WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR FEBRUARY 2012

They groan about the dance routines, :grumble: but I make them go until everyone participates and even the most reluctant recognize a chance to get out of “real work” for a few minutes!

I used to volunteer at my kids' school or after-school care places, working with kids to try to get them more interested in moving. Being an ex-dancer, my routines tended to lean toward the dance-y side. Guys especially didn't care for that, lots of moaning and groaning as you said, so I made up some routines that included sports movements.

For example, I'd divide them into rows and have them start at the back of the room. They'd swing an imaginary bat, run forward a few steps, stooping down to pick-up an imaginary grounder on the run, then throw it as hard as they could, still on the run. Then that row would jog down the side of the room to the back again while the next row was taking their turn. Those waiting at the back of the room had to jog or march in place. I had one for football, basketball, and soccer too.

For those of you asking about broccoli, I fave the seed ordered, but won't plan them until the end of February. We are working on prepping the beds now. I will be planting onions, garlic and sweet potatoes sometime after Valentines Day though the bulk of my garden won't go in the ground until Good Friday. I live in zone 7 so our last frost is usually mid March and our First freeze is late October. We've had unseasonably warm weather this winter so my spring flowers are already trying to grow. To find out when to plant what in you area check with your county extension service or Farmer's Almanac.

Today I am working on taxes. Will be soooo glad to have that out of the way for another year.

You know, I started watching one episode of Dr. Oz where Elizabeth Hasselback was on telling about how she felt bloated etc and subsequently found out that she was gluten intolerant. I want to watch that episode again. Wonder if I could be gluten sensitive, could that be why I feel so bloated lately? What exactly does gluten sensitive mean. I would hope it would mean that I don't have to eliminate all gluten products. I don't feel sick when I have gluten. Need to watch it again.

Gluten seems to affect different people different ways. Seems like most of the people who have problems with it have digestion issues -- bloating, gas, stomach pains, constipation, diarrhea; the most extreme of these is celiac disease. But it has also been implicated in some people for headaches, aching joints, eczema, exhaustion, depression, and a host of other things. Of course, now it's become the "illness du jour" -- everyone with unexplained symptoms is claiming it's caused by gluten and jumping on the gluten-free bandwagon, so it's hard to know what's really caused by the gluten.

My aunt was having problems with swallowing -- sometimes it would feel that food got stuck in her throat and she just couldn't get it down. She went to the doctor, but he couldn't find any cause for it. The problem would come and go, but eventually she began to notice that it would occur when she ate some wheat product (she wasn't a big bread or cake eater, so that was why it only happened once a week or so). She cut out the gluten in her diet, and she hasn't had any problem since.

Hello! My goal is to drink more water this month, I find it so hard to drink 8 glasses a day, Plus I would like to lose at least 4 lbs and anymore would be a bonus.

Feb isn't over, I'd like to join.

Will report back with some goals.

I'm jumping in a little late, but showing up is half the battle.

February Goals:
1. Complete Jillian Michaels "Ripped in 30". I started Week 2 today.
2. Work on my water intake. I am woefully inadequate when it comes to that.
3. Take some pictures before it's too late to have a "before"
4. See a reduction in my measurements. I recorded them yesterday, and I will check them again at the end of each week of Jillian.
5. Try not to let the scale determine my mood or my feelings of success or failure.

Sorry you are facing potential for major surgery. Remember there are lots of us out here rooting for you if that happens. Don't hesitate to keep us updated.

Hi Ladies:

I was away for the weekend visiting my son and DIL who are in the Canadian military and was not able to log on so I have missed so much!!

Welcome to all the Newcomers, I look forward to getting to know you

So much happened since last week, I cannot begin to respond to everyone other than to say a couple stick out:

Virginia: sorry about you losing your little kitty :flowerforyou:

Jane = I hope you can get your knees figured out, certainly not what you need right now. I am sending you my thoughts and prayers :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

I know there was so much more, but I did not take notes this time as there was too many pages to read :laugh:

At work they have decided they want to down size, no not me, but the other secretary will be let go, which will make my job a whole lot harder. I am already extremely busy and now I will be doing the work for 2 lawyers; but what can you do? And here I was hoping against hope that I could retire in like maybe 4 years :frown:

Anyway, my Friends, take care and I will talk to you later.

Love, Cathy xx

Good Evening ladies...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the activity on this blog...so inspiring!

I made it through Superbowl party...however, I somehow managed to get tackled by a cheese & cracker platter. Result...up 1.5 pounds today. Ugh. Onward ... and downward. Where was my "good choices" voice when I needed it?

Angie...hope your recovery continues to be smooth...be careful!

Kackie...MT I am assuming is Montana...a state I have ALWAYS wanted to visit. Perhaps one day in retirement.

Jackie...I've seen those Mystery Shopper ads, and have always wondered if they were for real...let me know!

Realpure...I had the same thoughts about Madonna...I don't think I looked as good as she does at 53 when I was 20 !!!

Pam...glad you're feeling better...

Donna...I confess to being a "Scale Addict". I get on every day, but have found that when I don't...I tend to get way off track ... I want to know every day what I am doing right and what I am doing wrong.

JB...thinking I might join you on the salad sistas thing...today mine was tossed with some turkey, chick peas & fat free honey dijon. Today I was trying to redeem myself from my SB fall...but salads every day work for me too. My fave is spinach salad with strawberries, red onion and a bit of a vinegrette dressing on it.

