40+ Club: Spring Fitness Challenge

Options
13468925

Replies

  • Victorious_One
    Victorious_One Posts: 174 Member
    Options
    Hey, StiringWendel. You're right--powder proteins are probably best for me BUT I haven't been able to keep any down since my surgery. I think it's the artificial sweeteners in them. I did find a ready-to-drink shake that has 30g for 11 oz, which is great. It's not sold everywhere, so I have to dig a bit for it. If I can get that, I'll be in business! :happy: Right now I'm doing a shake that only has 17g of protein for 11 oz, but it's better than Slim Fast or Special K. Thanks for the encouragement!


    I am looking at a glass of water right now. I don't want to drink it. It makes me feel full and bloated. Meanwhile, I'm sure I'm past dehydrated because I haven't had 8 glasses of water probably in over the past 8 weeks! This is insane. I may have to pour the water in my IV or something.

    I got some wings from a local restaurant. If I eat them all, that's my 120 g of protein for the day! They are so yummy, I wish I could get them everyday.

    Ok, I'm going to drink this water and like it! :laugh: Have a great day, everyone.
  • tron3002
    tron3002 Posts: 440 Member
    Options
    Yesterday before our valentines date I squeezed in another work out on my treadmill. Only one hour this time. I am able to jog a full lap which is encouraging because a few weeks ago I couldn't even do a half of a lap. I dont know what I'm gonna do today... Maybe the stair stepper, which just kills my legs. But I feel I need to be doing more with my core.

    Victorious one... Just take a sip every so often and when you sit down for a meal sip on your water then too. Don't feel you have to just drink it out of the blue just because you need to. You will find the over time it will get easier. I was just like you. I HATED water, and now I find myself "sipping" 2 bottles full. (4-8 oz. glasses) Of course one of those is when I'm working out and hot. :laugh:
  • LadyPersia
    LadyPersia Posts: 1,444 Member
    Options
    Hurt my knee over the weekend and piled on the weight. Taking it easy on routines right now but really need a push to get back on track.

    Hope you are doing well on your fitness/good health adventure!
  • JuliaSoCal
    Options
    FINALLY... I found you ...

    I tried to find you 'all under "search" and had NO luck...

    So I kept checking all the post until I found you.

    Here I am :)

    Julia
  • KimKelly65
    Options
    Hi everyone!

    Way too busy at work to get a chance to post during the day , so I'll have to post after work. I am finally feeling better and have been able to workout the past two days at the gym! YAY! I walked my dog Sunday cause it was nice here! She was so happy.
    I'm hoping to make my challenge this week of working out five days!
    Had Qdoba's for Valentine's dinner and we got it free! They were running a special that if you kissed someone with you it was BOGO - buy one get one free. Then we had our card filled up and got the charged one free! :noway:
    I actually was able to go their website and pick my item and it added all the toppings and gave me the whole nutritional picture. I had the Chicken Taco salad...delicious!

    Lady Persia - Sorry to hear about your knee. Are you resting it? Don't get discouraged.

    Stiring - Im glad to hear you are better. Sounds like you do some serious workouts. I need to start strength training soon. Do you have equipment at home, what do you use?? Im interested

    Sing - I use the gym across the street form the hospital. I see it everyday on my way home so it calls to me to come workout! :happy: I do like the options they offer with classes and equipment. Im thinking of asking for a training session to get started on a program for strength training, toning, etc. Hope night shift hasn't been too bad.

    Tron - Congratulations on that Lap!!

    Victorous One - I agree with Tron just keep a glass handy and sip it throughout the day, this may help. My sister-in-law had gastric bypass and she carries a water bottle filled with something to drink everywhere.

    Well Im off to relax with my hubby. Hope everyone has a great evening.
  • singfree
    singfree Posts: 1,591 Member
    Options
    Good evening!

    I decided to join the local gym today. It's a new place called Anytime Fitness. I really enjoyed my workout. I was there for nearly 2 hours! I did a strong upper body workout and I am getting sore! I tried a lot of machines that are new to me. The really seem to target the areas where I am weakest. I then did a short but intense workout on the eliptical. Later I will do a lower body workout and some more cardio. Since I am on night shift, I am no longer limited to fitting my workout into my lunch hour. I can now stay as long as I like.

