40+ Club: Beating The Winter Bulge

singfree

Good morning!

The calm before the storm...we are expecting yet another snowstorm tomorrow. My only hope is that we can get out of here on Friday for our anniversary in Gettysburg. Northeast of us will get upwards to two feet of snow. We are expecting 8 inches. Thankfully we are heading southwest by 100 miles to Gettysburg, where they will get much less snow (I hope)!

Friends, I can already begin to feel the effects of working out with kettlebells. It's that "tight" feeling all over, when every muscle is active. My pants are fitting a bit looser too. It's not just the KBs. I also do other strength training and cardio at the gym. My diet has been better as well. I've made an effort to increase my protein intake. I find that when I do this, I eat less high glycemic carbs.

Goal #1 will be Friday (anniversary). I'm on a good track right now. I just need to stick with it. Goal #2 is March 18. We leave for California for my BIL's wedding. The final goal of course is May 27, when we leave for Europe. I want to be in excellent shape by then. At least by April I should be able to get my bike out of the garage.

Hisangel, take care with those allergies. I agree that the fresh air on Sunday was wonderful. I did a hike up the mountain. Congrats to the Ice Dancers! Now, the hockey team better get going or there will be a lynch mob in Vancouver! The Canadian Sports press is really pounding the Canadian Olympic Team for not getting enough medals. I think it is a shame that these great athletes have so much pressure heaped on them. I believe it's the "spirit" of the games that is most important. Yes, it's great that the USA is having a successful Olympics, but I truly appreciate ALL athletes for their dedication and hard work!

Tex, when I see people my own age, I feel pretty good about myself! Most of my contemporaries are out of shape and just plain older looking. Simply put, they are a product of their lifestyle. Eating junk, drinking, smoking, no exercise adds up to disaster as they grow older. In a way I feel sorry for them, but no one is making them do it. With so much education out there, there is NO excuse for bad health due to a lack of nutrition and exercise.

Alf, is there any room for me in PR? I'm growing weary of this winter weather!

Have a great day!

duffyzmom

Happy Hump Day - Like Sing I am so over this winter thing:grumble:

Today I plan to install my icespikes and try to do a run on the snow and ice covered road. Just keep hoping the stupid plow will get to our subdivision before the next snowfall comes.

Battled a nasty stomache bug the last couple of days so I am hoping that I have plenty of strength for CX Push Circuit 2. I need all the energy I can get because out of all the Push Circuits this is my most difficult. So mucy shoulder work and you know me I have to be very careful with my neck.

Sing: I hope all works out well for your anniversary getaway.
ALF: Definitely get a new pair of shoes - I try to replace mine early in every race season so that they are just right come race time.
Angel: I was celebrating right along with you Candian Gold and US Silver both train right here in Michigan and believe you me this state can use more good news.

zebras

Good Morning Sing, Duffy and all. Happy Wednesday.

The crazy DJs this morning on the radio were calling the storm that is coming a Snowicane. All I can think of is that my office closed for the last storm which is unheard of, so no matter how bad this storm gets, I doubt they will close it again.

Sing, I hope you get to enjoy your anniversary as planned, and Happy Anniversary. Now about that trip to Europe, don't you have a little room in your suitcase, for the 40+ group? We could all fit in there.

singfree

Zebras, everyone is welcome to come along to Europe....but only ONE bathroom!!! :laugh:

alf1163

Good morning!!! Sing, of course there is room, c'mon over!!! :laugh: It is pretty cold here this morning but high later in the upper 50's. I feel sorry for all of you guys with all of that snow!! Brr!!! :noway: I can't wait to be in Puerto Rico. And by the time we come back it will start getting pretty warm here.

I did my ChaLean workout this morning and I think I over did it doing lunges. I am feeling some pain on my hip, same one I injured in Nov but not in the same area. I put some icy hot on there and took some motrin. I am concerned about it. I teach tonight and tomorrow. I hope it gets better soon. I dont want to cancel my classes. That is what I get for wanting to increase the weight. I need to take it easy and just lift lighter. :noway:

Have a great day!! :flowerforyou:

Swissmiss

Alf, do you think that you maybe should have a doctor look at your hip? You may have done some damage. Anyway, do take it easy and go with the lighter weights.

