Hi everyone...

Posted by ShellBell on February 15, 2008 at 10:05am

Sorry I've been MIA for a bit. I was sick for a few days and then I fell into one of my depressive episodes again. I'm better now though! I did stay on track with my squats ,however I haven't been doing the lunges. They put way too much pressure on my right heel. I injured it a few months ago. There is a step down into my living room and one day I missed the step and my ankle went sideways. I had to keep my ankle wrapped up for about a week after that but I still have problems with my heel ,so I'm kinda babying it. Eventually I'm gonna have to go to the doc and have her check it for me and see if it's a heel spur or something else.

I have also been staying away from the DREADmill which isn't good ,because I think I have gained back half the weight I lost :( I really need to get some kind of schedule set up for me and my daily routines ,I bounce back and forth from one thing to another all the time. Get sidetracked easily ,lol.

Hubby is really liking my ass but then again he never had a problem with it to begin with :) My real problem area is my ABS. I have such a hard time finding exercises for them where I don't have to lay on the floor. Maybe it's time to invest in one of those benches where you can adjust the slope and hold onto the rail at the top while raising your legs in the air. Sorry ,I can remember what it's called but it's not a weight bench. I think it's an incline bench.

Well , I've rambled long enough. I have to get something to eat since I haven't eaten anything yet today and I am STARVING!! Then I have to clean house and get these exercises in. I'm going to start increasing my squats since I'm behind on my goal right now and maybe do some kickbacks (I love those) instead of the squats. If the kids would leave me alone while I'm on the DREADmill ,I could walk a lot longer and burn a heck of a lot more calories. Gotta figure out someway to distract them ,lol.

OK ,I'm rambling again ,haha. I'll check in with y'all later.

Comment by Eve on February 15, 2008 at 10:21am: I've had a hard time getting in my exercise this week, too. Yesterday I was just too tired to do anything. Best thing is to leave the bad days behind and go on.

Comment by Ask The Dietitian on February 15, 2008 at 10:37am: I noticed what you wrote. "I haven't eaten anything yet today and I am STARVING!!"

Always eat when you get up, never skip breakfast because it has the power to rev your metabolism. Have a carb and a protein source. If you are ever starving that means you have waited too long to eat.
Just my 2 cents. Actually I guess this advice is definitely worth more than 2 cents. Oh and I love the term dreadmill. LOL

Comment by Sheila Octaviano on February 15, 2008 at 1:45pm: When I wanted some extra time for myself I invested in the following supplies.
Scotch tape, masking tape, colored plastic tape, scissors, paper plates, foam cups, crayons, markers, staples in a stapler (if your kids are bigger), strips of crepe paper or fabric, dried beans. I kept these things with my art supplies.
I put the supplies on the kitchen table and told the kids to build something. They made some awesome things.
When the boys got older I used to buy them bags of rubber bands. It's an odd toy, but it kept them busy. One time they made a rubber band rope that stretched from our doorknob across the street to Grandma and Grandpa's doorknob. haha. They used to make huge rubber band sling shots to shoot the basketballs across the yard. They also made rubber band balls. I always had art supplies for the kids, but they were in the game closet and could only be played with on permission. That kept them interesting. I had stencils, rub-on stencils (where you rub the crayon across the surface), craft sticks, glue, tape, construction paper, etc. I actually got that idea in part from Captain Kangaroo. Remember how he always brought out a shoe box with scissors and stuff in it?
If you have really little ones, make some home made playdough and only give it to them when you are on the treadmill. Give them some cookie cutters, containers, a rolling pin, some interesting utensils, and a couple of egg cartons cut into varying sizes. (three egg cups, two egg cups, six egg cups, etc.) They will look forward to your time on the treadmill!

Comment by Christine Braun on February 15, 2008 at 2:52pm: Sheila...I bet there are a lot of moms who would love to sent their kids over to your place. Sounds like fun. I used to make up exercise routines and make the kids do them with me. That way I could keep my eyes on them and we all benefited. We would also have the "can you do this?" competitions.

Comment by David on February 15, 2008 at 5:57pm: Shiela, I think that whatever exercise routine you prefer, will have to change due to injury or soreness; therefore, do something else or change up the exising one that doesn't make you uncorfmortable. Especially those that you don't like. From my own experience, my swimming routines do wax and wane, based on my body.

Comment by ShellBell on February 15, 2008 at 6:46pm: I agree Eve ;)

Dietician , I am so bad about not eating breakfast. I really never have been a morning person or breakfast person for that matter. Just not hungry first thing in the morning.
I will try to do better.

Sheila , can I send my kids over to your house?LOL. You have some great ideas. My 2 youngest children are 2 and 4. What I did today was put pn a movie for them to watch and anytime they got near me ,lol ,I would threaten to turn the movie off. The eventually got the hint and stayed seated :D I love the playdough idea though. I may definately try that one and I could put a small table in the same room as the treadmill so that I could keep an eye on them. They bost still have the nasty habit of putting things in their mouths. Blech!

Christine , what a great way to include the kids! The competitions sound pretty fun.

David , forgot whos page you were on didn't ya? That's quite alright ,I'm sure I'll do it myself ,lol. I soo wish I had a pool. And I am doing whatever I can to find what exercises will work best for me without putting too much strain on my body.

Comment by Sheila Octaviano on February 16, 2008 at 2:13am: Kids that come to my house never want to leave. A co-worker's little boy who had never met me until that day, told his mom he wanted to come to my house with "his new grandma". She actually let him come home with me. He was two at the time. We had a blast and when his real grandma came to pick him up it was awful. He was kicking and screaming all the way to the car. Kids just love my house for some reason. My friend's grandkids clamor to come visit everytime they drive down the street near my house. My neice's kids HAVE to visit me each time they come home for a visit. (they are in the army). I think it's because my toys are from when my kids were little. They are something new and different. Even though I always think I'm tired of kids, I never seem to be able to get away from them for very long. When the girls were little and went to their dad's every weekend I would always end up with someone else's kids.
About the playdough...it is non toxic and can be eaten without worry. That's why I mentioned the homemade kind. I use the recipe where you cook it a little bit and then keep it in a plastic zip-lock baggie. I sometimes put baking cocoa in it for a nice smell. It is made from flour and oil and salt. Here is the recipe for the chocolate playdough. While it is not meant to be eaten, it won't hurt them if they try it.

Chocolate Playdough

Ingredients:

2 Cups water
½ Cup salt
2 Tablespoons cream of tartar
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup cocoa
2 Cups flour

Directions:

In a medium-sized pot, bring the water and salt to a boil. Stir in the remainder of the ingredients. Allow mixture to cool slightly. Knead the dough till it reaches smooth doughy consistency. Store in airtight container.

This one keeps for quite some time if in airtight bag or container.

Comment by Christine Braun on February 16, 2008 at 11:53am: I have made lots of this stuff but without the cocoa. What a neat idea. It is very salty...they won't eat much. Haha!