Diet/Exercise/Health/Wellness Support Thread

Parent Cafe
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<p>I was just trying to push my cadence a little harder, while at the same time paying enough attention that I didn’t twist another ankle. I didn’t let up on the hills and saw some pretty good heart rates on the steep bits – but in a good way. The hills make it from an exercise standpoint. I’ve got five good steep hills of at least a quarter mile each on this 5k walk, so it really is a decent interval workout.</p>

<p>I geezered a chick on the long hill on Saturday. As I was starting up the hill, she came down the other way on a bike. I thought, “she doesn’t know what she’s in for coming up the other way.” Sure enough, she passed me on her bike on the steepest grade and a few hundred yards further up, ground to halt, panting like a dog, and started pushing the bike. I walked past her and she finally caught up to me about a quarter mile later, at the top of the hill, back on the bike.</p>

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<p>Sorry for the injuries!</p>

<p>I logged on tonight to confess, sort of . . . I am at a conference for the next few days and tonight ended up at a restaurant, with a group of colleagues, and the menu was full of creamy sorts of creations. I ordered duck (which I am now not sure I had ever had before) because it sounded the most straightforward. I am not sure if duck in general is a fatty meat but this tasted kinda gross, and now (even though I ate less than half) I feel . . . kinda gross. Even though I have only been watching what I have been eating for a few months, and I have not been really all that vigorous about it, I guess I have become accustomed to eating cleaner foods. Dinner tonight was by far not the most unhealthy thing I have ever eaten, but right now it is making me feel very unhealthy.</p>

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<p>Oh, I love duck. They now sell individually packaged duck breasts, which are great for grilling and a heck of a lot less messy than roasing a whole duck. It’s one of my favorite things to order in a restaurant, simply because I don’t cook it at home all that often. Duck is fairly fatty bird, but I don’t think it would be considered “unhealthy” eating at all.</p>

<p>Speaking of which, thanks for reminding me. I think I’ll roast a chicken outdoors this weekend. I haven’t done that in a little while. Or maybe I’ll do duck!</p>

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<p>NMinn - oh, so sorry to hear about your foot! I feel ypur pain! I’m a real pro at running into hard objects, and I have many bruises to prove it! Please go easy on your foot. I hope it heals quickly!</p>

<p>Teri, if you are not used to swimming, go easy. It is unlikeley that you will wreck your rotator cuff muscles by doing breaststroke pulls. Ask your friend or a swimming instructor (or the masters’ coach) at the pool to give you some tips. Here is how a pull buoy is supposed to be used:</p>

<p>[How</a> to Use a Swimming Pull Buoy](<a href=“http://www.ehow.com/how_2087626_use-swimming-pull-buoy.html]How”>http://www.ehow.com/how_2087626_use-swimming-pull-buoy.html)</p>

<p>In any case, it would not hurt to perfect your strokes before the trip to HI! :slight_smile: Have a safe flight! Southwest folks are usually very nice and friendly, I’m sure they will let you get on the plane before the general boarding crowd.</p>

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<p>MOWC…have dr.'s appts and tests today…not in Mpls…will be in Dinkytown on Saturday for the Gopher/Buckeye football game. Not sure when we will be coming in for Tailgating since it is an evening game. You might like to walk around the lakes if you are close…Lake Harriet is nice… as is Nokomis.</p>

<p>I am starving! Have to fast until I have my bloodwork done. Grrr… Will have doc look at my toe but know they won’t do anything except tape it.</p>

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<p>Walked today with friends–we used to walk at the same pace–now I feel like they’re dragging and I want to go faster; I would speed up and they’d follow, but eventually we’d go back to the slower pace. Figured I’d go at their pace and enjoy it. Came back home and did a small workout with weights. </p>

<p>I’m going to try a new class at my gym–kettleballs. Anyone ever do this? It’s a 50 minute class where you do exercises with a kettleball. The instructor doesn’t work for my club–just comes in on a per-class basis. He teaches Zumba and is (according to my trainer) a professional body builder. She says he doesn’t do much warmup and that I should come early and do 20 minutes on the elliptical before the class. I’m going to a demo class on Tuesday. Apparently, the instructor plans to tell people if he thinks they’ll be able to do the class. Advertisement for the class says that one can burn up to 20 calories a minute??? I find that hard to believe–but I’m thinking it’s going to be a vigorous workout. </p>

<p>Lousy that your foot is injured NM. I’m not a swimmer, but when I broke my ankle (which needed a plate/pins) I did PT at a place where I’d wear a belt and paddle around in a small swim tank trying to go really fast. It sounded lame to me, but my heart rate went up and I even got sweaty. The kicking motion also helped my ankle.</p>

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<p>“Up to 20 calories a minute”</p>

<p>I highly doubt that :slight_smile: Bromfield, here is a method for calculating calories YOU can burn during weight lifting activities:</p>

<p>[Calories</a> Burned Lifting Weights | LIVESTRONG.COM](<a href=“http://www.livestrong.com/article/76934-calories-burned-lifting-weights/]Calories”>Does Lifting Weights Burn More Calories Than Cardio? | livestrong)</p>