    Stiring, I'm with you on a challenge. Anything that does not include the scale is ok by me. As you know I'm a goal setter, especially if the goal is a vacation or something special. My short-range goal is to see some improvement by the 25th. We are going to Gettysburg for our anniversary getaway. My next goal is the end of April when we go to Utah to see my BIL. I'm glad you are back working out again. I'm sure the rest did some good!

    Things are going well sleep-wise. I get home around 7:30 am and have some oatmeal with my wife. I then sleep for about 5 hours, then eat a little before going to the gym. I take another nap in the evening before work. Sure, it's a crazy schedule, but it's something that i can handle.

    Have a great day!
  • 008Lizzy
    008Lizzy Posts: 95 Member
    Options
    HI 40+ers!
    I am new on here, just been finding my way around over the past ten days or so. Found you on here, hope you dont mind if I join in:flowerforyou:
    I am seeing my 40s flying past way too quickly, and want to make sure I get fit and fab before the next decade steps in:ohwell:
    My mind though is still 26 (not 21 was way too stupid at 21!), but yeah, 26 is about me :)
    I have lost ten lbs so far with MFP, a lot for first ten days but I know for sure it will slow down now and the first stage is usually water loss.
    Be nice to meet you all :heart:
  • StiringWendel
    StiringWendel Posts: 3,787 Member
    Options
    Good Morning All!

    Robin, I completely understand about the tiny portion sizes when it comes to things like granola, nuts or sunflower seeds. I FINALLY feel like I've been able to manage putting in a full serving size of nuts into my diet everyday, but I'll admit.....I had to remove something to get it in. But I think I've opted for the healthier thing in choosing the nuts AND I like feeling like I can have more than two peanuts in one day. Sounds like you are doing great and staying on track. Are you still doing Jillian's workouts? If so, I hope you're continuing to enjoy them.

    Victorious_One, unfortunately I'm not very well versed on protein drinks. I've heard Ensure being recommended to some people who've undergone gastric bypass, but I'm not sure what all of the additives are in that drink and whether they'd irritate you. I know I can't handle artificial sweeteners AT ALL, so I understand not being able to tolerate those. Have you tried pure whey protein isolate? It's supposed to be the best way to take in protein through a shake. I think GNC or Whole Foods or someplace like that may carry it. Then you can add your own stuff to it and maybe you'd be able to digest that. Just a suggestions, but I don't know what your dietary restrictions are either so.......I hope you find a solution soon.

    tron, great job in getting back to the workouts!!

    LadyPersia, so sorry to hear about the injury. You were going so strong too! Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to recover. I understand the feeling of gaining alot of weight quickly when you stop moving, but I would imagine that you haven't put on that much weight that quickly. Just make sure to start watching what you eat and, again, make sure you give your injury enough rest so that you don't re-injure or make it worse what you start back.

    JuliaSoCal, glad you found us!!!!!!

    KimKelly, so glad you are feeling better. Don't push yourself too hard this week since you're probably still recovering a little. Great job on Valentine's Day. Sounds like a delicious dinner. Regarding my workouts, I have a complete set of dumbells at home (ranging from 1# to 40# dumbells). I've accumulated them over the past 20 years, so it wasn't one huge investment, which is good. I also have a kettlebell, a stability ball, a medicine ball, a few steps, ankle weights (a couple sets), wrist weights, etc. In other words, I have enough to give myself an effective workout with a variety of DVDs. It is my workout method of choice because I love variety and working out on machines really gets boring to me after awhile. You definitely don't need all of the equipment I've got to get in an effective at-home workout. A resistance band (or tubing) and a couple of dumbells is all you'd really need to start. Feel free to ask more questions if you have any.

    singfree, WOW!! Sounds like you had a great workout yesterday. How fun to be able to try out new machines. I'm sure you're feeling it today. For a challenge, I'm thinking of maybe doing something like 'no more than 200 calories 5 days a week of a 'treat' food' or something like that. I'm not of the mindset right now that I want to go cold turkey on anything, but I need to manage the amount I'm eating (or drinking) of certain things on a daily basis....and a couple totally clean days wouldn't be bad either. My goal is aimed at the end of April right now, so that works into your goals as well. Do you have any thoughts?

