HLSG/WWSG - September 21

[Laura]

Wow, I think we must have all been waiting for Les to start this week's thread. Les, I hope you and LW are doing well and will be able to join us soon.

Well this is the week before my 1/2 and I wasn't able to get my last "long" run in yesterday. I ran 6 miles on a soft trail on Friday and tweaked my ankle. I can walk on it, but I didn't think running 6-7 miles would help it. So....right now my plan is to try and run 6 tomorrow (in different shoes as I think my new shoes are the culprit) and then then probably 3 on Thursday.

Other than that, I will do Pilates, but I am staying away from weights. I don't want to take the chance of maybe hurting something and making my race on Sunday more difficult.

How is everyone else doing?

[Leslie Ferguson]

Thanks Laura. In general we're doing okay - but still no power (working on our 5th full day now) lost power at 9:45 am Thursday and as of 7 am we still didn't have power. But there was no damage to our house and we still have running water, sewage, and hot water (thank goodness for gas hot water heaters with regular pilot lights). Kind of tough being really healthy these days because no electricity to cook and just tossed about $50 of food that had gone bad in the fridge/freezer.

I can't really chime in too much but I've been good with my workouts (as much as possible considering the storm) and struggle to maintain a healthy eating/sleeping schedule. Power would make both of those a lot easier but there are some things that I can't do anything about.

I'll post more when I get a chance but I've got to get back to work (the only place that I have power right now).

Thanks again for all the wishes.
Les

[JackieO]

Laura Thanks for getting us started! So sorry to hear about the ankle, but you are wise to baby it somewhat and treat yourself gently before your big race. Good luck!

Les Glad to have you back with us, if only for a few short minutes in between work and restoring your life back to some semblance of normality. Being without power gets REALLY old when you have to measure the time in days, not hours. All the video I've seen from Virginia and North Caroline is unbelievably devastating. Good luck staying healthy!

As for life in NE Wisconsin ... well, I'll admit to being a slug this weekend. DS went off to a tennis tournament in suburban Milwaukee with some friends, so DH and I went car shopping and ran errands on Saturday; and I spent most of yesterday in bed or on the couch.:( Nasty head-ache and tummy troubles....felt better by the end of the day, but I think my body was trying to tell me something, namely: CHILL OUT. Not that I've been burning up the gym or anything, but I have been running around an awful lot, obsessing about "getting settled."

I'm off to meet with Nathan for my third Nautilus orientation this afternoon, and I will try another 30-minute cardio workout just to say I did something. The rest of the week will be busy -- lots of day-trips and out-of-office meetings.

Check back with y'all later!

[tmsl]

Well after a busy weekend, I am trying to get back in the swing of things. We have a health assessment here at work tomorrow that I plan to take advantage of. It checks sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure and I'm sure other things. Now that I can work out more days of the week, I'm trying to scale back and not live in the gym. My plan for the week:
Today: Sprint runs, ab class(30 minutes, oh my!), swim
Tuesday: Eliptical, lower body weights
Wednesday: Easy run 2-3 miles, upper body weights
Thursday: Eliptical or run, more lower body weights
Friday: to Richmond, VA to see Journey in concert and spend the weekend with my sister and her family. She has power back on after being with out for several days. There's hope for you yet, Les.



Here's hoping everyone has a healthy and "power"ful week.

Laura K.

[ellery]

That's funny... I had been waiting for Les to start the thread too. Good to hear you're back (sort of), Les!

Usual workout schedule for me:
tonight: teach and lift afterwards if I'm not too wiped out
Tues: 3.1, then lift, maybe a boxing class if I'm not too wiped out
Wed: teach, lift
Thurs: take class, extra cardio afterwards if able
Fri: 3.1, lift

I'm very proud - I did an extra mini-workout this past Saturday because I didn't lift on Friday (too excited about how much I'd run) and because I was bored. Just did some squats, pushups, arm stuff with bands, and situps but managed to make myself sore. Cool!

My goal this week is to stop munching when I'm bored, and instead find something to do. I've upped my workout "hopes" for this week, hopefully I can reach my ideal goal in addition to the usual goal!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Hey gang - all the positive vibes I'm really feeling them! :D :cool:

I know that things will get better soon but as Jackie said - it is really tough to get used to looking at things in days (daylight and darkness) as opposed to hours (the TYPE A in me).

I'm off to work a run - probably 5 easy (on the schedule) or 45-55 minutes tempo (scheduled for tomorrow).

Decided that LW and I would go out to dinner tonight - kind of a celebration of our 5 days in purgatory. :rolleyes: Besides, even if the power is on there is no food in the house to speak of. Hope she was able to scare up a little ice or we're out the last $15 of food to boot.

Hope I can check in tonight from the luxury of my air conditioned home - but I'm not holding my breath.

Thanks again for the wishes, I think I'm starting to get back to normal. And yes Jackie there was a lot of physical devastation here - more than 1000 trees uprooted in Norfolk alone and probably more than 50 in the 4x8 block neighborhood that we live in. And our trees weren't the little ones - they were the big ones that are decades old.

Check you all later,
Les

[karen w]

Sorry to hear about the lack of power and food situation Les, but I'm glad you are safe! After our big blackout here on the East Coast last month, I got all my supplies ready(flashlights, extra water, batteries, etc...) the night before Isabel was due here. I figured if I got the stuff out, I would not need it. . .you know "Murphy's Law." Well, I'm glad Mr. (or Mrs.?) Murphy was right this time. We just got a little wind and rain, a few widely scattered power outages, but that's about it:) .

As for me. . .I'm nursing the beginning's of the first head cold of the school year(I think I owe this one to DS#1 and DD!). Anyway, I still had my swim this morning, and it felt great!! Unless I'm on my death bed, I try to go swimming everyday since it's the one thing that always makes me feel better(even temporarily clears my sinuses!!) when I'm feeling under the weather! The pool was pretty empty too for a monday morning.

Now I have to go get a cup of tea!(or as DH refers to it. . ."dirty dish water!")

Have a good week all!
Karen

[greysangel]

Les glad to hear you are ok.

