2012 - get fit and eat healthy - whos with me?

Crohn's Disease Forum

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Funny how you say that about doing well when drained of energy. Is it because expectations are lower? Sometimes when i am dragging, I just tell myself I will do half of my goal so at least it's something. When I start out with that half goal in mind, I almost always accomplish my initial goal and feel sooo much better after doing it.

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I had a similar set back two weeks ago. Happy to say, I am back on track. Good job on not letting all the yummy Texas BBQ set you back!
 
Nic, I like the new profile pic! You're adorable!

Sandy and Cookie, I can totally relate. I didn't sleep Tuesday night due to stress and worry, and the next day I was so tired and didn't feel well. But yesterday I went to the gym anyway and I pushed myself hard and felt great afterwards! I slept well last night and feel good again. The stressful situations are still there but somehow I can deal with them so much easier after I've been to the gym, even if I'm tired and feel otherwise crappy. I figure, just going to the gym is half the battle, and once I'm there I may as well make it count! Glad to hear you two have recovered from your setbacks too. Keep up the good work! :)
 
Defo agree that working out/exercising relieves stress-I've had a manic couple of days at work and when I start my workout I can just feel it destressing me.

Having received my hemp protein yet, but will report back my experiences with it once I start to use it.

I had a low energy day yesterday but gave it a go anyway and pretty much got 3/4 of my workout done, which is better than nothing as you say.

I've also taken a picture to try and compare the changes (if any) over the next few months of my body shape and think this has also given me an incentive to push myself, that coupled with the picture of me on holiday in Ibiza before I got crohns and was able to pack muscle on (sob) so at least I've got motivators aswell as you guys!

Keep up the good work!
 
Good to know I'm not the only one who has tired days. I have tried some protein shakes but they really don't seem to agree with me. I'd kill for being able to fuel the muscles and build my upper body a bit. Eggs and chicken don't seem to be enough to do the job or I ain't trying heavy enough weights?

I have experimented a bit with exercise over the years and found mornings best to fit running or workout in due to work/family commitments and it does start the day off well for me. You can then relax knowing your done for the day! I do get tired around mid afternoon but I find that exercising later in the evenings after getting home from work I then can't sleep all that well and the stress then goes up the following day and I feel crabbit due to lack of sleep!

Guess you have to fit it in depending on your lifestyle/commitments and how ones bowels are behaving?

Mr B. - Yes please do let us know how the hemp protein goes. I tried soya protein but the taste sucked big time even with flavoring added. Yuck, I hate even thinking about it.

Cat: Ditto re. comments on Nic's new profile pic.

Right - time for some sleep now.
 
Sandy, I hit the gym during my lunch break and I find that really helps, I don't get that afternoon sleepy feeling on the days I go to the gym. I try to go to the gym every Mon, Wed, and Fri, and I do yoga at home on the weekends. I get a full hour for lunch so I use that entire hour to work out and then I eat my lunch at my desk after I am done exercising. That's been a really good system for me. Tues & Thurs I still have my lunch hour open to eat, read, relax, run errands, etc. It's not too much exercise and not too little, and I don't have to get up early to work out. I'm just not a morning person (not really much of a night owl either!) so I find it ideal to exercise in the middle of the day.
 
Cat-a-Tonic said:
Sandy, I hit the gym during my lunch break and I find that really helps, I don't get that afternoon sleepy feeling on the days I go to the gym. I try to go to the gym every Mon, Wed, and Fri, and I do yoga at home on the weekends. I get a full hour for lunch so I use that entire hour to work out and then I eat my lunch at my desk after I am done exercising. That's been a really good system for me. Tues & Thurs I still have my lunch hour open to eat, read, relax, run errands, etc. It's not too much exercise and not too little, and I don't have to get up early to work out. I'm just not a morning person (not really much of a night owl either!) so I find it ideal to exercise in the middle of the day.
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Fantastic efforts, great determination!!
 
Have run 3miles x 2 this week would like to run at least 3miles friday, saturday and bump up to four or four1/2 sunday. We will see, want to get back to full pace after last week off,with flare.
 
On the subject of profile pics, Cat, I love yours. Is that your cat? He/she looks nearly identical to my cat, Shady, who passed away last year. She was my best friend through my transient single years. I miss her dearly. Everytime I see your profile pic it makes me smile!
 
Thanks Cookie! Glad it makes you smile! :) Yes, that's my cat, her name is Lydia. That's an older photo, she was only 2 or 3 years old when it was taken. She's almost 9 now! She's a really good cat and perfect for me because she loves to follow me into the bathroom. :) Ha ha. She keeps me company and entertains me on my bad days. I have a dog too, and I love my dog, but I am more of a cat person than a dog person. My dog is a big silly oaf and my cat is more elegant and low-maintenance. I like that.
 
I always thought I was a dog person until Shady accidentally found her way into my life as a stray kitten. She ended up staying with me for 14 years. Who knew??? I loved that she was independant and low-maintenance. She was part lover and part b*tch...I think that's why we got along so well!
 
I am kind of the opposite, I have always known I'm a cat person. I've had my dog for just over a year and it's been a learning experience for sure! I really do love the low-maintenance aspect of cats. I even have one of those robotic automatic self-scooping litter boxes, so I only have to deal with cat poo about once per week when I empty the tray it collects into. :) I got my dog before I was in remission, as I wanted to exercise a bit but didn't think I could do much, but I thought that a daily walk wasn't out of the question. I found my dog through a co-worker who couldn't keep her and I do have to say that she's about as perfect as a dog can get. She was 2 (3 now), so not a puppy but still quite young with a good amount of energy but not hyper, she came well-trained and is smart, and is my favorite breed (Pembroke Welsh corgi). She's a great dog for a cat person to have. :)

Sorry to the others for turning this into the pets thread! Back on track, how's everybody doing? I might be crazy, but I'm thinking of trying to run a mile tomorrow. There's a nice footpath near my house and it's almost exactly 1/2 mile from my house to the lake on this path, so I could jog to the lake and back. There would probably be walking involved at times but it's been many years since I've even attempted to run a mile and it sounds like something I could do, even if I go slow and walk a bit.
 
Yeah, didn't mean to switch the subject...

Congrats on trying the mile, Cat. Doing a walk/run is the best way to build up to it. Once you get that first mile down, the others come easily. I've always said that if you can run a mile you can run a marathon, which may be a bit of an exaggeration, but there is such a mental component to running that isn't always talked about. Once you break that barrier, look out. It can be addicting.
 
I know from seeing my mother that it's addicting! She runs marathons regularly. She just completed the 50 States Club - she ran one marathon in each of the US states. Now she's trying to run one marathon on each continent. She did Africa (Marrakesh, Morocco marathon) and she's doing Antarctica in a few weeks! It's crazy! She's nearly 60 and has barely slowed down at all.
 
That is awesome. I hope I can be like that. Of course, I'll have to start with marathon #1. I was 5 weeks away from my first planned full marathon and up to 20 miles in my training when I finally gave in to the pain my abscess was causing and elected for surgery. That was 5 years ago and I still have not made it back to that level. I am currently training for a 15k on March 18th. I hope to use that as a springboard to another half in May and then I will set my sights on a full. A full marathon has been at the top of my bucket list for years and I am determined to do it before I die, even if I have to crawl half the way!
 
I hope you don't have to crawl! I don't know if I could ever run a marathon, I'm going to start with one mile and see how I do. Running is not really my thing but it's growing on me. Back to the subject of pets, I wish I could run with my dog, but she's short and a bit fat and she cannot run far or fast. (She's recovering from foot surgery right now too, but even when she's well she cannot run much at all.)

Ack. I feel fat and lazy today. I usually hit the gym on Fridays during my lunch hour, but today my mom and aunt were in town so they took me out to lunch. I have tickets for a comedy show tonight so I can't go to the gym after work. I really better run that mile tomorrow or I'll be falling behind on my exercise!
 
