40+ Club: Hop Into Spring With A Fit Bod

pepper06

hi everyone! I did allot of working out yesterday gym(pretty much this week) workout w/the trainer the last couple of days, and then I got home and walked up 1/2 a mountain...it was getting too dark so turned around. I don't feel really sore today, but a feeling like my body has worked hard. I even jumped on the treadmill this morning. I felt drained the last fews days so I feel proud that I have exercised at all as I had allergy attacks this week. Must be an age thing as I haven't had allergy issues of recent.
Tax day and almost the weekend....ENJOY!! I don't think I can do the hoola hoop anymore....funny how that changes when you are no longer a kid.

cardigirl

Morning gang!!! Love the discussions going on about weight loss vs fitness (or focusing more on fitness, less on the scale).

I have been very very busy at work, thus less time to post here, but I recently became a fan of the Cool Running page on Facebook, and they post lots of articles they find. One such article I liked a lot and thought I would share it with you. A lot of it is for runners, but I think it applies to many of us who are doing tough workouts!

http://bit.ly/dzZigE

Feeling really good about the workouts, and the weight. New goal of mine is to start running so I can do a 5k this year. Hee hee, we will see. But I think I will like running. I hope.

I was wondering how everybody deals with workout slumps? Some weeks I'm raring to go, and other weeks, I really struggle to make myself get to the gym, or run, etc. Please share some tips for pulling out of that slump that have worked for you, if you feel like it!

Gorgeous day in Boston today, then we go back to cold and rainy tomorrow and Saturday. Boo.

Swissmiss

:flowerforyou: cardigirl, I can not workout on my own at all. I have to be in a class where I am made accountable. This works for me.

:flowerforyou: pepper, I also can not hoola hoop anymore. I think that we lose the ability to do it. It is not like riding a bike where we never forget.

Speaking of allergies. I have never had any. Now I am a mess. Both yesterday and today has been terrible. A little while ago I sneezed 9 times in about a five minute period. I have lost count on how many times I have sneezed today total. My eyes are watering and my nose is constantly running. What should I be doing for this?

alf1163

Oh my!!! Let me see if I remember to answer everyone from my last post!!!! :laugh:

Tex, happy to hear from you and that your family is doing so well!!!!! :flowerforyou:

Duffy, welcome back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Glad to hear your trip was awesome and now going to Mexico, nice!!!! It was funny what you said about the little boy. How did you know he was Puertorrican? LOL About CX, I have never done the program that way but I might try it...

To all the allergy sufferers, I feel your pain!!! I am also a first timer...how do I deal with it? I just drink lots of tequila to forget about it!! LOL JUST KIDDING!!!! :laugh: I just truly deal with it without any OTC meds. Some people take meds, I just dont like to take them.

Cardi, I will take a look at the article. When I feel like not exercising I just think about how good it feels afterwards and "JUST DO IT". Then just a few minutes into it I am happy I forced myself...I also try to schedule it in my calendar and when it is written down it is just a reminder that I do have the time and should be commited to it...hope that helps.

Pepper, good to see you again...

Stiring, I agree with you about how to shed ab fat...intense cardio AND a REALLY clean diet are the only things that help...but it is soooo frustrating. MK, I feel your pain, definitely, I am going through that right now. My midsection is what frustrates me the most!!!! I remember last year, when I was doing P90X plus running, my smallest waist size was very close to 26in!!!! I was soooo happy...well, last time I measured it was 29in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :sad: :sad: :sad: That does not make me happy at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You, know I do believe we should go by measurements and fitness levels, yes, I truly believe in that, but when it comes to my personal experience and my body when I know I gained weight I also increase my measurements and my fitness level is not the same, and I am still exercising!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :mad: :explode: Maybe it is true what Sing said not too long ago...my body is changing but I hate the way it is changing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Noooooooooooooooooooo!!!! :laugh:

So, I will share with you guys what I am doing. I can maybe be the guinea pig...I have been reading the Flat Belly diet book and I also have the Abs diet book. I am going to start the 4 day Jumpstart plan for the flat belly diet tomorrow. The last day will be on Mon and by then I will have decided to follow the flat belly diet or the abs diet. By looking at both they are pretty similar but the abs diet is one that would be easier for me to follow since I am eating most of those foods now. As far as exercise, I will continue with ChaLean, by the way finished the lean phase today and will start the lean for life phase on Monday. Of course, Im still teaching Zumba. And yesterday I bought new running shoes, so sometime next week I will start again...walking and jogging first of course. So here it is guys, wish me luck and I will keep you up to date...

:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

duffyzmom

Swiss - I'd start with an over the counter antihistimine. In our house 2 of us do better with Claritin and 2 do better with Zyrtec. Although I buy the generics at Costco that give you 300+ tablets for around $16. Also shower and shampoo every night when you get home to get rid of the pollen.

For me the worst part of spring is I really want to open all the windows but unfortunately my youngest cannot tolerate that.

duffyzmom

Hey ALF - we must both be on at the same time.

#1 we knew the little boy was Puerto Rican because he was so cute. No his cousin from Atlanta told us he was visiting from Puerto Rica.

#2 I tried the Flat Belly Diet and did not do well. I also didn't really notice much difference. My biggest complaint with the problem is it seems anti-fiber most of the cereal choices a lot lower in fiber than what I prefer given my heart disease risk. Hope you have better results.

StiringWendel

Happy Friday Everybody! :drinker:

I must admit I'm a bit jealous of all of you who have moved into spring (except for the allergies, of course). We are still struggling through what apparently is one of the worst winters in recent memory in South Korea. Parts of the country had snow a couple of days ago. We're still getting down to freezing at night. And the daytime temps are in the 50s at best. :grumble: I'm ready for warmer weather. But I'll be in Hawaii in a few days :drinker: and I'm hoping when we return, the season will have finally changed.

Check-in.....nothing new to report this week. I continue avoiding the scale and the tape measure. I'm going based on how my clothes fit and how I feel. I'm holding my own right now. My body is definitely less puffy without all of the carbs (especially around my belly). I've had a great week of workouts and, except for my husband's birthday on Wednesday when I joined him for some ice cream, I've eaten really well all week. I feel more energetic than I have for a long time, despite the tough workouts I've been doing this week. Again, I'm thinking that may be due to fewer carbs.

singfree, I hope you enjoy your weekend with your grandson. :drinker:

duffy, I hope your foot is doing all right. I loved the story about your husband! Where are you going in Mexico? I haven't been to Mexico in years, but my sister and her family vacation there quite a bit....and love it!

pepper, good for you for doing some workout even though you were suffering with some allergies. Just remember that something is better than nothing.

cardigirl, I go through slumps too. There are some days when I have a workout scheduled, and I say to myself 'I just can't'. Before giving up the idea of working out entirely though, I have learned to ask myself 'Okay, what CAN I do?' I have been known to spend 20 minutes looking at my DVDs, assessing all of my workouts, and running through my head 'No, not that one' then 'maybe on that one' or 'I could probably do that one'. In other words, I make a concerted point of looking for something that I think I might be okay doing. It may be a shorter, easier workout than I had planned. It may be doing the same workout I had planned but (as an example) with lighter weights. I could be doing something entirely different (like going for a walk as opposed to doing any set routine). But I always look for something that I think I could do given my mood and do it. If, at the end of all of my assessing, I still am saying 'I just can't do this today', I take the time off. But, like alf, I also know I feel so much better when I work out, so that is why I search for something to do...anything little something I can do....to get my body moving. When I'm going through a prolonged slump, I just say to myself each day 'What sounds good today?' and I do whatever sounds good. That could mean I don't lift weights for a couple of weeks. It could mean I don't do any intense cardio for a couple of weeks. It could mean that I do my favorite step routine three days in a row! But, in the end, as I said to pepper above, I think something is better than nothing, so if the only acceptable option for me for one entire week is to do kickboxing (as an example), I do kickboxing. And, eventually, I get out of my slump and move on. And I've never been worse off for it because, again, I have pretty consistently found a way of doing something through those slumps. Hope that helps. :flowerforyou:

alf, don't get frustrated!! Yes, you are still exercising, but you've had to exercise very differently over the past five months than you were exercising last fall because of your injury. Back when you were doing P90X, you were also doing quite a bit of running. No doubt that those two in combination changed the shape of your body. Don't be too hard on yourself because you haven't been able to run lately due to that injury. But the great thing you've done is not given up on exercising all together. In other words, don't beat yourself up. I've been talking to my sisters about weight loss lately (they come to me for input) and neither one wants to do any strength training. So I tell them about my experience during this move. I was doing Insanity for goodness sake! And my weight stayed the same (within a few pounds) from the time we left California through the end of that program. But because of the type of exercise I was doing (in this case, no weights) the shape of my body changed completely. I was working out HARD, but I was also working out DIFFERENTLY. I think that is the case with you. I would wager that if you were to do P90X again right now in combination with long runs like you were doing last summer/fall, you'd probably lose those few inches around your waist pretty quickly.

