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Daily Exercise Journal


lmgervais

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Sorry I haven't posted early every day - I do intend to "report in" daily.

Liza, you are a great inspiration! I think it's wonderful that you have kept this up, regardless of the weather, the weekend - you haven't given up and excused yourself.

Heidi, I'm glad to hear your PT is done. Is your leg and "attached area" all healed? How great that you have a friend in town to go to the gym with.

Ooh Traci - a dollhouse store along the way? What a great incentive to take a walk! Even with no spending money, it will be nice to window shop.

I've had a slow day again today - I will get out, but not for long. The snow (and my back) are not such great incentives. :yes: I hate to hand out excuses ... especially when they're not very good ones! I shall stop complaining, and get on with things. :thumb:

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We have internet access at this campground! OK, too much rain to paddle or anything else while we stayed at Defuniak Springs Tuesday & Wednesday, so we went on a thrift shopping rampage, lots of running here & there & slow walking. Thursday we got to our campground in the woods and the water was still too high to use the parking lot at the office; DH had to wade to the office, the day before the staff had to paddle canoes to reach it.

Our first hike started at 0800 in AL's Escambia County and we hiked 8+ miles to the North side of the Kennedy bridge, since the road on both sides was no more... There was one field full of pitcher plants, and at Hurricane Lake there was a line of debris along the side of the dam that included some casualties (phew!).

The rest of the hikes start at 0700 and Saturday we started at the other end of the Kennedy bridge and I made 6 miles through knee-high flooded sections of trail and mold-slicked puncheons (two- & three-board wide walkways over fragile ecosystems, mostly wetlands); I fell on one, twice, and injured both knees and my lower back, which has definitely messed with my distance capacity! DH finished that day's 9 miles. No snakes, despite everyone's expectations; since I'm not particularly afraid of them I got to go first.

Sunday I was SO sore I had to use my cane all day, so I skipped that day's hike; DH fell on his face and strained his wrist, so I Ace-wrapped it.

Monday was a 12-mile day, I finished 7 miles of wading and hills and my back said "That's enough" and I rode back to the truck. Still no animals to see, but lots of flowers.

Tuesday my back AND knees decided they didn't want to do 12 more miles, or any part of it, so I stayed home; the right lens fell out of my glasses at 0830 and I was blind the rest of the day, and VERY glad that hadn't happened on the trail! The optician at Wally World fixed it and used Loc-Tite on the screws on both sides.

Today we did a 15-mile section through Eglin AFB that was BEAUTIFUL! woods. I got 8 miles before pooping out.

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Holly, That's Great! You are such an energizing person!! I hope your knees feel better too :D I am amazed at your determination. It is so inspiring to see and hear what you do (Hey do you have any pictures for us? If not, get some for us :p )

I did not get to work out yesterday at all. I had to go to Chicago at short notice and ended up just getting back home today. I did walk on my treadmill this evening though. I am 2 days behind on my workout cause I did not do the DVDs yesterday or today. I'll get back to it in the morning.

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Tracy, you're so right about listening to music while you work. I enjoy doing the dishes so much more when I can croon along with the Beatles, Elvis, or Nat King Cole, or my "Best of the 60's" CDs. I really admire the dedication you have - three miles is an "off" day??? You must be in pretty good shape already. :p

Rosalind, it took me a while to be able to walk 3 miles! When I first started walking at the track, I could only go around 3 times in thirty minutes in January (which is only 1/2 a mile)!! Every time I went, I went around an extra time. I just recently got a Treadmill (Like a month ago) and I did not feel as self conscious about walking and tripping over myself :D (I'm very clumsy ;) )

With that, I could get on it at different times during the day and now I can do it all in one walk!! So I took baby steps for sure. Celebrate every time you do a little extra. I also got a pedometer to count how many steps I take every day and that keeps me going too. Sometimes, I would see I did not do as many steps that day than I did the previous day and so I would walk to the kitchen to get some water and go back to my bedroom cause one of my goals the 1st month was to increase the steps I take everyday.

Little things really does add up

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PT is over. Over all my pain and problem with my leg are about 80-90% improved with the PT and the exercises I did at home. I still have some issues that I have to deal with. I have to persuade the Dr. that there is something else going on. My upper back in my spine area still hurts and I still have numbness in my foot (that was not there before the attack). The P. therapist told me to not do any exercises that require me to bend or twist at all until I have a thorough look at my spine.

My friend and I have been friends for 16 years. There are really three of us. I have always been the smallest out of the group. In the past year I have noticed that my friend Donna (the one going to the gym) has been having major mobility issues. Her weight is affecting her knees..among other things. She is so psyched about going to the gym with me. The third friend has many many excuses as to why she does not want to join. We all know it is not the money. She can afford the $10 a month fee. Donna keeps trying to convince her. The third friend is the largest of us. I told Donna to leave her be. If she changes her mind, she is always welcome to join us later!