Ha, I once saw a lady trying to run with her basset hound. He was as round as he was long. I couldn't help but laugh...poor little guy. She was practically dragging him up the street.

I hate it when something comes up to sabotage my exercise plans. At least it was something good, though. You'll make it up tomorrow. Let us know how that mile goes. Good luck!
 
Ahh, so much better. I decided to take a quick afternoon break and zipped down to the gym and did some weights and feel much better now. I will still try for that mile this weekend but I'm glad I got something of a workout in today. Like you said, I also hate when something sabotages my workout plans! My guts usually don't like it when I workout shortly after having eaten a meal, but I just did a really quick one and I don't think my guts had time to notice. ;) I really hate missing getting to use the gym, because the gym I use is in the basement of my workplace, and I can only use it on weekdays. The building is closed on the weekends. So at least I can say I did the weights 3x this week as usual, and I'll do what I can this weekend in terms of jogging and yoga. Can't wait for summer so I can get my kayak out on the weekends too! :)
 
Finally did it. Walk 5/Run 8/W5/R8. Ugh! Cardio wise I was fine but I did overheat which is just uncomfortable/painful. Bluh. But I did it! *punches air*
 
Awesome, well done diesanduhr. If its that bad move to UK, no chance of overheating :p

On a side note does anyone think its worth making a new post on fitness wear/equipment reviews. Ie what shoes, shorts etc you wear and how you get on with them?
 
Rygon, I wear my mom's old running shoes. :p My workout clothes I usually buy either on clearance or at thrift stores or garage sales. Nothing fancy whatsoever, just stuff like yoga pants and old t-shirts that I don't mind getting all sweaty and gross.
 
gotta say i use old clothes for running in, but ive heard proper shoes are a must. If you get them properly fitted as well they arent normally the most expensive

I got some off new balance website £20 off. One foot fits like a glove the other not so well. Going to see how it is in a couple of months before getting the file to it i reckon (me and my fat feet lol)
 
diesanduhr said:
Finally did it. Walk 5/Run 8/W5/R8. Ugh! Cardio wise I was fine but I did overheat which is just uncomfortable/painful. Bluh. But I did it! *punches air*
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Yes - Well done indeed diesanduhr,

The correct technical clothing does make a big difference for running but isn't entirely necessary. Really depends on how serious you wish to be and if you can justify the cost. Either way try to wear something that will let your body breath and avoid overdressing as you will heat up real quick when running.

See if this link works? It may help.

http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/whattowear/0,7152,s6-240-325-330-0-0-0-0,00.html

There are lots of sites for sales of sportswear and fitness forums but don't see why we can't have a thread on here for this kind of thing :)

In the heat a cotton t-shirt will suffice but wearing a cotton t-shirt/sweater when it's close to freezing will leave you feeling chilled when the wind cools that sweat next to your skin.

Good effort everyone!! I had a good week but it all went pear shaped last night after a works night out. Oh I really wish I hadn't had so many buds. Self inflicted so can't complain.

@ Cat: I used to go out to gym during lunchtime like you but I don't think I would be able to eat at my desk afterwards with my new employer.
I am not a morning person either, so I have to make a real effort to get up in the morning.
 
Just finished a biceps and legs workout after waking feeling full of energy today?! House music was on, sun shining through the garage window and I actually stuck to the workout plan, which given it was legs (which I hate doing) I'm very pleased about.

Just got to have a healthy dinner today and stay away from the snack cupboard.
 
I wear "below the knee" leggings from American Apparel and usually a T-shirt. I know on longer runs tech fabrics are important, but I find them staticky and uncomfortable. I buy running shoes usually once a year. Right now I'm running in Brooks "Trance." I have a pretty neutral gait. I almost supinate but pronate at the last second. Hehe.
 
Just finished W5W3 (running 20 minutes straight). I decided to run on the lake for this one. It was 45 degrees out and the wind was freezing and I think that made a big difference in me staying comfortable. It was surprisingly easy. I think had I done it on my usual treadmill it would have been much more difficult.

After about 17 minutes of running my guts started giving me grief, but I was determined to finish even if it meant having an accident (luckily I just made it when my run was over).
 
Thanks for posting that ,diesanduhr, very inspirational. I know that sometimes at the gym I have to run off to the toilet a few times during my workout..but in the end I feel way better for having pushed through the workout. cheers
 
Good job, Nic! You go girl!

I didn't go on a run this weekend as I had intended to, but I have a good excuse. My brother got an apartment and decided to move out of my house over the weekend, so I helped him move (I wanted him OUT so I was happy to help get his junk out of my house, ha ha!). That was kind of a workout in itself though, lugging boxes and bags around. He got a basement apartment so we had to carry heavy stuff down some stairs. Now hubby and I get to move furniture around and do some cleaning to turn bro's room into a guest bedroom too which sounds like it could be a fair workout too.

The good news is, my brother's stuff is out of my house, which means his food is out of my cabinets and fridge! I'm taking the opportunity to fill the empty space there with healthier stuff. I saw the thread about sardines and I bought 6 cans of sardines (packed in water, not oil). I bought some blueberries too as they're one of the berries I can eat without trouble. Yay healthy snacks!
 
UUugugughgh. So in derby one of the skills assessment things we do is 25 laps in five minutes. I gave it my all and actually finished with quite a bit of time remaining (many people didn't finish). But we immediately went into another drill and I had to drop out. My chest felt very irritated and I kept coughing up mucus and had a blood taste in my mouth. Not pleasant! I left practice early. I guess I am just bummed. I forget that I am still getting back in to this and need to be patient with myself.

I am forgetting my constant mantra, which is "HUMBLE YOURSELF."
 
Hey diesandduhr, be honest...you would have been more bummed with yourself if you hadn't given your all !!. Yaaay you. Sometimes we have to push a bit to know our limitations. Don't be too discouraged. Next time... Cheers
 
Thanks. Yeah I had some other stuff going on (I broke the side mirror off of my car!) and I was not a happy panda when I wrote that. I'm feeling a bit better now.
 
frustrated!! arrrrrggh!!

dont you just hate it went youve had a workout, stuck to your plan, feel good and then straight after you need to go to the loo?!! it just makes me feel like all my hard work the previous hour is going down the toilet-literally! :poo:
 
25 laps in 5 minutes sounds like a lot in not a lot of time! It's a bit scary that you were coughing up mucus and tasted blood, that's definitely no good. :( I hope the next practice is less awful.

My husband was rubbing some lotion on my back yesterday and he said he could see and feel muscles! :) One of the weight machines I do is a rowing machine which says it works the back muscles. I couldn't tell if it was doing much but apparently it is! I can tell I've got arm and leg muscles and if I could lose this stubborn bit of belly flab then I'd probably be seeing stomach muscles too. I like getting toned! Getting healthy is still my main goal, but it's nice to have results I can see too.

I'm still working on eating healthy. I had a can of sardines for a snack today (then I had a few mints to mask the fishy breath and burps, ha ha). I was given a coupon for a free Krispy Kreme donut and I've had it in my wallet for weeks - haven't felt the desire to cash it in! I'm pretty proud of myself for that. I'm hoping to just let it expire. :)
 
Mr Bedfordshire said:
frustrated!! arrrrrggh!!

dont you just hate it went youve had a workout, stuck to your plan, feel good and then straight after you need to go to the loo?!! it just makes me feel like all my hard work the previous hour is going down the toilet-literally! :poo:
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Yes, it's a painful reality check. But I do prefer it to needing to go in the middle of a workout!
 
