Personal Development Community

You’re probably just off because you haven’t done it for a while.  Ease back into it and you’ll build your strength back up.  Good job.

Yesterday: my “normal” Monday training session. It was a bit hard because I had issues up and down my left side which made it hard to perform well. This was an extension of what I was feeling Saturday. Because of my mood, I didn’t feel like posting yesterday.

Here’s what I can remember:

5 minutes on the treadmill

timed little jumping jacks with arms at side, normal ones, spread eagles
timed speed skaters, then moving further side to side, then further
timed little run lunges, then quicker, then down into lunges
timed charleston kick, then faster, then faster

split lunges with weights (I don’t know the number or the weight)
shoulder shrugs with some amount of weight on the bar

10 squat thrusts
10 more squat thrusts but walking to and from the squat and holding the plank in between to the count of 4

10 times over and back over an aerobic step with 2 risers and weights in my hands, touching the weights to the floor each time I was off the step

10 walkouts on the exercise ball lifting each leg when I got the tops of my feet on the ball (and then returning, of course)
scissors holding as long as possible, then switching legs (I found this quite difficult)
oblique raise on each side holding as long as possible
legs in air, stretch arms towards leg: I managed to hold for a minute

side to side movements of my legs (while on my back), not letting my feet touch the floor (it was in the middle of one of these that my neck snapped and pulled my head around. That was the end of the session. These are normally easy for me but I was out of alignment to begin with).

Today: rest day . . . .and a prescheduled appointment with my chiropractor. I should be much better tomorrow.

Take care.  I hope you feel better soon.

Sometimes a good rest is in order.

Thanks, Carrie and Shawn. Mentally I’m still at 6s and 7s. Structurally I was the worst I’ve been in a long time at the chiropractor appointment. He told me it looked like I had stepped into a hole unexpectedly--but I didn’t. And I have yeast, bacteria, and toxins so I feel a little sickish.

The adjustment should take care of the structural part and I had already started treating the yeast yesterday because I suspected it. The mental part will go away eventually.

I do intend to be back exercising tomorrow. And I did avoid all sugar today so that was a plus.

Hope you feel better soon, Joan.
Why are you avoiding sugar? Do you have a crazy sweet tooth?

Joan I have a question for you,do you ever take time off from your training? I personally like to take a week off every 9 to 12 weeks weeks, depending on how I feel, I actually really lighten up my exercise,go for walks, basically exercise leisurely.

Emmi, I do have quite the sweet tooth. I don’t have diabetes. But the other problem I have is that I tend to get an overgrowth of yeast in my intestines. When I have too much yeast (some is always there along with all the bacteria), I crave even more sweets. As the yeast do their normal activities, my intestines get uncomfortable (gas, bloating) and I just don’t feel 100%. I had a feeling that was happening (too many Christmas cookies!) and started to treat myself for the yeast before I went to the chiro. Actually he identified the problem back in the late 1990s. This whole cycle exacerbates my rosacea. I haven’t had an episode of that in years and I caught this in time so it shouldn’t be an issue now.

Unfortunately, I’ll have some more intestinal distress before this is under control because as the yeast die, they produce even more toxins.

So I’m off all sugar and alcohol for a while. The positive result is that I might lose a pound or two and they’ve really been sticking to me.

Shawn, no I don’t take conscious breaks in my training. However, when we’ve been away, I’ve had to substitute the kind of leisure activities that you mention. I do, however, take breaks during the week. Normally, after my intense Monday session, on Tuesday I just walk on the treadmill without intervals. I can talk easily then so I’m just getting in some movement but not really training. Wednesday or Thursday I’ll kick it up a bit and then sometimes on Saturday too. So I’m not training hard all week but I am moving most days of most weeks.

Well, Shawn. It looks like I did take a bit of a break. Yesterday my workout was minimal because I just didn’t feel well.
It was as follows:
5 minutes on the treadmill at 3.8 and 2 degrees
3 sets of 20 of the 3 exercises for my shoulders
3 sets of 20 of arm circles with 5# in each hand
2 sets of 10 of in and outs with 5# in each hand
20 shoulder shrugs with 20# in each hand
Chest press machine 7 at 50#, 8 @ 30#
10 squat, side lunge, squat, back lunge sequences with each let with 10# in each arm

The chest press results definitely showed how off I am. I haven’t done them in quite a while but the last time I did 2 sets of 20 at 70#

I left after that and went home and went to bed.

Today I had an hour golf lesson so I swung for an hour. Afterwards, I went back to bed for a couple of hours.

However, although I still am not healthy, I’m not in pain as I was yesterday and this morning so things are looking up. Tomorrow I should be able to get to the gym and actually do something.

I’m glad you’re starting to feel better.  Looks like you got in a pretty good workout even though you weren’t at 100%.

Good job Joan your a trooper!

Thanks Carrie & Shawn.

I commented on someone’s thread about the prediction for single digit temps today. I was wrong. I subbed today and on the way to school it was -14F. Right now it’s a balmy 5F. So we currently have single digits but I doubt if they’ll last the night.

I definitely feel better but I’m not 100%. My hip still hurts too. I’m hoping that the chiro can get it totally back into place on Monday. (He worked on everything this past week.)