Does that mean you always have to stick with that formula? I don't think so. I think it is all about knowing what works for your body, what doesn't, and finding a very happy medium. I'm fortunate that I like lifting weights, so my body is pretty much back to the same shape it was before (though I'm heavier....unfortunately). But if I didn't like lifting weights, I would probably accept the body I had doing Insanity because, at the end of the day, it is about finding what works for you--both mentally AND physically. But don't beat yourself up because, in my opinion, you have done exceptionally well given the challenge of a prolonged injury. Don't let yourself forget that, alf!!

Okay, that being said, my husband and I did parts of the Abs Diet a few years back, and it worked really well for both of us. I still use some of the recipes, and we still follow some of the principles in that diet.

I only have one more workout in this rotation of STS. :drinker: I did STS Plyo Legs this morning followed by Insanity's Max Interval Circuit. Boy that was a killer workout! :noway: I'm hoping to go running the next couple of days (if the weather cooperates). We head out on Tuesday, and I'm hoping to run nearly every day we are in Hawaii. We'll see how that goes.

I hope everybody has a great Friday and a terrific weekend!

singfree

Good morning!

Happy Friday and Check-In Day!

My workouts were very good this week, but my diet was hit and miss. Overall, I am slimming down a little at a time. My clothes continue to get looser and the mirror is giving me a positive reflection! Yesterday I did a core workout at the gym and took a short (10 mile) bike ride. Time was tight because my financial advisor was coming, I had to fix a leaky toilet and I had to do some cleaning up before our Grandson's arrival today. He will be with us until Sunday afternoon.

Stiring, congrats on your success...and not watching the scale. Have you cut down on carbs in general or just the "bad" carbs? You seem to be experiencing the same things as me when I cut down on the junky carbs (refined).

Cardi, I think we all deal with slumps, be it in exercise or food. I find that I stay more focused when I set a "time" goal...a vacation, the holidays, etc... I am now at 42 days and counting until Europe. That motivates me to keep moving. I don't want to deny myself of ANYTHING while I am there. I want my clothes to fit loosely before we go. Usually we do so much walking that weight gain is not an issue. A 2 lb gain is the most that I am expecting over a 17 day period. Those of you who've been to Bavaria and Austria know that walking and hills are par for the course..."the hills are alive with the sound of singfree...." sorry about the Julie Andrews moment!

Duffy, my wife found the Flat Belly Diet very restrictive and not to her liking at all. The idea of "MUFAs" are ok, but I don't think that you can realistically stay on it very long.

Alf, good luck with your diet! And don't worry too much about the increase in the waist. You are doing fine. It might be exactly the same problem that my sister (Stiring) and I are experiencing. Those darn genetics!!! Really, for most of us here, I truly think that the secret is in the carbs. By doing one of the diet plans that you are considering, I'm sure that high GI carbs will be the main focus. I does make sense, though!!

Have a great day and a wonderful weekend!

duffyzmom

Friday Check in Day
:sad: :sad: :sad: :sad: :sad: Run last night did not go well:sad: :sad: :sad: :sad: :sad: So today I am finally calling the Doctor. I guess I've been putting it off long enough but to tell you the truth I'd almost rather run in pain than get bad news. Right now I'm trying to think positive and hope that if I get this foot fixed I will still have summer and fall running but darn it I don't like to go without running.:grumble: :grumble: :grumble: :grumble:

Food and Exercise have been great this week - A side effect of booking our trip on Monday. Stiring we will be in the Mayan Rivera but don't know which resort. We booked a Apple Square deal that is a discounted price but you only find out where you are staying when you land. We do know the 7 potential locations and are fine with any of them.


Have a great weekend all

pepper06

Happy Friday......well the body ache was worth it dwn 2lbs!:drinker:
Cardi-We all go through slumps-I had a whole week not too long ago because our New England weather was horrible, it reallllllly
put me in a damper. Just kept saying I am not giving up, no way...as I am feeling better.

Swiss and Alf-the allergies really bothered my eyes. Others say that Claritin works well and others say Benedryl works for them. Those are the 2 I heard the most. I realllly don't want to rely on med, so I avoid it, but I do have to use the allery eye drops. I just deal with the nose/throat drainage. Off to they gym today too, so have a great day everyone!

zebras

Happy Friday all. Sorry, I've been lurking, been a stressfull week. So, yes I did some stress eating. Its funny how now stress eating now is having a 2nd helping of something pretty healthy rather than a chocolate bar or 3. So, even in my stress my situation has improved greatly. I'm down a whopping .6 lbs this week, she says sarcastically. We're getting our first lunchtime outdoor walking sessions in, and I have to say my walking is hugely improved since last fall. I don't slow the group down anymore!

Everyone have a good weekend, go do something fun!

JuliaSoCal

Yeah...down 1.3 lbs... this is so wonderful!!!

