Blessings

When my son was a little boy, his preschool teacher sent home a project he had made where he had to say what he was thankful for. His answer? “Mom and Dad and pears (soft ones).” Apparently at some point in time I must have tried to foist off an unripe pear on my poor unsuspecting child, and he had not forgotten. All these years later that still makes me chuckle.


What are you thankful for?

There’s a church marquee in our town that says, this week, “You have been given 86400 seconds today. How many of them have you used to say thank you?”

In addition to the things I’m thankful for every day, like my kind and loving husband, my smart and funny son, family and friends who are there through thick and thin, a warm house, clothing, and food, I am also thankful for (in no particular order):

1. Working someplace that makes me feel like I’m just going to go hang out with my friends all day.
2. Cheese.
3. Having a faithful workout partner who challenges me each and every time we lift together.
4. Books.
5. Memories of those who are no longer with me but will always be in my heart.
6. A world full of places I haven’t been yet.
7. The fact that wine and chocolate are actually good for me, in moderation.

Give thanks for your blessings and have a happy Thanksgiving!

Let's Talk Turkey

Here's Brian, a/k/a Mr. Lunge, demonstrating proper form for walking lunges (shoulders back, chest out, drop one knee down, keep the other knee from extending out past the toe, come back up, step, and do the other side).  Do them without weights - much easier! - or add some hand held weights to add resistance.  You don't have to add as much weight as Brian!

Sorry the photo's blurry, he was moving too fast for my camera!  For your next workout, try adding a set or two of walking lunges.  Your legs and your glutes will be so happy you did.

Today's Turkey

This is Sharon. 

Sharon got so fired up by our September Challenge that she and her out-of-town daughter made a deal: they would both participate and whoever had the most points by Thanksgiving would get a new pair of shoes on Black Friday, courtesy of the one who had the least points.  They made an Excel spreadsheet so that they could track their progress and communicated via email to see how the other was doing. 

We checked in with Sharon today to see how she thought the contest would end and found out that it already had ended.  She said after two months, her daughter was so far ahead of her that she just went ahead and bought her a pair of shoes.  But how awesome is it that they stuck with it for two whole months?!?!?!  Becky and Nancy would never have had an attention span of that duration. 

So for today's Turkey Challenge, find someone to help keep you on track until New Year's Day.  That is just a little over a month away!  If Sharon and her daughter could do it for two months, we know you can do it for 39 days! 

Yet Another Turkey

Really?!  Cheers to the turkey who thinks she knows what exercise is next...Sissy!

Today's Turkey Challenge: Surprise yourself by doing a new exercise today.

Health & Happiness

Today's blog isn't really about any turkeys in the gym.  Well, I guess it could be, depending on how you look at it.  But it's more about working out smarter and how my husband figured out a way to do just that.

Every Friday, if he can get his lazy butt out of bed (his words, not mine), he goes to Becky's 5 a.m. cycling class.  Now, Becky's cycling class is very hard.  I've done it a couple of times on Sunday afternoons so I speak from experience.  I don't know how they do it first thing in the morning.  But in addition to the difficulty of uphill climbs, wind sprints, and whatever other fun things she decides to throw at the class for an hour, there's also some chatter.  She kind of likes to give people in the class an occasional good-natured ribbing (don't worry, they all like to give it right back to her). 

Here's where my husband's wiles come into play.  Recently Becky moved into a new place.  She needed help with things like hanging mirrors and coat hooks, wrangling mattresses and box springs through spaces that were just a mite too small, and so on.  Happily my husband did all these projects for her.  As he completed each task, he asked if she was satisfied with the job he had done.  If she said yes, he handed her a slip of paper  which said, "I will be nice to you in class," and made her sign it.  It specifically says "No Expiration Date."  There was also a line for me to witness her signature.  I should have brought my notary public seal, to make it even more official, but unfortunately I did not plan that far ahead. 

So now when he goes to cycling class on Friday morning, he can whip out one of his slips of paper any time he needs one.  He just hasn't decided yet whether it would be better to use them for himself, or sell them to other members of the class.  It might just pay for Christmas!

Another Turkey

Oh no!  GASP!  Looks like Laura has lost her cleaning bucket!

Hope it doesn't ruin her Thanksgiving!  Maybe today's Turkey Challenge will help...do 5 push-ups every day from now until Thanksgiving.  That will make Laura happy again!

Turkeys in the Gym

It's not Tom the Turkey, it's Tim the Turkey!  For the next week we would like to share with you some of our favorite turkeys in the gym, starting with our BFF Tim!  Along with each turkey we will give you a little "turkey challenge" to get you through to Thanksgiving.  Here's Tim:

And here's his favorite song, which he requested from us today.  He just LOVED it!  Sing along if you choose (to the tune of Pop Goes the Weasel):

The turkey is a funny fellow
His head goes wobble wobble
He knows just one funny word
Gobble Gobble Gobble!

Today's turkey challenge: See if you can get some cardio in every day between now and Thanksgiving!

Stalls

My sister-in-law Keri tells me that the workouts on the blog look like they take an hour and a half to two hours. Don't worry - my attention span gets maxed out at the one hour mark. And I don’t want you to think you have to spend your life at the gym to have a proper lifting session. We have a couple of workouts that can run over the allotted time but we will let you know when they do.

The only time we run over an hour is when we have a lot of catching up to do. Or when we use a lot of stalls. We have been accused of not really ever working out, just cruising around the gym talking and acting busy. And every once in a while one of us says, “I just don’t want to work out today,” and we go have a beer.

So the workouts should only take an hour.  But if you would like some assistance in making a workout last longer, listed below are just a few of the stalls we like to use. These have been strenuously tested and are guaranteed to work.

• You need a drink of water.

• You need a Kleenex.

• You need a fresh towel.

• You see someone you know and you have to say hi. Preferably someone who talks a lot.

• You need to fix a piece of malfunctioning equipment.

• You can’t find the right weight.

• You have to hide Laura’s cleaning bucket.

• You have suddenly forgotten how to set up the machine and have to find someone to help you.

• You have a sudden and temporary, never before experienced, flare-up of carpal tunnel.

• Your cell phone goes off at an opportune moment (like right when your partner challenges you to an extra set of push-ups).

We hope that you will find these helpful. If you know of any other good stalls, please let us know!

Don't Super Size Me!

I was introduced to the wonderful world of dieting when I was about 16 years old. Being able to drive and date and go out to eat with my friends whenever we had the money was a newfound freedom which caused me to gain some weight. I went on a diet and lost 15 pounds. If only I had known then to be smart enough to never let myself gain weight again, life would have been much easier, but unfortunately you don’t get much wisdom except through experience. So I did not learn my lesson at 16.


When I was about 20, I had to lose 15 pounds again. At 25 I had to lose about 20 pounds. At 30 I had to lose another 20. So if you are doing your math correctly, you will see that, by the time I lost 60 pounds in my forties, I had lost enough weight to make a person who weighed what I weigh today.

Luckily I seem to finally have learned my lesson and have been able to keep the weight off. I believe that it is because I finally figured out that I should never be on a diet. Instead I should be making healthy choices when I eat, and making sure to spend enough time at the gym.

If you are anything like I used to be, you have a closet full of clothes in a variety of sizes. In the past, when I would go on a diet, I would still keep all my old clothes, “just in case.” I was always worried that if my husband ever took it into his head to take me on a surprise vacation somewhere and packed my suitcase for me, we would get there and nothing in the suitcase would fit.

This time, as the weight came off, I bagged up the clothes as they became too big and took them to Goodwill. I bought a few inexpensive things on the clearance rack at Target to keep me properly clothed while I continued to lose. Now there is nothing in my closet that is too big “just in case” I regain any weight. Mentally that somehow helps me. I have made a promise to myself never to buy clothes in a bigger size than the one I wear right now.

So now my husband can take me on all the surprise vacations he wants. Are you reading, dear?

Super Powers

This is not an original idea. I read it in a magazine, but I don’t remember when or which one or who wrote it, so hopefully that disclaimer will keep me from getting slapped with a plagiarism suit. But the idea is a good one and I want to share it with you. It was about super powers that each of us has, and how we have to build up our positive attributes and quit focusing on the negative by identifying and strengthening those super powers.

 

Immediately after identifying one super power that I think I have, I came up with a whole bunch that I do not have, and wish I had, and started thinking about how I could get them. But the point is to stay away from the negative and focus on the positive! So I will share with you that I think I have really strong will power. People who know me might phrase it as “stubbornness” but I do try really hard not to cross that line.

 

Now, if I could have super hero powers, I would choose invisibility and the ability to fly. I think those would be the coolest. My friend Jennifer said she would like to be able to time travel. I’m a little more hesitant about that one (as if it matters), because if I went too far back in time they would not have Diet Coke. What would I do then? Run around asking people if they had carbonated water and caramel color I could borrow for a quick fix?

 

Here is a super hero workout for you to try this weekend. I’m going to do it this afternoon, since I have to work out by myself. Becky thinks that just because she works today from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., the two hour break she has in the afternoon should be time for her to go home and relax. Whatever.

 

While you’re working out, think about what super powers you have. We’d love to hear them!

 

SUPERHERO WORKOUT

If you wonder what it’s like to be a superhero, try this workout.
You will feel strong enough to beat the bad guy and save the day.

 

Set 1: The Superman Set

 

• 5 minute warm-up on the treadmill to make you faster than a speeding bullet.
• 3 sets of 12 bench press to make you more powerful than a locomotive.
• 3 sets of 12 leg press to make you able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.

 

Set 2: The Kryptonite Set

 

• Kryptonite can’t stop you! Do 20 push-ups followed immediately by 20 dips.

 

Set 3: The Batman & Robin Set

 

• Riddle me this, Batman: What does a bat do in the air? (It FLIES! 3 sets of 12 flyes on the bench).
• Holy weightlifting, Batman! Do 3 sets of 12 bicep curl/overhead press.
• Kapow! Zap! Bang! Fight flabby arms with 3 sets of 12 triceps kickbacks.

 Set 4: The Spiderman Set - In honor of Spidey’s 8-legged symbol, do one set each of the following at the heaviest weight you can.

 

• 8 cable row
• 8 stability ball squats
• 8 front raises
• 8 upright row
• 8 bent over lat raise
• 8 bicep curl
• 8 triceps extension
• 8 lat pull down

 Set 5: The Wonder Woman Set

 

• You are as strong as Wonder Woman as you do 50 crunches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having a Ball

One of the most versatile pieces of equipment you can have in your arsenal is a stability ball. You can pick one up just about anywhere that sells fitness equipment. Just be sure not to get the cheapest one; that is what I did and it deflates in approximately 20 seconds, which is not very useful, except for those times when I only want to work out for 20 seconds.


On days when you cannot make it to the gym - say you’re snowed in or your kids are sick or they’re running a marathon of your favorite old sitcom on TVLand – if you have your handy stability ball at the ready, you can still have a nice workout.

The stability ball makes strength training exercises a little trickier, because in addition to whatever exercise you are doing, you also have to balance, which engages your core in everything you do. One of the managers at the Y even uses her stability ball for her office chair. That way she is strengthening her core all day long as she sits at her desk.

The stability ball also makes strength training exercises a little trickier if you are a complete klutz, like me. I have fallen off the stability ball more times than I like to admit. So be careful not to fall. Especially when doing push-ups or chest press and flyes. And even more especially when your friend is there to laugh at you.

Here are some of the things Becky and I do with a stability ball:

1. Squats. Place the ball against a wall and lean against it, so that the ball is in the small of your back. Slowly roll the ball down the wall until you are in a squat position and then slowly roll it back up. To make it even better, hold free weights or a weight plate while you squat. Be sure not to let your knees extend out any farther than your toes.

2. Push-Ups. Yes, we know, we use everything for push-ups, but they really are the best. Place your legs on the stability ball and keep your arms on the ground in standard push-up position. The farther out you roll the stability ball, the more challenging the push-ups will be. So if you are just starting out, have the stability ball at your knees or even slightly above. But to make it more difficult, put your ankles or feet on the ball.

3. Chest Press and Flyes. You will need free weights for this. Lie back on the ball and roll it out until your head and shoulders are resting on the ball. Keep your hips elevated so that your body is perpendicular to the floor. Then simply do chest press and flyes as normal.

4. Overhead Press. Sit on the stability ball and use free weights to do your overhead press. Balancing on the stability ball makes these much more challenging than doing them on a bench.

5. Bicep Curl. Same as the overhead press – it just adds a new challenge to a standard exercise.

6. Dips. Place the ball against a wall. Put your hands behind you on the ball and do your dips, making sure not to let your elbows stick out to the sides. The ball will wobble all over the place, making these really tricky and good.

7. Crunches. Lie back on the ball, put your hands behind your head, and crunch away. Just be sure not to do these when you are wearing slicky shorts. They will slide up and up, eventually leaving your booty hanging out for all to see. Not that I personally would know that, of course. I’ve just heard it can happen.

Lots of other exercises can be adapted to the stability ball, but these can definitely get you started.

My Very First Workout

Over seven years ago, sick of the way I looked and felt, I called the YMCA and asked to be set up with a personal trainer. I don’t remember all the questions they asked me, but I do remember giving my age and saying that I would prefer to work with a woman. A short time later I received a call from Becky, my new personal trainer, who was approximately my age (actually a little older, as I like to point out).


Our first meeting nearly killed me. Becky has since told me that she never expected to see me again. And the thought of never returning did cross my mind. But I did not want to let myself down, and more importantly, I did not want to let my son down. He really wanted to go to the Y, and as long as he was there, I figured I might as well stick with it and see what happened.

Seven years later, sixty pounds lighter, and in better shape than I have ever been in my life, I can truly recommend taking that first step! Someday I will work up the nerve to post “before” and “after” pictures of myself on the blog.

I saved the very first workout Becky had me do. For our five year anniversary of working out, we did the exact same workout. It was amazing to compare the number of reps I could complete and how much weight I could lift, then and now. Below is the workout. Give it a try, keep track of the number of reps (try for three sets of 12 reps each), and how much weight you use. Then check back in with it periodically and see how much you improve. It is really a morale booster!

Leg Press - machine

Step-Ups – with free weights

Bench Press - machine

Flyes - machine

Lat Pull-Downs - machine

Assisted Pull-Ups* - torture machine

Upright Rows - barbell

Shoulder Press – free weights

Triceps Pressdown - machine

Triceps Cybex - machine

Bicep Curls – free weights

Crunches

*Just a note about the Assisted Pull-Up: this is the machine we call the Torture Machine. See the blog from August 12 if you want to know more about it. The first time I did the torture machine I had to use the maximum amount of assist, plus Becky was pressing down on the weights to give extra assist. I was able to complete one set of 8 and one set of 6.

No Competition

You know, on those days when I think, “Whew! I had a pretty good workout today!” and start feeling a little proud of myself, all I have to do to bring myself back down to earth is talk to my friend Becky.


We lifted together yesterday afternoon. It was a hard workout and completely filled the hour we had allotted. There was not a lot of time for chit-chat and my arms and legs were complete noodles when we finished.

Ho-hum. Becky had already been for a five mile run early in the morning. But wait! There’s more! Following our workout, she led a two-hour triathlon training session, in which she and the participants ran, swam, cycled, and did some core work and a “little” weight-lifting. She ran an additional 3½ miles, cycled 30 minutes (all uphill), swam over a half mile, and oh, by the way, did 250 crunches.

You now understand why, when we go out to eat, I order the salad and the grilled chicken breast and she orders the jumbo buttermilk waffles with a breakfast burrito on the side. And dessert, which she will not share.

Three Good Things

I majored in Early Childhood Education in college. I taught for three years after graduation, then decided it wasn’t for me. But I did learn some valuable lessons which have served me well for all these years. Never mind how many. Let’s just say it’s been a while. Some of the techniques I learned for dealing with small children have come in very handy when working with adults, like only asking open-ended questions instead of things to which they can say, “NO!”


The semester I did my student teaching, the lead teacher required me to keep a daily journal about my time in the classroom. His only specific instruction to keeping the journal was that at the end of each day’s entry I had to write down three good things about my day. Some days that was easy, but some days I had to think really, really, really hard to come up with three good things. His point was that even on your very worst day, you can find something good about it if you try. It helps you keep your attitude positive.

That lesson has stayed with me. I used to have my son do that when he was a little boy. He would have his bedtime story, say his prayers, and then tell me three good things about his day. He looked forward to that all day long, and never forgot to tell me what his three things were before he went to sleep at night.

Some days it is really tough to find anything good about your day. Your boss hassled you, your kids mouthed off, you ate a bunch of junk food, whatever. But if you stop and really think about it, you will find that with a little effort, there will be some little bright spots in your day. Someone did something nice for you without being asked. The sun was shining. You were able to add a little weight to the bench press. Try to look for the positives in your day – they really are there!

Three Good Things About My Day:

1. I’m meeting Becky at the gym later so I know I’ll have a good tough workout;

2. I didn’t have to leave my house in the dark this morning because of the time change; and

3. You’re reading the blog!

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Just a quick question for you today...if vegetables are so good for you, then why doesn't your body crave them the way it craves chocolate?

Your Most Important Muscles

You know that saying about how many muscles it takes to smile? Well, our smile muscles got quite a workout last night, thanks to our dedicated Swim Team.  An evening of bowling was just what the doctor ordered to make us forget our troubles and laugh the night away. 

Requirements to Participate: 

• One (1) Bowling Shirt 
• One (1) Bowling Name
• One (1) rather, hmm, how shall we say this?  One (1) rather, slightly, just a little, rundown bowling alley
• Nine (9) Swim Team members

Some things you need to know about the Swim Team:

• We take bowling as seriously as we take swim practice
• It took us an entire evening to play one game (cost: $1.50)
• The high scoring game was, if memory serves, 130, and that blew everyone else out of the water

One of us (Lucky Laura) was sadly disappointed to find that you do not get to keep the shoes.

How to get the most out of bowling:

Start with a race.  This has nothing to do with bowling.  We know that and we do not care.  Here "Sigourney" cheers on her racer (who, sadly, did not win, but also did not turn around and go the other way, like Tula Ten Pin's).

Next, we began bowling.  The rules were simple.  You got a rubber eyeball for every gutter ball you threw.  "Bunny" was the winner for most gutter balls and ended up with a pocketful of eyeballs (except for the one that somehow accidentally went down the bowling lane, and, you guessed it, into the gutter, where it disappeared and was never reset). 

 If you got a spare, you got a spider.

If you got a strike, you got a Pez dispenser.  The game was made a bit more challenging during the 3rd, 6th and 9th frames, when we had to draw a slip of paper from a hat and do whatever it told us to do.  Unfortunately, there were no rules in place for accidentally throwing your bowling ball behind you instead of in front of you; there will be a rule for that from now on. 

Try bowling like a princess...

Or a construction worker...

A chef...

or while holding a Barney-like puppet (it helps if the puppet is color-coordinated with your outfit AND your bowling ball)...

And there you have the makings for a great evening of friendship, laughter, and a little bowling.  THANK YOU, SWIM TEAM!  We do not know what we would do without you.

The Swim Team: (back row) Rose, Sigourney, Betty Bowler, Lucky Laura, Alles Chalmers, Swamp Mama, Tula Ten Pin, (front row) Bunny and Alley Annie.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

I did not grow up with sweat. My mom, who you read about in yesterday’s blog, was and still is quite averse to sweating and I learned well at a young age to emulate her antagonism toward it. As I grew older and went off to school, I spent most of my time in P. E. class trying to avoid getting sweaty so I wouldn’t have to take a shower in the locker room.

So it came as quite a shock when, one of the first times I worked out with Becky, I worked up quite a sweat. (Please note that this was not the time she made me throw up; this was another time). I was not overly familiar with sweating at that time. I was not overly fond of it, either. But Becky was quite pleased that her efforts at trying to kill me were not in vain. I was drenched and she was happy.

Since then I have become much better acquainted with sweat. Now that sweat and I are on friendlier terms, I am often disappointed in myself if I finish a workout without it. It just seems to be a good thing for your body to do. It feels like all the ick in your body is seeping out, leaving you fresher and healthier. Well, once you take a shower, anyway.

