Good afternoon. Here it is 25 degrees so think I will skip the long walk.

I am going to go stair climbing, thanks for the tips Jess.
Sounds like your stats are doing great Hal
Thanks for the laugh, Nancy.
Wish it would warm up so we could get some yard work done, Tom.

This is a quote from Body for Life, that I am putting on my Vision box.

This article appeared in the New York Times today. Remember, even if the scale isn't moving, you're changing your life by getting in shape.

By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS

Does being physically fit counteract some of the undesirable health consequences of being overweight? That question, of pressing interest to those of us who exercise while carrying a few extra pounds, prompted an important new study that focused on aerobic fitness and weight swings.

The study, which was published last month in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology, examined health information about more than 3,100 adults who’d visited the Cooper Clinic in Dallas for medical checkups. During the exams, physicians gathered information about each person’s cardiovascular health, including blood pressure, cholesterol profile, abdominal girth and body fat percentage. They also measured the patients’ aerobic fitness using treadmill tests.

For years, scientists and the news media have been debating the relative risks of being fat but fit. While it might seem as if aerobic fitness could ameliorate many of the health problems associated with extra body fat, studies on the topic have produced mixed results. Some have suggested that being in shape virtually eliminates the health risks of extra pounds, especially in terms of heart health. But others have come to the opposite conclusion, finding that excess fat contributes to heart disease and premature death, even if someone is physically active.

Many of these studies, though, have compared people’s fitness and fatness at only one point in time, which is an artificial measure because, as we all know from experience, bodies change.

So, for the new study, scientists from the University of South Carolina and other institutions turned to Cooper Clinic data that covered the same patients over the course of at least six years and three checkups.

They chose 3,148 adult men and women, most in their 40s at the start of the study and all normally active but not athletes. None at first had any indications of heart disease or other risk factors, like high blood pressure or cholesterol.

The researchers then compared the patients’ body fat and aerobic fitness during their second checkup, usually two or three years after the first. A majority of the people had, by that time, gained body fat. Paradoxically, many also had become more fit, a surprising statistic, unless you consider that these were men and women who were dutifully showing up for medical checkups and receiving repeated admonitions to exercise.

None during that second visit yet showed discernible risk factors for heart disease.

But by the time they showed up for their third checkup several years later, almost a quarter had developed high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol levels or a combination of risk factors called metabolic syndrome.
Those at greatest risk for these health problems were, unsurprisingly, those who’d both lost fitness and gained fat. If someone had grown less fit over the years while adding fat, he now had a 71 percent greater chance of suffering from metabolic syndrome than those who’d lost fat.

But fitness offered some protection to those who gained fat. A person who had improved fitness but added girth had a 22 percent lower risk than someone who was both fat and unfit.

Not surprisingly, dropping fat mass also reduced people’s risks of suffering from metabolic syndrome and the other health problems, but very few people in the study lost fat.

The bottom line: Exercise by itself won’t erase the heart risks of extra body fat, but it may blunt them.
“What this tells us is that both fitness and fatness matter, separately and together, for heart health,” says Duck-Chul Lee, a research fellow at the University of South Carolina who led the study.

More encouragingly, simply maintaining fitness may be all that is required to protect your heart. “We did not see a great deal of added benefit from improving fitness,” Dr. Lee says, “compared to maintaining it.”

People who had bettered their aerobic fitness had 28 percent less risk of developing high blood pressure than people who’d let their fitness slide. But those who’d merely kept up their baseline fitness throughout the study, adjusted for age (aerobic capacity declines with age, even among people who exercise regularly) had 26 percent less risk of the condition, a barely discernible difference.

“The message is simple,” Dr. Lee concludes. “So much attention gets focused on weight reduction, but reducing body fat is very difficult for most people. Our study suggests that,” in terms of heart health, “maintaining your fitness over your lifetime is just as important, and for most people is probably more achievable.”

Here's another interesting article that appeared in the New York Times.

February 29, 2012, 12:01 AM
Why It’s So Important to Keep Moving
By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS

Hoping to learn more about how inactivity affects disease risk, researchers at the University of Missouri recently persuaded a group of healthy, active young adults to stop moving around so much. Scientists have known for some time that sedentary people are at increased risk of developing heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. But they haven’t fully understood why, in part because studying the effects of sedentary behavior isn’t easy. People who are inactive may also be obese, eat poorly or face other lifestyle or metabolic issues that make it impossible to tease out the specific role that inactivity, on its own, plays in ill health.

