September Fitness Challenge

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suejoker
suejoker Posts: 317 Member
Hey, Warrior Women!

I played way too much in August (well, maybe not, since I'm a Leo;). I really fell short of my fitness goals and ended the month at the same weight I started. Anyway, I'm ready to refocus on my health & fitness goals and it's more fun to do this with company. Remember that this is a public group and that all supportive women with fitness goals are welcome!

Here are my September fitness goals:

1) Walk an average of 7500 steps/day, 6 days/week.

2) Do Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred, every day.

3) Have as many spontaneous dance parties as possible;)
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  • culo97
    culo97 Posts: 256 Member
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    Hey, Warrior Women!

    I played way too much in August (well, maybe not, since I'm a Leo;). I really fell short of my fitness goals and ended the month at the same weight I started. Anyway, I'm ready to refocus on my health & fitness goals and it's more fun to do this with company. Remember that this is a public group and that all supportive women with fitness goals are welcome!

    Here are my September fitness goals:

    1) Walk an average of 7500 steps/day, 6 days/week.

    2) Do Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred, every day.

    3) Have as many spontaneous dance parties as possible;)

    Me likey 1 & 3. #3 is definitely doable. The other two are stretch goals that can be reached if you stay focused. Good Luck.

    My September goal will be to stick to the 5:2 ADF IF method for the whole month. To break it down that's limiting myself to a maximum of 600 calories two out of seven days of the week. Nonconsecutive, alternate days, intermittent fasting method. If I can go 16 consecutive hours without eating, I get into the bonus fat burning zone. I'm not strong enough to do 100 percent/zero calorie fasting yet. Maybe if my health improves, I'll try it in the future.

    I had a trail run during the last week of August. I felt weak and dizzy in the mornings, at the end of the 16 hours, so I don't want to push it. I think I can do it but it won't be a walk in the park.
  • CumberlandGrammy
    CumberlandGrammy Posts: 331 Member
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    Great goals, friends!

    I plan to ride my exercise bike or work out on our elliptical machine for a total of 1,000 ,minutes in September. My daily goal is 30 minutes, which would bring me to 900. I figured why not go for 1,000 since I am in the neighborhood. I also plan to keep my garden in good shape and start my fall veggies. This will keep me quite active, and I love being outside!

    Best of luck to everyone in this month's challenge!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Great goals everyone.

    I'm going to stick to my Runkeeper run training program and focus on trying to commute by bike at least 3 days per week, with an additional ride on the weekends. I've been doing well with this so far (well, haven't been consistent with the commuting, but that should get easier in the fall before it gets tougher in the winter).

    I'm also going to continue trying to do one new thing a week.

    As part of the "new things" (since I'm pretty liberal about what counts), I've been really liking the pilates and yoga I've done, I am going to try and work in a second pilates class per week (probably not this first week, but after this) and experiment with the various yoga options around me to find out what style I appreciate the most.

    I'm still thinking about adding in 30DS also, but I'll probably start it a week into the month if I do (my schedule is going to be difficult this first week).
  • suejoker
    suejoker Posts: 317 Member
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    Happy September, Warrior Women!

    I started out the month with a BANG! First thing this morning, my friend Helena and I walked around the lake. Then, after lunch, I did JM's 30 Day Shred. I was kind of dreading it, because the last time I tried one of her videos I only lasted 5 minutes. But, I made it through all 27 minutes and while it was difficult, it was doable. My legs and abs are starting to feel it--6 hours later. I hope I can walk tomorrow. Great goals, Everyone!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Congrats on the 30DS, Sue.
  • schnicklefritz1
    schnicklefritz1 Posts: 130 Member
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    What is/are 30DS?
  • schnicklefritz1
    schnicklefritz1 Posts: 130 Member
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    September goals

    1) At least 4 mornings a week of cardio
    2) At least 5 nights a week of cardio (includes classes and lifting)
    3) Eating clean and healthy
    4) To continue to work on self image and positive self talk

    My body is changing weeky and I am a different person than I was 2 months ago, but looking in the mirror is just not a happy thing for me. Although, today, I liked what I saw and have gotten many compliments about "oh my gosh, look at your face and neck...you look awesome" One girl stopped in her tracks and turned around and came back to tell me that. LOL It was nice. It is hard to say thank you...with out adding a "but" to it....I am trying, I am a work in progress and I have just about zero self esteem...with the exception of when I am in the weight room lifting.

