Get fit together support group, and: Join the President's Challenge!

[MouseWife]

I joined up on the Yahoo! site but I have been derailed from my two week haitus...it has become at least three...oral surgery has put me back! I was able to get in a run Monday morning and then BLAM! right into the dentist.


I hope I am not away from exercising too long.

Has anyone else had a tooth hurt severly from intense exercise?

SacTown Chronic~ Yeah for you! Hey, I work out at home, too. Except for running and walking.

Go team, Whatever!!

[Lani]

Go team, Whatever!!

Team Whatever!! Wooo!!! LOL.

[SacTown Chronic]

Team Whatever rocks!

[dsnyredhead]

This is a great thread. I needed to read this!



I've been having awful sporadic pains in my lower back, shooting down one or both legs. It comes and goes. Sciatic nerve, I expect. I like to be active - gardening (including heavy yard work on our wooded acres), horsebackriding, walking - but I pay the price now in subsequent days of sharp pains in my lower back, legs and rear end when I straighten up after bending over (like when I pick up a pet food dish off the floor). This is the first year I've ever experienced anything like this, and I think horrified thoughts of my friend who had a lumbar back operation to replace his ruptured intervertebral disk. I know I should lose weight - and I am thinking about Cortislim because the weight is mostly in my tummy, and VERY hard to lose. But I would much rather lose it naturally, through exercise, if possible.

As someone with a bad back I can relate here. I get the sciatica (pain in back and down legs). I also get alot of muscle spasms. My lumbar discs are pretty much falling apart.

I've been told by doctors that I need to lose weight. I was told this two years ago and then decided to have a kid (so much for that idea..lol). I keep thinking I really need to get into some type of program that would allow me to lose some weight without taking too much time away from the baby. My biggest problem is I am one of those who quickly finds excuses NOT to exercise. My second biggest problem is I have a hard time exercising alot because of the back problems.

I've been looking at the link here and wondering if maybe I should just sign up and get a little motivated more.. I just find excuses. I really need to get back to it (no pun intended).

From the looks of the link, just about any exercise is valid. Now, if I can just get myself to sign up, and drag myself to the swimming pool or at least out the door walking.

[Lani]

I keep thinking I really need to get into some type of program that would allow me to lose some weight without taking too much time away from the baby. My biggest problem is I am one of those who quickly finds excuses NOT to exercise. My second biggest problem is I can't even walk for a mile before my back problems act up.

Hi dsnyredhead! It's kind of a vicious cycle -- can't exercise because the back hurts, the back hurts because you're out of shape, can't exercise because the back hurts, and on and on.

If you have back problems, obviously you want to make sure you talk to your doctor before starting any exercise program, but one of the best things you can try is to build your core -- that is, your middle. Your abs, and your back muscles. The easiest one to do, and it really only takes a couple of minutes, is the pelvic tilt. This
page has good instructions on how to do it. You can slowly add more difficult abdominal exercises... Within just a few weeks you should notice a difference, and it should be easier to walk.

Consider taking your baby in a stroller and walking to the park. It's a great way to bond with baby, and a good way to enjoy the outdoors and get some exericse.

[dsnyredhead]

Consider taking your baby in a stroller and walking to the park. It's a great way to bond with baby, and a good way to enjoy the outdoors and get some exericse.

If you are talking about walking to Disneyland Park, I would never make it! LOL

[Lani]

If you are talking about walking to Disneyland Park, I would never make it! LOL

Oh, I meant your neighborhood park! LOL

[Lani]

I am very happy to announce that SPOOKREPITUS (Carolyn) is our very first recipient of the Advanced Performance Presidential Champions award program. Over the weekend, she reached over 40,000 qualifying points, earning her the Bronze Award for this highly competitive athletic category.

Spook, please PM me with your full name and mailing address, so I can pop your lapel pin and certificate in the mail for you. Yay Carolyn!!

Everyone else who earned awards -- I'm waiting to mail out your packets until I get a new stock of button supplies so I can also make you some "GO TEAM GO" buttons.

For wont of another name, it's just GO TEAM GO! For now. Which I guess means we're Team Go? Dunno! See Team Go. Go Team Go! Yaaaaayyyyy Team!

--------------------------------

A few folks have asked me what the difference is between the Presidential Champion and the Advanced Performance Presidential Champion award programs. The two big differences are that the Presidential Champion program caps your daily limit to 750 points, but you only need 20,000 points to earn your Bronze award. The Advanced program has no daily cap, but requires you to be active more than an hour a day, at least 5 days a week, and sets a threshold of 40,000 points for the Bronze award.

Which you decide to do is up to you, and you can change your goals at any time. The way I'm doing it, I'll try to achieve the silver and gold at the regular level, and then move up to the advanced program after that to set myself a higher challenge, if I'm feeling up to it at the time.

[MouseWife]

What a very nice surprise to go and get my mail today~

There was an envelope with my name on it!

My Bronze award and my certificate! They are both actually very nice looking, I must say. I even feel a little proud that I, MouseWife, have earned these!!

