40+ Club: Fall Fitness Fanatics

thanks all for the warm welcome!

Stiring, a duathlon is just running and biking in 3 segments. An example would be 1-3 mile run followed by a 15-35 mile bike, and again followed by another 1-3 mile run. I am not a swimmer of any kind, so that is totally out! I have never run a 5k or ridden in a road race either...but I'm willing to put in the effort to get there! Once it gets warmer outside...who only knows when that will be in Iowa?!?! , I plan on getting outdoors for some "real" training. For now, I am content increasing my bike mileage on the bike trainer and increasing the total endurance on the treadmill. Also, I don't have a duathlon picked out yet, but I am looking around July-September. There is a Warrior Dash in Illinois that I am planning on doing in June with my BIL & SIL...totally awesome looking! Oh yeah, the Trainer thing...I would much rather at 40 go to a gym and have a 40+ trainer than some 20-something who has no clue about the struggles of the 40-something body/diet/hormones, etc!

Took last night off of working out...legs were extremely sluggish/achy from the 2 previous days of aerobics that I was not accustomed to I suppose? I was feeling like I may be coming down with some cold/sinus thing too...still feel that way this AM...its been a year, so I guess I'm due, especially when everyone in my work-place seems to be "sharing" their germs freely! I'm going to fight it still! Maybe a sit in the dry sauna would sweat it out? May do that in the AM, as we have the neighors over tonight for steaks and cocktails! I LOVE my neighbors! We have two great couples on two sides of us! Anyway, if I get home soon enough, I may jump on the elliptical trainer to see if I cannot burn a few extra calories for cocktails!?!

Kbefit - I too am at work! It has been really slow the last couple of days...argghh...I would much rather be swamped with paperwork!

Have a great weekend everyone!
christine

Morning 40+ crew!!!

Thanks for the welcome back!

Just wanted to jump in and say that I have been working with a personal trainer for over 2 years now, and I wouldn't trade him for the world. He's 26, and he has taken me from a couch potato to a pretty fit 55 year old. I really don't think age has much to do with the effectiveness of a trainer as much as their capability of understanding their clients. A great trainer will start with you where you are and work with you to get you to your goals.

I know that I feel exceptionally lucky to have found a trainer to work with that I have a good relationship with. And yeah, he was born in the 80s but we still find a lot of things in common to talk about, like football! Although I am not quite on board with Jersey Shore yet. :laugh:

However, the main think I would look for in a trainer is whether or not they themselves are fit, and Stiring is so fit I definitely would feel confident that she understands and knows what works. I think certifying as a Personal Trainer would be a great thing, Stiring!!! I definitely would want to work with you!!!!

mrsward and kbefit, welcome!!! This is a wonderful group of people here and we are all very supportive of each other.

kbefit, concerning your statement that you exercise a lot and consume a little you might want to read this link:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

I found it really interesting and informative. And it fit me to a T! I had been underconsuming for years!


Sing, glad to hear you are seeing the results of eating more nutritiously over just consuming less calories! It is amazing to me how much I CAN eat, if it's the right kind of food! Keep up the good work.

Alf, of course I came back! Too many great people here not to! I hope the new workout regimen works for you, although, seriously, teaching Zumba 4 days a week seems like plenty!!! You look great!

Texassipian, it's funny how much work those trainers can get us to do, isn't it? I'm very envious of you and the triathalon. Have you read anything about Tough Mudders? http://www.toughmudder.com You should go for that next!!!

Tomorrow is the first boot camp class of the new year. We've been off for 2 weeks, so I'm looking forward to/dreading it. Hopefully he'll take into account we've been loafing for two weeks.

Did lots of sparring in my training session yesterday and have the feeling that in a ring with an opponent I would be knocked out in seconds! :laugh: Finding the ducking and weaving part difficult to master. Guess I'll have to work on the running away part. :bigsmile:

Catch y'all next week!!!!