Last week I had TONS of people come up to me and ask how I was losing the weight. I told them about this site!!!

Today's is full of highlights! I am going to take my 8 year old daughter to see Taylor Swift. It is her birthday present. She endured quite a few medical procedures the last few months and we wanted to spoil her a bit ( Don't tell her that I am just as excited as she is)

Julia

Swissmiss

:flowerforyou: Julia, doesn't it feel so good when people notice and tell you so? You will continue to have this happen as old friends see you. I am several months as the size I am and just had someone this week mention it.

:flowerforyou: zebras, I really think that my problem at this time is stress. I have so much at this time. I don't tend to over eat but for some reason I can't lose when I am living like this.

pepper, I bought a store brand of Benedryl. I am so sleepy now. I really should not be at work but I need to be. On the bright side the medication is keeping me from sneezing so much.

:flowerforyou: duffy, please keep us updated on what your doctor says.

sing, love your sense of humor. You make my day.

I felt so bad last night that I missed my Zumba class. I am not sure which is worse....sneezing or sleeping all the time.:mad:

duffyzmom

Swiss: Benadryl is by far the best antihistamine over the counter but definitely has drowsy issues. You might give one of the others a try. I have no drowsiness with the no name Claritan just a little more dry mouth which is good because it reminds me to drink my water.:drinker:

charliecat

Hi everyone! I just joined MFP on Monday and this looks like a fun, supportive group. Can I get in on it? I'm 42, and lost 4 lbs since Monday. I have been walking as much as my feet would allow me to. I am feeling pretty good and would like to be part of a team.
Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods

alf1163

Welcome Charliecat!!! :drinker: This is a great group to be part of. :flowerforyou:

Swiss, what's wrong? You sound down on your last post. I hope your allergies get better soon. They bother me more in the morning and at night but once I get going during the day I am fine. I am not taking anything.

Julia, congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And happy birthday to your daughter!! Tell us about the concert. I like Taylor Swift.

Duffy, I hope it is nothing serious and you can continue exercising. I know how frustrating it can be. I cant wait to start running again. That is the exercise that keeps me lean. I finally bought a pair of shoes. I ended up buying Saucony Progrid 3 from the Men's Dept. They didnt have my size in the women's version. I dont care about that, it is the same shoe, just different colors. The pair I really wanted were the Asics Kayano but they were $140, a bit too much for just a pair of shoes that will be replaced within 6 mos or so...

Zebras, Pepper, Sing, Stiring...good to hear from you, as always!!!

Have a great Sunday!!! :flowerforyou:

surlydave

Hi all. Second time around on MFP (the last was almost 2 years ago). Always liked this site and like your thread because I think the 40+ crowd face challenges some 20-somethings just couldn't relate to! Anyway, I have gained and lost the same 40 - 50 pounds over and over in my life and need to get serious with things again. So, if you don't mind, I'd like to "stop by" from time to time. Any questions... ask... I'm an open book (to a fault!)

Swissmiss

surlydave, I think you are making the same mistake that so many people do....it is not about dieting and losing weight but about changing our lifestyles.
We can not diet and lose and then go back to our regular routine. We have to continue eating healthy for the rest of our lives. That means not going back to the former ways. I know....I want so much to be able to eat candy and fried foods without any thoughts of what I am doing and stay slim,,,but it does not work that way. I have to train myself to want the low calories, low fat and healthy choices. Stay with us...you will find the help that you will need.
Z
alf, I think that me allergies are easing up some. I have been so miserable. I did go to Zumba on Saturday morning but couldn't keep up.

Welcome, charliecat...please tell me your secret for losing 4 pounds already.

duff...already have the dry mouth due to other medication. I really think that my problems are easing up. I have heard that this the worse year for tree pollen in a long time. Hopefully, it will end soon. I really do not like rain (I have to go outside while at work) but I would welcome it for some relief.

I really have never suffered from allergies. So, this is new for me and I am not enjoying it one bit.

tron3002

Good afternoon folks... It looks like you all doing great! I am happy for you.

I have been so busy but I managed to get in small workouts this week. Yesterday I took my dog on a mile long walk and did some planks on my exercise ball. The other day I raked leaves all day and tried out my kettle ball. And today I woke up early and went on a 6.2 mile hike. It was beautiful out there with all the wild flowers. The last hill almost killed me though. I dont know why the hills still kill me the way they do.

Swissmiss

:flowerforyou: tron, it sounds like you are doing quite well. Glad to hear it.:flowerforyou:

Ok, I am not doing the best at this time. My daughter's boyfriend just broke up with her so we have spent the evening eating chocolate. I am not feeling bad about it...we need it at this time.