This week has been a challenge eating wise...I guess anxiety of the upcoming wedding/tv thing has got me wanting sugar/fat/anything not moving. :D

Monday legs/cardio
Tuesday spinning/abs
Wed pushes/cardio
thurs spin/abs
Friday off
Sat pulls/cardio
sun light cardio

[Michelle Achuff]

Hi Everyone~

I'm here, checking in. It's been a really challenging week so far (and it is only Tuesday?? :rolleyes: ). I was pretty much a slug this weekend, ended up *not* getting my work outs in on Saturday and Sunday which sort of depressed me, on top of which I took my measurements and have gained 2 inches in my waist....after all this work?!?! ~Sigh~ Anyway, I'm forging ahead. This has to get better.

The good news is, my husband is feeling lots better. We are still waiting on the MRI results, but his pain has lessened enough that he can move around without creaking and that, is a good thing!

Les, I'm so glad to hear that you're ok, even with the power off. Hope you and LW had fun last night at dinner. Hang in there, it will all get better soon!

Ok, here's my schedule for the week...

Sunday~ off
Mon~ lower body weights
Tues~ Pilates
Wed~ upper body weights
Thurs~ 20 mins cardio
Fri~ Pilates
Sat~ full body weights

Not doing as much cardio this week and seriously paring down some of my 'regular' activities even. I get pretty exhausted easily this time of month. Trying to give myself permission to relax...lol, easier said than done!

Good luck to everyone meeting their goals this week...sorry to be such a downer :(


Michelle

[Leslie Ferguson]

Juat what we needed - more rain! :rolleyes: :(

JeAnne - Stick with it and you'll be fine. Wedding plans are always tough but I know that you'll come through smashingly. Treat yourself correctly and with respect and you'll be just fine.

Michelle - Great report about DH. I hope that things are better for him soon. I hope that your energy comes back as "this time" passes... and I can't give you any more help than that ;) - no advice really.

Jackie - Sorry to hear that your new gym isn't as good as the old one. Hopefully things will start clicking for you and DH at the gym there. I know how it feels to get thrust into a new "worse" gym considering how many I've worked out in over the past couple years. And don't worry about ranting/complaining - that's what we're here for.

Karen W - Ah, the joys of children going back to school. ;) Most of my illnesses come when I'm exposed to kids who've just started back to school. Glad to hear that you were able to get your swim in anyway.

Workout plan for the week:
SUN XT/Weights (done)
MON 55 minute Tempo run
TUE 5 miles easy
WED 4 miles Race Pace
THU 10 miles easy (but...)
FRI rest
SAT race a half-marathon or 20 miles long
Thursday is in jeopardy - I have a last minute trip to Mayport FL and I'm leaving sometime on Thursday. I'd normally just move the run to Wednesday but without power I have to be home at a reasonable hour to pack so... And Saturday, my coach found a half-marathon that will be run in Newport News that he'd like to have me race as a tune-up/test to see where my training is 8 weeks out from the Marathon.

BTW - Dinner was fantastic and simple - a new place near downtown Norfolk that bills itself as a Burrito Bar. Basically it is a "Subway" mexican style - order the basic burrito or soft taco (chicken, beef, boca, or veggie), the tortilla (6 choices), and the fixings that you want and they put it together right there at the counter. LW and I walked out for $15 including tip (no alcohol in the store or it may have been more :rolleyes: ).

And now the fun begins -- trying to keep healthy too! :( As of today we are still without power and guess what... it's raining cats and dogs! I hope the tenuous trees stay up and that the weather doesn't stop the power folks from getting lines up. I heard that we were up to 10000+ power folks from as far away as Texas, Kansas, and Wisconsin (I think) in town to help rebuild.

Hopefully I'll get my run in at lunch today so I can get home at a reasonable hour. Hope of hopes that I'll have power at home (but I'm not counting on it).

Peace to all,
Les

[JackieO]

Hi, all.

Michelle -- glad to hear your DH is better. :)

Les -- so sorry that it's raining again. :mad: Try to stay dry and keep telling yourself, "This is only temporary, this is only temporary. The lights will come on again." (I work in the electric industry and events like the blackout and Isabel make it easier for us to get things built, so while I feel your pain, I will plan on capitalizing on it. Tonight, in fact. I'm going to a public open house on a transmission line rebuild. :rolleyes: )

As for working out, I had what I consider to be my first "complete" workout in about a month last night. Nathan and I finished my orientation to the Nautilus equipment, and afterward, I ran through a lower body workout and did 30 minutes of a walk/run on the treadmill. (And I went home skanky instead of showering at the gym. :eek: ) I think I'm going to like the Nautilus workout, once I get the hang of some of the more unfamiliar equipment. A real, total-body workout, so overall, it's probably a better program than the one I put together at the "old" gym.

Gotta run...work calls.

[Minky]

Another "slug" checking in:o I did absolutely nothing this weekend in the way of working out, but we did have a nice and relaxing one!
And if the weather stays this way (75 during the day and high 40s at night) the colors should be starting to change soon - my favorite part of fall!

Here's the workout plan:

MON - kickboxing (done)
TUES - weights and light cardio
WED - kickboxing
THURS - weights and light cardio
FRI - cardio (either KB of step class)
SAT/SUN - out of town - maybe some hiking??

Healthful living - More Sleep:rolleyes: and remember to take my vitamins....

Have a great week, everyone!

[jazzyjas]

Les -- I hear you on the rain. The GW parkway flooded again this morning as we received 2" of rain last night and this morning. They aer already talking about condemming some of the properties that flooded and this can't help the situation -- I am so glad that I am so against condos or I very well might own one of those flooded properties -- I looked at quite a few of them but decided I needed my own yard.

It took me 50 minutes to drive a little over .5 of a mile this morning and I wasn't even a block from my house when I het traffic -- it was quite frustrating (the remaining 5.5 miles only took me ten minutes). bail out traffic from the flooded roads trying to get across the bridge to 295 in MD to get into DC -- needless to say I was late for work and it has thrown off my whole day.

This week looks challenging in terms of working out. I missed the gym yesterday in favor of taking care of the last errands related to my grandmother's death (the apartment is empty and the keys turned in). I did have a good belly dance class though.

I will try to hit the gym today -- the rest of the week is plagued with district meetings after work that are likely to last a couple of hours, throw me into yucky traffic and eat up my gym time. Argh -- I am not going to let it stress me and will get in what I can.

