40+ Club: Beating The Winter Bulge

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  • singfree
    singfree Posts: 1,591 Member
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    Good morning!

    Another winter's day in PA. The temp is just above freezing (33) and a light drizzle. The forecast is for smow showers and cold for the next week. I hope it's ok on Friday. We are going to stay overnight in Gettysburg and have a wonderful (& romantic) dinner at a great restaurant. It's our anniversary and we do this trip every year. It's become a tradition for us.

    Stiring, I was reading your post about calorie burn. I have a hard time believing that you only burn 600-700 cals after all that exercise! I would bet that you burn that many cals with cardio alone! A two hour walk at 3 mph will give you 600 cals (based on 100 cals burned per mile). My guess is that during those 4 hours you burned AT LEAST 1200 cals. I know that you work out hard. Even though you are only around 100 lbs, you have the potential to burn a tremendous amount of energy. I'm sure you are keeping your HR very high during cardio. If your HR is in zone 3-4 (75-90% of max), the cals burned should be quite high. On days that I do one hour of strength and a long Insanity workout, I can expect at least 700 cals burned. When I am biking and keeping my HR high, the HRM usually indicates around 750 cals per hr. I'm only saying this because I truly believe you are burning far more cals than you think!!!

    No problem, Alf! Feel free to comment on anything! Communication is what makes our group successful!

    I did a tough strength (upper body) workout at the gym yesterday, and a short but intense kettlebell workout at home. I can really feel the difference using the KB. It's odd, really, but I feel like I am getting a much better overall workout using just one hunk of iron. I will be the guinea pig in this experiment!!!

    Have a great day!
  • cardigirl
    cardigirl Posts: 492 Member
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    Good morning all, and thanks for the words of welcome back! Sure do need the support, what with the weight fluctuation I've been dealing with, but it seems that is how I lose weight...down two pounds, up a pound, down a half pound, up a pound...drives me crazy so I'm staying off the scale for the next two weeks. It's like a drug...hope I can withstand not knowing. :laugh:

    Stiring and Alf, the boot camp class is something that my trainer (he's a former Marine) changes up every week. There is always lots of jumping rope, and lots of core work...the first one I went to, I thought I was gonna die. He starts out with 3 minutes of jumping rope for warm up and from there on, it's just non-stop. Sometimes he throws some plyometrics into the mix...I think I might wear my heart rate monitor next Saturday and see what kind of a calorie burn I actually get. It feels like I am burning a lot.

    I also wanted to say, that I nearly walked out of the class the first time I went because I was older than everybody else in there, by about 30 years :sad: , but I stuck with it, and now I find I'm keeping up pretty well. It's a new element to my working out, and I find I'm enjoying the benefits. I don't actually LOVE the class while I'm in the midst of it, but I sure do love how it makes me feel.

    To add to the shoe debate, Stiring, I've had good results with Asics, my trainer likes New Balance, and he runs A LOT, but I agree with everyone that being fitted by someone who knows what to look for in fit is a great help. The Asics were what I ended up with after having my stride evaluated. I'm on my second pair and I love how they make my feet and legs feel.

    Sing, have fun in Gettysburg. I have only been there once, but it is a very special place. I am enjoying reading about the kettlebells...my gym doesn't have them, I'm wondering if they will be bringing them in.
  • singfree
    singfree Posts: 1,591 Member
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    Oh, I forgot about putting my 2 cents in about workout shoes. My all-purpose shoes are Asics Gel. I've been using them for years and I think they are great. I don't get them fitted professionally, but they seem to work for me. Lightweight and comfortable.
  • zebras
    zebras Posts: 600
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    Good Morning All:

    I am proud to report that yesterday, I managed to get 2 hours of cardio in and I counted my calories, and stayed within my limits! I'm very excited. I haven't had a day like that in months. My 2nd hour of cardio is pretty gentle walking up hills on the treadmill, but I figure, while I was in the mood, I should keep walking.
  • Swissmiss
    Swissmiss Posts: 8,754 Member
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    :flowerforyou: Thank you for the advice on my salt cravings. I think that I just need to go "cold turkey". I can't just cut back...I will just want more. My kids have chips for lunch everyday. I am going to lock the bags up in my husband's old car (which is not drivable). At least they will be out of sight.

    I also discovered that if I do not have a class at the YMCA then I will eat junk. If I do have a class then I feel so good and I don't want to ruin that feeling by eating wrong.
  • mkwood10
    mkwood10 Posts: 428
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    Good morning everyone!!!!
    I'm feeling old today.....................my oldest daughter turned 26 today! My first thought this morning was "holy **** , Nikki turns 26 today - where have the years gone????" :laugh: :laugh: Her turning 25 didn't phase me, but this birthday is stuck in my brain today:ohwell: :ohwell: Just kind of strange............

    Got a great workout in last night; although the computer at Curves didn't show it. The owner told us last week that everyone globally is being retested, so our readings are off until we've worked out 5-8 times. So..........the darn computer told me I only burned 250 calories when I had sweat running down my back and a soaked head!!! More motivation to go back more - getting the readings to look right again!!!!