My Zumba instructor has added hand weights to one of our dances. She told us to use one or two pound weights. Last night I went ahead and used five pounds. It felt more like I got a workout.

Everyone seems to be having horrible weather this winter. I have heard that we are to have a blizzard before it is all over. I don't really believe it, though. We really have not had a REAL blizzard since the one in 78.

sunnysmile

Hi everyone! It's been ages since I've posted. I spent most of the Fall (from mid-August until December) getting sick, then better a week, then sick again. It was awful, kicked off my asthma, stopped my exercise, gained like 20 pounds, blah blah. You can ask Zebras ... she lived it with me (unfortunately for her). I was sick at least 6 different times, and my husband was sick only 3 times ... he brought home the flu for Xmas ... a wonderful gift. But as a good wife I got him the Tamiflu at the only pharmacy open that day.

But ... now I am back. Hooray. Asthma is under better control, am not sick, am exercising again and logging in food. I have lost some weight happily, some was water weight from a vacation (and vacation weight) but some of it is what I call real fat ... from before my January vacation.

I see some of you are planning trips ... cool. Have a great time. My husband and I had a very fun cruise to Antarctica and South America for two weeks mid-January.

On a happy note ... am building up my swimming again ... sometimes make it to 30 lengths in the pool, sometimes only 22, sometimes aqua jog for 20 minutes then do some water aerobics. Am seeing some improvement in strength. Can now aqua jog using resistance booties on my feet, that is an improvement because I can back from my cruise with a lot of pain in my knees which is now better.

I have written a novel here but want to say hi, I'm back, looking forward to catching up with you all.

Zebra ... you will do great ... just keep on tracking and trekking you will be back where you were before in no time.

Sunny

duffyzmom

Okay - just had to post after my run with my new Icespikes. Holy Cow! Those things are amazing. Now I'm kicking myself that I didn't buy them early this Winter. I wear YakTrax when I walk my dog but when you hit solid ice with those sometimes you still slip. These things no way. The plow did come through our subdivision so the worst part of my run was all the loose snow but when I hit the dirt roads with all the packed snow I really was able to maintain a good pace. I wish I could get a set for my car.

StiringWendel

Hi everybody!

Thanks again for all the shoe recommendations. I think I'm going to try to get some this weekend. The weather here has been beautiful the past couple of days (highs in the mid-60s), and I'm itching to spend more time outside. What better way to enjoy the outdoors than to exercise in the outdoors, right?

All here is going well. I'm starting Day 10 of clean eating, and...as always....feel better every day. I have my eyes on Hawaii right now (going around April 21), so I have a really good incentive for keeping the diet clean right now. I find that it is so easy to hide a few extra layers of fat under the baggy winter clothes I have (since I lost all of my weight in California, all my winter clothes are from when I was in Alaska and 40-50lbs heavier than I am now), and I won't be able to do that in Hawaii! Like many here, I'm ready for winter to be over, and this little taste of spring we've had the last two days has only emphasized that.

I'm working out really hard right now. We have another formal dinner on Saturday night, and I want my arms to look good in the gown I've chosen to wear. I'm really enjoying the strength training right now, and am FINALLY beginning to feel like I'm getting back to the same fitness level I was before the move. I'm not there yet, but I feel like I'm making some progress now.

alf, I hope your hip is okay. Take care of it. If it keeps bothering you, I, too, wonder if you shouldn't go see the doctor about it again.

singfree, sounds like you are doing great!! :drinker: I wish I could be joining you in Europe with everybody else, but I think I'm going to be in China during that time. Maybe next time, right? :bigsmile: Thanks for your feedback on my calorie intake. I agree that my HRM doesn't seem to be calculating my calorie expenditure right. I mean, it is telling me that if I walk for one hour at 3-4 mph, I burn 100 calories....in that hour. That seems a bit low to me. I have often wondered if it just isn't getting a good reading on me because it doesn't really fit (the chest strap is too big), so it never has been able to read my heart rate when I'm doing things like pushups or planks, and it sometimes can't even read my heart rate at all when I'm doing something like squats (anything with a forward lean). To be honest, I haven't used it in about two months because I got so frustrated with it. Right now I've settled my calories in at between 1700-1800, and I am loving how my body is responding to these calories right now. I'm still trying to get rid of some of the fat I built up throughout the winter, so I think a better maintenance level for me will be slightly higher. But, for right now, I think I'm finding a good place to settle.

duffy, I'm sorry to hear you weren't feeling well. I used YakTrax when we were living in Alaska and was never really impressed by them. I heard some great things about the spikes, but I was never able to find them in my size. If we ever live in a place with that much ice again (which I hope we don't ), I will definitely look into them.

sunnysmile, so good to see you!! :flowerforyou: I'm sorry you had such a tough couple of months, but good job getting back on track.

