WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JUNE

After a long day, involving an ER visit by Mom, I am back at her house, and she is in the hospital in Wichita, and when she is strong enough, will probably be discharged to a rehab facility. At the moment, her dr. is calling it a combination of dehydration and overmedication. I guess time will tell. I'm too tired to even think of logging food.

MacMadame, there's so much going on, I don't think 5 minutes is going to do it! The nice thing is how we can just jump back in. You are such an inspiration. I'm glad you hang in there with us.

Ainslieglen, I'm glad you're back in action! I missed you.

Mary, I'm sending prayers for your mom and you. You are a caring daughter. She's a lucky mom.

Jackie, I relate to the two left feet. I'm laughing about how hard it is for you to turn the corners when you're waltzing. Me too. Even with a strong lead, I'm hopeless. I love watching though. Good for you for jumping in and doing it.

My thanks to Randy (rfsahae) for her "MP3 for walking." I had "pre-booked" 30 minutes on my new cross-country ski machine. (I'm not sure whether pre-booking is a really bad idea or, considering the outcome, a good one.) I'd finished less than half the minutes by 11 pm. I wanted to throw in the towel but, after much gnashing of teeth and cranking up Randy's music, I got on again.

I promise not to tell you every detail of the blood tests from my checkup last week (!), but I thought you'd like this: My cholesterol was 179 (<200 is good), my LDL (the bad stuff) was 90 (<130 is good), and my HDL (the good, protective stuff) was 79 (usual for my age is 30-40). These are the best results I've had in many years.

I told my sister, who's a dietitian. She was stoked too. She told me the ratio of LDL to total should be under 5. mine is 2 if I'm figuring it right. Not only do I look better and feel better, even my blood likes the new way of eating (lots of veggies and fruit) better.

By the way, the first song on Randy's MP3 was "Stayin' Alive" by the BeeGee's. The changes we're making are helping us not only stay alive, but have more life in our lives.

Lest I sound like Polyanna, my grandkids almost drove me up the wall today. Can you say sibling rivalry? I finally put the younger one down for a nap (she doesn't usually take one). She conked out in 2 minutes flat. Peace, ahhh.

Not sure if this is allergies or a summer cold, but it sure has put a damper on my exercise routine. Just did some strength training with hand weights and something similar to the "Gut n Butt" exercises. I have a bazillion things I need to be doing outdoors, but looks like I'll be taking it easy again indoors today. Word to the wise: DON'T take Claritin D and Vitamin C together on a empty stomach. :sick: Good news is I'm on my last load of laundry.

ALL I have wanted to do since I've been sick is EAT! I made some spicy beef stew last night so sipped on the broth off and on all evening. Been trying to snack on sugar-free jello and pumpkin seeds so I don't break the calorie bank. Kept thinking how a banana split would be heavenly....

Still waiting to hear if our offer on the fixer-upper is accepted or not.

Mary, sorry about your Mom. Jackie, glad to hear your's is coming back home. Tiarapants, hope your Dad will be out of the hospital soon, too.

Barbie, I hear you on people being judgemental. Unfortunately it's so much easier to judge others rather than to judge oneself! All we can do is be true to ourselves and just ignore everyone's comments. I find that I am so firmly entrenched in my "disease" that even the compliments can be a reason for me to "splurge." Fortunately, I'm learning that a "splurge" can be a cute piece of clothing at the consignment store or a soak in the tub instead of a calorie filled cookie or truffle!

Hope everyone has a fantastic day. Don't forget to drink your water:drinker: in the heat and humidity (if you are blessed with those:laugh: ).

Hi Out there. I am new to this. I just turned 52 on June 11th. My goals for this month is to hopefully reach that 10lb weight lost and to get into a habit of exercise! Need menu's to help me if you guys have a chance. I get so hungry in the mornings. I eat breakfast at 5:30 am but by the time I get to work I am starving. Eat asnack but by 10:00am I am ready to eat a cow!!! I work at a desk so can't really move around. Any thoughts??? Getting a few and they do help. I live in FL and it is soooo hot here. Drink at least 12-14 glasses of water a day! I want so bad to succeed at this and my husband & kids be proud of me. My health needs to improve! Thanks for listening.(Or Reading Lol). Would love new friends..... Pamela (HoneyHuggy)

Mimi – WOW! Great stats from the doc.:drinker: That is news we all need to hear. Good diet and exercise does us all good from the inside out. Also a reminder to get a check-up. (Make a note Faye)

SuzieQ - Allergies are such a pain. Hopefully yours will be better soon.

