Bonnieann, so happy for you that all your test results have turned out great and that you have found ways to work out despite the tendenitis.

We just got back from almost 2 weeks vacation so eating out, and not always the healthiest, made me wonder if I had gained. But we hiked almost every day, which made me feel like I had been doing stairmaster (at high altitude no less). So no weight gain, thankfully. And I did some jogging and working out in hotel gyms a few times.

I don't know why it turns out this way, but I too have a lot of medical exams coming up. I need to schedule my general physical with our GP, but I am not too worried about the BP or cholesterol as mine tends low to average. I just ran a 5k race this morning. Placed 2nd in my age group! Woohoo!

Getting fat. About time. Hope the holidays abound in every kind of possible food. Have no intention or desire to be 99.

I am actually drinking glasses of water! I am hardly ever thirsty, so this is a big one for me.

I'm glad your mammo was good!

Well I've managed to put on about 10 lbs. I tend to be out of balance in this area of my life. I feel like all or nothing works best for me. Everything in moderation bites. I don't want one or two small stuffed shells. I want six. Just being honest. The two shells don't even feel worth it. Note - I'd rather eat a bowl of pasta than ice cream.

I'm actually getting ready to go all anti inflammatory with eating again and cut out sugar, grain, and dairy for 8 weeks. I did this a year ago, lost the last bit of weight and felt great for a long time. I added food items back in one at a time to check for food allergies or sensitivities. I continued to eat pretty clean, plan my food, and ate many small meals throughout the day. It was easy when I planned. Then I started to get bored with what I was eating and instead of creating new dishes I got lazy with planning and started slipping. Today I ate chocolate, eggs, a few bites of filling and beans, a cherry icee, and the homemade cookies we're taking to a gathering tomorrow. (the ugly ones, of course) Yeah, pretty horrible. I do still drink tons of water.

Looking forward to getting back on track and feeling better.

edited to note - also cut out animal/saturated fat, processed meat, fried food, etc.

This post was edited by sheesharee on Mon, Oct 20, 14 at 17:09

I joined a new (to me) workout facility that has small groups with a trainer, 20 minutes of weights followed by about 1/2 hr of cardio, 3 times a week. Food plan and weigh-ins every week. In the 5 weeks I've been going, I have lost..drumroll please...2 pounds. However, this was during the Epic Birthday celebrations and several weekends away, so if I hadn't been at least sorta following this new plan, I probably would have gained 5 lbs. And even though the scale says I've lost only 2 lbs., my jeans fit as though I've lost more.

What works for me is that I have an appointment 3 times a week so I HAVE to show up. And then there's the weekly weigh in, so there's a lot of accountability. The only negative is that the trainers try to force a sort of social thing that I'm really not interested in. I have plenty of friends and not looking to make new ones at the gym. I'm friendly, but I'm there to get a job done!

Health wise, I have some looming appointments that aren't all fun. Because my mom died of ovarian cancer, I have had annual pelvic ultrasounds since I was about 35 (I just turned 50). In all that time, they have been normal. A few weeks ago, I went for the usual u/s and there was "something" on my ovary. They want to check again in a few weeks to see if it was something cyclical and may just go away. If it's still there, I'll have an MRI. Since my mother died at 55, I have always had a "thing" about entering the 50-something decade, so having "something" found on an ovary 3 days after turning 50 has messed with my head a bit. But I'm trying not to worry about it.

We are having a higher degree of stress than usual with oldest DS, who has provided a steady stream of stress during his 22 years, and I am trying to take care of myself in ways to help alleviate that stress so it doesn't bring me to an early grave! Massage, escapes with friends, exercise, etc.

OldFixer, unfortunately, it's not just about whether or not you'll live to 99, but the quality of life you'll have between now and whenever. You can easily live but with a great deal of infirmity which includes loss of independence, self sufficiency, and privacy....

Exercising and eating right is no guarantee of escaping infirmity, but it increases your odds.