Cat-a-Tonic said:
My husband was rubbing some lotion on my back yesterday and he said he could see and feel muscles! :) One of the weight machines I do is a rowing machine which says it works the back muscles. I couldn't tell if it was doing much but apparently it is! I can tell I've got arm and leg muscles and if I could lose this stubborn bit of belly flab then I'd probably be seeing stomach muscles too. I like getting toned! Getting healthy is still my main goal, but it's nice to have results I can see too.
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You're a beast! Congrats on getting results (and resisting that Krispy Kreme). I can't wait 'til my hard work becomes visible results.
 
Thank you Nic! I was really tempted to go to Krispy Kreme this morning before work. But I remembered a trick I heard about resisting food urges - it said that if you really want something, just put it off until later. If you still really want it later, then you can have it. But most of the time, I find that if I put off a craving then I don't want it later! So as I was driving to work and drooling while thinking about Krispy Kreme, I told myself, not today - maybe I'll have it tomorrow! And it worked, the urge is gone (hopefully it will still be gone tomorrow too). I had a banana instead when I got to work and I feel really good about that. :) Maybe I will finally lose this stubborn stomach flab after all!
 
How's everyone doing with their diet and fitness? I got some good workouts in this weekend, I went on long walks with my dog both days. It snowed heavily on Friday and it's hard work walking through deep snow! Especially when you're wearing big snow boots. Diet-wise I'm doing okay, I've been trying to eat sardines regularly as I was inspired to by the "sardines for IBD" thread. I've also been trying to eat blueberries regularly as they're one of the few fruits I can reliably eat without trouble. Sardines and blueberries make great snacks (not together though!). I'm a snacker so I'm trying to eat healthier snacks! What healthy stuff do you guys snack on?
 
Hey all, this thread is awfully quiet lately! I hope that means you're all out exercising so much and so hard that you don't have any time or energy left to post in here. ;) At any rate, I hope everyone is sticking to their diet and exercise goals!

Spring weather is finally here, we've had a few rain storms but otherwise it's been sunny and warm and lovely. So today I asked my hubby to get my bicycle out of the basement and put air in the tires. Saturday is supposed to have really nice weather so I'm planning on going on a nice long bike ride! We live close to an arboretum so I'm thinking I will ride my bike through there. It sounds so nice and peaceful! I haven't ridden my bike in ages (literally, it's probably been over 10 years - I'm glad I held onto the thing!). I've been doing the exercise bike in the gym to build myself up and I'm excited to ride a proper bike again! What outdoor exercise activities is everyone else doing now that springtime is here? (Sorry Australians, I guess that means autumn is here for you guys!)
 
Are we all still going for it then gang?!

Couple of things I've noticed since starting:-

•I feel a little more alert and it almost feels like my body is repaying me for exercising and feeding it right.
•after I play footie, my body is totally knackered the day after, so I've made that a rest day.
•even though eating healthier foods is better for you, I don't feel as full up eating rice, pasta, fruit etc and I STILL look for crisps and biscuits when I'm peckish?!
•sticking to a workout plan I also find hard as there are days where I simply don't feel like doing legs, so instead opt for chest or shoulders.
•podcasts off iTunes is definitely the way forward;there are sooo many 'free' downloads for us all on there which are all legal.
•it's good to look back on the past and think about how we could exercise pre crohns, but don't let it get to you or put you down.
•I've taken pictures of my physique and saved them in an email folder and will look again with upto date pics in 6mths. This I think is probably the best clue to see if I've actually made a difference.

Let's here how you are all getting on now it's been a few weeks; any views, progress, hints and tips just let us all know.

Keep going!!
 
Good tips and observations, Mr. B! I also tend to still gravitate towards less-than-healthy snacks at times especially when I'm really hungry. I do tend to have low sodium so sometimes I will let myself have some chips, but most of the time I try to have something healthy and filling. I've found a banana with some almond butter smeared on it is pretty filling, as is a can of sardines. If anyone else has a juicer, fresh juice is also filling and really tasty and healthy, as well as being easy on the guts (easy on my guts anyway). We've talked about juicers in other threads, so I won't go in-depth here, but a simple mixture of carrots, an apple for sweetness, and a tiny bit of ginger into the juicer makes a lovely drink that is surprisingly filling and obviously quite healthy too. I got my juicer for $10 at a garage sale and it was worth every penny and then some, I love it!

I'm still planning on doing my bike ride tomorrow although the weather report is saying 20 to 30 mph winds! Eek! I hope it's not as windy as they're saying, it might be a really tough workout pedaling into the wind. My hemorrhoids just healed recently too so I hope a few miles on a bike seat doesn't persuade them to re-appear. But nonetheless, I will give it my best shot! I really want a new bike but can't justify buying one until I can prove to myself that I'm actually going to go on bike rides regularly (after all, I haven't taken my current bike out in over 10 years!). So, for now I will be taking my old beat-up bike out and will see how I do. I know I need more cardio so here goes!
 
Does anyone else get headaches during their weights workout?

Never used to get it pre crohns when I used to workout but am finding it after approx 20mins of weight lifting now-weird?!
 
This is such a great thread.
Dishandur....how do you get motivated to excersise through your migraines? I'm feeling really unwell and headachy, and can't seem to get motivated to do much, let alone work out when I'm unwell.
- in regard to diet, I want to join you guys, and cut back on a lot of refined sugar, but bit by bit, because on prednisone Iv been having a lot of sustagen, with added sugar, and my body craves sugar, especially when I feel unwell.
- I'll be trying a bit of pilates to begin with I think, yoga stretches, and try to build on fitness from there.
Thanks for all the inspiration guys. It's great to see so many of you, that struggle with these horrid crohns symptoms, and Pred side effects, still trying to stay fit. It's motivating. So I'll be trying to stick to it daily, and be checking all your posts when I'm not motivated to do much.
Thanks again :)
 
This sounds like just the thread I need =) I am joining the gym tomorrow (third one in less than 6 months!) but I think I have finally found the right one for me. I did enjoy exercising etc when I was at my previous gyms so I am hoping to get back into. I work full time so I need to try organise properly so I don't burn out(my worst Crohns symptom is the fatigue!)

Hope everyones well as can be!

AJxx
 
I could never exercise during a migraine! Even getting up off the couch makes my head pound! I consider migraine days my "rest" days. I unfortunately get them often enough that it works out that way.

I had a scary fall last night. I was skating backwards when a wild newbie appeared behind me, and in an effort to avoid her I transitioned forward, then fell straight down on my left knee. At first I thought I had broken my tibia! It hurt really bad but after a few seconds I was able to get up and skate over to my stuff (we had been "cooling down"). After a rough night last night I ended up in urgent care this morning. The good news is the doctor doesn't think I did any real damage (just bruised and swollen with some fluid in my knee) and my x-rays were clear. The bad news is I can barely walk so my running and skating might be on hold for a bit. I am supposed to skate in my first public game this weekend so I am hoping I will be ready to come back by then. But I won't skate if I'm not.

Oh and I guess I can tell y'all my derby name now, since my league is letting me skate with it. Semi Colon! (Gonna hit you like a semi!) Hehehe.
 
I did my bike ride today! I went about 5 miles, and now my butt is SORE! For others who ride bikes, do you have a special cushy bike seat, or does your backside just get used to riding after awhile? I haven't ridden an actual bike in years (probably not since high school, and I'm 32 now!) so I am hoping my butt will get tougher the more I ride.

I was going to do my bike ride yesterday, but it was so windy - like 30+ mph winds. So I took my dog for a walk instead, and that went terribly. :( It was fine up until my dog started playing with a much larger dog. They started playing a little too rough, and the big dog knocked my dog and she fell hard and started whimpering and crying and limping. Oh no! It turned out she sprained her leg and now the vet says she can't go on walks for at least 2-3 weeks (and of course I had to take her to the emergency weekend vet which costs much more than her regular vet). Ugh! So no more walks for awhile, good thing I have my bike.

