<p>BB - I have to say, it’s nice. I can go into stores and look at smalls and mediums, whereas last year I was looking at largest. I am not a big person (as MOWC will attest) and should never have been in large in the first place.</p>
<p>Obviously I need to buy fancier togs. So far the best I’ve managed is a size 4. I’ve lost the five pounds that appeared the Monday after Thanksgiving. I think some of it was salt, but I’m glad it’s gone. It’s party central here for the next three weeks, so staying on course is challenging. The last party I went to had no seltzer at all. There were a lot of us grumbling. I’m bringing a couple of bottles of nice fizzy water to the party tomorrow.</p>
<p>pizzagirl- I can’t even imagine you as a 12. Congrats on the huge progress and the small sizes.
Bunsen- is a Burberry 2 like most British sizes where I need an 8? Talk about the opposite of vanity sizing…</p>
<p>You people are all minis!!! </p>
<p>Myself, never a mini - but well balanced and happy. 
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<p>Bet you’ll be a knockout at your parties PG!!!</p>
<p>4.1 mi run at the gym. Popular place to be this morning!</p>
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<p>MOWC - I hide it well, seriously. Look on my FB from earlier this year and you can tell!</p>
<p>Lol. Pizzagirl, even when I behave the closest I’ve ever gotten to a “2” is a Chico’s size “1”, which as many of you know, is actually a medium I think maybe my left thigh is a true size 2 :)</p>
<p>Though after an all-time high in the chico’s 3 aisle (sounds small but ISN’T) I was delighted with the “1”. While I could easily stand to lose another 20 in fat, I’m pretty certain my frame will never get to chico’s “0” unless someone cut part of me off!</p>
<p>I did manage to haul my “chico’s size 1” self up the hill on snowshoes yesterday in the season’s maiden voyage (maiden with snowshoes) and it certainly uses different muscles that walking it with spikes or doing the treadmill or aquajogging. I’m actually amazed I had managed it last year with +43 Lbs :)</p>
<p>There’s no shortage of snow here, 9-10" in some spots, so it felt like WORK! But it was glorious work. I’ve actually come to love the snow and raw wind and the invigoration of it in the morning! And can’t wait to get out again today. I bet I would have loved skiing had I ever learned before my back issue!</p>
<p>KMC- you have such a good attitude about weather and everything else. I can learn from you! Congrats on your move down the Chico’s sizing chain. Didn’t they move to .5 in some stuff?</p>
<p>Tried a CorePower Ryder (Spin) class this morning. Jury still out - liked it but it’s a new feeling. I didn’t realize the bikes weren’t stationary so it took core focus to be able to stand, hover, etc. Now to 1 hr strength work w trainer and then pick S up from college (yay).</p>
<p>Today’s exercise maybe limited to a few rounds of shoveling our large deck so we can get out to the garage - did about 40 mins worth already this morning but it is supposed to snow for hours yet. Shoveling and stirring - planning on using the home bound time to get some Christmas baking done. Maybe do a Zumba video later today</p>
<p>MOfWC, when it comes to reverse vanity sizing, Burberry is at the top of the pile. Kate the princess, I believe, wears their smallest size (2, I think). Obviously, I was kidding. I wear a 6-8. Just like Pizzagirl, I could hide my size 12 tush well - people hardly noticed that I lost 15 pounds, only when I was down 25 some began to realize that I looked somewhat different. :)</p>
<p>On my way to a somewhat warmer place. Made sure I packed the correct Injinjis this time, because running in 2 left toe socks would be beyond stupid. :D</p>
<p>My Lulu hoodie was a lifesaver during the past week’s cold spell. I even wore it to work to the envy of my coworkers who were freezing in their cubes. I think I picked the right gift for the runner kiddo!</p>
<p>Size is just a number, which in many cases I don’t understand. I’ve always been a size 10 (except in expensive clothes, where I’m an 8). But I’m slim…I’m just WIDE across the pelvis & shoulders. Good for swimming & childbearing. :)</p>
<p>I can’t imagine a person of my height being less than an 8. Anorexic model maybe, but not healthy!</p>