    That is about all I have. I lost my fitbit and can not buy a new one, so steps are out. I don’t know what the physical therapist is going to say about the knees, right now I am kind of “grounded” . I am not a happy camper and I am nervous about the weight loss stopping. I am not ready to give up yet…just need to find other forms of cardio to fill in the gaps. Physical therapy starts on Thursday….thank goodness. I have never actually wanted to go to PT and have avoided it like the plague…but I need these puppies fixed. LOL
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    30DS=Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, a workout.

    Sounds like a good September plan. I think you should be so proud and happy, and definitely focus on the weights, which sound like such a good thing for you, to be able to feel good about being strong and appreciate your body that way, even if you aren't there yet on some other kinds of appreciation.

    I found PT really helpful, so I hope it is for you too.
  • suejoker
    suejoker Posts: 317 Member
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    Jodi, if you're interested in the 30 Day Shred, all 3 levels are on You Tube. Your ambitious goals are so admirable! You have been kicking @$$!!!

    Stephanie, thanks for the encouragement on the 30DS! It was actually harder today, since I was sore from yesterday. After I did it, I had to go into the city for a meeting and had to keep shifting in my seat, because I was even more sore! I'm hoping that my body will adjust to this new level of intensity soon.

    I haven't been able to reach Fitbit to have them help me fix my syncing problem. I haven't been able to sync in 9 days. The good news is, I got over 13,000 yesterday and am at 7,637 so far today.
  • belle_reve9
    belle_reve9 Posts: 1,099 Member
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    jodi...I had that problem, too. What kind of phone do you have? Do you sync from your phone? This was the answer I revceived, and ti worked.

    """‎07-09-201411:08
    Found another post elsewhere in the Help Forum - log out of your Fitbit app, force close the app on your phone, reboot your phone then log back in. It fixed mine - I have a Samsung Galaxy S4. Good luck!"""
  • culo97
    culo97 Posts: 256 Member
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    Admirable goals everyone. I know you'll work hard to reach them.

    So happy this is the last month, I hope, of being banned from below the waist exercising. Of course I've snuck in some bike rides here and there but I've mostly stuck to it. (My reward was swollen and painful leg.) I've even kept my walks below the 5 mile limit.

    I'm so proud of my recent Farmers Market find, purple potatoes.

    Purple Potatoes Before Cooking
    cm7lCsh.jpg

    Purple Potatoes Mashed
    JoV4sbW.jpg
    SueJoker
    I haven't been able to reach Fitbit to have them help me fix my syncing problem. I haven't been able to sync in 9 days. The good news is, I got over 13,000 yesterday and am at 7,637 so far today.
    You can manually enter your Fitbit steps, until you can synch. I put the instructions in the following post.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/688784-manually-adding-steps?hl=fitbit+walking+icon#posts-19886994

    schnicklefrit, I was raised with a log of negativity. So it's a lifelong battle to force myself to do some positive self talk and not to argue people out of any compliments that come my way.

    lemurcat12, I'm sure you'll enjoy your "new things" goals. I consider this attitude part of my life philosophy. If I'm not constantly learning and/or trying new things, I'm failing at life. It forces me to be open minded and give things a chance. The older I get, the harder I have to push against my "Grumpy Old Fart" mentality.
  • schnicklefritz1
    schnicklefritz1 Posts: 130 Member
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    No I actually lost my Fitbit....Can't track what I don't have. LOL I kind of miss it, but I am doing so much other stuff that I almost don't care about my steps any more. The amount of steps for me personally is almost irrelavant. LOL
  • schnicklefritz1
    schnicklefritz1 Posts: 130 Member
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    Culo...all my life I was told that no matter what I did was not good enough, I was not pretty enough etc. . . So, breaking that thought process is difficult. I am now 45 and have been married and divorced twice...married again now....I will keep this one....and work on me. Thanks for the kind words.
  • suejoker
    suejoker Posts: 317 Member
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    Hi, Warrior Women! I found out this week that I needed to modify my September goals, since the 30DS isn't meant to be done every day. So, now my goals are...