Irene, you said you crave sugar. Just a thought, but have you had your blood sugar tested? Maybe you're low and that's what's causing the cravings? Or it could just be a pred thing, I know I crave pretty much all foods all the time when I'm on steroids. ;)

Mr. B, I don't get headaches when I work out, sorry to hear that you do. Are you drinking enough water? Dehydration, even mild dehydration, can cause headaches. My workout issues are that I tend to reflux when I am exercising, especially if I have eaten recently (I had a banana an hour before my workout on Friday, and I belched banana burps the whole time and felt banana trying to come up my throat a little bit), and also my nose drips like crazy when I work out. Apparently that's fairly normal and a lot of healthy people have that happen too so I don't worry about that. Just wipe my nose on my sleeve and keep going, ha ha.
 
Oh no, your poor pup! I hope she feels better soon.

In my experience your butt gets used to bike seats pretty quickly, but it will be pretty sore the first couple times.
 
Thanks Nic! The really sad part about my dog is, this is her second foot injury in as many months. She just had surgery on her back right foot a few weeks ago due to an infection, so she had just recovered from that and now she sprained her front right leg. Ugh! She's a corgi so she's really short and walking isn't as easy for her as it is for taller dogs anyway. Plus she's a little bit overweight so she really needs to go on walks! :( Hopefully after she recovers from this she won't hurt herself again anytime soon.

I hope my butt adjusts as quickly as you say to the bike. I'm thinking of investing in a new bike (my current bike is the same one I had in high school, I kept it though several moves even though it just sat in storage/my basement) and I am now thinking of investing in a cushier seat too.

I love your derby name, fun and appropriate! :) How's the running going? Do you have a 5K in mind to run when your training is complete? I saw an article in the news about this crazy zombie-themed 5K, it sounds really fun! There's not one in WI, but if they add one around here I think I would love to train for it! Here's the link:
http://runforyourlives.com/
 
That looks like fun too! I'm glad there's more fun races coming about like the color run and the zombie run. My mom ran a marathon recently called the Haunted Hustle, it took place on Halloween and all the people at the water stations, aid stations, and a lot of the spectators too were in costume. I don't think I'll ever be a marathoner but that does sound more fun than the average marathon!
 
well my exercise has been put on the back seatfor a while due to breaking my wrist in 2 places snowboarding grr. thinking of running with my cast but not sure if it will get too uncomfy/itchy/smelly
 
Oh Ryan noooo! Luckily wrist breaks heal relatively quickly. Are you going to have surgery for it or will it heal on its own?
 
The nurse said everything looks in the correct place so doubt i will need sugery. 1st time ive ever broken a bone so totally new experience lol. Its a bugger to do normal day to day activities, im not even allowed to drive :(

Will have to think of somethings to keep me from boredom
 
Rygon, that stinks! It appears you're still able to type okay so at least that's something. Glad to hear you probably don't need surgery either. I've broken 2 bones in my life, my nose and my big toe! Neither had a cast, they both just healed on their own (nose healed crooked and probably should be surgically fixed but that's a whole other story).

My butt is not nearly as sore today as it was yesterday, which is surprising. I had expected it to be really sore today. So that's encouraging and I hope to have many more bike rides in my future. If I can build up my stamina enough, I could possibly even ride my bike to work on nice days. It's about 12 miles one way from home to work so that'd be 24 miles round trip. There are several commuter bike paths in my city though so it's definitely do-able and I could pretty easily avoid riding in traffic. I won't be up for that for some time yet though so for now I'm just going to try to go on enjoyable rides. I went through the arboretum yesterday and I'm thinking my next ride will be on the bike path that goes along the lake. I want to get a basket for my bike, that way I could even pack a little picnic. I don't even have a water bottle holder on my bike so I need to accessorize! I just stuck everything in a backpack on my ride yesterday and that's not ideal. Don't want to strain my back if I can avoid it.
 
I bought a new bike! I'm very excited. My current bike is 15+ years old so it's kind of beat up. It's a mountain bike, and I feel like I'm hunched over the handlebars. My new bike is a "comfort bike" which is similar to a beach cruiser but not quite as retro looking and it also has multiple gears (I looked into beach cruisers as they're really cute bikes, but they seem to have only one gear!). I ordered my new bike on the internet so it isn't here yet but I'm very excited. I ordered myself a basket for the front and a lock and a new helmet too. Gas prices are going crazy lately so I justified the cost as being a few tanks' of gas worth - and if I can ride more and drive less then the cost will be offset pretty quickly. I'm a few miles from downtown, I'm about 1/2 mile in either direction from two lakes, there's lots of bike paths around my city. So I am going to go gung-ho with bicycling this summer! I don't think I'll be able to bike to work (12 miles one-way) but I can bike lots of other places. If I need to go to the store for a few things, I'll definitely be biking instead of driving. :)

How's everybody else doing with their fitness goals? Diet-wise I was bad today, I had two cookies. :( Yuck. The second one sat in my stomach like a rock. I will remember that the next time I'm tempted by cookies!
 
Doing okay. I went to Vegas two weeks ago and that almost de-railed me. I completely gave in on my gluten-free diet (and drank more than I should have, of course) and it took over a week for my belly to recover, which made exercise really unappealing. If I hadn't commited to this 15K this coming weekend, I might have jumped off the train altogether. But I am proud of myself because I stayed with it. I ran 7 miles on Sunday and 4 very hilly miles last night. Also have been eating well too, which makes a huge difference for me. So all in all, I think I am doing pretty well. Have overcome two near setbacks in the last month (vacation wise), so that gives me lots of confidence going forward. I'll let you know if I still feel the same after Sunday!
 
Not a good week my end. Just haven't for into my stride and been able to get settled in for workouts what with one thing and another.

Looking to hit it hard tomorrow, then again for 4 days running ready for rest day Monday. Just got to keep motivated.
 
I definitely need to exercise more. I get exercise from my job, but not always healthy. More the back breaking kind.
I used to run and loved cycling, but have got out of the habit.. the last time I cycled a small distance I fainted at the end because of the anaemia.

I really want to start running again though, I miss it a lot.

By the way, Mr Bedfordshire, I'm a Luton girl. Grew up in Caddington, went to school in Dunstable. Small Crohnie world.
 
Chrismac, I'm the opposite - I have one of those jobs where you sit at a desk for 8 hours straight. I usually exercise during my lunch hour though, so it's a nice active break in the middle of a sedentary day.

Cookie and Mr. B, sorry to hear you've both had some setbacks. Cookie, good luck with the 15 K! If my mental calculations are correct, 15 K is about 9 miles? That's quite a bit! I never ended up going on my mile jog as the weather and then my dog's injuries got in the way, but the weather is getting better and my dog is almost totally healed. I just have to do it! Of course now that I'm getting a new bike I just want to ride instead of jog. :) I'm hoping once the newness of my bike wears off that I can incorporate some jogging in too but I expect to ride around quite a bit when I first get my bike.

I have a co-worker who is trying to lose some weight and get in shape too, and although she doesn't have IBD, she and I talked about fitness and diet and weight loss a bit today and we do have somewhat similar goals. I told her about how I had 2 cookies today and she said we should keep tabs on each other to discourage ourselves from eating sweets. She knows I use the gym at work regularly and I told her to join me in the gym anytime! So I may have a new diet & fitness workplace buddy. :)
 
Just bout to start a workout so here's hoping I stay motivated for the duration.

Re:hemp protein powder- I simply cannot get used to the god awful taste of the stuff it's disgusting?! Think I'll try something different.

Let's hear from you all to see how your all getting on:rosette1:
 
Cat-a-Tonic said:
Cookie and Mr. B, sorry to hear you've both had some setbacks. Cookie, good luck with the 15 K! If my mental calculations are correct, 15 K is about 9 miles? That's quite a bit! I never ended up going on my mile jog as the weather and then my dog's injuries got in the way, but the weather is getting better and my dog is almost totally healed. I just have to do it! Of course now that I'm getting a new bike I just want to ride instead of jog. :) I'm hoping once the newness of my bike wears off that I can incorporate some jogging in too but I expect to ride around quite a bit when I first get my bike.

