DVD/Video/At Home Exercisers - Week of June 6th

[cniles]

Hello everyone!!

Didn't see this started yet so guess I'll begin!:)

My weekend was pretty good although it jumped 20 degrees in one day and brought in the humidity! I didn't formally workout but did a lot of gardening (we transplanted 3 trees), edged flower beds and now need to order more mulch.

Today I did BSS4 with Pam - great all over shaping workout - love the stretching at the end. Jack is done with school on Thursday... I should be able to get myself back into my summer routine and workout in the mornings before we get going on our day plans. We're heading to Dutch Wonderland on Friday (it's in Lancaster and has midlevel kid rides and water rides) So today is grocery shopping - Sam is SO thrilled:rolleyes: and maybe we'll play with hose since the pool doesn't open till 3pm. It's also our last week of baseball so I'll be able to get back to making dinners!!!!!!!!!!:p

How was everyone's weekend???

[TerriS]

Yeah, how about that crazy change in weather! It got seriously hot and humid here! :cool:
So, I haven't really felt like I had anything to contribute to this thread or really belonged here :o ...35 weeks prego, feel like a slacker, but things like walking are not really all that comfy at this point and I'm sure not doing Taebo. Sleep is of critical importance so no way am I getting up early!

But, I know you guys are supportive no matter what.:D

That being said, it doesn't count as a DVD/At home workout but I FINALLY made it to the pool on Sunday! It was awesome! Awesome to be outside, awesome to be able to move in a way that wasn't uncomfortable, awesome to be in the water on a hot day! I got a season pass so now I have an incentive to go - want to get my money's worth, preferable before this baby arrives! The pool is two very long blocks from my house, an easy walk, so I hope to get there at least once during the week after work and once on the weekends. I did 12 laps - with rests in between laps - combination of breast stroke, front crawl, back kick, and actually just walking laps. SWEETPEA - any tips for good pool workouts? I know you swam in your third tri. I couldn't believe how fast I got tired, and my triceps were on FIRE when I first got out! I will have to be sure to not try to do too much too fast. I just didn't want to get out of the water! It felt so good! :)

Yoga tonight. I've been good about doing the occassional stretches on my own.

[engineer]

Good morning Charisse.

Well I didn't do a darn thing workout wise this weekend. Guess Sweetpea needs to beat me with a wet noodle.

Yesterday was a total washout. It was raining when we went to bed on Saturday night and didn't stop until we went to bed on Sunday night. So even the girls got the weekend off:rolleyes:

But I did get lots made this weekend (goat's milk yogurt... not sure how that will taste but wanted to give it a try, scones...bad Michelle that's a wheat product, doggie cassrole, vegetarian jambalaya and breakfast pie). And I was going to make the Rio Grande meatloaf but DH didn't get the vegetables chopped so it will have to wait for a day.:mad:

Oh and Charisse - good way to start the week off.:D Starting the thread and getting in your workout for the day. You rock:cool:

[EsteemSamurai]

Hi there all,

Another wimp calling in for the weekend check up. After a really cruddy week last week (I'm not even going to go there - not worth the depression or consideration, frankly), this weekend I tried to get back on track. Friday evening I wanted to get into full swing, so I cracked out my Weight Training for Dummies DVD, courtesy of Netflicks, and got through the first four exercise sets before DH got home. This included squats and plie squats (2 sets, 12 reps/set) and lunges and lat pulls (2 sets/side, 12 reps/set).

Oh. My. God. I am SO out of shape. Seriously. I was incapacitated by the lower body workout for the rest of the weekend! Saturday morning I was so sore I could barely walk - same went for Sunday. I was like an old person; couldn't even make it down stairs (up was okay, but for some reason down was abominable!). So the rest of the weekend I was a bum.

Cookingwise, I was a good wife and made DH some homemade tortillas from the recipe we got in Belize. I need to work on the texture - they weren't floppy enough. But the flavour (according to DH) was far superior to store-bought, so that was positive. We also made blondies from the new Cooks Illustrated this month, but honestly, I don't care for white chocolate so I can't judge one way or the other. DH seemed happy.

Today I walked to work, despite continued residual pain, and tomorrow I'll either do Pilates or try to run. I need to get back on track - the lack of exercise left me really depressed, and my eating (both quality and quantity) suffered as a result. I don't have the luxury of getting in those bad habits right now; we're going to be closing on the new house on June 16th, and our move-in date is the 21st, so I need to be available for that stuff!

Engineer - Let us know how that goat's milk yogurt turns out. Does one use whole milk for that? Do you add fruit / sugars when you make it?

