Hi everyone, sounds as if spring is in the air and aside from multiple injuries/illnesses/Angel of Mercy episodes, everyone is doing pretty well!!

Me too, I got on the elliptical for the first time in a week last night, did 35 minutes without a problem. I thought I might have to work back up to it but my muscles seemed to remember what to do and how to do it!

I've also been continuing the isometrics and I swear my pants fit more loosely. THAT can't be a bad thing!

Here's wishing well to all those who need it, and kudos to all those getting in SOME form of activity, even if it IS fretting, which definitely counts in my book!

Char

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Veni, vidi, velcro. I came, I saw, I stuck around.

Save the Earth - it's the only planet with CHOCOLATE!

Yesterday I was a major fauxtato, did nothing but doze all day in my recliner. It was a nice day and I had major guilt over this, since I have 2 dogs that would love a walk, hedges that are 'almost' finished, and a back yard full of doggie land mines. Chalked it up to my 1 day per month of PMS fatigue that I normally have. Today, I've been cooking since I got home from work at 9:30 am. I really haven't been eating well, so I made some veggie dishes to have on hand...and chicken with Carb Options BBQ sauce :cook: I'm all set to clean my doggy-smelling house and maybe even clean the smelly doggies themselves. I am afraid I am becoming addicted to caffeine again :( I am drinking lots of iced tea and I seem to NEED it to get moving. Oh well, I guess it could be worse. Beautiful day outside, supposed to rain later. I will have to get dogs and myself out for a walk in the midst of all of this activity. Maybe a bath first, then a walk to the park.

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"Live strong." ~ Lance Armstrong
SLEEP BE DAMNED! GET THY BUTT TO THE GYM!
Start Atkins 9.1.03
225/198/130ish

I was a total tater after work today and took a nap. I worked my butt off today. I REALLY need to get a pedometer to see if I walk miles at work. It sure seems like it. There's a woman at work who wants to start walking AROUND the building on her lunch hour and she asked me if I would like to join her. I said, "SURE!!!." This is a warehouse that houses 2 other businesses besides ours. So it's a pretty big building. I am going to go buy another pair of sneakers for that purpose. It should be fun and the two of us can REALLY yack our heads off, so it will go really fast. Now if the dang weather will cooperate. It's back to -c-c-c-cold weather again. We had a tornado WARNING last night while I was at Bunco. The cell that was heading for us touched down quite a ways from us and then weakened before it got here, thank goodness. The poor little town Utica, that got hit must be devastated. It's a cute little town about ten minutes from a State Park with really good cliffy hiking called Starved Rock, on the Illinois River. I feel so bad for them. So far, 4 people were killed. It scared the bejeebies out of me ever since my sister's town was blasted in 1990 where 29 people were killed, 300 hundred injured and 60 homes completely wiped off the face of the earth. I hate tornado weather!!!

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And you people worry about a little ol' EARTHQUAKE! [shakes head and wanders off....]


Char

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Veni, vidi, velcro. I came, I saw, I stuck around.

Save the Earth - it's the only planet with CHOCOLATE!

Maggie - Sorry your friends (and therefore you) are having such problems.

Charski - Always nice when clothes get looser!

Tara - if your dogs are anything like my dog - walk first then bath!

Barb - good plan per the walking. Nothing scares me quite as much as a tornado. Anything that can lift your house and crush it like it was made of match sticks deserves respect (spelled F E A R ) my heart goes out to those people as well.

I've been keeping up with my walking pretty well. Did 4 miles today and also yesterday. So with 9 days left in april I'm at 63.25 miles. So only 6.75 miles to walk in 9 days which works out to 3/4 mile a day. Heck I can do that just by leaving the coffee pot downstairs in the kitchen while I work upstairs. LOL
Must fight the couch fauxtato urge to rest on my laurels.

I'm slowly laundering the winter stuff and putting it away and breaking out more summer clothes. And I came across my old back brace that stopped fitting me years ago. Joy oh joy. It's got 5 sets of 3 hooks and eyes and I had to use the last set (smallest waist size). Been wearing it since I found it and boy does it help. But boy is it hot wearing it on a humid/hot day. Broke down and put my central air on for the first time this year.

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Hey taters...
Stayed busy yesterday. Walked the dogs. No bath yet, but I think I will go with Rob's advice today. Walk first, then bath. Went to the gym yesterday, spent an hour on the weights then a fast 10 minutes on the elliptical. You just can't go slow with Linkin Park in the headphones! Today, I'm going to break out the Pilates DVDs and do the abd/core one. That's my only complaint about the gym, no machines for abd/back except a crunch machine. And I hate crunches. I have GOT to clean this house. Maybe after a few iced teas I will find my motivation.

Maggie: Oh my! Don't forget to take care of YOU! p.s. yes, anxiety counts
Rob: What can I say...you're 'Mr. Consistency'!
Mk: You got out and walked, that's activity!
Barb: Sounds like you're getting lots of exercise at work (I can relate). Walking on the lunch hr is a great idea!
Char: Pants that are looser? I'm jealous!