I have a co-worker who is trying to lose some weight and get in shape too, and although she doesn't have IBD, she and I talked about fitness and diet and weight loss a bit today and we do have somewhat similar goals. I told her about how I had 2 cookies today and she said we should keep tabs on each other to discourage ourselves from eating sweets. She knows I use the gym at work regularly and I told her to join me in the gym anytime! So I may have a new diet & fitness workplace buddy. :)
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You are right, it's 9.3 miles. I have done this race 3 times previously, but it has been four years since the last time and I am quite nervous. I think I have trained okay, but you never know what's going to happen come race day. Not looking to set any personal bests, just hoping to finish.

Don't be too hard on yourself about the cookies. We all cave in every now and again! Yesterday was "pi" day at our work (3.14...we are science geeks). I resisted most of the day, but ended up "tasting" (yeah, right) the filling of a chocolate cream pie. If it hadn't been for the gluten in the crust, I'm quite sure I would have eaten the whole piece!
 
Yeah, yesterday was a bad day diet-wise. Besides the two cookies, it was Pi Day and my hubby made these little individual pies. I usually have one little pie when he makes them, but since it was Pi Day and they were so yummy I had two! Blah. I felt totally stuffed and my guts weren't particularly happy about that. Today I'm doing much better. I've eaten smaller portions, I even had a salad (it caused cramping for a bit but I'm okay now) and then a co-worker asked if I wanted a bag of potato chips. It was not an individual size bag either! I politely said no thank you and she took the chips away. Phew! Onwards and upwards. To make up for yesterday, I'm just going to have juice from my juicer for dinner tonight. I don't need calories and I do need nutrients so fresh juice is the way to go.

Mr. B, I haven't tried hemp powder myself but it sounds pretty foul. When my brother lived with us, he would drink this wheatgrass juice which smelled terrible and stained our drinking glasses green. He said it tasted horrible when he first started drinking it, but after a few weeks he got used to the taste and then began to actually like it. Yuck, I never got used to the smell or the green stains, and I could never bring myself to try the stuff as the smell alone was gag-worthy. Kudos to you for trying to drink something awful. I hope you're able to find a less-noxious substitute!

Cookie, good luck with the race! I think I've already mentioned this, but my mother runs marathons. She just completed a marathon in Antarctica (yes, really) last week. The race organizers advised her that this race would be really tough and that she should assume that she'd be finishing 1 to 2 hours later than her usual marathon time. She did it in 6 hours + and she's usually right around the 5 hour mark so not terrible. Like you said, she wasn't trying to do any personal bests either. She just wanted to have fun! So, good luck and have fun. And be glad you're not running in Antarctica. ;)
 
Antartica? That's amazing. Is she going for the 7 continents thing? I think I mentioned this before, but my ultimate goal is to run a marathon (well actually, to qualify for and run the Boston marathon, but I guess i should start with running a marathon first). I have tried training for one several times, but always end up with fistula problems. I think that running may actually have something to do with it. I had my last surgery in Oct of 2009 and am doing pretty good so far. I just don't know how far I should push it.

Anyway, thanks for the well wishes on Sunday. I'll let you know how it goes.
 
Yeah, she completed the 50 states a couple years ago and now she's going for the continents. She did Africa (Marrakesh, Morocco) last year and Antarctica last week, and of course she's done North America, so 3 down and 4 to go. She did Boston 3 or 4 times, I can't remember for sure. She doesn't have IBD (she thinks she has celiac but doesn't - long story) so she doesn't have any health issues standing in her way except for stuff she's caused herself (she's had a few falls and has given herself "running-induced asthma" from chronically running too much). She's a little crazy! I doubt I'll ever run a marathon, but she's run enough for the both of us. ;)

That sucks that running seems to cause fistula problems for you. I don't have fistulas (knock on wood) but they sound just dreadful. I'm not sure which type of IBD I have (not fully diagnosed but GI and GP have said it's IBD and it's not UC, they're thinking either Crohn's or microscopic colitis) so I don't know if fistulas are something I'll ever get. I can imagine that they'd interfere with being able to exercise so I hope they don't come back for you!

Oh, I got a confirmation from Amazon that my new bike has shipped and it's arriving on Monday! Yay, I'm excited! My husband says he's assembled bikes in the past and that "it's easy" so hopefully he can put the thing together for me. Some of the reviews said this particular bike is really easy to put together and others said it's a total nightmare, so I don't really know what to expect! It's just a bike though, it's not like we're going to be assembling a robot or a spaceship or something. It shouldn't be all that difficult. It's been unseasonably warm here, temps in the upper 70s and even low 80s (fahrenheit) and it's supposed to be warm through at least next week Wednesday, so I hope to get at least one good ride in before it cools down again. :)

Diet-wise I'm doing pretty well too after recovering from the cookies & pie. I had fresh juice and a Slimfast for dinner last night (the juice just wasn't enough on its own to fill me up). Starting to plan what I want to grow in my little garden this year too. I can't do a lot of fresh fruit & veggies by themselves, but I can easily stomach fruit & veg that's been put through my juicer, so I plan to grow some things I can juice. Yum!

I probably won't be on tomorrow, so happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! I hope we can all avoid the green beer, yuck. :p
 
Well, I did my 15K yesterday and finished under my goal. My time was 1:30:31 which is 9:46 per mile. I was secretly hoping for under 10 min mile, but didn't adevertise that too much in case it didn't happen. I was 75 out of 228 in my age group and 1203 out of 3000+ overall. All in all, I feel pretty good about it, but I won't lie, I am sore and worn out today! usually i would do some strength training on Monday, but I think I will make it a rest day!
 
Cookie said:
Well, I did my 15K yesterday and finished under my goal. My time was 1:30:31 which is 9:46 per mile. I was secretly hoping for under 10 min mile, but didn't adevertise that too much in case it didn't happen. I was 75 out of 228 in my age group and 1203 out of 3000+ overall. All in all, I feel pretty good about it, but I won't lie, I am sore and worn out today! usually i would do some strength training on Monday, but I think I will make it a rest day!
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Fantastic well done! Treat yourself to a rest day as a reward.
 
Congrats, Cookie! Getting a time under your goal must be a very good feeling, well done! :) Hope you enjoyed your rest day. Do you have a race in mind as your next one to train for?

I overdid it with exercise on Sunday but my body must be getting used to doing a lot of exercise as I didn't pay for it the next day!! That's a really good feeling. I did yoga on Sunday morning, then I took the dog on a brisk walk, and then in the afternoon I rode 6 miles on my old bike. It was really windy and my old bike is not great, so the bike ride was very tough and I was super tired and sore afterwards. Still, the next day I felt okay and managed to hit the gym as usual so I am quite proud of that! I got my new bike yesterday and took that out for a test ride, and it's SO much better than my old bike. My old bike is 15+ years old so it's pretty beat up and the brakes don't work very well and it's just generally hard on me. The seat is super uncomfortable on my booty, it's not the easiest to steer, obviously not the easiest to stop, and it's a mountain bike so I felt all hunched over the handlebars. My new bike, on the other hand, is a "comfort bike" so the handlebars are higher up, allowing me to not have to hunch over at all! I can sit upright on my bike and that's lovely. And of course the brakes work great and the steering is much better. It's got this fancy gear-shifter thing right on the handle too, like how a motorcycle shifter is I believe. I bought some accessories online, like a basket, lock, and new helmet, and those are arriving tomorrow. :) I got a cushy gel seat too so my butt won't be so sore. Once I get those installed, then I'll be all set to be able to run errands on my bike, so I can save gas/money and continue getting fit. Win-win! :D

