I only worked out 1 day last week. I've been very moody and tried switching to CALP...ended up going off plan totally for 4-5 days... gained 5 pounds (thought not really I dont think since they were gone in 2 days). I am back in my 2-3rd day of Atkins again and my mood is stabilizing....thank god! I think I am going to recover and eventually start losing weight again.

Just wanted to let everyone know wonderful it is to come here. All your advice and comments are just so encouraging.

I am sheepishly returning. I don't know what happened last week but I only worked out once and so far this week I have not worked out at all. My right heel has been hurting but that is no excuse. On Sat. night I had a really bad stomach virus so I'm still not feeling up to par. I'm hoping that I haven't lost to much ground on my increased stamina. My goal will be to workout 3 X's this week even if it's not my regular routine.

Thank you all for making it easy to come back here. Blessings, Maureen

Extra Credit: Exercising just makes me feel good about myself and that I'm being productive. I also have realized how easy it is to fall off the exercise wagon. If I don't workout every other day it then goes to every 2 days and then every 3 days, etc. etc. etc.

today si the first day I COULD exercise and I just cant do it... my right knee hurts so bad just to walk today... I wonder if I should take some pain killers than try it once they kick in? hmmm

Hey folks....

I just wanted to let you know that I won't be making my fitness goal for this week. I'm going to give myself permission to not try and fit any exercise in this week - I've been feeling more and more tired lately, and getting less & less sleep. I've always had sleep issues, so I want to nip this in the bud and prevent some a serious insomnia attack. SOO... early to bed and late to rise for me this week! Unfortuantely, that doesn't leave much time between work, dishes, laundry, cooking, eating etc. so I'm not going to stress it and just let it go for one week.

Sorry folks!
Wynter

Edited to fix colour... thanks Kelly

Well, that's the only excuse I can think of for not posting this week - I've been feeling a little scatterbrained, moody, can't seem to focus. Is it hormones? I don't know! I've been exercising in the mornings about half the time. I haven't gone off the WOE, but can I vent for a second? Does anybody else hate to pick at food? My friend brought over a box of KFC thighs (used to be my favorite) and when I said somewhat tersely "Well, you know I don't eat that anymore" he said, "Can't you just pick off the breading?" I blurted out "No that's DISGUSTING" before I took time to think, so, hurt feelings, unpleasantness, aaaaugh! I feel a little on edge, maybe it's the time of year in part. It's still unseasonably cold here. I don't know.

Those of you who are more "together" right now than me, congratulations!!!

I'll do better this next week!

Hi Everyone,

Wynter - don't stress it. Sometimes taking a week off to regroup can give you more energy when you come back. Get your sleep and try for being lazy

DusterCat - I agree with you about the time of year. These short cold days make me grumpier too.

Thanks to all on this challenge. You really help me plug along. The support and help here is great.

Take care all,
Marie

Okay, I made it back from my vacation in beutiful McCall, and am back. I did really well because we stayed at the condo, so we didn't go out to eat a whole bunch, I mostly cooked in the condo. I went swimming at their wonderful indoor pool every evening, and we went sledding/tubing and cross country skiing as well.

I fell the last day and went down on my knee, so I have mostly been sitting for the last 2 days since we got home, but fortunately, I didn't break my leg, I just sprained it. I can't go back to curves until the 1st of March, so ack!! So much for my fitness challenge goals.

I can answer the extra credit though, because I feel like I really got a grip on the whole exercise thing, and now that I have missed almost a week, and have a whole other week that I know I can't exercise, I feel bad. I can feel my hands swelling, in fact, I had to take my pinky ring off. Fortunately, we bought my wedding ring in August and have never had it re-sized, so it still fits, although not as loosly as I would like.

I don't have the same good morning attitude at work this week either. A couple of people have noticed that I am more quiet in the mornings when I don't work out.

Well, I have stayed on the rest of the WOL. I haven't cheated, and I am drinking 2/ 52 ounce mugs of water every day. I get a lot of flack about my mug from co-workers, but I find that if I HAVE the water sitting there already, I tend to drink it, wheras if I have to go down to the water fountain, I put it off.

