Manatees - 2019 Edition - Practice Maximum Enthusiasm - CLOSED (Page 11)

I just saw the note about the Strength/Core/Yoga tab so I took myself off the "Movement" challenge and put myself on that. My coach usually gives me links to a suggested strength workout 2-3 days a week, at least outside of racing season (last year it kind of fell by the wayside, for a variety of reasons). I think on the other days I will do some planks and flexibility stuff. Goal at least 15 minutes a day.

A cycling club that I ride with sometimes here shared this link on FB: https://www.bicycling.com/training/g20036667/training-and-fitness-21... Another site my coach has recommended in the past is Julia Hanlon's "Running on Om" series. It has a lot of yoga-based strength and core routines (most in the 10-20 minute range) aimed at runners and other endurance athletes.

I think I will try doing these (except for "Reclining Hero"--my body just doesn't go there. At least, if I did, I would need mechanical and possibly medical assistance to get back up again!) on a nightly basis, along with maybe some planks on the days I don't do a coach-provided routine. I am actually pretty good at planks and core strength. It's getting more oomph with leg strengthen particular (and some visible muscle so I would look less like a middle school student) that is more the issue!

Strength/size has been an everlasting frustration with me. Even as a HS swimmer (age 14-16 or so), I was actually pretty strong (more than now--I could bench-press my body weight). But I really wasn't any more muscular than I am now. Mom and I are both small-boned and wiry and not good at building muscle. I suppose many women would kill not to have to worry about weight but....it hurts when you are nearly 50 and mistaken from the back for a middle school kid, asked by someone in a tri if you can "cope with" the swim (really--I was first or second woman out of the water in that particular race LOL!) or asked by a total stranger if you have an eating disorder, when you don't. (I suppose it would be even worse for someone who actually did.) It isn't an issue with running--I guess I don't really stand out with that population--but with tri, particularly big events like Worlds, I feel like a little kid racing adults!

At this point, I just focus on building strength and my body is what it is. But maybe flexibility is something I can work on.

While we're doing fur kid greetings (do we still have a Manatee Pets page?), here is our whole blended fur family (attempting to attach a picture of unusual togetherness by the fire around Christmas time). Left to right: Tomoko, Shelby, and Smudgee.

If you know cats, the dynamic might be apparent from the body language--there's a little romance going on between Shelby and Smudgee. Tomoko, Smudgee's old buddy from Vietnam, is very jealous and detests Shelby. Lots of hissy action between the two rival "girls" over the "boy". It reminds me a lot of high school.

Edited by Hot Runner 2019-01-11 8:20 PM






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That is hysterical! We have a similar situation here between my two boys and one girl cat.My step daughter has the same issue you do, she is short and cannot put on weight. She is constantly carded. That is okay, the nosey comments by people are awful.

Your stepdaughter should move to Idaho. State law is to card EVERYONE who buys alcohol, regardless of apparent age or size. I guess that takes the guesswork and awkwardness out of it. You have 14 year olds who look 21 as well as older people who look younger. My 80-year old mom was carded when she bought a bottle of wine for New Years! Outside of Idaho, I was last carded (in Portland) at age 36. I asked the guy, "Is this on the level or are you trying to flatter me or something?"

Then there was the time I was applying for a driver's license and was baffled when they said I needed a parent's signature. When I asked why I was told, "All drivers under 18 have to have it." I said I was 25 so no need, and the clerk said, "If you're 25, then 'm the pope." "I hope you're Catholic," I said, sliding my birth certificate and passport across the counter. At least THAT hasn't happened again! Also had several awkward moments as a young teacher being mistaken by parents for their kid's classmate rather than his/her teacher. (One learns to overdress a little for the job after that.) And having an AG competitor demand to see my passport to verify my age.

Grrr....I am not actually even short--about 5'7". I guess just skinny and young-looking. They still ask Mom to verify her age at national park.s (for her Golden Age pass, free to anyone over 60 or 65 I think.) Should not complain, but it does lead to some pretty funny stuff.

Edited by Hot Runner 2019-01-12 10:07 AM

I would take that rather than being given a Senior Citizen discount without asking for it (PS. hasn't happened to me yet, but it has to my hubbie. It REALLY took the wind out of his sails).

Like this?





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Hahaha that reminds me of a time when I was almost 30 and was shopping with my mum for a dress for my brothers wedding. The assistant asked if the dress was for my high school formal. My mum nearly wet herself laughing and the shop assistant wouldnt believe my age until I showed her my licence. I have also been mistaken for my husbands teenage daughter before which caused an interesting conversation.

Both of those things happened some time ago as I now look at least like I'm in my 30s. But something really interesting happened last year. I have had some issues with on of our school principals having a complete lack of respect for my work (I am the financial controller of a company that operates 5 private schools). Anyway we were in a meeting and we were talking about a colleague and I said "she's about our age". The principal looked at me funny and asked what I meant about our age. I said " you know the same age as you and I." He looked at me and said "but your not my age your in your early 30s" I told him that actually I am 43. His attitude towards me changed instantly, it was amazing to watch.

I'm in for all of the challenges.

For keep moving my aim for the year is to an hour of running or walking a day.

