One more thing

My son’s friend Jen recently came back from a 4 week teaching gig in Honduras as part of her college credit. She was very fasinated that people go to market everyday and eat their food that day. No such thing as leftovers, no concept of Costcos. She said that We are hung up with refridgeration and that people leave food out to be eaten, not to be put away for another day. No waste.

She also brought up an interesting concept that made me think even more about this food book. She wonders why certain foods were created for necessity if they are bad for us today. She used spaghetti as an example. She says now it seems like a fattening meal but it was created and necessary at some point. I told her that before processed food, pasta was ground fresh from semolina and the sauce was made from fresh ingredients. It makes all the difference in the world when food is void of preservatives and not laden with hidden number 92 dyes and so forth.

A history of food and why it is necessary would be a really interesting topic to add to my book.

Cutting Back

I found an article on MSN relating to keeping weight down as we age. Click here for the second page of the article. The article kind of depressed me. Basically, the older you get the less you can eat and the more you have to work out to keep the waistline you had in your twenties. Although I am a bit blue after reading it, the article has really good points to make about weight, food, exercise, birth control related weight gain and hormones.

The article is good and some of it is recycled information like most articles of this nature but I thought it was good to read and refresh. One of the points in the article was geared toward weight gain as we age. I have always wondered what the exacts were on this particular subject. A high percentage of adults gain 1 to 2 pounds per year and by the time these adults hit 50 they are very overweight. To keep your girly figure or most of it anyway, you need to scale back on calories by about 150 to 175 per day. This calorie cutback increases by that number for each decade. By the time you are in your 50's, over 500 calories are being cut out of your diet per day.

To stay healthy, I imagine you need to reevaluate your food intake to make sure you are getting enough vitamins in your daily consumption. It crossed my mind that possibly those calories are empty and unclean calories. I am going to try to find related articles or diet plans that relate to this blog and post them.

I have a feeling I may have stumbled upon an interesting idea for a book. I do not imagine I have to be a dietician to research a book about food. This is right up my alley. I am imagining it now, my first book, ah. I can knock two wishes off my list of things to be when I grow up, a novelist and a research writing expert.

Playing Hooky

I am not going to the gym today. I am not going to stress out about it either.

When I was younger if I missed exercise I would feel like I had a misstep, a regret, all day long. I no longer feel that way. Yes, that little vein of doubt courses through but I am not hung up about it all day anymore. There is always tomorrow and the gym will always be there. I realize that one day is not going to make a difference.

I am fatigued and I wonder how effective would I be at the gym. I would probably just go through the motions of fitness today.

It would be easy to go into my room, put on my gym clothes and ‘Just Do It”.

But today I just don’t care. I wonder if this is part of getting older, getting sick of the same old thing. I do I get a lot accomplished when I skip the gym. By the time I drive there and back, work out, drive home and shower it is over 3 hours later in the day.

This is one of those mornings I think about going out to breakfast since I don’t have the nagging guilty exercise devil on my shoulder, whispering in my ear. I may as well go full out. But I didn’t have breakfast buddies.

One day in the elementary school during a class party I overheard a few of the moms talking about meeting for breakfast the next day. I remember going home feeling hurt that I never got asked to coffee or breakfast. I realized after my over sensitive episode that it was because I spent my mornings exercising while these ladies ate food and gossiped- and they knew I worked out. They funny thing about this is one day a few months ago one of my gym mates mentioned this very topic. She said she was sick of always coming to the gym for 20 years and never getting asked to breakfast. We had a fun conversation about it and it made the 45 minutes on the bike go quickly.

I skipped the gym, I am not a fan of big breakfasts and I am over 40. I am good with all of it-today

ITALY VS FRANCE WORLD CUP FINAL 2006 HIGHLIGHTS

The Beautiful Game

Soccer is the most beloved sport in the world.

It just isn't America's beloved sport. I am ok with that. I like different.

I like most sports, hockey and soccer being my favorites. American football doesn't excite me like it used to but I still enjoy the Colts and the Dolphins were my favorite team until Dan Marino retired. To me, hockey has the toughest, fittest players due to the skating and intensity of the sport. Some might say basketball is but most sportsmen in basketball and football are showboats and are cocky. It grows tiring and makes the sport less important. Hockey players give the most polite and humble interviews after games. I like that. They have class.

World Cup 2006 resulted in Italy beating France in a shootout. Shootouts are rare ending to World cups but wow, are they it ever exciting. I rooted for Italy the whole month through the World Cup 2006. Zinedine Zidane, a French player whom I never cared for because of his arrogance ended his career in disgrace. He was ejected from the game after head butting an Italian player in the chest. It was embarrassing to watch.

It is now 2010 and I root for Italy again, the defending champions. I hear the critics opinions that the team is old. I am disappointed that some of the key players in 2006 were not rostered for 2010. I am distraught that my favorite player, Luca Toni was considered to old to be rostered. Luca is 33 years old. He is one yummy, tall, hunk of Italian and maybe that is part of the reason I am going to miss him! A 6 foot 4 inch hunk playing the Beautiful Game is quite beautiful! Heck, 6'4" is just plain beautiful on its own. Ok, I will regroup......woah.......

Anyway, I realize the importance of speed. Speed kills is a familiar saying in soccer and probably other sports too. But skill and experience go a long way too. There are some amazing footballers out there young and not so young. Brazil, Spain and Argentina are going to be exciting to watch. There has not been a repeat at the World Cup since 1962 Brazil won back to back title. The Italians gave an ok performance today, ending the game in a tie with Paraguay.

I am still a real fan, not a fair weather fan.

If Italy happens to fall out early- I am going to put my money on Argentina.

Soccer Mom

10 years ago a friend came up to me and asked me if I wanted to be a part of a soccer league in Clarkston. I was hesitant but said sure! Four teams were formed and off we went. My very first practice I pulled my quad and couldn’t play the first game. We weren’t flashy, heck we weren’t even that good but we were out there sweating on a full field in July, playing 11 v 11 and playing 45 minute halves.

We got exercise, we laughed and we made new friends. That first summer we learned how to play as a team and it wasn’t easy. Winter came and we took our teams to Oakland Yard in Waterford for indoor soccer. The indoor game took some time to adjust too. The game is played 8 people a side, goalies can’t punt and we could not do throw ins, we had to kick in the ball but not above the knee. The field was faster indoor. My team won the very first league championship that winter and we all got tee shirts. It is amazing how tee shirts can motivate a group of women! No trophy, a silly tee shirt!

Other teams joined our league and we play year round, indoor and out. There are 11 teams in our league. Many of the women come from Royal Oak, Troy, Grand Blanc; all around. I became the manager 8 years ago for my team. The first year our teams were named by color, we were The Yellow Team. It was quite humorous. For many years we were called Clarkston Sting but we had a bit of a low period with injury and team participation and my husband started calling us the Clarkston Stink. During my knee surgery and recovery my team didn’t play. Some players went to other teams temporarily. When I started my team back up I changed the name to Clarkston Rush. A new beginning was in order.

Over the years, women came into the league and many left the league. Often the women hitting late 30’s and early 40’s were dropping out with injuries or not wanting to risk injury. Half the game of soccer is endurance and some women just choose to find other forms of exercise. It can get very rough. I have broken ribs twice, tore ligaments in ankles 6 or 7 times. I play with ankle braces, and most importantly a knee brace now. I play differently than I used to but the important thing for me is that I still play and I am in my 40’s. The camaraderie and the sport itself make me feel good and happy and youthful.

Soccer tidbit: 90 minutes of soccer play can burn up to 1200 calories.

10 Minute Jump Rope Cardio Workout

Ice is your Friend

My butt is sore, really sore. I woke up this morning trying to figure out why my butt is so sore. My hips are sore too and come to think about it, my lower back is sore. I went to the gym yesterday and did 45 minutes on the Precor Elliptical machine. This is not a new thing, doing cardio on the elliptical but I did change it up a bit. I squatted more and I also turned in my feet a few times to get an inner thigh burn. I also went backward for a while which I never do on that machine. I did bump up the level to a 9 and I am thinking that is what caused the back ache. Level 5 or 6 keeps the back ache away.