Well, that is my life story, sorry this post is so long, guess I needed to talk.

Hi Everyone!

I'm feeling hungry and lazy this morning, so I'm having a bit of chicken and forum time before I Walk Away those pesky Pounds!




First off, Char, Patti, Kelly, Grendeldog and Marie, you guys are doing fabulous!

{Sophia} ~ Hang in there, honey, we’re rooting for you!

Hummelda ~ I’m so glad to hear your back is better.

Teresa ~ A general Woo Hoo in your general direction ... you GO girl!

Dianne ~ Your idea for planning an alternate routine is *great*! (And I won’t deny it’s fun to see you jazzed up about exercise )

Crysania ~ "I am actually kinda enjoying it (did I really say that??)" Ah ... I see the signs of exercise romance. It starts small and blooms into full fledged love before you know it! You really are doing fabulous, my tall sister.

Jessie ~ I'm sorry CALP wasn't a better fit for you. I know you were hoping to find a plan that didn't leave you so wiped. Did you notice more energy when you added more carbs? PS - I'm with Kelly regarding the painkillers!

Maureen ~ Here's a little sheep for our sheepish friend. You take care of yourself, especially that heel. IMHO, there's no use in pushing yourself if you're injured. You could choose to do something else fun (swim?) until you fully healed (ha ha!).

Wynter ~ No need to apologize! I think it's very healthy to listen to your body when it tells you what you need. Feel better and get rested. I know you'll be back when the time is right.

DusterCat ~ As my wise friend reminded me, hormones will make you feel a little crazy from time to time. Hopefully this is winter's last blast and spring is right around the corner. I wish I could send you today's sunshine! I'm sorry your chicken experience wasn't 'finger pickin' good' ... okay, that was a terrible joke, and I totally understand what you are saying. It's one thing if the whole world doesn't get it, but our friends who by this time should know better? Grrrrr. In a way, it's like seeing your dinner fall into the trash and hearing someone say 'just pick off the garbage'. I think you're pretty together not to have brained the guy.

Ellen ~ You come here an talk anytime! But I'm so sorry to hear about your knee. You know by now what I'm going to say ... *take care of yourself* until that poor thing is fully healed. Boy, other than that, though, your vacation sounded wonderful!


See you guys tomorrow!

Monika - Chicken and Forum time, eh? Sounds like a good prescription to me!

Ellen - It's a pain when you've gotten into the swing of things and then something happens to stop that swing mid-air. How about picking up a couple of light free weights that you can use at home (or even in the office) until your leg is back in action? After all, if your office mates give you a hard time about the water, a little weight lifting in the office will give them something different to talk about!

Duster - Weather, hormones, short days ... who knows? With all of them, "this, too, shall pass." Sounds like you need to pamper yourself a bit. Maybe the "Chicken and Forum Time" prescription that Monika is using?

Wynter - It is my expert opinion that if you have to give up something because of time constraints, that you should give up work. You can tell your boss that I said so!

Jessie - Definitely try to avoid the exercise-by-pain killer method. That's a quick way to make the injury worse. I've always been told by various doctors to take anti-inflammatories (ibuprofen or aspirin) and to use ice in the first 4 hours after the injury (to reduce swelling) and heat after the first 4 hours (to facilitate healing). Wow, the forum is FULL of prescriptions today!

For me, I've been doing well this week. I'm on schedule with the 3 40-minute workouts for the Y, and I've been doing them in the morning (hmmm, I just realized that 'Y' must stand for YAWN! he he he). I'm hoping it gets easier as I get more used to it. I've also been taking the dog for more walks which both of us have been enjoying (him especially!)

