2013-2014 Exercise Challenge

[Crankin]

OK, I lost some days here, as I couldn't exercise for 3 days, because of my dental surgery. Today is the 3d day, so I just did 30 minutes on the trainer, with 5 sets of one legged drills, and 4 sets of ascending and descending intervals, all in pretty easy gears. Then I did *all* of my exercises prescribed by the PT, which has sort of changed from rehabbing my back (which is much better, but still working on it) to specific strengthening work for cycling. Working on my azz and quads, basically.
Monday is my annual exam with my gyn. My weight is up, right below the danger zone, need to lose 2, really 3 lbs., which just seems to be impossible right now. My eating has been quite good, actually. We are getting a huge storm tonight, so tomorrow will be either x country skiing or snow shoeing, both of which make me ravenous, but I won't give in! I'll be back on track, hopefully, with the exercise.
The periodontist who did my surgery is someone I know from my synagogue. I don't know him well, but his daughter was in the same class with my older son. He is a really nice guy, and not particularly out of shape looking. He always is talking to me (I go there 2X a year) about the "danger" of cycling, how he is afraid of riding on the road, and he was really shocked to hear that I do the same things as my DH, when I first started going there. DH often rides to his appointments there, as it's about 3.5 miles away. Last winter he was shocked to hear that when you x country ski, you are out on the trails, in the woods... "you could get lost" kind of talk. Even when I explained we don't do real back country stuff, we have trail maps, it's marked, we have a GPS, he thought it was too risky. Wednesday he told me winter scares him, as even though he doesn't mind snow, he slipped on ice a couple of years ago. Oy, I finally told him he sounds like an old Jewish guy and that life would be quite boring for me without the stuff I do. This guy is my age, and it seems so sad. It kept me laughing through the surgery.

[Catrin]

Rest day today outside of some stretching, yesterday was a butt kicking! Saturday, however, I actually got my on trainer for an entire 15 minutes...which is the most I've been on that bike since early October I did some kettlebell and jungle gym work, the trainer was my warmup.

Crankin, your doc sounds like a friend of mine. She literally won't go anywhere by herself to exercise because she is convinced that someone is going to attack a woman on her own. The venue matters little to her, she is totally convinced that it will happen. Sad, really, but I respect her fear and I don't try to persuade her too strongly. Occasionally we do discuss it, and agree to disagree. This means that she won't go out with anyone else either because they might get separated and she would be alone and vulnerable to attack. I do wonder if there is something in her past that causes this level of fear, but I won't push.

[Catrin]

I really want to workout today...but my "less bad" shoulder is complaining. I've the "12 Days of Christmas" workout planned for Thursday so to prepare for that particular azz-kicking I am taking two rest days. It really is more for fun than anything, I've an odd idea of what "fun" is I might hit the trainer later today, perhaps.

Wishing everyone a great holiday!

[Crankin]

I am resting, too. I usually have Tuesday as a rest, but had thought I might go to boot camp this AM. However, there were predictions of black ice maybe for early this morning and I felt horrible last night, so I slept until 6. Didn't go yesterday, either (weather), but I did work out at home. I will probably go for a brisk walk when I get home later, around 2. We are going to friends' for dinner tonight, to our neighbors' tomorrow, and Thursday meeting my cousin for dinner at a pub. Sigh. No amount of exercise seems to be helping my weight loss. Two pounds feels impossible to lose. My clothes feel a teeny bit looser, but really, I am starting to get a muffin top and I have never had that. Not sure how else to change up stuff; I've been varying my eating and exercise, which usually works. As my DH says, why can't we be like regular people? That is, ones who don't care!

[Veronica]

I think you are regular people. I find the ones who don't care odd.

Veronica

[Catrin]

I think you are regular people. I find the ones who don't care odd.

Veronica

What Veronica said!

What is personally frustrating for me is that no matter what I do, my composition isn't changing and neither is the scale. I am already skirting on the edge of not enough calories...and my lack of ability to lift above my shoulders/full ROM doesn't help. I keep at it though, and make little changes here and there to see if it helps. Recently I added more carbs into my diet (starchy veggies), and immediately gained a bit so will work with that some more. It is balancing things out for our specific bodies but our bodies do change over time and what works at one age may not at another. I hear your frustration!

[Crankin]

Well, I get what you mean, Veronica, but I sometimes feel like being so disciplined may not be the best for my mental health.
Carry on, as they say.