Welcome, fellow couch fauxtatoes, to the "Couch Fauxtato April Activity Challenge."



Not usually into challenges? Don't want to tie yourself to a particular weight or size result? Intimidated by the Exercise Forum? Do you, perhaps, have a treadmill that has clothes hanging on it? ... hmmm? But are you, perhaps, willing to contemplate a modest expenditure of activity with a short term commitment?

Then this is the place for you!

You decide what your challenge is, since only you know . It could be taking the stairs at work, so many times per week, or if you're in the right climate, going for a walk at lunch time. No challenge is too small or too odd! You define your own challenge and then we'll check in every so often and compare notes.

I'm going to continue to try to do some kind of recognized exercise for 30 minutes three times per week. I was inconsistent in March, but ... for a brief while there, was actually walking on my treadmill more than three times a week. That sort of fell apart in the last days of the month, for a number of reasons, but I'm ready to recommit! I'm hopeful that with the better weather that actually might happen this month I can add more outdoor activities.

Define your own challenge! Try it for a month.

Maggie
5'1" ~~ Atkins since '98 (160+)
Maintaining nicely (110 +/-)
~~ Redhead until further notice!





*****LISTEN, FELLOW SLUGS AND SLOTHS, THIS IS IMPORTANT. A TRUE COUCH FAUXTATO CANNOT JUST LAUNCH HIM OR HERSELF OFF THE COUCH AND INTO AN INTENSIVE EXERCISE PROGRAM! Now, I realize that, for most of us, there's little chance of that. We are often also great procrastinators and most of us will take our sweet time dusting off tapes and/or looking for long burried exercise equipment, and will be adjusting our activity to whatever feels ok, especially to begin with. However, GET CLEARED, MEDICALLY, FOR WHATEVER CHALLENGE YOU ARE PLANNING FOR YOURSELF! Then proceed in a rational manner. Work into it slowly!*****

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I'm pleased to report that, after many days of slugdom (due to travel and other factors) I did my 2.25 miles on the treadmill today. I managed to tear myself away from ebay - where I was trying to amuse myself while waiting for our new board to be available and do something that was a reportable activity - and which would be easier on my pocketbook than bidding on a bunch of jewlery making supplies.

Just what I need ... more stuff to fuel one of my more sedentary pursuits.

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Good going Maggie.

I don't recall where I left off on the old forum so I may be repeating myself or leaving a day out. No matter. Walked 4.25 miles yesterday and 3.5 today.
I want to know why when I walked 7 hours and 45 minutes week before last I had a no loss weigh-in. Now this past week I was really off on my walking, only doing 4 hours. This week I lost 2 1/2 pounds. Go figure. My average calories this week were 43 more than last week so that isn't it. I'm going to hazard a guess and say that the whoosh fairy was waiting a week for my check to clear?

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From Rob (April 2):

At the end of the March Fauxtato challenge I committed to another 80 miles for the month of April. I reconsidered that mileage for several reasons. First April has one less day than March. Second - I went to the park to walk and only managed a 100 yards before severe abdominal pain made me hobble back to my car. I don't know if it's because The back of my office chair snapped off throwing me to the floor. Or the cat and dog fighting in my bed and the dog doing a horse stomp on my abdomen. I suspect the latter. so now April has 29 days for me to exercise less one day of rest a week. So 25 days. I could push myself and reach 80 but I'm a couch fauxtato and I think 3 miles at a time is enough. If I exceed that great but I think 70 miles is a more realistic goal considering how Rainy April is. This is a long-winded way to say I'm a wuss.

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From Charski (April 2)

Rob, anybody who takes a sucker-punch to the guts from his DOG is NOT a wuss!! LOL!

I'm recommitting too, 3 times a week minimum on the elliptical.

I did 30 minutes on it yesterday.

Today's exercise was stomping the aisles of Albertson's and Costco. Plus lugging the stuff from the car to the house and putting it all away!