Must run to get my workout in. I'm doing back/biceps today and probably a relatively light steady state cardio workout. Hope everybody enjoys the rest of their day.

singfree

Good morning (from the new snow belt)!

The Man upstairs must know that I need exercise, because I will be getting plenty of it today into tomorrow. It is snowing now and will continue until tomorrow morning. We are planning to leave in the early afternoon for Gettysburg, assuming that we can get out to Interstate 78. Our Subaru Forester is worth it's weight in gold in this weather!

Yesterday was my heavy upper body workout day. I did a ton of work at the gym and a light cardio workout as well. When I got home from work I did a short but intense KB workout. My arms & shoulders are feeling it today (in a good way). Today is lower body & abs and some high intensity cardio, plus snow shoveling...

Stiring, I'm really sorry that you cannot join us in Germany. I'll send you some smoke signals from the Zugsptize. China and Hawaii sound like wonderful trips. Your caloric input sounds like it's right for you. My HRM doesn't always read accurately either. Thankfully the ladies here don't share my dilemma- hair on chest :laugh: Unless I am sweating or dampen the area arounf the HRM, I can't get a steady reading. But we both know from experience how many cals we are expending, based on previous performance. For example, I usually burn around 100 cals per mile while walking. On my bike it's around 40-45 cals per mile. During the winter I average 500-700 in a typical workout day, and potentially FAR more when the weather is warm. It is not uncommon for me to burn 1000-1500 cals on a longer bike ride. The problem there is hydration and nutrition. I really "bonk" sometimes during a strenuous ride. I'm considering carrying a sports drink during those hard rides instead of plain water.

Alf, good luck with your hip. You've probably sustained a soft tissue injury, which is notoriously slow healing. Anything that stretches the hip flexor will continue to give you problems, and this is especially true with lunges (with weights??). Concentrate on not aggrevating the hip area. I've had many injuries over the years and until I limited the aggrevation of the affected area, the problem persisted. Listen to your body and if you are straining in your hip, back off a bit. Take it from an old timer who has been through it. My worst injury of that type was a groin pull. It took 4-6 months (and therapy) before it was back to normal.

I am already salivating over our anniversary dinner tomorrow night. Ladies, here's your chance to vote on my dinner choices. I love all kinds of meat and seafood. I rarely eat red meat, so it's a treat when I get it. I eat tuna almost every day at work, and we make fish at home most weekends. You know where I leaning, right??? Cast your vote to "Fill Frank's Face" :bigsmile:

Have a great day!

duffyzmom

Frank: Nothing goes better with a good glass of Red than a nice filet medium to medium rare Yum! As a woman I always have the good excuse that I need to increase my iron :laugh: But remember a good filet has one of the lowest fat contents for red meat and for me if it is cooked perfectly 4 ozs is enough to satisfy my animal urges. FYI sorry to hear about more snow for you. We will be getting some just not a lot. For me right now I'm just so tired of the cold. All this girl wants is for it to get above freezing and stay there.

Stiring: Actually the Icespikes are little screws you self install on any shoes or boots - Very easy today although it did take me about a half an hour for me to do mine. I just picked out an old pair of running shoes but now I'm considering ordering more for some old boots.

ALF: Like you Push Circuit 2 always gets my hip flexor (primarily just my right one so I'm not sure what that means) I really don't like all her one legged exercises in this phase. I just feel like there has to be a better way. Oh well only one more Push Circuit then I'm moving on up to LEAN:drinker:

zebras

Morning Sing, Duffyz and friends:

Sing: I'm voting for the medium rare filet too. Go for it.

