I Met All 8 Of My Goals Yesterday!

Sunday, July 29, 2012

I'm very proud for meeting all 8 of the exercise modification and moderation goals that I set for myself yesterday. Here's how I did"

1.) I was in the water for exactly 120 minutes. Goal met!

2.) I drank 30 ounces of water - 10 before and 20 during the workout. My total for the day was 85 ounces! Goal met!

3.) I modified the plank exercises to reduce the stress on my neck and shoulder area. Goal met!

4.) I used a noodle for all abdominal work that I did on my back and for all other abdominal work I modified to a vertical position, thus taking the stress off my neck and shoulders. Goal met!

5.) I used lower arms for exercises involving "arms over the head" in order to take the stress off my neck and shoulders. Goal met!

6.) I stayed in the pool for an extra half hour after class in order to cool down and perform additional stretches. Goal met!

7.) I ate a healthy lunch, logged onto SP to record my exercise and then rested in a prone position when I got home after my workout. (The prone position rests the spine and the knee replacements)
Goal met!

8.) I allowed myself to feel proud without guilt for meeting my goals and putting my needs at the top of my list. I had a successful day!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

SLENDERELLA61 7/30/2012 11:41AM

Celebrate success!! You are so smart to figure out what your body needs. Keep up the great work!! Report Inappropriate Comment

L*I*T*A* 7/29/2012 12:38PM

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AUNTB63 7/29/2012 9:28AM

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KMSIMMONS1 7/29/2012 9:05AM

Congrats on meetimg your goals - keep up the good work and results will follow! I'm inspired! Report Inappropriate Comment

Incorporating Exercise Changes

Friday, July 27, 2012

Incorporating exercise changes for moderation and rest is proving more difficult than I had anticipated. I modified my arm position when we did interval training this morning, just as my doctor advised me to do. I noticed a big difference in how tight my shoulders and neck were almost immediately. Instead of jogging and punching my fists into the air, I decided to rapidly tread water. It was aerobic without impact and didn't put stress on my shoulders/neck area.

Unfortunately I felt so good that I stayed in the water longer than I had planned. :( I got caught up in talking while I was treading/jogging in the water and didn't pay attention to the time. Instead of doing 120 minutes I did 150 minutes in the water. Tomorrow I will try my modifications again and will do a better job of curbing my exercise enthusiasm.

My plan for tomorrow is:
1.) I will keep my workout to 90-120 minutes and no more
2.) I will drink water while working out
3.) I will avoid doing arm exercises while in the front plank position (stresses the neck/shoulders)
4.) I will continue to do my abdominal exercises with a noodle or opt to do them vertically
5.) I will opt to keep my arms lower if we do exercises involving arms above the head
6.) I will do additional stretches after class as needed if my muscles are tight - I won't just get out of the water and head to the showers
7.) I will go home and rest after working out
8.) I will be proud of myself for every goal in the above list that I meet

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

AQUAGIRL08 7/28/2012 3:22PM

I achieved almost all of my goals this morning! In order that I may achieve all of them, I am now heading to my bed to rest! I'm very proud of myself! Report Inappropriate Comment

L*I*T*A* 7/27/2012 7:48PM

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DONNABRIGHT 7/27/2012 2:56PM

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SLENDERELLA61 7/27/2012 2:42PM

Awesome self-awareness and goal setting! You should be proud. My WW leader awarded me a magnet one time that says, "A goal well set is half met." I think you are at least half way there. Take care, Cyndi. I'll be at the Y Monday morn unless Gwen's cold is worse. Hope to see you. Report Inappropriate Comment

JUDYHELP 7/27/2012 2:13PM

that's a great check list. Got me to think maybe I need a check list. Wishing great success for you on your journey (and check list). Keep it up!! Judy Report Inappropriate Comment

NWLIFESRC 7/27/2012 2:05PM

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Practicing Moderation With Rest Time

