Steph's Group - CLOSED (Page 6)

I had a good week and met my bike and run goals.  This week, I'm going to shoot for the hydration goal (which may result in lots of restroom trips on my flight tomorrow) and the same 2 x bike and 3 x run goal with, specifically, one 45 min + trainer ride included in that since I now have the piece I was missing, Plus 2 x core workout since I somehow didn't do any of those last week.

Maree,
I have hip pain that is unrelated to my IT bands.  Mine is essentially an imbalanced hip (tighter quads/hip flexors than my hamstrings) and then I also get more hip pain because of some joint instability issues that cause excessive strain on my muscles.

They gave me stretches and exercises for the imbalanced part.  For the latter part, which is basically muscle fatigue, I started wearing tri shorts under my pants when I was running (winter so it was cold) and it helped.  After a while, my muscles adjusted and I could wear running shorts if I wanted to.  Tri shorts were a cheaper alternative to compression shorts since I already had them but are relatively comparable in their function.  Try to see if you can pinpoint the pain to determine whether it is your IT band or not.

 

Good goals everyone!  Keep them coming!

I started logging my food and according to the website (www.livestrong.com), I can eat only 459 calories for the rest of the day to maintain my current weight.  I don't think this includes my workout calories, though, so maybe I have a bit of leeway, which is good.

Karen, I noticed that you have "liked" this website.  Are you tracking there?  Do you track your workouts too or use the calorie calculations from BT to compare to your calories eaten? 

Emily, I tried a couple of your hip exercises (the Clam and the Fire hydrant) because my knees/hips are bothering me today and I think they helped.  I'm going to add them to my workout routine.

All, I have a question, and maybe you can help me.

Originally I had selected an event called Tri the Kenai as my first event - it's close to home and is sprint. It is scheduled for June 12.  I started looking up other events to fill out my summer and found one that happens sooner - the Gold Nugget, which is scheduled for May 15.

Do you think it is possible to be ready for a sprint tri nearly a month sooner than I had planned? I can adjust workouts and such as needed.

Ordinarily I wouldn't consider it and would just go with my planned event. However, there aren't really all that many tri events in Alaska, so I thought it might be worth bumping up the schedule  to make it happen. Even if I shave off that month, there is Feb through mid-May left to train (16 weeks total). And then I could also do the one in June...they're a month apart.

Input needed, please!

Edited by calluna 2011-01-24 12:31 PM

On nutrition: I'm always focused on high fiber and high protein.  I love Kashi cereals, Luna bars, high fiber english muffins/bagels/waffle with almond butter and a banana.  Snack time is definitely the hardest!  If you're following the nutrition thread here, can everyone post their favorite healthy meal (any meal of the day)?  I gave my favorite breakfast above (whole wheat waffle, almond butter, 'nana.)  I'd love to get other ideas.  

Jennifer's goals for the week:
No seconds at dinner or snack time (after 3pm is danger zone)
Hydration challenge (this is hard for me!  Does Diet Dr. Pepper count?)
Hit all planned workouts for the week

Steph, I've been using the Daily Plate for a while. You can add workouts on the fitness tab or adjust the calorie intake target to reflect your level of activity. Hope this helps!

Cool, thanks Heather. 

My DH is also logging his nutrition there, so I'll see how/if he is adjusting the calories. 

I definitely think you can be ready for a sprint race by May.  You can already do the swim and most of the bike and your runs are 1/2 of the way there! 

Jennifer, my favorite healthy meal is lentils with spinach and tomatoes and roasted sweet potatoes.  Or a nice salad with apples, walnuts and craisins in it.  Or, almond butter and honey on homemade bread.

Ditto what Steph said.  Definitely doable.  I actually think having a shorter time frame helps because it forces you to keep your focus.  And the month in between is a pretty close to ideal for time between races (4-6 weeks), at least for me.

Steph - I've been using Livestrong for about 2 weeks, tracking everything (and I mean everything).  You do get additional calories for activity.  I don't use the calories they have in their program, I find them way too high.  I've been using what my Garmin says for bike & run.  For swim I use theirs but select leisurely lap swimming (Masters is not leisurely, but again the calories for other swimming seems too high).

I love logging everything, it makes me realize what I'm actually putting into my mouth.  I will log in the morning the whole day as I know it - pre-workout (if I have anything), breakfast, mid morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner.  I make changes if needed, but I usually know what I'm going to have because I bring my lunch and snacks to work.  My husband plans the dinners for the week so I know that usually.

If I log all that I see what I have left in case I have a stressful day and need a little treat.  And then adding in the calories from exercise.

It helps me make smarter choices too.  If I look up a food item that I'm considering, or know the calories, I think twice about if it's something I really want to eat, and is it worth adding the calories in.  Is it a smart food choice (greek yogurt, almonds, etc.) that will fill me up, or a bad choice (jelly beans - my weakness) that will satisfy me for the moment but I'll be hungry again in 20 minutes.