Terri - Stop beating up your prego-self. You're walking around with another person in there - that's a workout in and of itself. Good work at the pool - I know you didn't ask me, but in terms of routine, you might try to work with a kick-board so that you can go longer and balance the weight more evenly through your body as you go.

Charisse - The medieval place sounds neat! I can't imagine, though, eating roast chicken with my fingers (a la Medieval Times) and then jumping in the pool for a water ride. ;)

Hope everyone else is well!
~Sarah

[EmilyK]

Quick post for me, but I'm proud to say I finally worked out!! I did my lower body weight routine in fitness center here at work. It felt great, though I'll probably be completely incapacitated by tomorrow! I'm going to alternate upper and lower every day this week... we'll see how that goes. I did check my bf% on the hand-held thing in there at it showed me at 28.6%... not great but certainly not terrible. I also have 7 pounds to lose to get back to my pre-prego weight.

Happy Monday everybody!!

[sweetpea]

Quick post here...precious naptime in full use today as it is monday and i have issues with getting EVERYTHING done on mondays :) anyway, yesterday was my rest day. didn't even help DH with the yardwork but that is mainly b/c i was dealing with a cranky baby after a not so great weekend of traveling :(
This a.m. i ALSO did BSS4 with Pam--charisse i seriously didn't check the thread first! :) i just now saw the extra stretch segment AFTER the credits at the end--that is silly they put it there, but oh well! at least i found it. haven't done it yet though--ran out of time today. DH leaves tomorrow for San Fran for 3 weeks :( he'll be home in two weeks for a weekend race then gone again for the last week so we won't be seeing him even though he'll be back in indiana! boo!

Happy monday to you all--no time for personals but i am checking in on you all :)

[cniles]

One very sweaty woman checking in!

I did BSS4 with Stephanie this am - Ultimate Cardio Blaster. This was one of those days that I DID NOT want to exercise but made myself go into the dungeon. I think I counted every second in this video saying when is this going to be over.... oh geez another segment... oh not this move... But I made it through. Not sure if it's the video I don't like (I usually like Stephanie's workouts) but I didn't like this one - today at least!;)

We had very severe weather here yesterday - thank goodness everything is still standing. My children were a little freaked out by the lightening and I had to close the blinds and curtains. It's supposed to be 91 today and humid. yuck yuck yuck.

Sweetpea - wow, Eric is going to be gone for awhile. Your family is around aren't they if you need a break??? Sorry the traveling wasn't great - 4 hour car rides usually pass our limit too - the boys are ok for 2 to 2 1/2 hours and then the complaints start!! I remember the car seat phase - Sam was a cranky traveler - I sat in the back seat many times just to try and entertain!!

Emily - yay for working out!!! I can't believe you're only 7lbs away from prepregnancy weight! You and Sweetpea amaze me!!!

Sarah - ugh I was feeling your pain darling. That's the worst - when you try to get back on track and then end up so sore you can't move!! Are you feeling better today??? I was going to suggest Pilates to help stretch out those sore muscles!!!! Congrats on the new house!!! Is it far away from where you are now??? - details my dear!!:D How exciting!!!!

Engineer - you rock! Sounds like a great weekend making all of the stuff you did - how was the yogurt? How's work? I hate to ask but I know it was a MAJOR concern last week - getting through it? Thinking about you!!:)

Terri - isn't the pool great? How wonderful to move around and not feel the pressure of the baby!! Enjoy this time - I can't believe how close you are!!! And yes, stay away from Tae Bo!!;)

Hope everyone has a terrific Tuesday - stay cool those of you in the heat!!!

[sweetpea]

i totally forgot to tell terri about my pool time when prego-i did exactly what you did, would swim some laps and then do some water running/walking. it's fabulous isn't it???? the hard part was when i had to climb out of the pool with my wet suit and big wet belly :) enjoy!
off to run errands as emma has a sitter today and hopefully do a video this afternoon...will report back. happy workouts to all!

[engineer]

No exercise I'm afraid (unless you count hiking out to the far pasture last night to see if those two idiots wanted their bed time snack - which they didn't). Got home late and had a mountain of things to do. But I did eat good yesterday.

Haven't tried the goat's milk yogurt yet. The consistency is like very heavy cream. I normally like mine thicker than that but hey first time experiment. If the taste is acceptable then I'll play with the recipe and see if I can get it too a consistancy I like.

Sweetpea - good luck with your errands. Hope Eric has a good trip and you and Emma have some fun.

Charisse - you get the award for perserverance. I'm with you on that thinking you're about done and nope there's another routine for you. I freak out with too much lightning too (comes from being in a house that was hit and the splitter for the antenna that was in our bedroom exploded!)