I don’t care if you’re sweating to the oldies, sweating like a pig, or sweating like a turkey the week before Thanksgiving. Get out there today and get sweating! And then take a shower.

Role Models

It doesn't really matter when you start exercising, as long as you start.  I was 41 years old before I really did any kind of regular exercise, and now I hardly go a day without doing at least something.  My husband has always exercised, Becky has always exercised, so they had a big head start on me.  I will never be able to catch up.  But that doesn't mean I can't try!  You always regret not doing something sooner, once you start, but you just have to keep in mind that you did start.

Here is a great example of someone who waited a long time to get started.  My mom, who will be 79 in a few weeks, just started regularly exercising this year.  You read that right.  She has never weighed over 110 pounds in her life, even when pregnant, but that was to do with how much she ate, not how much she worked out.  Then at the beginning of this year her doctor told her she needed to start doing some cardio to improve her lung function.  I never really thought that would happen, but lo and behold, three days a week she goes to her exercise class.  She walks on the treadmill, rides the bike, and lifts a few hand weights.  She confided one day that she thought the 3-pound weights were getting a little too easy and she thought she might try moving up to 4!  My mom, the weight-lifter.

So it's never too late!  Even if you think you are too old or too out of shape to ever be able to do anything, that is just not true.  Start small and work your way up.

Exercise of Another Sort

I got up at 4:00 this morning so I could be at the polls when they opened at 6:00.  There is something about being there when they say, "Hear ye! Hear ye! Hear ye! The polls are now open!" that is really stirring and kind of chokes me up.  All this patriotic stuff just gets to me sometimes!  Less than 100 years ago I would have only been able to make my husband a hearty breakfast and send him off to the polls to vote however he saw fit, because I would not have had the right to go myself.  And still today in so many places around the world people don't get to choose their leaders.  So don't take it for granted.  Even if you don't do any other exercise today, exercise your right to vote!

Getting Through the Holidays

I have made myself a punch list to keep me on track during all the days of temptation ahead. 

1.  Add one 8-oz glass of water to each day.  More water really does make you feel better!

2.  Sign up for the Thanksgiving morning Turkey Run, an annual 5K event.  What better way to start your festivities than by burning off some of those calories you're going to take in later in the day?  If they don't offer something like that where you live, go for a brisk walk or run when you get up Thanksgiving morning.

3.  Sign up for the Holiday Challenge at the YMCA.  You can do this with a friend or a group if your local gym doesn't have anything like this.  Weigh in during the week prior to Thanksgiving and then again the week after New Year's.  It helps keep you focused on whether or not you really want that second cookie!  You can either sign up to maintain your current weight or to lose 5 pounds.  If you reach your goal, your name goes in a drawing for a prize.  One year I won.  My name was posted in the fitness center and I got four YMCA drinking glasses, a YMCA personal size towel, a water bottle, and a $5 Subway gift card.  A major award! 

4.  Sign up for the Turkey Burn-off, another annual event offered by the YMCA on the day after Thanksgiving.  They offer special classes all morning in cardio, strength training, and yoga so you can work off some of that pumpkin pie.

5.  Plan ahead for eating.  If I know I'm going to my mom's for dinner, and I know she's going to offer me one of her peanut butter chocolate chip pecan cookies, then I'm going to stick really closely to my healthy choices for the rest of the day. 

6.  Plan ahead for exercise.  If I know the coming week holds a lot of extra events and activities that will get in the way of my regular exercise routine, I will need to figure out other ways and times to get that done.

7.  Starting today I'm going to do 25 crunches every morning as soon as I get up.  I did that last year from Thanksgiving to New Year and it really helped me focus for the day.  By starting today I will have done 1525 extra crunches by the time we ring in the New Year.

8.  Continue running on Saturday mornings.  Well, Christmas is on a Saturday so I may have to take that day off.  But I got started on regular Saturday runs when training for the half marathon and it really is a good way to start your weekend.

9.  Stick as much as possible to my regular diet.  I will feel better and look better, plus I won't have to make as many new year's resolutions.

10.  Take time to rest and remember it is okay to say no sometimes!