Monday-July Babies Excercise Challenge

Plateaus happen to everyone. When you do the same exercise over and over, your body adapts to it and your workout becomes less effective. If you've reached a plateau try these ideas: Increase your exercise intensity. Speed up your usual workout or add sprints or hills to boost your calorie-burnage. Try something new. Confuse your body by doing something you've never done--ride a bike or go for a swim to keep your muscles from becoming too accustomed to one exercise. Lift weights. If you're not weight training, you're missing some serious calorie-burning. Add another day of exercise. Even an extra 15-20 minutes a week can help you burn more calories. So what have you done today? Mary 415/168/147 21 lbs to Personal Goal 12 lbs below Doctors Goal In the words of Bill Phillips': "Exercise is the spark. Nutrition is the fuel. Without both, there can be no flame -- no results."

My usual... 1 hr water aerobics... DONE My schedule is pretty tight tonight, so I probably won't get to Pilates tonight. Although, I must admit, I think I'm taller or it feels that way. Pilates must be stretching out my vertebrae! Have a great day!! Denise 326/224/170 -102 54 lbs to Doctors Goal

Yoga and pilates have a way of making you feel taller as your muscles strech they elongate and become more pilable (less stiff) giving you that sensation. You gotta love it! Mary

I'm waiting for my new exercise tapes to come, so I did my 2 mile WATP WalkBlaster this morning. I'll do another 2 mile WATP tonight. Hugs, Nancy 280/175/155

Way to Go! Those tapes will be coming soon! I have never tried the WATP series...gee..how did I miss that collection...I have a ton! By the way do you use the Walk Away Belt? If so does it increase the intensity of your workout? Mary

I actually made my own Walk Away Belt. I had some resistance cords with handles from a Pilates set I bought at a garage sale for a couple of dollars. Then I got a nice soft, kind of wide belt and made a loop in the cord and slipped it over the belt....voila, my own Walk Away belt!! It does increase the intensity of the workout - any time you add arms to the walking it really beefs it up... I love it!!! Hugs, Nancy

Nancy, Very inventive way to create your own Walk Away Belt! Smart and beautiful...you have it all! I walk around my neighbor flapping my arms like a chicken, skiping to music and I even while waiting for cars to pass...I think my poor neighbors are just about ready to have me commited. My children think I am my youngest son does not like to go walking with me unless I make an oath to behave...no funny stuff. Mary

Was able to do only 15 minutes on the treadmill at the gym as I have developed a heel spur. Will have to really work on stretching that achilles tendon. I did 45 minutes circuit training without problems. Hope to be able to do my usual 60 minutes on the Gazelle tonight. If my heel won't let me, I'll use the exercise ball for the cardio as well as floor exercises. I am feeling so good. I have lost 14 lbs. since the first of the year. That's the best I have done in months. This thread as well as the More to Lose thread have really helped me stay on track. Where would I be wiithout you guys? Stuck at 238 I guess. Thanks to everyone for all the support. Today marks 19 months since my surgery. I look in the mirror and can hardly believe I am me. It's amazing to see the transformation and as I lose more weight, the more I look like my mother. Monna Monna

Monna, . YAHOO! 14 lbs since the first of the year! Funny you should mention looking like your mother...my best friend was just telling me this morning that she took a good long hard look in the mirror and realized that the older she got the more she looked like her mother and the more her body was begining too! Tonight, she commited to resume her excercise program and join me in a 5k that I will be in on May 7th. Mary

Today, I did a 1 hr lift class followed by 1 hr spin class (124 avg HR) Mary