Thursday, July 26, 2012

This week I'm practicing more moderation and incorporating more rest time into my busy schedule. It is very hard for me, who has always turned the focus on everyone else, to turn the focus on my own needs. However, I'm giving it the old college try. This week I stayed out of the water on Wednesday (in addition to my usual Sunday day off). Instead of actually doing an intense workout, I opted instead to run errands and keep myself as active during the day as possible. I did feel a little guilty at missing my two water classes and felt restless as a result until I decided to do some walking during my errands. Poof! The restlessness disappeared! I got a lot accomplished which will make life much easier and my body got a much needed rest.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

DONNABRIGHT 7/26/2012 7:30PM

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SLENDERELLA61 7/26/2012 7:29PM

Good balancing! It is hard to hit just the right balance of activity and rest, but your efforts to find that sweet spot for you is going to pay off. I'm almost certain. Report Inappropriate Comment

L*I*T*A* 7/26/2012 7:15PM

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CINDYRINAL 7/26/2012 3:30PM

We are not taught to relax - some how it seems "wrong" or "lazy". We need to learn how to do this better. I am having a rest day also. I was feeling really tired, so I dropped the length of my walks to 20 minutes from 40 and only did 2 instead of three. I have more energy now than when I woke up. It is so easy to push too hard. We are not taught to relax. Report Inappropriate Comment

Finally We have A Handle On My Thyroid Medication!

Saturday, July 21, 2012

After 3 years of messing with my thyroid medication, it is finally at a steady therapeutic level! This is such great news! I feel the best when my TSH is 1.0 and my free T4 and reverse T3 are in the normal range. This week I finally reached those levels. Thank goodness for Cytomel!!!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

DMBEECHAM 7/23/2012 11:08PM

Congratulations! Though, I must admit I'm a bit jealous. My anemia and hypothyroid don't make nice with each other. It's very frustrating. I'm glad to hear that someone out there with thyroid issues can get it under control. Report Inappropriate Comment

DONNABRIGHT 7/22/2012 10:58AM

Great news! Report Inappropriate Comment

SLENDERELLA61 7/22/2012 8:38AM

So glad for you!! Persistence pays off. Report Inappropriate Comment

L*I*T*A* 7/22/2012 12:09AM

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Intervals Are Making A Difference!

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Last week I wrote about adding interval training to your workouts. This week, I am happy to say, I have noticed a difference in my overall recovery time after each interval. What we did today was 15 seconds of flat out water running followed by 15 seconds of recovery jogging. Then we progressed to 30 seconds of fast running (still 15 seconds of flat out running) followed by 30 seconds of recovery jogging. We worked ourselves up to one minute of fast jogging (still 15 seconds of flat out running) and one minute of recovery jogging. Then we descended our intervals using the same time intervals as we did when we were ascending. An amazing thing happened! As the intervals lengthened, my recovery time improved. This was a shock to me because I've only done this type of training for two weeks! I was very surprised at how quickly I was able to improve. I am an experienced exerciser and I do between 90 and 180 minutes of exercise 6 days per week. I feel very tired after I complete my workouts that included interval training but it is a different kind of fatigue than I normally experience. I feel energized by these workout along with the fatigue. In order to prevent any injury to myself, I am limiting my workout times to equal to or less than 120 minutes when I do interval training. I am also building in some recovery time with only light exercise between my exercise classes. The object of my workouts isn't to hurt myself but to improve my endurance and stamina. Therefore, any time I feel pain, I slow down to a more comfortable level. So far this is working. We'll see what next week brings!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

SLENDERELLA61 7/22/2012 8:40AM

Very good strategy. So glad you are seeing such progress so quickly. Love the recovery time improvement. I run with intervals and really find that a helpful strategy not only for performance, but for more enjoyment. Report Inappropriate Comment

DONNABRIGHT 7/20/2012 1:58PM

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ADMOREEP 7/18/2012 10:56PM

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L*I*T*A* 7/18/2012 1:00PM

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