Happy Thursday (its Thursday right?)

Its been a busy one here. Started the day off with my weight lifting class at 5:30 am and I am on track with my food for today. This evening I will get in a few extra veggies!!!

Today I am grateful for my interesting and challenging job, nice weather so my family can go for a walk tonight, african violets because they grow well inside with out natural light and for Phineas & Ferb, a smart cartoon that my kids love (OK so I love it too!! and Terri - I get it! )

Hope everyone is well and having a wonderful day!

Meals today:
Meal 1: Low fat, Whole Wheat Gingerbread & about 15 almonds
Meal 2: Right Light Shake
Meal 3: Yogurt/ Cottage Cheese
Meal 4: Nutrition Bar/ Orange
Meal 5: Healthy Leftovers

Workout: Insanity Cardio Recovery (35 min.)

Wishing everyone an energizing Thursday!

Hey friends. Been a great week so far. Today was a little off cuz I feel like I have the stomach flu started. Two of my kiddos have been throwing up since yesterday. Way NOT fun. I have being sick and sick kiddos are no fun either.

This weekend is the Ironman!!! So excited to volunteer! Should be amazing!!!! Hope I am feeling up for it!

I did a killer LBWO on Tuesday...and my legs are SO sore. I am still walking like a granny. Man! I forgot how much LB kills me. For the past 6 months I have been focusing more on endurance and cardio, not so much strength training, but since the spring challenge I have felt more inspired to do more strength training. Sad to say my legs are not use to LBWO. Ouch. I am suppose to do a long run tomorrow....but I don't know if I can even walk! LOL.

Well, hope everyone has a great night! I will keep you posted on tomorrows workout!

Angela

Hi all


We are almost at the end of the first week in May...wow, I think we better squeeze everything out of this month before it is gone....time is once again flying by.


In my part of the universe everyone is getting ready for Cinco De Mayo, that means fun, food and festival. I however will be in search of a good deep tissue message, my body has been battered from this weeks training but I still feeling good and stepping toward the goal line.

So may we all stay focused on the objective and get it done

Wishing everyone a great night! Goodnight

Overall Notes: Yesterday, I baked myself doing yard work and working on my "farmer tan." I am now literally a Southern Red-Neck. It is enjoyable work, and work is good for the body.

We've got some friends coming over for dinner tonight, so she-who-must-be-obeyed has some cleanup duties for me today. I probably would have done them anyway - only "when I get around to it" is currently unacceptable scheduling. I'm still trying to develop the "right-for-me" resistance training plan that moves me toward my goals with the equipment that I have available at home. Originally, I was planning to split workouts (i.e., upper body one day, running next day, then lower body the day after that), but I am finding that when things come up to cause me to cancel a session, it either means back to the drawing board for scheduling or being without an upper or lower workout for as long as a week. Unacceptable. So, I'm working up an every-other-day whole body workout to intersperse with my running days. I've got to balance working out the muscles and not over-training to the point that soreness or injury derail the process.

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

Today’s Exercise: Stretching/Core strengthening routine; WBWO (Whole Body Workout) in the home gym
Countdown: 24 days until the Memorial Day Half Marathon in Owensboro KY

Today’s Food Plan: Low Glycemic Index & Limited Wheat

M1 (B’fast): Two poached eggs on no-wheat (Brown Rice flour bread) toast; Fiber drink (psyllium husks, flaxseed, etc.)
M2 (Midmeal): Vegetable (mostly) Juice
M3 (Lunch): Taco on corn-meal tortillas (leftover from last night)
M4 (Midmeal): Protein shake
M5 (Dinner): Chicken Sate with peanut sauce (a Southeast Asian grilled chicken recipe); Yellow Rice; Spinach & Artichoke "casserole"
M6 (Dessert/Snack): Protein shake; fruit;

Tom

Happy Friday!

I was up late last night and didn't get up for my WO this morning. Tonight I am planning at least a walk. Tomorrow morning I hope to get in a walk with my friend who just joined Transformation. (Many thanks to all of you who welcomed Elise!) I am so looking forward to this weekend. I am doing some shopping with a good friend (just us girls!) and then I am doing a purse party in ABQ. Afterwards we are going to have a nice dinner and stay overnight in a hotel. I feel a little guilty about looking forward to getting away for a bit, however I know it will help me relax and allow my patience with my family to surface more in the long run. Not to mention new smaller clothes will boost the confidence!

