What's on your Wednesday Menu, RNYers?

Happy happy Birthday, Cynthia! have a stellar one, and may the year ahead be joyful and bright!

Morning everyone! It is another hot, humid and rainy day here with the humidity predicted to stay above 85% all day! I hate this part of summer. Even with my improved asthma, it really is hard to breathe!

I talked to my trainer yesterday and he is suggesting that I work on weights 3 days a week and only do cardio 3-4. That is certainly a change for me since I've been doing vigorous cardio 5-6 days a week since before surgery. I am willing to give it a try, but I will miss the calm that I get from swimming and walking. His point is that I need the strength training more than the calorie burning right now so it is time to change gears. Any thoughts from your experience?

I'm also considering changing my routine and trying some other exercise classes for variety. What have you enjoyed? Have you tried kickboxing or spinning? I am worried that I can't do those, but I think I am stronger than I think I am. I haven't enjoyed the yoga and pilates classes that I've done, so for now I'm not looking at those.

Accountability: ended up having the guts of 2 fish tacos last night for dinner plus a couple of bites of refried beans, some salad and a couple of bites of a cheese stuffed poblano pepper.

Menu:

B1: vanilla Premier Protein shake, coffee

B2: scrambled eggs, baked fish cake

Snack: Lemonade protein shake, chomps

Lunch: maybe another fish cake, chick pea salad

Snack: turkey breast, apple, string cheese

Dinner: not sure, maybe 2 TJ's chicken sausages

Exercise: Too hot and humid and rainy to walk outside at lunch, I'd like to do the indoor laps and stair running for 30 min. Maybe Aqua Zumba tonight.

the weight lifting is what is going to change your composition, not the cardio. i like spinning, yoga, zumba and body pump classes. you should try the yoga for the 'calm' you get when walking - it would be really good mentally.

My experience with yoga has been that I feel completely stupid and inadequate and am always trying not to fall over in the different poses. I end up leaving class feeling mentally worse than I did before I went. I like the alone time of walking and swimming laps after a stressful day. It's the introvert in me

You may be in too advanced a yoga class? Is there a beginning yoga class you could try, providing you're willing to check that out? I am certain you have what it takes, I mean, look at you and what you've accomplished! You may just be attempting to start on too high a gradient. In my dimly remembered experience (way back when the earth was cooling), much of the amazing benefit I realized from my sunrise yoga class in college came from breathing very deeply and diaphragmatically. I do know what you mean though - I once, being full of hubris, signed up for an intermediate Pilates class rather than one for absolute beginners. HA! They sure showed me! I was ridiculously incompetent and more than a little embarrassed, but really I just needed to begin at the beginning instead of in the middle.

There are several yoga classes offered at lunch here in my office, and I have visited them a couple of times. The teachers aren't so great and people are at alot of different levels...but it's free and convenient! I called a couple of other convenient locations and most of the beginner classes are alot later than I can make since I'm up early in the morning. I guess I shouldn't say never, but I really didn't enjoy what I've experienced.

I have done some meditation over the years, and my lap swimming feels very like walking meditation to me...body just active and repetitive enough for my mind to relax.

even though i have been doing yoga for 14 years, I go for the gentle classes. I've never liked really athletic or advanced forms of yoga. I think there's a yoga style out there for everyone. If you like movement, try a gentle vinyasa (AKA flow) class. If you prefer doing one pose, then getting into another pose, then another - without fancy, flowing movements in between, then maybe look for a Yin class - or something labeled "gentle" or "beginners".

Yin is wonderful for calming the mind, and a lot of older folks or new-to-yoga folks take those classes - I would recommend that to start unless, again, you like a lot of (gentle) movement - then go for a gentle vinyasa/flow class.

Super - have you done the body combat class? I know a lot of places that have body pump also have body combat. I did it one time and about died but I loved it -- but the only gym that offers it near me is an hour away, it's so sad.

my gym doesnt offer les mills- but there is a kickboxing class- havent tried yet

There is one at a Gold's Gym a couple of miles from my house, but that would require buying another gym membership in addition to the membership at my aquatic (& fitness) center. Just trying to decide what I can afford, but good to know.