Log Your Exercise Progress Here

[perkyblue]

I suck!! All that work for nothing! :( I totally blew it at the test session this morning. I'm really mad. Not just because I didn't pass, but because I skated like crap. I let my nerves really get to me. The most frustrating part is that I skated almost flawlessly on the practice session before my test--I was awesome! Then when it was just me and the judges, I totally freaked out, and my legs wouldn't work right.

 

I almost feel like quitting. If it were a skating problem, I could just say, "Okay, so I'll practice more and I'll pass next time." But more practice won't help me fix my nerves, and that's the only thing holding me back--and I don't know how to fix that part!

 

I guess I'll just have to try again in January and hope it goes better next time. It really can't go much worse, and if it does I will definitely call it quits then.

[bubiesmom]

bubiesmom:

keep up the good work! you are right that you are building muscles through working out and that is great for your health!

 

congrats!! :)

 

nancy

 

thanks, nancy. 48 days to go.

[nancyrg]

perkyblue:

dont be so hard on yourself-nerves are really hard to overcome! i get nervous before every race and try not ot have to spend the race in the bathroom!

just remind yourself before the test that you have prepared for the test, and that you know what you are doing....develop a mantra that you can keep repeating in your head about your readiness for the test

 

you will blow the judges away in january!

 

nancy

[smoothdancer]

I understand absolutely your feelings. My husband and I compete ballroom dance, usually being judged about once a month. At first I had your feelings, and the way we performed in a dance studio and the way we performed at a competition were two seperate things!

 

As time went on for us it changed. Today, I feel competely at ease on a compeition floor. I know in advance what the rush feeling will be like, how to control it and use it to my advantage. How do you overcome this issue... there is only one way... Do it again and again. All your practice cannot prepare you for this feeling. You just need to put yourself in front of a judge often enough until it becomes comfortable. But having said that , there is a great value in practice.... You have to know your routine, or figures so well that it is so natural and second nature so that you dont think about it, but instead just give a good presentation. Confidence and the joy of what you do shows!

 

Probably one of the best piece of advise I received from our coach is that you can only dance what you have. What I mean is often in a comp you want to do your best and try to accomplish something that you have not mastered. For us it is that extra stretch or sway. It just ends up looking forced, off balance, ect... Bring to the judging floor what you have, nothing more. Skate what you have well and you will come out on the top. The rest will come later.

 

Now, just brush it off, go back to the drawing board, try it again. Trust me, we have walked off the dance floor with last place more than once!... We let it sting for a bit, and then move on. If we let the judges score get to us we would of stopped dancing years ago, and that would be a real shame. In the end it is not about the scores at all, but the joy of what you do.

[RB Bonzo]

Let's get this thread going again and get a jump on the New Year's resolutions!

 

40 minutes on treadmill and weightlifting upper body.

 

Dan

[nancyrg]

I ran the Las Vegas marathon this weekend-it was really fun! I have taken the last 2 days off to recover but tomorrow it is back to the gym!

 

nancy

[NancyJewel92]

Just wanted to share -- walked 30 mins each day this past week; made it to Curves twice; journaled everthing this past week; didn't exceed my points limits, but did eat all of them. :p Weighed in at my WW meeting this morning as was down 5.4.

 

While I was a "good WW" for the week, what I really attributed the loss to was that I measured the PB and J I have each day for breakfast. Over time, the amount got bigger. Upon remeasuring, I was startled to find that I was undercounting by 22+ points/week. :eek:

 

Happy new year to all! Best of health.... we CAN do this!

[beachladiie]

Today I did strength training, and did only 10 minutes on the elliptical. My feet were reallllly hurting for some reason. But usually, I do 30 minutes daily, and strength training every other day.

[nancyrg]

today i registered to run in 2 marathons and 3 half marathons in 2007 so it is back to the training grind!

 

everyone...keep moving!

[bchbum641]

This is nothing new but for me I bought one of those 2.2 litre water jugs and I fill it up in the AM and drink it all day. It does seem to help fill me up so I eat less.

[nancyrg]

how is everyone doing with their exercise??

 

a bit of sunshine and warmer weather has gotten folks out running the lakefront here in chicago-it is great to see people out after a long, cold winter!

 

hope everyone is doing well and remember to keep moving :)

 

nancy

[01 Cobra]

Hi, I went to the gym this morning before work. I'm trying to stay motivated and so I thought I'd share.

 

I was on the elipticle for 26 minutes, I did 50 inclined sit-ups and worked with 6 lb weights doing a little upper arm work---tricepts.

 

Yesterday (Mon) I did Tae Kwan Do for 45 minutes (I take family lessons with my son)

 

And on Sunday I ran for 25 minutes, walked for 5 on the treadmill.