Pedicure for the girls in on board tonight so we'll see if we can't get that done. Also want to get the Rio Grande Meatloaf assembled for dinner tomorrow.

Take care all and I hope to be able to report in something positive tomorrow.

[EsteemSamurai]

Bleh! :)

It's just one of those weeks, I think. I got up this morning, still riddled with pain, so I passed on the organized running/pilates and opted for a mid-afternoon / lunch-break walk. Did about 30 minutes, and I'm finally starting to feel a little more normal. I'm hopeful that tomorrow I won't be too stiff to work out in the morning.

Charisse - You go, girl!! I love it when I manage to push through a workout I'm not into... after the fact. ;) It makes me proud to know I managed it, even when I wasn't in 'da groove'. So keep it up - hopefully it was helpful in working out some of the stress associated with the scared kids. We had that same passle of thunderstorms move through our neck of the woods, and there was a CRAZY blast of lightning out of no where that had me running for shelter. ;)

Engineer - Good work keeping up with your eating (I, of all people, know how tough it can be) and staying motivated by getting stuff done. It may not feel (mentally) like exercise, but a lot of what you do for those large n' lovely ladies is hard work and getting the necessities out the way counts!! I'll be interested to hear when you *do* try that yogurt, what you think...and if the recipe is worth sharing. ;) I've been having Greek yogurt every morning (with berries) for breakfast.... it'd be interesting to try making some of my own.

Sweetpea - Sorry to hear that DH will be leaving you and that life is so hectic right now, but it sounds like you're powering through it like the exercise goddess we know you are. :) Maybe its time for some Momma/daughter yoga classes to get lil Pea in the exercise groove? ;-D

Emily - CONGRATULATIONS on that wonderful workout and body weight/image/etc. news!!! Good for you! And only 7 more pounds to go - heck, you must be so incredibly proud of yourself!! I'm beaming on the other side of the monitor for you. :D

Time to close up shop and walk home... it's still super hot and sticky here, so I wasn't too jazzed to leave, but I'm not productive at work anymore, so I think it's a sign. :) Take care ladies - happy Tuesday!

~Sarah

[sweetpea]

i come hanging my head in shame...i decided to put off exercise till this evening and since DH is gone it has to be a tape though i normally walk on tuesdays (i need to get some JUST cardio tapes as most of the FIRM tapes have weight work in them, etc.). So i decide to do BSS4 with Stephanie (once again charisse and i are in sync) and i agree with charisse. this tape just doesn't do it for me. BORING BORING BORING. step touch, A step, over the box, blah blah blah. sheesh. i mean i broke a sweat but quit after 20 min. from boredom. i will just do some stretching and call it a day. i really wish we had a treadmill...darn DH! oh well--tomorrow is a FIRM day and maybe a trip to the pool!

See you all on hump day!

[cniles]

Another sweaty morning! Decided to do a quick one - BSS3 with Lisa - Fat Blastin' Cardio. I like this one as it is a no brainer but I get in a good sweat. And it's 35 mins. So workout #3 this week!! woo hoo.

We went to the pool for the first time this season - uff da! We get our water from the springs in our area (thus our town name of Boiling Springs) Well it isn't boiling - try Freezing springs!! It was cold - but refreshing as it was 92 degrees yesterday! The boys loved it - plus we have 2 new slides so Jack was in heaven.

Today we have to go shopping - need to finish Father's Day shopping - and get a birthday present etc... Jack has his last game tonight and I have bunco (lots of good food and wine so I need to be careful!!;) )

Sweetpea - hope you got a workout in!! I can't take walks now either b/c both boys will be home so it's exclusively DVD's. UNLESS I get up at 5:30 and get a walk in:rolleyes: It's nice you have a sitter so you can get your errands done sans child!! I'm thinking of paying the girl up the street to watch the boys for a couple of hours so I can do the same thing - there's nothing worse than draggin 2 boys through the grocery store!!!:rolleyes:

Sarah - glad you're feeling a bit back to normal! Hard to believe how long the soreness lasts!! So are you all packed and ready to go? Will you have a yard? Do you like to garden???

Engineer - How was the pedicure last night? Did the girls get their toes painted too?!!:D So glad to hear your eating is on track and you're feeling good about it!! Love to hear how the meatloaf it... now I'm hungry!!

How's it going Emily? Saw the new picture of Gavin on the other board - what a cutie!!!

We haven't heard from Gil or Paula for awhile... Gil I know you said work was going to be crazy and I've seen your posts on the food boards - hope you're doing well!! Paula????? Oh Paula????? Hope you're doing well:)

Have a great Wednesday everyone!!!:)

[TerriS]

Hello all!
Brought my swim stuff to work today so I can go to the pool on my way home. :D

Sweetpea sorry the BSS4 with Stephanie didn't do it for you. Something is always better than nothing though!