What I am finding, is even though I'm staying just under the calorie goal, I'm not losing any weight.  And I put in my goal was to lose 2 pounds per week, so I should be losing something.  I've come to the conclusion that being in my 40's sucks!  I'm thinking of trying cutting my activity calories in half.  If I burn 600 running (Garmin) instead of logging 600, log 300.  Maybe that will do something.

ETA - Livestrong.com has an amazing food database.  Trader Joes, Archer Farms (Target), etc.  If you're eating it, someone already has and has logged it.  Not all items are "verified", but most seem to be accurate.  Makes it very easy to log.

My favorite healthy meal is -

Kashi Good Friends Cereal
Light Silk Soy Milk
(or almond milk)
banana slices
(or fresh blueberries)

I also make a lot of protein shakes -

1 scoop Designer Whey protein powder (plain flavor)
1 tbs. ground flax seed
frozen banana slices (I cut up fresh bananas and freeze)
frozen blueberries
couple packets Splenda
ice cubes (because I like it very thick and shake like)

And my absolute favorite mid morning snack/treat -

2 slices Pepperidge Farms Cinnamon Swirl 80 Calorie bread - toasted
1 tbs. crunchy peanut butter
honey
make sandwich, wrap in papertowel then foil, freeze
I throw in freezer when I get to work and grab it mid morning.  The frozen bread, peanut butter and honey is awesome!

Edited by karen26.2 2011-01-24 7:21 PM

New favorite healthy meal:  Pumpkin and black bean soup.  

It was a recipe in a magazine that I absolutely love because it is quick to make an elaborate meal just isn't going to happen very often. 

Ok I don't have time to read everything so will do that later but wanted to post my new goal for the week and to say I did make my goal of two swims last week. So for this week my goal is to do at least 15 minutes of yoga/stretching everyday. Here's to a good week for everyone!

Fell off the wagon this weekend because I had the SAT and a crippling amount of homework. So I doubled up some single days for this week to make up the lost workouts. I know you aren't supposed to do this, but I feel fine so too bad!

I made the hydration our weekly goal because it would be the hardest for me; I'm really good about drinking water when I am home, but at school it's hard because the water tastes HORRIBLE and I am always so busy studying or running clubs or doing errands.

I got my Forza F2 bike trainer today and it is fantastic! Now I can bike in the mornings without having to drive to spin class or be scared for my life on the roads.

Steph--I'm glad you are using my exercises! Those two are my favorites because they are fun to do and feel like they are working

Um, weekly goal for me? More veggies. My mom force fed spinach down my throat after my block workout and I wanted to puke. Any good recipes to disguise the taste of spinach, collard greens, kale, etc.? 

Wow that was a very jumbled laundry list of my week! 
~Emily
 

Emily - my DH does not care much for greens so we put them in stuff - raw in salads, mixed with beans or other veggies, in soup, on eggs, in a sandwich, etc. 

I'm chuckling that everyone loves the Kashi because it (especially the For Good Friends) + almond milk is my absolute favorite but I eat WAY more than one serving of it so I can't be trusted with it.  : )

For the hydration challenge, I follow Becky's advice and take a bike bottle with me every where I go.  That way I never run out of water and can keep track of how many bottles I'm drinking.

Edited by Mrs. brown_dog_us 2011-01-25 6:09 AM

Morning, all! Chalk another one up for Kashi here, although I've never tried it with almond milk. This morning breakfast is greek yogurt, bob's red mill granola, and blueberries. And coffee, mustn't forget the coffee...

Tonight I am planning to go to the local Masters swim for the first time - wish me luck.

I must say, there is some serious scheduling that has to take place, isn't there? I teach monday nights, so prefer Mondays to be my rest day (prep! although my students this semester are freshman and sophomores, not grad students, so it's a very different experience). Getting up at 5 so I can do two workouts in a day if need be, working out after work some days - it'll be most days when I get strength training in there, working out on weekends between household chores and grocery shopping!

And my new Garmin Forerunner 405 arrived yesterday - hurrah! My old HRM was the same age as my younger son - 9 and I decided it was time for an update. I think it'll help a lot once I can figure out how to use it without having it beeping at me all the time for bumping the bezel.

Can you post this recipe? Sounds good!

Let's see I have so many fav's. But one of my current fav's is stuffed Pablano peppers. I love soups too.
Oatmeal for most breakfasts with whatever in it...love to make it with pumpkin and an egg white.
Kashi (love Kashi Crisp but has a lot of sugar so I've been trying to use Go Lean) on yogurt and maybe fruti for a snack.