My HRM is a Timex, and while it reads the heart rate beautifully, it matched up with the treadmill readings always at the most 1 or 2 beats off, the calculation that Timex uses is way off. It was practically double what the Precor Treadmill and elliptical were calculating for my calories, so I e-mailed Timex and he actually sent me the formula, and also took my data and put it in his spreadsheet to do the calculation, we confirmed that the watch was calculating to the manufacturer's specification, but if I use it, I cut the calculation in half!

singfree

Yummy!!! Go Filet Mignon!!!! Now vote on Cabernet or Merlot!!!!!!

tamarads

Good Morning All!

Filet Mignon, definitely!!

I'm going with the Cabernet! :drinker:

Have a lovely time Sing!

Thank you to you all for always posting, I don't have much to post, but I love reading yours!!:laugh:

cardigirl

Well, I know it's not as low fat as filet, but if you're gonna splurge, Sing, go with a nice medium rare ribeye!!!! YUM!!!!

And I vote for a big Cabernet!!! :flowerforyou:

duffyzmom

Definitely Cabernet - YUM!

singfree

Cabernet it is!!! Now how about some bubbly in the room before dinner? Somehow that didn't sound right....no, that was not an invitation...:embarassed:

sunnysmile

Howdy Friends.

I would vote for filet mignon and cabernet ... but the idea of strawberry in a glass of champagne intrigues me too. Lately my husband and I have been sharing a Miller Light 64 at dinner ... I know, can I spare 32 calories for alcohol? LOL. Actually I can't taste the difference between that and other light beer so I'd rather have a lower carb one ... glad they came out with them.

tonight hubby and I may go for sushi ... if the weather holds as rain (snow is expected by tomorrow)

I am pleased that I swam 30 lengths in the pool today. I shared a lane with someone who swam fast and I felt like every couple of my strokes he was passing me again ... but I realize I have to look to myself for improvement and not to pace myself against this hot fast young hunk of man in tight swim trunks (no one tell my husband I said that).

Here is my question exercise experts ... I have been coming back from being inactive for like 6 months. I have been consistently going to the pool and have been building up my muscles but I am unsure when to try adding in the weight machines. I ask because as recently as beginning of February my knees were absolutely killing me, now are feeling better as I build muscle in the pool, but I am concerned about flairing them. Should I keep swimming longer, perhaps try using the flippers before trying the weight machines? My shoulder (near the neck) muscles are also screaming ... likely tha tis part of rebuilding those muscles, but they are so tight.

Any suggestions oh wise ones?

(and have a wonderful day)

Sunny

singfree

Sunny, my suggestion would be to do your exercises starting with fairly light dumbbells. That way you can better control the amount of weight you are lifting as well as the range of motion. For example, doing squats or lunges, do not do them as deeply to start. As you test your muscles to see if they can handle the movement and weight, you can then determine whether you can safely continue. Also, try to incorporate a good amount of stretching to your workout routine. Good luck!

mkwood10

Definitely the medium rare filet mignon!!! I'm not a wine drinker, so I'd have to say my favorite Patron' margarita on the rocks. Don't know what the calorie count is on it, but it is well worth it to enjoy once in awhile.

Sunshine here for the 3rd day in a row.........we're all confused! :laugh: :laugh: Frank - I feel for ya; I know PA has been getting pounded with snow this month.:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: Hang in there......spring IS coming, spring IS coming, spring IS coming, etc............

tron3002

Hello everyone... I am happy to say that today is a beautiful day here in northern California but tomorrow the snow is supposed to fall again. So, I took advantage of the sunshine and took my little dog for a nice long walk. It felt so nice to be outside. I think I needed the sunshine to perk me up.

My brother had his acid reflux test which turned out negative. His doctor forgot to order his other set of tests so now he has to wait until sometime in March for that. I'm not exactly sure what the next test is but hopefully they will determine one way or another if its cancer so he can get started on his treatment. I just think that considering the fact that they think its such a serious stage of cancer they wouldn't want to wait too long to get started on fighting it.

My eldest daughter is getting married on March 27th so we have been busy getting things ready for that. A short notice and the date but they wanted to get married before he ships off for boot camp in April. I dont blame them, after all she wants to be with him when he finally gets stationed.