So, to combat the problem, researchers lately have embraced a novel approach to studying the effects of inactivity. They’ve imposed the condition on people who otherwise would be out happily exercising and moving about, in some cases by sentencing them to bed rest.

But in the current study, which was published this month in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the scientists created a more realistic version of inactivity by having their volunteers cut the number of steps they took each day by at least half.

They wanted to determine whether this physical languor would affect the body’s ability to control blood sugar levels. “It’s increasingly clear that blood sugar spikes, especially after a meal, are bad for you,” says John P. Thyfault, an associate professor of nutrition and exercise physiology at the University of Missouri, who conducted the study with his graduate student Catherine R. Mikus and others. “Spikes and swings in blood sugar after meals have been linked to the development of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.”

So the scientists fitted their volunteers with sophisticated glucose monitoring devices, which checked their blood sugar levels continuously throughout the day. They also gave the subjects pedometers and activity-measuring armbands, to track how many steps they took. Finally, they asked the volunteers to keep detailed food diaries.

Then they told them to just live normally for three days, walking and exercising as usual.
Exercise guidelines from the American Heart Association and other groups recommend that, for health purposes, people accumulate 10,000 steps or more a day, the equivalent of about five miles of walking. Few people do, however. Repeated studies of American adults have shown that a majority take fewer than 5,000 steps per day.

The Missouri volunteers were atypical in that regard. Each exercised 30 minutes or so most days and easily completed more than 10,000 daily steps during the first three days of the experiment. The average was almost 13,000 steps.

During these three days, according to data from their glucose monitors, the volunteers’ blood sugar did not spike after they ate.

But that estimable condition changed during the second portion of the experiment, when the volunteers were told to cut back on activity so that their step counts would fall below 5,000 a day for the next three days. Achieving such indolence was easy enough. The volunteers stopped exercising and, at every opportunity, took the elevator, not the stairs, or had lunch delivered, instead of strolling to a cafe. They became, essentially, typical American adults.

Their average step counts fell to barely 4,300 during the three days, and the volunteers reported that they now “exercised,” on average, about three minutes a day.

Meanwhile, they ate exactly the same meals and snacks as they had in the preceding three days, so that any changes in blood sugar levels would not be a result of eating fattier or sweeter meals than before.

And there were changes. During the three days of inactivity, volunteers’ blood sugar levels spiked significantly after meals, with the peaks increasing by about 26 percent compared with when the volunteers were exercising and moving more. What’s more, the peaks grew slightly with each successive day.

This change in blood sugar control after meals “occurred well before we could see any changes in fitness or adiposity,” or fat buildup, due to the reduced activity, Dr. Thyfault says. So the blood sugar swings would seem to be a result, directly, of the volunteers not moving much.

Which is both distressing and encouraging news. “People immediately think, ‘So what happens if I get hurt or really busy, or for some other reason just can’t work out for awhile?’” Dr. Thyfault says. “The answer seems to be that it shouldn’t be a big problem.” Studies in both humans and animals have found that blood sugar regulation quickly returns to normal once activity resumes.

The spikes during inactivity are natural, after all, even inevitable, given that unused muscles need less fuel and so draw less sugar from the blood.

The condition becomes a serious concern, Dr. Thyfault says, only when inactivity is lingering, when it becomes the body’s default condition. “We hypothesize that, over time, inactivity creates the physiological conditions that produce chronic disease,” like Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, regardless of a person’s weight or diet.

To avoid that fate, he says, keep moving, even if in small doses. “When I’m really busy, I make sure to get up and walk around the office or jog in place every hour or so,” he says. Wear a pedometer if it will nudge you to move more. “You don’t have to run marathons,” he says. “But the evidence is clear that you do need to move.”

Good evening everyone.

It looks like we are all on our way to a great 12 weeks.

Hal: Those are great numbers. Glad to hear you got to the meeting. Now that the first is out of the way you will do great. I can just feel it.

Yesterday I had an UBWO with my trainer and today I did a 5/25 HIIT on the elliptical then I rode the bike at a steady HR of 134 for 20 minutes and finished up with some ab work on the floor. Eating is clean.

Tomorrow I have a LBWO planned.

