This is a test....this is only a test!....REST

  and that includes resting when the need arises...and it will arise!

I think I've mentioned this before....if not...I'm suffering from Achilles Tendinosis.  That's a step above Achilles Tendinitis caused from my not taking care of my aching heel....not listening to my body when it very plainly told me "with the pain" that it needed some rest....not listening to my trainer and family who asked more than once, if I understood what it meant to rest my ankle...  Being the overachiever that I am, I just kept on exercising and power walking.....thinking literally No Pain No Gain.

Well let me tell you first hand No Pain No Gain may work for some people and it's a good incentive to push yourself beyond what you think you can do....but when you're 63 years old...the saying should probably be "No Pain No Gain...means you're Insane"! 

I'm a firm believer that we should push ourselves, challenge ourselves, and try to do just a little more than we think we can do.  That's how we grow our health and fitness level.  But now I am a firm believer that no matter how old you are, you have to listen to your body and when it says "Hey, my friend, I need to rest" you best listen up.

Now I am on the verge of being down and out for a while.  I've ended up having to go to a podiotrist who sent me to physical therapy.  Physical Therapy have me doing lots of stretching and ankle exercises, message and ultra sounds and have "suggested" I limit my exercise to upper body and only lower body exercises that can be done on a mat where there is NO (I REPEAT NO) pressure on my heel.  Because even when it gets to feeling better....right now if I put any pressure on the heel, I start the inflammation up all over again and I am back to square one.  The even told me if I am still hurting by the end of the month, they will recommend I give up all exercise for at least 2 weeks and just do the ankle exercises and keep my foot elevated...........HEAVEN HELP ME!

So normally I am going to be your biggest cheerleader for healthy eating and getting to the gym or outdoors or in your living room doing some sort of cardio and toning exercises.  Those are the two main keys to losing and keeping weight off and to staying fit and healthy.  But today, I am a cheerleader for listening to your body....Don't quit, but sometimes you do need to rest...and if you don't do it on your own...your body will stop you in your tracks!

I hate not being able to power walk or do my cardio fit classes....but it's not forever....So remember eat healthy, exercise, beleive you can achieve your goals....but when you have real pain.....listen to what your body is telling you and take the time to rest... and listen to your doctor and trainers......

.

 

The alternative can shut you down for an even longer period!

This is a test...this is only a test.....and I will get through this and be back in the game soon!

Ok...I'm off to do my ankle exercise

Lessons from my Father

A while back my 89 year old dad was admitted to the hospital for irregular heart beat and difficulty breathing and pneumonia. The hospitalization and recovery period afterward was quite an eye opener for me on many levels. The main observance being that, like many daughters, I believed my dad was invincible and would be strong and healthy forever......and unfortunately that just is never the case. Sooner or later at some point, aging will wear out your body and the signs of aging presented themselves very clearly to me. Comments from the doctors have made me committed more than ever to getting and staying fit and healthy, keeping up with my cardio, aerobic and weight bearing exercise. To our surprise, we were told he has some chronic obstructive pulmonary disease *(COPD)....which can be caused from smoking (which my dad hasn’t done in over 50 years) or from scar tissue forming for various reason—one of which is from lack of exercise...lack of exercise that can also cause heart problems.
 

My dad was a runner most of his life....not professionally....not competitively....and certainly not on a regular basis that I can remember, but he did jog a lot in his 50s and 60s....several miles. But at some point he let that slide, he started getting aches and pains and the jogging became walking around a track and the walking became less and less. It’s hard to convince someone with arthritic pain in their knees and ankles that it’s the continued walking that will get rid of the pain.

We told the doctors that even though he stopped jogging, he lived out in the country and got on and off a tractor and did lots of digging and hard work around the property and house he and my mom lived in. The heart and pulmonary doctor both said.....that’s physical labor....it’s not cardio or aerobic exercise; not exercise that gets your heart rate up for a substantial period of time several times a week. I’ve heard my trainer explain similar thoughts....that free weights and weight machines alone won’t get it. You have to do cardio exercises, brisk walking, jogging, cycling at least 3-4 times a week.

I guess none of us can say what tomorrow or even an hour from now holds for us. We could be fit as a fiddle and be hit by a car. But more likely than that happening is that our aging bodies will slow down on us....if we allow them to.