I am also making plans to meet my first accountability partner, Harriet, when I go to Florida at the end of this month. We have been APs for over a year and I am so excited to get the chance to meet her in person! She has been taking a break from here but I hope I can convince her to come back to T.com....

Today is on track with food and it will stay that way! Exercise isn't on plan but I am adjusting!

Today I am grateful for the smile on my daughter's face when she first saw me today, the hug I got from my other (non-morning person) daughter and a hubby that remembers to give me a kiss before walking out the door each morning!

Wishing you a strong, happy and grateful day!

Friday
Wishing everyone a great weekend!

Exercise
Cardio, ab and Leg workout

Nutrition
Fat Burner supplement
M1: Right Light and EAS whey
M2: Right Light and EAS whey
M3: Nuts and water
M4: Chicken and water

Meals:
Meal 1: Click Protein Shake
Meal 2: Right Light Shake
Meal 3: Yogurt/ Cottage Cheese (EFL)
Meal 4: Nutrition Bar
Meal 5: Baked Cabbage w/ Roast pieces over tri color pasta

Workout: Insanity Pure Cardio (40min.) & 5-25 UBWO

Wishing everyone a blessed weekend!

Overall Notes: I live in my head - which means that I live in a noisy neighborhood. It's never quiet in there.

Last Saturday, I got my butt kicked by taking an unfamiliar woodland trail for my long run. I was improperly prepared for a grueling, tough trail (lots of loose sand and rough uneven ground, lots of open sunshine areas and I took no sunscreen, etc.). I set out to run 9.5 miles, but had to pull up short at 8.25 miles, exhausted and sore. So now, it's a challenge. Most of the members of the committee-in-my-head just want me to quit - "It's just too tough of a trail. You're not getting any younger. Are you nuts - you're 6 months out of heart surgery!" However, the committee is a debating society, and there are other members who argue back - "Don't be a wimp. Tough trail equals good training. Quit??!?! Are you going to let this beat you?" The debate goes on. So this morning, slathered with sunscreen and carrying two bottles of water, I'm off for 9.5 miles of "Hell in the woods," all the while muttering "Too old, huh? Gotta quit, huh? I'll show you." Anything else planned for today pales by comparison.

No, I don't think I have a "driven" personality. Why do you ask??

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

Today’s Exercise: Stretching routine; 9.5 mile distance/endurance/survival run
Countdown: 23 days until the Memorial Day Half Marathon in Owensboro KY

Today’s Food Plan: Low Glycemic Index & Limited Wheat

M1 (B’fast):Light breakfast - Whey Protein shake; Fiber drink (psyllium husks, flaxseed, etc.)
M2 (Midmeal): Ham n' Cheese rollup; Homemade Vegetable Juice
M3 (Lunch): Leftover eggplant parmesan and meatballs; fruit
M4 (Midmeal): Protein shake
M5 (Dinner): (Probably) leftover chicken, rice & veggies from last night
M6 (Dessert/Snack): Protein shake; a “palm-full” of mixed nuts

Tom

HAH, YOU GO TOM!

Meals Today:
Meal 1: Right Light Shake
Meal 2: Egg & Flax Muffin
Meal 3: Right Light Shake
Meal 4: Protein Bar/ Apple
Meal 5: To Be Determined


Workout: Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit (40 min.)

Have a blessed weekend everyone!

So far this weekend I've been very productive. We had a garage sale and got rid of lots of stuff. The garage is shaping up nicely. Stayed on track with nutrition today. Also had great lifting workouts this week. It's cool to really see some gains in that area.


Meals today:
M1 - 2 eggs, 2 turkey bacon, oats
M2 - RightLight
M3 - RightLight
M4 - Protein bar
M5 - Free meal
M6 - Protein shake


.