<p>According to that formula, a 200-lb person with 8% body fat will burn ca. 700 calories by vigorously pumping iron for 90 min. Sound very believable.</p>

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<p>Kettleball variations are very popular for the kind of exercise circuits I do – Rachel Cosgrove, iPod nazi, etc. They are used as an alternative to dumbells for weighted squats, lunges, and so forth. They are ideal for swinging exercises like the one-arm swings in the Spartacus workout.</p>

<p>20 calories a minute is a stretch, but 10 calories a minute is certainly within the realm of possibility. The limiting factor will be how long you can work at that level of intensity.</p>

<p>The first video here shows a lot of kettleball stuff at Rachel Cosgrove’s Results Fitness gym and will give you an idea of some of the stuff your class will do. </p>

<p>[Results-Fitness.com</a> | Gym Videos](<a href=“http://results-fitness.com/gym-videos.php?page=7&action=19]Results-Fitness.com”>http://results-fitness.com/gym-videos.php?page=7&action=19)</p>

<p>This is really fantastic stuff that everyone, male and female, should incorporate in their workout programs. I firmly beleive that this kind of exercise is the best for both fat loss and for and for making your body look its best (not the same as the lowest number on the scale) and for increasing all-around finess for real-world daily activities (walking up stairs, carrying groceries, empyting the trash, and so forth). My only advice would be to have a patient, long-term perspective if this is the first time you are doing lunges, squats, presses, and other dynamic weight training workouts. This stuff is incredibly demanding. It’ll send your heart rate thru the roof because so many of the exercises use multiple large muscles simultaneously. It’s just crazy how taxing swinging a kettleball between your legs and up to shoulder height can be in a short period of time. </p>

<p>My experience, at least as an ol’ fat guy, is that you have to walk a fine line between pushing yourself, but understanding that you may not be able to do everything right off the bat or that you may need a few longer pauses to recover your heart rate. For example, I finally decided to throw in an extra 60 second rest after the first five exercises in Spartacus because it really wasn’t doing justice to the final five exercises to start them at 95% of my max heart rate and just try to hang on. The one minute lets me get my heart rate down to 75% momentarily and give me a chance to do the next five exercises a little more aggressively.</p>

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<p>I have a ‘good’ problem and need help from those experienced with losing weight…I’ve lost 28 lbs over the last 4.5 months and still have another 10-15 to go. I’ve done it the old fashioned way–eat less and move more. Hasn’t been that hard, but have had some ups/downs…Anyway, the problem is that my clothes are falling off of me! Trying to find anything in my closet that i can wear is a challenge. I don’t want to buy yet, thinking I may still go down a size or so. Alterations are also expensive and may need to be repeated if the weight goes down as I’d like. Is there an interim option somebody could suggest? Are there pieces that make more sense to alter? Bottoms seem to be the biggest problem. Jackets, sweaters, etc. are more forgiving…I’ve thought about buying some cheap pieces, just to get me through, but don’t want to bear the expense of new clothes twice. Thanks for any suggestions…</p>

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<p>Beil - happy to hear about your “problem.” </p>

<p>I think I would treat it a little like during pregnancy. I would buy a nice pair of jeans & black slacks, etc., that fit and then vary your tops. When you buy sweaters now, they will still look okay when you lose the additional weight. I wouldn’t wait to get clothing that made me feel good and I probably wouldn’t get most things altered (it is expensive and understandably so).</p>

<p>I would splurge a little. Whatever money you spend on this is not wasted money. If you need to donate a few items in a couple of months - so be it. It will have made such a difference for you!</p>

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<p>Way to go Beil!! That is a nice problem to have. I’ve had to buy several new wardrobes during my eat less/move more journey. First, I sold all my fat clothes at a consignment shop (I had some really nice, really big stuff). That helped to finance some of my purchases, some of which were made at the same consignment store. Depending on how picky you are, cheaper options range from Goodwill/Salvation Army, consignmnent, Target. Shop at consignment/thrift stores in rich towns, where people get rid of nice clothes. Keep your wardrobe very lean. Buy only versatile basics. I only own 1 pair of dark wash jeans right now, bought at Target for $20, but who can tell?</p>

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<p>The first thing to do is organize your closet by size. For example, I went through and bagged up hangers of pants in 42 inch, 40 inch, 38 inch, and 36 inch – sending the oldest 34s to goodwill. I almost ditched the 36s because that seemed like a far-fetched goal and now I’m wearing them.</p>

<p>Thus, each time I’ve gone down a size, I could go down in the cellar, grab the next bundle and see what was there. In some cases, I had brand new dress pants that I had never worn before I outgrew them. In a couple of cases, I outgrew them the other direction before every wearing them! I took back a couple pair of pants to Marshalls that had to be five years old!</p>