    My 2 cents on shoes..........I have a very narrow foot, both width and height (top to bottom), so finding a shoe that fits right has always been a struggle for me. New Balance used to make a running shoe that fit well, but of course they discontinued it!:grumble: :grumble: I've been wearing Asics Gels for about 3 years now, and they fit well. I just replace the standard shoe cushioning with a good athletic gel insole (for my knees) and it works great for me!

    Have a good day all............enjoy the sunshine if you've got it!:wink::wink:

    Marla
  • singfree
    singfree Posts: 1,591 Member
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    Swiss, I think you've stumbled onto something important. You said that when you work out, you don't want to ruin the feeling by eating junk food. Dear Lady, that is a most profound statement!!!! A super way of looking at it. Many people will work out and think that they've "earned" some junk food reward. I guess we are all guilty of that. We need to start thinking like you. Well done!!!!

    MK, don't feel bad about yourself!!! I'm a Grandfather and I feel wonderful! Age is just a number. When you feel good about yourself, the world is a much better place. Good advice on the gel inserts too!

    Zebras, keep up the good work...you are doing great!!
  • alf1163
    alf1163 Posts: 3,143 Member
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    Hmm it looks like Asics is winning so far... :laugh: :laugh: I am planning on starting running again when I return from Puerto Rico. The weather should be the way I like it by then...and I will need new shoes. I wore mine out with all races and training I did at the end of last year. :drinker:
  • Texssippian
    Texssippian Posts: 235
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    Hi all! Thanks for all the birthday wishes last week. I don't know if anyone else has come across this, but I keep running into people who are within a week of my age. Three coworkers and my eye doctor! There are 5 February birthdays in my family and found out last week that my hair dresser's birthday is the day after mine!

    Have not done so well on the exercise. Have had to cancel with the trainer the last three weeks. Just finished a major (beat-down) project at work this morning so hopefully can get back on the exercise schedule. Husband has plantar fasciitis and is not keen on working out.

    I did get the garage cleaned out on Sunday and got all of Mr. Holiday's bins with Christmas decorations out in the garage. Have been working on cleaning out the pantry. My husband is a big potato chip fan. I over filled a large laundry basket with bags of chips! He was a little embarrassed, probably won't stop him from buying chips.

    I have a salt aversion versus a salt craving, so not much help there. The one thing to try is using sea salt. It is more pungent or something so you don't use as much.

    I have osteopenia (pre-osteoporosis) and am on Fosomax. I will look when I get home at how much calcium with vitamin d I am taking. The calcium comes with vitamin D but my doctor said to take a multi-vitamin with D to boost what is with the calcium. I find that my multi-vitamin does not bother my stomach if I take it in the evening instead of the morning.

    Snowing here again in North Texas. Daughter texted from Austin they were having big flakes. Sister, BIL and niece are coming this weekend for Cirque do soliel. Need to get the pantry put back together. Take care all! TxMs
  • denimangel
    denimangel Posts: 85 Member
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    Hello everyone.... Angel here checking in. Yes I'm still alive and kicking!!

    I am still fighting this allergen overload... with the nyquil I've had to take just to sleep at night it has been a struggle to get up in the morning and do my workout... I admit it... I couldn't wake up enough yesterday to get out of bed early enough to workout... last night I risked not taking anything... woke up with a sinus headache but I did my weight workout this morning. Then since it was exercise day at work for my residents I did another 30 minutes... so it helped. I will be so glad when I get all of this out of my system.

    Hubby and I went snowshoeing on Sunday afternoon... being out in the fresh air really helps clear things out. So glad we went. Will be going again this weekend maybe Friday after work and Saturday. Would you believe we actually saw a horse this time... yes a horse... someone was taking their pony for a walk.

    Found out this evening that some of my classmates from high school want to get together this summer, some of them are even interested in meeting me in the Canadian Rockies (Banff) while we are there on holidays... haven't seen some of them for 6 years... wow!! gotta lose these last few lbs! Time to shock them all!!!

    Wow... can you believe the Canadian Ice Dancing Team took GOLD!!! woo hoo!!!!!

    Hope everyone is having a great week

    Angel
  • singfree
    singfree Posts: 1,591 Member
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    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
    duffyzmom Posts: 644 Member
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    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
    zebras Posts: 600
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    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
    singfree Posts: 1,591 Member
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    Zebras, everyone is welcome to come along to Europe....but only ONE bathroom!!! :laugh:
  • alf1163
    alf1163 Posts: 3,143 Member
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    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
    Swissmiss Posts: 8,754 Member
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    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
    sunnysmile Posts: 1,192
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    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
    duffyzmom Posts: 644 Member
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    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
    StiringWendel Posts: 3,791 Member
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    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! :tongue: 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 :wink: ), 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
    singfree Posts: 1,591 Member
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    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!

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