<p>Did better on the dreadmill today. I could have run outside, but it was drizzly and dreary and H wanted to go to the gym. I did 4 1/2 miles with some intervals while watching the analysis of Nick Saban/Mack Brown and all that drama with which I have become obsessed this past week, since I have friends who had inside scoop from both the Texas and Alabama camps. Note: the Alabama connection was correct.</p>
<p>I know there has been a lot of criticism of Lulu lately- much of it deserved (especially the idiocy of the management in their comments). However, I still think the technical features of the clothing surpasses anything else on the market. The fabrics, pocket placement, zipper placement and reflective accents are just perfect.</p>
<p>BB - I gave my 10s and 12s (nice dress pants, etc.) to a young coworker who doesn’t have the money to buy nice professional clothing. She is taller than me but she’s also a big boned, solid type. I have to say, it’s a little sobering to see her wearing this stuff and think yikes, I was in that! </p>
<p>I did decide to skip weigh-in today though and just focus on continuing to build muscle and really just enjoy yoga, pilates, strength training, the spin class, the water running class on Mon, etc. </p>
<p>My trainer was telling me that there are type 1 and type 2 muscle fiber people? Type 1 being more the long distance endurance type and type 2 being more brute strength? . And he thinks I’m the latter. Is this real or nonsense? He’s a pretty no nonsense guy.</p>
<p>I watched the Huntersville half marathon run past my house this morning. My house is about 2+ miles into the race. Quite a few people ahead of the guy carrying the 1:30 pace sign, and a pretty big crowd around the 1:45 sign. Then it started raining. I don’t need to spend $65 to run 13 miles - of course I’m not running 13 miles these days. 
If I did, I would be lucky to break 2 hours. There was supposed to be a 5k right behind the 1/2 M, but I didn’t see any more runners.</p>
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<p>No, he’s right. We all have two types of muscle fiber. “Slow twitch” muscle is optimized for endurance, rather than strength. Optimized to work best with a steady supply of oxygen – aerobic. “Fast twitch” muscle is optimize to work best in a short burst of strength/power and is muscle that is going to primarily be used in an “anaerobic” state, where the available oxygen is burned up instantly. Distance running uses (and trains) slow twitch muscle. Weight lifting uses (and trains) fast twitch muscle. </p>
<p>A marathoner needs well-developed slow switch muscle. A sprinter need well-developed fast twitch muscle. Hopping on a treadmill or exercise bike for an hour keeping the heart rate low will build slow twitch muscle (never running out of oxygen supply). Hopping on the same equipment and doing intervals to drive the heart rate through the roof (anaerobic) will build fast twitch muscle. One easy way to tell is that the legs and arms start burning once the oxygen runs out. The heart rate skyrockets in an attempt to supply more oxygen.</p>
<p>We all have both types. The balance between the two can be tilted by exercise selection, although most exercise will improve both types to some degree. There, logically, must be a genetic component to it, just as there is in body shape.</p>
<p>Developed some slow twitch muscles with an hour run in the snow today. It felt like running in sand. Pace was 2 minutes slower than usual. Can’t seem to ever get the combination of “layered” clothes right. One mile into the run I’m soaked. The other day, I didn’t have enough layers and was freezing.</p>
<p>What are these “fast twitch muscles” of which you speak? :)</p>
<p>I wish I could find where I lost my fast twitch muscles! Fun explanation of slow/fast twitch muscles [Usain</a> Bolt vs. a Cheetah - YouTube](<a href=“Usain Bolt vs. a Cheetah | Man v. Cheetah - YouTube”>Usain Bolt vs. a Cheetah | Man v. Cheetah - YouTube)</p>
<p>Gym workout</p>
<p>stretches at home
short warm-up walk on the treadmill
2 mi run
a few intervals (9.8, 10.0, 10.1 mph – 1/10 mi ea)
cool down walk and stretches
goblet squats
bicep curls
military press
tricep kickbacks
rows
chest press
pallof press</p>
<p>I could not tell you what was twitching!</p>
<p>P.S. I think it would have been a lot harder shoveling snow.</p>
<p>P.P.S. Enjoyed the Usain Bolt vs Cheetah video. :)</p>