Diet-wise I've had a bit of a setback though, it seems that bananas are triggering my GERD to act up! Bananas are my go-to fruit so that is really frustrating. I can't digest a lot of other fruits, strawberries and tomatoes are particularly bad (even in remission, if I eat them I will see undigested tomato and strawberries in my poo). So I am trying to figure out how to get fruit without upsetting my guts or my GERD. Juicing them is the only thing that really works at this point. Anybody have other ideas besides juicing? I can steam and juice veggies so at least I have two options there, but steamed fruits doesn't sound appealing at all. :p
 
Awesome thread - quite inspiring!
I had a flare up this weekend after hosting 10 out-of-towners for a family funeral - so stressed, no time to eat, and too much wine.
Monday I was really down and felt awful, so I wanted to cancel my appt with the personal trainer at the gym (discount training at the office gym!). My wonderful husband said "no way! you always feel better afterwards!" And he was sooo right. I felt great! It was a huge surprise - really counter-intuitive. I'm guessing endorphins? Or stretching? We did a lot of squats, presses, and pull-ups. Tonight I'm looking forward to a run - getting back into it after the winter. Maybe 2 or 3 miles. Do any of you run barefoot? I'm in "invisible shoes" now, hoping to be barefoot this summer.
The only thing is that I get realllllllly tired after running or working out. Protein helps (fish or designer whey), but I've depended on caffeine to keep sharp at work, and now, well, no more caffeine for me.
anyway, psyched to see everyone getting out there! Good luck with the bicycle, Cat! And Cookie, congrats on your time!
 
Great to see so many people on board and taking a keen interest on this thread!

The working out side of things is going pretty well for me;I've compiled a workout plan using bits and bobs off the website, using mostly bodybuilding.com.

I'm trying my hardest to steer clear of unhealthy food, by eating more fruit and veg, whilst washing it down with water rather than fizzy drinks and to be honest I'm feeling a lot better for it!!

Keep going everyone, you can do it!!!!
 
Oh, and Cat,
can you eat mango? frozen mango is (relatively?) cheaper these days (or at least, as cheap as frozen peaches), and I nuke some up to add to a whey protein shake in the morning - no problems. frozen peaches are good, too. Nuked up, with honey and cinnamon ... a not-bad dessert.
--Lisa
 
Lisa, welcome to the forum and thanks for the tip! I haven't tried mango in awhile but I believe the last time I had it that there were no ill effects afterwards. There's a little grocery store near me that usually carries fresh mangoes and they aren't too terribly expensive, so I think I will pick one up this weekend and give it a try. The part about adding honey and cinnamon sounds delish! Yum! I know I can do canned peaches so I'll try that if the mango is a no-go.

Mr. B, good for you for drinking water rather than soda! I had to give up soda when I first became ill, I don't know why but for some reason it causes me awful pains to drink anything carbonated. I'm guessing maybe the bubbles get stuck along my digestive tract? It feels like sharp gas pains, it's not pleasant and certainly not worth it. I can't do caffeine either as it seems to be a migraine trigger for me, so I pretty much have to drink water! That's fine with me though, I like water and don't miss soda.

How's everybody doing? I had a bad tummy day yesterday due to some poor diet choices (entirely my own fault) so I had to take it a bit easier at the gym today than I would have liked, but I am glad that at least I was able to go to the gym. And of course I'm trying to eat better today, although I haven't had much appetite today truth be told. I lost a couple lbs this week (on purpose this time!) and I'd like to lose about 10 or 15 total, so I think I'm on a good pace. There's no rush for me to lose weight, I'm not overweight or anything, I just put a bit too much weight back on the last couple times I was on steroids. I weigh about 140 right now (I'm a 5'8" female) and I would like to be about 130 or max no lower than 125. But of course my main focus is still to get healthy, not weight loss, so it won't bother me too much if I stay at 140 but continue getting fit. :)
 
Wow, Cat. Good for you getting to the gym when your belly wasn't feeling good. Hope the mango works out! And thanks for the welcome!
Yesterday afternoon, I went to a great yoga class they've offered at work - just 5 of us in a conference room on the 19th floor with a very good instructor. A great way to start the weekend! Today: gym. Tomorrow: run. Monday: trainer. Pacing myself now - I usually overdo it when the warm weather hits!
The worry today is a party tonight - I guess I'll bring my own food? How do you all deal with social engagements and diet restrictions? Also, since I'm off caffeine, I might need to ask for a quiet place to nap... sheesh.
Happy weekend!
 
Not a good day for me-was due for a arms workout but having started I lost interest after 10mins and called it a day?!

Feel a bit weird today, no real go in me or any kind of motivation to workout so fingers crossed tomorrow I will?!
 
Hey there, Mister B- sorry to hear you're not feeling right. I definitely have those days, too. Sounds like you're in-tune with what your body needs - and bowing out early can keep you from getting injured. Rest days are important in any exercise regimen.
 
Marathon?

__JK__ said:
I don't like doing things by half. If i'm gonna run, i'm gonna run a marathon! anyone up for that?
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I started working out on a regular basis (5-6x/week) and eating healthier about a year and a half before I had surgery/was diagnosed with Crohn's. Didn't seem right to me that I was making good decisions regarding fitness and diet, and yet was getting sicker. Since surgery last May, I've tried to really get back into working out. Over the summer, I was going to the gym and also taking boxing classes. Once law school started back up in the fall and stress levels went through the roof, I had a slightly more difficult time sticking with it. I was constantly tired and didn't want to get out of bed in the morning. After fall exams, I went home for Christmas break and started working out again 6 days a week. I made a commitment to myself that I was going to set myself a goal and stick with it, Crohn's be damned. I'm "training" for the Walt Disney World Marathon (hopefully!) that takes place each year around Christmas. I wake up at 4:30 in the morning Monday through Friday to get my run in before classes. Right now, I'm running about 4 miles a day, with my "long" run holding steady around 6 miles (~10km). I've seen the changes in my health -- it seems like I'm using the bathroom less frequently than last semester (and more like a normal person again) and have seen an improvement in my fatigue levels. All of my scans have shown little to none inflammation since September, so I'm hoping that holds steady. I'm gonna finish a marathon if it kills me!
 
Sugar?

Irene3 said:
- in regard to diet, I want to join you guys, and cut back on a lot of refined sugar, but bit by bit, because on prednisone Iv been having a lot of sustagen, with added sugar, and my body craves sugar, especially when I feel unwell.
-
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I'm not on prednisone, but I've noticed that I have an unnatural hankering for sugar on a regular basis. Before surgery/diagnosis last May, I'd have candy or ice cream on the occasion, but never on an almost daily basis as I am now. I sometimes wonder whether this is a product of being sick or whether I'm just feeling sorry for myself!
 
Just checking in with the thread. How's the new bike treating you Cat? I love getting new equipment or gear...gives me a little spark. I'm jealous! And elizamt, i am with you on the marathon thing...do or die!

Had a pretty lazy weekend myself. I did a light run on Saturday and then yesterday...not a darn thing! Usually I would be ridden with guilt, but for some reason I didn't really even care. My body was telling me I needed a rest and sometimes you just have to listen to it, right? Tonight I plan to do a strength training video and put myself back on track.

Good job everybody on keeping it going!
 
Rubbish couple of days my end what with birthdays, family visits and generally too busy to work out, which I know is no excuse?!

Bit tired today after the clocks went forward over the weekend but Im aiming for a hardcore arms workout tonight to catch up.

Still not seeing any physical changes but I def feel more alert and awake from starting this back in January 2012.
 
Ran for the first time today since injuring my knee. I think it went okay.

tumblr_lz58hxtwF31r9cqm9o1_400.png

I'm not the biggest fan of Jillian Michaels but I really like that quote.
 
Nic, I didn't know you injured your knee. I must have missed a post somewhere. That sucks! :( Glad to hear you're able to run again!