I hope everyone has a fantastic evening. Lori

Danielle: Just a quick question. Did you cut out soda or coffee the past few days. I find I get those headaches if I haven't had any caffeine. I don't realize I haven't had the caffeine until I get a headache. Just a thought. Lori

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmrobinson Hello all! I know this is only day 3, but I have had a migraine the last three days in a row. I am already prone to them and get them four or five times a month, but never this many in a row. I am sure it has to do with my diet change and adding in some exercise....but does anyone else have experience with this? Will it get better as I continue in my diet because it is quite frustrating, not to mention debillitating. I had planned on walking on the beach this morning, but couldn't do it because I can't bear to be around light when my migraine hits. Thanks! Danielle

Hi Danielle. you are most likely correct, when there is great changes made the body usually freaks out during the adjustment time, detoxing can be intense...be sure to drink tons of water to flush your system, other then that I say give it a good week or two and if it doesnt ease up I say see a doctor. Hope that helps.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nancytroi Good afternoon. Here it is 25 degrees so think I will skip the long walk. I am going to go stair climbing, thanks for the tips Jess. Sounds like your stats are doing great Hal Thanks for the laugh, Nancy. Wish it would warm up so we could get some yard work done, Tom. This is a quote from Body for Life, that I am putting on my Vision box.

Nancy. Im so glad you've incorporated this box into the 12 weeks, I really want to watch the creation - love the quote!

Hello everyone! My nutrition has been on target eating fruits, veggies and lean meats. My exercise for the past two days has been playing in basketball tournament. Althought our team lost we had tons of fun. I got started on the well path program at work they did my weight height blood pressure cholesterol and glucose level. Everything except my blood pressure is good but I take blood pressure medication.

I am here for the challenge! Despite previous failures, I am ready to go again. Posted my start pictures on my blog page, can't get them to link. Between the pictures and my starting measurements,what a rude awakening! Can't deny any longer I am fat and unhealthy! But not for long... I hope these will be my favorite pics someday soon. The ones that spurred me on to good health. Have a great Thursday everyone!

Hello Inner Circle Of Champions


I hope everyone is continuing to shine under your umbrella of unlimited potential

Yes, life can throw some pretty heavy, hard and unwelcome stuff at you

You know the kind of stuff that will stir up your fears, release your anxiety and fill you with dread...if you allow it too.

The trick is learning to navigate through this planet without being filled with the bad stuff..that negative energy flow that will paralyze you with worry and fill you with doubt.

I guess it all boils down to when the muck of life is splattered on you ( and yes, you will get splattered) do you rub it in or wipe it off?

I say our best defense is to wipe it off and press onward

The wipe it off campaign has begun!!!!

~Buff~

Quote:

Originally Posted by littleapplemom I am here for the challenge! Despite previous failures, I am ready to go again. Posted my start pictures on my blog page, can't get them to link. Between the pictures and my starting measurements,what a rude awakening! Can't deny any longer I am fat and unhealthy! But not for long... I hope these will be my favorite pics someday soon. The ones that spurred me on to good health. Have a great Thursday everyone!

This time is the right time ...rock it

Danielle- Just a suggestion, but makes sure you're drinking enough water too. Sometimes I get bad headaches when I get a little dehydrated.

Nancy- That's an awesome image. Thanks for sharing it! I'm going to keep that in my mind throughout this challenge.

Hal- Awesome progress man!

Littleapplemom- Welcome to the challenge and the group!

I do want to thank everyone so much for your encouragement and support throughout my journey. It means a lot to have such positive comments in regards to my progress so far. It truly is an incredible feeling to have put in the effort and actually see some significant results.

Today I did follow through with my plan today, and day 2 of my video series was intense again. I'm sure this "muscle confusion" is going to work in my favor. It was definitely time for a change. It's exciting and fun, and I'm really enjoying it. I also signed up for some races today, so I have those to look forward to now too.

Hello Everyone!

Hope everyone had a great day. Mine flew by with work meetings and didn't make my afternoon workout so had to adjust to make time this evening. It does make a difference when I have our family meals planned for the week so my eating has been on track. At about 4pm when the kids came home I was hit with major wave of tiredness. I had some deadlines and worked late last night and woke up early this morning. After dinner, I must admit I had several thoughts of not doing my workout. Two thoughts helped me get out the door. First, I didn't want to report back to the group I didn't make complete my Day 3....so THANKS for letting me part of the group to help hold me accountable. Second, I focused on how good I'd feel after the workout!

Lower Body 5/25 Completed

Meals
M1: Chocolate Righlight shake
M2: slice lowfat cheese & apple
M3: EFL Blackberry Smoothie with Vanilla Righlight
M4: mozarella cheese stick with cutie
M5: EFL Balsamic Salmon, broccoli, and brown rice
M6: mozarella cheese stick w/ 2 oz of Naked Juice Green Machine

Good night all and wishing everyone another healthful day tomorrow!!!

