::: Home ::: The plan ::: Useful links ::: The workout :::

::: Hello from Israel :::

If someone comes by, I'd like to let you know I've posted on my main weblog, so if you want to be updated, go there... I don't have lots of Internet time while here.

Diet wise... all is well. Mom's fridge is full of yummy stuff, so it's hard to stay on plan... but I eat all my soy stuff, in hope the damage won't be so bad. Workout wise I'm doing very well... Bike rides and walks, and dumbbells...

That's all for now. I won't be able to visit my reads while away... I hope you understand...

::: Lorien @ 05:42 PM Israel time :::

::: Going away :::

This is my last post before I leave for Israel tomorrow. I'll be staying with my mom and brother till November 26th.

I'm not sure I'll be able to post here much. Most likely I won't have big posts, but I'll come to update my workouts, to keep a record of my doings there. Bro and I are going to have lots of bike rides! *s*. One thing's for sure, though. I'll be updating my photolog with photos from Israel, so Joe can share my time there. So check it from time to time, if you will *s*.

So that's it... Time to say good-bye... till I'm back... hopefully lighter than I'm now ;-)).

::: Lorien @ 12:02 AM MT :::

::: Work the abs, baby!!! :::

What a great tip in my inbox this morning, from Joanne Bednar... I had to share:

When working the abs, don't forget the obliques (the muscles on your sides!). By concentrating on the obliques you can shape your waistline much more than crunches alone. To work the obliques, hold a dumbbell in the right hand, and place your left hand behind your head. Slowly lower the dumbbell towards your knee, then return. Repeat with the other side.

Another great exercise that works BOTH the obliques and the rectus abdominus (the muscles that run down the front of your stomach), is the bicycle: Lie on the floor as if you were going to do crunches and lift both knees up. Touch right elbow to left knee while the right leg extends out horizontally off the floor, then switch. Go to exhaustion!

::: Lorien @ 08:52 AM MT :::

::: Good luck follows the bad one :::

Ok, so yesterday I went to the gym, and was lucky enough to find one of the nice instructors there, and she was kind enough to show me few stretches for my aching muscle. After we finished, I went on the treadmill, and managed to walk for 30 minutes - 1.8 miles, but no incline what so ever. I burned only 134 calories, felt the shits about not being able to do a real workout, and went home disappointed and annoyed...

But this morning I woke up... and what do ya know!!! No pain! So I went back to the gym, hopped on the treadmill, set it to incline = 13, speed - 3.8 mph... and walked for 60 whole minutes!!! Yay!!! It felt so darn good, I burned 742 calories and was happy as a puppy dog who just got its treat!

I'm going to do more stretches today, and will try to make it a habit to stretch every day. It's good for the body, it's good for my mood... all in all it's good!

::: Lorien @ 05:52 PM MT :::

::: Bad luck :::

I'm leaving on a visit trip to Israel next Wednesday, the 22nd. So the other day I walked down to the basement to bring up my suitcase, and pulled a muscle in my left lower back, just under my waist line. Grrrrrr!!!! This is so annoying, since besides the pain I couldn't work out for the last 2 days. It hurts when I walk, and thinking I'll have to sit for 15 hours in 3 airplanes next week, I surely want to let it heal...

I had a plan to get in shape even more before I leave... and now this! Crap! Crap! Crap! I'm going to the gym today anyway. I'll try my routine and see how it works, and if the pain gets worse - I'll stop. I have to get better before I go... I just have to, otherwise my flights will be living hell :(

::: Lorien @ 12:03 PM MT :::

::: Nothing much to tell :::

All goes as usual... Out of the first 10 days of October I worked out 9 times... skipped only 1 day. Today is a rest day, because I feel the TOM creeping in, and my body feels not-so-happy...

If you didn't join This is WEIGH Better! forum yet, you don't know what you've been missing! Ace ladies, supper supportive people, warm group... THE PLACE to be!!! Go join now!!!

::: Lorien @ 06:46 PM MT :::

::: I've found a man's diet blog :::

I was browsing through my referrers, and found a diet weblog which belongs to a MAN! YAY!!! My first, I think *s*. You don't find many of these around, you know... So here's Dane's Diet Blog... will be interesting to read... and, good luck on your journey, Dane! *s*.