Marcelynh - YOU GO GIRL...great job...Hopefully that 20 mph wind was at your back pushing you along ;0)

Mary - your posts make me laugh...Thank you! Now just to prove I read your post what does the state motto mean in English "Ad Astra Per Aspera"

Kobiemom ... good luck with your surgery....hurry back to join us when you can!

Chedainc...great job on your January Goals. It is amazing how other people's drama can set off a reaction within ourselves.

Laura...was your friend's hubby testing you. Sounds like you passed with FLYING COLORS...Congrats!

Frogmama...we had cold and windy today, and more scheduled for the rest of the week. We've had such a mild winter here in SC...I've gotten spoiled!

Darlene...I remember when we visited Bermuda we rented scooters...scared the tar out of me !!! It is definitely a different driving situation...good luck!

Sue...You did great on your vacation! Congratulations...I know you feel extremely proud and well you should.

Yellowrose...great way to get the boys motivated...it is such a sad situation for the young people of today. Video games don't burn many calories.

Kath444 hang around here and you will definitely have support to reach your goals...

Suz...Every year my husband wants to put in a garden...and every year he does...and every year that is where it ends. I end up with ALL of the other tasks associated with the garden. A co-worker once told him "never make your garden any bigger than your wife can maintain". I think he took that to heart.

Susanashworth...dust yourself off, and let us know how we can help.

Linda..I know a gal who cut gluten from her diet, and lost about 45 pounds as a result...something to be said about that.

Travelfixer...I used to hate to drink water, but now it is my main beverage of choice ...

Welcome Clover, Dafoots & FitN50...you've come to the right place for motivation.

Mixdouble...I know what you mean ... this thread is averaging 2-3 pages a day...but I love every post. Someone has taken the time to recognize that support from ladies in the same boat can help them.

Cathy...so sorry to hear about the changes at work. Hang in there!

MacMadame...I was glad to see the Giants win...Tom Coughlin is classic. We had Jacksonville Jaguar tickets when he was coach there, and he has certainly had better luck with NY than he did in FL.

Tomorrow is my first WW weigh in at work, and I am hoping that it will be movement in the right direction.

Have a lovely evening gals!
MEG

Oohh... my goal for Feb is to get my body weight in protein daily.

My January Goal was to walk 60 miles for the month, & I did 66 miles!


The below comment is my Feb focus & motivation:

" You only have to follow three simple rules:

- Workout 3 times a week with weights.
- Eat 1g protein / lb lean body mass.
- Reduce calories to lose 1-2 lbs / week.

Success is 100% guaranteed."

Mary - I've always wondered, what is Apples to Apples??

fibrogirl - you can see clips of the videos if you go to collagevideo.com (hope I spelled that right) or total fitness then you can see if the video is something for you.

Don't know why, but I woke up extra early this morning so I did an hour of yoga DVD. Later this morning I'll take the extremepump class then probably do some food shopping. They have the senior bowling today, so I'll probably go and use up my 3 free games. Hopefully, Vince'll go with me. But if he doesn't, maybe I can use his free games. Update: I was able to use his games.

Tomorrow I'll do a downloadable spin workout, then play mahjongg.

kackie - no, I'm not eating anything different. I do know that if I have a lot of refined carbs, I feel so "yukky". Just wondering if it's the gluten??????? Have a great time in MT. We'll be waiting to hear from you

Marcelynh - congrats on your run!!! That's awesome!

Cheryl - good luck to you tomorrow

Welcome all newcomers! You've found a wonderful place

Darlene - good luck on the driving test

jingoace - congrats on reaching your Jan. goal

Well, here's hoping everyone has a great evening.

Michele

Amazingly I am not sure today. I guess I weathered 13 miles better than I thought I would. I had planned a "reward" if I finished and decided sore or not I was going to take it. I got a Faaaannnnnntastic massage. It was worth doing the run for.

Just a quick drive by to answer questions. Ad Astera Per Aspera means "To the stars through difficulties," and I am focusing on it to keep me on track this month. My son in law swears that the Kansas state motto is to infinity and beyond, and the state hero is Buzz Lightyear, but his roots are in Alabama and he insists that we should stand up and "represent" whenever Sweet Home Alabama is played, so what does he know?
Michele, Apples to Apples is easy to play, but kind of hard to paint a word picture of. Basically, you have a hand of cards with nouns on them, and when it is your turn, an adjective is read, and everyone tries to play the noun that matches it best. Sounds lame, but it can be hilarious, as you don't always have a match that makes sense, or if you have a quirky sense of humor, you can make some odd matches.
I'd better turn out my light and get some sleep, as I am going to try to go to work early tomorrow. Mary

Just want to check in before the day begins! The posts I read this morning reminded me that I can get my exercise in at home too...I have a Zumba DVD on order at the library and I think it should be in this week. I did better getting my gym time in. I did have a run in with Super Bowl snacks but I think today, I am back to my lower weight. I am trying to have meals planned and/or prepared ahead and that helps me feel like there are good things available when I need them.

Got a busy day with lots of tutoring and one yoga class.....off and running (until yoga!).

Have a great day,
Sally

:flowerforyou: My children and I have a weightloss challenge going. We are running it for 3 months. We keep each other motivated every day! I do want to be a good example to them and need to keep up my goals every day. Those goals are: 1000 calories/day, 10 min on the treadmill and stationary bike morning and evening, drinking 8 glasses of water/day, keeping a positive mind. I was challenged to make a list with one column saying "IF I DON'T" and the other "IF I DO". Wow, it really is helpful to keep these things in front of me! Have a great day! :flowerforyou: