Health/Fitness acheivements this off-season?

[persee]

So I'm very happy to note that I've managed to lose 8-9lbs since April. My clothing is all fitting much better now and I think I feel better overall. I'm fairly proud that I've done this despite the stress of finding out I'm losing my job and fighting off the desire to comfort myself with chocolate.

My husband actually convinced me to go out golfing on Sunday for the first time in 2 years. I still sucked, but my swing was better now. I also noted taht last time I golfed I was roughly 20-25lbs heavier than now. I think it's made a difference.

Anyone else have something to report they are proud of?

 

[Jilly]

I don't know what it is about winter, but I gain weight so easily. I'm working on 15 lbs and am so far down 6lbs. I'm still going to the gym at least 2x a week and dragon boat practice 2x week. On the weekend we boat and walk the beaches. Last weekend we decided to climb to the top of the dunes. Why would I think that at 49 I could keep up with the 20 somethings? It's worse than walking uphill in ski boots and loose snow. But I got down alot easier than they did. Control is everything. Come September I will really get into getting ready for ski season. Right now its just keeping things moving. As for personal problems, mine aren't nearly as severe as yours persee. My father, who owns the business just got word that he didn't pass his eye test to drive. (At 80 you have to be tested) If he can get the cataract removed soon, we might be in luck, but for at least the next month, someone will have to take him everywhere. I really don't want him to lose his independance, but if he can't see, then he's a hazard on the road. My step mother is not a good driver as she herself didn't learn until her first husband died only about 20 years ago. She's not confident at all. So I know that things will fall on me for awhile. Keeping my fingers crossed that Monday we'll hear that the cataract is ready and be will taken off really soon!

 

[Ski Spirit]

I have about 10-12 pounds to lose and so far I've lost 3.2 pounds!
It's slow going. I have not gone back to the gym in a regular way but I've discovered workout dvd's. So far, I really like two of them - one is a yoga dvd called IntenSati and the other is a pilates workout.
My clothes are fitting a bit better--that's definitely motivating!

Good luck with the cataract Jilly. Hope it works out.

 

[altagirl]

I actually tend to gain more weight in the summer. In winter, I'm better about going to the gym as well as skiing. In summer I start out mountain biking like mad, but it's often in conjunction with camping trips where I eat like a pig after riding. So even when we're doing rides that my heart rate monitor says burned 2000+ calories, I still gain weight. Lovely, huh? Then when the heat hits in mid-summer, I just don't want to do anything. I still push myself to go out and ride, but I just want to hibernate when it's hot. Ugh.

Anyway, I have managed to lose weight in summer, but it's a chore for me compared to maintaining or losing weight in winter.


But back on topic, I bought my rigid singlespeed mountain bike and even did a few races on it. And my first race was about 45 min long and I won by 8 minutes. I had no idea if I was going to get killed in sport class or do well since I normally just race DH, not XC, so that was a pleasant surprise! :D

 

[Kimmyt]

Well, I ran a 5-mile race the other day without stopping to walk or dying, so considering that's my longest distance running I'm pretty pleased. I didn't set any land speed records doing it, but I was happy to have finished!

And in 2 days I complete (knock on wood) my first triathlon, so we'll see how that goes.

No weight loss, but I've gotten alot better about eating vegetables and cooking for myself now that The Boy is home from Colorado.

K.

 

[Lisamarie]

This is so cool! Congrats ladies! Question: I am working on the fitness section for www.first30days.com
I need personal stories about getting through the first 30 days of a fitness routine. Would any of you be interested in being interviewed? I am going to post the questions in another thread. I can use your name, or you can remain anonymous. Thanks!

 

[persee]

Kimmy that's great about the race and good luck with the tri! I've never been able to get into running. I think my lungs find it too jarring and with being asthmatic my lungs tend to let me know what they approve of.

I should start going to the gym regularly - at least twice a week. We pay enough for the membership that it's stupid not to use it.

 

[pinto]

I actually tend to gain more weight in the summer. ...

Me, too. I'm not sure why ... my mom says it's because people entertain more, barbecues, etc., so you're out eating burgers and drinking beer ... I don't know if I buy that. Maybe.