Good morning!!! Friday check in!! Well, I have no idea how much I weigh. :laugh: I really dont want to know. I know I am a little heavier than I was back in Oct...my clothes tell me that and the way I feel. What I hate the most is that I gain first in the belly and that truly bothers me...any suggestions of fast but healthy way to get rid of belly fat? I am eating better :drinker: and I am going to schedule my workouts today starting tomorrow!!! I can't wait!!!! :drinker:

Stirring, you HAVE to become a personal trainer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All the exercises you recommended my PT had recommended, well except for the kickbacks, but only because of my posture and how I tend to bring my shoulders in. During our last meeting we discussed all the exercises I could do, etc. It was right before the Holidays so I didnt do much but I am ready to start. He also suggested light weights. So I want to do 2 days of upper body and 2 days of lower body alternating and for cardio just the Zumba for now. I want to take one day off a week but that might be a little hard cause I teach Mon-Thu and on weekends I have more time to focus on the weight trng. Suggestions?

Cardi, You are very lucky to have a really good trainer who is young. I am sure he is one of those who are truly commited to their careers. Is he only certified as a personal trainer or does he also have a degree in fitness, health? I have seen so many young trainers in the gyms that are always looking at the girls instead of focusing on their clients. and others who have their clients do some really crazy stuff. I would definitely choose an older one myself who is more experienced with life in general and aging but that is just me. Like with anything people have to be very selective and "shop" around for a good trainer. Glad to hear you are doing so well....knock'em hardd!!! :laugh:

kbefit, welcome!!! I am also curious about your calorie intake...dont go below 1200 especially if you are exercising, you have to eat enough in order to lose weight in a healthy way.

mrsward, welcome!!! And congrats on your weight loss!!!!! :drinker:

Ok, gotta go...at work.

Have a wonderful weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

newbie to this forum sound pretty cool though so let me give you my details

48 year old male from beautiful Lake City, SC - married to my best friend - we have 5 children from 24 down to 15
started getting back in shape about 18 months ago when i got on the scales to see 192 pounds:noway: so because i have a pretty fair vain streak in me i started at the gym at work - started very slowy and gradually increased
i am now down to 175 (umm yeah it was 172 before the holidays )
I enjoy working out and have picked up running - something i never said i would do but now i am hooked - i don't consider myself a "runner" but rather someone who runs - i put in about 15 miles a week
my goal weight is 170 and i am having the hardest time getting there - before Christmas i was maintaining 172 pretty well but could not seem to get rid of those last 2 pounds but I do love my sweets and don't plan on giving them up entirely so i will just deal with the 2 pounds as a trade off
Anywho..............this is a great post - thanks for putting it out there

Darman, Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: With your determination, I am sure you will be at 170 before spring comes. How tall are you? My husband is in need to do what you have done!!! I dont know how else to put it to him. I have just stopped giving him advice. He has gained a lot of weight but refuses to exercise consistently. He can cut out processed foods, saturated fats and the "bad" stuff very well but I dont think he is eating enough and the way he should plus he truly needs to be more consistent with exercise. Welcome to this thread!

Sing, I too saw him on TV. I just pray that he doesnt turn back to drugs and alcohol now that he is going to have money. I hope he doesnt blow this great opportunity he has.

Cardigirl...thanks for the article. I will definitely read it. I have learned my lesson about under eating. About 2 years ago I lost about 30 pounds. The pic of my profile was at that time....I still had 30 to go. The only reason I use that pic is because I'd had computer issues and when I joined, it was the only one on my system. I should probably post a better "before" picture. Anyway, at that time I was exercising like a fiend. I have actually found what I love to do and so I did it for at least an hour everyday and wasn't really that hungry. After losing 30 pounds, my body just stopped losing. My doctor said that my body was probably going into starvation mode and refused to lose. But once I slowed down on the exercise my weight crept up and here I am again. I have yo-yo dieted all of my life and have to say I've probably only been thin about 4 times in my life....and for very short times. But when I was thin, I knew that's how I was supposed to be. And for me, I'm realizing that it's all about the food. It's not even what I put in my mouth because while I love sugar and junk as much as the next person, you'd be surprised at how healthfully I eat. For me I believe, it's the portion control. Even healthy food can become a detriment when eaten in mass quantities. I guess I need to listen to those signals. I admit it - I love good food and good wine. I also love to cook and like to eat what I cook. But guess what? I love pants with zippers too....and the beach....and tank tops....and the pool...and not shying away from the camera....and so on and so on. So I guess that those are the things I need to focus on. This journey WILL be exciting and I can still love what I love, but maybe just in smaller quantities

