Fun times!

Check out my family blog to see a photo of the President's motorcade! He was in Colorado on Wednesday.

Thursday check-in

I got 4 dvds with my Bender Ball. The one I did the other day was the Pilates Bender Ball workout. Today I did the Level 1 and 2 core workout and the buns & thighs workout. (took about 50 minutes for both) Those are all on just one dvd. Boy, howdy, definitely feeling it! But it's a nice slow pace. Then tonight, went for a walk around the neighborhood for 25 minutes. I walked at a fast pace, my hubby didn't walk quite so far at his slower, hip-replacement pace and we met up again near home. Tomorrow will be super busy, so not sure if I'll get time to workout at all. Hubby has PT app't, we need to get ready for a chocolate party in the evening and it's in Denver. We're going early to have dinner with our friends that live on the same street as our hostess!

So for those who asked, yeah, I do like the Bender Ball, but I've just started with it. It's nice to have a variety of workouts to choose from.

June Exercise Challenge

I'm joining an exercise challenge to help me keep moving. The goal is 400 minutes of exercise in the month of June. I have been logging my exercise, but never stop to add it all up. But I did miss a couple weeks in May by doctor's orders. Getting a little sore from my Bender Ball workout today, but it's a good kind of sore. ;-)

Tuesday weigh in

Wow, it happened again. I was up all week, yesterday it was 193+ and today, it's back down to 190.8. Seems like the only day all week I get that low is Tuesday. I can't wait to find out the results of my hormone/thyroid tests.

It's so hard getting back into a routine after not exercising by doctor's order. And hubby being home messes up my pattern, too. (No offense, honey!)

No sign of a bike yet. I did order the Bender Ball and got 4 dvds with it. Did the Pilates workout today. Felt pretty good and my rib didn't hurt.

Memorial Day - remember the reason

Please go read my sister's blog. It's a reminder of what the holiday truly means.

Medical update

I went to the ENT doc last Thursday. He recommended the fine needle aspiration of the nodule in my thyroid, but is willing to wait a couple months while I get the results of the tests I did on Wed and possibly a few weeks of treatment with liquid iodine. He said 80% of thyroid nodules are not cancerous, the 20% that aren't, 80% of those are benign. It's definitely solid, not a fluid filled cyst. I was grateful he didn't roll his eyes when I asked him how he felt about alternative medicine. :-D

Weight is spiking again, but it's the week before my period starts. I can tell because of the magnetic draw the cheetos in the snack aisle! LOL Lately it's been salty things I crave, not sweet.

Washed my windows yesterday. Is there anything more satisfying than clean windows????? Have lots of sore muscles today. And of course, it looks like it's gonna rain. Sigh.

Wednesday Check In

I did do one rep with the weights yesterday. I use 7 1/2lbs right now. I also did ab crunches on my stability ball.

In the evening, I kicked my husband's butt in Scrabble. First word, I used all 7 tiles and I kept getting some pretty good letters. ;-)

This morning, I did 40 minutes, 2 miles on the treadmill.

Today I'm collecting saliva and urine for very specific hormonal panels checking out my thyroid at the recommendation of my chiropractor. What a fun project. :-P I have an app't with ENT tomorrow and I think I will ask them to wait before doing a biopsy on the nodule in my thyroid. After getting the results of these tests, I will probably be on an iodine supplement and that may make the nodule go away on its own. If I can avoid having a needle stuck in my neck, I would much prefer it.
Here are some good tips from Denise Austin's email this morning:

Strapped for Time?
Having trouble squeezing in your workout? Try these tips from other busy Fit Forever! members:

Set your alarm to go off a half-hour earlier than everyone else's, and get your workout out of the way first thing!

If a mad morning rush leaves you with no time, try getting everything ready the night before (including lunches packed and clothing set out).

Don't be afraid to delegate some household tasks to other family members and make time for exercise! You shouldn't try to do everything all by yourself.

Cut down on kitchen time by making double recipes and freezing half for a quick heat-and-eat meal another day!

Take your kids to a school or park and walk laps while they play or go on a bike ride together.

If you can't fit in one 30-minute walk, break it into three 10-minute jaunts throughout your day.

Tone up with fidgetsizes! Do butt squeezes in the elevator, leg lifts at your desk, leg squats while brushing your teeth, tummy tucks while watching the news, etc. Do what you can, when you can.

Think small! Even if it isn't a full workout, five or 10 minutes of movement is better than nothing!

Healthy You Challenge weigh in

Well, after being up all week long, I'm down to 190.8 this morning. My body is soooo weird! But a lot of mornings, I got up before I wanted to, so I'm always a little heavier then. No sign of the bike yet.

I worked out 3 times last week, plus had a day at the range on Sunday. This morning I did 30 minutes on the treadmill and plan to lift weights. Maybe just one rep today.