Cheers,
Mare

Limiting Belief ?!?


So today was A GOOD DAY! I had the right mindset. My nutrition was aligned. And I got in a great UBWO and cardio session tonight. But there was something even better than all that?! I had a mental realization or breakthrough!

I'm excited about the weight I've dropped over the past 5 weeks. But I'm right back where I was 3 months ago. I realize my plateau might be more mental than physical. So I started analyzing. And I had a little help from my AP Terra! Two things I realized today:

1. My weight loss started slowing down (while still making progress) about mid-Summer. Why? After analysis and talks with Terra, I've realized the ONE MAJOR change is WHEN I work out. I think for my body type, I get my best results when I work out in the morning. It boosts my metabolism all day, I feel better, and I'm not stressing about HAVING to work out later that day.

2. The best weight I got to back in 2002 (the Body-For-LIFE days) was 225. Currently I'm hovering around 223~224. I've realized I'm faced with ANOTHER LIMITiNG BELIEF! Even if subconsciously, I'm struggling getting past this weight range. The last time I was below 220 was back around 2000. Heck, the last time I was below 200 was at my wedding in 1995.

Well, I've identified this LIMITING BELIEF and change in routine.
I threw out the limiting belief on the way home from the gym. I will change my routine.
I'm excited because I WILL MOVE FORWARD to the NEXT LEVEL!!!

Killer UBWO
25 min HIIT on elliptical


Meals today:
M1 - RightLight
M2 - Nutrition shake
M3 - Turkey burger
M4 - RightLight
M5 - Eggs, toast
M6 - Post workout shake




.

Good Early Morning, having one of those mornings!! I take melatonin about twice a week, wish I had taken it last night!!

I am identifying with the picture! Between bowling, LBWO and snakes in tai chi, I can hardly move !! I must look at least 62 trying ti ease myself into a chair Took the food handling course. Not sure when I will eat in a restaurant again, not even sure if I want to eat in my kitchen!!

Have another busy day. Along with a friend, I am speaking at a church group this afernoon. They will have tea and sweets but I have a secret weapon, cosmic cookie!! Then we go to another town for a turkey supper nd then speak at an INternational Women's Day of Prayer. The freewill offering will go to our group. If you are interested go to [url=http://www.grannieweb.wordpress.com] or kings kikima grannies on Facebook.I maintain both sites. I am not a webmaster but have been know to call myself a webmistress

Fuel....
M1 oatmeal, granola
M2cottage cheese, fruit
M3 chili
M4 cosmic cookie
M5 turkey, veggies
M6 cheese and crackers or protein bar depending where I am

Goals
1. survive!
2. exercise, like I said survive
3. finish sweater
4.meet new people,
5, share some laughs

Have a great day and be kind to yourselves. Everyone is doing so well.
Nancy

Use each moment to make another’s
eyes sparkle and to warm a heart.
Doreen Virtue

_________________________________________

Good Morning Team. Im up early. Ready for a healthy day. I am! Looking forward to a productive day ahead ! I have my interview at the gym after work today, will add that in to my days somehow someway - you know the saying if there is a will there is a way !!

Buff. Love your sharing and yes the muck hits us all - its true, but like you say our attitude will make a difference, for me, I just wipe the muck off, build a bridge and get over it - onward and upward we go - woot woot!!

Nancy-ousier. Your cartoons make me laugh so loud, Thank You for your contribution, just love it....

Let's have a good day team. I'll get a 5/25 Upper Body in today

Here is today's plan (looks like I'll have time to post it in the mornings)

Spring Forward Day 4

MEALS
M1 Powershake
M2 rightlight
M3 hummus, raw veggies, some fruit
M4 turkey breast and fruit
M5 steak, shrimp, a carb and some veggies
M6 rightlight
WORKOUT
5/25 upper body
GRATITUDES
A good sleep
Delicious morning coffee
So many hours in a day
Spring Forward Challenge
Spring Forward this weekend
The sun is shining brightly in Edmonton (they call it sunny Alberta, yay!)
Spring is sprunging

TODAY'S INSPIRATION

Hello team! Still not feeling well. It’s long weekend of Women’s day here and it feels wrong to wait time sitting at home, but I shouldn’t really walk around with flu.
Tomorrow is my 18 weeks finish. I’ve completed my essay and will get pictures later today. It’s a pity that I fell ill on last 2 weeks, but results are still present. I see great changes in my mindset and motivation, some positive changes in my body. I feel like new person now –a better version of myself. My life has changed in these 18 weeks in ways I couldn’t imagine.
Many of you have been there for 18 weeks, setting example and sharing experience, providing support and motivation for me! Thank you for being there for me and supporting me along the way. I wouldn’t do this without your support and example.
I know that I can do so much more! I look forward to starting new challenge on Monday.