Tiara – Boy, can I relate to the fall on the knee. Hopefully no damage done except your bruise.

That just made me think of another reason I started taking care of myself. It seems that the last couple of years as I started getting stiffer and more arthritic that I was having more clutz moments. I did some major damage to myself – some were just doh accidents, but I have a feeling that they were all made worse by bad balance and inflexibility. That is slowly getting better with proper diet and exercise.

The trainer at the gym wants me to swim on T & T each week for a while instead of so much elliptical. I'm not sure how much good it will do as I swim like a cement block. But I'm giving it a shot. I know the lifeguards must be keeping an eye on me. I so wish I was a good and graceful swimmer. I look like someone who is desperately trying not to drown. Which come to think about it is exactly what I am doing. :ohwell:

Here's a :flowerforyou: for everyone taking care of parents, grandparents and extending a helping hand to adult children. You aren't referred to as the sandwich generation for nothing.

I have a long list of things I should get done before I go help the lifeguards earn their pay, so here's hoping we all have a good day!

Faye

Hello All, this is your resident lurker.

I do so enjoy reading all your posts. To those caring for aging parents you have my respect and prayers. This time is difficult but very rewarding.

I have been down with a stomach flu of some variety. I am on the mend today and back in the game, and actually sitting still for a while, so here I am.

Suzzie I can relate to your neverending remodels. I have lived in several and am living in one right now. This one is taking really long as we have so many other commitments.

Mary congratulations on the new Grandbaby. ( Shows you how long I have been out of touch:blushing: )

On the subject of HRM's I have a Pro Form Precision XT with the chest strap. I have compared it to the others in use tests and it was within 20 cals on a really long workout. It is set up for my age, HR, weight, etc. They are a really good tool.

I live in a rural area surrounded by woods and marshes. On Monday one of my Yorkies decided to go walk about. She chased a bunny waaaaaaaaay out into the marsh on the front of our property and then did not come back. I could hear her barking occasionally but nothing more. I got my walking stick and cell phone and set out.

Bear in mind that the marsh grass is waist high and very thick, so I needed the stick to locate a place to put my feet as I walked.
While my little dog skimmed over the bogs, my progress was not as quick or pretty, as every step or two I sunk in muck and cold water. I waded along wondering how I was going to locate her, and then saw motion on the far side of the pond, which was to deep to cross so I back tracked and attacked the marsh from another angle. I did locate her, she was stuck in a wild rosebush. She refused to walk through the marsh grass, on our way out, so made the trip riding on my shoulder as I slogged along. I don't think she will ever try the marsh again, at least I hope not. I could not find a calorie count for this activity any suggestions.

I see I have not even posted goals for this month and it is half over, Oh my! I am still eating well and drinking lots of water and exercising. I am just swamped with work. Just this AM I spoke to DH about my schedule and suggested someone else may need to take on part of my workload as I need more time for other projects, including myself as one of those projects. I think that will be my goal for this month.

I must return to the workday. You are all in my thought and prayers, as well as on my list of things I am thankful for.

Be back soon Ali9ce

Good evening, All, DH and I decided yesterday to get in the car and drive to Asheville, NC in an attempt to escape the heat and humidity of our lowcountry. It is some cooler here and nice to see the mountains. Also just nice to get away from chores and household duties for a bit. I have not been too great in the eating/exercise arena the past day and a half. Not too bad, just not great. I did a walk up and down the hills here earlier...so different from our flat land in the coastal area, but good for me to get ready for our time out in MT!

I read through posts quickly and it seems we are all at the age where both parents and grown children pull on our time and mental state! I am thinking of each of you who are struggling and hope that things get better.

Mimi: WAY TO GO on your check up numbers. That is very impressive and very important. I also enjoyed reading your info on strength training etc. We all need to keep at it...it is SO worth the effort!

Robin: I am like you...if I am feeling out of sorts, a bit of cleaning and organizing makes me feel more in control. Good for you!