As I write this with a ice pack at my backside I think 10 or 15 years ago I would have never mulled over the reasons why I am sore or have aches. Yes, an exercise soreness is actually a good thing. I call it good because you know you did something to wake up or change up the way the muscles are working, they are very smart buggers. It is necessary to access why the back is sore because I do not want my back stressed to the point I can't exercise for a few days.

Ice is your friend, your ally, your amigo. It is very common to grab heat instead of ice. I used to make the mistake too plus it does feel much more soothing that ice. Heat actually tightens the muscles even further. Now, certain times moist heat is very effective. I use moist heat often but an injury to a muscle or wanting to decrease swelling and for my backaches, ice is the best bet. 20 minutes on an ice pack can alleviate much of your pain. 3 or 4 times a day and you are good to go. I have several cryotherapy ice packs left from knee surgery. I keep them in the freezer-ready to go.

Bright Future

Today, after over 30 years spending money on contacts and eye glasses, my husband had Lasik eye surgery. The procedure was very quick, we were in and out in less than and hour and a half. The actual eye procedure was done in less than 15 minutes. There was a big window from the waiting area to the operating area. I got to see Todd's big, blue eyeball on the big tv.

It is very hard for me to comprehend how a one laser machine can cut an eyeball while another can correct the vision. The doctor said the laser follows or rather tracks the patient's eye position up to 4,000 times per second. Typical pulses are 1 (mj) millijoule in 10 to 20 nanoseconds.

He was sent home in goggles and is in the basement resting, 'listening' to the 58 inch plasma tv. No reading or tv for a day or so and he is supposed to keep his eyes closed as much as possible. I felt sorry for him just lying there doing nothing with tears constantly coming down his face which is normal I guess. I handed him a 750 vicodin that I had left from knee surgery and gave him a glass of wine. He couldn't see so I didn't tell him it was a vicodin. He needs his rest.....and I need to finish a paper.

Apples and Pears

Thank you Shonda (not Shawnda) for the inspiration for this blog. Your comment on my Blog post A Manly Rant got me thinking. This isn’t per se an exploration of fitness after forty but your body shape tends to stay with you along life’s path so I think it is relative.

Generally, the taller you are the easier it is to hide the weight. I am 5’8” and I have to admit I can hide 5 pounds better than my 5’3” sister. My girlfriend is short and stout but not fat. She refers to herself as a “ten pound pack in a five pound sack.” Body builders tend to weigh more than their lean bodies present due to the extensive amount of lean muscle mass.

Some people are big but not really overweight. Consider when a magazine does an article examining different body shapes. The women used for the models are of the same weight but due to body shape, height and bone structure, the comparisons are quiet drastic. I get much enjoyment from the models that are heavier than they look!

The distribution of your body weight can affect your health. Consider the basic body shapes labeled Apples and Pears. Apple shapes carry most of their weight above the waist while the pear shapes carries most of their weight below the waist. Apples are prone to more health risks because their weight is located in the stomach area which surrounds the internal organs. Pear shapes carry most of their weight below the waist. Pears are prone to cellulite and varicose veins. Over the years they have touted diets geared for these fruity shapes. It is really quite interesting. Check out this link for more information about apple and pear shapes. http://www.brainyweightloss.com/apple-body-shape.html

A Manly Rant

Face, it ladies, men can lose weight faster than women.

All my husband has to do is keep his hands out of a bag of chips for a week and he can lose weight. Men as they age, have the same challenges with losing weight as women but they still can lose faster.

Men as they age get bellies, women usually get bigger in the hips and thighs. Men are usually more muscular than woman and need extra calories to sustain them throughout their day. I listed a few sample menus for women in my last blog. I will add a link for a 2000 calorie diet for men which seems suitable for an over 40 male to burn fat.