 

So.....3 days in a row...let's see if I can make it to 4.

 

To all you marathon runners out there!!! You GO!!! It's YOUR finish line! I know how much hard work it is, I ran the 25th Marine Corp Marathon back in 2000.

[feistytigger]

what a great thread! dh and i started on the couch to 5k program recently - 5 weeks in now. we did our first 5k as just a regular workout on saturday and surprised ourselves by going beyond the schedule. we were supposed to run 20 mins or 2 miles. i ran 2 miles in 22 mins and kept on running for another 3 mins - that's the longest/furthest i've ever run in my whole life! dh ran the whole thing in just 33 mins! i want to get better so i can keep pace with him, but i won't push myself too hard.

[nancyrg]

feistytigger:

i started running last year and went from overweight (really overweight) couch potato to chicago marathon finisher. congratulations on your run this weekend-i find that the actual races are fantastic! i found that the key to training was consistency! i hope you have a great running season!

 

nancy

[feistytigger]

wow, nancy! that's amazing! i can't imagine doing a marathon. whew! i ran all by myself last night. *pats self on back* going to run with dh and a friend tonight.

[smoothdancer]

I dont run due to stress it could put on my knees. We ballroom dance competitively and this already has a lot of knee stress.... I do use a eliptical machine though to increase my stamnia...

 

I have just started back to the gym yesterday after being in a leg cast for a couple of months. I am a bit sore now!!. Through out these last 2 months with almost no exercise I have not gained but a few pounds but I am not tone like I use to be... My body has definetly changed to the worse. Question... How long do you think it will be before I start to see toning results? Would you say going to the gym maybe 4 times a week will give me visable results in a month?

[nancyrg]

smoothdancer

i am glad you are on the mend :)

as far as results-it depends what you are doing at the gym-but 4 times a week of cardio and strength training you should see results in a month

 

good luck!

[dbookman1]

Hi All,

Still trying to loose some weight.

 

Is it better to exercise before or after dinner if you exercise at night?

 

Thanks

[nancyrg]

try it both ways and see what your body adjusts to better. for me-i cannot work out on a full stomach so i would workout before dinner-just make sure you are not starving before your workout or you wont have enough energy to work out

[dbookman1]

I'm dieting of course I'm starving! :)

 

David

[sam73]

Hi everyone, I have not posted here in a while. Well I still work out 6 days a week. I am still running. I have decided to run a marathon on sept 30. I am excited and freaked. So, we have just started our training. I have also gone heavier in my weight lifting. I figure building more muscle should help in my training. Nancy, I know you have run some marathons. Any suggestions. Did you train alone? I am training with my friend. I dont know if i would have the motiivation to do it alone.

[nancyrg]

sam....way to go...deciding to run is half the battle! i trained alone last year for the chicago marathon and it was truly boring going it alone so this year i am training with the chicago area runners association-i will see if i like it-it is an 18 week program that starts june 10th.

when i trained alone, i used hal higdon's method which you can get on the internet for free-i liked following his program-it was very helpful-look it over.

 

which marathon are you running?

i am running the indianapolis 1/2 marathon next weekend-it runs part of it on the speedway-which i thought sounded cool-so we will see

 

good luck-marathoning is really fun!!

 

nancy

[sam73]

I am going to run the Wineglass Marathon in Corning,NY. Its about a hour from where I live, so I figured for a first it would be good. The route looks not to bad. Some hills, but not crazy ones.

[nancyrg]

i have always wanted to go to corning to see the steuben factory and museum, but never made it there. sounds like a good choice for a first marathon. maybe after that one, you will consider running chicago on 08. it is a great course, flat! and there are spectators lining every inch of the 26.2 miles which was great fun!

good luck with your training!

 

nancy

[Cruise Cat]

Hey Bonzo and others! You might remember me from early last year as I started a "Running to the Ship" thread here on the forum. It died rather quickly partially due to the title (people thought it was only about running, not exercise in general) and because just about two weeks into it, I severely tore/ruptured or pulled my upper hamstring by doing something stupid on the tread mill.

 

First: Bonzo - Thanks for keeping the exercise torch going with this thread!

 

Second: After resting the hamstring, the pain eventually went away after about 6 months. A month and one half ago, I started running again on the treadmill. This past Monday, I competed in and finished my first 5K in over 7 years!!!!!!! I didn't run the whole thing and had to walk frequently; but I still managed to do it in 39 minutes. Again I can say, "I'm running to the Ship!" :) :) :)

 

This time, I am going to take it slow and steady and concentrate first on just making sure I keep exercising.

 

Everyone, Keep up the Good Work!