Health and Fitness, September, 2015

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

I ran this morning.

RR, your workouts sound really fun. Wish I had time to do something like that.

You see, that's where I'm different from you and RR. Neither activity sounds fun to me!

I know I should add strength training but it really doesn't interest me. I loved the Curves version and, although it is a pale imitation of proper strength training, I reaped a ton of benefits and got really thin. But my first PT is convinced that is part of what did in my back and when, after I had recovered from the back, I restarted Curves, I ended up using a cane within a weak so stopped immediately.

I'm still debating starting yoga. I need to go beyond the debate stage and sign up if there are any classes available.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Twins: RR is right, you have to make you the priority. Once I did that, things started to happen. Before then, I spent 2 years making no progress except in destroying my self-image and my self-appreciation. I really didn't like me.

[Harriet]

Twins' Mom, I thought I'd pop in to tell you I randomly remembered your post and giggled. I know what you mean about the tummy! Makes me smile, but so true, too.

Nancy and Twins' Mom - I hear you on the determination. Yep, got to recognize that danger zone and scoot away from it.

Ramblin' that's a nice gift for your friend. Remember to tell her everybody stalls and has to shake things up. Wow, she's been doing great - what a success.

I know that my healthy habits have suffered recently. I can almost see the change in daily life from the moment ds called HRH to say, basically, "look out - our housing timetable just moved up by months". That was the beginning of the end for enough daily thinking about healthy habits for me. Like this a.m. - seriously considered the grocery store on the way back from school run because veggies are running low. But had to think better of it because today is trash day, they are so early sometimes, and I needed to get home and work more to get the trash cans well used and full. So that was a half-minute of thinking about veggies! This is not enough! Hopefully, other opportunities present themselves, lol.

HRH said to ddil the other day, that he thanked her for the Chick Fil A but couldn't eat it and would need to go back out himself for other takeout with a greater percentage of veggies, probably oriental. She was disappointed that she hadn't brought the right takeout for a work-day together. He told her not to be down about being young and slim and able to eat fast food!

[Harriet]

Thinking during my morning dailies today about the concept of not-always-fun workouts and also Kathryn's thoughts on self appreciation - what I try to remember (but cannot always be successful remembering) is that I don't exercise because it is interesting, but because it makes me more interesting. That may not be one of those "today's benefit" items Dr. Segar recommends, but one of the less immediate long-term ones. I wonder if I am more interesting soon after exercising? Maybe not! That may take - oh - a day or two!

[Twins' Mom]

LOL, Harriet!

I didn't weigh yesterday but did this morning and recorded weight. I started my spreadsheet last Sept 18. I have one slightly higher weight (right after Christmas or the New Years), and I'm up 11 pounds since the beginning of the spreadsheet.

Yesterday I ate within my calorie allotment on MFP - ate more protein than needed and fewer carbs, fat, sodium and sugar than allowed. I did not get my steps in yesterday - I need to start earlier in the day so I am heading out for a walk soon.

I'm already at 1045 steps, have emptied our recycling bins in the house and taken out the recycling to the street, ate part of my breakfast, got ds off to meet with a friend. Yesterday I don't think I even put the fitbit on until midday.

Kathryn, I've looked at yoga also. The Y (which we already pay for) have a MWF Yoga class at 10:45.

[helia]

WTG, Twins!!

Still thinking about a fitbit here but haven't done anything yet. That would be a nice bday gift if someone in my family wanted to do that. Yes, my bday was 2.5 months ago, but we haven't celebrated yet. I think the competitive aspect of it would actually motivate me well. LOL!

Today, I jogged 2.5 miles. My pace was a tad slower than Monday's, but the temps are cool and it is gray and overcast, so I had the stamina to push on for a bit. When I hit 2.3 miles and was getting tired, I thought about RR's mother running 3 -5 miles daily and Kathryn going up 21 flights of stairs for inspiration. I need to add weight training. I think it was Kathryn that mentioned that.

I haven't weighed myself for a while.

