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Daily Exercise Journal


lmgervais

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Holly, the odd thing, at least to me, about the fitness center is that *nobody* talks. The only noise comes from the treadmills and the canned music. Everyone seems to work very hard at avoiding eye contact. We're like little zombies going about our routines and then slinking out the door.

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That's part of the reason I finally quit. I'd sit in the sauna quietly roasting the kinks out of my muscles and attempt to strike up a conversation with the other ladies there, or in the hot tub, and they'd either look away or look at me like I had two heads.

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Not having used a gym as an adult, I had no idea they were so isolating! Perhaps walking around the neighbourhood isn't such a bad thing to do after all. At least the people I pass by smile and say hello. (Most of them.)

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I suspect that unlike minis, when I work out I don't get "into" it enough to hit "the Zone", which is what I think a lot of the folks at the gym tend to do. I do tend to zone out hiking and paddling, but if we're with a large group we all chat, so I'm not sure what it is about gyms. I had hoped folks had gotten over that. Maybe the trainers discourage people from interacting in case they pick up bad habits? I never had any staff person offer to show me anything, so I learned from watching!lol

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I do sneak peaks now and then if I see someone using a piece of equipment I haven't yet tried. But the rest of the time I try not to focus on anyone. Of course, if I took my trifocal glasses off I wouldn't be able to focus on anything! :blink: I'd love it if the center had a sauna but all it has is a tanning bed. :angry: I do try to imagine what someone actually hears over the canned music, while they're thumping on the treadmill, and listening to the i-pod. Makes my ears hurt just thinking about it.

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Congratulations Freya! You are doing Fabulous!! You have the right attitude to continue to succeed! You are so inspiring too. :)

Unfortunately for me, I have gained 12 pounds since September because I have been unable to workout (Doctors orders) because I've been too sick (Thyroid acting up again with new symptoms). Anyway, until that is back in check, I can't do anything but walk. I can't wait to feel the weights in my hands again... :(

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  • 3 weeks later...

Getting to the gym got a whole lot tougher. My car did not make it back from Thanksgiving at my brother's and will take months to scrape up enough to get the most modest of cars. It's .87 mile to the bus stop, then a couple blocks on the other end. But I've made the trip twice this week now and hope that the cold weather and winter storms won't make getting there too miserable.

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Sorry to hear about the demise of your car. That's a real challenge - but from what you've shown us all, you can rise to a challenge, Lynette! I hope the fresh air and outdoor exercise will serve to enhance your workouts. :)

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Around the time my Spring Fling arrived, my best friend underwent surgery for endometrial cancer, then developed the worst infection the surgeon had ever seen, then it was radiation. So I was rather distracted. She's supposed to have a follow up with the radiation people soon.

My second eldest niece came and stayed the summer to do an internship for an old school chum of mine, and we went hiking every week. Shortly after she went back to college, I did my biggest hike yet, 2700' of elevation and 5.8 miles in length. It took me 6.5 hours. When I got up near the top, the trail emerged where you could see the canyon just hiked up and my response was "wow!"

Unfortunately fresh air is not something Salt Lake is known for. Due to the geological configuration of lake and mountains here, we get terrible temperature inversions which trap the bad air in the valley and we frequently have the worst air quality in the country in the winter. I don't know if wearing an air filter mask would help or not. The plan was to drive up one canyon and walk outdoors, but that's out for the time being.

So the plan is to get to the gym by bus (hopefully a bike will become available soon, I lent mine to my niece 45 miles away, then I can bike to the bus stop). Also I'll try to get back into exercising at home with dvds, my step, resistance tubes, dumb bells, exercise ball, and recumbent bike.

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I've been on a plateau for a while but I think I may break it this month. There are signs of progress in a few areas besides the stalled weight loss. When I don't get some activities these days I feel anxious and restless. My auto pilot has become set for the gym at a certain intersection, which tells how far I've come.

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Those plateaus are tough - I have more trouble with them than I did before. I have managed to lose a little weight recently, although I am still not able to do exercise (due to the back injury I incurred almost two years ago).

Now that your workouts have become second nature, you'll be smashing through those plateaus, Lynette!