::: :::

You know what? It's a beautiful sunny day outside. The temperature is 15 C, there's a bit of a wind but not enough to annoy me... so I decided to work out outside today. How many of these lovely beautiful days am I going to have till winter kicks in? Not too many for sure!!! So, I'm going to have a good long brisk walk outside this afternoon, and get a lot of fresh air.

It's good for the body... It's good for my mood... It's terrific for my soul!

::: Lorien @ 02:08 PM MT :::

::: Weigh-in day :::

Yeap, I still have those from time to time, when I manage to get to the gym early enough in the morning (before I ate anything), and when the scale is willing to do me the favor and move down ;-)).

So today it showed me 149.8 lbs. Right into the 140's... Hooray!!! Though it is only a minor lose, it is a big one for me. The last plateau had lasted toooooo long, I say! And now, I'm back to virgin fat lose territory. I am SO VERY happy!!!

::: Lorien @ 08:25 PM MT :::

::: Socializing at the gym :::

I've seen people socializing at the gym before. I know... the gym is a place to meet new people, so people spend part of the time just talking to others, joking around and such. That's great! I've never seen any point at spending "talking" time at the gym, unless I was asking the instructor for some info, and conversing with them on "health" related stuff. As it is, I spend around 2 hours (sometimes more) at the gym doing my gig, and at the end of my time there I sure like to go home and relax.

Well, it's not exactly true. Joe and I used to talk to an older guy few months back, when we attended the gym in the morning, together. But since I've started going there at the early hours of the afternoon, I didn't meet him anymore.

Today I spent 2 hours at the gym, from which I worked out for 1 hour, and talked to the instructor the rest of the time. She's a nice girl, and we chatted many times before. She was always helpful and smiling, a fun to talk to. Today we talked again, and it felt good!! It was an interesting talk. We talked a lot about diets, and health, and smoking, and healthy lifestyle. I realized she formed a very positive opinion on my efforts to get healthy, fit and active, and that - too - felt good! *s*.

Socializing at the gym is not a bad idea... but hell, I'll have to spend there more than 2 hours if I want to finish my routine and also chat...

Hehehe... We'll see *s*.

::: Lorien @ 07:10 PM MT :::

::: The numbers :::

I was browsing around my archives, and noticed that since March I've lost only 10 lbs (after gaining and losing like a yo-yo). My first intuitive reaction was: "Wtf? This is ridiculous!!! Only 10 lbs in 6 months???!!! Such a loser!!!".

Then, after calming down, I thought:

"Wait a sec, lady! Hold your horses!!! In your age, you should be able to control your temper!!! You maybe lost only 10 lbs all together in 6 months, but you went down from size 14 to size 10, right? Right! Doesn't that count for something??? Didn't you get rid of the blood pressure pills? You did!!! Doesn't that count for something??? And how much muscle weight did you gain? Do you still have the same flabby thighs as before? Or the same flabby upper arms? Do you? Do you? D-o y-o-u???".

Well... Whenever me and my self get into one of those arguments, most of the time me loses. It's true, and as Lee said it so eloquently in her post from Sep. 30: "Losing inches is much more important to me than losing pounds". Yeap... couldn't agree more!

::: Lorien @ 06:39 PM MT :::

::: Five days = No workout = Me bad! :::

Ai Caramba!!! I didn't workout for 5 whole days!!! The first one (Last Thursday), well... I had a good excuse. I cleaned the house and cooked... for hours!!! I had to get ready for dinner with guests on Friday night. We celebrated Rosh Hashana (Jewish new year), and dinner was also in honor of Joe's kids' birthdays... and mine, which was on Saturday.

Joe had a long 4-days-weekend (from Friday till Monday), so... we did all kinds of stuff together, including bumming around inside and out... so I didn't work out for 5 days!!!

I'm bad! Very very very bad! But I was glad to go back to the gym yesterday, and I had a very good one. So let's say I just took a small vacation from working out... yeap!!! That settles it ;-))

::: Lorien @ 12:30 AM MT :::