healthy habits week of June 8 - YouLookFab Forum

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healthy habits week of June 8

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Hi all you healthy fashionistas! How was your week? I ended up with 2 days off, although I did get in the 6 workouts (2 each of swim, bike, run). I begged off a gym trip for weights and took a nap instead on Wed, and Sunday we skipped the gym to go to Tampa.
I continue to be up in weight. I'm not pigging out. Could be a combo of adapting to the steady state cardio, which is the whole idea behind the training but not the best for shocking the body into weight loss, and also I think I'm going too hard/fast and the corresponding cortisol levels from the stress are a factor. I am going to try and slow down and get into a lower HR training zone, adding a couple of bursts to each workout (basically interval training). I need to slow down anyway. Should be training below 80% MHR and I'm above that quite often when running and swimming.
Anyway, enough about that. Diet continues to be okay and wine is so so. The healthiest habit of all would be to accept my training weight no matter what. Ugh. 7 weeks until race day.

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17 replies

Latest reply was from Mo

Kristin L

Veteran

Good luck Mo! I'm not near as active active as you, but my weight/size is just staying the same. I was able to reach my goal of 10,000+ steps 3 days this week. I can reach 7,000-8,000 everyday, but getting that last little bit is a bit tougher. My goal is to get 10,000+ steps 5 days this week. I wasn't able to do it last week, but today I am going to get a kettle ball so I start using that.

Carla

Veteran

Arrrrghh! I have experienced more change in my body composition in 4 months than in the past 10 years, and I'm vacillating between whether or not I like it!

Due to the time needed to facilitate a relocation--the buying and selling of houses, purging/editing household goods, and securing a transfer with my employer, my fitness has suffered. 10-15 hrs a week of workout time has dropped to 5 hrs. My usual stress response has been to eat, but this time around I am experiencing the opposite, and a very reduced appetite. The result is 10lbs of weight loss.

I am convinced most of it is muscle loss--upper body (shoulders, back, and arms) and legs ( buttocks and thighs). DS#1 actually commented about the upper body loss of definition.

At 5ft 7in this doesn't equate with a change in clothing size, but I do note more ease, and if I omit a belt, I'm constantly hitching up my jeans. This is a good thing. But...I don't feel like me, and I am tired a lot. I have to ask DS's #1 and #2 to help with some of the heavy lifting I used to do, and this makes me feel old.

I haven't had a full physical since '11 (though did have blood work a year ago and a mammogram last month), so made an appointment with my GP for later this month.

I'm conflicted because I do like the ease in my clothes, and I know 140 lbs is certainly a healthy weight range, but I don't feel as capable and strong as when I have a little more muscle. 3 more months, though, and things should be sorted and settled.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

K, nice goal, good luck with those steps!
Carla, I hear you. Feeling less strong, or limber, or ____ can be unsettling. Healthy is more than weight on a scale for sure. I'm sure once you get back into more of a routine, you will regain some lost fitness. I know my fitness varies with my moves and lifestyle changes.

LACeleste

Veteran

HI everyone!

It's great to be back on this board! I finished my PT for back/neck injury and am back in business after almost 5 months.

I know I was a broken record a while ago when I was high on kettle bells and suggested the workout to everyone.. This is how I got seriously injured so please be careful. You really have to go slowly if your core is not incredibly strong. Form is everything and don't be hasty to increase weights of KBs as I was.
End of lecture!

Runcarla, I totally relate to what you are saying but I believe strength is recoverable. Please be patient with yourself.

Carla

Veteran

Hey, Mo, LACeleste! Thanks for the kind words and encouragement. Cross fit is getting lots of interest up here where I live, but with lots of injuries reported as well. Of course, a friend of mine fell off her bike 2 weeks ago, and broke her arm...!!

Alassë

Veteran

The good: walked every day, tried to pay attention to fullness, and started some strength exercises again. The bad: weight isn't budging.

gardenchick

Veteran

Hi there,
I did have some challenges this week. We went camping last weekend which was a blast but knocked us all out and 3/4 of the family (including me) got sick. I did run on Wed and this morning. Did 2 Fitness Blender workouts this week so I guess it was a respectable week fitness wise.

The scale that I ordered arrived. Now I know how much I weigh. I'm trying to be a little more mindful about eating and see what happens.

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

Yeah; you can seriously get injured with kettle bells if you are not careful, especially if you are not used to working out your core. I could progress to heavier weights, but I'm more or less reluctant to until I am more comfortable with the different exercises. I learn a lot of the movements with free weights before I switch to a kettle bell - I feel more in control that way.