Not to mention the fun first thing this morning when a golf ball went through the window on my Mom's cottage - RIGHT where she was standing - she's very lucky it didn't hit her AND that (as usual!) she had on her sunglasses so no glass got in her eyes. She did manage to cut a finger though picking up broken glass! GRRRRR! If I coulda found the dolt who launched that Callaway he'd have had a BIG piece (of what remains) of my mind!!

Char

Being "over the hill" is much better than being under it....

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From Paleofornow (April 3)

OOOHH, Char, that's awful! I'm glad your mom is ok, I hope her finger cut was a minor one!

Rob, you tell it so funny that I laugh instead of feel sorry for you!

I've been doing great with my walking. I'm not even a fauxtato anymore in that area.

With you guys, I want to commit to general outdoor living. This is part of my paleo philosophy - I want to spend lots of time outdoors, learn to cook on the grill, garden, forage for wild edibles, bird watch, and so on. I enjoy all these things, but it's so much easier to stay in the house!

Yesterday I did well - sat outside and read, lured 11 yo ds to hang out with me, foraged for day lilies, and took two walks. Today, I want to go on a nature walk with my binoculars. I'll let you know if I did or not.

Have fun, taters,

Alice

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From Mary Kay (April 3)

day 3 and I already feel like a failure. sheesh. but I did do my Curves Th and today. Just pretty much a slug the rest of the time. Been fed up with computers (had a hard drive quit working Monday - now it seems okay)

I HAVE TO GET WALKING WITH MY TAPES AGAIN. Just did the Curves so cant do right now - but I WILL TODAY.

Mary Kay
"I know I can this time cause I'm not dieting- I'm living."
Atkins ~~ 01/02/04-230 ~~ 2/19/04-219 ~~ 3/19/04-212 ~~ 4/19/04 -

I did it. I did the 2mile walking tape this morning.
and got my d**n computer up and running again.
Hauling it back and forth between home and office (ok, it's just next door) should count too.

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Mary Kay
2009 WW - 228 / 204

I want a Christmas Onederland!!

Maggie, thanks for the recap!!

Yesterday and today DH and I put in tomatoes, zucchini and crookneck squash. Can't wait for them to GET GOIN'! So exercise consisted of hauling dirt and plants all the way around the backside of the property, shoveling, making appropriate mounds for squash seeds, shooing cats away from what they perceived as a giant and very cool litter box - lots of fun altogether!!

And multiple trips back and forth to the laundry room. Man I hate to do laundry!!

Tomorrow, back on the elliptical.

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!

Charski - Rofl @ suckerpunch image. After 4 years my dog will still occasionally challenge me for dominance. But usually only when I have forgotten to feed her.
That golf ball must have scared the bejeezus out of your mom. That's why I'll never live on a golf course. Well also because I don't play golf. As Mark Twain said "golf is a good walk ruined".

Alice - I love to commune with nature too. I usually go on mushroom hunts and try to identify the ones I find. Not Very good at it yet. But I have found morels and eaten them. I wouldn;t eat any other kind but i read there is only one other mushroom that is even close to a morel and it isn't poisonous.

MaryKay-Glad you're doing so well!

I'm getting back in the swing of walking. 2 miles Friday, 4.25 Saturday, and 3.5 Sunday.

When the weather turns warmer it's my time to spend a while in my garden. Well I live in a condo so my garden is all in pots. But I grow mostly herbs with a few flowering things. I even have a pretty big rose bush That gives me roses from late April to November. I tried veggies once but got root rot or something.

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Morning tater tots...Back home after a wild week. Son was married on Saturday night and I even managed a decent rehearsal dinner and wedding feast. However, the hours in the hotel bar meeting friends and relatives who came into town undid all my good intentions. BUT and this is a big one...I'm back on track. None of that ole "might as well forget it, since I blew it" attitude of yore. More like --- boy were the last three days rough --- glad I'm back to a more healthy lifestyle!

And...April pledge is 30 miles and since I"m already five days into April, I'll haved to double walk! Happy days all. Just a quick check in to say hello and thank our LCAndrea for making these new boards happen.