Keep up the good work, everyone ... even those who are working hard at recovering from assorted ills!

well I think I did really well this week my goals changed after I did the first lower body workout I desided to go ahead and try to work the whole body for life cycle in so... I did two cardio (both dance) and three weight lifting (one upper body and two lower body) I didn't do today's cardio but spent the day working in the yard which was alot more work but was so rewarding I can't wait til in the morning when I can see it in the light (it was to dark to see it when I finished)
I missed my water goal once might have been twice I still got 4 L in though so it was not like I didn't drink any or anything
I did notice somthing this week... I had energy AND I have been able to sleep I don't know what clicked but I hope it keeps up this is the first energy boost I have gotten since I started my mom says I was wearing her out just to watch me annnnd I took my mesurements and in the past three weeks have lost 5" which is the first big drop I have seen in a long time

anywho instead of waiting to post it tomorrow this is my plan for the next week
Fri - none (cause I am normally only up 6 or 7 hours - I sleep nights on my days off but have to sleep before work friday night too or I never make it til 7am )
Sat - UBW Sun - Yoga
Mon - LBW Tues - Dance
Wens - UBW Thurs - Dance
Water 5L
and I am still looking for some of the pieces for my veil and hip scarf I wanna make

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to check in and say I feel 100% better after catching up on some much needed sleep and down time - and I *knock wood* believe I've kept the insomnia demon at bay this time

After looking at everything I've been eating, I've come to the conclusion that I may be getting inadequate iron in my diet - over the past 2 months it's only averaged 45-50%, whereas all of my other nutrient %'s have been over 100. I've also been getting dull headaches along with the dragged out feeling, which possibly sounds like low iron. This tired feeling just isn't normal for me... at least not for me since LC'ing, SO I'll be picking up a multivitamin WITH iron this weekend (using one without at the moment) and I'll be back on track and rarin' to go for next week.

Glad everyone's doing so well!

Wynter

Week Five …

Half Way There Challengers!

Goals
Where are you setting your sights this week? Are you going to maintain this level of activity or are you ready to take a small step towards increasing duration or intensity?

Consider adding a different health related goal …

Extra Credit
For many of us here, adding one more small thing each day may seem like too much. Between work, family, food and exercise commitments, we're scheduled close to the maximum. However, most of us also have enough energy to handle just one more little task and it could make a big difference in the end. Examples: Stretching for 2-3 minutes before bed, getting your equipment ready to go for the next day's workout, visualizing a fabulous exercise experience before you begin, etc.

I've been on track this week, 3 mile WAP x 7 days. Actually, some of those 3 miles have been 1+2 miles or 2+1 miles; I like to vary it a bit. One day I added 5+ extra minutes to the 3 mile so I could make the 55 minute walk to keep up with the 10k Walk training program.

This week I'm keeping to my previous commitments, but I'll rewind the DVD's so I can add extra minutes as needed to train.

I use weights all the time now with WAP, but I can only do the triceps exercises over my head without letting my heart rate climb too high. It does tell me that I'm getting fitter ... I was surprised however, how much adding extra minutes to the program really tuckered me out. I expect that by May, I'll be saying that this has become much easier, too.

It's too early to be certain ... but I *think* we're getting a recumbant exercycle next month!!!! If you've been with me from the start, you'll know this is a BIG dream for me. Keep your fingers crossed!

Extra Credit
The one small thing I can do for myself is to cut my nightly news in half. I end up watching the whole 11:00 pm news, even though I could care *less* about sports, etc. It's such a habit to sit through the whole thing before dragging myself off to bed. If I could add 15 minutes of extra sleep each night, I'd have an easier time getting up each morning, which I think in turn, would make my workout more pleasurable. Which in turn, further reinforces it's importance in my life. Which in turn, could keep me mobile for years and years and years ...

Thinking about it, I had no idea that by skipping the portion of the news that I don't care about could potentially keep me able-bodied a long time.

Plus ... a girl needs her beauty sleep!

extra credit:
"If you were to add just one more tiny task, what would it be?"
I have been spending more time dancing even when not doing one of my dance video's lol I just have the energy and its all I can do to *not* move around while at work (I am sure that security would be like "what in the heck is she doing in there???" )
Friday was my free day (yesterday for me now cause I have already slept and am working on sat lol) and I was listening to music desided to choreograph my own dance routine ya know belly dancing to p.o.d. and disturbed is quite intresting
"What are the potential long term benefits of doing so?"
I don't know but they have to be good right?