Men tend to get atrophy quickly. I am guessing it is because they carry more muscle mass than women. I usually notice shoulders on men. Older men that are not lifting weights or not doing pushups usually get that rounded, scrawny, shoulder look. Normally their legs stay the same-not fair. Women see an increase in cellulite and it is usually on the upper thighs-ugh.

Most men as they age tend to grow a belly. Some men are not concerned and they pat and rub the bellies proudly. Worse, when the women pat and rub the bellies and say things like ‘just more of you to love.’ Yuck! I don’t want a man with a belly and I don’t expect him to want me to have one either. If I had a big old belly, I couldn’t imagine any gratification in rubbing it or patting it either.

Most men working on losing weight can also put on a casual dress shirt (untucked) a stylish pair of jeans, cool shoes and they look great-thus hiding a belly. Most likely these same men would wear the same outfit when they lost the weight anyway! It is a lot harder for women to hide their bloat or fat especially if they are trying to stay fashionable. I am not going to go out in an oversized oxford shirt of my husband’s just to hide a belly or a big butt. Maybe it is just me because big and baggy is not my thing.

http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/bellyfatmen.shtml

http://www.menshealth.com/men/weight-loss

Sculpt your Abs - Core Fusion Style!

Finding the Grip

After whining and obsessing over trivial personal indulgences, I have decided to get a grip. No, seriously, a real grip. Not a promise until the next time I see a weekend bag of cheetos. I have decided that I am going to track my progress on this blog. I know it is of no one else’s concern if I am successful but I feel it may be the thing to motivate me to lose ten pounds.

My goal is twofold. First, this class will be over in under 4 weeks and secondly my family is taking a houseboat vacation with 3 other families to Lake Cumberland. Five days of living in a bathing suit, boating, jet skiing and did I mention the bathing suit part? The four weeks left in this class are going to fly by with the amount of work involved in this short course. If I could set a goal of 2 pounds per week or even if it slows to 1 pound per week and I end up losing 5 or 6 REAL pounds it will make for a better, happier me on the boat trip.

1600 calories seems to be the magic number for me. I am attempting to post a link or two that list’s examples of a day’s worth of meal at 1600 calories. I probably will not match the diet, they get too detailed but will substitute and keep it close. It gives me a guideline. A person not exercising would not lose weight at 1600 calories which seems crazy to me. When you add 3-5 days of exercise to this caloric intake to get results of fat being burned. I exercise 3-5 times per week. I should be good, right?

Exercising is easy and fun and yes sweaty and hard work but I get up most mornings and go to the gym before 8 a.m. It seems a no brainer most days. I wonder why I can’t have this no brainer attitude with food.

http://www.freedieting.com/low_cal_meals.htm

http://www.freedieting.com/1600_calorie_diet.ht

http://diet.lovetoknow.com/wiki/1200_Calorie_Diet

I am rethinking 1600 calories. I want simple so I am really liking the 1200 calorie diet.

I can add a few hundred calories to it if I feel I need it.

Losing the Grip

Oh my. I did it again. I said I wasn't going to eat or drink too much this long weekend. I started off good as usual but by the 3rd day in I was craving the picnic fare and eating all the terrible things I try so hard not to eat. I know that my stomach can't take it because it is not used to trying to digest all the crap I put into it this weekend. I am tired, cranky, and bloated. I know this will be the outcome so why on certain weekends I do it anyway?

Gone all weekend to soccer tournaments with two kids. Driving between Akron and Cleveland to watch them play in a rented RV because of the new puppy. Driving on the road, and eating on the road makes it harder for me to focus on eating properly. Sure, I brought the fruit and whole grain cereal but after a day and night watching the German Men's league soccer team (my son plays goalie off season with this team) and saying Prost too many times, the next day I craved the cheetos and hotdogs and hamburgers and more. I just gave in. No fight. No consideration when I got home yesterday to make a light meal, nope, kept right on eating.