Michelle -- good news on DH's health

JeAnne -- having gone through some crazy craving/eating these last few days I can empathize with your anxiety induced cravings. Be strong and choose carefully when giving in -- good advice now if only I could follow it.

Jackie -- sounds as if you are making the best of the new gym (I hate showering at my current gym where I actually preferred it at my former gym)

karen -- take care of yourself and listen to your body -- as a teacher I know about every cold that passes dowm the pike

Laura K -- have fun at the concert -- glad to hear that your sister's power has returned

Leah, good on fitting in another workout!!

Well, I have to go. Hope everyone has a good week

Jas

[ellery]

Thanks Jas for the praise! Especially in light of the fact that I'm currently procrastinating on going to the gym to run again. My plan is to run/walk my 3.1, come home, eat a snack, and then run out to meet a friend for a boxing class. Somehow I volunteered myself to start teaching a boxing/boot camp type class at my gym starting in October (me and my big mouth). I've taken boxing classes before, but never taught or got certified on it. I'm pretty quick, though, and can probably do a good job fudging my way through it. Needless to say, I'd like to take someone else's class tonight just to get some pointers, plus I want to meet this chick who may turn out to be a new friend. Can't have too many of those!

Good to hear that Les is waterlogged but still slugging his way through.

Michelle, maybe you need to take more than one day off of working out so that you don't get burnt out. Even if one day's workout seems light or easy, sometimes the very thought of working out can burn you out. (if that makes sense) And don't fret the inches. Do you take your measurements once a week or once a month? Remember it's not all about the inches - it's about physical health and sanity, not a number. (feel free to not point out that I am a big old hypocrite).

Good to hear everyone else is well and sort of above water. Have a good day!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Jasmine - Yuck - DC drivers are probably among the worst on the east coast for driving in the rain (Corpus Christi is the worst in my experience). I hope that the turkeys don't get to you on the road up there. Things have brightened up down here but there still a ton of standing water... I guess that's what happens when there is a hurricane. :rolleyes:

Leah - I'm impressed with the positive improvement (is that redundant???) in your workouts. Hopefully you can keep up the momentum (no pun intended). I also agree with your recommendation to JeAnne measuring/weighing too often can be our (me included) downfall. When I was worried about losing weight I found it more conducive to loss when I only weighed every other week - but once a month may be the right amount of times depending on circumstances. Right now (because of my mileage) I tend to weigh about once a week - because I can't aford to lose too much (ok any) weight.

Jackie - Oh - so it's you folks that are holding up the repairs. ;) :D I'm pleased to hear that I know someone that is helping our situation here. And of course, it could always be worse like the guy who works for me who had a river running in his house through the hole that was in his roof (from the Hurricane). I'll take a little rain but would certainly love to see some power before I go to FL - if for no other reason than LW's sake.

Flap of the day precluded working out at lunch. Now I'll try to slip it in after dinner (maybe not) or just gaff it for the week and make sure I get something worthwhile in when in Jacksonville on Thursday evening.

Hope all are well and having a peaceful week. Looks like I'm headed to darkeness again. Until Thursday (most likely).
Les

[ellery]

Geez, there goes more praise. Just when I had a yucky run! :(

That danged side stitch paid me a visit today during my run and just didn't seem to get the hint to leave. So I ended up only running about a mile out of my three mile goal. To salvage the workout I walked some hills, but I'm still grumbling. I just did a search on the internet about side stitches, though, and the info I found confirmed my own hypothesis, that they have to do with breathing. I knew already that I needed to regulate my breathing when I run - it's sort of a mix of gasping and wheezing and gulping, and apparently that's fertile breathing (ha ha) ground for a stitch. Some of the suggestions I read seemed not so feasible (e.g. run with your hands held overhead to open up your rib cage; coordinate your breathing in with stepping on a particular foot, breathe out on the opposite foot), but I can see their wisdom (not as much with the 1st suggestion, however). I guess regulating my breathing will come. On the bright side, I did commit myself today to running the race, by actually signing up for it. And, (yippee!) one of my best friends from my former life (in VA) is coming down to visit the weekend of the race, so she signed up to run the race with me. Yippee!!

I'm off to rest up for boxing tonight. Hope everyone else's workouts and days are going okay! :)

[JackieO]

Originally posted by Leslie Ferguson

Jackie - Oh - so it's you folks that are holding up the repairs. ;) :D I'm pleased to hear that I know someone that is helping our situation here.
Until Thursday (most likely).
Les
If it's any consolation, I work in transmission and you most likely are suffering from distribution outages. As if it makes a difference if you are still in the dark. :rolleyes: :o :mad: I know it doesn't make any difference to landowners who have to look at "soldiers of energy" on their property. (My euphemism for transmission towers/power lines! :D )

Does standing on my feet for three hours at an open house count as a workout? If not, it should. On the other hand, one of the last times I had to do one of these "on your feet" format open houses was right before I started working out (strength training) a couple years ago. I don't feel nearly as trashed as I did after that event.

I also had to find my way home (80+) miles in the dark tonight! I took the scenic back roads to the meeting this afternoon and it was a lovely fall day for a drive. As for the ride back, it was my first long night trip after switching to bifocal contacts. :o Not much fun -- I've had to sacrifice some distance vision for marginal up-close improvement. The first 70 miles back home was familiar Interstate driving, but the last 10 miles or so on two-lane roads was spooky because of the diminished clarity and unfamiliar terrain. One of my friends from Milwaukee couldn't imagine why I wanted to move "out to the sticks," and tonight I could understand what she meant. It's DARK out here!

Ok, I'm off to have a glass of wine to chill out and then hit the rack for another half-day in the office and another public open house tomorrow night (90+ miles from home). :(

[Leslie Ferguson]

And the $64,000 question for tonight... Who finally got power restored after 5 days, 9 hours, and 16 minutes?

Lots of ground to cover but it feels good to have lights again!


Originally posted by JackieO

If it's any consolation, I work in transmission and you most likely are suffering from distribution outages. As if it makes a difference if you are still in the dark. :rolleyes: :o :mad: I know it doesn't make any difference to landowners who have to look at "soldiers of energy" on their property. (My euphemism for transmission towers/power lines! :D )

Don't I know it - but I was on the generation end for about 2 years in the Navy - didn't that suck when the lights went out but I had power to give. As you say - in the dark is in the dark.