As for my weight. I haven't weighed myself. I dont think I have gained anything sense the holidays but I cant be sure. I have said this before but I do need to get serious about this again and fast. It just seems that so much is happening latly and life just got in the way. I need to learn to juggle everything better and "just do it"

I hope all is well with all of you and you all are having a terrific day

StiringWendel

tron, good to see you. With all you've got going on in your life right now, I think you should be proud to be maintaining your weight. Hopefully as the weather gets nicer, you can enjoy more long walks. Congratulations to your daughter and future son-in-law! I'm sorry to hear about your brother and agree with you that, if they think it is a very serious cancer, they should be working a little faster right now. I don't know how I'd handle that if it were me. I hope he is okay.

sunnysmile, I agree with singfree's advise to you. I would suggest that you even start some exercises outside of the pool without weight to see how they feel. For example, for your legs, you can do some lunges and squats in various forms (static lunges, forward lunges, rear lunges; wide stance squats, narrow squats, etc) to see how they feel. Just changing the stance a little bit on those exercises may impact the way you feel it in your knees. Find a way that is most comfortable for you, and then start building. There are quite a few exercises for the lower body that can be done without weights at all if you don't feel like you are ready for weights yet. As far as upper body, I would, like singfree, choose light dumbbells over working the machines right now to see how your body responds. If your shoulders are a particular problem, I would suggest not working them out yet with weights since they do get incorporated into so many exercises targeted at other muscle groups (for example, shoulders get worked out alot when you do chest work). So you might want to start with the bigger muscles (chest/back) first, see how your body responds, and then move to the smaller muscles (biceps/triceps) and, finally, to the shoulders. Make sure you are very warm before you lift any weight (even 3lbs!), and stretch the muscles after the workout. Work each muscle no more than twice a week (once a week works too), and never work the same muscle on consecutive days. If you try weight or non-weighted exercises on land and that hurts your joints more, then stick with the pool for a little while longer. Let us know if you have any other questions!! Great job in getting back on track. :flowerforyou:

singfree, Happy Anniversary!! :drinker: I hope you get to Gettysburg. My vote would be for a filet mignon with a glass of Pinot Noir....but Cabernet is good too. :happy: And there is always room for bubbly before dinner. Have a great time, and be safe with all that snow.

Time for my Friday check-in. It was a really good week for me. I ate clean all week (no cheats, treats, sweets, alcohol, etc). I also worked out HARD all week. I'm loving where I'm at in STS right now and am really beginning to push the heavier weights. And my body is responding very kindly. I'm very energetic during the days, get tired about 9:00pm...and sleep like the dead. I take that as a good sign right now that I'm doing something right. I did weigh myself this morning (after promising not to :blushing: ) and weighed in at 103.4. I'm happy with that. My measurements are good, my clothes fit, and I can see muscle in my arms once again. So, like I said, a very good week for me. :drinker:

We're enjoying beautiful weather here still, and I've been walking outside everyday as a result. It feels so good. We're supposed to get snow next week, but that's okay. I can handle it if there are a few days like this thrown in every now and again for the rest of winter. And I tell you, South Korea is celebrating today their new female Olympic figure skating gold medalist! And they should. She skated beautifully. But if anybody questions whether what NBC was saying about what kind of star this young lady is in Korea, don't. She really is quite a star, and a wonderful one (from what I can tell) at that.

singfree

Good morning!

For a change I am at my desk at home right now. Vacation day today, not because of the snow, but today is our anniversary! For the past few years we've been going overnight to Gettysburg and dining at a great restaurant there. It really did not snow a whole lot, but the wind is very powerful, causing much drifting. We will be leaving around noon today, which allows me time to shovel some snow for exercise. The place that we're staying has a gym, so we can get a workout there as well.

Yes ladies, I am really craving a nice filet mignon and either a cabernet or pinot noir (thanks sis). It's just so nice to get away, even if the weather is not cooperating.

Friday reporting day. It was a pretty good week for me. I did a lot of exercising, via kettlebells and other weights. My diet has improved as well. Even though I don't weigh myself, I can see an improvement in the mirror and my clothes are fitting much better. I'm actually looking decent in "fitted" dress shirts. It's funny how my regular shirts have so much extra material around the midsection. Fitted shirts actually enhance the look by showing off a slimmer physique. Not too many 55 year olds can say that! Sorry if that sounded boastful, but I am really happy and proud of the work I've done over the years to maintain my good health. I am still a work in progress...a never ending challenge.