At some point I tell myself I am sick of thinking about thinking about it. So I have at it when the reality is I feel 10 times more miserable after I indulge than not doing it at all. Some people can eat and eat and stay skinny, some people eat and eat and it shows, I fight hard to keep a balance of both but I know if would give up the weekend fun I could loss 10 pounds. I feel unhappy in tight clothes and I refuse to buy big baggy items just to feel comfortable in my hour of gluttony. Besides, the comfy cozy pants give me a false sense of comfort and when I put the jeans or shorts back on I feel even worse.

Setbacks

December 2008 my in laws treated the family to a trip to Montana. You can see me in this picture ( I am the one on crutches ). It was fantastic. Snowmobiling in Yellowstone for a day and then snowmobiling free style into Idaho the next day. After the snowmobiling adventure the group traveled to Big Sky for skiing. I opted out of skiing the first day as I was so tired from snowmobiling. Ironically the second day I got all geared up, hit my first run and ended up tumbling down my first and last run of the day. I remember turning into some powder and couldn't recover. I had a slow, painful fall. My daughter skied down for help and I was taken by sled to the ski hospital, wrapped up like a human burrito, head first down the mountain.

The outcome was a torn ACL, a torn meniscus, a stretched posterior lateral, and a very bad pulled MCL. The trip home the next day was terrible as I was on crutches. I kept thinking about not being able to play soccer any longer and I was mad at myself for risking my soccer nights for skiing which I don’t do very often anymore.

After the double bundle knee ACL and meniscus surgery I was non weight bearing for 6 weeks. I remember being prepared for muscle atrophy and gaining weight. I figured even if I just ate the toothpaste when I brushed my teeth I would probably still gain weight! The atrophy set in the 5 weeks prior to surgery and continued after surgery. Not that I didn’t want a skinnier leg but not this way. It looked odd and misshapen. I was depressed so I had my share of vino in the evenings and joined Facebook. I was going nuts sitting there day after day watching my family try to do the things I wanted them to do.

I was in physical therapy for 4 months. I was determined to beat the odds and get my strength back quickly. The surgeon took out one of my hamstrings to fill and strengthen one of the ligament bundles that was ripped in half. I still have trouble with strength if I do not continually work my hamstring.

I was happy that my PT said I was the most successful and quickest recovered double bundle patient they had ever had! I was even ahead of the 24 year old guy who had the same surgery 2 months ahead of me. I was very proud and determined. It took 14 months to get back into soccer. By this time, it was more mental than physical. I pictured myself hurt and then I pictured myself on the couch getting a fat butt again. I wanted to conquer my fear reasonably. I wear a fancy brace now and play less and play differently (not as aggessive) but the important part is that I can still enjoy my sport.

Setbacks sometimes push you further than you had pushed before. I learned a lot about myself and about the challenges of being physically handicapped, even temporarily.

You are what you eat

I know what food is good and what food is not so good for me. I know that a half a bag of pretzels before bed is not going to do anything positive for my waistline. Some people I know workout so that they can maintain a certain weight. A friend of mine, a runner, loves a bowl of ice cream every night. Part of the reason she runs is so she can have her sweet tooth craving satisfied.

There is a difference between maintaining weight and losing weight. There is also a difference in the way the body maintains as we age. I remember when I was 30 years old I could do the Slimfast diet shake for breakfast and lunch and have that ‘sensible’ dinner the commercials advised. Monday through Friday I would follow the plan and I could drop 5 pounds in 5 days. These days, I would be lucky to lose 2 pounds even if I did the same diet. My body’s metabolism has slowed down. I find I have to watch my food more closely and do more things at the gym to just to stay in the maintenance mode.

Food is 80 percent of success when you combine it with fitness. I can do all kinds of different types of classes and biking and if I do not watch my calories, forget it, the scale will not drop in numbers.

