<p>Thanks, MOWC. I went out to a track to do some timing once, but it was quite a while back and for some reason my brain just automatically thought in terms of the places where I usually run. Kind of embarrassing, lol! You’d never know I used to take my kid out to a track regularly during track and field season just a few years ago. Wow. I don’t know why I did such a disconnect on that this morning. Kind of like not having looked at the pictures on the one run site yesterday. Not all there sometimes, I guess. It’s okay, Deborah, it’s okay…</p>
<p>In the past 10 months since I started running, I have slowly noticed my body shape changing. For me, it’s been a pretty consistent shoulder to ankle change. Arms more defined. Shoulders less droopy and leaner. Slimmer mid section and actually slimmer hips (yeah!) My legs definitely feel more muscular - weirdly, I can feel this when laying in bed, I can feel more tightness in them and well, less jiggle. 
More definition in my calves. The most surprising area of improvement for me is the hip-thigh area. The area where I continue to need the most help is my stomach/mid section - I can still easily squeeze some love handles there. My diet is generally good, but I’m no saint to healthy eating nor do I want to be. 70% of what I eat in a day is very healthy. 20% could be altered and tweeked (for instance,not giving up a weekly whole wheat pasta dish). 10% - maybe less, are treats that I enjoy and don’t plan on getting rid of. </p>
<p>So overall, I’ve seen overall gradual changes the last several months. I don’t weigh myself much at all, but know that I’ve dropped a pant size since last year - I can put a dri-fit and shorts on and run to the grocery without feeling self conscious. </p>
<p>I think we are all built differently and the areas of exercise we pursue make our body changes different for each person. I’m pretty happy with my overall “feel” and appearance for the time being - but my expectations are not over the top and my methods to feel good are not going to be over the top either - hopefully, just consistent and with some new challenges now and then.</p>
<p>Interesting article on diet soda and artificial sweeteners:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>[Prof:</a> Diet drinks are not the sweet solution to fight obesity, health problems](<a href=“http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2013/Q3/prof-diet-drinks-are-not-the-sweet-solution-to-fight-obesity,-health-problems.html]Prof:”>Prof: Diet drinks are not the sweet solution to fight obesity, health problems - Purdue University)</p>
<p>I replaced most of my soda consumption with unsweetened tea. I haven’t been able to get my W to kick her diet Pepsi habit, though.</p>
<p>I went through my closet and gathered up about 10 - 12 pairs of pants in sizes I don’t ever want to see again and brought them to work for other women at work who are larger than me but also working on losing weight! yay!</p>
<p>The tough thing to tease out of the population studies on artificial sweeteners: do they really contribute to obesity and metabolic syndrome or is it just a case that overweight people more likely to drink more of them?</p>
<p>Personally, I have just opted to retrain my taste buds to live without the sweet. I had no choice since I find the taste of artficial sweeteners revolting. But, it’s hard to find experts who answer questions about artificial sweeteners with anything but “I don’t know…”</p>
<p>Quick workout this morning. </p>
<p>3x6 each
-TRX Push Ups
-TRX Inverted Rows
-TRX Single Leg Squats
-TRX Running (feet in TRX stirrups)
-Resistance Banded Side Lunges</p>
<p>3x6 each
-Cuban Presses
-Kettlebell Swings (40#)
-Pull ups</p>
<p>Farmers Walks 50ftx6</p>
<p>Suitcase/waiter carries 50ftx4</p>
<p>pizzagirl:</p>
<p>Congrats on the new toned muscles!</p>
<hr>
<p>We finally have a weather forecast that looks predictably non-lousy for consecutive days, so I’ve booked a tentsite for a little three day hiking/camping outing. Guess I’ll have to download some movies to the my Kindle for when I’m roughing it in the wilderness! :)</p>
<p>Actually, it’ll won’t be roughing it that much. The campground has showers. And nearby Lincoln NH has a decent selection of restaurants, so I won’t have to survive on roasted marshmellows.</p>
<p>DebT - what helps eliminate the muscle soreness for me on the intervals is to make sure you are doing dynamic stretching before and static stretching after. I do both dynamic and static before because I think I tend to be a lot tighter. The muscle soreness won’t be as common after you do intervals a couple more times.</p>
<p>Thank you, Ohio! Good luck on Saturday.</p>
<p>4.5 miles with 22 minutes of running. Planks, glute work, and girlie pushups.</p>
<p>At least for me, all that crap about artificial sweeteners does not apply. It doesn’t make me crave more sweets. I don’t like that it’s a chemical, and I have cut back dramatically, but I love my Diet Pepsis and I have chosen to stick with them on a moderate basis for now. They are NOT good for my bone density, but the deal with artificial sweeteners and gaining weight is a load, in my opinion.</p>
<p>Congrats Pizzagirl! IDad will whip us all into shape in no time!</p>
<p>Sugar-free soda is my treat now. I’ve cut way down though and it’s diet ginger ale instead of diet mountain dew now. Baby steps. </p>
<p>For those of you who like Runkeeper AND MyFitnessPal - you can now connect the two apps and the data will sync. I might have to make a change from MyPlate.</p>