Cookie, I am loving the new bike! I did about 6 miles on the bike on Sunday, rode to the grocery store and back. It was pretty much all uphill the way there so that was pretty challenging, and the way back home was nice and relaxing. I invested in a cushy gel seat for the new bike, and it made a world of difference! No butt pain or soreness whatsoever! :D The rest of me, however, was pretty sore and tired, but that's okay.

I had a massage that evening after my bike ride, and that made me REALLY sore! I hadn't had a massage in quite awhile (my masseuse is a family friend and he makes house calls for friends and he also charges a reduced rate, which is great - but he's also a nursing student who works full-time, so he is usually very busy which is why I haven't had a massage in awhile). I'm not sure if this is just because it's been awhile, or if he used more pressure than usual, but my back and neck were SO sore after the massage. I went to the gym as usual yesterday and I had to not do as much because I was just so sore. I feel somewhat better today but am taking today as a rest day as I don't want to injure myself. (Yesterday I worked my arms & abs more so as to not aggravate my sore legs & back, so today my abs are sore!) I'll try to hit the gym again tomorrow, hopefully all the soreness will be gone by then.

How's everybody else doing? Diet-wise I am doing okay, a few minor slip-ups here and there but for the most part I'm doing pretty well. I lost a couple pounds, too! For the first time in awhile I am finally under 140 lbs - the scale yesterday said 139! :D Yeah! Finally I'm getting some of the steroid weight off of me and my tummy is looking flatter and not quite so flabby. That's a great feeling!
 
Elbeasta, I must have missed your post. It's probably too late now, but when I go to parties and am not sure if there'll be any safe foods there, I always bring safe snacks in my purse. Usually an Ensure or some crackers, something small and portable like that. My friends and co-workers all know at least a little bit about my illness so they don't really care if I don't eat their food or if I leave a party early due to being tired or whatever, so I don't worry about doing that kind of stuff, I know people understand. Or if they do think I'm weird, they keep it to themselves and I don't care what they think anyway.
 
Cat-a-tonic:

I think soda does the same thing for me in giving me sharp gas pains. When I first got sick and had abdominal pain b/c of an abscess, I told myself for three months that I was just being a big wuss. I chalked it up to bloating from drinking too much soda and redbull leading up to exams, easing up on my workouts, and eating more unhealthy foods. Exams are the hardest time for me because I literally have to go into hibernation mode for a month and just sit in the library. Even though I know I shouldn't, I use soda to get me through studying for 20 hours straight. Coffee and energy drinks (now) realllllllly make me use the bathroom 123187087 times a day, so even though soda makes me bloated, I give in. Diet Mountain Dew is literally referred to as "the house wine" of my law school, haha. Also, random, but caffeine is the ONLY thing that cures my migraines. I take 2 excedrin migraine which have a ton of caffeine in them.

Side note: Ran 4 miles this morning at the gym! Movie theater there was playing Michael Clayton, not the best movie to run to, but it works!
 
Elizamt, glad to hear that I am not the only one who is affected by soda! I wish caffeine helped my migraines, but it seems to cause them instead. About the most fun beverage I can handle these days is lemonade, ha ha. And even that I don't drink very often because I try to avoid excess sugar too.

There's a movie theater in your gym? That's awesome! There's a little bitty TV in my gym with a DVD player, so if I'm alone in the gym (and I usually am) then I can put whatever I want on that, but I usually can't see the screen (it's angled towards the treadmill, not the weight machines, and the bulk of my workout is weights - I just do the treadmill to warm up and cool down). So I tend to put on concert DVDs of my favorite singers/bands, that way if I can see the screen great, but if not then I've still got some good music to listen to.

How's everyone else doing? I had a bit of a dissapointment, I thought there was a new health food store in town but I was so wrong. This little store popped up recently and the sign says "GFS" - I figured it must stand for something like Gluten Free Store? Then I saw in smaller letters below the GFS that it says "Garden Food Store" so I thought, great, it must be health food! I'll check it out! And wow, what a disappointment! It's one of those bulk-food stores where everything comes in giant containers. Huge industrial-sized cans of corn, giantic bags of potato chips, etc. Like Sam's Club I guess but you don't need a membership card or whatever. It was mainly canned/pre-packaged stuff too, hardly any "garden" type foods. I saw one giant bag of shredded lettuce and one bag of oranges in the store and that was the only produce there. Pretty sad, and what a misleading name! They should change the "GFS" to mean "Giant Food-like Substances". Bleh.

The exercise is still going great, though - my muscles recovered nicely during my rest day yesterday and I felt great at the gym today. I'm trying more interval-type training and I think that's going well so far. For example, I used to jog at 5 mph for 4 or 5 minutes straight to get warmed up at the start of my workout. Now I will run at 6 or 7 mph for a minute, walk for 30 seconds, run again, walk again, etc. I'm enjoying that and it keeps me from getting bored. I never really cared for running and even jogging for 5 minutes would make me a little bored and watching the clock to see when the 5 minutes would be up. I'm still watching the clock now but just to keep an eye on when to stop/start running, not out of boredom.
 
The movie theater in the gym is Uh. Maze. Ing. I honestly think it's the only thing that has motivated me. I go to a Gold's Gym, and a lot of them apparently have the "Cardio Cinema." It's not as big as a real movie theater, but the screen is probably almost 15 feet wide and they've got 6 treadmills, 2 ellipticals, and 5 bikes in there. The gym plays a different movie each day, most of which are pretty high energy.

Interval training is the best way to lose weight (or so I've heard). Jackie Warner (a trainer from the Biggest Loser) has a book called "This is Why You're Fat and How to Get Skinny Forever," and she says that if you've only got thirty minutes a day, you should do high intensity interval training rather than stay at a flat speed. Her beginner work out is 1 minute recovery walk, 2 minutes fast walk on 15% incline, 2 minute sprint, and then repeat. I try to incorporate some intervals into my runs, too. Today was a short day - only 2 miles - so I started out at 5 mph and ended the second mile at 6.5 mph. Yay us!
 
That sounds cool, I think there is a Gold's Gym around here, I wonder if they have a movie theater too. I just go to the little gym in the basement of my workplace, it's small but it works for me. It's free for one thing so can't beat that! And since it's only for employees in my building, there's hardly ever anyone else in there, which is fine by me. I almost never have to wait for a particular machine to open up, and I can grunt when I'm lifting weights without embarassing myself in front of others. :p Ha ha. It seems like when other people are in the gym they want to chit-chat with me and I just want to focus on my workout so I am totally happy with being alone in there. I do wish there was a movie theater though! I am jealous of that!
 
I am thinking that maybe I should post this in another thread, but on the other hand, I think that those reading this thread are more likely to understand. Beware, rant ahead...

I have alluded to it on this and other threads, but I have not wanted to really put it out there because I was hoping for it not to be true. But I don't think I can deny it any longer...my fistula problems have returned. I can't begin to tell you all how bummed out I am. I have been doing so well with the diet and exercise and feeling great both physically and mentally. About a month ago I noticed more than usual leakage and swelling around my anal area. I decided to ignore it hoping it would go away. Not the case. I have a full blown bump right in the area of my previous abscess. It's sore and draining and I am right back where I was two years ago. Arg!

A very brief history...I have had issues with recto vaginal fistula for years. I have tried Remicade, literally lived on Cipro and Flagyl and eventually had surgeries (2006 and 2009) which aparently have proven to be only a temporary solution. I am sooo frustrated with this. My husband keeps telling me to go to my doctor, but why??? So he can give me more meds that provide temporary relief and make me feel like crap and then I end up having surgery again? The last surgery weakened my sphincter muscles to the point of leakage...what will another one do? I just want it to go away on it's own!!! Think that might happen??

This is not meant to be a whoa is me post. Just looking to vent to those of you who can relate...Thanks for listening!
 