<p>I have been shopping the discounters – Marshall’s and TJ MAXX and Kohl’s sales – for my next size. It costs more to get a pair of pants hemmed than it does to buy a new pair in my exact size at Marshalls (Dockers, Ralph Lauren, etc.). So, it’s worth it to grab something when the right size is on the rack. Then, I just hang on to the receipts and leave all the tags on the clothes. I have now bought and returned two complete sizes. That way, I have it, but if I don’t have to wear it, no problem. I try to wear stuff that I won’t be taking back. For example, I wore the size 36 never-iron khakis that I found for $7.50 at the LLBean outlet, rather than the pair I bought at Kohls that’s easy to return.</p>

<p>On some things, I’ve actually bought two sizes. For example, I bought a black Chaps suit separates on sale at Kohls and bought the pants in two different sizes. I’ll now take back the larger of the two pair, because I’m down to the smaller size before I had to wear it.</p>

<p>I think I’m finally at my destination size, but I still leave the tags on everything until I actually wear it, just in case. I’ve been more aggressive in stocking up on the basics when I see deals.</p>

<p>I’m here to tell you that shopping for clothes because the old stuff is falling off you is a very good problem to have. It is incredibly motivating to keep the weight loss and fitness thing going. One of the real milestones was switching out of “relaxed fit” men’s pants and jeans because they were just too big in the butt and thighs. I’m now a “regular cut” for the first time in a very long time. The other change is that I now like wearing tighter fitting clothes. I’m actually finding some really nice stuff in my closet. I sewed buttons on a gorgeous teal green IZOD corduroy long sleeve “dress shirt” (perfect to dress up a pair of jeans) that I couldn’t fit in for years.</p>

<p>About the only thing that I’ve really wasted money on buying during the journey are a couple of pair of Wrangler jeans and a few khakis and a dress-casual shirt or two in each size and a bunch of XL Fruit of the Loom t-shirts that I spent the year working out in. Those were 2 for $10 at WalMart so it’s not like the end of the world. Everything else has gone back, exchanged for smaller sizes.</p>

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<p>Woah. Fancy. The big ol’ fat guy is partial to the Wrangler jeans: WalMart for $15. Just your basic everyday guy jeans. Wearing a pair right now, along with my Perry Ellis black woven leather and silver western style belt (that I’ve now bought and taken back in three sizes!).</p>

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<p>Beil, you’re an inspiration! Lots of good advice here. I say go for some basic “thin clothes” in moderation. You’ll feel great when you put them on.</p>

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<p>Back from a day of blood tests and being poked and prodded. Blood pressure was “excellent” and resting heart rate at “excellent” for even well below my age …62!!! Now to wait for blood tests! Have to see dermatologists for some excisions…yuck…and wait for those results. Looks like mamogram and and exam are good…toe is broken but I already knew that…told to keep exercising…Yay!!! Feeling relieved but still holding my breath for lab results.</p>

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<p>In his masterpiece Lousiana Kitchen, chef Paul Prudhomme saya that in South Lousianna, lagniappe means “a little something extra”, “as a gift or a show of appreciation”.</p>

<p>I’ve been trying to tack on a lagniappe at the the end of my workouts this week. A little something extra. So after two sets of Spartacus, I decided to tack on four Mike Boyle intervals on the Airdyne. Peddle as hard as I could make it go for 15 seconds and then recover to get my heart rate back. I just left the iPod running and recovered for 60 seconds, which isn’t quit enough, but got my heart rate back down to the mid 80% range. I gave it everything I had for the four intervals (which was 94 or 95 rpms). Came about as close to hurling as I’ve gotten after the final interval. Whew. That was definitely “a little something extra”.</p>

<p>Now, it’s off to my Marcela Hazen red wine pot roast that’s been in the oven for three hours. I think that qualifies as post-workout protein!</p>

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<p>meh… I am in to just my cabernet savignon… especiially after fasting all day!!! :eek: At this point I figure I can just drink my calories instead of eating. ;)</p>

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<p>Beil, that’s fantastic! Kudos! Yes, get yourself a few basic pieces and a couple of “treats”. You deserve a few funky pieces of clothing after doing such a great job!</p>

<p>My funny story. Last December, I was eyeing a dress at Nordy’s. Luckily for me, I was too expensive, or I would have bought it as my “I will fit in it when I lose the holiday pounds” dress (yes, it was a bit too tight around the waist). OK, I confess, I did buy it but then returned it a week later. I was shocked to see this exact dress at the downtown Nordstrom Rack in July! And at that time, it fit perfectly and cost 70% less. :slight_smile: I think I will wear it tonight when DH and I go to the movies.</p>

<p>NMinn, be careful - wine is only 100 cal a glass, it will take a lot to replenish the calories you did not get from food day. ;)</p>

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<p>NM - lots of things going on in my life. I will commiserate with you and we can have a glass of wine together. </p>

<p>Glad you had a good report from Dr. on your heart rate, etc.</p>

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<p>If you get pants with some spandex in them that are a bit tight now - you’ll probably be able to wear them quite a while. I’ve got some jeans that are a little big having lost 15 pounds, but they aren’t in any danger of falling off me.</p>