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Gemme, no I am just using a simple spreadsheet. I am signed up for a few of those online trackers, and I know they have apps for phones, but I just never seem to log my stuff into those and never really learned how to use them to plan ahead like I can with my spreadsheet. I am sure the online and app trackers would work better for almost everyone.
Thanks for the tip Kelt. If I want to go to something more extensive later I will definitely consider it. So I just have a simple spreadsheet. The first sheet is a master list of foods that I have on hand to eat, with serving size, number of calories, and grams of protein, carbs and fat. I am going with a 40-40-20 (protein, carbs, fat) which is a high protein diet but only eating lean forms of protein like turkey and chicken breast. Then the other tabs are just each day where I plan out my meals and snacks. I am eating 5 to 6 times per day. I just copy items from the master list or meals/snacks from a different day and have running totals at the bottom of the spreadsheet and tweak it until my numbers come out right. It took a while to get all the info, but now it is mostly copy and paste, and adding a few new food items a week to the master list. I like just opening up my spreadsheet and planning my food that way. It's like making a to do list. Once I have some food combinations that I like and that work well with my calories and ratios, I can just use them again on a different day. I really don't mind eating a lot of the same stuff over and over, so it works fine for me. Now I just have to see how my body adjusts- if I am losing as much weight as I want and still getting stronger and able to do my weight lifting and other exercise. And yes, Kelt that is why I am tracking. I want to know how my body responds to what I eat and exercise so that I can meet my goals and develop good long term habits. So far it is working and I feel great! |
Sorry can't edit my prior post. On 40-40-20 I am talking about percentages.
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I just copy items from the master list or meals/snacks from a different day and have running totals at the bottom of the spreadsheet and tweak it until my numbers come out right
Is it just me or does this sound like you cheat? lol I know what you mean, though. |
Ha, ha Gemme, well I used to be an accountant, so I do indeed know how to massage numbers and tweak them to my liking!
However, in the end I do actually eat what the spreadsheet tells me to. :D Happy exercising all! |
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I have a busy day on tap but am going to head out now and squeak in some cardio time for sanities sake, if I'm lucky with the weather, it'll be off to the river this afternoon too. Happy exercising everyone! :weightlifter: << Not an accountant, but scientist is good enough on the geek front. :) |
I got out of bed. There, that puts all you regular exercisers to shame. :|
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CCB, it all adds up!
Yes, Kelt exactly. I know you speak from experience so that is great to hear. I've only been tracking for a couple of weeks now. You definitely don't need to be an accountant to tweak numbers. Anyway, I'm not one anymore either, lol. Scientists rock! |
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As for me...I ckeaned a difficult house for 4 hours, walked Jacques down by the French Broad (river) and hefted over my paycheck to the car dealership.. Then came home and ckeaned some more. Once everything is tidy I may do yoga. Or I may just collapse. |
Today, I hiked 6.27 miles, at Forest Park, on the Wildwood trail. It felt amazing, I have been increasing my mileage weekly. Last week was 4 miles, and today I had decided to push myself to 5 miles, but just kept on going. I am restricted from a lot of activities at the moment, but hiking has been green-lighted by the doc.
Tomorrow, I'm going to call the doc, and see if I can get back to the pool. My gigantic (somewhat of an exaggeration, 8 inches) abdominal surgical wound, that I fondly refer to as my second belly button, has finally healed enough, that I think they will say it is okay. But, they may limit me to certain swimming styles. Wish me luck! |
I had a good one this morning. I decided to not go full out this time since I became very aware of my age and health level after last week's challenge.
:blink: E21, random program, level 5 262 cal, 1.89 mi, 30 min B6, random program, level 5 164 cal, 5.40 mi, 30 min I followed it up with about 15 minutes of stretching and ab work on the mat. |
Gemme, age and health related issues has forced me into rethinking my workouts,I still can hit the max for a couple of days with not much of a problem but after that if I don't do something else the price I pay in deep soreness isn't worth it. My work outs were built around three exercises legs, core work and upper body. The abb cruncher dose work and well it just doesn't work if I do the recommended amount of work it says to do, I mean it's like I didn't do a thing.. so I added the same weight but nearly doubled the work. Well that works fine but the deep soreness is a bi4ch,the only way to get around it was to only do the exercise twice a week four days a part, it just doesn't seem like it is enough. The time on the bike and the upper body is fine so I find other ways to get core work. At the moment I am blinking away with my new cordless tens unit hoping to get the sciatica pain to quit messing with my left leg to I can have better use of it so I can do a decent workout later today. Age sucks.
