Exercise Buddies - anyone want to join?

[Lorns]

Hi this a new thread linked to "We want to lose 10lbs NEW THREAD"

I'm a Group exercise instructor/Personal Trainer and have been offering advice to mumsnetters!

Following suggestions that it would be good to start an exercise/nutrition advice/motivation thread - well here it is!!

11.5 points to make up isn't too bad - with some damage control you could definatly get back on track. You could save 1 or 2 points a day to help you along the way if you don't normally eat you exercise points. You can still do it

Have to admit, I'm the same as you though, this last half stone is my arch enemy!

Laloop - think about averaging out what you eat over a week and tomorrow is another day!! What about doing a DVD when you're stuck at home???

The next part of my nutrition posting will be on food diaries and behavioural change. BTW thanks for asking about how my nutrition thing is going. Just waiting for my 3 case studies to give me their food diaries back (funny how all 3 cancelled their sessions last week which is MOST unusual)!!! Also waiting for my course provider to get back to me with some answers to questions.... [hmmm]

Am v busy over the next few days but will try my best to post...

lorns - thankyou for your concern. It is healing - it's a lot better but not enough to do anything strenuous yet. I took out some medical ins for just this kind of thing just before Xmas but I can't claim for 6 months - until June in fact. But I will be using it then. There's a gym nearby run by an excellent sports physio but finances don't allow me to pay for it without the insurance atm. I will ask him what I can do to avoid it happening again - short of not running anymore that is!

oooh can't wait for the diary advice Lorns. When I was regulary going to the gym and posting on here, I was keeping a diary then. What I discovered was I was not eating ENOUGH!! and also I was drinking perhaps tooo much of the red wine.

Today I walked for 35 minutes after meeting a freind for lunch [a laffa chicken breast salad with miso yoghurt dressing yum!] Tomorrow is gym day.

OmIrian, sorry to hear your med insurance is not of any use right now, I know that feeling very well. Maybe you can keep yourself toned on your upper half of your body while your foot/ankle recovers. Hope your ankle gets better soon

Hi all
I'm having a better day today. Had a cooked breakfast - bacon, egg, mushrooms and potato cake - to try to keep me full up before I went grocery shopping. Must have worked because I picked up some WW buns, almost put them in my trolley BUT my willpower held and I placed them back on the shelf. Bought some lovely fresh mangoes instead which ds2 and I are going to share this afternoon. Prawn and veggie wrap for lunch. Steak, new potatoes and stirfried greens for dinner. Need to get back into the habit of drinking loads of water again too.

Really need to make it to the gym tonight - can feel my leg muscles almost itching for a run. Planning to do 5 min row, 20 min treadmill run, 10 min crosstrainer then 1k swim. Then going to use the spapool and CHILL - bliss

Hope you're all having a nice day

Laloop, well done you should be very proud of yourself, it takes alot of willpower to get back on track when you've let things slip. I have a super big hearing that you have managed it!

Lorns, I look forward to your next instalment! Keeping a food diary is just about the only way I can behave myself. I have funny rules about eating and I think I have quite an emotional relationship with food - Ie I use it to cheer myself up - which is very bad!

MA - it's so hard to go out for lunch and be good - well done for managing it. Give yourself a gold star

OI - thats such a pain about your medical insurance! Hopefully you can get some good use out of it next month though. Could you try swimming or something in the meantime that will keep your fitness up? Or maybe Yoga or something thats gentle excercise.

Well, I was good today. I went into town at lunch and dispite every bit of me wanting a cream cake I managed to avoid all the bakers! I have netball tonight so I hope the rain eases up otherwise I won't get a decent workout.

Oh and also I don't have to go away with work anymore - YEAH! That means next week I don't have any meals out or boozy evenings - finally I might have a whole good week

Hey all! How's things?

I am detirmined today not to let my naughty evening tonight ruin my whole day so I'm trying really hard to be good. I haven't eaten anything i shouldn't and I've just done 40 mins on my crosstrainer. Thats my pledged excercise for the week done now - I can relax for the weekend, but if I do manage to fit in a bike ride or swimming then thats a bonus

Wanted to let you all know too over the last few days I've noticed a change in my body - less bulges over trousers . I weighed myself this morning and since I started my "holiday weight loss thing" I've lost 5Ibs and it has made a difference! I want to loose another 4 Ibs BUT those 5Ibs are largly down to alot of suuport from you lots so THANKS GIRLS !!!!! I feel great!