<p>Wow, this is amazing:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>[Cal</a> Ripken of running to end record 45-year streak](<a href=“http://news.yahoo.com/cal-ripken-of-running-to-end-record-45-year-streak-195359243.html]Cal”>Cal Ripken of running to end record 45-year streak)</p>
<p>Yeah- I just didn’t start soon enough for a 45 year streak! I like people like Covert who make me look normal! My streak is at 661 days…</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I completely agree. I am not a big diet soda drinker, but I’ll put artificial sweeteners in iced tea, iced coffee, hot tea and / or hot coffee and that enables me to get in a lot of liquids, fill my stomach so I’m not hungry, and stops me from eating empty calories. I don’t think there has been any science that suggests that it’s worse to have artificial sweeteners (in moderation) than there is to being overweight.</p>
<p>And to be honest, I think a lot of heavy people kid themselves that they are living a “healthier lifestyle” by using real sugar as opposed to artificial sweeteners.</p>
<p>Amazing running streak!</p>
<p>Just had a thorough yard work workout involving a shovel, pruners, hand weeding, a wheelbarrow, and moving and resetting bricks. I feel like I did back to back Jazzercize & Yoga classes! And the size yard is bee-yootiful and ready for the mulch guys to complete the magic.</p>
<p>At least the weather was perfect–not too hot. I took a shower and my next move is to order a pizza. Guess what DH–I’m not cooking tonight! :)</p>
<p>Re artificial sweeteners–I never could stand the taste so I’d just as soon have unsweetened ice tea, or at most with a bit of sugar I add myself to balance the lemon. :)</p>
<p>But I can’t figure people who order desserts containing mostly sugar, then ask for artificial sweetener for their tea or coffee. I just can’t see that it makes that much difference!</p>
<p>I’m one of those people who will eat 2 donuts with a Diet Pepsi! I don’t like the taste of sugared sodas (except during a marathon) but I DO like desserts/sweets. I really have cut back a lot on sweets, though and try to have fruit at night instead of a cookie or something.</p>
<p>On a recommendation, I’ve started another nutrition book. This one by a metabolism and lipid and insulin resistance PhD researcher, [William Lagakos](<a href=“About | The poor, misunderstood calorie”>About | The poor, misunderstood calorie):</p>
<p>[Amazon.com:</a> The poor, misunderstood calorie: William Lagakos: Kindle Store](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/The-poor-misunderstood-calorie-ebook/dp/B009JVTNZY/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/The-poor-misunderstood-calorie-ebook/dp/B009JVTNZY/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1)</p>
<p>He starts off with a pretty eye-opening claim: </p>
<p>It is impossible to accurately measure the calories in the food we eat AND it is impossible to accurately measure the calories we burn. The methods we use aren’t even close to being accurate. Even the same individual will vary wildly in the energy consumed from the same food and the energy burned by the same activity. He maintains that it is completely useless to think about calories in this way.</p>
<p>He goes on to say that there is only one way to estimate whether or not we are in caloric balance (calories in = calories out). Climb on the scale. If, over time, the scale is going up, we are eating more calories than we are burning. If, over time, the scale goes down, we are eating fewer than we burn. If the scale is staying the same, we are in caloric balance. That’s it. You can’t add up the calories in what you eat. You can’t estimate the calories you burn. Doing any imaginable computation based on calories will be unreliable. You either are gaining weight or you are not.</p>
<p>Since there is no way to measure calories in and no way to measure calories out, any approach to fat loss that is based on counting calories of food or estimating calories burned by exercise is not only a complete waste of time, but a false, misleading model.</p>
<p>He hits right off the bat with an example of dieting by “reducing portion size”. The calories eaten obviously go down. The ratio of protein, carbs, and fats stays the same, but the absolute amount of protein goes down. With less protein intake, the amount of lean muscle the body can support must go down as well. Lean muscle mass is the largest single determining factor in how much energy we burn. So “counting calories” and reducing portion size is a recipe for slowing metabolism and perhaps even increasing long term fat storage – even if the scale is going down. </p>
<p>Wow. Probably not going to hear about that at Jenny Craig. And, we wonder why dieting can be so frustrating.</p>
<p>Off to the basement for the 2nd new workout this week. I’m dropping one of the warmup exercises and cutting back the power exercises to 1 set of each instead of 2.</p>
<p>Warm up
Rear foot elevated hip flexor stretch
Quadruped hip extension
Single leg hip lift
Quadruped thoracic rotation
Squat to Stand
Ankle mobility
Band assisted leg lowering
Big X walk
Walking lunges
Carioca
Lateral shuffle</p>
<p>Core
TRX plank & side plank
Stability ball dead bug
Stability ball toe touch</p>
<p>Power
Med ball slam
Box jumps</p>
<p>Strength 1
DB front squat
3 pt row</p>
<p>Strength 2
Single leg deadlift
TRX pushup with pause</p>
<p>Finisher
Bodyweight Jump squats</p>