Gotta run.

[EmilyK]

Okay, I needed to make time to be able to post personals today!! :D I did do upper weights yesterday and I plan on going in to do lower weights again today. Holy cannoli, I'm a sore girl today! The upper is starting to be sore and I'm still sore lower… maybe doing weights again will help? It feels SO great to be back into the groove, and I seem to have dropped another pound! Hooray! Of course, like sweetpea said a while back, we have a great exercise plan: BFing… burns an extra 500 or so calories a day! :)

(and I posted a new picture of Gavin on the New Moms thread, if you guys are interested)

Charisse - good for you, exercising even though you absolutely didn't want to do it! I'm impressed… I usually just plop on the couch and feel bad about not doing anything! :) Add me to the list of folks that hate bad weather, remember our exploding transformer a while back? <shudder> The pool sounds like it's wonderful! Enjoy a dip for me, okay?

engineer - personally, I think hiking out to the field would count as exercise! Did you try the goat yogurt yet? You're doing so well with the food limitations, keep up the good work!

sweetpea - sorry to hear your travelling weekend didn't go so well. How are you guys holding up with Eric being gone?? And why in the world are you hanging your head in shame!? You still worked out, even though you were bored!

Sarah - glad to hear you're starting to feel a little better, you should be back to normal tomorrow (I hope!). It's great that you're able to walk during the day. And congrats on the house! That's so exciting!!!

[Gilgamesh37]

<hanging head> sorry I haven't checked in, even though I've occasionally posted on the food board. The whole healthy living thing just isn't in the swing right now, though. Work is chaos, even more than I had anticipated (people giving notice, my boss broke her ankle and had to have surgery and will be out probably 3-4 weeks)---exercise has been mostly non-existant (a few brief walks here and there) and eating has been.....not so great. So far my weight has only ticked up a couple pounds, but still, I was hoping to go the other direction. But, taking the advice I kept trying to give Engineer not long ago, I can only fight battles on so many fronts at once.

I am reading when I can, and am so jealous of you folks who can get to a pool! Know I'm thinking about you all!

[engineer]

Yesterday was an OK day not fabulous but not horrific either. Lunch was chili with the raw carrots. I love carrots. I like them raw and in stew and baked and in soup. The only way I don’t like them is juiced – Yuck! I did have my rice cakes with the almond butter and strawberry spread about 4 yesterday. I had been using the organic brown rice cakes but they were out of them at the store this week. That meant plain white rice cakes, ok so now I know how come they have the reputation of being stryfoam – eck. And we stopped at the store to pick up cilantro and also got those dang chocolate covered cashews (They talk to me!). I tried not to snarf the whole bag down and ate slowly but when we got home it was empty. I am really hoping that DH ate most of them. Once home I took care of the other animals and DH held horses so they could get their pedicure. Since he wasn’t done when I finished I took the opportunity and got on the treadmill. I did the 15 minute weight loss program (figuring I didn’t have a lot of time) but when those 15 were up and he wasn’t in yet I kept going until the calorie counter said 125. I kind of picked that out of the air but it was a goal. So all told it was only about 17 minutes but it’s a start and I feel good about that. We ended up eating pretty late but we did have our monster salad with nuts and goat cheese. We also grilled some Tilapia about 5 oz and I added a little tarter sauce. That was it but we didn’t finish until almost 9. I did get the Rio Grande Meatloaf mixed up as DH was kind enough to chop the vegetables for it. I had wanted to put together the fruit compote but that would have been pushing.

Today we had the breakfast pie with red, yellow and green bell pepper, onion, mushrooms and Italian turkey sausage held together with organic eggs in a gluten free crust (again). Lunch is my vegetable jambalaya with jalapeno chicken sausage added and some raw carrots. The plan is to have the meatloaf for dinner tonight and have some left over for lunch. I am hoping to get the fruit compote put together tonight. And maybe tonight I can get in the sauna. No sauna last night I’m afraid.

Sarah – I’m glad to hear that you’re starting to feel normal again. I’m hoping to eat the yogurt today as it’s still in the fridge here at work. So is Greek yogurt a goat’s milk yogurt? Hope you had a good nights rest.

Sweetpea – No hanging heads around here girl! You broke a sweat and that’s good. You did do 20 minutes (3 minutes better than me) Sometimes we have to just admit when things aren’t working and stop and you were smart enough to do that – so Yeah for you! And I do hope you can get to the pool.