Happy Monday all.

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Back again in 2005
199/179/130

Saturday I did my binocular walk, but a tater on Sunday.

You guys are great for letting me get credit for sitting around reading as long as I do it outside!

I've never had morels - I hear they're very delicious. I hope to pick some dandelion greens today.

Alice

Ok, Ok - I'm in - I lived in Slugville all March, but have gotten back on the treadmill in the past week - gained 4 lbs in Mathc - think it was related to quiting smoking and no exercise. This morning, I did a walk/run thingie for 30 minutes (ran for 21 minutes total). Will do a hill program tomorrow and dig out weights, too. Bike season is just around the corner, yippee.

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Jen



179/179/120

Wow...I really need to join this challenge. I take stairs several times a day at work and walk up a long hill just to get from the parking lot to the building, but somehow it doesn't seem like enough. I want to start exercising again. I remember how good it felt when I was done. Not sure what to commit to yet though, so I think I will just start with trying to get out and do something at least two to three times a week. It's a start right?

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shawny

177/169/125 Final goal

:jump: WOOOHOOO I found my way back here finally. I just had to follow the yellow brick road.........

(Just trying out some of the new features too!!!!)

Alice, just remember when picking wild mushrooms to NEVER choose anything with the color RED on it. Red signifies poison. True Morels are hollow in the middle and pretty spongy and brainy looking. I think I had 2 growing in my yard last spring. I'm hoping they will populate more as I didn't pick them. I found a really cool sight online about morels and if I can find the link I will post it for you. It had LOTS of really good pics on how to distinguish the real thing. As for dandalion greens, make sure you pick the small tender leaves. The large ones are QUITE bitter. Dandelions are very good tonic herbs and really good blood cleansers.

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Barb, thanks for the tips! (you sure are smart )

I've never gathered mushrooms because of the identity problems. The only ones I would consider would be morels and puffballs, but I've never gone looking for them and haven't found them serendipitously. And I would triple check (at least) my identifications.

I gathered some dandelions just now, washed them but haven't eaten them yet. Come over to the caveman forum to the thread called Stalking the Wild Day Lily. Maggie and I are going in for foraging - turns out we are both Euell Gibbons fans from way back. The two books of his I've used are "Stalking the Wild Asparagus," and "Stalking the Healthful Herbs." When we get to the herbs we'll appreciate your expertise.

I got in a short walk today, but mostly stayed indoors fighting an oncoming cold. A tater day.

This is my favorite smilie :butterfly

Alice

I managed to get myself so paranoid about anything but morels (the only thing that looks like it tastes like **** but isn't poisonous) and puffballs (which are hard to find before they're full of .... well, "puff") that i was doing spoor prints on different colored papers and looking at them under microscopes.

The deadly amanita (sp? - been a long time) is also called the "death angel" since it's a beautiful white mushroom, but kills your liver over a 10 day period. YIKES! It is always beautiful since even bugs know better than to eat it.

Now, there was a time when I would have eaten ANY mushroom if told it would assist in attaining cosmic consciousness but those days are long gone. LOL! That was before I actually studied the mushroom question. Once I did, I limited myself to the above two referenced varieties. (I'm not as adventurous as I once was ... LOL!)

.... and now, for something completely different:

My biggest activity of the day was being completely p*****d off from the moment of waking until ...... (time to still be determined.) I awoke to 15 degree temperatures, an inch of snow and 35 mph winds and it's been that way for most of the day. Tonight it's supposed to get colder. I always "brace myself" for winter - which I hate. Problem is, I forget to include the month of April. I tend to be delusional in that regard and expect some moderating temperatures by then. Stupid me.

If maintaining a high level of bi****ness all day long counts, then I've done well today. If not, then I really have little to report.

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Hi, fellow couch fauxtatoes! You are welcome here, where we're all struggling with the idea of "regular activity" that might count for something.

Pick your goal and we'll all help you hold yourself to it!

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