Exercise support group--week of 7/29!

**Michael Welter** · #1 Jul 29, '07, 10:24 am

Good morning, fitness friends! Welcome to a new week, and a new thread. It's time to set goals for the week. I hate to sound like a broken record, but I'm keeping the same goals I had last week: I plan to run 21 miles, including a 6 mile long run.

I got my long run done this morning. So I'm starting the week with 6 miles done. This will be my last long run before my 10K run on 8/11.

johannahw · #2 Jul 29, '07, 10:54 am

I think the last time I posted anything here was in late May or early June. In case you have forgotten me, I'll fill you in on my past story again.
After having been in denial about my diabetes for about a year, my doctor got real serious with me about the consequences of my ill fated actions if I didn't turn things around and quickly. I was still smoking off and on but finally smoked my last cigarette on March 26. I also started working at making progress on a healthy diet that would work for me and my husband that we could afford. After days of scouring the Internet for information, I finally found a yahoo group and joined it. It's been really a lot of help to me with diet. Healthy_Recipes_For_Diabetic_Friends@yah oogroups.com There is a lot offered on their site and I get a daily e-mail from them that I go through and save the recipes I want. On March 26 I weighed 193 lbs and my waistline was 44 inches. I started exercising slowly. I started out for about three months just doing the MWF walking and working myself up to a faster pace. By the end of June I was walking for 30 minutes at about 5 mph covering about 2 1/3 miles in that time. For July I started adding jogging to my MWF routine. I'd jog for a mile and then walk as fast as I could for the second mile. On Tues, Thurs, and Saturday I added my Jane Fonda Complete Workout tape. This is an old exercise video I used in the early 90s and found it used on Amazon for 65 cents. The entire video routine runs 65 minutes and includes working out with dumbbells. I already had a five and ten pound set and added a set of 2 lb weights for beginning upper body work. I've been exercising pretty hard, six days a week all this month.
On June 24 I started Weight Watchers. A friend of mine had been going for about six months and had lost 40 lbs. I asked about cost and it seemed like I could cut out some other non essential things in my life to make up for the $11 a week. I joined. Today I went in for my 4th weekly weigh-in. I was 168.2 pounds. Just out of curiosity, I went ahead and measured my waist -- 36 inches. For the last four months I knew I was losing because my clothes were getting looser. It got to the point where my xtra large clothing was literally falling off my body so I parted with all them. I'm still in a large but I can now fit into some mediums. And I'm back in my size 14 jeans. When I started my body mass index was 31.1 (obese) and now it's 27.1 (overweight). I found a body fat calculator online (and I understand that these are only good for estimated values). I was shocked to learn that at 193 with a 44 inch waist my body fat was almost 50% and now it's 35%. I still have a ways to go but I'm really impressed at the progress I've made in only 4 months. And by the way, I'm still heavy but my big belly is now gone. I can look down now and see my feet.
So all in all, I've really turned my life around. It wasn't all at once, but little baby steps over the course of the last four months. I'd make one new change one week and add something different the next. It's all been cumulative. I'm spending a lot of time with exercise now, not so much to lose weight -- with the way I'm watching my food intake that's gonna happen anyway -- but I want to get my cardiovascular system in shape. In my younger days I ran everyday and eventually my resting heart rate got down into the low 40s. I'd like to see that happen again.
My goal weight is 130 with a 26 inch waistline and I'm hoping to make it by Dec. 31 of this year.
I was going take today off from exercising but think I'd like to do 30 min. of intense aerobics just for the fun of it. It seems to me that the last time I posted, I complained that I hated exercise and it didn't make me feel good and I didn't get that euphoric or whatever feeling from exercising. Well I'm happy to report that now I look forward to working out. And I do feel really good afterwards. I wake up looking forward to it. What I like most is the feeling of taking great gulps of air deep into my lungs and then blowing it all out again. Funny huh? Well, I smoked for so long that even climbing one flight of stairs to my apartment would set me off coughing. And that was just four months ago.
My mental health has been stable for 2 months now. I've married my Weight Watchers diet to the diabetes exchange diet and am now eating my 5 or more servings of fruit and veggies a day. I'm finding that through eating the correct portions, food costs are pretty managable.
So, my friends, that's it.
My goals for this week are to add another half hour of aerobic exercise to M W and F. So after I get home from walking/jogging with Debbie, I'll put on the aerobics portion of my Jane Fonda video and finish working out to that for another 30 minutes. On average, I'm losing 2 lbs a week.
Oh, and I drink at least 64 oz of water each day. No more soda pop for me.
I'm so happy to be back w/ y'all.
Thanks.
Johannah

imamom · #3 Jul 29, '07, 11:08 am

Johannah,

Welcome back here.

I'm doing Atkins, love it... this is my 2nd time on it since prior to being pregnant in 2004.