Well done Sweetheart
I was good yesterday except for some wine last night with dinner. Being good today though.

Hi everyone Internet been offline again....

Hi Laloop - in answer to your question re heavy legs, it could be anyone of the following....

Lack of sleep

Too much exercise or running too hard on consecutive days - therefore making your muscles fatigued

Low iron levels - eat more red meat or iron rich foods. Iron is absorbed best with Vitamin C - so with an OJ?. What about an iron supplement such as Floradix. Naturally through food is best though!!

Are your leg muscles tight. Check out your flexibility in your Glutes (bottom), hamstrings, quads, calves, hip flexors.

What about your trainers. Having a good and not too old pair of trainers is great. www.runnersworld.co.uk has a great review of trainers.

It may be that your body is just saying right I can run so far and THAT'S IT!! As we get older our body just sometimes decides it doesn't like certain things!! (this is an outsider though)!!

As for exercises to strengthen your legs - as has already been said - squats and lunges are the best.. and urm BODYPUMP!!

By the wayd do you have Bodystep or Bodyattack at your gym?

Laloop do you have a cooked breakfast most days. Does this not take alot of your points for the day and also fat allowance? Great if fills you up though!

Hope this helps.

I would start the next update now, but I know my husbands gone out to get a takeaway....

Well done everyone

Hi everyone, I've now recovered from my flu and to celebrate, I went for a 2 mile run yesterday. My legs felt lethargic and the time was slower than usual but hopefully as my strength returns, I will improve. After the 2 mile run, I did the 3 x 30 minute DVD by Davina (body pump and cardio box sections). The leg work outs were extremely difficult so I was probably pushing myself too hard too soon.

This morning I did the one hour Tae Bo advance workout followed by the 8 minute Tae Bo work out. Again, I was extremely worn out afterwards so I will be resting for the next couple of days.

Keep up the good work everyone.

Hi everyone,

Glad you're feeling better, speedy

I haven't had a chance to do a lot of exercise this weekend but did go for an hour's cycle today with the dc's. Ds1 and DS2 were in one of the pull-along carts attached to dh's bike, looking all cosy and cute

Lorns, thanks so much for your excellent info regarding "heavy legs". Some very interesting points. Your first suggestion of lack of sleep is soooo very true of me as ds2 is a dreadful sleeper so every night has a broken sleep pattern.

Also, I don't have pre-planned regular running days (often because I have to fit in my running schedule around organising dc's activities eg brownies etc, dh's working hours, which can be erratic at times, or my mum being able to mind kids if both dh and I want to go running together). This means that I might end up not running for 5 days and then do 2 big runs in a row. I think I'm going to have to make a proper exercise plan so that I'm doing something every other day or so, rather than a sudden burst of activity after a few days of doing relatively little.

I'm really, really hoping that 4 miles is not my personal limit as I'd really like to train for a 10k (but no further than that!). Will soon find out, as I try to push up my distance, if this is the case though.
Lack of iron has also been a problem for me in the past, esp when pg when I was prone to anaemia, so will bear that in mind too. (BTW our cooked breakfast is normally a boiled egg and slice of toast, sometimes with bacon, or porridge and fruit - I do tend to eat a more substantial breakfast now that I'm at home, when I was working I used to be really bad and always skipping breakfast and then was ready to pass out by lunchtime!). Will check that I'm not overdoing the points though as this can be very easily done (looking forward to your food diary info, Lorns, if you get a chance to tell us more).

Will check out the gym classes mentioned, there is a new class starting - think it might be Bodyattack. Do you coach this too?

Will catch up with you all tomorrow. Hope you all had a nice weekend x

hi laloop - am trained to teach Bodyattack, but have had to let it lapse as I'm in an area that only has 1 place that teaches Bodyattack and they will only let 1 teacher teach... Soooo short sighted .

Bodyattack is very high impact so watch out for calves but has a running section, agility section, high heart-rate section, lower body and upper body sections etc. If you have a wek pelvic floor then it may not be for you as there are lots of Jacks.

Hi everyone!
Did no exercise this weekend, but did go to the gym last Weds and Fri and today, so don't feel too bad.