Does standing on my feet for three hours at an open house count as a workout?

Okay by me - count it!


I also had to find my way home (80+) miles in the dark tonight!...

Yuck - don't like doing that but it sounds like you came through with flying colors.

Good to hear from all of you and I'll try to post a little more when I get the chance but time for bed.

Thanks for all your concerns and wishes - but I must remember that there are still many out there who still don't have power - a prayer for them too as they struggle onward.

Peace,
Les

BTW - does that show my age? $64,000 Question?

[Michelle Achuff]

Well, for a rough start to the week, it is shaping up pretty good. I've gotten my workouts in the last two days (getting ready to go do it again ;) ) and those things have made me feel mentally and physically better...both good things!

Les~ Awesome that you got your power back on!! It sounds like you're getting through even the trickiest circumstances (weather wise) and staying healthy. What an inspiration you are! I am measuing once a week (which was better than doing it every other day :eek: my obssession runs deep, may have to set another goal here).

Leah~ You suggest taking more than one day off a week...but I wasn't taking *any* before. I guess I have two schools of thinking on this. One is that I do my workouts in the morning and so far only a couple of times have I felt like 'I do not want to work out'. It usually jump starts my day and I feel better all over for it. Guess I'm a little addicted to that and do not want to give it up. I will say too, though, that I'm highly affected by "If a little is good then a lot is a bunch better." I know there are major flaws to this kind of thinking, I just can't get it through my head though sometimes when push comes to shove. I think I am going to *start* by giving myself Sundays off and then go from there. It's a beginning at least. I just don't want to become lax and lose the habit (which I think is a good habit of movement and activity every day like this). Thanks so much for taking the time to think and answer my post...I really do appreciate it.

Jasmine~ Be careful out there on the road! Yikes! I sure don't envy you those drivers/traffic. Out here it's a big deal if you get stuck behind a tractor on a two lane twisty road...lol. I don't miss big city driving *at all*.

Jackie~ I had to laugh, I know all about 'driving in the sticks' and how dark it is. It can be totally creepy and spooky. Sometimes I find that I grip the wheel so hard (out of concentration I suppose) that my hands are sore when I get home...lol. Still, living in the 'sticks' has it's advantages...I sure love it. Of course, my dream is to move out into the middle of nowhere Montana someday...call me anti-social, but a state that has very few people, lots of land and beautiful night skies...it's for me ;) A glass of wine...I read that this morning and thought, that's what I needed last night instead of ironing curtains at 8pm, maybe tonight!

Ok...I've had a rough week, sort of, and I know I've vented a little bit here and maybe been kind of quiet. I feel pretty bad for dumping it here, but, I suppose this is a support group and it's what we're here for. I've come to some realizations though, things I think I knew but I just wasn't admitting to. As much as I decided not to care about the scale, I did start caring about measurements in exactly the same way. I looked back over my goals when I started this. One of the things I wanted was more energy and just *feeling* better and being healthier. Am I doing those things? Yes. Aren't those things more important than anything? In my book, yes they are. It's certainly better than being skinny and sick (which I was a long, long, LONG time ago). I feel stronger (mentally *and* physically), overall happier and have tons more energy. The other stuff, if it comes, will come in time. I feel like I have to trust in that, but even if it never did...why not be happy with myself now?

32 became this magic number for me. If I can just fit into my 32 (waist) jeans again, I will be happy. How ridiculous is that? If I lose those inches will it change who I am inside? Will it make me more beautiful in an internal sense? No. When I get to 32 will 28 then be the magic number I will need to achieve in order to be happy and so on? I'm tired of defining my happiness 'by the numbers'. I just want to live, and be happy that I'm healthier today than I was yesterday. I want to get satisfaction in knowing that I'm progressing along a healthier way of living. Sometimes I lose sight of that, especially in the momentum of actually losing the inches. Losing the inches is gravy, I see that right now.

I really want to thank everyone on this board. Even when you're not responding specifically to me for something, just reading about your lives and your goals and how you have your own peaks and valleys is a huge inspiration and help. I wish I'd found this place long ago. I'm so happy and honored to be accepted into a place where I can find support and in turn can support others (you know, giving advice and support is *always* easier when you're not giving it to yourself! ;) ).

So on a happier note....I'm going to start my Wednesday...yay

:D Just wanted to say you all are great!!!!


Smiles~

Michelle

[greysangel]

Michelle;

You are totally gorgeous so get over it :D Heehee...easier said than done I know. I understand about the numbers...scale numbers, size numbers, measurements etc. It really is crazy when you think about it. First off..sizes seem to be completely subjective to a designer so women can not just walk into a store, pull out a size 12 and expect it to fit. Measurements change much more slowly than the scale does...so while it's a good measure of progress, it's a slow one. The only one that may easily fluctuate would be the waist and that's pretty much dependent on what you eat that day, how much liquid you consume and how much your body processes out :D

It's so hard to just let that stuff go. I think part of it is a fear that if you didn't obsess about it, you would "go back to" being the gluttonous piggy eating everything in sight and forgetting about the gym. (At least, that's it for me) Once you trust that you can carry through the good habits without the crutch of a success barometer, it will get easier :)

I am happy to report that yesterday I stuck to my eating...no extras. YAY.

Jeanne

[ellery]

That was very nice, Michelle. It sounds like you know yourself pretty well, your pitfalls, that is, with regards to inches, pushing too hard, more is better, etc. Maybe taking the focus off of weight and inches, and setting a goal that doesn't have anything to do with them would be more inspiring. That's how I chose the 5K to do - I want to be fit enough to be able to run that, and if I lose a few inches along the way, all the better. Back in the day, I used to have smaller goals -like being able to do 10 push-ups in a row. And p.s. I think measuring and weighing once a week is too much. I don't think that allows for hormonal fluctuations and all that other stuff. Once a month seems more reasonable. I've fallen prey to the obsessing over weight before. I don't weigh myself anymore because it makes me too crazy.

Anyway, good to know everyone else is doing okay and that power is on and that other people have to drive in the dark and have trouble seeing the unfamiliar territory that passes them by. Supposedly I have night blindness, but I'm repressing tha diagnoses. I'm too young for that.