For distance I am aiming to cover 2019km in 2019 so this equates to around 40km a week.

For the good eats I have been following a program called Bright Line Eating since August it involves no sugar and no flour (which I am highly addicted to and I cannot control portions when I eat these foods). I have found that by doing this program the food related brain chatter has become very quiet, which has given me a lot of peace around food for the first time in my life. The plan has set amounts of proteins, fats, grains, fruits and veggies for each meal and no snacking. I get to count a day if I stick to the plan, which I have not been doing so well lately.

For weight loss I am down about 30lbs since August and I have about 10lb to go. I know that if I stick to the plan I lose about a pound a week, sometimes more sometimes less. I would love to be 10lb down by the end of the 6 weeks but that probably isn't realistic especially since I ave been binge eating for the last couple of days and have put on a little over 2lb.

For the strength challenge I have set myself a challenge for the year to do push-ups and a plank everyday, so that is what I will be tracking. So far I can manage 3 push-ups and a 30 second plank which is pretty appalling but is better than it was on January 1st.

I agree, great goals. And... 3 pushups is more than i can do, so you win!

Weird push-up story here.....

I have NEVER been able to do pushups, until this year! Not sure why--I am pretty strong in some other ways--excel at certain exercises like lat pulldowns, and am a pro at handling heavy luggage, toting pet carriers, moving furniture, and the like, but I've been resorting to what we used to call "girly" push-ups (on knees) all my athletic life. Somehow I could never manage to come up again after going down.... I always chalked it up to a "center of gravity" issue. I'm lanky with long arms and legs for my height, and that makes some exercises awkward. Pull-ups are also difficult to impossible, even though I held a national record for the flexed arm hang for years as a kid. (Endurance vs. explosive strength, clearly!)

I didn't do any real strength training between January last year until early December--my early 2018 season got totally thrown off with my dad's death in late January, and trying to build back after four months of no running in fall of 2017. Then in December I started doing these nasty 45-minute long strength routines that my coach gave me, 2-3X a week. They didn't involve push-ups, but a ton of planks and fairly heavy (for me) lifting of free weights.

But the new routine this month did call for push-ups. I literally forgot that I couldn't do normal ones since I hadn't' tried in so long. Had just finished a plank set so I was already in that position. I did five of them before I remembered, "Wait--I can't do regular push-ups." Stopped for a rest and did the remaining five.

They are not beautiful and a football coach (if I were a HS boy) would probably be sticking his foot on my back and pushing me down further, but I am going down and coming up, my chest is leading (not pelvis or head) and my back is flat. No idea how this happened! Or how long I may have actually been able to do them but never did because I just accepted the fact that I couldn't!

I got one of those and immediately shredded it at the post office!

I put myself in the weight loss and good eats challenges. Dropping weight is definitely in my best interest with Ironman Lou in October. Plus, I'm finally in the right place mentally to focus on this goal.

With regards to the senior citizen discounts...I'm a mere 2.5 years away from AARP sending me my discounts, and I say BRING. IT. ON!! Over the summer, when I was renewing my passes to swim at the local Aquatics Center, she kept trying to get me a discount:

Her: Are you military?

Me: No.

Her: Are you a student?

Me: No, I'm a teacher. That's close enough, right?

Her: Sorry, won't work. Good news is in 3 years you'll be eligible for the senior citizen discount.

Me: (silence)

I found a handy little app for my phone that converts a whole heap of different stuff some I have changed my weight and mileage back to your weird pound and miles

Got mine done this morning and thankfully my starting weight was lower than I expected it to be after my poor eating late last week.

Stacey, you are not the only one stuck on metrics! I'm American, but have spent about 90% of my adult life overseas. I pretty much think in terms of kilometers, kg, and ml. Got an Idaho driver's license recently and they wanted to know my weight--I had to convert it in my head to pounds. Once in my hometown I was getting coffee and they asked what size I wanted. It was a new shop I hadn't been to before so I asked how big a medium was. The lady said 12 ounces and at that moment (just back from China, I think, and maybe a little jet-lagged) I had absolutely NO mental image how big/small that might be--asked to see the cup. "What are you, Canadian or something?" she asked.

I also blame it on never really learning liquid measurement properly in grade school. When we did that unit, I think I was enjoying my one prolonged absence from compulsory education-- a two-week trip with Mom to visit relatives in Germany! To this day, before I teach that stuff (ounces, cups, pints, quarts, gallons), I look it up to make sure I remember it correctly.

Edited by Hot Runner 2019-01-13 9:42 PM

Hi Jayne,
I live in the SW part of VA. This is Buck, he is our 11 year old German Shep/Husky. He is a little agravated by my Mom's golden in this pic (he is newly 1). Buck has reminded us on many occaisions he will only allow visiting dogs






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Super Adorable!

Thank you Chris! Yes I just made and I am glad I found it when I did

So cute! That "look" says it all! "I am just putting up with this impudent youngster's invasion of MY space because I know it is temporary!"

Ok, I tried to enter a couple of the challenges. I don’t know if I did them right or not, or if my info saved even correctly. I think I’m may need an additional challenge page for “figured out how to log stuff in correctly today”. My goal will be to get it right at least four times a week.