New Years exercise thread??

[Vanilla]

Vanilla that's awesome. I know your diet is great.

You might have already looked onto this, but. do you monitor your heart rated during the cardio portion of your exercise program? Are you keeping it at a high enough level for fat burning? The simple formula was 220- age and then performing at 60-70 % of that for minimum of 30 min duration. Although there are other ways to figure out max heart rate as well that would be more specific to you.

If this changed or if there are any new theories pig pen might have insight.

Yes I wear a fitbit HR all the time. It does sleep monitoring too. There are several of these types of monitors around they connect to the computer and this one by bluetooth to my tablet. Some are even waterproof for swimming so I may invest, lots available on Amazon second hand, see later. I find heart rate is highest at work! They are a good guide and count steps.

About 3 weeks ago I started logging in the app my fitness pal again which I have done regularly since 2011. I find the succesd stories so motivating. I stopped because WH was a member but just before Xmas I found his fitbit (amazon anyone?). He hasn't logged in for 9 months and I unfriended him so I guess it's safe. There is no blocking on mfp that I can see.

Anyway if he knows I had porridge and drank 9 glasses of water, so what? How many poo and P too? Haha!

A lovely solider lass has befriended me on mfp, we have the same goals and she likes what I do and is friendly. I posted a picture of before and now and that got liked too by several posters and encouraging noises made. All good.

Got a smiling young fit trainer to do an assessment at my David Lloyd gym which monitors attendance too and whoa am in the top 15% of fit women in my age group. Only breathlessness and weight let me down. As far as flexibility and strength go top 1%. I can touch my toes and I bend in the middle. Can't be bad. I can bench press 30 kilos which is exceptional I am told, I can do 100 press ups and 100 triceps dips. Have a minor rotator cuff injury and now have shoulder rehab exercises. But knees are achy achy achy.

Told off by spinning instructor for wearing loose legged sweats apparently they are dangerous so if I wear them they will have to be rolled up. Need good quality leggings with an ankle fit or cycle shorts.

So when my mind is ready I guess my body will work the weight loss for me. As darling Wonka says I need the big guns of higher power to help me.

If a battered old English pancake like V can get off her tush, you young folks have no excuse.

Get those legs going.

V

[Vanilla]

I wanted to mention to check to see if your States have any special weight loss incentives. My State has this state wide health promotion where they give monetary incentives for weight loss. Each quarter you weigh in and they give you money based on the percentage of body fat lost and it keeps growing with the more weight you lose and maintain. The weigh in machine, which they have all over the state, takes your photo in addition to weight, so you have a visual documentation if your weight loss. It us pretty motivating. This quarter I will be getting a $30 payment. I already received $15 last quarter.

I love this BT.

Congrats.

V

[JulieH]

I'm meeting my exercise goals, but the holidays made it too easy to just gorge on sweets. Was gonna say I did great by not eating any sugars today but forgot about the pizza (500 calories) I had and then of course can't let the kids leftovers go to waste. Plus the pizza here is irresistible. So is the kids leftover macaroni and cheese. I throw hot sauce on it.... But this is all ending because I want to get back to where I was prior to christmas. Going away in 2 weeks and I want to where the new clothes I bought post BD. Although don't know if post BD weight is really sustainable.

Hope everyone else is doing good too!

[Rain75]

Thanks Julie I went on YouTube and checked myself for diastasis recti. Phew! They said if you have 3 finder widths you have it. 2 or less and you can most likely get back to where you were. I am just under 2 at my belly button...not even 1 below it and at 1 above it.

That makes me feel a lot better. i have decided to do what worked ala MWD And start up the Fit for Life diet again and some Taebo (eventually He is intense for me)

I've been walking daily and dancing a lot with the kids. Hey gotta start somewhere. Thanks again.

Rain75 if belly is not the same after pregnancy get checked for a diastasis recti. These are even found 10 years after preganancy in a lot of female back patients! You can actually check yourself. if you have small one nothing dangerous but there are certain exercises you would want to avoid (like sit ups and crunches) working lower abdominals CORRECTLY is crucial. I notice a lot of women in the pilates courses are doing exercises that they are not quite ready for. If your belly bulges when you do them, you are not doing correctly. Best bet is to find women's health physical therapist that works a lot with postpartum population. You end up more susceptible to injuries when you have a lot of pelvic instability.

GRlonfr: good instructors are so important and hard to come by! LOL about the D diet. I lost more weight on this then I did for my wedding! I love it, but it will be hard to maintain unless I start doing something now. You know what's funny though, I was actually jealous of all the women I work with and my friends that have some excess weight because I thought to myself "sigh they must be really happy"

[Rain75]

Ok, The problem is I want to look like I did when I was a lot younger, but my body cannot safely do those types of workouts anymore

How's everyone else doing

^^^^^^
This. I too want to look like I did 15 years ago lol

Hmmmm maybe I shouldn't have slacked off so badly. My breathing is a lot better. The walks are easier now. I'm ashamed to say my 1st walk I had to take quite a few breaks aka stop, bend over and pant....but I've built up to zero breaks

[JulieH]

Rain 75.

Great. That's really not much of a gap at all so you should easily be able to strengthen abdominals. look up exercises for strengthening transverse abdominus. Best and easiest way to engage those muscles is to place hands on lower Bally and just say "shh". Out loud. You will feel it tighten, Keep the muscles engaged while you exercise or wash dishes etc.

So glad that the walks are getting easier. Doesn't it mentally make you feel better? I need to exercise in mornings cause then I feel good the whole day. I'm going easier on myself too. Even a little something consistently every day is better then nothing. Sometimes I won't do anything because I don't have 1.5 hrs to commit to an intense workout or yoga class but that's self defeating.

[Rain75]

Thank you Julie! You've helped me so much. I just looked up transverse exercises. I'm excited...I thought the twins wrecked me lol.

And yes I get what you mean. Once upon a time I worked out for 30 minutes before work then an hour after and on weekends 2 hours a day.

AM workout are great for PMA. Im celebrating the small things. No breaks on my walks makes me feel so much better. Now I have to ramp up my intensity.

Thanks for the advice. That seems like a simple enough exercise to do.

[ARose]

Julie, thanks, I just tested mine and, first of all I thought I wouldn't feel any muscle at all but I did, and there is only a 1 finger gap, maybe slightly more between my muscles. I think for me part of the problem is I get bloated, I should keep a food log and see what foods are increasing the bloat. What do you think of the ab rocker? My d uses it and her abs are amazing, but then again she is 14 and also rides horses.

[Rain75]

Fo you're so lucky! Only 1 finger width.

[ARose]

Rain, yes, but now I can only blame the cookies. It was more fun to think it was a muscular problem.