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Jacques and I TRIED to hike graveyard fields today...but the road was closed still...sad face..
We did somewhere else on the parkway: Beaver dam gap. The hike was uphill from the get go. We got to the top of a rocky knob and omg the view...the cars on the parkway looked like toys lol , As usual, the descent is what kicked my butt. There were muddy spots to boot. But we did ok and met only two other sets of hikers on the way down. Til then, we had the place entirely to ourselves :) |
I finaallllyyyy went to the gym. First I did 30 minutes stairmaster (always kicks my ass in a good way). Then, trying to stay away from the bike and the treadmill, due to still having some back problems, I returned to the Arc Trainer which I did for an hour. However, I just could not get my heart rate up on it, making it very unsatisfying. Then I did an hour of weight lifting, yoga, stretching, and abs. That was nice :)
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I worked out, got stinky sweaty, my fur kids and I had a blast. When it was over I just sweated it out and walked to cool off sipping on s big bottle of sugar free lemon aid I made myself. Now for a late supper of half a large apple and tuna sandwich on whole wheat bread. The worst thing was I had to stop and catch my breath a few times, felt like a sissy but gotta breath to live.
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I cleaned the crap out of the kitchen and definitely worked up a sweat doing it!
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I can say I never have a problem getting HR up on the arc. Careful on the back though missy. :cheesy: I've been doing pretty well this last week, I only missed the gym once although one other time I had to go short. Mostly 90 min a day cardio. Most afternoons have featured a nice walk along the river banks too. My weird leg/foot goes numb for a few hours and then aches like crazy thing is back, not pushing it. Gettin' old ain't for sissies! |
Repost from body image thread
I found this article this morning.
A series of photos of a woman in her workout wear is inspiring men and women across the internet to remember 'We aren't Barbies.' Q13 Fox reports, The photos, which can be seen here, were posted on IMGUR and Reddit under the name SomewhereUnderWater and titled 'reality check.' The four photos show the woman in different poses highlighting certain areas of her body. "We aren't Barbies. We are made of flesh and blood," said the user. "These are all the same body - my body. I have worked hard for this body and I am proud of this body." She referenced how people are constantly surrounded by images of their "friends highlight reel" that doesn't always show reality. In her photos, she says it's good to see a little reality to keep realistic expectations. "No matter where you are on your body's journey, be proud and love yourself. Make goals because you love your body not because you hate it," she wrote. After the photo went viral, she returned to the post to write an update after all of the positive messages it received. She said she was inspired to do the photo set after seeing an article on a blog that changed her "unrealistic expectations" of her own body. The post helped her realize that even fit and healthy people struggle with body image. "We all struggle with body image, we are all in this together!" she wrote. The woman says the most important thing is we that we love our bodies by taking care of them. "We won't always like everything that they do, or the path they have gone down or everything that happens to them but we do have to love them (like family)," she said. Since it was posted, the photo has been viewed nearly a million times and has received praise from hundreds of commenters. "Thank you! As someone who has lost a ton of weight, it's hard to be happy with the new me when I see my belly not super flat all the time," said KittyLaStrange. "Thanks for this, especially the photos on the right," said Hanakimi. "People never show those angles, and it's just very...real. And Awesome. You're awesome." As she says, we aren't Barbies. We're flesh and blood and we're not perfect. I think this is so important for folks to see. Even those that have bodies that we might covet aren't perfect in every position or light. Our perceived flaws make us human. Someone suggested this might be a good place for this article as well. Why said person did not just copy my quote and paste it in by their self, I do not know. I wouldn't have minded. :) |
Awesome work-out today! My back, which continues to act up on and off, has not been acting up, and I did not do anything to aggravate it today. What a victory.