    Blondie, welcome!!!! I'm with you in feeling I'm in my 20s most days....and then I have to remind myself that I'm 45! Where did the time go? Congratulations on your weight loss so far!! Feel free to jump right into the conversation here. We'd love to get to know you better.

    All here is going well. I got in a good workout yesterday (bootcamp, bicep/tricep and legs). Today I'm going to try a longer cardio workout, and then do shoulders/core. My eating is still really off right now, but at least I'm getting back to working out. I know the eating discipline will kick in shortly.

    Hope you all have a great day.
  • Robin1117
    Robin1117 Posts: 1,768 Member
    Options
    good morning! I wasn't planning to write in this morning as I am kind of in a time crunch, but a light bulb went off this morning on my snowshoe w/the pup that made me want to take a moment to say thanks to all of you for your advice and continued support.

    I know I'm a bit slow to take that advice--or even to have fully believed some of the things I try to tell myself about health, weight, eating, exercise, weight loss, etc.....but I think I truly believe it now.

    So yes, Stiring--I am on day 3 level 3 of the 30 day shred now and am so proud of myself! I'm not great at this new level yet but I can finally see how much stronger and more confident I am getting by some of the exercises I am doing. I mentioned in past posts my husband is on week 3 of eating better and tracking and as a results, he has been leaving the scale out. Even though I'm a non-weigher at heart, having this scale look at me in the bathroom in the morning has prompted me to hop on a few times.

    The Verdict: my clothes feel great. my completely unforgiving jeans are getting baggier in the rear-end. hips seem more streamlined. And, the scale says I weigh 3 lbs MORE than I did this past summer. Well--I'm finally a believer that weight does not matter because if I gained weight and feel strong and fit into my clothing, who cares??

    So that's the revelation---thanks again Stiring, Sing, Alf, MK, Altushe, Pepper, Card, Tron and everyone else who has been patient to listen to my story for the last year or so :smile: (and who hopefully will continue!)

    Anyway, Blondie--welcome! Look forward to hearing more about you. I'm with you on feeling 26-30 :) I agree I was too immature at 21 to want to go back but I'm happy to try to look like I'm still that age....

    Sing--looks like you are getting used to the new routine--hooray for the gym! And good for you to be motivated enough to join!

    Stiring--so glad you are back on track. The clean eating will catch up. Enjoy your nice long workout this morning. Once I'm done w/this shred I may bug you for more suggestions on some of these workout dvd's as I'll have to figure out what to do post-shred (since I will not go back to 1 hr elliptical workouts!)

    have a great day everyone!!
  • Texssippian
    Options
    Hi all! I am almost finished with a major big project at work which has been eating up nights and weekends (and days too). It is due to the board next thrusday but I think it will be finished by this Friday. Yea! A nice birthday present to myself.

    I need to get back to pool and swim. I have no excuse for not doing things (other than work...) since we have a treadmill, exercise bike and free weights at home.

    Welcome all the new people.

    Need to get back to work. Take care all. TXMs
  • pepper06
    Options
    howdy everyone! Hope V day was nice. We went to the Lake Placid NY area and had a great time-tried dog sledding out, and did a snowmobile run. We found a WONDERFUL pub/brewery that would be soooooooo dangerous to have in town-we went twice because it was SO GOOD. Anyway it was around zero and with 3 layers our toes flet like they were going to freeze to death.....brrrrr.
    I did loose my cell on the snowmobile ride:cry: I replaced it w/a cheap one for the time being(hate having to reload my address bk)

    Tron-I feel your pain-my husband sort of thinks that way too-all about calories not ingredients like sodium,fats etc-such a pain-sometimes its better to not say anything or make a comment.

    well after the weekend I drank allot yesterday and made a pot of bean soup so I had 1 bowl and a peppermint patty.
    Today, I drank allot and I had 1 meal so far as the office provided a buffet. I am hoping to make up for some of those bad calories.

