Health and Fitness, November 2011

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

A new month, new possibilities, new challenges (at least for the US folks, with Thanksgiving!)

What are your goals for the month?
What are your plans to implement those goals?

[Twins' Mom]

Good morning and good new month, Kathryn!

I need to get on track with some health goals, although it probably too late to show much improvement at my annual physical scheduled for (eeeeck!) next week.

OTOH, now that the Jewish HHD are over and the vacation is over, I can probably do a better job of focusing on my health.

I just scheduled a massage for tomorrow morning; my right shoulder has been getting tighter and achy, and my lower back has ached since the long day coming home last Friday. (Shopping and sightseeing, 2+ hours waiting at the airport for delayed flight, 4 hour flight and 2 hour drive home in the rain.)

In a news flash, my weight is as high as it's ever been.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Good morning Twins! Sorry that you weight has crept back up. You have had a very stressful year launching the twins so it is fully understandable but that doesn't make it less frustrating.

I finished off October with a 6 in the right place. I had to cross out the 165 I'd written in on September 30th and replace it with 169, but at least there was progress and seeing the 6 helped me be content with the month.

October was a major psychological challenge and an energy challenge as well. I was in bed 9 - 10 hours most nights and still dragging all day. My big psychological boost was not gaining any weight when my period arrived on Saturday. At least I don't have 4 extra pounds to lose, as I did from my period early in October.

My November numerical goal is 163 (1.5 pounds per week.) If you consider I went from 171 to 174 and back to 169 over October, 5 pounds of the six will be easy if I stay on track (and don't gain during my period in November - at least this month will have only one.)

I don't have Thanksgiving to deal with either. The only eating challenges I see are a church supper and two dessert evenings. I'm passing on the Asian dinner night at church because I don't like Asian food and don't want to eat the calories just to be polite.

So what are my plans to get to my goal?

1. Keep eating only soft food. That eliminates Subway (I can't bite down on a sandwich and I don't have the strength to chew my way through a salad.) It also eliminates a lot of snacks at home (including cut veggies but some not-so-good snacks too.) Cutting my food up really small (dh calls it pre-chewing by knife!) also makes it seem like more and I'm eating slower which makes my stomach feel full before I've eaten too much food at any particular meal.

2. Keep drinking water.

3. Stay on the treadmill as long and as often as possible. As the weather gets worse, we'll skip more and more of our daily walks so this is important.

4. Do my SAD light therapy daily. That should help boost my energy, making it easier to get out of bed in the dark to get on the treadmill. Thus making part 3 of my plan very workable.

5. Track points. Since my jaw went, I haven't been writing the WW points down and I should be. Any day I've done a quick in-my-head addition, I've been in range but now that I can eat crackers I need to be counting more closely. The points I save by having soup can be quickly off-set by too many crackers.

6. Read and 'learn' the information on anti-inflammatory diet from the book I took out. Taking the book out of the library isn't sufficient! That won't help with weight loss by reducing calories eaten but reducing arthritis symptoms will help me move more confidently and that will increase my calories burned.

[OKay]

Good Morning!

I have finally decided on Novembers physical goals -

** lose 5.6 lbs. This will put me 1 lb less than our family doctor wants me to weigh. I haven't seen this number on the scale since 1997! I'm excited about reaching it!

** 1000 minutes of intentional exercise. My main way of accomplishing this will be to walk fence line after each meal with LO. This is a quick walk that takes about 15 minutes to walk around the front pasture. I like that it adds 45 minutes of exercise & sunshine each day, is something I can easily do with LO, doesn't require going anywhere, no equipment, no set-up and when we have company...they can choose to (or not) join us in the walk! It is easy mentally to commit to because it only takes 15 minutes. Even when the weather is bad......it only takes 15 minutes. 15 minutes x 3 times daily x 30 days a month = 1350 minutes.