Since Donna is larger and has the knee issues, I am going to stage our regimen to fit her abilities. I can always go the other days of the week if I want to get some extra work in.

This is our plan:

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. 7pm-8pm. But we do not have to stay until 8pm if she cannot handle doing it the whole time. I think a half an hour 3 times a week for a while will be good. No exercise classes at all right now. Since her issue is with her knees, we are going to stick to the elliptical machines for now. I do not want to lose her as a partner so I am not going to push her into anything. Once she gets going, she can go do what she wants. But she is looking for my guidance right now. I talked with my PT about it and this is what he told me to do with her and me.

10 mins on three machines should be a good start. That would be 30 mins. If she wants to do more after the 30..We will go for it. But I think for now..slow and steady wins the race.

I talked to Fred about my next plan. If Donna and I continue with this on a regular basis and we are still going strong by the fall,I am going to buy her an iPod for her birthday in October. Not an uber expensive one. Then we will have music to listen to while we exercise.

So that is it. Oh yeah. We are going to weigh in front of each other at the gym. Starting weight..I am going to write it down. No competition either. I told her that I am already smaller then her and have more energy. I may lose faster then her in the beginning. So there will be NO rubbing it in each others faces. This is a team effort. Kinda like the Biggest Loser but in real life...and the only prize at the end is a healthier us.

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Good for you, Heidi! I hope that both you and Donna stick with it for your own sakes.

Went for my walk today but, instead of walking around the block, I walked to the mailbox and back. About the same distance. Not ready for anything longer yet. To be any longer, I would almost have to double the length of my walk, and I am not up to that yet! Maybe soon, but not yet.

Since I always work on my Buttercup before coming up here to post, I decided to take a few pictures of the progress I've made, and added two new pictures to the gallery. I'm really happy with how it is coming along, and glad that I bashed it in spite of all the headaches it's been giving me. It just screamed at me that it wanted to be bigger, so I had to obey!

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I only got in 4 miles today; I caught a ride to our "break" stop and intended to rejoin the hike for the last 5 miles; as we got up from the table to go back out something spasmed in my back and our "Trail Angel" brought me on back to the camper.

Tomorrow's hike is about 10 miles between Navarre Beach & Pensacola Beach, and the road is open, so if I get tired of walking on sand I can walk on pavement. Today's hike was all on pavement, and my feet didn't care for that; and apparently neither did my back. We'll see how much better everything likes sand!

One of our fellow hikers works for the Florida Trail Association in the State Office in Gainesville, FL, and she is making us all photo CDs of all the pictures everyone's taking, so I'll have to post some of them in my "Play Time" album; especially the one of me doing the "low crawl" under a downed tree!

Heidi, I'm curious to hear how much better your leg & foot are doing since the PT.

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Liza, you are really keeping up on this - thank goodness, because I know it's keeping me going, when I read how you're doing. I'm going to have a look at your new Buttercup pics after this post.

I also decided to change my route for a ... well, change! :whistle: It does feel different - and it doesn't hurt that most of the snow has gone, and the sun is shining. I've found that I walk faster when nobody is around, so will try to time my walks after the schoolkids have passed by. (I would love an invisible suit!)

Tracy, taking baby steps is definitely where I'm at - but enjoying it nonetheless. :p The pedometer would be a great way to keep track of just how much work gets done - I'll have to look into that. You've achieved such a lot in a relatively short period of time - congratulations!

Holly, it's a good thing that you were a nurse - you recognise the signs your body gives you straight away - plus, you can whip out the first aid pronto, when DH needs a bandage! ;) :groucho: The Trail Angel is a super way to do what you can, knowing that you can beg off when you need to.

Heidi, this is a wonderful opportunity for you and Donna - maybe your other friend will feel motivated to join you when she sees you both doing well. You're a good friend, tailoring the routine around what Donna can do - and yes, you want to keep her as a partner, but it's still very thoughtful of you. The Ipod is a fantastic idea! $10.00 a month for a gym membership? I wish they had a gym like that around here.

Liza, I just took a peek at your pics - what did you use to add onto the Buttercup? It looks great so far - Mrs. Buttercup is a lucky lady! :)

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Does driving all over hither and yon count as exercise? Because it feels like it to me!

Unfortunately, not really Heidi, even though it can sometimes make you just as tired as if you were running around on your own two legs!

Thats right, Rosalind, keep up those baby steps as much as you can without overdoing anything!

For my Buttercup, I used pieces of the Glencroft that I am not going to use - all that Tudor trim. I just put a layer of glue on the sheet and let it dry before cutting it out on the table saw. It is 2" wider to the right of the door, 4" wider to the left, and the second floor is 2" taller. A challenge, to say the least, since I can't seem to cut straight, even with a saw. However, my little old lady won't mind a bit of a little old crooked house! :giggle:

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Thank you to those who have given me words of encouragement. It was starting to feel like this topic was my personal accountability to keep up the daily walks. Guess it wasn't that interesting of a topic for others after all. Even if it ends up just being daily boring posts from me, I will still post. It may be boring, but then others just don't have to read it, and having this topic reminds me to walk and why I walk everyday!