Do any of you watch "The Biggest Loser"? I like to see it now and then - they inspire me. They work so hard - and it pays off. :)

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I do watch the Biggest Loser regularly. It was last spring's show when sisters where weighing in, one at 280 and the other at 210 that made me wake up as to how I perceive my appearance. Before that I still viewed myself as the 290 person I'd been instead of the 220 pound person I'd become, suddenly those who were the same size I'd started at started to look huge.

I haven't developed a clear favorite for this season's winner. I feel it will be John, but somehow I feel others are more deserving. I approve of them holding a marathon for all players for a chance to be a finalist. It seems much fairer than basing who gets back in the game based on one challenge or at home weight loss and will motivate all to push themselves further. Running (or jogging which most will be doing) burns a lot of calories, so the at home players should have much better results this season.

I want to get back into jogging myself, but I keep getting flareups of my foot and ankle problems which set me back. In my youth I was a road racer and I crave being able to do it again. My podiatrist says go for it, so it's pretty much a matter of not wrenching my ankle at this point. The frequency of the ankle problems had decreased dramatically and when it does act up I don't lose my balance and fall. As I lose more weight, the problems will become less and less, so I'm confident I'll be able to do it at some point. I'd like to shoot for a 5k.

I know I have a long way to go yet, but with hard work and careful nutritional choices I know I have the tools to go much further.

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Lynette, if you've gone from 290 to 220 on your own, you KNOW you can make it!, you've already lost half a person! Start walking that 5k and gradually increase your speed. I'm just so proud of you I could burst!

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It's not going to be my typical birthday. My dear friend Jane, whom I've known since first grade and Wendy whom I met in junior high get together every year for my birthday. This year Jane called Wendy to see about setting up our annual lunch. How are you doing, Jane. Not very well, responds Wendy, my mom just died. So we went to a funeral instead. Jane very kindly came to get me and take her back out to her neck of the woods for the service, we got some Chinese food, went back to her house for kids getting home from school and being taken to their destinations, then Jane took me back home, giving me a second hand bike she found as a present so it's easier for me to get around. Then Jane went to help her parents out at the old family home a mile away.

I'll be getting a chain to lock up my bike tomorrow after Boot Camp. The city buses have a rack on which one may place bikes, so I won't have to walk so far in these cold temperatures and poor air quality.

I found out my friend Charles has snow shoes and I was really excited, because I wanted to try it, so I could exercise in the canyons away from the temperature inversion, but I forgot the little detail of how would I get up there to go snowshoeing. I guess I'll have to talk my sister in law into taking the kids snowshoeing again this year, which is where I got the idea in the first place.

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Happy Birthday, Lynette! The bike is an awesome present - just what you needed. Sorry to hear of your friend's loss.

I belonged to the Orienteering Club in grade seven, and we had some interesting expeditions. Once we had to find our way back to a central meeting area (after being dropped off in different locations by the teacher in charge of the club), using various clues that we found along the way. We had compasses, and a map. We were paired up in teams of two. It was a winter adventure, and we were using snowshoes. At one point we had to cross a small, frozen stream. Well, naturally, the stream wasn't completely frozen - so one of my snowshoes got stuck under the ice. My partner thought this was hilarious! Fortunately, the stream was shallow. That was my one and only experience snowshoeing.

I wish you better luck, Lynette!

I"m like you, Holly - no fan of snow, ice, or cold weather. I don't ski, skate, snowboard, skidoo - or enjoy anything else wintry! But I live in Ontario - we have snow on the ground as I type. Every winter I wish I could hibernate until the spring.

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Not belated, Holly! But today has been very quiet because I came down with a case of stomach flu. The symptoms are mostly gone, may appetite is returning and I had some fruit salad without much problem. I think I'll have a toasted cheese and chicken sandwich in a bit.

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Well happy birthday on time, then, and I'm sorry you were sick, glad you're on the mend. The other hiking club we belong to is having a hike at tomorrow's Christmas party, and instead of gifts everyone brings nonperishable food for the food banks.

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Today I road the bike my friend gave me to the gym for water aerobics. It was much easier going than the mountain bike I lent my niece, perhaps because it's just a 10 speed and lighter, perhaps because it's a better bike brand. One thing I discovered is that my ears get very cold. I usually wear a winter hat when I'm out, but I realized that the bike helmet wasn't going to work with it. I may experiment with a few other styles of hats to see if any are slim enough to wear under the helmet or whether I need to get a set of ear muffs.

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