    Well, my inlaws are coming tomorrow for a couple of cdays, so I plan to have a lite v of shrimp scampi and another meal of roasted chicken-they love to eat-sadly think its one of the things they live for.

    well, gym class today should be a real workout!
  • singfree
    singfree Posts: 1,591 Member
    Options
    Stiring, your suggestion about the treats sounds good to me. I might also add that we strive to do at least some kind of workout 5-6 times per week. I'm not suggesting a full-blown workout necessarily, even a brisk walk would do. As long as we move our butts on a consistent basis. That should be a piece of cake for you! I'm not as sore as I thought I might be, but I was somewhat lethargic at the gym today. My goal will be the end of April as well. We are leaving on 4/30 for UT.
  • mkwood10
    mkwood10 Posts: 428
    Options
    Hello everyone - finally found the time to make it into the site and thread- the last week's been nutso at work and the weekend too. Glad to see so many new names and old friends in the thread - the more the merrier :bigsmile:

    I'm totally enjoying this gorgeous spring-like day :glasses: and wishing I wasn't at work!!! Took a 15 minute walk a little while ago with a co-worker - didn't want to go back inside! It's 69 right now (at 4:00pm) ; projected to hit mid 70's tomorrow - yeah!!!!!!!! I'm really hoping that our early spring is here to stay; don't want to see any more snow :noway: :noway: . I'm acutally hoping that we DO get the thunderstorms they're predicting for Sunday - maybe they'll wash the crud and sand off the roads!

    Struggling with back/shoulder issues again:frown: . Had to help out with interviews yesterday for a position at Kansas State's new Olathe campus, which is 2.5 hours from here and spending 5 hours in a car wasn't fun. :grumble: Oh well............I will have several hours of comp time to use in the next few weeks, so I might actually get to enjoy some nice spring weather!!

    Trying a new thing in my diet - found a chocolate soy milk that I like and I'm drinking it instead of lowfat chocolate milk. I can't sit down and drink a glass of milk (semi-lactose intolerant; will belch for hours), so I've always kept chocolate milk in the fridge and take a few swallows of that when I take medication in the morning, early evening and just before bed. My nurse practitioner keeps telling me to add more soy to my diet to help regulate my late 40's" thermostat swings", so I experimented and discovered that I kinda like the Silk Light chocolate soy milk. Hoping that it'll help; hard to tell after only a week.
  • tron3002
    tron3002 Posts: 440 Member
    Options
    Yesterday I decided to go into the weight room because my son was in there. My arms are a little sore but man my right elbow hurts like crazy. Dont know what I did there.

    Pepper.... Dog sledding sounds like fun. Super cold though.... BRR! I've always wanted to try snowmobiling though. My son in law lost his iphone over in Afghanistan already. Or someone stole it. I hope it wont cost a lot to replace it once he gets back. They cant use their phones over there so its on suspension while he's gone which makes me laugh because every where I go you see a donation box so the soldiers can call home.

    Robin... Take your measurements and keep track both weight wise and inches. Its crazy how the scale will say we lost nothing or even gained and yet we still lost inches. I learned last summer to change my goal to a measurement rather than a number on the scale. Congrats on the inches!!!!

    Victorious_one.... The doctor gave mt step dad ensure but he's lost a lot of weight and they are trying to get him to gain so I dont know the sugar amount in it either. Next time I'm over there I will try to remember to look.

    Sing.... Its great to be able to try new machines. I enjoyed that when we went to the hotel the last time we were in Nevada. One machine I thought I really wanted after trying it.... Not so much. Others, now I really want!!!! They are just so darn expensive!

    Welcome to all the new comers!!!!
  • LadyPersia
    LadyPersia Posts: 1,444 Member
    Options
    Good Morning everyone.

    Kim and everyone thanks for the get well wishes. Being above 40 my body does not heal as well as it did when I was 18...rofl. It is a slow start back. I have been walking and doing 10 min workouts on my abs just not my regular routines. No knee work with squats or lunges. I dont feel I'm ready yet. Slow and steady.

    We are suppose to have beautiful weather for the next couple of days in NEPA, so I plan on cashing in on the rays and exercising outside.

    Have a great week!! Stay fit and hydrated:)
  • StiringWendel
    StiringWendel Posts: 3,787 Member
    Options
    Good Morning!

