Healthy & Fitness - November 2014

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

As homemakers, when we take care of ourselves, we increase the strength, stamina, resistance and optimism we have to enjoy life and to be nurturing to others, whether in our homes, extended families or community.

Welcome to our November thread about benefiting health and fitness! We are challenging ourselves to greater well-being and encouraging well-being in our family members. Each of us is learning - recognizing needs and finding personal balance.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

I had so wanted to have a 7 as my middle digit when I set my goals for October. But life got in the way.

I'm not sure I didn't go up this month - the change in my eating pattern for these drugs have completely messed me up. I don't weigh myself until after breakfast but lately that number is up a pound. I've still lost 7 pounds since the beginning of September, but I had hoped to be down 12 by now so it feels like I've 'gained' five pounds in October.

I feel like this is all the fault of the drugs.

First of all, I'm having Dr. Pepper daily because it is the only thing I've found that settles my tummy in the daytime. I don't have the issue with the evening pill but then again, I'm heading for bed and lying down helps it too (once I'm past the "no lying down" time from the pill's instructions.)

Secondly, I'm having a small, unsatisfying, breakfast and then unable to eat anything substantial for 4 hours. By that time, I'm starving, tummy is growling. I've forgotten and eaten 20 minutes early a number of times, or sat with a cooked meal waiting for the clock to chime. And since I can eat at that point (except for milk/iron/magnesium), I eat a lot. Then eat throughout the day. My calorie count is up 500 - 700 calories as a result. Some of those are from the crackers I have to eat when I take my pill, and the extra 100 calories from the yogurt, although that replaces the milk I was drinking.

Thirdly, I'm not getting all my vitamins and minerals. Hmmm. Just realized my exhaustion could be due to no obvious iron in my diet just a bit of red meat occasionally but no multi-vitamin with iron, no chocolate (30% of my RDA). The few supplements I can take, I can't have with my breakfast and I'm forgetting them most afternoons when I can take them.

Fourthly, I'm not sleeping well despite being exhausted. I'm forgetting one glucosamine/chondroitin each day, plus I can't take my calcium/magnesium pill at bedtime. In the past, not taking night-time pills has lead to poor sleep. I've doubled my ibuprofin at bedtime but it makes no difference. Perhaps I'll take the second one when I'm up in the night to go to the bathroom. My knees are aching and I think they are the cause of the disrupted sleep.

Fifthly, I'm worried about bleeding in my upper gastro track. The signs of that are improving slightly, but only slightly (that's part of the reason iron has been restricted since excess iron gives the appearance of bleeding, plus it can't be consumed within 2 - 3 hours of a pill which limits when I can have some.)

All in all, the only plus from this is that I've learned to like Greek & Balkan style yogurt.

I am moving more, I went from 100th in my fitbit group for September to 74 for October.

I'm swimming less because it is inconvenient with my pill timing.

I hate, hate, hate, eating breakfast first thing in the morning. My alarm goes off at 7:15 but I seldom finish my breakfast before 8:15 despite getting out of bed and going straight to the kitchen and starting the kettle. I sit there with the food, trying hard to put just 2 blueberries in my mouth. I've never had to psych myself up to eat blueberries before. I desperately miss my chocolate, which had the effect of slowly waking my digestive track up in the morning. Now, because I've forced food on it, my tummy is twitchy until 11:30 (the earliest I can have a Dr. Pepper.) The later I eat my breakfast, the later my lunch can be since I have to wait at least 2 hours after if I'm planning to eat anything healthy (I can have nutrition-free crap after an hour and often do in order to try and settle my tummy but it is the minerals in healthy food that reduces the meds effectiveness so I have to avoid calcium, iron, magnesium and other minerals - you know, the stuff found in healthy food.)

Sorry about the whine. I still have one more week of this and then, hopefully, I'll be able to stop. Don't know what the regime will be if the tick tests positive for Lyme Disease. I try not to think about that but am following this stupid regime as closely as possible because I want the meds to be as effective as possible in case I do have Lyme Disease.

[Nancy]

(K in C)

I woke up to take my pill at 4 and then went back to bed slept till six got up on my own did my a. m. med routine took bs started coffee. Turned on light for the hens and went out and fed them. No eggs until later after day light when I let them out.