I know this very well but it can be so hard not to have a glass of wine, or a bad food carb. By no means am I a fanatic about not eating bread for example.I just try to make sure it is whole grain. For the most part I make smart choices. I definitely give myself a day to eat more freely or have a few cocktails but lately I have not been strict with myself. Some days I think ‘I am getting older, I should be able to enjoy more food and drink’. I also know that I am not happy when my stomach feels fat and bloated. I start out every week with good intensions but in the last year have found myself straying from getting in 5 or 6 clean days of eating. My mother used to have a yellow sweatshirt with a picture of a banana split on the front. Underneath the picture it said I will start my diet on Monday. I do not want this to become my motto. Often I have started clean eating on a Saturday or Sunday, just to prove to myself that I do have willpower.

EXHALE: CORE FUSION Pilates Plus - Thighs and Glutes

The ButcherShop

I decided first on my list of my fitness checklist should be the complete opposite thought of what I am trying accomplish with this blog. Get it out of the way, off my list, off my mind. I think there should be something to say about how far some women go to get the look without all the work!

I know women that opted for surgery. Now, I am not saying never say never on anything in life because some have reasons and validations for every situation. Personally, I do not think I could be happy with a hip bone to hip bone scar just so that my stomach was flat. I will accept my little roll as part of life and hope that it does not get out of control as I age.

Movie stars are under pressure to stay thin and look fit and tight in case a lurking paparazzi catches a ghastly piece of cellulite and blows it up, circles it and shows arrows pointing at the dimples in a magazine for all to see. Indeed it gets frustrating to be a normal woman who has some dimples to get up every morning to sweat it out at the gym. It is easy to get caught up in the insanity. It is a hard balance some days not to just wish for a quick fix. A little lippo here or there? Would I turn it down if it were offered free....hmmmm. Would I call it maintenance or label it what it was, a sneaky little cheat to fitness.

I decided to air this vent even though I realize that focusing on this aspect of what some consider the quick fix to fitness, is not the REAL way I want to go about blogging on fitness because nipping and tucking yourself in not really fitness now is it?

The year was 1976, the bicentennial celebration of this great nation. Bicentennial sounds so grandiose on the tip of your tongue or written on a page but for the most part, it conjures memories of my dad in red, white and blue striped bell bottom cotton pants and a Budweiser beer in his right hand which come to think about it matched his pants quite nicely. Commercially speaking anything you could think of was geared toward the bicentennial bash. Clothing, beach towels, bumper stickers, billboards, you name it.

I was 12 years old in 1976, a fresh faced 6th grader and a tomboy to boot. My elementary school held its annual Field Day. Of course this year's event was even more special as it was labeled Webber Elementary Bicentennial Field Day! It was also the year I learned I could run and run very fast indeed. It sparked my love of exercise and sports.

The foot races that unfolded on school playgrounds, the softball teams I played on and the track I ran in school fueled a love of exercise and the exhilaration it provided me. I feel fortunate that I have stayed healthy and that I still have the drive to exercise and push myself decades after school girl days and summers of Parks and Recreation softball. Exercise makes me happy and gives me a sense of accomplishment in my day. I have three teenagers. I feel the previous sentence speaks volumes as to how important it is for me to feed my own soul so that I can have the energy to be ready to deal with my offspring! Exercise is one way I feed my soul.

I am a healthy woman and I have a decent shape. I do not enter fitness contests nor do I run marathons. I just want to be the best I can be. I have experienced the ups and downs of staying fit. I have dealt with injuries, pregnancies, dealing with the insecurities about how I will be able to maintain my personal level of fitness and my personal expectations of and for myself as I move into the middle years of my life. I feel 25 years old body, mind and spirt for the most part-not the actual seasoned 45 years that I am. I contribute this largely to the exercise I engage in.

Ideally I would like this blog to act as a sounding board to women of all levels of fitness. Women come in all different sizes and shapes and it can be a challenge to find your personal fitness confort zone. One thing that keeps me positive and hopeful is that the 40’s are the new 30’s!

Bare with me as this blog may seem a breadth of a topic at this point. I am excited to narrow some topics down, hone in on some specific experiences and ideas. I am very excited about this new venture and very eager to my blog blossom this semester and hopefully into the future.