Phew! The body-building Bawdy Wench is back! I just finished up a . . . get this . . . 2-hour-and-20-minute workout and I feel great!

I was cold and feeling draggy and lazy. I've been putting off exercise so much lately. Earlier today, I went over to check my journal, and found Elaine there wondering if I knew about the BFL thread on this board. I said I did, but that I haven't been doing much along those lines lately.

So back to being cold and feeling draggy and lazy. Part of me dearly wanted to turn up the furnace, cuddle up under an afghan, and read a good book. Then Elaine (darn you!) popped into my head and I decided I would jump on the stationary bike for 5 minutes, just to warm up.

So 5 minutes passed, and I figured I'd stay on a while longer, doing the BFL interval training. I ended up doing the entire 20-minute regimen and felt great.

So I thought I would try lifting a few weights. Before I knew it, I had done the entire upper-body series with my standard set of weights (which are at a pretty challenging level).

So then I figured I might as well do a few quad presses and toe presses (we have a machine, and toe presses are the same as quad presses except that you keep your legs straight and just point and flex your toes, so it's like raising up on your tip toes). So I did the full BFL series on those exercises, too.

Then I felt like I should do some stretching, so I got out my favorite stretching tape ("The Home Stretch" by Charlene Prickett). It's a 45-minute routine that stretches every muscle in your body, some I didn't even know I had!

Phew!

Moral of story (this is for me as much as anyone else): Even if you don't feel like exercising, just do it for 5 minutes and then see how you feel. If you feel ok, go for 5 minutes more. Chances are, you'll end up doing a complete workout.



Elaine, glad to hear you're starting to feel better. Sometimes you just have to force yourself to try to get back into your old routine. Your menu looks good, except for the coconut oil. That just sounds yucky to me. I probably would have slipped it into the pancake mix. But, to each her own!

Ellie, you are going to be my motivation to exercise. You go, girl!

Lisette, you're right. Jewelry probably isn't the best thing for you. I remember that scene in "City Slickers" when Billy Crystal has to deliver that calf, and loses his watch in the process!

It sounds like you have a pretty active life there. Me, I sit on my butt most days. My fingers get a workout on the keyboard, but unfortunately that doesn't burn fat. Someone around here has a comic in their signature that shows a woman at a computer, and it says "To lose one pound, double-click here 25,000 times."

I wouldn't worry too much about the low iron. Were you close to your period, or right after it? I have been turned down once or twice for that reason, but was always able to donate again. With all the red-meat protein you eat, you shouldn't have a problem. Next time there's a drive, go again and see if you're able to donate. If not, mention it to your doctor. There are tests that can be done to determine the amount of iron in your blood. There's also a test to determine how much is locked up in your cells, which is a better indicator.

Do you have "Protein Power Lifeplan"? If so, read the chapter on iron. It should answer most of your questions. If not, let me know and I'll look it up and try to summarize it for you.

Catch you later!