I fetched a white pumpkin off the step cleaned it and got it cleaned and got it in the oven, the fiber really helps keep me regular!

We are supposed to get rain today so I need to get going with my walk.

[LadyMaverick]

Comparing October with September treadmill data show the itty-bitty increases are showing up.

Average Speed up .5
94 more minutes on treadmill
7.25 more miles walked
409 more calories burned

My treadmill goal for November is to keep on keeping on.
#1 - Consistently exercise everyday
#2 - slowly continue the increases.

[Harmony]

My goal this month is to just keep doing what I'm doing, eating less, moving more, walking most every day.

I got on the scale today because I could see 2 hollow spots at my rib cage. I am almost back down to what I was 8 years ago when we moved in here. Since that time I have been down and up and down... 20 lbs. at the most lowest point...boy I'd like to get there again.

Walked another half hour. I'm so out of shape I am struggling to get back to the house the last 10 minutes and am walking slowly. I guess I'll continue like this until I feel comfortable with the 30 min., then I'll start adding slowly.

Last week I ate a few almonds. They're supposed to be good for acid reflux. I never had an experience where almonds caused discomfort. I can't eat walnuts, they bother me. Well, I've had discomfort all this time. It's driving me crazy and I'm not sure what to do.

[Harriet]

Harmony, I feel your pain! Only our own experiences are the final word on what will bother us. I went for so long without chocolate bothering me. That was real - it really happened! But now chocolate does bother me, just like the books warn. Why it was like that, I don't know, and I don't know why almonds changed for you. All I can say is do all the right things you know to do and time will correct the problem ... ... and probably give you something else to bug you.

Ramblin', I searched for Les Mills Body Combat youtube. The first one that came up was almost 20 minutes, posted by oceanbreeze 511. I did it last evening because it seemed to be what I would call "an instructional" video. Also the Les Mills folks seem well aware that it is available and have no problem with youtube over it, so I don't think it was something "bootleg". I found it very aerobic and have had no discomfort from it today. So that seems a possibility to add to my line-up of 20-minute variety choices for workouts when I want something aerobic.

The whine make sense, Kathryn. Hopefully, just a little longer and you can change schedules.

[LadyMaverick]

Now that I looked backward and saw my success and areas that need work, I'm setting my Healthy Habit goals for November.

Lose 5 lbs
* Focus on getting Breakfast a no-brainer for healthiest, prep speed & nutrition.
* Log breakfast daily in MFP - create meals for regularly served breakfast menus
* Breakfast notebook filled with meal plan/recipes used and nutrition content
* Goal is 300 calorie breakfast with max nutrition.

10,000 steps daily. I need the treadmill time to make meeting this goal possible on most days. -
* Consistent. Consistent. Consistent!
* CANI - Continual and never-ending improvement
* Goal is averaging 8500 steps. This is an increase of 500 steps daily over last month.

Fasting daily
* Be a clock watcher!
* 6pm - 6am is digestive system resting time

[Nancy]

I have done the ex. Bike 10 mi. While watching the game.
Now I am on the gazelle for twenty min. Watching pbs larkrise of candleford is on I like that one.
Then time for arms and upper body core and torso.

[FelineFriend]

I did housework and LOL today.
I walked 30 minutes, too.
I've surpassed the 10,000 pedometer step mark, by 9:10 p.m. and go to bed between 11 - 11:30 p.m., so will get in more steps.
I'll continue to log all activity at The President's Challenge, daily, as I do things. It's very motivating for me and it's an excellent tool to use, too, besides being fun.
I'm not necessarily making a goal to lose weight, especially throughout the holidays. I'd like to maintain and not gain though.
My main goal is to keep increasing my activity and exercise, as my primary Dr. has suggested.

[Ramblinrose]

Harriet...here is a short 20 minute video of combat...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ccc_bgR4DA

full 60 min class
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcMe_04pTio

If you go to you tube and search just "body combat" and then a number from like 30 to 61 you will find full versions of the classes.... like body combat 55, body combat 56, body combat 57 etc...They change the music and routines every 3 months so thats why there are different numbers after each body combat

Because combat is taught all over the world, some videos are in other languages, but once I understood the moves I could do them in Japanees, Russian, German, French and a mulitude of other languages....Made me feel smart LOL