Charisse – You are amazing – three workouts already and going strong. Sounds like the cold water didn’t faze those boys of yours – wow! Sorry to hear it’s so hot as that can make folks grumpy. We are alternating between rain and mist and wind but no sun for the last few days. I need the sun, can you send me some? Good luck with the father’s day shopping adventure. (Oh and they do make hoof polish for horses called ‘Twinkle Toes’, it’s a glitter polish of all things. DH says no way is that going on our horses and frankly that’s good cause it would take several bottles for one horse)

Terri – Gold star for planning! Hope you can get to the pool and enjoy the aquatic environment.

Emily – Sounds like you’re a good sore so big gold star for you! Keep up the excellent work you are doing fantastic. And Gavin is a cutie.

Gil – Yikes I thought you had it tough before but it sounds like the flood gates have really opened up! Hang in there, at some point the tide will ebb and you will be back to the normal chaos level. In the mean time put those feet up, get a glass of wine and relax. And if it’s a good red wine then you can call it a health break.

Paula – Hey girl, hope you are feeling better. We miss your long legs in those tall boots doing yoga. Remember you are a workout goddess diva to us.

[cniles]

Originally posted by Gilgamesh37
<hanging head> sorry I haven't checked in, even though I've occasionally posted on the food board. The whole healthy living thing just isn't in the swing right now, though. Work is chaos, even more than I had anticipated (people giving notice, my boss broke her ankle and had to have surgery and will be out probably 3-4 weeks)---exercise has been mostly non-existant (a few brief walks here and there) and eating has been.....not so great. So far my weight has only ticked up a couple pounds, but still, I was hoping to go the other direction. But, taking the advice I kept trying to give Engineer not long ago, I can only fight battles on so many fronts at once.

I am reading when I can, and am so jealous of you folks who can get to a pool! Know I'm thinking about you all!

Gil - I hope you don't feel like I was wet noodling you!!!! I just saw you had posted and was wondering how the work front was going!!:) Hang in there girlfriend!!

[Gilgamesh37]

Originally posted by cniles


Gil - I hope you don't feel like I was wet noodling you!!!!

No worries, Charisse---although, the way this week is going, if you DID try to wet noodle me, I'd probably just eat the d*mn noodle.

With alfredo sauce.

[Paula H]

Hello there exercise goddesses!!!!

Long time, no see!

Thanks for all your lovely long-distant support while I've been off hiding in my cave (especially you engineer!) - on top of my friend dying, I lost my job a few days later, so everything went into a massive tail-spin of trying to work out if we can get by on Dr Love's income. Plus all that stress! Blargh.

Anyway, Dr Love and I have been doing our best to relax and recuperate and refocus over the last four weeks, and I'm feeling much more together. True, I haven't worked out (beyond Dr Love's therapeutic cardio... ;) ), but it's been fantastic having real weekends together for the first time (hoorah for getting to sleep in together, go to the market to buy vegetables together, sitting and reading together...).

So yesterday I tested out my poor ole body. I did Sara's Joy Of Yoga - my hip's been playing up again, so I don't think anything too bouncy is going to work right now. There were definitely a few twinges during the workout - and where oh where did my flexibility go to??? - but I really enjoyed it. Especially since we had spent the long weekend weeding the garden, so my hamstrings were tiiiiight.

So how is everybody? Catch me up with what y'all have been doing over the last month!!

[TerriS]

Oh dear Paula, it sounds like you have been through a lot. Hugs to you.

I made it to the pool last night. Got tired fasted than I did on Sunday, but I think that was largely due to the fact that this time I had a swim cap and goggles and was putting my face in the water more, which meant I had to remember all the right ways to breathe when swimming! It's been a long time since I swam like this! It still felt wonderful after a long tiring day at work. The heat and humidity have been a real bear this week, and no sign of it letting up anytime soon.

[cniles]

Oh Paula - hugs..... I am so sorry to hear about your friend. AND to lose your job. Dr. Love sounds so supportive and glad you have been able to take this time to spend together. I'll be thinking of you.

Terri - yay for the pool!!! Glad you could get some exercise out of it AND stay cool!!!;)

Engineer - ooooh those chocolate cashews!!! And yay for you getting back on the treadmill and going the extra mins - They all count!!! Your food sounds delicious! I too had chicken sausages (southwestern style!) with fresh orange tomatoes, basil and pasta - yummm! How was the meatloaf? And "twinkle toes":D I can only imagine!!!!

Emily - woo hoo on the weight lifting and getting back in the groove!! I knew I should have BF'd longer - maybe it wouldn't have taken 3 years to get the weight off!!:rolleyes:

Gil - wet noodles with alfredo sauce (and a glass of wine!):p Just know that I'm thinking about ya!!