My Mom did the diabetic diet as she had type 2 diabetes. It's similar to Richard Simmons' healthy exchanges program. I've gained on such diets unfortunately.

hugs

imamom · #4 Jul 29, '07, 11:09 am

Yesterday = 10 mins on the orbitrek
Today = day of rest
Mon-Sat = 15-30 mins on the orbitrek

**Michael Welter** · #5 Jul 29, '07, 11:17 am

Johannah, I've been wondering happened to you. I've been praying for you. It's great to hear of your success. I am SO impressed, and happy for you. I hope you stick sround here. You're an inspiration.

whatevergirl · #6 Jul 29, '07, 4:31 pm

Praise be to God Johannah...I'm so impressed with your workouts, and your positive attitude...please...keep posting here.

I jogged today--yay! I started with brisk powerwalk, and threw some sprints into the mix, say for 45 seconds or so...then power walk, then sprint...and so on. I also had a great stretch to top it all off....the heat was pretty brutal today though. But, I'm back on track...my goals this week are to work out 5 to 6 days, either with the same mix as today...or with the elliptical after work. Also, 2 days of strength training as well....need to get back into ab crunches!

Take care all and may God provide you the necessary strength to reach your goals, and the humility to know that you are not doing it alone.

whatevergirl · #7 Jul 29, '07, 5:06 pm

oh, and i went a wee bit over 2 miles...it felt great!

utica · #8 Jul 29, '07, 8:11 pm

This week's goals Monday thru Saturday : swim 3hrs 8600 yards, bike 5hr30min, run 2hrs25min

Johanna, welcome back!!! We're all glad that you're here. It sounds like you're making significant changes to your health.

Imamom, I'd love to see your flickr site. Here's a link to mine. I haven't bee active on it for over a year, but I'm thinking about starting back up.

The work at the Malvern retreat center went very well this weekend. During some down time, I was reading a small book by Umberto Eco. Do you know him? He wrote The Name of the Rose, among other books.

This book is called Art and Beauty in the Middle Ages. It deals to a large extent with the philosophy and metaphysics of the Scholastics, and in particular with Aquinas, regarding the aesthetics of art and beauty.

It's a subject I've become more interested in over the past few years, for the simple reason that it seems fairly apparent that the nature of the aesthetics of art and beauty in the culture today is not serving us well at all. A change is inevitable, and the question is what will that change be.

So I'm interested in understanding more about the minds and the culture that could create the Gothic Cathedrals and create polyphonic music, and on and on. What did they have that we seem to be missing.

Anyway, I never studied Aquinas formally, and I'm just really interested in him. I have some sketches of ideas regarding Aquinas in that Flickr site.

I came away from this weekend wanting to get into this more deeply with the body of work I'm slowly creating around Catholic culture and Catholic life. Not sure where it's heading, but it feels exciting.

- Don

**Michael Welter** · #9 Jul 29, '07, 10:40 pm

Hi, Don, that sounds very interesting. It never occured to me to study that aspect of art and culture.

Sharon, congratulations on the jog. How's your foot feeling. I know you love to run, but I get worried when you do.

imamom · #10 Jul 30, '07, 5:55 am

You all are very motivational!

I decided to do two 15 min sessions per day 6 days a week, so that I get in 30 mins a day...

Utica, here is my Flickr gallery

**Michael Welter** · #11 Jul 30, '07, 9:52 am

I ran 3 miles this morning, on the treadmill, bringing my total for the wek to 9 miles. I just realized that a year ago, 9 miles was was good for an entire week. Now I've done that in 2 days. All praise be to God most high!

Heather, you've got beautiful photos. It's a gift, and you're good at it.

anamchara · #12 Jul 30, '07, 11:29 am

Ok, I am going to go for a walk with my little beagle later when it cools down. I figure that is a start. Dh said he would start walking with me, finally! I am going to try and do it every evening.

Pray that I stick with it

I'll let you all know how my first evening went later tonight.

utica · #13 Jul 30, '07, 4:17 pm

today: run 1hr3min 5.89 miles

Quote:

Originally Posted by anamchara

Pray that I stick with it

You got it...

- Don

whatevergirl · #14 Jul 30, '07, 4:53 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Welter

Hi, Don, that sounds very interesting. It never occured to me to study that aspect of art and culture.

Sharon, congratulations on the jog. How's your foot feeling. I know you love to run, but I get worried when you do.

weeellll....let me tell ya about my foot.

lol I couldn't walk too well last night, and this morning, but it subsided as my day went on today...and I think it's getting better, because the pain used to last longer. Thanks for asking!

Heading out now for a power walk...with my kids. I think I will refrain from jogging today.

Everyone is doing soooo well...I'm so glad that this thread is still going strong!

**Michael Welter** · #15 Jul 30, '07, 5:40 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by anamchara

Ok, I am going to go for a walk with my little beagle later when it cools down. I figure that is a start. Dh said he would start walking with me, finally! I am going to try and do it every evening.

Pray that I stick with it

I'll let you all know how my first evening went later tonight.

Hey, welcome to the group! It's GREAT to see you here. I needed another west coaster in here. We'll support you in sticking to it.

(Which reminds me, where's Nick?)