December Health Challenge (2016)
- Thread starter shyvas
- Start date
I still have 3 or 4 pounds to lose. I didn't get very far with this goal last month, lol. 
I will keep the white carbs and sweets in check.
I will keep up the exercise/weights 5 to 6 days a week (exercise has been pretty good the last couple of months);
Drink at least 48 ounces of water a day;
Get at least 7 hours of sleep a night (always a work in progress).
I have today off and plan to take a nice long walk.
Good luck with your goals, everyone. Happy December.
I will keep the white carbs and sweets in check.
I will keep up the exercise/weights 5 to 6 days a week (exercise has been pretty good the last couple of months);
Drink at least 48 ounces of water a day;
Get at least 7 hours of sleep a night (always a work in progress).
I have today off and plan to take a nice long walk.
Good luck with your goals, everyone. Happy December.
Chryssie
Internet Junkie
I am in again of course! I have been slacking really badly since Thanksgiving week and I probably won't do that well this month either! Too many goodies at work for one thing! We are going back to the gym so that should help. With only 5 pounds to go to my goal, I am not stressing out too much about it. Everybody says I am "skinny" already!
We are going back to the gym so that should help. With only 5 pounds to go to my goal, I am not stressing out too much about it. Everybody says I am "skinny" already!
Jamie in Chile
Forum Legend
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2016
- Reaction score
- 1,816
- Age
- 44
- Lifestyle
- Vegetarian
My goals are to continue running once a week, and perhaps try and go slightly faster.
To continue mostly cycling rather than driving when I am on my own.
To try and do press ups most days instead of occassionally.
To try and introduce some form of stretching exercises on a semi-regular basis.
To continue to try and make healthy living a way of life, rather than have on/off diets, and health eating. In the past I would lose five kilos, then gain seven, or do some huge physical challenge then do no exercise whatsoever for a month. I want to end all that.
Best of luck to everyone else.
To continue mostly cycling rather than driving when I am on my own.
To try and do press ups most days instead of occassionally.
To try and introduce some form of stretching exercises on a semi-regular basis.
To continue to try and make healthy living a way of life, rather than have on/off diets, and health eating. In the past I would lose five kilos, then gain seven, or do some huge physical challenge then do no exercise whatsoever for a month. I want to end all that.
Best of luck to everyone else.
I feel so much better after taking the iron supplement. I'm not napping during the day at all now. I was starting to feel anxious and almost depressed, and somebody on another forum told me that sometimes women can feel that way if they are iron deficient. Well, the supplement certainly has made me feel a lot better.
My sleep has improved so my goals for this month are to keep taking the supplement and also make sure I have enough fresh fruit and veg daily.
My sleep has improved so my goals for this month are to keep taking the supplement and also make sure I have enough fresh fruit and veg daily.
Chryssie
Internet Junkie
Bad thing about going to the gym -- Working muscles that normally don't get worked out leads to some downtime... Hopefully leg day won't turn me into a freakin' cripple for two days every time we do legs.
hungryraccoon
Forum Legend
Probably will
James trained me this morning for the first time in weeks. The gym was empty... It was us and one other guy in there! Lovely. Wish it was always like this.
Gonna hurt tomorrow. A lot.
Chryssie
Internet Junkie
Yeah, the class is going to be good. After Tuesday we won't be so aimless, we should know what to do to achieve our fitness goals.
Naturebound1
Forum Legend
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2015
- Reaction score
- 1,085
I want to continue to get better with my dancing. I have been practicing every day before work, usually at the gym after my regular workouts. Sundays is my big dance day where I practice for two hours at a dance studio at the YMCA which is a different fitness center than my normal one, but has the dance floor and huge space I need (unlike the puny little room with hard floor at my current fitness center). I pay an extra $10 per week for a Sunday Day pass there, plus my regular membership at the other gym. Who else travels to more than one fitness center lol. I would like to eventually quit the other gym and go to the Y exclusively for everthing (and they have a pool yeah!), but it is farther away so I would have to work out hours and still fitting in work etc. And it's more expensive. But the dance space. Oh my it's worth it. I would have an eight mile per day bike ride to the gym and work and home instead of four currently. So I have been hesitant, but I will have to make up my mind soon because spending money on two fitness centers is expensive lol.
I have been focusing on turns and pirouettes. I know I have the technique and balance/power. I just need the confidence to get beyond the single turns. My jumping needs work but with my bad bones it's one area I DO baby myself with. All my ballet training is slowly coming back to me and it's exciting! I have not taken a ballet class in 24 years (I used to train 3 hours a day five days a week and six to eight hours on Saturdays many years ago). But all my other activities have helped me with stamina, strength etc. And the more I practice with technique, the more the muscles remember, amazingly.
I have been eating all gluten free soy free vegan the last few days and plan to try it for all of December. My thyroid is out of whack again and I have been exhausted, always feel like I am in a haze, can't think clearly. I suppose all my dancing on top of my usual workouts is making me more tired too. I have been trying to at least take two days off exercise per week, but this week I took a three mile hike in the woods yesterday on my one day off. So this next week I am taking two days off so my body can recover some. I don't want yet another med increase so i am trying this first to see if it helps. I have done this before and waited it out and it seems to help for a while. As long as I don't stress too much about food and what to eat. It's been scary lately because I find myself nodding off at work in the middle of reading surgical op reports. Not good.