Many things bring people to the hospital......and many of those things are the end results of lack of exercise.

I believe, as my trainer says “Old is a box we put ourselves into”. “Old”doesn’t necessarily have to mean that we are not fit. “Old”doesn’t have to mean we will get sick and have aches and pains. “Old” doesn’t have to mean we become stagnate. “Old”doesn’t have to mean we have heart and lung problems. Our bodies are the homes we live in and we have to take care of them. We have to exercise them regularly. We have to feed them healthy foods. We have to work at being mentally alert. Our bodies do age, but if we stay fit, we don’t have to put ourselves in the “Old” box.

My dad’s health conditions give me reason to let out a heavy sad sigh. But his condition also makes me want to go to the gym and work out, makes me want to take an 8-mile power walk, makes me want to go to an hour long spin class or walk on the treadmill.

His condition makes me want to do that today, tomorrow and everyday up into my 90’s. That’s my plan. That’s my goal. All I can do for him now is be there for him, pray for him and encourage him to listen to the physical therapists and try with all his might to continue moving (which right now is so difficult for him).

If your dad and mom are still alive, count your blessings and take every lesson you can from them..........

Another lesson I have learned from this is something I should have learned (and listened to) many many many years ago....something that kept me overweight.....A connection that a lot of us don’t make to our weight gain.....that being “when do you eat” and “what do you eat”. While my dad was in the hospital and as I am taking care of him...the answers to these questions are before my face in BIG BOLD RED LETTERS. I eat when I get nervous, I eat when I’m sad and as strange as it may sound in this situation, I eat when I get bored (if you’re not the one in the hospital, there’s not much to do except sit around and wait). And you tend to eat what’s available at the time even if it’s not healthy.....sometimes ‘especially if it’s not healthy’...........that old ‘stinking thinking’ convinces you it’s OK. Come on let me see a show of hands....how many of you have grabbed a package of M&Ms from a vending machine at a hospital, because after all you’re scared, worried, anxious, tired and M&Ms are our friends....little round sweet chocolate pills to help us feel better.....oh good I see one brave honest hand besides mine going up out there in cyberspace.....oh two....three...come on don’t be shy. How about a soda or chips or a crappy cheese burger down in the hospital cafeteria just to get something in your stomach. OK enough of that. You get my drift. I became very mindful of my old bad eating habits that reared their ugly heads while Dad was in the hospital. But hopefully in time, I turned my hand toward my face and pointed my pointer finger at myself and said, “Peggy, what are you doing? You’ve worked your butt off to get the weight off and exercised like crazy to get fit.....are you going to throw it all away just because Dad is not well.......and wasn’t that your goal to begin with to keep yourself fit so you can try to avoid having the problems so many elderly people have as they age....problems that can in many cases be averted with healthy eating and exercise. COME ON PEGGY! THAT OLD PEGGY IS GONE! YOU ARE COMMITTED AND DETERMINED! WHEN YOU GET STRESSED, ANXIOUS, SAD, OR JUST PLAIN AREN’T FEELING WELL...DON’T GRAB THOSE M&MS....EAT SOME FRUIT AND VEGETABLES....GRAB SOME TUBING OR YOUR TENNIS SHOES AND EXERCISE!”

Please join me today no matter what your age or fitness level is. Don’t put yourself in the “old” box. Commit to keeping your body fit just as long as you can.

Oh and one more thing I learned. It truly is lesson in the making....a thing of beauty and pure sweetness..... to see an 87 year old woman, married to an 89 year old man for 65 years take care of him when he is sick....and to see the love and appreciation in his eyes at her effort. It makes me cry tears of joy....to see such pure love and to know that they are my parents.

I have someone like that in my life. I hope you all have someone to love and who will love you like that.....if you don’t....I hope some day you do.....but remember first you must love yourself. I love you! And I want you to walk away from your overweight unhealthy self. Start eating healthy. Start exercising. Start training to be fit at 99.

One other lesson that just came to mind.....now that my dad is doing better and I am back home, I realize that even though I’ve not exercised much in about 3 weeks and even though my scale says I’ve gained 3 pounds in the last two weeks, I can pick up right where I left off and start fresh again.....

Life will throw things in your path that last moments, days, even sometimes weeks and months; situations that you are not expecting. Deal with what life presents, but DO NOT QUIT. Just be determined to get right back on track as soon as you can.