I joined weight watchers about 9 months ago and truly tracking my food is the only way I can drop weight. Any plan works as long as I watch my portions. I'm currently carrying 30 lbs less then I was 9 months ago...helps much!

Glad everyone is doing so well on their goals. Even if you haven't hit all of them you are still probably ahead of the game.

It was awesome. I only met a few people tonight, but they were welcoming and I worked my butt off. Literally as well as metaphorically, one hopes.  All good! I will go back. I will sleep well tonight...

YAY!  Great news, Heather!  I'm so glad that you liked it. : )

Julie, I think you are right about the portion sizes and Weight Watchers.  I'm still logging my food on the Daily Plate at www.livestrong.com.  It was disheartening at first, but is not so bad now. It is very interesting to see where I "waste' my calories.  Logging every serving is really making me pay attention to portion sizes and unnecessary sugar, just like the points do in WW.

 Karen was right, though, the calories-burned function is WAY high.  I'm just entering my calories manually from here.

Edited by Mrs. brown_dog_us 2011-01-26 6:37 AM

Happy Hump Day!

How is everyone's week going?  I always use Wednesday as my midweek self check.  How have I done so far this week and what do I need to adjust/schedule differently to make sure I have a successful second half of the week?

I am doing okay.  My schedule is being side-tracked a little bit with our weather but I am attempting to rearrange as much as possible.  So far I am on target to hit all of my scheduled workouts albeit with some schedule changing.

ebal - congrats on the new trainer!  It will certainly make things much easier.  Don't worry about your weekend or trying to squeeze in too many make up workouts.  Sometimes life gets in the way and that's ok. 

calluna - Way to hang in there and find a good group.  It definitely helps with the motivation!

I'm also a livestrong user.  I agree on the calorie burn.  I reduced my daily activity level to sedentary (which isn't technically true) for a calorie base and then add calories for fitness.  Love daily plate.  It's also fun to add your own recipes to gauge how healthy those are.  I also input calorie burn from Garmin estimates (which are different from BT).

Hydration goal is hard.  But overall it's making me drink more (water).  Also helps to down 2 glasses before I go back for snack seconds. 

I braise winter greens (collards, kale, etc.)  Also have a fabulous kale and sausage soup -- not the healthiest but can be doctored some.  But the greens are good in most soups.  Try stir frying too.  I make a mean batch of collards but it requires bacon (a staple at my house - I am in NC).  I just save it for special occasions. 

Edited by jlahoward 2011-01-26 12:25 PM

My unscheduled rest day - husband gone, sick kid up at 5:35, last minute vet appointment, chiro appt, brief due - led to breaking my weekly goal.  This glass of pinot sure tastes good right now.  Big plans to get up early for a trainer session and then a run at lunch tomorrow.  Fingers crossed that everyone sleeps through the night and until at least 6 in the morning.   

Thanks everyone for the hip tips!

I've copied down all your core exercises Emily and will give them a go.

I really like your idea of incorporating 3 core exercises each day as the group challenge. I personally find it very hard to get myself to do core after a hard ride or swim...would be a great habit to get into. Hey, who knows, there might be abs in there somewhere

I will be off air for a while as we are heading down to beautiful Apollo Bay for a couple of days (wedding anniversary and hubbys b'day)- but we are taking the bikes and should get a few workouts in!

Take care all

Maree

Wow, everyone was quiet today. Hope that means you were all getting in stellar workouts!

Here is the recipe (from Experience Life Magazine).  Hardest part is opening up all those cans!

Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup
Makes eight servings

•1 tbs. olive oil
•5 green onions (white and light green parts), thinly sliced; slice dark parts and set aside for later
•1 red bell pepper, chopped
•3 cloves garlic, chopped
•11/2 tsp. ground cumin
•1/2 tsp. dried thyme
•2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
•1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin purée
•1 can diced tomatoes with juices (preferably no-salt)
•1 can (14 fluid ounces) vegetable broth
•1/2 cup water
•1/2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
•1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste)

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add white and light green parts of onions, bell pepper and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, for four to five minutes or until soft. Stir in cumin and thyme; cook, stirring occasionally, for one minute.

Add beans, pumpkin, tomatoes and juice, broth, and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cook for 10 minutes. Stir in salt and cayenne pepper.

Top each serving with dark green onion tops, and serve.

I have to agree...crazy busy. I didn't really think of this in terms of adding a part-time job to my already busy life, but that is what it amounts to. Fortunately it is a part-time job that I can do  in small chunks wherever I can fit them in.

Tomorrow is winter festival here on the Kenai Peninsula, so we'll have some fun going around to the various events, seeing all the ice sculptures, and so on. And I have at least a stationary bike session planned....and if there's time I might throw in an extra run.

Now, do you folks have particular warmups or drills or exercises you do for running? If so, please share!

Looking forward to a completely wasted day in mandatory training at work,
Heather