I have moved up to 20 lb free weights though, I have been using the 10lbs for a very long time, so that was nice ... just need to take it slow though

shedev

Veteran

Mo, could you be overtraining? Or could you be gaining muscle, losing fat at the same rate? My weight is just over normal BMI for my height, but if I lose weight I lose muscle. So I'm not trying to lose, but I am trying to gain muscle. I've been putting on about a pound a month of lean mass.

As far as diet goes, I bounce back and forth between thinking I could eat cleaner and that I'm so limited by being gluten free that I don't want to further restrict myself.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I am gaining fat and muscle. I could be overtraining just due to intensity, but not by volume. Most sessions are 30 minutes. Bricks are an hour or a bit more. Looking to head into maybe 40 min average workouts. Nothing extreme about that at all.
This morning I was 123.7lb @ 24.9%fat and 34.9%muscle. I'm happy around 24%fat and/or 120lb.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

I need serious motivation. I just don't have it now. Any tips?

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Anna, maybe 10 minutes to chip away for starters. I can often make myself do push ups or sit ups just before bed if nothing else. That's like barely 3 minutes.

anne

Veteran

Mo - commiserations on the training gains!! I have also gained weight and not for your good reasons. I haven't been weighing daily, but did so this morning and am 1kg over the top of my my regular "range". I know this is mostly down to a real slump in eating habits and am determined to put a stop to it. So am cutting down on sugar and refined carbs for a while to see how that goes, and also on eating in the evening, which I had slipped back into doing. Are you still doing your overnight fast, BTW?

My exercise has come to a complete standstill. I have been really tired and since Tuesday, intermittently, and Saturday constantly, have had a backache. Not helped by being out all sat day at 3 different parties! Hopefully this will all improve soon.

Gigi

Veteran

Anna, one way that I was able to get more interested in exercise was simply by taking a half-hour walk after lunch every day. That got my energy up, and then I felt more like doing something a little more strenuous every now and then. Getting the routine going is really the worst part.

Mo had a good idea too, with the ten-minute sessions. There is a site online, jessicasmithtv.com, done by a personal trainer, and she posts some free workouts. She has a category for ten-minutes-or-less workouts. You could perhaps start there if you like. I don't know how intense the ten-minute workouts are, though. Some of them can be pretty tough.

MsMaven

Veteran

Bump in the road--I went to a conference in San Antonio last week (talk about humidity!) and while there came down with a cold. I won't be working out for a few days and was up a few pounds. Lost my appetite and wasn't eating much except refined carbs. I always gain weight while traveling, so this wasn't unexpected, but I was so close to goal.

I read a paper at the conference and was doped up with cold medicines and did fine. I also had two days over 10,000 steps.

I won't be working out this week. Trying to take it easy and slowly getting travel stuff put away. I clean up for f5-10 minutes and then have to sit down for a half hour or so. Glad I had two jackets with me--the AC was killer cold.
I canceled a doctor and dentist appointment but hope to make it to the dermatologist on Thursday.

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

Sounds like most everyone has had a successful workout week.

My main workouts this week so far have been hiking and working hard in the garden. Our garden is big and I do let a lot of things go to flower so they become quite a challenge to dig out (like four foot parsley and fennel plants). This morning I dug out several of them before they seed everywhere. We're starting to get good tomatoes and have had lots of blackberries so that part is pretty fun. Pulling out weeds, overgrown plants and pushing the wheelbarrow up and down our sloping property to go out to the huge compost pile is quite the job. I have a big pressure sprayer that is a job to pump up and spray the soapy water or milk/water mixture (each used for a different purpose). The soapy water is for bug control, the milk/water is to try and resolve powdery mildew on the squash plants.

Garden cross training.

My diet is usually pretty good so I'm not sure I will improve it much, other than maybe trying again to give up that second glass of wine as I've mentioned before. This morning's breakfast was 2 poached eggs on a piece of multi-grain toast with wilted spinach, avocado, and tomato (from the garden). SO good. I'm addicted to it I think.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Tex, I love the term Garden Cross Training! But seriously, moving real, heavy objects in real life is an awesome way to train. After all, it's how our bodies are meant to move and work.
Also love the sound of your breakfast. This year I've expanded my standard egg in the hole and added 1/2 oz of sharp cheddar and a slice of ham atop. Peanut butter on the toast hole as usual. Didn't realize how much I'd grown to liking it until BF grabbed an Egg McMuffin last week for me and it was a let down by comparison. Used to be a special 'treat' once in a blue moon.

Anne, I forgot to answer your question. I am still overnight fasting, but not for the full 14 hours all the time. Partly, I got lazy, and other times I have to eat and get out to run before the heat of the day gets oppressive. Mostly I go 12 hours overnight. I did realize I might have been slowly getting into worse eating habits (portions, more snacks) and tightened up a little the last few days. Down almost a pound, with several more to go.