Dfriend S2's dh is an MD with the big U here. He's an endocrinologist and works with overweight patients. I don't think he oversees gastric bypass surgeries, though. . . He understands that there are often chemical/genetic factors that make losing weight very hard for some people. He's told us that foor some people, their body senses that it is starving and so holds on to weight when in fact it is not. .. He also says that at one level it is simple: eat less and move more. He himself is in extremely good shape. He kind of looks like he walked out of a GQ magazine; he also likes very nice clothes. He even wears some Prada, for which our other small group members have teased him from time to time and which he has taken in good humor. Our small group is pretty tight; we all know we love each other. In fact, he has helped another small group member shop for a suit when he needed to give a big presentation. S2's dh still gets carded at restaurants, even though he's 40. There is one TV Dr. whom he really dislikes b/c he says he gives bad medical advice in his area, and some of his patients listen to the TV Dr. rather than to him.

[Twins' Mom]

helia, I've been meaning to mention to you how much I love my Fitbit. I think that Kathryn and I have the Fitbit One - mine fits unobtrusively on a belt loop or waistband. This is my third - the first one quit when it went through the washer and the company replaced it for nothing since it did not revive after drying out in dry rice. The second one went through the washer and dryer so much that I was embarrassed to ask for replacement so I bought another. There are lots of people on the fitbit site and challenges going all the time, altho there are some people there that get 60 or 100K steps daily. I'm still training myself to take it off at night (I don't use the sleep function, maybe I should tho) and put it on in the a.m.

By the way, the Fitbit syncs to my phone and iPad and interfaces with MFP so I get more to eat when I walk more. I think Kathryn has mentioned that feature too.

Up to just over 4K steps, came in just in time as the rain came down just now.

[Ramblinrose]

I have a fit it too but don't always use it because it doesn't calculate my time and steps on my gazelle correctly. My pedometer did, so it doesn't motivate me to wear it much. I don't have a fancy one either and I need something that will time my 400m runs. I have a cheap watch that will do that as well.

Yesterday I bought a small notebook which I plan to record my weight, measurements and workouts. I also want to record my observations about my eating habits. For the last few nights I have eaten a half a piece of bread and a handful of grapes right before I go to bed. Upon thinking about it I believe it's because something is causing a spike in my hunger or at least thinking I am hungry.

The only change in my behavior that I can think of is I am taking my night time meds and hour or so before I go to bed. I have to take an anti-depressant as a preventive for my migraines and one of the side effects is weight gain. It's the reason I quit taking them. I am entering my migraine season cycle so it will be interesting how every thing interacts with each other.

By charting my migraines last fall I encluded my sleeping patters and it seemed to directly effect my migraines. I decided to take the meds again because they help me sleep through the night.

Anyway I am hopeful by recording every thing I will find more patterns to keep me focused and on track

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Helia: you asked about the fitbit flex (the watchband one). I think it does everything the One does but no display. Then there are more expensive ones with displays. I don't have any of those because I stopped wearing a watch. As well, I want every friggin step I'm entitled to but would never wear the flex while dressed up formally so am happy with the One tucked in my bra. As near as I can figure there are reliability problems with the wrist band ones (all models) but I've never heard anyone complain about the One (except for the clip or the sleep wrist band.)

Ds just bought the TomTom fitness tracker that connects to Endomondo, you can also swim in it and can buy a heart rate chest strap with it. It is much better for tracking across multiple sports. Apparently the new model has changed the heart-rate monitor technology so it doesn't connect with traditional straps like Polar's, and it costs a lot but it does a lot as well and might suit your really active lifestyle more. Ds got it because he wanted to track more of what he was doing on the Spartan Races and this one is water and mud-proof.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Weight is up. Not sure if it is the muscles repairing themselves (and hoarding water to do so) after an active few days or if I'm starting to overeat a bit.

I did measure myself today and discovered I'm down in sizes so am focusing on that. And the weight increase doesn't put me over into obese again, so I'm still good for my birthday goal.