:cool:

Easy workout day for me today, after yesterday. I took that boxing class and sweated buckets, but kept up fine. Especially gratifying after the instructor found out that I was an instructor and made it his goal to kick my butt. Ha! I'll lift and then teach tonight, and then relax.

Have a good day everyone!

[tmsl]

Why is it we all think what we do is small when compared to others? I was reading Michelle's post and thinking about the encouragement we give here. A goal is a goal whether it is to run a 5K race(like me) or to run a marathon. What is amazing about all of us on this thread is that we set goals and strive to achieve them. I think this is something that people have forgotten how to do and I feel happier when I see that I am striving toward that goal. It reminds us of where we started and how far we have come. The support here on this thread is encouragement to reach those goals, if only for a day or a week. At the end of the week, look back and see what you have accomplished for yourself this week.

I am trying this week working out 4 days instead of 3. I am somewhat tired and hope I can keep up the pace. I have scaled back the intensity of my workouts so as to not overdo it. Next week I will try 5 days and see if I need to adjust anything. It is strange to me after 2 years to not be going to classes this week. But change is good!!

Les~congrats on the power. It is amazing how life is much easier when you have electricity.
Jackie~90 miles at night:eek:! That would be hard for me with good vision much less adjusting to new contacts. Count that standing as a workout, and probably in comfortable running shoes too!:D
Jas~I drove in DC traffic over 10 years ago and don't envy you that. I am spoiled now by my 8 minute commute to work.
Leah~I get a stitch every now and then when I run, but seem to notice it more when I push myself too hard. Maybe I forget to breathe when I push myself, I'll have to work on that. I too am trying to run the 3+ miles for the race but have only managed 2-1/2 at this point. Your excitement on race day and friends will help you through. Just have fun.
Michelle~Have fun and be healthy. I find my body tells me what my ideal weight and measurements are. Too much either way and I don't feel good. So if you feel great and are healthy, then you have achieved a better goal.

Hope everyone is doing well, and sorry if I missed anyone.

Laura K.

[Michelle Achuff]

Jeanne~ Well thanks! That sure made me smile :D . You're right, it is easier said than done, but over the past few years with my husband I've managed to let a lot of other 'baggage' go, so why not this? ;) He says they're like suitcases full of rocks...put them down and keep walking forward. A wise, wise man (of course I'm a bit biased). I also know that it takes time to replace the old 'tapes' in our heads. But the only way to do that is to create new ones. I've done something for years called 'fake it till you make it'. Basically, even if I do *not* believe that I am beautiful, I will tell myself so, and you know what? Eventually, I actually believe it and see the truth in it. What a wonderful thing positive self-talk can be! I've just gotten lax, and started looking at all of the things I am not, instead of the things I am. How ridiculous is that? And YAY~ for you, sticking to your eating. I actually treated myself with a scoop of vanilla lowfat frozen yogurt last night...wheeee! lol

Leah~ Thanks...and I think you're right about the weighing/measuring. I don't weigh anymore at all (because I just don't care). I think I'll set my goal right now not to measure until October 1st and then do it once a month (oh that is going to be hard! lol). Glad to hear your boxing went well! Is that kickboxing or just regular boxing? A friend of mine started kickboxing and she *loves* it...says it kicks her butt...lol. I know what you mean about a bigger goal, instead of inches etc. For example, her goal is just to make it through a whole hour class, and she's progressing. I'm going to have to think hard on this one...I need to come up with a good goal for myself (not an unreasonable one.)

Linda K~ You're absolutely right, what we do shouldn't be 'small' compared to others. It's not fair to compare me to you or Les to Jeanne or whomever. We are all individuals, and thank God for that! I think it is just sometimes easier to downplay your own achievements. After all, haven't we been taught (most of us) that arrogance is a bad thing? And while I certainly don't advocate that...*self-confidence* is good. Sometimes I think I err way too far on the side of caution (thinking I don't want to be arrogant) and my self-confidence suffers. It's just about balance. Tell you what really did it for me yesterday though, and I'm thankful you were supportive of my Pilates adventure...it was the Pilates. In that hour, I focused on *feeling* my body (alignment, breathing, etc) all the other garbage went out the window. That's when I realized just how good I DO feel and how much fun I AM having :) Thanks again! Good luck sticking to your workouts this week, I know you can do it!!!


Now...if we could just be as positive to ourselves as we are to other people...lol :p

Smiles~

Michelle

[JackieO]

Les Glad you have your power back! :) Think of all the fun you'll have restocking your refrigerator! :p By being in "generation" for a couple years, were you in the nuclear branch of the Navy? I used do community/public relations for a nuclear power plant and worked with a lot of former Navy guys. (I even know what the term "ring knocker" means!) :D

Michelle Anyone who has as much self-awareness as you do is beautiful in my book, no matter what the tape measure or the scale tells YOU! ;) Although I've spent the last 20 years of my life living in a metro area, I am no stranger to living in the sticks. I grew up in northwestern Wisconsin and spent four years living in Billings, MT. If DH and I could find decent jobs, we'd move back to Montana in a heartbeat. Great place to live....(well, let me qualify that "heartbeat" comment -- it would have to be one of the few cities in the state, which would pretty much rule out anything along the highline (Hwy 2) or in the middle of the state. Billings, Red Lodge, Bozeman, Missoula, even Butte would be ok.)

FWIW, I am somewhat obsessive about weigh-ins, but only when I'm trying to lose or working diligently at maintaining. Then I try to weigh myself once a week. When I'm in my slovenly state, I ignore the scale altogether (which may be why I've had to lose the same 10-15 pounds twice in the last five years!) :o I guess that qualifies as "vanity weight," but at 5'2", it shows itself readily. Since my gym has a really crappy scale that I don't trust to be accurate, I guess I'm giving up on regular weigh-ins and will just judge how things are going by the way my clothes fit. :rolleyes:

JeAnne Hi....I'm so glad you've joined us on this thread. You rock! I visit your Web page occasionally and am thoroughly amazed at your discipline, talent and generous spirit.

Leah Night blindness? :eek: I will quell my hypocondriac tendencies and ignore that on my 50-mile drive back home tonight!

Laura K. You better believe I wear comfortable shoes at those types of events! (Not that I own very many pairs of UNcomfortable shoes to begin with. I'm all about comfort....scr** fashion!)