Everyone else...take care and hope the rest of the week is good for everyone. Hang in there:drinker: :drinker: kackie

Hi everyone, just want to check in real quick. I cannot believe how much I look forward to getting on here and hearing how everyone is doing. I tried to go to work today, but after driving there got out of car and walked in office and got sick. These stupid ribs hurt too much to wear a bra. (where are the 60's when I need them). Anyway, decided to stop at store for some groceries. I pushed cart back to my car and went to open my doors and all of a sudden I looked and the cart was going down the parking lot. I started running and thankfully it did not hit a car just came to stop at bottom. I was laughing so hard I could hardly get it back up to my car. My grandkids loved hearing that story and added quite a bit.
Spent aftertnoon babysitting and then to LLBean to get DH a birthday gift for Saturday.
Oh well hope this finds you all well and happy. Today is a day that it is good to be alive and getting healthy.
Wedding invitations went in mail today exciting times.
Good night
linda

Really, really trying to break this carb desire. That apple cider vinegar is certainly working! Sometimes, tho, I just don't get to it fast enough, like tonight I had a piece of bread. I really didn't need that bread, but I didn't get to the vinegar fast enough. dh would probably think I'd totally lost it if he ever saw me drinking vinegar....lol Tell me about the vinegar tasting nasty!!!! The first time I had some, my throat was burning and it felt like I was losing my voice. Now I don't have that problem. It really and truly does work, ladies. Update: I really believe that vinegar is working. I opened the freezer earlier for something and had absolutely no desire whatsoever for the cookies that were in there. However, I did have a piece of this iced chocolate chip cookie. I should have had a swig of the vinegar instead. The calories -- ouch!

So glad you joined us, jaxi

Oh, Laura, your mom not wanting to be with the "old" people brings back so many memories for me. I guess all our parents go thru that.

tcac - the "exercise ticker", do you mean a pedometer? Check where you are supposed to have it positioned, I know that on mine I need to have it on the waistband above the middle of the thigh. Also, I found that for some reason, it didn't register when I had it on jeans. Not sure why. I'm so sorry to read that you're having such problems. About your daughter's job (or lack of), there was a woman who worked at the Y when we lived in the Poconos. Her hubby was in the military, as a matter of fact, that is why they were in the Poconos, he was stationed around there. The Y is in most every city, so even if she got a job in the office there, they could most likely relocate her. I hope you get good news about your ribs

Sometimes I, too, wonder if I'm obsessive about my exercising and logging food. Well, the exercising sometimes I will give up if we have to travel somewhere or if there's something that really gets in the way. But I constantly write down what I eat and then log it. That seems to be one of the hardest things to break. Even when I go on vacation, I log my food.

heartw - paying taxes is really not a thing that you must do. You can always go to jail. Not that I'd want to...lol

SuzyQ - I hand it to you remodeling your house. I don't think I could do it. Guess I'm too "a" type personality and that mess would drive me up a wall. As a matter of fact, before we could leave for the hosp with dd#3, I had to make the bed. Vince kept trying to say to me "my mother (who was with us to watch the other kids) will do it", but I wouldn't have any part of it. We were NOT leaving a messed up bed....lol The day I went into labor, Vince and his father installed a whole house fan in our house, so that meant cutting out a hole in the ceiling of the kitchen. There I was in labor on my hands and knees washing the floor! I couldn't stand having that mess in the house.

I tell Jessica that women are born with an extra gene -- the worry gene and it doesn't kick in until you have children. That's when she tells me she's not going to have any children (yea, right)

I, too, like my FT7. Some of the things that I really don't like are the fact that it doesn't really have a stopwatch, it has a "duration" setting. But for my needs, I can manage. The manual is a bit of a hard-read. It takes a while, but you can eventually get thru it. The full manual is online, what you get in the box is just a mini-manual. I don't know why they have the "duration" and the "time of day" on the same watch screen. I'm really not interested in the time of day, I'm more interested in what my heartrate is doing. You do have to jump 2 screens to find it out. I wish for my own needs that the backlight stayed on continuously or that you at least had the option of having it on continuously or for just a few seconds. One other thing that I found out, there's no way to shut it off. Even when you take the transmitter off, the time of day will be displayed. But those things aside, from everything that I've read, it's one of the most accurate for determining your calorie burn. I also looked at the F6 but that one you have to return to the company to have the battery replaced, with the FT7 you replace the battery yourself. Little downside is that the transmitter and the watch take different size batteries. I know that there are other features that I really haven't utilized totally quite yet, have only had the HRM for a few days, not even a week yet. There's a "low battery" indicator which I'm sure is very helpful.

