Health and Fitness, May, 2010

[Harriet]

Welcome! This is a thread about gaining and maintaining strength for our wonderful calling, Homemaking. As we care for our own health, we grow more capable and competent to care for our families, our neighbors and our communities. As we become more effective, our hopes for ourselves and those we care about get the best chance!

[lucylee]

Wow. Hope springs eternal.
I begin the month of May 2 pounds heavier than my starting weight in April.
However, it's still less than LAST May, so that's a good thing.

Also, I have done my morning exercises the last two mornings. Just mainly a 5 minute session of crunches, "girl style" push-ups, and leg lifts. Probably more useful as stretching than anything else, but it does make me feel better about starting my day right. I will TRY to keep that up this month.

Also will TRY AGAIN to get back to those 15 minutes of movement. * sheesh * WHY is this sooo HARD for me??? We're talking about 15 MINUTES!!! How hard can it be???

I know Indiana hates it when I say TRY.
Okay. Here goes:
This month, I WILL DO MY MORNING EXERCISES and I WILL MOVE FOR 15 MINUTES, INTENTIONALLY, EACH DAY.

[Nancy]

I've been off track with my walking fighting this cold
got back on track with it yesterday with dgd and
today and walked the hill it was great!

[Harriet]

lucylee, I'm proud of you.

Nancy, great job getting right back to activity.

And it will do me good to witness the continued resolve to exercise several here found lately. Proud of all.

I am not exactly the poster child for health and fitness. I kept my extensive daily logs until, let's see, April 5. I guess that's about when my dmother's worsened condition hit me pretty hard. I dropped to 143 pounds at one point after that, then bounced to 146.5 lately. I drank a few soft drinks during the time after her death, so I kept up my resolve against those for only 4 months (but I can get it back - I don't really have a desire for them). Food was whatever people would give me - lots of meals happened that I don't remember and probably wouldn't want to.

A good thing was my start with the new dr. He wants me to get back to exercise and I would, but right now my brain can't find the brain-drawer I left exercise in.

I'm probably a little nuts at the moment, unable to get it out of my head that I have some intense responsibility to fulfill... ... somewhere... ... when really I just don't any more.

So, I will continue analyzing myself for a while and slowly add in some healthy habits again on the sly. It should be easy to fool myself into accepting them, lol, since I am not exactly hitting on all cylinders mentally. No goals at the moment, though.

[Harmony]

Hi Lucylee and Nancy. We can all do this exercise thing. I know we can. I guess. Hi Harriet. You deserve to pamper yourself a little. Take it easy and let yourself recover mentally and physically.

I was pretty good staying active last month. Some very light days, a day or two I didn't move much, and a lot of very heavy-moving days. I can truly say I seem to have gotten back a bunch of my stamina. Thank goodness, I really was going downhill.

I noticed when I was pushing the lawnmower around how different I felt than when I last did it, oh about 5 years ago when DH took over. I truly felt I wouldn't survive another mowing back then. This time it felt good and it was kind of nostalgic for me and I realized I'd missed doing that. Somebody smack some sense into me!

Anyway, I start this month 2 pounds down from last month. Harriet, we are exact twins, we weigh the same - however I'd be willing to bet my fat/muscle ratio is not as good as yours. I'm working on that.

My goal is to keep active with some kind of daily exercise or activity and keep losing weight. 2 lbs./mth is awfully slow, but it's better than gaining.

[Lynlee]

I'm maintaining weight and diet /food types eaten so thats good. No overall improvement in muscle mass % on scales though.
Still getting to yoga weekly but I might need to think if its good for me. Instructor has lots of prolonged downward facing dog which I cannot hold so long, and today my shoulders (as in ball/joint) are sore to touch. I have a long history of shoulder probs. Still have full range of movement so I'll keep at that each morning at least.
I do need more strength. And a chiro appointment would help. that may help the strength too.

[Nancy]

I got some chores done this morning and shopping after lunch
then got in a good walk in the sun before dinner today for my exercise it
was a great day for me! Yea!

[Nancy]

Back from the doc. yesterday I was up 9 lbs since my last visit 6 mo. ago.
He said cut back on meat I'm not growing and don't need as much for muscle growth ack don’t like the sound of that!
And cut back on pasta I don't eat that, cut back on potatoes don't eat those, sigh how frustrating!

He said some weight was from regaining my muscle mass. I knew that.

So decided to have me get a blood test to check my thyroid hoping this is the answer but
it might be menopause ... sigh

Oh and now for the good news my A1C was 6.0
doc wants it up to 7.0 so adding some fruit this week.

I go in for a consult just in the office in 6 mo. don't have to have a check up.

Rest of my blood work can be done later this summer.

My numbers were all good from my last blood tests.
Cholesterol is at a good ratio, blood pressure is good.

So I’m healthy other than being over weight and border-line obese. Sigh I hate that!
I exercise 45 min. a day and watch what I eat and am disciplined
keep up the good fight with my weight the doc. said.

[Nancy]

Mowing was my exercise yesterday!
Phew and it was work.

[Harmony]

Boy, Nancy, me too! Our older house has awful grass to mow. There are slopes on 2 sides with swales at the bottom to navigate. A lot of back and forth and pushing up and down. I know I used a lot of muscles doing that, plus all the weeding. However, I'm usually pretty tired out for a couple days after. Sure wish I recovered quicker.