    1) Walk an average of 7500 steps/day, 6 days/week.

    2) Do Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred, 3 days/week.

    3) Have as many spontaneous dance parties as possible;)

    AND, I'm proud to report I made every one of my goals, this past week. I averaged 8,211 steps/day, I did JM's 30DS 4x, and had many spontaneous dance parties! I have a lot of spontaneous dance parties, these days. I think it's because I have a larger apartment. It just encourages more movement!

    How was your first week of September?
  • CumberlandGrammy
    CumberlandGrammy Posts: 331 Member
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    How was this first week? Well, it was a pretty happy one celebrating my son's 30th birthday. I just love my kids' birthdays - always said they were my favorite holidays. My weight is still slipping down and creeping back up - sigh...

    As far as my September fitness goals, I have clocked 260 minutes on my exercise bike, which puts me on track for 1,000 by the end of the month. I am eating within my calorie allotment each day, eating back most of my exercise calories. I hope my weight will budge and start to hover more in the lower 140s by being more consistent on the bike each day (30 minutes minimum) and moving as much as I can in my day to day routines of childcare and gardening.

    Hope everyone has had a great weekend!
  • culo97
    culo97 Posts: 256 Member
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    Nice work being on track to hit your September goals suejoker and CumberlandGra. I'm starting to think a lot of the popular exercise DVDs aren't really to be done everyday. I almost killed myself trying to stick to the Focus T25 daily program. If people are supposed to do rest days between weight lifting or resistance workouts, it makes sense the same rules apply to DVDs.

    I'm disappointed in myself. I didn't achieve a perfect 5:2 intermittent fasting method for last week. I went over by a sandwich and some watermelon, @ 650 calories, on my second fast day. I did over 16 consecutive hours without eating (a different alternate fasting method) the next day but it didn't seem to make up the difference. I gained about a pound compared to the last week in August.

    I'm counting down the days until my doctor appointment in two weeks. That's when the Dr. is supposed to evaluate my progress on the Coumadin treatment. I've been fantasizing about which bike trails I'm going to hit as soon as I get the thumbs up. I can finally check out my Shaun T Hip Hop Abs DVDs that arrive the same week I was banned from lower body exercising.

    By the way, suejoker, how are you liking your HRM? Is it what you expected?
  • suejoker
    suejoker Posts: 317 Member
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    Hey, Warrior Women! I just got back from another rousing night of stand-up comedy. I ran into an old friend and he asked about my youngest son & I thought I'd give you guys an update too. Sam, who I used to have to force to take an hour walk 3x/week is now voluntarily taking walks 6x/week and doing a strength & conditioning class at the YMCA 2x/week. He also said, when offered cheesecake on his birthday, "I think I'll pass, because I already had some sugar today." I don't know if he's lost any weight, but he's looking pretty fine and has a much healthier attitude towards food and exercise.

    I got through another session of JM's 30 Day Shred. This was my 5th time doing it and I really feel the difference! I didn't have any problem getting through it, though it still makes me sweat like a pig in a bacon factory. It's not near as hard as it was the first few times and I'm pretty sure that it's just what I needed to get my body to give up a little more fat.

    In other fitness news, I got a replacement Fitbit, since they couldn't figure out how to fix my syncing issue either.

    Culo, I don't like my HRM. I thought I would, but it bugs me when I wear it. And the burns it reports are not very encouraging. I'll walk an hour and it'll say I've burned 26 calories. Or, I'll do a really intense workout for 1/2 hour and it'll say I burned 100 calories. I may have not given it enough of a chance or maybe I'm using it incorrectly, but that's my limited review of the Polar FT60. I hope you get the all clear from your doctor! It must be hard to hold back all this time, although whenever I see your burns, it seems like you've adapted pretty well. How's the IF going this week? I can't fast anymore, because I did it too much as a teenager and my whole body just goes nuts--my stomach fills with acid, I get dizzy and anxious. I kind of do the opposite now--I eat about every 3-4 hours, like a baby;)