Hi to anyone else I have missed.

Next workout it scheduled for the gym Thursday afternoon -- will meet DH and DS there after school for DS' tennis drill. (Did I mention we have found a Mexican restaurant that serves $2 margaritas on Thursday nights?) :D

[ellery]

It's so funny. I recently (this week when I looked at my bill, that is) decided to try to cut down on my internet time. That's going well, I see.

Anyway, when I was perusing some other threads on the board, I happened upon one from someone who was quitting the boards, because people were too catty and clique-ish and so she was throwing in the towel. She posted something about Hummers and a whole soccer mom/SUV discussion arose. Apparently some people took it more seriously than it was owed.

So it was nice to read our most recent posts and get the warm fuzzies. We're nice people! Hooray for us!

Laura - thanks for reminding us to keep focused on what the real goals are. You are very wise. When is your 5K? We need to have a virtual party and drink those $2 margaritas to celebrate when we're done...

Michelle - it's kickboxing. Very sweaty and fun (I love to beat up that bag). You get the same kind of feeling you got in Pilates, that I used to get in yoga (maybe one day I'll find another gym like that). That's what all this is supposed to be about - connecting with our bodies, wonderful machines that they are...

Jackie - not that I was really listening to the eye doctor, but I don't think "night blindness" means I'm literally blind. I just have more trouble seeing at night, and driving without street lights (there seems to be some sort of a rule against them here too) just makes it worse. The bf doesn't seem to believe me, thinking I'm just trying to get out of driving. Who knows... could be psychosomatic...

And on a side note, does anyone read the Oprah magazine? It has a very nice discussion this month on aging and our bodies and how we should feel about the whole process. It was enlightening and reassuring, as I just hate the idea of getting older. I'd recommend picking it up if you get a chance.

Okay! Enough! No more postings for me today. "Hi, my name is Leah and I'm addicted to bulletin boards..."

[Leslie Ferguson]

Take a day to give briefs on the waterfront and look what happens :D - you're a full page behind.

Not enough space to answer all the questions/put down all my thoughts but I'll hit the high points.

Jackie - Not nuclear trained - I was a conventional steam engineer (burned diesel fuel in 1200 psi boilers). A lot more archaic than nuclear but earned me a lot of interesting stories. Do I understand ring knocker (Naval Academy graduate for those unfamiliaer with the term) but I'm a "tried and true Beaver Believer" from Oregon State University.

Leah, Michelle, JeAnne - Interesting study that I did a year or so ago having to do with male eating disorders... truly fascinating. I know that I had a big problem trying to lose the "fat little kid" that still resided in me. So I dropped down to a "whopping" 145 lbs (I'm a 6 foot tall male) and was in danger of falling apart. These days I'm still not much over 150 lbs but maintain a good body structure - a healthy mix of muscle and a little more BF. I know that I probably still obsess a little about my food but in my case it is because I know I need to consume lots of calories to keep going and sustain my body. When I'm not in intense training I will rarely get on a scale - my clothes and my wedding band tell me my story. But when I'm heavily into training (like now) I really have to watch that I don't start losing weight. So the short version of my story is I only weigh now to keep from killing myself. But I still limit my weigh-ins to once a week, like you all said, your weight can go up and down almost at whim.

Michelle - As obsessed as I am with working out I take 1 full day off a week - no running, no weights (maybe a walk with LW though :D you wouldn't know that we've been married 20 years on Oct. 1st) just to let my body recover. I have found that I have to take that time (after passing the magic 4 - 0) to let my body keep from self-destructing.

Tomorrow will be a fun day - a half-day at work, a flight to Jacksonville FL for an 8 hour brief session at the Naval Station there. Just to turn around and fly back to Norfolk by 11:15 pm Friday.

Oh - did I mention I was racing in a half-marathon on Saturday too? Am I a crazy? Hi - my name is Les and my mins has gone thoroughly around the bend running and talking about being healthy.

Peace to all and good night.
Les

BTW - I appreciate your candor and the support that I get on this thread. It is energizing to hear your stories and to help by listening to what you have to say. Thanks for including me.
Les

[Michelle Achuff]

Les~ Here's wishing you safe travels! You are very, very busy it seems. Thank you for telling me what you do (re: taking a day off and weighing). I find it really helps to get so many different perspectives. As to male eating disorders, you know, I never really thought about that before, double standard in my own thinking I'm sure, but you sure gave me one of those lightbulb moments. I'm filing that away in the cabinet in my brain that reads: things I did not know before but learned on the boards...lol. I'm glad that you've got a handle on that now and take care of yourself. I, too, can often tell where I'm at by my wedding ring, as soon as you said that I realized it. Somedays it will slide around a little and those are happy days...lol, other days it gets tight (but I'm working on making those happy days too!). You'll have to let us know how Saturday goes!

And being married 20 years...and still taking walks...how wonderful! I hope that my husband and I are the same way (I can't imagine us not being that way). I always said, that I wanted someone that I could sit on the porch with when we are old and creaky (or at least one of us is) and laugh about our misadventures in life and smile about the love that we share and the children we have raised. Seems like such a simple thing, and yet, so few people have it...

Anyway...I just gotta toot my own horn here a little bit. I finished my first book yesterday!!! YAY! It's been a year in coming, and now I start the editing process, but I am just going to be happy, for today that the first draft is all done. I've had many false starts (although thankfully in the meantime had short stories published!)and this is *finally* it. :D It was a very dificult non-fictional (biographical) book to write, and now I get to do the fun stuff...I'll be starting my first fiction book. But for now, I'm doing 'research' which consists of reading a bunch of Romance novels to get the flavor for my story. Yeah, sure, I'm working (as I stick my nose in Nora Roberts, and a bunch of books with cheesy titles...lol). ;)

Lots o' smiles today...even if I am doing 20 minutes of cardio...HA!

Michelle

[tmsl]

Well it sounds like everyone is having a good week. Mine has gone well and I have had good workouts. I had a good run at an easy pace last night and would like to have run longer if I had more time. As it was, I wanted to get my upper body weights in so I only ran for 30 minutes. I'm starting to feel better about the race and plan to scope out the course in the next couple of weeks. My race is Oct. 18 and my sister was supposed to run with me but has backed out. Oh well, it is still a goal of mine and I am determined to do it, even solo.