First I did 30 minutes on the stairmaster, random program. Then I did 45 minutes on the treadmill. I kept it light with minimal jogging/running so as not to hurt my back, and thankfully it worked. I did intervals of 4 minutes at 4mph with no incline, and 4 minutes at 3.5 mph with an incline of 5. Before, I had been doing an incline of 12 at 4mph, so this made a very positive difference, at least for today. I had actually decided not to do the treadmill. But some of you probably know how that is- you have an exercise you just love and you can't pull yourself away from finding some way to do it. Anyway, then I did 45 minutes of weight lifting, abs, stretching, and yoga. I am still down 3 lbs per hand weight from what I was at before. It's frustrating but better to be cautious and build up again. I am on Spring break from school so I'm trying to use that time to get back into a healthy routine. |
Boy oh boy, the abb cruncher is now in the do not use pile. Yes, it dose work very well on the core, better then anything I have used yet, it also strengthens
the back and sides. Trouble is if you have any kind of spinal issues it will wreck you back bad as it has mine...again. No where in any of the instructions dose it say a thing about this sort of thing so after three times messing up my back with very deep muscle soreness that turned into me having another set of injections next Thursday...I give it up and will do other things even though they don't work as well. Lesson learned. I am still doing lite workouts that won't strain my back so I will stay in the work out groove I am using a back brace that is restrictive but doable. Cary on you all I gain strength from reading about your adventures. |
25,000 Fitbit steps! Hit a trail this morning and a light jog this evening. Feeling good!
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Weight lifting went well today. I was able to go up in weight on several lifts, so I was happy about that.
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I joined a gym in January but have used it a total of 3 times! I am finding that I would much rather go hiking or jogging out in a natural setting, but know I probably need to do some strength training. Aargh! Ready for today and am enjoying reading this thread!
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The other night I did 90 minutes on the treadmill. This is a major accomplishment for me because 20 minutes used to be difficult for me. My knees didn't act us nearly as bad and the only real aches I had were hip pain.
I have also built up to 20 deep squats at a time. That's also HUGE for me because as a person with a lot of weight I really feel it!! Today will be cleaning house and hitting the treadmill later this afternoon. Plus, with it being Spring, I'm feeling the gorgeous weather and enjoying the fresh air :bunchflowers: |
Good morning and happy Easter, exercisers.
I had a good workout and then an okay workout and then some stretching interrupted by a WTF moment. It could have been worse. Elliptical #21, random program, level 5 320 cal, 2.63 mi, 35:00 min Recumbent bike #4, random program, level 5 144 cal, 5.05 mi, 25:00 min Things were fine with the elliptical but a couple of minutes after I got on the bike, it started to skip now and then. For those that haven't been on a bike when it does this, it basically loses its gear and the resistance hits zero LIKETHIS and then it catches again and gets back and on track then, a few minutes later it does it again. It skipped about 4-5 times during my workout. When I was almost done, one of the gym attendants came over and asked if I wanted her to fix it. I hate to jump from machine to machine if I don't have to so I told her I was almost done and I'd come get her when I got off of it. I'm glad she came over but I can't stand someone wanting me to get off of a machine. If I wanted off, I'd get off. It didn't save me anything as I was going to let them know after my workout anyway and I still had to go get her when I was done. But at least the next person wouldn't have to deal with the issue, so that's good. The stretching was fine until the lady that was on the stretching contraption (don't know the name for it but it looks like a giant pitcher's mask blown up and out of proportion and it's great for being able to do stretches to hit all of your major muscle groups) decides she wants to hunker down next to me. First, she picks up a mat and slams it down on the ground so there's a big waft of air (not a horrible thing) and bits of dirt (not a good thing) that come flying over to me. That annoyed me but I opted to ignore her. Then she decides to try to start a conversation with me. I am not rude but I am not friendly either. My answers are succinct. I've never seen her before and she's starting up a conversation like we're at a bar....the length of time I've been coming there, how my body has or has not changed since I started working out, etc. It just felt weird to me. She wasn't even dressed for the gym. She had on painter's pants and a short sleeved button down shirt. She let things go for a minute and we both continued with our stretching. I decided if she tried to make conversation again, I'd be more open. What the Hell. It's Easter. Maybe she's lonely, right? Maybe she's new to the area. Whatever. So she does and I'm nicer but it still feels weird. Spidey senses do not lie so I didn't push the friendly thing and eventually she picked up and left. She didn't wipe down her mat either. Two gym demerits for her! Actually I saw a lot of people forget their manners and gym etiquette this morning. They must have been consumed with what they were going to eat later or maybe just how much they spent on green crinkly grass and candy. :blink: All in all, not a bad day. My wrist is sore. I tweaked it at work yesterday so I'm babying it a little bit but that's all I have going on right now. |
I ran five miles outside.
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Well... after my last exercise at the gym where I thought I mastered the treadmill's ability to injure my back by taking it slower at a much lower incline, wouldn't you know that night my back went into total pain! As BB said, "How many times is it going to take you to learn?"