    Robin, I'm really glad to hear you are continuing to enjoy 30 Day Shred! Ask any questions you have regarding workout DVDs. I'll try to help as much as I can!

    TxMs, good to see you! Sorry to hear things are so busy. Hope they settle down soon. Just think, river aerobics and/or water polo should be starting up in just a few months, right?

    pepper, sounds like you had a great Valentine's Day! Don't worry too much about the treats this weekend. Sounds like you have everything under control.

    mk, good to see you! I'm sorry to hear that the pain has returned. :frown: I hope it doesn't last as long this time or get as severe. Please let us know if the extra soy helps with the 'temperature swings'!

    tron, great job getting some strength training in. Sounds like you are doing great!

    LadyPersia, sounds like you are doing exactly what you need to be doing to rehab from this injury. You are right about our bodies not recovering as quickly. I've merely suffered from a cold, and I can feel it big time as I'm trying to get back into my workout routine. But you are right....slow and steady is the way to go. Don't push it, and you'll be fine.

    singfree, how about a challenge that's something like 'no more than 10% of calories a day in 'treat foods' and exercise consisting of 45 minutes of activity at least five days a week'? I figured it would be better to go with % of calories since we probably eat pretty different calorie amounts. I probably will start on 1 March and go through 14 April (which is my husband's birthday). I'm waiting to start only because it looks like I'm headed out to California next week for a conference, so I'm not going to be able to workout (and there is the wine tasting one day in Napa that I'm looking forward to :blushing: ) But I see no reason you can't extend your challenge until the 30th of April. I'll probably start mine up again after my husband's birthday and our anniversary (21 April) and take it until late May. Let me know what you think.

    And if anybody else wants to join in on this challenge, please do!!!!! And let us know if you have any suggestions/ideas to make it better or more effective.

    All here is going well. I did a hour of lower intensity cardio yesterday followed by a short resistance training session for my shoulders, calves and core. It felt really good. Today I'm going to try to up the cardio intensity a bit by doing a Turbo Fire routine, but I'll keep the duration shorter. And then I'm going to do a good, solid lower body workout. I'm definitely getting my energy back, and my body is getting used to the activity again. High's today in the 60s and tomorrow in the 70s so I'm hoping to get out for some good walks as well. My eating is still really bad, but I'll work on that soon.

    Enjoy your day! :flowerforyou:
  • kbefit
    kbefit Posts: 116
    Options
    OK I'm in...I did 45 minutes of swimming yesterday. That treat thing is a great challenge because the Girl Scout Cookies have just arrived! :laugh: I just want to feel more and more fit. I'm going to Florida next month and while I realize I won't be "skinny" I'd love to at least start to feel good about myself.

    Have a great day!
  • singfree
    singfree Posts: 1,591 Member
    Options
    Good afternoon!

    I just got back from the gym. I had a good upper body workout and some eliptical. I'm really enjoying the new environment. It is nice and warm today (65 deg), so I might get my bike out for a quick 10 mile ride.

    Stiring, your suggestions sound great! I will start right away on this through at least April. I NEED to stay with this until I get back in shape. Enjoy the Napa wines!

    I will check in tonight at work.

    Have a great day!
  • Texssippian
    Options
    Stiring, my picture right now is the view out the Wine Train window going trough Napa valley in mid January. Even though the vines are dormant, it is still very pretty there! Enjoy volitizing the esthers! And you are right, I am alrady getting excited about another round of river aerobics and hopefully water polo this summer. Still not finished with the big project at work. Probably will have to work on it some this weekend. GRRR

    I think the weather is nice here, from what I can tell by looking out the window at the far end of the buidling. Take care all! TxMs
  • tron3002
    tron3002 Posts: 440 Member
    Options
    My workout yesterday consisted of shoveling snow for about an hour and a half. Wow! am I sore today. My elbow is hurting like crazy though. Today I am planning on hitting the treadmill again.

    Its supposed to snow all week here in Norther California. Dang! I really hope it doesn't.

    kbefit... Dont think of getting "skinny" have your goal be getting stronger/fitter. Skinny doesn't = healthy. My goal right now is to be able to hike those hills with the hubby and not want to die. :laugh:

    Texssippian... Still jealous of your river aerobics. That sounds like the perfect workout!