Thank you, Lani, so very much for heading this up. It is a real incentive to be able to see the points add up. So very generous of you to use your own personal time to do this for us all.

And thanks for the other pins, too!!

Go, Team Go!!!

[Lani]

Thank you, Lani, so very much for heading this up. It is a real incentive to be able to see the points add up. So very generous of you to use your own personal time to do this for us all.

And thanks for the other pins, too!!

Go, Team Go!!!

You're most welcome! That didn't take very long (I mailed it earlier this week). I hope this encourages others to join up, or for those taking the challenge to sign up. Signing up costs you nothing -- but a better body and and clearer mind!

Now, I wish there were some way we could get in touch with Spookrepitus. My attempts to contact her have not been successful.

Go Team Go!!

[Lani]

OK I got a hold of spookrepitus. Yay!

[Mark Goldhaber]

My Active Lifestyle certificate/pin came today. Pretty good speed for cross-country.

Still going with Wayne and Garth's approach. "I'm not worthy!" Still nice to get it. Thanks, Lani!

[biolabetty]

I just signed up. I am determined to finally finish losing the weight I gained with my last baby. I exercised all the time before I had my last two children, so it is definitely time to be doing this. Being accountable will help me, I'm going to try doing this at home instead of the gym this time.

[Lani]

Yay biolabetty! Welcome to our team, Team Go! (or as we like to say, "Go Team Go!") As long as ya got "get up and go," you're on our team!

It doesn't matter if you do it at home or at the gym. Put your kids in your stroller and walk around the block, or go out to the back yard and play hide and seek or tag with your kids. Did you know that "Children's Games" is a bona fide exercise category in the President's Challenge program?

I've gotten into the habit of logging my points as soon as I get to the computer, and that helps a lot.

So now, we have an incredible TWENTY-NINE people on our program!

I do see, though, that some folks signed up but never got their butts in gear, so betty, it looks like even as our newest member, you don't have the least number of points!!

I'm not going to list points, since people all started at different times, but I AM going to list the last day they exercised! The pressure's on to shake your booty, everybody!!

-----------------------

Active Lifestyle (30 minutes a day at least five days out of the week for six out of eight weeks):

• avp -- June 27, 2004
• baileykat -- May 22, 2004
• cirquelover -- June 12, 2004
• cryan71 -- June 28, 2004
• Tinker Bell -- May 23, 2004
• DisneyDyke -- May 13, 2004
• Disneyphile -- no points
• dsnyredhead -- July 02, 2004
• Leap for Joy -- May 19, 2004
• *Mark Goldhaber -- July 02, 2004
• MegaMan -- June 30, 2004
• mrs_toad -- May 18, 2004
• Nephythys -- no points
• simzac -- May 23, 2004
• sjcivilady -- June 18, 2004
• SusanP. -- May 31, 2004
• sassy -- no points

Presidential Champion Up to 750 points a day to reach a goal of 20,000 points for Bronze, 45,000 points for Silver, and 80,000 for Gold:

• 3894 -- June 23, 2004
• Bill Catherall -- June 28, 2004
• biolabetty -- July 1,2004
• hersheythecat -- June 25, 2004
• *Lani -- July 03, 2004
• millionairegirl -- June 1,2004
• *MouseWife -- July 1,2004
• *SacTown Chronic -- June 22, 2004
• Tim L. -- July 1,2004

Advanced Performance Presidential Champion ("Presidential Performance") - At least one hour a day, five times a week or more for the competitive athlete. Does not have a daily cap like the Presidential Champion program, and milestones are: 40,000 for Bronze, 90,000 for Silver, and 160,000 for Gold:

• *DisneyFan25863 -- [completed Active Lifestyle, has moved up to Presidential Performance] June 7, 2004
• Radical Rico -- June 29, 2004
• *spookrepitus -- June 25, 2004

[* denotes completion of award. Active Lifestyle participants can continue in the program, or move up to Presidential Champion program, while Presidential Champion participants can continue up from Bronze, Silver, to Gold.]

[Lani]

My Active Lifestyle certificate/pin came today. Pretty good speed for cross-country.

Still going with Wayne and Garth's approach. "I'm not worthy!" Still nice to get it. Thanks, Lani!

Yay! Mark, you are SO worthy. This is not a subjective plan. It's a point-based program, so you can't sweet-talk your way into getting an award. You definitely earned it! Most of all, I think the program is a great way for us to remember that just a little bit a day adds up. Thirty minutes a day -- the length of ONE sitcom or the local news. If you have a treadmill at home, you can watch it while you walk, even. There are 24 hours in a day. Just half an hour of it spent taking care of your body is a great -- and very cheap -- way to live longer, and live healthier! Mark, have you started noticing a difference? Maybe you don't get quite so winded walking up the stairs, or you don't feel so tired in the afternoons? I'm so proud of you, Mark!

[Mark Goldhaber]

Actually, the pants feel just a little bit looser the last couple of days. I want to see if it still feels that way in a few days or if it's a fluke.

And I've been using the time on the treadmill lately to look at some old WDW vacation videos. The 1993 Magic Kingdom Club one was interesting....