I tend to keep my exercise routine pretty similar, except I think we burn more calories exercising in colder weather, don't we? I know that I can go on ski trips, and eat thousands of calories a day, and lose weight. I get cold pretty easily, so maybe my body is working extra hard or something. I don't know.

 

[lozz]

Well done ladies. I just wish I could stay focused and motivated. Sometimes its down to lack of time or poor management of time between studying, or that I find I exercise in fits and starts. Sometimes its all crammed into the start or end of a week, not regular throughout. I would love to lose a stone, but often get depressed at not achieving any loss after having worked hard, eaten less. Its a long hard slog, but I will keep at it.

 

[Pequenita]

How did the tri go, kimmyt??

 

[Kimmyt]

It was....interesting to say the least!

Short RR:

Swim- distance 900m, time 00:21:55, rank 310/708

Water temps warm, 75deg, slight to no current. My time here wasn't so hot, my first Open Water Swim and I was uncomfortable in the really low vis water. I literally couldn't see my hands under my body! I guess all things told, it wasn't too bad for a first OWS and tri.

Transition 1 (swim to bike) 00:02:31

This was okay, slightly awkward coming from swim to run out of the water over rocks and sand. Grabbed some gatorade at the transition, struggled getting a shirt over my wet body. Next time will forgo the shirt.

Bike 00:54:54, 15miles, 16.1 mph pace, rank 360/708

Not happy at all with this. I felt fast but don't have a computer so I was going on feeling. I was passing people left and right. Got passed by some folks, but overall felt like I should have posted much higher speeds here. Drank a full bottle of water during bike and ate half a goo.

Transition 2 (bike to run) 00:02:13

Overall happy with this transition. Some trouble getting socks onto sweaty feet.

Run 00:28:25, 09:10 minute mile, rank 444/708

Really happy with this. I felt slow, but ran the entire thing. Some water about halfway through over my head helped me stay cool (the sun was stronger now that it was later in the day). Got passed by alot of faster runners, but I'm not a good runner so was happy with myself.

Overall it felt great to finish. There were some really tough moments in it, particularly getting through the swim (i literally worried I would drown some time and then couldn't stop thinking 'oh god am i done yet?'). i would like to enjoy the swim more, I think i just need to practice more ows.

Overall time: 01:49:59 rank 335/708

 

[tcarey]

Congrats!! Terry

 

[abc]

But back on topic, I bought my rigid singlespeed mountain bike and even did a few races on it. And my first race was about 45 min long and I won by 8 minutes. I had no idea if I was going to get killed in sport class or do well since I normally just race DH, not XC, so that was a pleasant surprise! :D

That's GREAT!

I think racing single speed is probably one of the hardest thing to do!

For me, I'm not into racing. But I'm into riding hours and hours non-stop (well, with short breaks) riding. Last year, I learn of a long distance riding event call the Deerfield Dirt Road Rondonee but was too late and too disorganized to attend. So I thought "I'll do it next year". Good thing I didn't go. Talking to people who went made me realize it's A LOT tougher than riding the same distance on pavement! I would have dropped out had I gone un-prepared.

So, this year, I started a slow but more structured training to build myself up for the ride. The difficulty isn't so much training for the event, which I know I could do without too much trouble. But keeping a balance so that my "training" doesn't become THE ONLY thing in my life. So far, it's going well. My legs and lungs survived the 3 semi-hilly rides of 50+ miles with no ill effect. I'm happy to call that my "achievement" for now! ;)

Next month will be to add the really killer hills and extend the distance to 70-80 mile range. That should put me within sight of the 100 mile target by the date of the ride at end of August.

 

[Pequenita]

Well done, kimmyt! You're all signed up for your next one, right? ;)

 

[altagirl]

That's GREAT!

I think racing single speed is probably one of the hardest thing to do!

For me, I'm not into racing. But I'm into riding hours and hours non-stop (well, with short breaks) riding. Last year, I learn of a long distance riding event call the Deerfield Dirt Road Rondonee but was too late and too disorganized to attend. So I thought "I'll do it next year". Good thing I didn't go. Talking to people who went made me realize it's A LOT tougher than riding the same distance on pavement! I would have dropped out had I gone un-prepared.