Remember this is a lifestyle not a quick fix

Do you have questions? Would you like someone to help you get started or just keep you motivated to continue your effort to get fit? I’m here. I’m not a professional, but I know first hand the struggle and the hard work it takes to get and stay fit. I know the pitfalls and the“falling off the wagon”. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Why not make it a long healthy life. Write to me...I’ll be glad to write back. If I don’t know the answer to your question, I’ll find someone that does know the answer. PEGGYLEE57@AOL.COM Just put FITAT99 in your subject line so I’ll be sure to read it.

I'm happy to say Dad got out of the hospital and is getting stronger each day.

Goals and New Habits

I just started a new session of a group I belong to  called Lighten Up For Life.  Part of our "attack" on getting fit and healthy is to set goals. Goals are important because they give you a 'marker' to keep track of your progress.

Some of the goals they suggest are 1) Keep a food journal, 2) Increase your activity, 3) Boost your water intake, 4) Build a support squad, 5) Eat more vegetables, 6) Make moderation your method, Choosing smart snacks, Stop with the sugar, etc.

I like to say, as others have, that unless you are a professional athlete, you are not in competition with anyone except yourself. So set those goals and make the goals things you really have to work on to achieve. At the beginning goals could be made to be achieved easily so you gain some confidence. But as you go along make them harder to achieve. Challenge yourself. 

Remember you are the only one that can get you healthy and fit. You are the only one that can make you walk away from that cookie. You are the only one that can make you get off the couch and put those tennis shoes on and go outside for a walk, or to the gym or do some aerobic dancing in your living room.

People that are in great shape set goals. One of my favorites was/is setting a goal for myself doing a plank. When I first started out I could barely do 30 seconds. But I kept at it everyday and each day or two or three....I added another 30 seconds. I'll be the first to admit, I've been a little lax on doing that everyday. But at one point I was up to 7 minutes and I was stoked! So I'm back at it and building my time up again. The tool that helped me was to download some songs onto my iTunes and set up a playlist called planks. I made sure I had songs of varying times from 30 seconds to 9 minutes. I then put them on my iPod and I listen to it when I am doing my plank. Every few days listening to the next song on the list which is a little longer than the previous. It works great. My goal right now is to work up to 10 full minutes in a static plank.

I've set myself a calorie goal and I work on that on a daily basis. I set myself an exercise goal and I've made a plan on what days I exercise upper body, lower body, do cardio, etc. and I remember to occasionally change that routine up to keep my muscles and mind on their toes.

Now I can hear some of you saying......"you are way to serious about this....all of those goals counting calories and plans seem like such a chore". My thought on that is that with anything, when you are trying to form a habit, the beginning may seem like a boring task. But that's really what we're trying to do here. We're trying to form a life long habit. A habit that will become second nature to us. A habit that will keep us healthy and fit for the rest of our lives.

So if you're just starting out or if you've been at this for a while and you seem to be hitting a brick wall on your weight loss or in getting your body toned and fit....try making some new goals. Keep your eye on what you want to accomplish in your 'healthy' journey. And remember that it takes a while to form a habit so don't give up after the first few days or the first few weeks. This is not a quick fix. This is your life and if you want to join me in being healthy and fit at 99, you have to make up your mind that you're working on a habit you can live with the rest of your life.

I am my own worst enemy....Keep your mind on the goal!

Part of losing weight and keeping it off is exercise—that’s really a key factor—let’s call it 1/3 of the equation. Another 3^rd is diet. You CAN NOT “out exercise” a bad diet. I can take 6 fitness classes a week, workout at the gym and power walk 8 miles, but if my diet is full of fatty and unhealthy foods, I might as well be walking around with one foot nailed to the floor...just moving in a circle going nowhere.

Which brings me to the last part of the 3-way equation—that being ‘mental’. In my opinion, this is the 3^rd that can do the most damage. Your mental awareness and attitude can produce either the most success or the most failure in getting fit. The body achieves what the mind believes. Even if you eat healthy and exercise, you have to get yourself into the proper mindset because it’s so easy to sabotage yourself if you’re not into the fitness equation mentally.