I'm hoping to eventually get to the point where I'm meeting the criteria WITHOUT including the pedometer info. Until then, I still feel like I'm cheating a little.

[dsnyredhead]

Thirty minutes a day -- the length of ONE sitcom or the local news. If you have a treadmill at home, you can watch it while you walk, even.

That's good to know, 30 minutes a day is about it for me.

[SacTown Chronic]

Thanks Lani for sending the Bronze award and including those cool MP pins. You are a great team cheerleader.

[Lani]

I'm hoping to eventually get to the point where I'm meeting the criteria WITHOUT including the pedometer info. Until then, I still feel like I'm cheating a little.

Bah. Cheating with your pedometer is if you attach it to a metronome and let it run on its own!

Vacation videos -- that's a great idea. Or reading a chapter of a book (I can't do it, but I might be able to use larger-print editions so it's easier to track the words on the page), or watching TV. Multi-tasking works.

[Lani]

I'd like to welcome our newest member of the go-team-go, AdrienneQW!! Yay Adrienne!!

[AdrienneQW]

Yay, let's hear it for the 100+ Pounds To Lose Club! (looking around) Or am I the only member of that club? (Which would be okay, since that would automatically make me President... errr, make that "Most Royal Holy Goddess On High")

I'm 43 pounds down, 119 pounds to go. This sounds like a fun way to track my activity - Lani, I promise I'll start logging this weekend!

[Mark Goldhaber]

While I'm ahead of you in the program, you're way ahead of me in the poundage department. Keep on going!

Mark (another member of the 100+ to lose club)

[MouseWife]

Hey you guys, that is great to hear!

I was a member of that club!! I started last April and it took me one year to hit the 100 mark. It is possible! I know that I really didn't think so but I gave it all I had and it worked! It is so worth it.

Getting physically fit has made me a much more happy person. Tonight while I was working out {and I will log in soon, too, Lani!!} I was playing my music. I got to my punching bag and the song I do that to is Audioslave's 'Show Me How To Live'. It really hits home with me. I have used that song in my workouts since I first heard it.

Two reasons, one line, 'You thought you made a man, you'd better think again!!' Well, I was supposed to be boy in the way our family worked and I am definitely not. So, I enjoy punching the bag really hard at that part. But, the 'Show Me How To Live' really fits that I want to live!!! And live fit!

So, I am so glad Lani has gotten this going and that so many people are signed up. It is so important. I know I was headed towards a very unhealthy future and I didn't want it.

Remember that when people try to persuade you to sway from your goals...

[Lani]

Thanks for your words, MouseWife! You are a real inspiration!

And now, I'd like to congratulate.....

Bill Catherall!!! Woooo!!!

He had a slight hiccup with his online log, but he is now a bona fide Presidential Champion Bronze Award recipient!! Bill, you can expect to get your certificate and lapel pin after this week (when I get home).

Bill is another great motivater. He has changed his lifestyle -- both what he eats, and how active he is. He concentrated initially on weight loss, and now he is working on gaining muscle. I only see Bill about twice a year, so his changes are very noticeable to me. The last time I saw him, I kept telling him how great he was looking. He's starting to look really buff, and very healthy!

By the way, one thing I hope we've been repeating here, is that we are not necessarily talking about people going on diets or trying to lose weight. This is all about leading a healthier lifestyle. If that means fewer Happy Meals, that's great -- but most of all, it's best to get out and shake our bodies! Just getting out for a 10-minute walk once a day will make you feel better and more alert. It can help you improve on things like your resting heart rate and blood pressure. Keep challenging yourself by increasing the amount of time you work out, or increasing the effort, and you will discover a more healthier appetite (where you want to eat veggies instead of bon bons, for example). You will feel less tired in the afternoon and avoid needing to take a nap. And if you lose a bit of weight, or your pants get looser, that is awesome!!

Get healthy, be happy!!

Yay team!

[Bill Catherall]

Thanks for the props Lani.

Last week I put myself through the test and it really felt good to be back in shape again. I went on a week long camping trip with my Scout troop. The activities we engaged in at 6500 feet really put strength and endurance to the test. I can't say I performed at the level I would like to have, but I was able to easily keep up with youth half my age and I never felt too tired to just go hike a mountain. It felt good.

Most of the activities I participated in I wasn't able to log because I just don't know what to log it in under, so I just made some estimates and put it all under hiking since it was pretty much just a lot of walking and sometimes even running through hills and brush. *shrug*

However, sleeping on the ground for a week didn't do any good for my back. I didn't have any back pains going into this, but after getting back home I've been feeling some uncomfortable tightness in my lower back. Then this morning, thinking my usual warm-up and stretching routine would be good enough, I started into some squats and made things worse. I even started out at a much lower weight than usual just to be sure I was ready. It's a good thing I did too or I'd really be in some serious pain. I pulled all the weights off and squatted only the bar and even that hurt. So the rest of the workout I kept things really light being sure to really stretch and lightly work my hamstrings, back, abs, and other core muscles. I hope this goes away soon.

I am the arm wrestling champ though. (I've got the sore arms to prove it.)