Hey Candace - We don’t get the PM versions here - robax platinum is my muscle pain reliever of choice. (ibuprofan + muscle relaxant) I used to use it a lot more when my back was more aggravated, but I’ve just realized that I am not using it nearly as much. Between my chiropractor and working out my back is much healthier these days! Yah!!

Suzzy - Thank you!! Your enthusiasm is so infectious!!

Friday (Jun 27)- didn’t take that day as a rest day, but had a nap during the time I would normally go to the gym. So I went after dinner instead. Late workout (I know .. boring life .. at the gym on a Friday night!). I planned on going to the women’s only location closer to home but when I walked in there I took a quick look around and it was packed!! I turned around and drove to the location closer to where I worked. That turned out to be a good choice bacause the womens area was not that busy and that location is open later so I got a longer workout in. Chest & Quads day + a few extra leg machines (adductors and abductors). Headed home and decided to do my cardio outdoors for once. Attempted the week one of the “First Day to 5 K” running podcast. It served as a good reality check. I have a long way to go before I can really run again! I kept moving the entire time, but it wasn’t pretty. My legs seem to have faired well though. I wondered if I would pay for it after, but my knees are no worse for ware and the PF didn’t flair up. I did ofcourse take prophylactic measures after my “running attempt” (stretch, ice and robax).


Saturday - Back & Hams Day - I have decided that Back and Hams day should always be done at the Women’s only location because they have a better selection of equipment for that routine. 1) they keep their balance balls inflated and it is so it is easier to do the Hamsting curls my trainer now has me doing and 2) they have a laying as well as a seated leg curl machine and 3) they have an Assisted Pull up/ Dip machine that I have wanted to try.
Started with a 12 min warm up on the stair stepper (haven’t used one of those in years - works different muscles!!), then got into my routine. I substituted one set of lat pull downs with pull ups but I had too much counter weight on the machine which made it too easy, so after my last set of pull downs I tried the pull ups again with 25 lbs less counter weight. I could definitely feel different muscles in my back working and could only do 10 reps with a wide hand position, so I adjusted and did 5 reps each of the other 2 options for grips. I’ll be doing that exercise more often. It’s challenging but fun. Got through the rest of my workout, but didn’t have time to get more cardio in because I had to get across the city to meet up with some friends for an evening out. We went for a walk along the lakefront after dinner, but I don’t think I can count that as exercise because we wern’t going very fast and we had ice cream!


Today’s plan. Nothing that works up a sweat. Planned rest day - maybe some yoga and a long easy walk...(hmmm… maybe drive up to a forest and go for a hike). I have an appointment with a trainer at the gym for a “fitness consultation” late in the afternoon, but that won’t be a real workout. It is likely a selling tactic that gyms use to try to get you to buy more services. I am debating if I will tell her I already have a personal trainer or if I will just tell her that a “ PE teacher” created my workout program - not that far of a stretch for me since I worked in a PE Dept and that won’t be as threatening to her. I know the session includes a virtual body analysis where they use a computer generated model to show you how your body could look before and after you lose weight. She will probably show me some machines but I want her to show me the cable machine they have there. It is the one piece of equipment that I am too intimidated to try to figure out on my own and I have never seen anyone else using it.

Sounds like a pretty busy weekend, good job Catherine!

Thanks Shawn - I have been refocusing on my workouts so I am starting to make some progress again… so long as I keep the eating in check I should see a drop on the scale soon!!

Yesterday’s session with the trainer at the gym was what I expected it to be. She didn’t do the virtual body analysis because she couldn’t log onto the computer, but I was right - it was a sales tactic for purchasing personal training sessions with her. I went with the story that my program was created by a teacher and I let on that I still “meet up with him occasionally” so it was easy for me to be clear that I was not interested in buying more services. She was quite impressed with my program and the amounts I lift and that I have already lost (almost) 30 lbs. We went over my goals but since I am already established in my program it was a bit of a different focus for her. It was interesting to see the results of the Body analyzer. My Fat Free Mass is 119 lbs - the rest is fat… (I’ll let you figure that number out for yourself if you care too… not something I care to post here). She commented that I was well hydrated at 87 lbs water - but I don’t quit get how that one works. I am bigger so shouldn’t I have more water in total anyway? Then I had her show me the pulley machine which was a good way to use the time we had left. There are many exercises you can do on it and I can use some of them in my current program easier than the options I was using before. She also showed me how to do dips on the assisted chin up/dip machine. I could handle more weight (less counter weight) than I thought, but wanted to be careful not to injure my shoulders by overdoing it the first time.

After the session I did a very easy walk on the treadmill for 45 min. My goal was not to break a sweat… and I didn’t - this was supposed to be my rest day. I set it to 3 MPH and listened to a Quirks and Quarks show. My HR went barely above 100.

Today’s workout - Warm-up - 11 min on the cross ramp (listening to the beginning of MTM show # 151 with Scott’s son), then on to Shoulders, Arms, and Legs Day. I think that this workout is just a bit easier than the others and I didn’t feel as tired when I was done (or maybe it was because yesterday was a “rest” day). My back has been a bit stiff recently so I had a good stretch before I got back on an elliptical for another 30 minutes of cardio. I certainly broke a sweat then. Kept my HR between 145 - 150. Had another stretch after the cardio.