So, this year, I started a slow but more structured training to build myself up for the ride. The difficulty isn't so much training for the event, which I know I could do without too much trouble. But keeping a balance so that my "training" doesn't become THE ONLY thing in my life. So far, it's going well. My legs and lungs survived the 3 semi-hilly rides of 50+ miles with no ill effect. I'm happy to call that my "achievement" for now! ;)

Next month will be to add the really killer hills and extend the distance to 70-80 mile range. That should put me within sight of the 100 mile target by the date of the ride at end of August.

Racing the SS did throw in a bunch of other variables, that's for sure. The first race wasn't too crowded on the singletrack, so it went really smoothly. Then I did another one that was a bigger race. WOW - add in a couple hundred more people on the same trail and now there were people stopping all over the climbs. If I stop, I can't get started again with just that one gear. Ugh! That made it a much bigger challenge. I was doing alright - top 50% anyway, and then got a flat tire right before the end and finished 8th. Oh well. It was a good learning experience. Plus that one was longer - like 1:50.

Anyway - good luck with your distance training! A century on dirt is HUGE! Sounds like you're well on your way!

 

[SnowHot]

I tend to lose in the winter and gain in the summer.
Between shoveling sidewalks for our commercial snow plow accounts, and skiing, I slim down and get some serious muscle tone.

Summer, I ride my bike, golf and make trips to DQ. Ice Cream..........my vice!

 

[cyn]

I'm working on losing 15 pounds right now - for my knees more than anything - although it's always great when your clothes are loose.

I've been doing a huge gardening job for about three weeks, and for the first week, I thought I'd see whether I could skip the gym. The garden I'm working on is immense and I've been doing guerilla weeding and brush clearing etc. For the first several days, I was coming home absolutely exhausted, but not in the good way I am when I get my dose of cardio. So in week 2, I forced myself to go to the gym after work, and I feel a lot better for it.

I've been feeling like I'm in a rut with my cardio stuff at the gym lately, so last weekend, I bought some in line skates and tried them out on Saturday. I think they'll be great for me, because they don't hurt the old knees and I'm outside. The other thing I started at the gym this week is a new machine for me - the stairmaster. I think it's good to make changes once in a while.

We've been having terribly hot weather lately, and I've lost my appetite, so maybe I'll lose the weight.

 

[Gina23]

I completed 2 10K races... one at an altitude of 9500 feet. I finished both in just about an hour. Now it's hot and I melt in the heat so I've put on 5 or so lbs. while I just hit the treadmill and bike. Since I'm no longer running 3+ miles a day I have gained... isn't that pathetic? I hate my metabolism.

 

[Little Lightning]

I completed 5 days (270 miles) of the 400+ miles of Ride the Rockies. On the first day of the ride I climbed Rabbit Ears pass, a climb of 2,000 ft. For those of you who have been to Steamboat this is the pass you go over right before you get to Steamboat.

I didn't get to finish the ride because my asthma problems kept getting worse. On day 6 we were to go over Independence Pass I took the bus to Leadville. The next morning I had a serious asthma attack and landed in the ER.

The good news is that I'm on Advair, can now ride like the wind. My average speed went from 10-12 mph to 15-16 and I can now climb a hill or sprint and get a good deep breath without huffing and puffing.

I'm pretty good at listening to my body but this time couldn't figure out what it was telling me. Putting myself in an "extreme situation" forced me to take note of a situation that I had been puzzling over for some time.

Tomorrow I'm doing a 25 mile ride from Idaho Springs to Georgetown. I did it about 3 weeks ago and struggled, I expect this ride to be easy!

Kathi

 

[ski now work later]

You divas are inspirational!

I started working with a personal trainer this past week to boost my fitness routine at the gym. I had muscles that were sore that I didn't even know I owned!

Last summer, I was very inactive and I thought I was going to fall down or pass out the first time I skied in Dec. '06. I vowed to get into better shape this season, and at this rate, I'll be in the best shape of my life by Fall. My 13 year old daughter just bought DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) for our Playstation 2 and I've been having a blast with that too.

And I might take a few horseback riding lessons again this Fall after taking a hiatus since last November.

I plan to ski like crazy this season, and I want to be ready!:D