MichaelNKat - you’re doing the right thing! I wish I could get my DH to take a little more interest in his health. He only goes to the doctor if there’s a limb that need sewn back on or something…
I have been impressed with the two Hot Chocolate 15Ks (also a 5K with it) that we’ve done. I was dubious, since it a multi-city for-profit event. However, they did a great job, the swag was awesome (hoodies, etc) and the course was accurate with a good start and finish.
Rock n Roll- not so much. My daughter and I have pretty much sworn off Competitor Group runs, except that they have taken over a lot of events that were previously locally orchestrated in many cities. It is sort of a shady company and there have been real issues with some of the events, but sometimes it’s the only game in town.
Well, the workmen have finally started the repairs to my condo. So, I’m living in what looks like some kind of environmental performance art installation with sheets of plastic covering basically everything as they move from room to room putting in insulation and sheet rock.
Made it down to the delightfully cool basement to sling some weights around. Kind of felt like working out in a lions den as both kitties are holed up down their for the duration it seems. So they stalked me for an hour while I did DB bench press, single leg deadlifts, front squats, and rows. I found space in the water heater closet for winter coats, so I now have an available chin up bar again… Two closets upstairs, including my coat closet are getting new sheetrock…
My exercise tonight: staining the porch. Not a whole lot of physical labor, just a lot of yoga-like crawling and bending to reach the sides through prickly rose bushes.
My stepdad is in the hospital and we kids are taking turns being with him to monitor what we believe are mental status problems caused by medications. I was supposed to go last night, but was asked if I could come first thing this morning instead.
I’m happy to do so, but a part of me was trying to figure out any possible way to get a bike ride in beforehand. The old me would have looked at it as a great way to get out of exercising.
I take that as a very good sign that I’m feeling a little sad to miss out on my ride today.
“I have been impressed with the two Hot Chocolate 15Ks (also a 5K with it) that we’ve done. I was dubious, since it a multi-city for-profit event. However, they did a great job, the swag was awesome (hoodies, etc) and the course was accurate with a good start and finish.”
From a logistical standpoint, all Color Runs that I’ve done have been run very well (at least from my vantage point). The Hot Chocolate people had a major disaster on their hands in Chicago in 2012/2013 - 2 hour long waits in the cold to register, unsafe course where runners were separated from cars on Lake Shore Drive by cones only, race course that took you through the dumpsters of McCormick Place (a convention center). I had planned on doing it but bagged when my FB filled up with complaints over packet pick-up.
They also had a disaster on their hands in Wash DC in 2012/2013 where there was nowhere near enough parking, and someone actually directed runners the wrong way so the serious 15k-ers were colliding with the fun 5k runners.
Two friends of mine did the Hot Chocolate here in 2014 and said they cleaned up their act and all went smoothly. RAM Racing does organize a lot of events here, Turkey Trots and so forth. I do agree the swag is good - I have a Hot Chocolate hooded jacket even though I’ve never actually run one!!
I have a goal of doing the Big 10 10k in July 2016. Not sure who runs that. Well, I guess I will run that, haha.
I haven’t posted here in ages, but I need a support group right now. Noticed my clothes were getting tight and realized that I am up 13 lbs. since last summer. I have decided to make changes in my lifestyle one change per week. This week I have begun a food log writing down everything I eat/drink. That has helped me in the past.
Welcome back FallGirl. A food log is a great place to start; it enables you to objectively and accurately evaluate your dietary habits and make some decisions on things you may want to change. Once you have your present baseline, I’m sure there are lots of folks on this board that you can bounce contemplated changes off of.
I just had my blood tested and my LDL is high … total cholesterol 218, HDL 58, LDL 141. Triglycerides 96. I am a 50 year old woman and have never had any cholesterol issues. I suspect part of it is due to the estrogen loss at this stage in life (sorry if TMI here). Suggestions?
Welcome FallGirl! Sounds like a perfect time to visit here and participate and get good info and motivation back in return! Please stay!
Gertrude, so sorry to hear about your niece and her family - just devastating. Special prayers for the wee baby too.
I need someone to literally PUSH ME to get up to date on attending to my health/doc visits. I don’t know why, but I always avoid the doc like the plaque. And more sinful, I work on a hospital/med school campus so I have can have my needs met literally at the work place. Push me people!
Hoping to hit a fitness class at noon today. The last couple of days have been jam packed with work and home obligations with not a lot of time for fitness. Though I suppose it’s all relative - yesterday while I spend 6 hours driving in the car, I also did manage two pup walks and a 4 mile bike ride with my daughter. Something is better than nothing.
Fallgirl, tracking is the only thing that keeps me honest re: food. I’ve been doing it for almost a month and the weight is coming off VERY slowly, but the trend is down and that’s what matters. I think it just makes me think about what I’m putting in my mouth rather than mindlessly reaching for another bite. Starting to exercise on a regular basis also served to jumpstart my plan.
Pizzagirl:
There is no correlation at all, ever, in a any study, linking borderline high LDL to heart disease in women. None. Ever. No link. So you can sleep well tonight without worrying about your cholesterol…
Your triglycerides are not as low as you would like. HDL could be a little higher. If I had your numbers, I would probably look at my diet and see if there is some sugar that could be cut out. After that, I would start trying to cut back/eliminate some carbs from the diet. Some bread here, some pasta there, a potato, etc.
Sugar is the biggie. It drives the production of triglycerides (fat cells) which are carried out of the liver and eventually deposited here and there leaving remnants that become LDL cholesterol particles. Ther’s a linkage between the two numbers and high(ish) triglycerides coupled with high(ish) LDL is a clue that the liver is having to process excess sugar (and carbs).