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"Live strong." ~ Lance Armstrong
SLEEP BE DAMNED! GET THY BUTT TO THE GYM!
Start Atkins 9.1.03
225/198/130ish

Well, I dragged myself to Curves today and there was another rousing bunch of conversationalists there. That always makes the time fly by for me. We had fun. I don't even feel like I need a nappy-nap today, oh joy, oh rapture. Still gotta go out and by some new tennies for the walking at work. Tomorrow I will run to the bank and then to Tar-jzay or Kohl's. HEY!!! Maybe I will bring my hand weights too!!!! That will rev up my walking. Maybe I will inspire the woman I am walking with to do the same. Of course the subject of LCing will come up often I'm sure.

WOW, everyone is doing soooooooo well!!! I think spring gets the juices flowing too.

Maggie, I hope your world returns to normal soon!!! {{{{HUGS}}}}

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Hi, taters,

I've not checked in here for awhile. I'm doing fine with my walks, and medium well with my "outdoor life" goal. I need to read through the thread to catch up with all of you.

Barb - I've been visiting with Louloo in the cave man thead. She says to say "HI." I'm ready for another Chicago-area get-together soon. How does that work for you with your job schedule and all?

Ta ta for now,

Alice

Oh Alice, I would LOVE another get-together, but right now the job is wiping me out. And if the mailroom girl takes the full 12 weeks she is legally allowed, I'll be working this full-time, 6 am gig until June. I love the paychecks but it's killing me. ( I also love the job, ) Sooooooo, when is an iffy proposition right now. I hope to take a week off in between transitioning from the mailroom back to the call center, but I haven't spoken to mailroom-girl in awhile, so I have no idea when that will be. BUT, when that happens, I'll be up for a get-together. We also have to get our Indy thread going again. (sorry to get side-tracked here!!)

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Tara - It's time to bathe my dog as well. She loves baths but no matter how many towels I use to dry her, she remains wet and uses the couch and my bed to dry herself. Then takes the frist opportunity to roll in horse manure or any foul smelling substance she can find. In other words, she's a dog.

Barb - Be careful with the hand weights. If you don''t follow proper form, you can injure yourself.

Alice - good job on keeping up with your walks.

Did 2 1/2 miles today at the lake. Think I'll try Tanglewood Park later this morning. I would take a day off but it's supposed to rain this weekend and then I'll take some time off.

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Barb, I hear ya. Maybe things will be better for you in a couple months. I agree - organizing the Indy thing is a priority right now.

Alice

Hi taters
Little activity yesterday except bathing the pupsters and chasing them around. Bad, bad night at work last night so I'm wiped out. Getting ready to go to the gym here around 5:30 (BF is finally going to cash in his gift cert. for the gym and start going too! yay!) Then work again. argh. I have the weekend off, though
Rob, UGH, mine are SHEDDING like it's their job or somethin'!!! (But they smell so pretty now)

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"Live strong." ~ Lance Armstrong
SLEEP BE DAMNED! GET THY BUTT TO THE GYM!
Start Atkins 9.1.03
225/198/130ish

I had a great outdoor day - I took a walk, spent some good time sitting in the back yard reading, and I gathered and ate a wild food salad! Yippee!

Alice

Tara - I hear you on the shedding. Between a long haired white cat and a reddish blonde dog, who is shorthaired but very thick haired, I have to empty my cyclone vacuum 3 times just to do the living room. I'm seriously thinking of just grabbing a clump of hair out of the vacuum and bringing it to the carpet outlet and having them match it.

Alice - Sounds like a nice day! Isn't nature incredible at this time of year. Well worth the long wait!

Maggie - Hurry on back to the land of the healthy when you can! We miss you but understand your time constraints.

I had a nice 4.25 mile walk at Tanglewood Park. I walked the extra 1/4 mile because it brought me to my goal of 70 miles for April. And there is still a week to go. So I now have to rechallenge myself and up it to 80. I haven't taken a day off from walking in almost 2 weeks. So the rain that's coming today or tomorrow will be welcome.

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Alice, didn't the weather turn out glorious yesterday????

I wil be off to Curves shortly here, this AM. Rob, I haven't done the hand weights since joining Curves, but would like to pick it up again. Although, with the heavy boxes I'm lifting at work, I get quite the upper body workout. I swear those boxes of catalogs weigh 25 lbs. I really should weigh one. (afterall I do work in a mailroom where we have a small scale.) I never had a problem before when I was doing my handweights diligently. I still have a little underarm flab that could use some tricep workouts.

I do miss my doggie, but I sure don't miss her shedding. This time of year, when the winter coat sloughs off would have been an incessant river of hair. She was part border collie, so you can imagine the kind of hair she had, looooong, fuzzy and falling off her body in CHUNKS. Ah well, no more mountains of hair, just regular dust from us humans.

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