Liza, don't forget to check how many 'Views' this thread has. I just looked and it has 339 (I think that was the number - I've forgotten already!) So even though not everyone posts, a lot of people are interested!

Keep up the good work!

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Liza, I love how you Bashed the Buttercup!!! It looks Great!! Do you find that you and your daughter are talking more now that you walk together? My oldest daughter is my walking partner too. On days I don't want to work out, she encourages me by saying "Well I gotta do it anyway" and so I get up and do it with her.

Heidi, that's cool that your friend is walking with you too.

Jeffrey, how cool that you are walking with your Mom!! I wish I lived closer to my Mom, she would be like the most PERFECT workout partner for me! We call each other every morning to encourage each other to do something (She does Leslie Sansone walk away the pounds) by 3pm we check to see if the other has done the workout but it would be so much fun to do it together like we did when I was a preteen. She had a Jane Fonda work out tape we would do together and we would just bond. I miss that. Jeffrey, you made me take this trip down memory lane by mentioning that so thanks for sharing :giggle:

Rosalind, go to the Dollar Tree dollar store, they have pedometers there in all colors!! They even have weights (none more than 3 pounds but that's great for walking with and toning the arms )!!

I worked my Core muscles today. I could only do 45 min..... I got dizzy today for some reason so I stopped 20min early. The "Core Synergistics" DVD is the hardest one for me so I guess I have a weak core :jawdrop: . There are like a million types of pushups he (the DVD instructor) does with the core routine and I just said that's enough (So I wimped out on it early again like I did last week at the same point :( )!! Tomorrow, I do Cardio X I am tiered just thinking about it (Maybe I'll cheat and just walk on the treadmill if I still feel so drained tomorrow) :)

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Does driving all over hither and yon count as exercise? Because it feels like it to me!
It is Draining but I'm with Liza, I don't think it counts :jawdrop: & Liza, Yeap, you are an inspiration which is why I thought it would be great to "pin" the topic so it'll show up at the top. You & Jeffery really are helping us remember to think about OURSELVES & our HEALTH!! It's so important but most of us moms worry about everyone but ourselves and sheesh, I promise myself every year I am going to make a change and so this year, I am actually motivated to do it and it's because I have been reading about others success here! Nutti, Peachie and then the weight loss thread is so encouraging!

Thanks Greenleaf Family :giggle: All right, I gotta go to bed now :)

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Liza, I love how you Bashed the Buttercup!!! It looks Great!! Do you find that you and your daughter are talking more now that you walk together? My oldest daughter is my walking partner too. On days I don't want to work out, she encourages me by saying "Well I gotta do it anyway" and so I get up and do it with her.

Thanks, Tracy, about the Buttercup. As for my daughter, we are learning to be silly together at the bus stop. Nothing really serious then, just a low pressure time to move around and be silly to keep warm (up until now). It is helping her emotionally and helping me develop a better relationship her. She even reminds me every school day that it's time to leave!

I already got my walk in this morning about 20 minutes ago. I was tired of having these half-awake/half-asleep dreams and it was light enough out, so I got dressed and went. Took a longer route today - about an extra half block or so. We have paths half-way down each block, so I went through there for two blocks, then back around our block. There was a chill in the air and frost on the cars and roofs, and I get a bit winded with every walk, but it was nice to be out with all the robin, singing to try to attract a mate.

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I get a bit winded with every walk
When you stop getting winded it's time to walk longer distances. Pain is the feeling of weakness leaving your body.

My back is some better today, but I've been awake since 0115 with indigestion; I took a ranitidine tablet and a little after 0400 I finally stopped feeling discomfort; however, DH had to get up at 0430 to get to today's hike rendezvous for a 0700 start, so I'm on my way back to bed shortly.

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lol your welcome tracy! it would have been with my mom and oma (grandma) but she had a doctors appointment so she left for her walk 10 minutes before us lol

i was going to do the weight bench again today but im still so sore from wednesday. maybe monday (weekends are busier than weekdays :giggle: )

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Jeff, every other day on the weightbench (or daily, but working different muscle groups) and start S L O W!, just until you feel the burn, then STOP and add to your reps when you don't feel the burn any more. Listen to your bodies, gents & ladies! Don't go 'til they scream, or they'll quit on you.

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well i didnt have any problem when i was doing it on wednesday but the day after i was hurting. i was planning on M W F and then walking on the other days.

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I won't be finishing the hike tomorrow, I felt incredibly sharp pain in my right ankle this AM taking garbage to the dumpster and now it & my foot are swollen.

Please take care of yourself and get it treated if necessary.

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