Quick question - which arm weights/curls are best for you? I read last months Marie Claire, and it had a gym section in it and which exercises you should do and what you should not do. One of the exercises was arm lifts, it said not to lift weights a certain way because it bulks up your arms. Well of course this is the way I have been doing it.... Did anyone read this article at all? anyway - it showed you exactly how to do it properly. Now the thing is, I wrote down the instructions because I gave my friend the magazine, I thought I was being really clever. BUT at the gym, when I read what I wrote down, it makes no sense. Lorns, do you understand this explaination at all?

" BICEP CURLS

1. Hold dumbells, palms facing forwards.
   Lift arms slowly in front of you for 4 counts, keep elbows in line with the wrists

2. When level with your shoulders, take arms out horizontally to your side for 4 counts

3. Then lower to your body for 8 counts. Then reverse the order.
   Lift arms to side for 4 counts
   Draw them in front of your body for 4 counts and lower for 8 counts

repeat the sequence 4 times."

Now I keep getting confused with points 2 + 3. Without the diagrams I am a bit lost. Have you heard of this exercise at all, and are able to explain it better. Sorry if I sound like a complete idiot

Hope you enjoyed your takeaway!!

Hello,

I've been avoiding posting on here as I'm feeling ashamed Yet again my weekend binging has let me down .

We had friends for dinner on Friday so I pigged out - not only that but there was lots of alcohol involved. As a result my hangover on Saturday required a McDonalds for lunch and no excercise! I also ate loads of sweets in the afternoon and then we popped to our neighbours on Saturday evening for a quick drink As you can guess a few hours later (and a few glasses of wine later) we got home.

Then on Sunday I was so determined to be good - until my tummy rumbled! I ate peanut butter on toast for breakfast and a pate sandwich with tortillas for lunch

So all my good work last week has probably gone to total waste! I wish I could be better at weekends, I'm sure I'd have lost my weight weeks ago!

MA - well done on your gym visits last week! I'm not sure about the exercises - it sort of sounds like you do a bicep curl but instead on just repeating it you lift up, then out to the side (sort of like your doing a flapping motion) then bring your arms back in to lower the bicep curl. The you do that in repertitions. I'm probably wrong though and although that made sense to me it probably makes no sense to anyone else!

Speedy - wow your exercise puts me to shame! Make sure you take it easy, you've been ill remember!!!!!!! I think you should ease yourself in a bit more otherwise you might tire yourself out.

Well, I think I need another pledge this week to keep me on the straight and narrow. I'm off to sit in a corner and think about how naughty I've been

sweetheart - don't think about how naughty you've been. It doesn't help. Think about how good you are going to be. I do sympathise. Weekends are so hard aren't they?

I am so excited. Ankle loads better. I forgot my laptop this morning and ran, yes I did say ran, all the way up the street to get it. Only a few hundred yards but it's a start. No pain at all. A bit stiff afterwards perhaps. So I'm missing karate one more week and planning on trying a short run at the weekend. If that goes OK I'll be back to karate next week to see how it goes. At bloody last!!

Mucky, thought I understood that bicep curl when I started to read it but then got to the bit about doing it the opposite way and started to get confused, sorry!

Alcohol is the dieter's nemesis isn't it, Sweetheart - it is far too difficult to keep up the willpower after a few glasses of wine, grrr . I'm seriously thinking of cutting it out completely for a couple of weeks to see how I get on weight-wise.

I had a sneaky weigh this morning and I think I've lost another 1lb, here's hoping that's what the scales show tomorrow anyway. I don't think I actually look any thinner, still look like I need to lose half a stone BUT my legs are starting to tone up and so are my arms so at least that's something.

I have eaten a lot already today, have been grocery shopping with ds2 and got the munchies when we got home. So I think I might take the dc's to the park or something this afternoon to keep myself busy. Dinner is shepherd's pie (which I still need to make...) and broccoli and carrots. I'm just going to have a small portion.

OrMirian, hurray!!!

OI - yeah, thats brilliant news! Make sure the stiffness goes before you give anything too much a try though - don't want to do yourself another injury!

Laloop, It's not so much the alcohol but the effects of it! I don't drink very much (dispite my recent postings on here ) But when I do drink my resolve weakens and I end up eating things like crisps and dips or a kebab. Then the following day I get the munchies and eat rubbish all day.