You're right alf...I need to follow the rules this time. It's getting to a point where food almost becomes scary to me and that's not the way it's supposed to be. Stirring thanks for your advice too...I do have supportive friends and I'm not afraid to tell them what I need. It was the same when I quit smoking years ago because you're right, this is my life, and I want to be around to live it!!!

cardigirl, you posted while I was posting! Thanks for the article. Nutrition is key, that's for sure. I'm glad you like your trainer and I totally agree that it is about finding the right person.

singfree, I find this current story kind of interesting too. I saw he and his mother on the Today Show this morning, and his mother is so deperate for him to turn his life around. I hope this is his time and he takes it.

darman, welcome! I'm with alf...I would like to know what you've done to lose the weight. My husband keeps saying he wants to lose weight, but he just won't listen to me. He'd rather read David Zinczenko that listen to what I say. Now, Zinczenko knows what he's talking about, but I feed my husband and it hurts me when he will say things like "I need to start eating better so I'm going to read Abs Diet". Granted, I only feed my husband when he is home, but it still annoys me because if he would just pay attention to what I've serving him (or what I'm eating when he is around), he'd know what 'eating better' is. Oh, well. Enough of that rant. Congratulations on your weight loss. Those last few pounds are tough. The thing that worked for me in losing it was intense exercise including strength training. You indicate you're running 15 miles a week. That's great, but is that your only exercise? If so, you might be able to shock your body into losing that little bit if you add a little more variety to the program.

alf, I'm so glad to hear I wasn't steering you in the wrong direction with exercises!! And I'm glad you talked to your PT about it as well. It sounds to me like you want to work out six days a week but have eight days worth of exercise, right? Can you fit in shorter workouts on the days you're doing Zumba at all? I'm just curious because if you can, then on one day you can do a 20-30 minute upper body and on another maybe one of the shorter premixes from Butts and Guts (since you'd mentioned doing that). On one day during the weekend, you can do a longer leg workout (like the entire Butts and Guts) and on Friday, you can do a longer upper body routine. The only important thing to remember, as you know, is to not do your upper or lower body workouts on consecutive days. To keep your upper body workout shorter, focus on the larger muscle groups (chest/back) if that's the only time you've got. Working these muscles burns more calories AND you also work many of the smaller muscle groups as well (note: you can hit the biceps doing back if you perform a bent-over row with an underhand grip). As far as the belly fat, it is all about the diet (or at least mostly about the diet). There is no quick way of getting rid of it. You just have to watch what you eat, avoid sodium, alcohol and processed foods, and drink plenty of water. Sadly, the place we add fat first is usually the place it comes off last. For me.....its my thighs. :grumble:

kbefit, I completely echo what cardigirl just wrote about looking at food as fuel. Once you start seeing it that way (and paying attention to how poorly junk food makes you feel) it will turn your life around. As she said, this is a journey well worth taking!

Thanks cardigirl. :blushing: :flowerforyou: And I totally agree with you and the whole 'ageism' issue....as well as what you said about trainers.

Totally agree about the fuel thing. That is why we never have "junk" in the house and HFCS isn't in our house either. Like I said we eat pretty healthfully, and we treat ourselves from time to time. We just need to watch those amounts. I have three active kids but I can see that sadly my 8 yr. old could follow in my footsteps and so we talk about health a lot. I am so glad I found this thread. You guys are all very knowledgeable and I know that I can learn a lot from you. What a great place!

Altushe I agree too that the message boards are slightly hard to follow. I'll get there though! :laugh:

Good morning everyone!

I have a question. Last night I just zero'd out my calories because I was going out to dinner and didn't know what the calorie count was at the restaurant. I ordered grilled vege fajitas...no meat...no cheese so I don't think it was a high calorie meal but you never know how it was prepared. Anyway, at the end of my diary it said if I continue to eat like this, I would be 3 pounds heavier then what it said the day before when I didn't eat back all of my exercise calories. If eating back your exercise calories can alter your outcome by that much...why would anyone do that? I understand about the under eating thing and your body going into starvation mode, but at the same time the same time, especially since I am in my 40's...wouldn't I want to do the maximum amount of weight loss since my metabolism is so slow and it's harder to get that weight off. I suppose logically I get it...but 3 pounds? That's a lot!