Leah~I can't do margaritas(previous bad experience with tequila) but I will be happy to drink a martini in honor of our race goals/accomplishments.:D
Michelle~congrats on the book!!! What an undertaking that must have been. Let me know if you need help plowing through all the Nora Roberts books. I could take notes.:p
Les~good luck with your race this weekend. Think of us as your virtual cheerleading squad.

Hope everyone has a good rest of the week.

Laura K.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Michelle - Congratulations on finishing your book! I too was surprised when I read about male eating disorders too. I think (from the male perspective) that we are even more in denial about our obsessions than females. One of the other disorders that men "typically" are afflicted with is over-exercise (lifting weights specifically) disorder. It's kind of the counter to the "I'm overweight" syndrome where no matter how muscular you are your mind says that you're the "98 pound weakling" which causes the person to lift excessively (like 3 or more hours a day) to buff up. 20 years has been interesting - sometimes easy and sometimes hard but an adventure none the less. We've traveled the world over (as far as Japan and Singapore) together and the walks and weekly "dates" have helped keep life sane in my less than sane occupation.

Laura K - Glad to see your positive feelings about the race. I'll be there cheering you on in your race on the 18th - your first 5k, fabulous. The only potential hiccupfor Saturday will be returning to Norfolk so late. Hopefully I can sleep a little on the flight. Luckily, the race starts at a "gentlemanly" hour - 8:45 as opposed to the Rock 'n Roll half that started at 7:00 (and had a form up time of 6:50).

Hope everyone else is doing well and has a good Thursday.
Until this evening,
Les

[JackieO]

While I've been busy with work this week, it's been a good, productive experience, and now I have come home to raging 14 y/o hormones and family dysfunction. (So how do I deal with it, let's run to the boards!) :rolleyes:

Les As I understand it, the term "ring-knocker" evolved because the Naval Academy graduates would knock their Academy rings against the metal railings of the ship to announce their superior status when they wanted the underlings to do their work. Believe me, this was not conducive to "teamwork" in the nuclear power industry...but I digress.

I think it is cool that you and LW still have weekly dates and walk together. While DH and I sporadically do the same, we don't have the same commitment. BUT, to our credit, we will celebrate 25 years in December! DId I mention he is buying me a new car for our "silver" anniversary? We ordered it last weekend -- a Saturn Vue, in silver, of course....

Michelle A creative writer in our midst! WOW!!! Congratulations on finishing the book. I have a journalism minor and have spent most of my career in PR, doing lots of writing, but I could never imagine doing creative writing. Where does it come from? Good luck on your fiction endeavors.

Laura K I took about a 20 year break from margaritas myself....BAD consequences after only a couple seemingly innocent occasions! I have learned that I can drink ONE margarita without consequence. TWO margaritas = bad results. There's something about that tequila.....

Speaking of drinks :o , I may drink wine frequently (and now living in Packerland I can't seem to avoid beer!), but I don't drink hard liquor much at all. In the winter, though, a brandy Manhattan is a wonderful drink. DH drinks them more often than I do, and we have discovered in this part of the world that it is common to make them with DRY vermouth instead of SWEET vermouth! :eek: NASTY! After our long evening dealing with the public last night, a couple colleagues and I settled into the hotel bar and ordered Manhattans (and in Wisconsin, they are made with brandy, not whiskey or bourbon). I told the bartender that I had encountered some Manhattans made with dry vermouth and he said, "Why would someone do THAT?" I shrugged my shoulders and received a very satisfying drink! Anyone have any other experience with that?

I was sprung from my meeting early today so made it to the gym for a 35 minute cardio on a different Precor x-trainer -- it was less obnoxious than the one I tried earlier in the week, but my legs still feel a little rubbery. I guess that's a good thing....also did my upper body workout on the Nautilus machines (and only had to tap Nathan twice to refresh my memory :o -- exercise machines are NOT intuitive to me!). It was a good workout. Came home skanky because I wasn't going to shower at the gym...:(

DS hates the tennis coach at the new club and is out-of-sorts because of it. Fortunately, there is a smaller club on our side of the river that also has teaching pros and reasonable rates, so he'll be taking lessons there and just doing drills at the racquet/fitness club. Oy. When I think of the angst I had at 14 and compare it to his....he's right: I REALLY don't understand him!!! :p

[Michelle Achuff]

Thanks so much for all of the congrats...it really made my day!

Laura K~ I'm psyched about the race *for* you! I'm glad to hear you're feeling better about it and determined to do it even solo. I'm sure we'll all be cheering for you here (I know I will be) :) And LOL re: taking notes on the Nora Roberts books. I'm finding she really is a talented writer (nice surprise!). I picked up some 'series' romances to peruse...and I just don't think I can do it...rippling pectorals and devilish grins and fiesty heriones and all that...I don't know if I can make the leap into that kind of writing...lol. Still...you just never know! I'll remember your offer when I need a 'research assistant' ;)

Les~ Although you probably didn't intend to, you spurred a whole bunch of research on my part yesterday. I spent part of the morning reading about muscle dysmorphia and all kinds of eating/body image disorders in males...includint the measurements that G.I. Joe Extreme would be in real life. Whew...and we thought Barbie was an unattainable standard, it would seem men have the same barrage of images thrown at them lately! I have found all of this highly interesting, including the fact that it seems to be much harder for men to get help with this sort of thing, as most programs and thinking are geared for women. Just when I didn't know what to write about next....I've got a new character building in my brain because of this research...thank you, Les!

Jackie~ Cool that you do journalism type things (PR writing, etc). I did journalism in high school, but I was terrible at it. I was 'too wordy' lol. I have always had trouble with that kind of writing! Where do the ideas come from? Ohhhh from people like...Les...lol. Seriously, just life. You notice a lot once you start looking and listening instead of thinking about the clutter that piles up in the brain all day long ;) Truman Capote used to sit and listen to people's conversations in the most unlikely places, I use tactics like that to find my stories and to work on writing dialogue :) Ok, I have to admit something here too, I have never had a brandy Manhattan...how exactly do you make that? I like tequila, but I should not drink it...and that's all I'm going to say about that :o My favorite 'drink' would have to be a white Russian though. Still, I'm a wine lover. Reds. And Port...I *love* Port with chocolate...oh I'm sure that's not a healthy living kind of thought...lol.