Well - #4 for me this week! I felt really good too. I did BSS3 with Stephanie - Total Muscle Shaping. This workout was much better than her BSS4 - I think I've said before that it's a tough weight workout but her cardio sections really make me sweat too. I needed to workout today b/c I totally pigged out at Bunco last night - spinach phyllo, mushroom and fontina quesadillas, sangria, peanut butter m&m's:rolleyes:

Another wicked hot day - Jack's last day of school. I promised the boys I'd take them to our local ice cream shop this afternoon (can I resist???? Probably not!) Sam has his last T-ball game tonight. Then tomorrow is the amusement park - I'll be doing a lot of walking I guess. Supposed to be hot again but there are a lot of water rides so it should be fun!!!! I'll go down the log flume for you guys!!:D

Have a great day all!!:)

[Gilgamesh37]

Well, apparently the wet noodle worked, because I managed to drag my sorry, sagging, perimenopausal butt downstairs last night after work and do Body Pump, which I haven't done in an age. Made myself stay with my barbell as set (30#) even though a small evil voice in my head was saying Oh Gil, you haven't worked out in so long, maybe you should drop the weight down, maybe just 20#..... No! Away Evil Voice!

So anyway. It went well, I was cursing like a sailor at the tv during the headbangers, but I got through the whole thing and my triceps and glutes are nicely toasty today, so all is well.

Today's frustration is with an older family member (DBF's aunt) who asked DBF to come over and take her for an in-office medical procedure today. Okay, she lives a fair distance away, but I can understand wanting someone there if you're having a procedure and are going to be sedated, etc. Wish there was someone closer than us, but she's family, and I get it. Only to find out that in fact, it's not a procedure, it's the freaking CONSULT to see if she NEEDS the procedure. Which means she's asked DBF to drive 250 miles round trip to ferry her to a dr's appt. I'm biting my tongue since she's not my relative, but I am deeply ticked off about this. She needs to figure out some other arrangements for this kind of stuff, I think.

[engineer]

Good afternoon folks, and how is Thursday going for everyone. Remember tomorrow is Friday so there is light at the end of the tunnel, and the sun has come out here! Yippee!

Yesterday was a pretty good day, except for it being slow at work. I hate being bored and I was yesterday (no potential line issues and I’m caught up on my other stuff). We had to stop at the store to pick up some salsa for the meat loaf but instead of chocolate covered cashews we got some organic dried fruit trail mix. Again I tried to nibble slowly so I wouldn’t consume too much. I know that we shouldn’t do that but I was hungry at 5:30 when we finally got out of here. This is why I like to drive separately but DH was sure we wouldn’t be late. Ha! Like he’s ever right about that.

He was really pushing that I get some exercise and insisted that I take as much time as I needed. I had planned on taking care of animals and doing 15 minutes on the treadmill but he kept pushing. I was getting angry at him because I hate when people push, it’s too much like my mother. I did help with animals but because he was so pushy I did 30 minutes on the treadmill while he did litter boxes and cut up fruit for compote. My energy and stamina are still gone so I didn’t do as good as I used to which is upsetting to me also. Exercise should be about making me feel better – not about guilt and frustration. Because of getting home late and having to do the compote, we ended up eating pretty late but we did have our monster salad with nuts and goat cheese. For the main course we had the Rio Grande Meatloaf and some instant mashed potatoes. I know that’s sacrilege but it’s what we had that was quick. We haven’t had instant mashed potatoes for almost a year. We made them with broth instead of water and milk and the flavor was a bit different but it was ok. As we haven’t purchased any instant type side dishes for almost a year I doubt we will be having that again any time soon. By the time we got done with everything including making lunch and dishes it was after 9.

Projects for tonight are happily not food related. We need to assemble a birthday present for a friend whose birthday is the same as mine (Friday). His wife said to DH something about an exotic weed whacker. Well that got DH thinking so he is taking one of our old ‘weed whackers’ (similar to a scythe) and we got some ‘Hawaiian’ party favors and are going to create an ‘exotic weed whacker’.

I managed to get to sleep last night so I was happy about that. But the cats were playing with something (although what has not been determined) and kept waking me up. Little stinkers sleep all day so what do they care about staying up all night.

Gil – You had to go and mention Alfredo sauce didn’t you? Oh I love that creamy smooth sauce. I am impressed as I give into that little evil voice. Hang in there, not only has work gone totally nuts but now you have family member’s adding to the chaos. I really hope that you have a very relaxing/rejuvenating weekend planed, you definitely need it, and have more than earned it.