    CumberlandGrammy, great job keeping up your bike rides, while maintaining your busy mom/grandma duties! I wish you would post a picture of your garden, one of these days. I've tried to picture it, but I have no idea what it could like. I know it's well loved. My little garden is coming along. I'm getting ready to put in raised garden beds this weekend, to totally transform my yard!
  • schnicklefritz1
    schnicklefritz1 Posts: 130 Member
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    Hey all.....Heart Rate Monitors...I LOVE MINE and nope I can't even tell you what it is. LOL Someone bought it as a gift for me. I personally think the one I have does a really good job...it has a chest strap and those are the most accurate. You just have to make sure that they have good contact.

    Got another loss this week. After traveling all weekend and eating every thing I could find on Sunday....I had a loss. Strange, the trainer was even shocked and asked how I pulled that one off. LOL

    Physical Therapy is very painful and awful. They are trying to get my glutes and the pelvic muscles to relax and let go and they have to do a lot of digging...And of course they dig in the same spot every other day, so on top of the bruises that were there. Ugh. I just can't wait to go tonight. And when I am done with them I go to work out with Dan. Tonight is supposed to be "jodi gets to lift heavy things' night, but I can not do deadlifts or squats right now...so I am not sure what will happen. Last Wednesday I did bench a personal best of 115...so at least I am making progress some where. Baby steps. I am trying to be patient. But that is not really a word in my vocab. ha ha

    Anyway...how is every one doing? Why so quiet in here?
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    I've just been getting distracted by other things, and I've been falling asleep the second I get a free moment in the evening. This is still one of my favorite places on MFP, though.

    Jodi, it sounds like you are doing well, although I'm sorry the PT is so painful. I found it exhausting too, and also got bruised, although the PT seemed worried when she saw that--I had to assure her that I bruise easily (which I do). It sounds like yours may be more comfortable with that aspect, I dunno. I'm sure you and Dan will find some fun lifting to do despite the restrictions. Your strength is so impressive to me--I like what I'm doing with weights, but one of these days I'll focus more on heavy lifting!

    Culo, good luck with the doctor! I'd love to hear about your bike trails and the Hip Hop Abs DVDs when you get clearance. My sister does Insanity and really likes Shaun T.

    Sue, I was wondering if you fixed the synching since I saw it seemed to be working again. A new one is even better! I have to admit that I struggle with the HRM too--I don't like the chest strap, so I just use it off and on to spot check.

    I just posted elsewhere that it was around 50 this morning (fall is here, as if the football and encroaching darkness weren't already a tip off!), and that's got me thinking about how to keep up the exercise over the winter, as I've been relying so much on the outside. I don't mind running in the cold (biking is more of a challenge for me--people who bike commute all year round here always amaze me, although I also just think they are insane), but cold and snow and ice like we had last year will force me inside.

    Anyway, I do have that half marathon in early November to keep me focused, but I'm thinking about how to stay motivated after that.
  • suejoker
    suejoker Posts: 317 Member
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    Stephanie, YES! I can sync again, with my brand new Fitbit. This one seems even better. I like that they keep improving it. Did you notice we both have the same number of pounds to go?! I may reach for another 20, when I get to my goal, but I'll keep you posted. I also prefer the great outdoors, but commuting year round in Chicago is INSANE! Do you like any of your video workouts? If not, there are a ton of free ones on You Tube. Also, I sometimes enjoy my Wii Fit workouts. You can probably find a used one on craigslist to help you get through the winter.

    Jodi, congrats on your unexpected weight loss! I think you really deserved that, as hard as you've been working. I still marvel at your ability to lift and run! My limited experience with PT was horrible, too. I hope that it gets better. It may be less painful, as you continue. I am an extremely patient person and I think patience is overrated. People who are patient usually end up putting up with all kinds of crap, because they can.

    I've got mid-week inertia. I don't know why, because I certainly don't have a lot of demands at work. I think, maybe, it's the addition of more social and stand-up comedy activity. I feel like just lying in bed all day. But, off I go to take a shower!

    Keep up the great work, Warriors!