Today I did the stair master for an hour and then took an hour and 45 minute walk with my brother and his husband from Manhattan to Brooklyn, crossing over the Williamsburg bridge. It was a great walk. The weather was beautiful and we walked through such colorful neighborhoods. Hoping I sleep normal tonight (no back pain). |
I'll tell you....I hated it.....HATED IT....when my physical therapist said to avoid the treadmill at all cost. I still sometimes get pangs of longing when I go into the gym because that was/is my favorite piece of equipment to use.
BUT The woman has a doctorate. She knows far more than I regarding this so I headed her advice and I felt a significant difference after I stopped. It's hard to use proper form on it. BUT I miss it. |
Thanks, Gemme. I didn't have any back pain last night while I slept which is when it would hit me after the treadmill (when I'm still), so, yeah, I must stay away!
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One of my fitness goals is to lose around 2 pounds per week. I have been keeping track for 4 weeks now and according to the scale I have lost 8 pounds exactly. I'm right on track. :D
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due to school stress (yay education!) I had stepped away from the gym for a while but finally got up this morning and started up again. Slow, of course.
10 minute warm up, a 10 minute plod jog with 10 minute medium paced walking and then the leg machines. I am going to be feeling this tomorrow. btw, NY times ran a study in their paper on the effects of jogging that's really interesting . slow versus running http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/0...ut-ahead/?_r=0 |
I got a quickie in tonight.
Elliptical 20, random program, level 5 Stats: 280 cal, 2.51 mi, 30:00 min I followed it up with some good stretching. The gym was crowded tonight, as it tends to be. It'll peter out as the week progresses until there's practically no one on Friday night. |
My back is continuing to do really good. I stayed away from the treadmill. I also wonder if my back is better because I'm getting sleep and not wearing my backpack that I wear to school. Don't get me wrong, I'm still staying away from the treadmill, but my back is so good right now that I'm wondering if it's not only the treadmill but a combination of things. Figuring out pain and keeping it at bay is always half the battle with exercise!
Today I did an hour on the Stair Master. I've been doing a "bell curve" program that starts low, goes up and levels off real high, and then gradually goes back down. Psychologically it's a program that works well for me. |
just when you think it's safe.....
I agree that it's probably a fairly intricate equation as to finding out exactly what does what. Our bodies are so complex and connect this bit way up here with this bit way down there.....I raised my arm over my head while driving and I felt it on the side of my thigh. Connected!
Somewhat related...I was concerned early this morning. I woke up to some of the same pain I had when I was in (and the reason for) physical therapy. Sharp and biting pain and irritation in my hip and thigh. I thought 'here I go again' but then I remembered how much manual labor I did yesterday and how much kneeling and bending and crouching. I hoped it would lessen over the course of the day. I did some PT exercises before work to remind my body that I was trying at least. Thankfully a day of being stuck inside while it rained feels like it paid off. My hip and thigh are much better now. We'll see how I feel when I wake tomorrow. It's always been the absolute worst first thing in the morning. |
Today I did an hour on the stair master (loving that bell curve program) and then an hour of weight lifting, abs, leg exercises, yoga, and stretching.
My back is in better shape than ever. Hope it stays that way when I go back to work on Monday! |
20 minutes on the treadmill, and today was arms day. so about 40-50 minutes doing weights
12 reps, 3 sets each. |
Today I ran three miles in 30 mins, 20 seconds. A new personal record. The last two miles were both under ten minutes each.
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I'm still making the most of my spring break time. Today: 1 hour stair master, then 1 hour of leg exercises, back exercises, weight lifting and stretching.
My back got a slight kink in it while on the stair master. Sigh. Don't think it will go into a "tread mill" state (my back, I mean). I usually have no problems on the stair master but I think I was just doing too high a level than I should have been and compensating with lazy form. It's so easy to pull something! |
So true!
I got in an early morning workout today. E21, random program, level 5 Stats: 231 cal, 2.04 mi, 25:00 min I stretched afterward for about 8-10 minutes. |
I woke up with no back pain. That's a start :). I wish it was nice weather today so I could go walking but it's just not! I think I'll either take a rest day or go to the gym and if I feel the slightest twinge of back pain I will switch activities or call it a day! There is such an impulse to tune out the body's messages but that sure doesn't pay in the long run!
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I am officially off for the next two days and I can't sweat at all.
Not. one. drop. I may not have planned this well. Looks like I will have a boatload of stretching in my very near future. |
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