Prescription for Type 2 Diabetes: Cardio Plus Weights

By MEREDITH MELNICK | @meredithcm | November 26, 2010 | +

Diet and exercise is the mantra for good health in any population, not least in patients with Type 2 diabetes. Now a new study suggests that when it comes to exercise, the combination of aerobics and weight lifting is better than either activity alone at lowering blood sugar in diabetes patients.
That doesn’t mean double the time spent exercising, however. The study found that doing both types of exercise — some days spent doing cardio, and other days lifting weights — was effective, even if patients’ total exercise time did not differ.

To figure out which type of exercise was most effective, researchers recruited 262 sedentary adults with diabetes for a nine- month study. The volunteers were randomly assigned to one of four groups: aerobic exercise only (about 150 minutes of walking on a treadmill per week), resistance training only (upper- and lower-body exercises on weight machines three days per week), aerobic exercise plus weights (two weekly sessions of weight training plus cardio on other days, with total exercise time roughly equaling the other groups), and no exercise.

The researchers found that participants in the combination group were able to lower their blood levels of HbA1C (an indicator of blood sugar) by 0.34%, compared with the aerobics- and weights-only groups, who lowered their HbA1C levels by 0.24% and 0.16%, respectively. The only change that was statistically significant from the control group’s, however, was that of the combination exercise group.

“From a health perspective, the combination exercise program really outshined the others,” the study’s lead author, Dr. Timothy Church, director of preventive medicine research at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University System in Baton Rouge, told HealthDay.

Participants in the combination-exercise group lowered the amount of diabetes medication they needed on average. They were also the only ones to lose weight out of all the groups. And while all groups lost some fat mass, the combination- exercise group and lost the most compared with the control group.

“The biggest consumer of blood sugar is skeletal muscle, and anything you do to improve the health of your muscles will help control your use of blood sugar,” Church told HealthDay.

The article makes sense, Hal. Thanks for sharing it.

Overall Notes: Yesterday, how hot was it where you are? The "official" weather records for Bryceville say that it was in the 90's yesterday, but as you can see (below) from two different sources, I beg to differ with the National Weather Service. When I said that I expected my run yesterday to be "Hell in the woods," I didn't mean "As hot as ..." I think someone went to Hell and left the door open.

Speaking of Hell-in-the-woods, OMG!! I did manage to conquer the Cary Forest "Red Root Trail" and complete 9.5 miles, but it wasn't pretty. The last couple of miles were "run a minute, and walk 3 or 4 minutes." By the time I was done, I had a serious calf cramp (that still hurts this morning) and I was blackened from the waist down with dark, sandy dust; dehydrated (though I drank the quart of water that I carried); sun baked (though I used sun screen); and totally sore from the deep sand and/or uneven "rocky/rooty" footing. That is a tough, TOUGH run. Then add the unusual heat and it was brutal. I've heard it said, "That which does not kill us makes us stronger." If that is true, then I'm much, much stronger today. I figure that if I'm doing my long run training in such harsh conditions, when I get to that half-marathon road race in three weeks, I ought to be able to run like the Greek god Hermes, with wings on my feet.

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

Today’s Exercise: Rest - rest - REST
Countdown: 22 days until the Memorial Day Half Marathon in Owensboro KY

Today’s Food Plan: Relaxed Rules Day

M1 (B’fast): 3 slices of crispy bacon; 2 fried eggs; 1 slice of sprouted grain bread toast w/butter; Fiber drink (psyllium husks, flaxseed, etc.)
M2 (Lunch): Leftover Chicken Sate w/peanut sauce; Steamed veggies
M3 (Midmeal): Protein shake; fruit
M4 (Dinner): Personal Chef (aka, spouse) has not yet determined / revealed this. [Maybe dinner out tonight.]
M5 (Dessert/Snack): Protein shake; a “palm-full” of mixed nuts

Tom

Just hanging out with my family today and taking a rest day and a free day. Because it is a free day my daughter and I got in the kitchen and had some fun baking. Loved it, I enjoy baking but haven't done much since starting the Challenge. It was a nice time with my 16 yr old girl.

Wishing you all a wonderful day!

NEW WEEKLY THREAD

Inside & Outside Weekly Thread May 7-13


Tom