are burning such high amounts of cals. You need fuel for muscle development AND running. If you don't fuel, something is going to suffer!!

Swissmiss

:flowerforyou: stiring...I will be praying that the wildfires stay clear of you.

:flowerforyou: alf...1111 calories???? Wow, what a workout!!!

I fell off the wagon a couple of weeks ago and had been eating poorly. I gained five pounds but with being very careful this week, I have lost them again.

I can't wait until I am where the rest of you are.....just maintaining. I am thinking of maybe trying for about 10 to 15 more pounds. That would put me at 130 to 135. I don't think that I would look healthy any lighter.