Today: several times up and down the stairs at school
33 minutes on the treadmill
33 minutes on the elliptical

The HR monitor says 416 calories, 45% fat, avg HR 121 (76%)

My goal for tomorrow is to get in some strength training.

Today I had better results than the other day so I think my lack of strength was/is a combo of being out of alignment, not feeling well, and not pushing weights for quite a while. I was concerned that it was all the last reason and that I really lost a lot of strength.

So today:

20 minutes on the arc trainer on the weight loss program, level 5
2 sets of 15 on the chest press machine at 50#
2 sets on the row machine at 70#, one of 15 reps, the toher of 10 reps
2 sets of 12 on the overhead press machine at 30#
2 sets of 15 at 70# on the ABD, ADD machine (2 of ABD and 2 of ADD)

Good job Joan!!

Hey Joan. Looks like you’re starting to come out of your funk. Hope everything is going good otherwise.

Thanks, Derek. I posted a funk update in my journal.

Yesterday was a rest day but I did 40 wide-legged sit ups--which was at least 5 more than I’ve ever done before in one string. Yahoo for stronger abs!

Today I went to the chiropractor before heading for my training session because my hip still hurt and my neck was stiff despite improving after last week’s adjustment. I don’t know if that made the difference or if just not being sick made the difference but today’s was a good workout. The heart rate monitor says 64 minutes, 504 calories, 25% fat, HR max 162 (101%), Avg 136 (85%). I haven’t been able to get my heart rate into the 160s for the past month at least. I also was dripping sweat and that hasn’t happened either!

4 minutes on the treadmill at 3.5

10 step ups onto the bench with one foot, raise the other knee, curl 7.5 or 10# in each hand; repeat 10 times with other foot

with 7.5 or 10# in each hand, 20 forward lunge, torso bent forward, arm kickback, straighten torso, shoulder press, repeat.

10 sequences of plank, lateral bridge, plank, lateral bridge to the other side. I was excited about these. I’ve done them before but never 10 of them and never in a controlled, slow manner. Yea for noticeable improvement!

25 times of moving my hands from the floor up onto the aerobic step with one riser while in a plank (up one side, down the other but counting each floor touch as a “time")

8 sequences with each leg: with 10# bend knee and touch weight to floor while standing on one foot, straighten up, then lower weight to the floor again while doing a bobbing bird, repeat. I wasn’t able to do all 8 sequences before putting the other foot down but I did at least 4 in a row.

2 sets of the timed jumping jack sequence (little jumps, normal, spread eagles) followed by running in place sequence (slow, higher knees, faster) followed by squats with 6 mountain climbers before standing up and squatting again

2 sets of charleston kicks, circle runs, and military march

20 back lunges with each leg with 10# in each hand (I’ve never done more than 15 at a time before)

15 rows with 15# with each arm

3 sets of 4 “steps” forward, 4 back with my feet on the sliders in a plank position and moving myself with my hands

10 knee bends of one leg while sliding the other leg laterally on a slider; repeat with other leg

with my right hand and foot on the aerobic step with one riser in a sort of football hiking position, jump to the right off the step with my left hand and foot ending up on the step. The trick was to stay low and not stand up during the maneuver. Then, of course, repeat. I don’t know how many times.

some gorilla walks (I had trouble getting my butt down and staying low enough)

standing crunches of alternating elbow to knee

also crunches standing on one foot with arms and other leg extended, touch hand to toes of extended leg

also another movement of sticking my hip out to the side, arms extended from shoulders to elbows but hands raised, raise knee and crunch elbow to raised knee on the other side

I did make sure I stretched!

Good stuff Joan,congrats on the sit ups!

Good job, Joan!

Thanks Emmie & Shawn.

Today I tried the weight loss program on the treadmill for an hour at level 4. The HR monitor says 282 calories, 55% fat, max 139 (87%), avg 106 (66%). My conclusion is that I need to go up as far as the levels go. Despite the percentages, I really wasn’t working much at all. The treadmill went to some inclines but the fastest it went was 3.8 which is definitely an easy walk for me.

Usually on Tuesday I take it easy so what happened today was ok.

I also did 40 scissors and 30 wide-legged sit ups.

Well, it took two trips to the gym today to get my workout in because I left the house too late this morning and had to get home to be at school at 11 to sub. That’s especially ok because my husband who went skiing today was home when I went home to change for the gym and he decided to go too. He goes to the gym lots--but not usually after skiing.

Today:

arc trainer--10 minutes

squats on the smith machine--3 sets of 20 at 55#

red band shoulder exercises 2 sets of 20 of the 3 of them

dips using the smith machine bar--2 sets of 20

2 sets of 20 of bench presses with 15# in each hand

arm circles with 5# in each hand--2 sets of 2 sets of 20 forward, 20 back

1 set of 20 of flies from the bench with 12.5# in each hand

break ******

arc trainer--10 minutes

ABD machine 70#, 3 sets of 15
ADD machine 70#, 3 sets of 15

leg press 1 set of 20 @ 170#, @150#, @130#

assisted pull ups--1 set of 10 @ setting 17
assisted dips--2 sets of 10 @ setting 17

20 back lunges on each foot, 10# in each hand

2 sets 20—raises of a single 15# weight from behind my head to over my head

10 sit ups on the decline bench