Have a great day,
Lana

Quote:

Originally Posted by griffiti Limiting Belief ?!? So today was A GOOD DAY! I had the right mindset. My nutrition was aligned. And I got in a great UBWO and cardio session tonight. But there was something even better than all that?! I had a mental realization or breakthrough! I'm excited about the weight I've dropped over the past 5 weeks. But I'm right back where I was 3 months ago. I realize my plateau might be more mental than physical. So I started analyzing. And I had a little help from my AP Terra! Two things I realized today: 1. My weight loss started slowing down (while still making progress) about mid-Summer. Why? After analysis and talks with Terra, I've realized the ONE MAJOR change is WHEN I work out. I think for my body type, I get my best results when I work out in the morning. It boosts my metabolism all day, I feel better, and I'm not stressing about HAVING to work out later that day. 2. The best weight I got to back in 2002 (the Body-For-LIFE days) was 225. Currently I'm hovering around 223~224. I've realized I'm faced with ANOTHER LIMITiNG BELIEF! Even if subconsciously, I'm struggling getting past this weight range. The last time I was below 220 was back around 2000. Heck, the last time I was below 200 was at my wedding in 1995. Well, I've identified this LIMITING BELIEF and change in routine. I threw out the limiting belief on the way home from the gym. I will change my routine. I'm excited because I WILL MOVE FORWARD to the NEXT LEVEL!!! Killer UBWO 25 min HIIT on elliptical Meals today: M1 - RightLight M2 - Nutrition shake M3 - Turkey burger M4 - RightLight M5 - Eggs, toast M6 - Post workout shake .

Dont you love it when that happens Jonathon, I call it a spiritual ephiphany!! Woot...Bingo....the light comes on, a flash of insight.....catching, seeing, being aware and changing those limiting beliefs changes everything!! Awesome Awesome!!

Hey steppers - all sorts of movement ! Your posts inspire.

Jon - so right about our limiting ourselves by our thoughts. That's me right now. As my devotions pointed out today , spiritual surgery of those thoughts is in order. Great timing.

Hal - glad you're coming from a place of strength . Congrats on the stats.

Jess- great seeing you here.

Lana - growth is an amazing thing, huh ?

Upper body HIIT today and kicking up spring by going to the International Flower Show today.
a great wall to the convention center is in order.

Have a great one all. John

Nancy - Yikes!! 25 degrees! That scares this Florida boy (and I'm generally fearless). March temperatures are in the 70's and 80's around here.
Danielle - sounds like you have food sensitivities. Your body adapts to a daily dose of wheat or dairy or caffeine or Diet Coke with Equal or whatever. Then, when you stop it, the body goes through withdrawal (Thia talked about that earlier in the thread). I found that I have a sensitivity to wheat, for instance. I'll dig up some website and/or book references for you so you can investigate a bit.

Overall Notes: Yesterday was supposed to be a "light duty" day. Apparently, I don't know how to do that. The first "light duty" task that I attempted turning into a much bigger job (it always seems to do so). Did I say, "Hey - I'd better stop and do this tomorrow."? Of course not - I just worked through it. As a consequence, I slept like a dead man and I'm getting a late start on today. I've got some plants that have to get into the ground today, and a repair job that ought not wait any longer, but tomorrow I'll have a light duty day. [Sure - yeah - tomorrow - that's right - I'll take it easy tomorrow!!!] Just a little Obsessive Compulsive Disorder goes a long way.

Did I stick to the food & exercise plan yesterday?? Yes

Today’s Exercise: Stretching/Core strengthening routine; 10 min. warm-up on the elliptical machine; WBWO (Whole Body WorkOut) in the home gym
Countdown: 9 days until the ”Guana Tolomato Matanzas Reserve” 10K trail run in S. Ponte Vedra Beach (Yikes! I don't feel ready!!)

Today’s Food Plan: Wheat-free & Low Glycemic Index

M1 (B’fast): 3 egg ham n' cheese omelet
M2 (Lunch):Tuna Salad over lettuce
M3 (Dinner): Beef tips over brown rice
M4 (Dessert/Snack): Protein shake; a “palm-full” of raw almonds

Tom