I have been focusing on turns and pirouettes. I know I have the technique and balance/power. I just need the confidence to get beyond the single turns. My jumping needs work but with my bad bones it's one area I DO baby myself with. All my ballet training is slowly coming back to me and it's exciting! I have not taken a ballet class in 24 years (I used to train 3 hours a day five days a week and six to eight hours on Saturdays many years ago). But all my other activities have helped me with stamina, strength etc. And the more I practice with technique, the more the muscles remember, amazingly.
I have been eating all gluten free soy free vegan the last few days and plan to try it for all of December. My thyroid is out of whack again and I have been exhausted, always feel like I am in a haze, can't think clearly. I suppose all my dancing on top of my usual workouts is making me more tired too. I have been trying to at least take two days off exercise per week, but this week I took a three mile hike in the woods yesterday on my one day off. So this next week I am taking two days off so my body can recover some. I don't want yet another med increase so i am trying this first to see if it helps. I have done this before and waited it out and it seems to help for a while. As long as I don't stress too much about food and what to eat. It's been scary lately because I find myself nodding off at work in the middle of reading surgical op reports. Not good.
I took yesterday off from exercise. I think my body needed a little rest. Today I did a Leslie Sansone video because it was snowing this morning, so that put off my walk at work. I didn't want to chance slipping on ice/snow. It's all rain now, though, so it will be melting soon. I hadn't done a video in a while. I really do enjoy aerobics.
Today I did a Leslie Sansone video because it was snowing this morning, so that put off my walk at work. I didn't want to chance slipping on ice/snow. It's all rain now, though, so it will be melting soon. I hadn't done a video in a while. I really do enjoy aerobics.
@Naturebound - you so amaze me! If I did half what you do i'd be exhausted!
Do you take any algae DHA supplements? Curious, because I obsess over need that. I had taken them on and off and I know I feel more focused when I do
Can you do matcha?
Do you take any algae DHA supplements? Curious, because I obsess over need that. I had taken them on and off and I know I feel more focused when I do
Can you do matcha?
I need to cut out the processed grains! Bread, pasta, pizza, crackers- I'm talking the white stuff, which I overeat because I really, really like it!
I think I got the desire to do it - finally!
And I'm going to make up a smoothie blend. Wheat germ, ground flax, matcha, powdered ginger (cause I keep forgetting to buy fresh), and some tumeric.
I usually do pineapple, with banana or blueberries and soy milk
I think I got the desire to do it - finally!
And I'm going to make up a smoothie blend. Wheat germ, ground flax, matcha, powdered ginger (cause I keep forgetting to buy fresh), and some tumeric.
I usually do pineapple, with banana or blueberries and soy milk
This has been on my mind a fair bit as well. The issue for me with bread is that the bread we buy is calorically the lowest I've ever seen, only 40 calories per slice (lite life wheat by Nature's Own which is more like a white wheat), and you can bet that better quality whole grain breads are two or three times as calorie dense. My brain is wired to think in terms of minimizing calories above everything else.
As for pasta; we have very effectively replaced pasta with spiralized zucchini! A spiralizer is a wonderful thing to own.
Chryssie
Internet Junkie
Despite eating over my calorie budget several times, I managed to lose almost 2 pounds! Three more to my goal which I probably won't make until after the holidays. I have decided not to deprive myself of goodies too severely!
Naturebound1
Forum Legend
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2015
- Reaction score
- 1,085
Actually, I just took a Deva brand DHA supplement on Sunday for the first time in a long time and I have had horrid cramps since then, though today it's getting a little better. In fact it was so bad Sunday I was crawling in agony. I don't know if it was the DHA supplement or what but I just can't figure out what else it could have possibly been. I seem to get these weird episodes of either hives and respiratory attacks or crampy diarrhea and extreme distention. I'll be fine for a while and then bam I get it again. I can never trace what the cause is. Ugh. I have a terrible time with supplements. It's taken years of trial and error to find calcium, D, and B12 supplements I can tolerate, and they are all liquid or sublingual based with very few other ingredients. Those are my only supplements. I tried multivitamins many years ago and was nearly debilitated with side effects.
I was reading something about B12 deficiency and a few of my symptoms line up with that, but I just had it tested a half year ago and it was 691 (normal range 200-900) so I don't think I have that. Almost always when I get this way it is thyroid related. I'm due for my next osteoporosis shot in early January and they will test my D and calcium blood levels before the shot so I will find out if maybe my D is low too, though I supplement 1000 IUs per day. I have never been low before in D though. It could just be the time of year too, so dark and cold. :/ I've been battling some mild depression lately. Trying to take it easy here and there. I was going to go to a potluck tonight and a Vegan Meetup tommorow but I am saying *&*( it I just don't feel like socializing and going out right now.
Chryssie
Internet Junkie
Sorry, this is just about the health of women, but very interesting. A good reason to look on the bright side of life.
Optimistic Outlook May Lower Women's Risk of Dying
A good reason to look on the bright side of life.Optimistic Outlook May Lower Women's Risk of Dying