Perhaps I should take an oath to abstain from booze until my holiday - although I'm still not sure that would be enough to combat my weekend naughtyness!

I'm hoping the scales will be kind tomorrow I weighed on Friday and I had lost 2 Ibs so hopefully I will have retained at least one of those!

I've just got back from the gym so I'm going to eat my lunch and think about my pledge for this week.

I reckon you'll be fine, Sweetheart, you were so good during the week that it will balance out the weekend. It's another new week tomorrow so we will have to get ourselves really geared up for a good one

Ormrian, that is excellent news. Take it easy if you do start running again.

Sweetheart, if I remember correctly, you are following WW. Have you heard of the Wendy plan where you have some days on very low points and other days, high points? Maybe if you have low point days Monday to Thursday plus gain bonus points through exercising, you can still partake of your indulgences. Just a thought.

Hi MA - sound like the exercise is as follows:-

From straight arms at your sides, hinge from the elbow until palms are to shoulder height. From there rotate the elbows laterally (out to the sides) to horizontal (in line with shoulders. Then straighten arms so still in line with shoulders, and then arms come straight down to sides. If this is the exercise, i'm unsure how much good this would be without hand weights.

I favour just bicep curls at different rythmn rates on their own. Front and side (lateral) rases may be done together in a combination or separately. All to be done with hand weights.

I'm curious to know which exercises would bulk you up as I think it's a load of old ... Us women find it very hard to bulk up without chemicals as we do not have much testosterone in our bodies. Obviously this does vary from person to person but....

thanks for the boost laloop - if things are bad tomorrow then I will just start again!

Speedy - I think your theory is actually what I am sort of doing (but not on purpose!). On the days I am good I stick to under 18 points. I never allow my excercise points as part of my daily food allowance. The I suppose when I'm naughty at weekends it uses up all the excercise points I haven't used during the week which is why I'm still managing to loose the odd pound here and there. Perhaps if I stopped binging at the weekend the weight would fall off worth thinking about!

Well, I went to the gym today and I was thinking about this 5k run. I don't usually do a gym visit on a Tuesday but I've decided that tomorrow I will and I'll try and run a full 5k (I've only managed 3.5 before!). I won't do any weights so I'll have about 45mins to do it (hopefully it won't take me that long!). My pledge for the rest of the week is:-

Wed - lunchtime gym visit
Thur - netball
Fri - probably cross trainer at home
Sat & Sun - might get some excercise in but primarily I must try and be good!!!!

I also have no social things for the next 2 weeks so I'm going to try and have no alcohol. The I can have a week off as I'll be on holiday

Weighed this morning and the scales are at 9st 10lbs so I have lost one pound since last week.

Today's exercise will be Davina DVD at home this morning. Going to do the upper body/arms section after all this talk of toning biceps. I have booked into gym creche for 1.5 hours tomorrow morning so will do a spot of running then a quick swim (I tried to match up the creche session with the bodypump class but have been too slow again and they're all booked up for tomorrow's class).

Thursday will go for a walk (maybe walk to the local swimming pool with ds2 and let him splash about in the toddler pool) and then another gym session on Friday.

Keep up the exercising girls

Sweetheart, good luck with the 5k treadmill run. Don't worry if you haven't got yourself fully up to the 5k distance before your Race for Life day - as long as you're nearly up to the distance, say 4k, then the atmosphere on the day will mean you will cover the extra distance with little effort. It's a fantastic run to take part in.

Laloop - well done YEAH I weighed today too and I've lost 1Ib which brings me down to 9St 12Ibs and a BMI of 23.35. I looked back to check previous weights and I had posted in April that I was very of you being that weight so I'm quite .

Still got 5Ibs to go and less than 2 weeks to get there so I think I'll have to give up on that. I'm feeling pretty nervous about my 5k attempt but I'm off in a min so will let you know how I do. I'm hoping it will take me about 40 mins as I think I'll have to walk a bit to catch my breath!

See you soon!

I did it, I did it, I bloody did it !!!!!!

5Km in 33 mins. 4 km's at 9.0km/Hr and the last Km at 10km/Hr.

I atually felt ok too which I am really surprised about.

grin]