Paula – I am so happy that you’re back. I’ve been trying to give you some time and space but I really wanted to pop you an e-mail and see how you were doing. Yeah for Paula doing yoga again! That flexibility will come back quickly once you get your groove back. Are you still teaching the cooking class?

Terri – The pool sounds as if it was just the ticket. Glad to hear that you had a good time, even if it was exhausting. So is this going to be a regular thing for a while?

Charisse – Four in a row is a super achievement. The bunco menu does sound terribly tempting but you blasted those calories out of here. Hope Jack and Sam talk you into a double scoop at the ice cream parlor this afternoon as a big celebration for all three of you. And tomorrow with the walking at the amusement part that double scoop will disappear. Enjoy!

[EmilyK]

Almost Friday!! I have done weights 4x this week! I plan on doing lower again tomorrow to make it a full 5 days. Whew! I am so sore right now... Tomorrow afternoon, the little man goes to the dr. for his 3-month check-up. I'm betting he's over 13 pounds now, so we'll find out for sure.

engineer - lucky duck, it's storming here... I'm more than happy to pass some of my work your way if you're too bored! :)

Gil - good job! Gold star for avoiding the noodle!

Paula - welcome back... sorry about your friend and your job. I'm glad you have Dr. Love's support through everything.

Charisse - enjoy that ice cream!! Yum!

Terri - the pool is great exercise for you, it's great that you have one available. Just a couple more weeks and you'll be a mommy!!

Sorry for the quick post, but it's a busy day here!

[EsteemSamurai]

Wow! Everyone is doing *so* well!!! I am impressed.

I, sadly, am not on my game this week. As I did yesterday and day before, I was out walking again today - round trip to the grocery store (~1.5 - 2 miles) and round trip to Target (~.75 mile) in the blazing, 87 degree heat plus humidity. Blech. Not a real wonderful feeling, honestly, but I needed to get something in.

Took the day 'off' of work today, which means I worked from home, so that I could go to the dentist. This stupid TMJ stuff still hasn't completely let up, so I went back and told him we needed to try something else. He prescribed Celebrex, so hopefully between that and more ice/heat treatments, it'll subside. He also ground away part of one of my back molars where he thinks my jaw is rubbing funny and therefore out of whack. We'll see. I still think he's a schmo.

Work stuff is finally getting sorted; there were some amazingly awful scheduling conflicts that I finally got management to cop to and resolve. Now I'm only triple booked one week, rather than quadruple booked, so that's positive.

This weekend is our last weekend before we move, so we'll probably be packing a lot, but also intend to go over to my folks' who have opened up their pool. It's been so warm lately, swimming is really the only exercise that sounds moderately appealing.

Well, hope everyone is doing well. The phone just rang so I must dash!

~Sarah

[sweetpea]

late check in here in pea land :) I am headed down stairs to do Cardio Boot Camp--some tape a friend gave me. It's not WONDERFUL but at leasts it's cardio which is what i need today--no weights as that will be tomorrow. Had a great day with emma/my mom and my best friend's 6 year old--we went to the new outdoor aquatic center! a blast for all of us! so i am pooped and my throat is VERY sore from some bug i have plus talking LOUD over all the screaming kids, etc. :) plus i have some major gunk in my lungs but i need to workout and maybe taht will help break it up...otherwise we are doing great--eating has been so-so. TRYING really hard to get my fruits/veggies but then sometimes i forget food all together--being a mommy is BUSY work--pool, playtime, diapers, baths, etc. and it just gets pushed aside. Tonight i am having leftover lasagna that a friend gave me and some garlic bread (last hamburger bun...got to do SOMETHING with it!)

paula--i am SO very sorry for all you are going through--is this your massage job? the one you just got all the furniture/renovations done for? i can't imagine and don't hardly know what to say but that i am thinking of you and Dr. Love--lean on each other and enjoy your time together as much as you can. It will only make everything easier (cause it can't get any harder, right?)

i will catch up with the rest of you tomorrow...i MUST go workout before it gets too late :) hugs to you all--come on FRIDAY and engineer's BIRTHDAY!!!!!

[Paula H]

Hello my exercise divas!

Thanks for the welcome back - and no, sweetpea, I'm still massaging, I lost my weekend job working at the local library, which was helpful money. We'd planned on doing some more renovations at the end of this year, and for me to start studying again next year, but that'll all have to go on hold for the moment.

Anyway - exercise! Yesterday I did the arms segment, sans weights, from QuickFix Total Mix. Cor blimey, did that work me! And today I've done a never-before-tried segment from QuickFix Pilates Abs Workout. Did you hear me grunting through the last five minutes of it? I am going to feel that tomorrow.