I recently watched a cooking video done Olivia Ward (you might recognize Olivia as the winner on season before last – Biggest Loser show). She has a blog along with her sister (2^nd runner up) Hannah Curlee. Their blog is terrific...you might want to check it out http://myfitspiration.com

In the video http://myfitspiration.com/2012/08/14/olivias-breakfast-tour/ she demonstrates cooking her recipe for an omelet made with egg whites, spinach and mushroom. In the video she says that you can add other things—other veggies—fat free ham—low fat cheese, etc. But she follows that up saying, “I don’t put cheese in mine because “I can’t be trusted”. When I first heard her say that I about fell over....those words could have come right out of my mouth....with certain foods “I can’t be trusted”. One of the main rules about getting fit and eating healthy is to remove from your home those food items that you can not “control”. That’s the reason I don’t keep candy in my home, the reason I limit the amount of chips in my home, the reason I limit my treat to ½ cup of frozen yogurt to only Sunday night.

I’m going to be perfectly honest with you here—my “former fat girl mentality” has a mean dangerous way of sneaking up on me and whispering in my ear.......“oh just one more bite won’t hurt you”..... “2 nights of frozen yogurt won’t hurt, after all you exercised really hard today”. It’s like the old cartoon picture of the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other battling to win over your mind. It’s those little baby steps backwards that lead to slow ‘backsliding’.... that gets you in so much trouble.....and can take you down the old yoyo path of lose weight—gain it back....lose weight—gain it back.

My sweet 89 year old daddy and 87 year old mom love my chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies.....so I have a habit of making a batch of each for them when I travel down to see them every 2-3 weeks. So here I’ll let you guess....Do you think I can just bake them a batch, wrap them up, deliver them, and not have one single cookie myself? OK stop with the laughing and rolling of your eyes.....yes 99% of you guessed right....NO I CAN’T. I’m my own worst enemy. One of my recent goals I’ve set for myself is to do just that. Bake those delights, not take one hot out of the oven, not take one as I box them up, not take two while I’m visiting (because after all everyone else is eating them). The answer is simple, easy and age old....PEGGY—JUST SAY NO!

I’ve worked really hard at eating healthy and exercising faithfully to lose the 55 pounds I’ve lost. Now I just need to bring my mind around full turn to get on board with the program. I am not who I used to be. I don’t want to be who I used to be. I want to be fit now, stay fit and be fit at 99.

FAT GIRL “get thee behind me”. The FIT GIRL that’s hidden so long inside me is out and she’s in charge.

THE BODY ACHIEVES WHAT THE MIND BELIEVES. AND I BELIEVE THAT NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD AS FIT AND HEALTHY FEELS. I’ve got on my T-shirt right now...

Make sure you have all 3 pieces of the equation fully engaged in your quest to be healthy and fit.

EAT HEALTHY

EXERCISE

KEEP YOUR MIND ON THE GOAL!

You're never too old to get fit

So I walk into my core and cycle class that has become my Monday and Wednesday routine, get my mat, stability ball and weights--the equipment we'll use for class that day.  An elderly gentleman walked into the room and shook hands with the trainer.  I thought--must be just coming by to say hello.  But then the trainer assistant got him a mat and some light weights and a stability ball..hmmmmm....is this man really going to take the core/cycle class?? Well by golly....sure enough.  Our trainer introduced him (I'll call him Bob) and said "be nice to Bob, he's 93 years young".  I was filled with inspiration, admiration and a spirit of renewed belief that you truly are never too old to decide to get fit.....especially when I was told he had been working with the trainer for a year and when he first started he cold barely walk.  He got down on the mat 'by himself', got up off the mat 'by himself' and did all the core exercises we did......and then cycled on a stationary bike with the rest of us for the second 30 mins. of the class.

  What an inspiration!  I'm 63.  My goal is to get fit, stay fit, and be fit at 99...........this clearly shows you that you can be 23, 63 or 93 and if you make up your mind that you're not ready for your story to be over you can get fit.  Believe in yourself.  Believe you can do it. 

 

I'm betting he'll be fit at 103!

I'm not just stretching the truth......

 Don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I have a chronic problem with a sort of tendinitis in my left heel area (not the bottom like plantar fasciatis--but around the back and sides of my ankle).

My doctor explained that there is a tendon that runs the full length of the back of the leg down to the ankle, then branches out to tiny branches on either side of the ankle.

