Health and Fitness November, 2012

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Back on the treadmill. But only for 30 minutes because I'm pressed for time.

Saturday's step count was over 10,000, Sunday (the day I walked 6 miles in total plus around Ithaca to the church and dinner) was over 16,000, Monday 5000 and yesterday 4000. Today I'm hoping for something around 7K.

It does give me an idea of how much I walk when traveling even if I'm not doing long walks. The steps to get to breakfast and dinner really add up.

It was great to be able to do the long walk, especially since I also had the chest cold. It was a touch of being 'normal' for me.

Unfortunately, I missed my nap that day (because the walk took longer than expected and then we had the funeral) so I only got to lie down but not sleep. And Saturday and Monday I only dozed a little in the car and wasn't lying flat. So I was desperate for a nap yesterday. I had about 40 minutes of rest in the car and then went down for 2 hours and slept for an hour of that.

Today I may get more sleep because we should be home right after lunch. And I'll need it by then because there's a scramble to get out the door this morning.

[Harriet]

Harmony, I looked it up and it turns out a lot of people notice an odor, plus the people at Forest Labs themselves (compounder/manufacturer) mention it. I have no explanation for why none of my pill bottles - some local and some mail order back when BCBS was asking me to do that - have ever had an odor. I have a very good sense of smell according to the rest of the family, and I'm usually known for smelling things before the rest of the family notices. Some people say their pets will even inspect the pill bottle with interest because they catch an odor from it, so maybe I'll ask Tobias - not being funny, actually curious. If anything, I suppose an odor would suggest that it is potent, and maybe no odor suggests it could be ... ... older? Hmmm .... ... Okay, Tobias is bored by my bottle, even opened. No reaction at all. Maybe I'll ask my pharmacist if there is any reason some smells and some doesn't and would either be more desirable for health.

I have been shopping the healthy foods store more regularly. That results in healthy meals, but I have not been limiting my calories successfully. That plus the fact that busyness that is growing by leaps and bounds ... ... well, I'm not so impressed with myself lately.

Dd14 has been riding her bike every day.

Yes, Kathryn, your extended walking days sound more and more "like you".

[OKay]

Lesson learned.....
Sausage patty = 170 calories
Bacon = 61 calories
Canadian bacon = 43 calories.

Changes being implemented from this new knowledge......
Removing sausage from our regular breakfast meat rotation.
Buying some Canadian bacon and try it.


Lesson learned .....
1 slice of sourdough bread = 133 calories & 25 carbs
1 apple = 95 calories & 25 carbs

Changes being implemented from this new knowledge......
Having an apple for breakfast instead of sourdough toast.

[Nancy]

Harriet some foods I just use on the weekends or as a treat every so often.

I have done my walk today.

[Lynlee]

Do they have the refridgeration storage instructions with your thyroid meds?
Here its
store in fridge not freezer.
you can keep meds at under 25C / 77F for up to 3 weeks.
I think that may explain the difference. perhaps.

Here I find my T3 pill too hard to break without a pill cutter.
though sometimes they are softer. I suspect they are affected to time and temp as the thyroxine =T4 is.

[Ivy]

I walked 25 min. yesterday and so far today I did some stretching.

I put a daily calendar reminder, to come up in my inbox, to remind me of exercises to do. I needed to remind myself because I got out of the habit of doing something daily. I want to be able to handle holiday stress by doing my exercising, watching what I eat and being healthy and getting good sleep, too.

Harmony, I never have "sniffed" my pills to see if they have an odor, but I sure know that fish oil capsules stink after I take them, when I burp a fishy burp.

Kathryn, You're doing great on your walking!

[Ivy]

I did plantar faccitis stretches, walked 25 min., then finished up with plantar faccitis stretches.

This means 2 days in a row with walking in it! I'm trying to get on track.

[Harmony]

My new morning routine (the first one of the day):
1. turn off alarm
2.. take deep breath and hold
3. without breathing, put that little tiny stinky pill in my mouth
4. swallow some water with the stinky pill
5. put down the water glass
6. breathe
7. go back to sleep

I smelled them just now so I could describe. Have you ever been in a really bad, I mean bad, motel room that is super stuffy with stuffy/smokey smell coming out of the air conditioner? That's what they smell like. But they seem to be working - finally.

[Harriet]

Lynlee, you are actually taking thyroxine (sp) and T3 in doses your dr is monitoring, but all my dr has done is prescribe just "Armour Thyroid" and I don't even know what "part" (3, 4) that is! So your meds are probably quite different. Mine doesn't have to be refrigerated and looks like a coated pill no different from many I've seen over the years in caregiving - blood pressure, valium, aspirins, little vitamin tablets, etc. I did take note of your idea to have the med at night, since ideally I wouldn't have eaten for several hours. I'm not sure I could guarantee every night would be the same, though.

Harmony, I'm so glad you feel they are working. In my reading I did see one place that suggested maybe you would feel results in 3 weeks, but they didn't seem too sure.

Tonight I did 20 minutes of Zumba.

HRH and I talked again about the treadmill. If talking it out could get us treadmill exercise, we would be up to several miles at a time by now. It seems we always have something else we should spend money on first, and now we have to hear from the repairman for my ddad's heating system first, and be sure it is not going to be some huge bill.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Harriet: a good treadmill is a huge investment in money and space. We started with the Nordic Trak ski machine (folds up quite small) and then the exercise bike, mainly for dh. It is a hotel exercise room grade and is about 2/3 the size of the treadmill (which is also hotel exercise room grade.)

I don't think we would have bought a treadmill except I needed to walk for my back and winter was coming on. As well, we knew dh would have to walk after his prostate surgery which was in January and even if he was strong enough to walk outside there was risk of the catheter freezing in Ottawa's January weather so we decided to take the plunge and by this.

I will say I love, love, love, having it but I have an exercise room for it. And no father to keep an eye on all the time. Of course, it will be easier for you to get some exercise in while dh or dd is watching your dad but he might be disturbed by the noise if he's napping and you get on it (it depends on how deaf he is and how much your floor vibrates the sound into his room.)

I'm on it again this morning. Dh is having trouble with his floor exercises today due to finally getting my cold. We were up in the night to put Vicks on his back but that helped him sleep. I'm getting better so last night, aside from the Vicks on my hands after doing his back at 3, I went through the night with no decongestant. My chest is a bit wheezy this morning but not bad and my nose isn't running right now.

Yesterday I skipped the treadmill due to wheeziness but did the vacuuming and worked outside for 90 minutes. Yet only 3500 steps which doesn't seem right. I'm thinking my steps don't register when I'm out on the grass or moving slowly. Which is probably a good thing but I was so physically tired last night it would have been nice to have a big step number to confirm it was for good reason.

Today I'll mainly get my workout because I'm taking the afternoon to take my senior friend to the doctor and that means little walking with her despite all the errands we'll be running after.