[Harriet]

Last month's thread had more posting than any H and F, ever, I think. I don't believe we ever had any more than that at previous locations, either. It's wonderful to benefit from so much energy.

Twins Mom, I didn't realize your trip home had been quite so stressful! But I am tickled for you that you had fun vacation time for general mental health! Hope the massage helps.

OKay, those walks sound like fun. Like you say, if someone is visiting, they would probably be gratified to be asked to join you in a walk, and if they don't you'd be back in 15 anyway. I hope the weather holds out for you.

Kathryn, you are so organized - if planning is the indicator of success you are really on your way, good job. I think I've mentioned before that the first diet plan/chat my dmother ever encountered was in college around 1933, and the concept was to drink most of your food in the forms of soups and shake-type drinks. She said the sophisticated women were reading about this in magazines, losing weight that way and getting flatter tummies. I hope by the end of the month your jaw is much improved and somewhat off your mind.

My successes for October were 3.5 pounds lost (not quite my goal, but maybe my body is teaching me something) and more frequent exercise.

My hopes for November are

Continued evening exercise - just the Basic workout would be fine if I can manage it every evening.
Matching my October weight loss of 3.5 pounds.
and recording how many Healthy Habits I get in every day, trying to best myself.

My weekly weigh in day (from first of month) changes to Tuesdays for November.

[Nancy]

Goal for Nov. Stay on track with health and fitness goals.
Raking leaves when they fall.
Checking in:
No Halloween candy did not buy it this year but bs was still up today fighting that ear thing.
My foot is sore so ex. bike will be my choice for that today.
Plus vacuuming in the basement.

Mowed yesterday yard looks great!

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

I did everything I should have done yesterday. Today I'm up late, my eye is sore, and I'm out of the house at 8:45, so my treadmill time will be lower.

It looks like I need to move the anti-inflammatory diet reading to the top of my reading pile (which is currently 6 books for this month.)

I need to seriously start work on getting diet soft drinks out of my diet. But I've never managed to lose weight without them (and actually gain when I am off them.) I drink enough water but I want drinks with flavour too. In Europe they have flavoured waters that have 0 calories (and no sweeteners, real or artificial.) I haven't found those here yet, they all have either sugar or aspartame. Then again, Canada often confuses Americans because our ice tea is sweetened (it is very rare to find a place that serves real ice tea.) Maybe a border run is in order to see if the US sells non-sweetened, flavoured water.

[Harriet]

Maybe you could stand HRH's steeped water ("Sassy water" from Prevention) every once in a while, Kathryn, for at least some variety. The recipe is in our beverages thread here.

Are you aware of this : Flavored drops of Stevia The only internet comment I can find is people using the lemon one, or making Hot Chocolate, but then this is a brand new concept. They say it is better for making beverages than the powder.

I find the packets of powder Truvia at my grocery, but have only used it for coffee, which I'm not drinking any more. As far as Crystal Light's version with both stevia and cane sugar added, I would rather have the Sassy water than that - did not care for it.

Just looked at prices on that site - wow. $14.99 per, for liquid. That's a gamble, I guess. They say the packets are as little as $3.99 at groceries, but of course are not flavored and are powder.

[Nancy]

I used the total gym today for arm work out with dgd along for a ride for extra resistance;
plus I did 3 mi. on the ex. bike for my exercise today.

Last evening I moved my #5 wts. to my creativity room and did an arm work out list evening 35 over head lifts in two separate sets phew I could tell I had muscle fatigue. I've been working in to this btw! No soreness today yea!

[Lisa B.]

Well Ladies,

I'm joining you in the health section now.....on the 21st November 2011, will be my first day at Adventure Boot Camp for Women http://www.adventurebootcamp.co.za/ - it is a 4week camp for an hour in the early evening for me as you know that I work full time outside the house.

So here's to me trying to get fit and lose some weight - only have around 30kg (+/- 66Lbs) to get to the approx right weight for my height.