(Listenend to the rest of the MTM show on the way home in the car.  During my workout I put on the new playlist I am working on with favourites from my music collection.  So far I have selected almost 200 songs, but still have half my library to go through!  Mostly rock music - I need a change from the dance music I borrowed from one of the teachers at school and copied onto my computer for my original workout playlist)

Catherine, you are doing so good.  I’m sure the scale will begin to move again for you.  I have been stuck with you on your plateau as I was concentrating on starting up my resistence training and didn’t get as much cardio in as I would like.  Plus, I could be eating better.  But we will both get to that 200 mark sooner or later.

I like the pulley machine too, it’s a great for negative resistance!!!

I almost live on Robax Platinum lately.  Hang in there, hopefully there’s a nice gentle slope on the other side of your plateau.

Happy Canada Day!!!

Thanks Shawn!! I hope you had fun today. Did you get out to enjoy the celebrations. I can still hear people setting off fireworks.

Eileen and Derek thanks for the kind words.  Good news!! The scale is moving. I am finally down that next 5 pound mark(generally when I make my announcements) for the first time today.. lets see if it stays below there. This last 5 has come off slowly, but I can now say I am officially down 30 lbs. 17 more to go before my birthday. I hope I can make it.

Today’s workout - Chest and Quads. Started off on the cross ramp for my warm up. Got though the sets but didn’t feel quite as energetic today. Finished with 25 minutes on the cross ramp after (HR 135 - 140).

The gym wasn’t busy today but I had to switch things up when a woman was “sitting” on the leg press machine (between sets using 30 lbs - why even bother!!) and then had a bit of a spat with a girl who was using the balance ball I had specifically gone out (to the co-ed area) to get. When I asked if I could use it between her sets she told me I had to wait 15 minutes for her to be done. I was willing to work sets in with her, but I had to go out and get another ball so I could do my last superset that includes ball squats with front shoulder raises. I am getting a bit annoyed with this location, because I have had to collect equipment a few times. Today I also had to go on a mission for 20 lb dumbbells that were missing from the women’s area since last week!! Ok enough complaining. I had a good workout and came home feeling like I wanted a nap before dinner. I have been hungry all night despite 3 healthy snacks. (yogurt, pear, cheerios) - I think I didn’t eat enough during the day before my workout.


Tomorrow I have a physio session scheduled so mini workout there and then my second swim practice in the evening.

Good job with the workout.  Some people have little respect for others.

Great workout despite the annoyances. Congrats on the weight loss!

You’re doing so well.  Congratulations on the weight loss.

Some excellent workouts Catherine- You definitely put in the time! Keep it going strong.

Thanks everyone.  The weight stayed down despite all of last nights snacking - I even had a protein shake before bed to fill the hole.  I can’t sleep if I am feeling hungry.

Good stuff, please have pity on the feeble(30 lb girl). I really hate people who don’t let you work in, especially when your the one who brought the equipment, next time leave your towel on it, its a sign the equipment is in use-no debating!

Ok - workouts went as planned but they were not my best. I got hit with those stomach cramps again today (different from “female” cramps). This is the 4th or 5th time this has happened to me since March. I’m not sure what is causing it, but it really hurts. I wonder if it has something to do with taking my morning vitamins too close to eating breakfast and something is interacting. Someone told me that grapefruit can interact with vitamins… but today we were out of grapefruit and I had a kiwi instead.

I went back to bed about noon and I didn’t eat lunch before my physio appointment at 3 PM. The cramps came back while I was driving there so I let the doc know I wasn’t feeling my best, but by then they had passed again so I did everything I normally do but I got a bit light headed doing the squats. I had a protein shake when I got home and still my insides complained. I layed down again about 5:30 and got up at 7 - ate dinner and went to swim practice. Couldn’t swim my hardest - I have no clue how far I actually swam tonight - not as far as last time - but I kept moving for the full 1.5 hours. Still had a bit of cramping, but didn’t let on I wasn’t feeling my best. Had another shake after practice. I am still getting waves of uncomfortable moments, but it is not as sever. I should be fine by tomorrow - it usually only lasts one day.

Oh, sorry about your stomach issues, Catherine. Hopefully you’re back in form by the time you read this. Keep drinking lots of water, I’m sure you know. And wow, a 30 pound milestone! How exciting. I missed all my earlier milestones due to not weighing myself, but that’s okay.

Your program always makes me feel I’m not quite doing enough.

Hope your feeling better soon!

Thanks Shawn and Ann - unfortunately I was wrong about this stomach thing only lasting one day. Every time I eat something I suffer through about 1/2 an hour of cramps. Not as sever as yesterday, but I decided to take today as a rest/sick day.  I’m hungry but afraid to eat anything.... maybe I’ll try some flat gingerale.

I had to get out of the house though so I went to the mall and did a bit of shopping. Got a new whey protein power - I have been using a soy based one but I’ve done a bit of Internet research and decided I should switch to whey for right after workouts. I’ll use up my soy powder at other times of the day. Sears was having a big sale so I got an new workout outfit (that is a bit small - it will give me a measuring stick to see that I am in fact getting smaller as I go)!

I’ll do some yoga and stretching before bed, but nothing too vigorous today.

Hope your feeling better soon!

Me too, Catherine. Drink plenty of water also!