Have a great weekend!

cardigirl

Go ahead and boast, Sing! I wear the fitted shirts too, (well, not TOO fitted) because I love that I can. :bigsmile:

Happy Anniversary and congratulations on a long and loving marriage!

Since it is reporting day, this week I have eaten within my calorie amounts each day and exercised every day except Tuesday (rest day). Didn't weigh myself, because I'm trying to go 2 weeks between weigh ins to see if I notice a difference more easily then. But feel good, and clothes are still fitting the same. Tomorrow is boot camp class.

We had a monsoon here in Boston yesterday, with high winds. Survived it all, thankfully, and now I'm heading up to the gym.

Happy Friday everyone! :drinker:

zebras

Day 2 of the Snowicane. However, Day 1 was all rain, not its snowing and supposed to last all day. Morning commute was fine.

Sing HAPPY HAPPY ANNIVERSARY. Drive Safely.

Stiring, the Korean girl really did earn her gold medal, she was amazing.

So, I ate well this week, tracked my calories and exercise and lost 2 lbs. Yippeee

tamarads

Very Happy Anniversary to you Sing, be safe and have a lovely time!!

Just watched the recap of the figure skating last night, very moving indeed! Very well deserved! Love the Olympics and all the personal journeys behind the athletes!

Great job on the weight loss Zebras and I'm happy to hear Stiring that you are feeling good and getting to where you want to be! So nice to hear such positives from everyone... love this thread! Keep up the good work everyone!! :happy:

Tron, I agree with Stiring, you have a lot going on in your life right now, hang in there and just do what you can.

I think I'm stuck in a rut, I exercise and follow my calories and here I stay, I have lost inches so I can see the difference. Will continue with what I'm doing and pray for spring to get here so I can change up my routine with some running outside!

Happy Friday!

sunnysmile

Like Zebra I must say I worked hard this week ... did pool workout everyday from Sunday through Thursday. Am taking today off pool because of the SNOREICANE ... it's not a snowicane because I am yawning the snow ... it's old news and should go bother some other cities for a while and leave mine alone.

I am proud to announce I lost 2.6 pounds this week. I have been upping my fluid intake, I do think that is key to the weight loss.

Thanks for your advice on weights, I may try a land based exercise today since I am at home (my commute is very far ... from the bedroom to the home office so no snow day for me).

Have a great day everyone.

Hooray Korea woman's skating! Hooray Canada female hockey! Boo poor skiing conditions that made US do so poorly on skiing yesterday, at least there was no more crying!

Sunny

duffyzmom

Happy Anniversary Sing! Stay Safe and have a great time. As for the bubbly! I vote yes - good sparkling wine is something I only recently began to enjoy.

Reporting day - Great exercise week for me so happy to be back running outdoors although today I'm a little bummed that the weather may not cooperate with that this weekend. I've been making much better food choices although I'd still like to step it up a notch by eliminating a lot more of the whites (white potatoes, rice etc.)

Enjoy your weekends all!

singfree

I'm Back!

We had a wonderful time in Gettysburg and a great dinner too. I got my red meat fix with a small(er) portion of prime rib. I haven't had that in years. it was very tasty, but i am ready to start eating good stuff again. I had 2 glasses of cabernet with dinner. We ate breakfast at another hotel this morning which was very nice too.

Have a great weekend!

StiringWendel

singfree, happy to see you had a good, safe trip! I was concerned the storm might have kept you home, and I'm glad it didn't.

I had a formal dinner last night and managed it pretty well. When we lived in Europe, I joked that I was going to write a book called 'The Chocolate Lover's Guide to Europe', so I HAD to try chocolate in every place we visited. :laugh: Actually, it was kind of fun, especially when visiting some of the Eastern European countries. Anyhow, last night there were some dancers at our event from an island here in Korea, and they brought bits of chocolate with them as a way of publicizing their island. It dawned on me that I hadn't yet tried any Korean chocolate....so I had a couple of pieces (they were very small). The taste reminded me alot of the Ritter Sports bars in Germany (for those familiar with those) except they were much thinner bars (like an After Eight mint size). So now I've at least started the process of doing a 'Chocolate Lover's Guide to Asia'. The sacrifices one has to make in the name of research......:bigsmile:

Off to do a leg workout and then, hopefully, enjoy a relatively quiet Sunday. I hope everybody is enjoying their weekend.