I think rubbery legs are a good sign, although I'm not sure ;) I know that I feel 'wobbly' when I get done with my 20 minute cardio still. Although I will say that I noticed the 'tough part' of the workout, you know the one where your body screams...stop! are you nuts?!?...didn't happen until later in my 20 minutes yesterday. I think that is progress! I think it's excellent that you're taking to the Nautilus so well. Machines aren't intuitive to me either. In fact, when we got this Total Gym, quite frankly, I didn't know what in the heck I was doing. But I've learned along the way, and gained a lot more confidence thanks to this group of people here!


Ok...a general message....I just want to say that the motivation and support of this group is truly inspiring. I think we all deserve a pat on the back for all of our efforts!! We ROCK :D

That was my best attempt at being a cheerleader <g>

Have a great morning everyone!!!!

Smiles~

Michelle

[ellery]

Wow you guys have been busy in my self-induced hiatus from the boards. I start work at the end of next week, and boy am I going to be quiet then. I'm going to feel so left out...

I don't have anything really exciting to report. I'm so jealous about Michelle's novel - I'm a wanna be writer, but haven't done much with it so far. I know I've got stuff inside me, it just doesn't seem to be ripe yet. Congratulations to you, though, Michelle! That's so amazing! We know a famous person!!!!

Interesting stuff, eating disorders. Having worked in gyms for 15 years, I've seen a lot of them, in both men and women. I have a friend who married a man who's just as into working out as she is. She had to get up early to make a sales call one morning, and they actually had a fight (at 5 am) because he wanted to go to the gym to work out, and she didn't want him to if she couldn't. Yikes. She can concede that she may have a problem, but is not willing to do anything about it because too much of who she is, is tied up into what she looks like. Her husband is just a few steps behind her. You can imagine how much fun they are to hang out with, especially at things that involve eating. Just a side note.

I don't know what I'm going to do yet today. The plan was to run, except that I didn't listen to my body last night - it was telling me to lay off anything with impact and ride the bike instead of taking a class. As a result my ankle was killing me last night, and still smarts a bit this morning (old injury). We'll see how it feels later on in the day. I'd still like to try running as scheduled.

Hope everyone has a good day. Les, good luck tomorrow! We'll all be on the sidelines (virtually) holding up signs for you!

Leah

p.s. Jackie, I never shower at the gym either. I'm okay with driving home skanky. I like my own shower better than anyone else's.

[Laura]

Hey everyone, I just wanted to say have a great weekend, and to thank you for all of the encouragement over the past 7 months -- all of your stories and encouragment have helped immensely. I am ready for this 1/2 (I think I was more ready 3 weeks ago, but that's a different story). My sister is coming down after the race so I may not post until again until Monday. Take care, Laura

[Leslie Ferguson]

Just flew in from Jacksonville FL, great flight but kind of out of sorts because of the hour we landed and I finally got home. Yesterday's run was a bust - torrential downpour when I wanted to get started (probably better becuase it was 8:30 pm when I was heading out :rolleyes: ). That's okay because it will probably help me for tomorrow's (actually this morning's) race.

I really can't answer a lot of the mail but the high points...

Laura - You go!! We're behind you all the way. You'll be fantastic.

Michelle - Funny thing about being a man too - we don't really look for help from others all that often. So even if there were support groups tailored to the male dysfunctional problems we'd still not participate (most likely). I'm glad that I helped you search out the information - when I read the stuff I did last year I was both relieved and shocked. Glad to have helped you with your research too.

Leah - Be good to yourself - your body will be nice to you if you are nice to it. Thanks, I'll feel everyone's presence I'm sure.

Jackie - Congrats (early) on the silver anniversary. It is a lot easier (IMO) for LW and me to do the date thing since it's just us (no kids). It has taken some effort over the years but well worth it.

Time to go to sleep - will check in after the race.

Peace,
Les

[Michelle Achuff]

Good Luck Les and Laura!!!!!

Just wanted to post some good luck vibes, I can just see you guys running towards the goal! Awesome :)

Leah~ Thanks for the congrats! I don't know about famous yet...lol. Maybe one day...for now I'll settle for being 'infamous'. Cool that you like to write. Have you ever read a book by Julia Cameron called "The Artist's Way"? It is an awesome book about creative spirituality and it really helped me jump start back into writing (although the book is for anyone, painters, writers, actors, musicians...etc). It sure helped me get going and was a lot of fun to work with. I've never recommended it to anyone that didn't like it. Take it easy on that ankle :( I'll be thinking of you.


Jackie~ Yay for you about the car ;) And an early congrats..that is so wonderful!

Well, I'm off to veg out with some movies and give myself permission to just 'be' for a change. I'm taking tomorrow off from working out (I can do this, yes I can!) and staying away from the tape measure. Maybe I should have my husband hide it from me...:rolleyes:

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Smiles~

Michelle

[Leslie Ferguson]

Hey gang - thanks for the positive vibes. Today's half-marathon was a good race. I actually cut about 4 minutes off my Rock 'n Roll half time. I think I'm right on track for Richmond too - finished in 1:34:26 and I was targeting for 1:35. Woo Hoo! I can feel those last 10 seconds fall from my marathon time in November. The race was a little race on the banks of the James River near Williamsburg. It was a doubly neat race because I got hooked up with a guy (never met him before today) who was looking to do well and was shooting for a time that would tell him if he could run the Marine Corps Marathon in about 3:30. He was right with me from mile 8 to the finish and I told him that the pace he was running should be good enough to beat his 3:30 goal. He thanked me and it felt so good. Brings back my faith in human nature really.

Michelle - Stay away from that tape! :D ;)

Jackie - A new silver car for the silver anniversary - sounds pretty. LW said she'd like diamond earrings for our anniversary. Looks like tonight's date will be a shopping spree. She also wants to know what I want. I'm not sure really - don't need anything.

Laura == positive vibes headed your way!!

Hope everyone has a great weekend - mines shaping up well. Got "another one" off the honey do list by installing the new washer and dryer (Maytage Neptune -- the one with the 20 minute video to explain how to use them :rolleyes: ).

Peace and good cheer to all.
Les