I'm still working out and seeking a healthy lifestyle! After a few weeks of visitors and vacations, I'm back to toeing the line.

At the moment I'm experiencing a little stress. I'm 800 miles from home and our home fridge died. Why couldn't it do that a week earlier or a week later when I was there to deal with it? I'm researching and picking one out here to be delivered to my husband there. The more research I do, the more confused I am.

I'm with you Annie. I exercise and do what I can now in the hope that I can remain active and independent later. I want to travel and carry my own bag for as long as possible.

I am on fall break this weekend, so I am making it a point to get some downtime. The weather has been fabulous. I was able to go for walks outside and really enjoy it. I also did some decluttering which feels good mentally plus getting in a lot of physical activity.

However, I could've gone to my hometown for my nephew and his wife's baby shower this weekend. This is the son of my sister who just had the knee replacement. The twins were born prematurely on the 29th, but they are doing well in the NICU. One is in the step-down unit already. I miss my family and friends and the weather will be getting worse by the week to go another time, but I knew if I went I would have NO downtime at all this weekend, and that's not good for me since I've been so stressed out by work. So, I had to weigh the pros and cons of going vs. staying home. At a recent faculty forum for our president search, many faculty spoke out that they are maxed out, so it isn't just me.

I am still doing the weights WO twice per week, Spinning or Zumba at least once a a week, and water aerobics 1-2 days per week. I still need to do more daily activity in my day. I wanted to order the treadmill desk to be delivered this weekend, but I did not have enough lead time to set that up. So, I need to find another day where I'm not swamped where I can be home part of the day for delivery.

My blood pressure is starting to creep up into the pre-hypertension range on some readings, so I really need to lose this weight to get it down. Also, need to be better about meditation. I am very good with cutting sodium and making sure my fruits and vegetables are high. DH and I have cut out salty snacks. We did "alcohol-free" August. Don't think that helped me lose any weight, though.

Um, no.
Though DH and I are FINALLY in NH at our condo and have had a blast being outside, hiking and enjoying ourselves. He is on board with lifestyle changes. He will have the winter off from his bar tending jobs, so he will have time to focus a bit on himself before our Waffle businesses open.

I think tomorrow we will lay out some plans. I know for me, I have to get off the sugar and carbs. Hiking yesterday convinced me that I need to work on cardio. I have an appt with my PCP in January, and I'm expected to be down 10 lbs...and hopefully my cholesterol will be better too.

Beth

Beth, I found that curtting way back on sugar/bad carbs helped my cholesterol enormously. Hope it works for you, too. Lucky to have a DH on board -- mine pretends to be, but next thing you know, he's got an ice cream sandwich in each hand. He's not heavy but could stand to lose a few lbs. around his gut, and needs to get more exercise.

I've been wanting to try an interval walking plan and found one (Skip Orem's Interval Training Rx) but my shuffle died. So yesterday I got a new shuffle and loaded it up and gave it a try. The walk was really short compared to what I usually do, but esp since I hit hills during the most intense part of the "walk out" I got my heart rate going much faster than normal. It really made a difference. I ended up continuing my regular walk afterward anyway, but it definitely made a difference. (On the walk I was listening to another one that was very simple to do....find a hill that takes you 60-75 seconds to ascend, then warm up on flat ground for 10 minutes, then spend 16 min running up the hill and walking down the hill, followed by a 5 min cool down.)

I've also gotten an AppleTV so now I can play youtube videos on the TV in the exercise room. I've done a couple of HIIT(high intensity interval training) and a couple of the old fashioned 30 min workouts with the "spandex babes" and I'm shocked at how low my aerobic capacity is. Here I thought all the pilates and walking I've been doing was keeping me strong! Hah!

So now I'm going to try and mix up yoga, pilates, walking and HIIT to see how I do....

Unfortnately, my shoulder is still an issue and chiropractor thinks I need an ortho. Rats.