Ohh, Ohh, Ohh, I bought a new bathing suit today. OK, not one of my most favorite passtimes. It was on sale 50% off and by buying it today I got an extra 15% off. It's really intersting that there were so many size 10, 12, 14's but very very few 8's. I actually fit into an 8!!!! Go me!!!! I saw this one that I really liked on the hanger but I preferred the way the one I got fit me. I think my bathing suit is on its last legs, so I'd better get one before I start looking like I have a load in my pants....lol

So far (knock wood) I've been lucky and haven't had a lot of hot flashes. If I have, they haven't been real bad. To this I attribute the fact that I exercise to really helping. When I broke a bone in my foot last yr and couldn't exercise, I was miserable. The sweat would be pouring down my (get this) backs of knees. Then there would be times in bed when I would get so warm that I was uncomfortable.

Speaking of exercise -- did a hr of the deep water aerobics today (Wed). Tomorrow, I'll do a strength DVD at home, this Fit & Firm DVD. Hopefully, if I remember, I can make it to a Zumba class. I really need to "shake things up" a bit and this would probably do it. I really wish the gal who was teaching at this Y near me didn't leave. Then Friday I'll probably do a workout on the Stairmaster as I haven't done that in a while. Then Saturday is yoga, Sunday I'll probably do some WiiFit balance games.

congrats mimi on such impressive blood numbers!

Well, it finally worked into the schedule. I did an hour of zumba today (Thurs). Yes, at times I was totally lost. But I think that's because I was so new. I must say, tho, that I was surprised how much I sweated and how much water I drank.

A big welcome to Pamela. I find that if I have refined carbs, that doesn't satisfy me for very long. For your snack, have a piece of fruit. Yes, it's carbs, but it's the complex carbs. What is your typical breakfast like? I find that if I have a breakfast that's high in protein (like some egg whites), that fills me for much longer than if I just have cereal. I remember one time a personal trainer asked me what I'd had for breakfast. I thought I was doing really good, I told him I'd had Kashi cereal, an apple, and a chocolate bran muffin that I'd made. Then he said "do you realize how very carb heavy that meal was? Instead of the cereal, I would have had egg whites. He was right! It was carb heavy. Now I'm much more aware of having protein with my meals.

Faye - I, too, am very uncomfortable in deep water. I know that's because when I was little, I was in the ocean and the tide pulled me out. That feeling of not being able to tell which direction I was in, of not being able to touch the bottom, has stayed with me all these years. I don't look anything graceful in the water, that's for sure. But water exercises are really good for you. You can get a good total body workout. It isn't weight bearing, but it sure shocks your muscles, you're using them in a different way. I bet that's what your trainer is going after for you. Since I've started doing exercises in the pool I swear I can see most of the cellulite on the tops of my legs gone. Most -- not all.

kackie - you took a trip to Asheville and didn't stop in Newton! Well, I never........ Actually, Asheville has a lot of good health food stores, I'd love to go to them one day. Now there's an idea...maybe I can get Bryan to go with me! If anything, maybe I can get him to go to Trader Joe's, or I can go by myself, or I can maybe get a friend to go with me.

Linda - so glad your shopping cart didn't hit any car. A run-away shopping cart hit my car and you should havae seen the dent it left! I couldn't help thinking of Barb and her "adventures" while reading this

Well, the friends that I thought were coming tomorrow came tonight. Fortunately, I'd made these zucchini muffins. If they come back tomorrow night, I'm going to make these sausage/cheese balls. Actually, I'll make them anyway, I can always keep them in the freezer and just take them out when I need something.

Michele

Home again from another exhausting day. Mom is now in a rehab facility. I hope it goes well and she doesn't hate it too much. We got home about 5:30, then went and played in the city band concert. Did I say I was exhausted? Now to plan a birthday party for tomorrow night . . .

I'm still too tired to log my food. Tomorrow is a new day. Meet me there, would you?

:bigsmile: last day of work today before 2 weeks of R & R and a whole bunch of things I want to do!!...... Yay!! :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

Hi Ladies
It does seem like many of us are dealing with aging parents.
( Me too, Mom just lost her driver's license two weeks ago, thank god )

I see two "Good News" aspects to dealing with aging parents...
1. If you're in this group (50+) and your parents are still around, then you might be blessed with good genes, and
2. If you're in this group - then you are exercising, eating right, and doing your best to enjoy the next 30 years!

DH and I are leaving for vacation next Tuesday so if I seem to be M.I.A., well, I probably am. We'll be back July 10.

Last - - I do have three exercise MP3s - 30min, 35min and 45min long. They are kind of tailored to my walking pace, but if you want to try one of them (mimi7grands did) then send me your email address and I will share them with you.

And yes, judging by mimi7grands numbers we are certainly "Staying Alive"
Randy

Hats off to you ladies who reply to everyone . Maybe someday I'll be that organized...

Glad to hear the vinegar therapy is working for my fellow carb addicts. I've learned to get a good mouth full of spit going before I take a spoonful and immediately chase it with water. :drinker: If you've never tried it before, it takes 3-5 days to kill the carb cravings.

I too hate the mess of living in a house while we remodel. As often as possible we try to do the demo and really nasty stuff flike stripping floors before we actually move in. I once had everything I owned in storage for a year. We were downsizing after out kids both moved out and had bought a foreclosure. The plan was to live with my parents while we did the messy part. So we put everything in storage, went on a 10 day vacation and then a week after ew got home, Daddy died unexpectedly. We ended up staying in their house while we updated it to sell and about a year later finally got to move into our house. We actually only lived there 6 months when Moma died and we made the decision to move back to West Texas to be near hubby's folks where we bought - you guessed it- an older home that needed updating. Only ripped out 2 walls, replaced all the flooring, painted inside and out, and built a privacy fence here. If we get the house we made the offer on, we plan to refinish the hardwood floors and paint before we move in. It has a huge laundry room witha sink we can use as a temporary kitchen (if we cook out on the grill) and we can sleep upstairs while we update the kitchen and master suite. Then upstairs will become a workout room and guest space so we won't have to condition that air 24/7. We probably won't do anything to the upstairs until Spring.

After three days of rest, decongestants and vitamin C therapy, I feel like I am rejoining the land of the living. Call me crazy, but I'd dearly love to put on a dust mask and go outside and mow my yard before it gets so tall the snakes think I have put out a welcome sign. Instead I will stay indoors and walk with Leslie. I'm also thrilled to see the scale down that pound I gained while hubby was working nights. :happy:

Planning to check back in with you motivated gals later.

Mornin' ladies. Way behind on reading posts, maybe catch up this weekend.:ohwell:
Yuck. Up 1.5 lbs this week, the worst I've done this year. Why? Home with gyppy tummy. Didn't realize what a boredom eater I could be, but as nauseated :sick: as I was, kept trying to find something that would taste/feel good. Bloop! :embarassed: No dance class Wed and Thurs either. BLOOP BLOOP.:embarassed: :frown: :embarassed:

On the positive side, last Saturday I stumbled into the mall and came out with 3 summerweight jackets, a skirt and a blouse, and they were all XLs not 1Xs. I asked the clerk if this was a plus sized store. When she said no I started to cry, I just couldn't believe it. When I stammered out that I was sorry to be so emotional, but that she couldn't know how much that meant, she hugged me and said she understood. What a sweetie! I didn't do nearly as well as you Barb, next time I'll hit the thrifts. But I was SO pleased, the $100 for 5 pieces, didn't even sting.

Gutt'n'butt 3rd try day 14 :bigsmile: The plan is to continue Gutt'n'butt for another 7 days, by when it should be a HABIT! Barbie you're RIGHT the hardest part is putting my body down on the mat.

Hugs to you all, and MacMadame I will do BETTER this weekend to compensate for this week. I Will, I WILL!:laugh:

Gratitudes 1-old fart in red Cadillac kept me from speeding through school zone 2-lightning, thunder and double rainbow 3-garden water at the turn of a faucet 4-Table Rock Copperhead Red Ale 5-DH who made me a compost screen, then never complained when I didn't use it for over a year, nor when I finally did use as a soil screen.