If you power walk (like I do) or walk a lot (like I do) you can damage that area (which I have).  This has been going on for a few years.

Doc advises that since it is a chronic condition, I need to ice the area each time I walk (which I do) and take Ibuprofen on a regular basis (which I also do....well alternating with Tylenol)....  He also told me to get some heel lifts to put in my tennis shoes and NO flat flip flops....can't do them, can't go barefoot....If I do I pay dearly for it.  So now all my flip flops that I mostly live in except at the gym or in a fitness class have the higher wedged heel (my heels thank me for that)!

But what he didn't tell me (or maybe he did and I wasn't listening) is that I really really really need to stretch the full length of that tendon everyday.

I've started doing that and I am here to tell you (living proof) that it has made all the difference in the world. 

My heel got to hurting me so bad about a month ago that I conceded to my trainer who on more than one occassion said, "What are you doing for it".....I replied 'icing and ibuprofen'...and he said, "Peggy, do you ever give it any rest?"  (I'm a bit of a gym rat....a littel addicted to exercise since I realized how much I love it and how good it is for you!!

!.....anyway back to my thought..(see earlier post) and just did not exercise for a full week (well OK...almost a full week) and then I started these serious daily stretches.

I try to do the forward seated toe touches   but still have difficulty because my hamstrings are so tight. 

I also lay on my back on a mat and use a band to pull my leg up toward the ceiling as high as I can get it.  Sometimes I do that against a wall where you scooch up your butt as close to the baseboard as you can get and put your legs up against the wall. I do standing hip flexars.
 I do inverted A's

My goal is to do something like this     
or this or this  

The goal is really 2 part...well maybe 3 part.... 1)I'd love to be able to do those poses...2) I know if I could stretch like that my tendon would be more flexible and my heel would hurt less (at least I hope that would be how it worked) and 3) if my heel hurt less I could get back to the exercises that bring me the most joy--power walking and jogging.  I mean if I can't power walk or jog or run....how will I ever be the 64 year old winner of the San Antonio Rock and Roll Half Marathon (and someday Marathon)...OK wait...if by some miracle I did it this year, I'd be the 63 year old winner, cause it happens the day before my birthday!  This goal may be "stretching" myself to my current limit, but it's a goal (bucket list) dream of mine and if you know me, you know I'm determined enough to do it!

So don't forget one of the most important before and after parts of exercising......
S----T----R----E----T----C----H----I----N---G!

See you in the gym...
Peg

PS.  If you have any real good stretches or tips for helping my hurting heel...write me a comment or e-mail me at Peggylee57@aol.com and put Hurting Heel in the subject line (ya know....you get a lot of spam these days and I tend to just delete if it shows up there or I don't recognize a name...call me crazy, but that's just me!)

Take a compliment....Give a compliment

I guess my hard work is finally beginning to pay off.  On more than one occasion at the gym and at other places (i.e. the grocery store!), I've had other women stop me and ask me how I got my legs so toned and muscular.....or just to tell me..."wow you have killer legs". 

I've got to tell you, that is real encouragement to me!  I try to graciously accept the compliment without blushing or gushing.  And I explain what it's taken to get to this point in my quest for a fit body.  It's been lots of hard work and time at the gym or in fitness classes almost every day of the week
.

The compliments mean so much.....so I try to return them as often as I can.  If I see someone in the gym that is doing something I can't even begin to do, I always go up and tell them what a great job they are doing and ask what it takes to be able to get to a point where I can do that stretch or bend or exercise.

Compliments are great encouragement.  You have to be your own cheerleader most of the time in this struggle to get the weight off, keep it off and get your body fit. So when someone else recognizes the change in you and appreciates the hard work it takes to get there, that's a real bonus.

So accept compliments graciously; use them to fuel your routine; use them to set new goals; use them to feel proud of how far you've come.  But be sure to pay it forward and give someone else a compliment too. And it doesn't have to just be about weight loss.  Don't be afraid to tell someone they have beautiful eyes or really cute kids....

Everyone loves a compliment!

There is simply nothing more rewarding when you're on "this journey" then for someone to say "Wow!  You look great.  You've really lost weight."  or "Wow!  You've got killer legs"!  Especially when you're only 14 weeks away from turning 64 :)