Weigh in - 191.2

After getting up to almost 195 this past week, back down to 191.2. Whew! I don't care if my rib does still hurt, I'm getting back into the exercise habit. Too long of resting is not helping me. Did my treadmill this morning for 30 minutes, then took my husband to his physical therapy appointment. He's doing really well after his total hip replacement.

HOLY MOLY!!!! I WON!

I won the Fuji bike!!!!!

I won it on John is Fit's blog.

How cool is that??????? I am so incredibly excited and can't wait to be riding my bike around the neighborhood in the fresh clean mountain air!

Thank you, John, and thank you, Lipton!

Happy Mother's Day to me!

Bike giveaway!

How cool would it be to win a new bike? Lipton Tea is sponsoring a bike giveaway to promote their White Tea calling it "Free Your Y" video contest.

Check out the Scale Junkie's Blog.

Another chance to win at John is Fit. NICE!

And another chance at Finding Flabulous or DOWNSIZE TV

And one more at No more fat dad.

Checking in

I'm up this week, but I'm still resting and it's that time of the month. Hubby's surgery went very well and he is back home already. He was up and walking the day after surgery. He's not to drive for six weeks, so I'll be taking him to physical therapy appointments. So glad I don't work full-time outside the home. Otherwise he might have had to go to a rehabilitation center.

We did LOTS of ballroom dancing last week, so my rib is still hurting. I'll give it a week or so of REALLY resting before scheduling a repeat ct scan. ;-)

Out for a while

My husband is having a total hip replacement in the morning so I'll have limited time on the computer this week since it sounds like the Academy hospital inpatient rooms do not have internet access.

The Incredible Shrinking Woman

I'm bumping this up because I added an after photo of my sister.

Here are some before photos.
Photo on left is June 2005. The pic with my husband greatly disturbed him, so I put up this one of my sister (left) mom (middle) and me (right.) And no, we did not coordinate the wardrobes and matching colors. :-D

Photo on right is Sept 2007





My sister insisted I post an after photo of her, too, since she is ALSO an Incredible Shrinking Woman!


Still hanging around at 191 on the weight, but after taking the photos below last night, I'm not going to obsess over the scale number. I'm continuing to work out and I know I'm so much healthier than when I started at 230+.

The Tales from the Scales challenge website is closing down, so I'm joining a new challenge - the Healthy You Challenge.

Thanks again to Heidi Roizen for the shirt!


Lyrics from the song:
Lifting weights, squats and crunches, I’ve made myself quite buff
Stronger than a locomotive, now I’m powerful and tough
The Incredible Shrinking Woman, that's what my friends call me
Each day a little smaller, it's a miracle to see

Go to Heidi's website to read the lyrics of all the songs.

Here are some tips for Staying on Track from Denise Austin
Staying on Track

If you want to shape up and eat right but are having a hard time making it happen, you're not alone! Here are some tips other Fit Forever! members say help them stay on track when temptation strikes.

* Planning! Lack of planning can be a real stumbling block when it comes to eating right. So set yourself up for success by picking your meals in advance and shopping once a week. This way you'll have all the ingredients on hand and ready to go!
* If you're busy (and who isn't?), make eating right easier by taking advantage of shortcuts, such as packaged fruits and vegetables that are washed, peeled, and ready to eat!
* Keep a few low-calorie frozen meals at home and at work for those days when you're in a time crunch. If you do, you'll always have a healthy option that can be ready in five minutes flat!
* Check out a restaurant's menu and nutrition information on its Web site and decide on a healthy dish before you go. When you get there, stick to it!
* If you're not used to working out, take it slow and steady at first. Remind yourself that it takes 21 days to start a new habit, so don't give up before then!

Health update

Today's weight - 190.4 so still going in the right direction. Yay! (And that's even with making chocolate every day!!!!!) :-D

Yesterday I had a chiropractor app't and talked with her about the thyroid thing. She said she'd recently attended a conference with endocrinologists and they have said that the thyroid blood panel usually run is a little too broad, so they are recommending more specific tests involving saliva and urine collection on specific days of your cycle. (Yuck!) She's doing it herself this weekend and is going to let me know how it goes and get me pricing info on it. (I won't be able to do it until mid-May or later.) She didn't want to suggest liquid iodine for me until I took those tests. I'd asked her about the liquid iodine because my sister talked to her chiropractor and that's what they recommended. I looked at it online and it's also good for fibrous cysts, which I'm also prone to, so it might be good for me anyway!

Got a call from the Academy app't line and have an app't with an ENT there on May 22. Fun times.

Pulled the muscle in my rib again last night after it had been feeling good. Rats. Just when I think I can get exercising again.

Testing to see if you can see the new Dove Chocolate at Home products.