^^^Love iDad’s nutrition/diet advice!
I was actually thinking recently that maybe we could do a better job attending to the diet/wellness part of this thread as we try to (and mostly succeed!) at the exercise part. Diet, nutrition, mental wellness, work wellness, etc. - I know I could do a better job!
I’ve been having pretty good success with my diet lately. It started with reading an article on “superfoods” & realizing how many of them I really like, & trying to build a diet around those. Then I read an article on Secrets of Skinny People, or something like that, and the biggest one is that they eat basically the same thing every day. So I constructed a daily diet that I now eat every M-F (with a bunch of options that I can switch in & out for variety) and that takes all of the thinking out of it. It took a while to build the plan but now it is working well & I feel good! I’m losing weight on the diet, then exercise on top of it really speeds things up.
Gertrude, so very sorry for your niece and your family. That has to be incredibly difficult.
FallGirl, very happy to see you here! A food log is always my go to as a starting point.
Pizzagirl, my total cholesterol was 243 and my doctor was not concerned about the overall number - I think that’s what most people fixate on. As iDad suggested, I’d focus on cutting sugar - and there is sugar everywhere! I seem to recall you don’t care much for cooking, but as much as possible eating whole, unprocessed foods will be a great step in the right direction. I know I’ve mentioned it before, but Michael Pollan’s Food Rules is a great reminder and resource. Cut sugar, honey, agave, stevia, cane syrup, corn syrup…read those labels!
Pilates this morning, I feel great! Rest day yesterday, will get in a big pup walk later today.
Worked with my trainer yesterday and she wiped me out! Maybe it was the humidity outside too, but I was beat when I finished. We did lots of KBs, TRX, battle ropes, lunges, planks, etc. Night before I went to yoga with my D–class was at 7 pm and I normally exercise early in the day. Maybe I hadn’t recovered. Went to bed at 10 last night–which is unusual because I’m a night owl and usually don’t go to bed until after midnight. Sleep helped. Plan to do a long walk today.
Interesting info about the various road races. The first 3-Day Avon walks were organized by a guy whose company took a large amount for its services leaving less for breast cancer than many thought acceptable. I stopped doing those walks when I found a small local walk where walkers pay all their own expenses and the organizers were non-professionals who started the walk in memory of a friend who died of breast cancer (they don’t take any money–all the money from this walk goes to two organizations). The group has raised over a million for two organizations related to cancer care/services.
"The first 3-Day Avon walks were organized by a guy whose company took a large amount for its services leaving less for breast cancer than many thought acceptable. "
I’m assuming you mean Pallotta Teamworks? I actually liked Pallotta. I think they ran a better organized walk (I did 2 of the 60-mile walks). I think the total raised for the charity is more important than the % of the total that goes towards the charity, but that’s just me.
@MichaelNKat - what sort of imaging are you having done?
Pizzagirl- My cholesterol was 262. LDL at 140 and HDL at 108. I am sure my issue is sugar. I try to do better, but then I walk by someone’s jar of jelly beans at work and take a big handful. I seriously need to do better. If I just didn’t eat straight sugar, I could probably make big improvements.
I had an experience this morning that might be instructive and also shows the benefit of some of the electronics and metrics which I use. I went out for a 4 mile run- not a bad morning at all- 66 degrees and humidity was down a little. First mile felt OK- I start slow. The split was slower than it felt, though. Somewhere in the 2nd mile I started to fall apart. No reason. I had to stop and take some rest breaks and I noticed that my heart rate was not dropping fast like it usually does if I stop. Mile 3 was hell- many breaks and very high HR. Wasn’t sure I could make it home. Mile 4 was a crawl with breaks and high HR. Made it home. Didn’t feel like I was sick- no dizziness, nausea etc. Just felt like I couldn’t move! Weighed myself and was TWO POUNDS less than yesterday. Liked the number on the scale, but clear sign of dehydration. No reason I was dehydrated this morning, really, but I clearly was. I stopped at Sonic for a large iced tea and also had a lot to drink while I got ready for work.
It’s amazing how awful you can feel from being dehydrated. AND- how these early hot weather days can dehydrate you without you realizing it. Clearly, I dehydrated late yesterday and overnight.
Gertrude-I am so sorry to hear about your niece’s baby, also. I can’t imagine the heartbreak she is experiencing. Prayers for the little baby and for your niece.
MOWC-I am hoping to be able to do a Hot Chocolate 15K this year, I love the swag! They have one in St. Louis where S lives so we will probably do that. It conflicts with the Santa Hustle, which is one of my favorite races, but I think I am going to boycott the Santa Hustle this year because they are only offering the really cool 1/4 zip pullovers in unisex sizing. The smallest size, XS, shows on the sizing chart that the chest is 38-40". There is nothing Extra Small about a lady with a 38" chest!
Nrdsb4-congrats on the mental victory that has you missing your bike ride. I hope your stepdad’s condition improves.
Fallgirl-I think the food log is a great place to start. There are so many tools available now that make it so easy to track your food - it’s hard to come up with an excuse not to! I have used MyFitnessPal for a long time and really like it, but I know there are lots of good options available.
iDad-I’m so glad to hear that they are finally working on the repairs to your condo, hopefully they will finish before winter strikes again, haha. I love the image of working out in the lion’s den with your kitties!
abasket-I will be happy to nag you regularly about scheduling your doctor visits! Do you have a mental block or doctor phobia that keeps you from making the appointments? Or are you just not happy with your current doctor? Sometimes it’s easier to resolve the issue if you understand what the root cause is for the procrastination.
Running club tonight and I think we’re doing a trail run. Should be interesting.