Hey Amber.....

You are more than welcome to join us! It's great to have you here and I'll be looking forward to following your progress.

M

Hi,

Found this thread just in time! I have been walking for the last 4 days and now, with pleasure, will join the rest of you for the challenge.

I am getting married in October and right now, the thought of all my dear friends looking at my butt during the ceremony is frightening! I think the happy couple should FACE the crowd! I think I'll start a new tradition. Whatta ya think?

Anyway, the walking can only help.

Wendy

I did 10 minutes again yesterday, still working up to the 20 minutes at a time, but I plan to do at least 10 minutes everyday, hopefully today or tomorrow I can up it by 1 minute until I feel like I am not going to die.

Wendy...

You are more than welcome to join us! Welcome!!

I love your idea about facing the crowd! It would be wonderful to be able to see the faces of the couple getting married. YES!! Start a trend!

Talon...

You are heading in the right direction and it's great to see you working towards increasing your time. I know exactly what you mean about feeling like you are going to die. I remember my own beginnings and yes, it was tough. Looking back now, I can't tell you how grateful I am that I made the effort and kept at it. Before you know it, you'll be up to 20 minutes and loving the way it makes you feel! Keep at it!

Marlaine
(who is heading out momentarily for "on the street - in the neighbourhood - cardio")

Good morning everyone! I did my weights yesterday and I'm revved up and ready to do my weights and cardio today! My hamstrings are sore from yesterday. Ahhh, that burn of growing muscles!

Hi Wendy! You'll look fantastic in your wedding, I just know it! We're all here to feel better, but I'm sure you'll look much better too. You've got a few months. Keep us up on what's happening. Oh, and if you want to launch an offensive attack, squats are just what the doctor ordered! It's done wonders for my gluteals, now if only I can get the extra fat off I'd have a great looking butt!

Good morning Talon! It took me weeks to get up to the 25 minute workouts I can do now. Just don't up it more than you are now or you'll burn out. That's what I did the first time!

Rhu, Trisha, and Marlaine - I hope your workouts go well today!

Amber

Just a quick note to say that I've managed three strength training sessions this week and two cardio, with cardio planned for tomorrow.

How are the rest of you doing?

Marlaine

I've done 10 minutes on the bike every day, I think this weekend I will start bumping the time up. Now I feel like I am going to partially die ... not totally die.

Talon.....

I do know exactly what you mean. I think it's great that you are doing it anyway! And to be honest, I think that the bike is a very strenuous exercise. I much prefer the treadmill or just plain running on the street.

Kudos to you for keeping at it!

Marlaine

Gee, I thought this started the 15th But no harm done... I am still hard at my w/o's and they are aerobic! It takes me about 35 to 45 minutes to do it... that depending on if I do three twinsets or only do two. I try to do them 5 days a week. I haven't been getting much walking in though.

Oh, I am doing Joyce Vedral's Bottom's Up! Program which is weight training but it is in and of itself an aerobic activity, it keeps your heart rate between 60 and 70 percent capacity for twenty or more minutes.

I am pleased that I finished the week completing 6 days workout - 3 days of walking on the treadmill (20-30mins) alternating 3 days weights and abs with a barbell (mostly upper body with the weights but also doing squats). It is really time for me to change my weight routine or at least increase the weights so I will make that my goal for this coming week.

Linda I was looking at just that Joyce Vedral book the other day. Do you recommend that particular routine and are you getting great results?

A very strange week eating wise particulary since I was exercising really well (and enjoying it too). I have been pretty high carb since wednesday. Tuesday I must have overdone the cheese (which I shouldn't be eating due to allergies) and also the nuts and went out of ketosis and it was all down hill from then with the really rotten sweet stuff.

I have noticed the stuff actually makes me feel quite depressed these days as well as setting off horrible allergies, gastrointestinal problems and the bloat. My energy is quite low now and it is hard to get rid of the rotten cravings again. I will though very soon.

On the good news front though I had a peak flow test at the doctors on monday (before my food went off track) and it was perfectly normal and I am not even on meds for asthma and haven't been since this change of eating. This the first winter in forever that I can remember this happening. YAHOO for lowcarb!!!!

I hope the rest of you are going well with food and exercise.

Linda.....
Good to see you here with us! Left you a note in your gym log and I see that you have been working out all along so were participating even though you though we were starting on the 15th. Looks like you are really keeping yourself busy with it!

Trisha...
You mentioned having some difficulties with the "sweet stuff". Have you tried using l-Glutamine? It's useful when you are working out, for reducing muscle aches and pains, but it also helps to curb sweet cravings. Some people even report that it improves brain chemistry.

Interesting too, your comment about sweets depressing you. I too have noticed a significant improvement in my mood levels since LCing and starting a regular exercise routine. In fact, I've started to use exercise as stress relief with great success!

If you are looking to change your exercise routine, here are a couple of websites that Nat shared, that are worth looking at for hints and ideas:

http://www.exrx.net/

http://www.fitsite.com/anatomy.cfm

Wishing you both a relaxing and successful LC/Fitness weekend!

Marlaine

Good afternoon everyone! It look as if all of us should be very proud of ourselves for our first week!

I was able to do 5 days of 25 minute weights and four days of 25 minute cardio. One more cardio day than I was going to do, but I felt sluggish that morning and wanted a pep up. I went out and got a ECA stack to help the fat loss a bit. I took it yesterday and had a great weight session! My pecs are feeling it today though.....

Have a great Sunday and start Monday out screaming for the burn!


Amber

Amber.....

Great job for week one of our Challenge!!



I'll be really interested in following your progress with the stack. I've tried to take one twice now and every day that I take it, my weight goes up. So by six days in on the first attempt and four days in on the second, I quit and my weight goes back down again.

Are you planning on no changes in your nutrition?

Marlaine

Marleine, I too have tried an ECA Stack a couple of time and gained weight as well, sooooooo I will be interested to to see how AmberinIN Stacking turns out!

Thanks for the web sites and also the suggestion for L-glutamine. I have not tried that but I have taken Chromium in the past and found that did help with sweet cravings.

Exercise is certainly a wonderful stress relief tool. I also always sleep so well the days I exercise (and eat and drink well). I have also noticed that my circulation is so much better and I feel the cold so much less. I am the only one at my computer class that does not complain about the cold on these icy mornings in the southern hemisphere.

Amber you are doing so well with your exercise routine.

Hope everyone is having a great Sunday (or saturday).