Oh, and let's not forget, engineer - happy birthday!!!!!! 21 again, is it?? Big hugs to you, my exercise goddess.

Time to cook dinner and then relax. See you all next week darlings!

[EsteemSamurai]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ENGINEER

No time to post now, but some things are just very important. :)

~Sarah

[cniles]

Happy Birthday Engineer!!!!! :) :) :) Enjoy your day!!!!!!

No formal exercise today - we're off to the amusement park although the weather looks threatening. Still sticky so the water rides should feel good.

Have a wonderful day all!!! And a great weekend!!!

Big hugs to everyone!:p

[Gilgamesh37]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ENGINEER!!!!

Sarah's right, some things are more important than others!

I had a late work commitment last night so no work out for me---just as well, my triceps are okay but today my pecs are talking to me. Hope everyone has a great weekend---especially Engineer! Hope the girls (okay okay, maybe Scott) got you something nice!!!

[TerriS]

Ditto on the HAPPY BIRTHDAY ENGINEER!!!

I hope to keep swimming (just keep swimming, just keep swimming) 2-3 times a week until I have this kiddo. With how hot and humid it has suddenly gotten it's definitely the only outside exercise I'm going to get! I really need to get better about doing the yoga on my own, besides just in class once a week.

So, I hope to swim tomorrow, intend to get to the pool right when it opens at 11.

[engineer]

First off I want to thank all of you for the birthday well wishes. As I said I had my physical this morning and got a tetanus booster as a birthday present from the clinic! I am such a lucky girl. They had considered giving me the pneumonia vaccine but decided not to with the booster (shucks huh?)

No exercise last night as we had to put together the ‘exotic weed whacker’ for our friend for his birthday. Besides the whacker we got him a bottle of good rum (keeping with the exotic theme) and a hat. He’ll get that tonight when we meet him and his wife for dinner at the only decent place up here. It’s on Lake of the Woods and is a fishing resort. If the weather holds (which I’m not holding my breath) you can get a beautiful sunset over the lake. So I guess what I’m saying is that the diet isn’t going to be top priority tonight and exercise is out.

But tomorrow I have a call appt with my nutritionist. Have lots to discuss and hopefully we can start tweaking the program and get my body to give up some of this weight.

Emily – Weights 4x’s in a week yowza! I hope you get your lowers in today so you can say I did 5 days of weights very proudly and very loudly. You totally rock! Hope the little guy has a pleasant time at the doc’s. I’d take the work but I guess there going to start moving my equipment to my new lab today. So at least I have that to look forward too.

Sarah – You have been moving and I think that is great, especially considering the heat and humidity. I really hope that the Celebrex helps with the TMJ. You sure have been fighting that for a while. I hate packing (part of the reason I don’t want to move), so I’m sending you oodles of positive energy to tackle the packing to move task. Have a good time at the pool, you deserve it.

Sweetpea – I really hope that that throat thing isn’t serious. Please take care of yourself. Wow you actually forget food altogether, that is such a surreal thought to me. I am glad you have family and friends near by who provide you with food so that you don’t completely miss out. You and Emma have a super weekend.

Paula – I am so proud of you getting back into the swing of things. Arms and Abs, what a great upper body start. Stick with it girl and soon you’ll be lugging those weights around like they are nothing.

Charisse – Here’s hoping the weather holds out and you have a wonderful adventure at the amusement park. Did you get an ice cream yesterday?

Gil – Note above, fishing resort, just trying to lure you up here to fish and watch birds and meet the girls. Yesterday Josie was asleep in the pasture (lying down as she likes to do) and there were 4 birds hoping around on her big belly! I thought she’s a hippo, she just doesn’t know it. DH got me a tin of chocolate and toffee covered popcorn and a book by Dr Bass on the Body Farm. Pretty good if you ask me.

Terri – I hope you get to swim tomorrow too. I love the water. Do a couple of laps for me won’t you? And about the yoga, if you enjoy it then do it but if not what the heck right? Take care and have fun.

To all of you – last night I was thinking about this past year and all the people that I’ve come to know and each and every one of you has given me something precious this year…friendship. Thank you all very much for the support and love and general camaraderie. You all ROCK!
:D

[EmilyK]

Happy Birthday engineer!!!! (I was hoping to post before you did, but maybe you'll see this anyway) sorry about your birthday shot, but at least it'll be a good 10 years until your next one!

Quick post for me today, since I have to leave in 20 minutes! I did lower weights again today, so that's 5 days of weight lifting in a row! Whoo-hoo, I'm back on the wagon! Eating has been pretty good too, though now that I've discovered the new Dark Chocolate M&M's I've been kind of bad… :D Hope you all have a great weekend!