Oh Cookie I'm so sorry. I think you know it won't go away on its own though. I hope you are able to find a treatment that helps. *hugs*
 
Yeah, I know. I just don't want this thing to control my life. When I am taking med for it, it feels like it becomes the focus of my life. I don't want that to happen. I just want to try and keep it manged and get on with things. Of course I know that if the inflammation gets too bad I need to do something about it. But right now it is draining and I am feeling ok.

Thanks for the encouragement diesanduhr. Crohns will not beat us!
 
Aw Cookie, that really sucks. :( I haven't had fistulas (yet, knock on wood) so I can only imagine how painful and frustrating it must be. I can say that I push myself to exercise though all sorts of things like hemorrhoids, fissures, nausea, pain, and reflux, so I totally agree with your attitude - it won't beat you and you will get through this!

I hope everyone else is doing okay with their diet and exercise? I'm doing well, I recently discovered that I can eat oatmeal again (oats upset me greatly back when I was not in remission) so I have added oatmeal to my healthy diet. I can even add blueberries as those are usually safe for me, and a little honey too for sweetness. Yum! I have borderline-high cholesterol (apparently it's a genetic thing, no amount of diet or exercise will lower it by much - my mom who runs marathons also has high cholesterol in spite of her exercising like crazy and eating a very healthy diet). I know oatmeal can sometimes help with cholesterol so I'm happy to add it to my diet. Not sure if it will actually help any but it makes me feel good to eat it. I've been exercising lots including riding my bike on nice days. And I'm trying to surround myself with good influences too - I have a lunch date today with a friend who is totally into exercise and healthy eating, so we will have a healthy lunch and talk about diet & fitness. :)
 
Seven mile run scheduled for Saturday morning! Got slightly discouraged this morning when I went to do my scheduled 4.5 miles and could barely finish 1. I've been having some nausea issues the past few days, plus sore from a flag football tournament last week, so I'm chalking this morning up to my body going on strike. Resting up tomorrow, hoping for a solid 7 miles Saturday!

P.S. Anyone doing any of the Team Challenge Half Marathons listed on ccfa.org?
 
im with you buddy!! just lemme
eat another cookie.. lol

i usually go for walks, at least 30 minutes a day usually more.
i recently bought a pedometer, and found out 15 min = 2,500 steps = 1.5K = 1mile... hm maybe i got that wrong...

i think of all the walking ive done and cant imagine how many steps that has added up to.

crazy :)
 
Now that I'm finally feeling better again (thank you, Pred), I'm timidly getting back into exercise after about 6 months (eek that's a long time!). Getting inspired by this thread, I'm gonna ditch the processed junk and my beginner's yoga dvd is ordered! My flatmate also has a sports hula hoop that I've been using (starting slowly), it's really good for the core and I can work out in front of the tv. We also went to an African dance class this week and it was the most fun I've ever had working out, the teacher was fantastic! I need to do exercise that is also good for my mind as I tend to get bored and frustrated easily, here's hoping I can stick to it!
 
It seems to have gone a bit quiet on this thread?! I hope we're all still exercising and trying to eat healthy?

As its been Easter I've taken my foot of the gas over the last 4 days with workouts, what with DIY that needed doing round the house, but I did manage a pretty intense workout this afternoon which made me feel less guilty!

One thing I have found out over Easter is that too much chocolate doesn't agree with my guts- Urgh! I've had watery stools and now have a very sore backside just in time for the return to work tomorrow-greeat!
 
I'm still here, Mr. B! I've been doing so well and the weather's been so nice that I haven't been on the forum as much lately. Like you, Easter threw me a little bit off track but I'm getting back to where I need to be. I managed to avoid chocolate but had a couple slices of cheesecake on Easter - yum, but not good for me! And I slacked a bit on my exercise and I forgot to take my psyllium for a couple days over the holiday weekend, so I've been paying for that a bit. I'm back on the psyllium and hit the gym extra hard yesterday so I'm feeling quite a bit better today. I need to remember to take better care of myself on holidays and not let them be an excuse to eat poorly or not exercise.

I hope everyone else had a good Easter and managed to avoid eating too many treats!
 
Still here too! Dealing with the fistula issue, but it hasn't kept me down. Like Cat, I am enjoying the nice weather. Had a bit of a bummer of a day on Saturday when i fell two miles short of my goal on my run. Was wanting to do 8.5, but could not eek out those last two miles. I was so dissappointed with myself afterwards. This is the first time since Jan that I went out with a goal and did not meet it. I tend to be pretty hard on myself when that happens...I need to learn to let it go. I plan to give it another go tonight.
 
Well last night's run was a successful 8.5 miles. I had a particularly rough day belly wise...at least 15 trips to the restroom with lots of mucous. This is typical for me during "that time of the month". I was not looking forward to my running and fearing another failure. So I convinced myself to just get out there and do 4 miles at any old pace I could. Well, I ended up feeling good and doing all 8.5 miles in less than 10 min/mile pace. It totally made up for the bad day on Saturday. Reminds me of why I love running!

How's everyone else been doing?
 
Good for you, Cookie! That has got to be a good feeling. :) I'm very impressed as I am still working my way up to running one mile without stopping. Last time at the gym I managed to do 1/2 mile at 5 mph without stopping so I'm halfway there but I feel like my running progress has been really slow. I do much better at weight-lifting and yoga than I do at anything cardio, but I am trying to improve my cardio efforts.

I've been a bit depressed today as I found out that a colleague of mine has cancer. I know that I always feel so good and depression lifts significantly after I hit the gym, so I am really looking forward to my workout this afternoon. I pushed myself pretty hard on Monday and am going to try to push at least as hard again today. Diet-wise I've been crap lately, I ate a bunch of potato chips yesterday and now I just feel greasy and heavy and bloated and blah. I'm going to remember this feeling the next time I'm tempted by something I shouldn't have - it's not worth feeling yucky later and they weren't that tasty anyway. I packed a healthy lunch today (sardines packed in water for a snack, plain oatmeal with some fresh blueberries for lunch) so hopefully I'll recover quickly from the potato chips episode. I can eat chips while flaring all I want, as I tend to lose both weight and sodium easily in a flare, but in remission it's another story and I don't need the extra calories nor sodium (nor pimples!) now.

Has anyone got any tips or tricks for avoiding bad foods you know you shouldn't have? I remember my mother telling me that many years ago she used to drink a lot of soda, but she developed cysts in weird places and her doctor said she should try giving up all caffeine. She was such a soda addict that it was really hard, but she started telling herself "there's maggots in the soda" and she'd picture nasty writhing maggots in her soda, and that was enough to get her to kick the habit. And sure enough, her cysts went away. Maggots don't really gross me out very much though so I don't know if that'll work for me. Anybody have any other tricks or ideas similar to that?
 
Cat-a-Tonic said:
Has anyone got any tips or tricks for avoiding bad foods you know you shouldn't have? I remember my mother telling me that many years ago she used to drink a lot of soda, but she developed cysts in weird places and her doctor said she should try giving up all caffeine. She was such a soda addict that it was really hard, but she started telling herself "there's maggots in the soda" and she'd picture nasty writhing maggots in her soda, and that was enough to get her to kick the habit. And sure enough, her cysts went away. Maggots don't really gross me out very much though so I don't know if that'll work for me. Anybody have any other tricks or ideas similar to that?
Click to expand...

Wow, that's pretty harsh...I would end up eating nothing after that! The only two tips I have for avoiding junk food is 1) the obvious don't buy it 2) join an on-line food diary website such as myfitnesspal.com and track your calories. It's a huge data base of nutritional info for lots of food, plus tracking the calories really makes you think about everything you eat. Before I eat something I know I shouldn't, I always think about what it will do to my food log calorie total. I guess I just don't like not meeting my goals :lol:
 
Sorry if that was gross, ha ha. She applied it ONLY to soda, she'd just tell herself that there were maggots in soda and she'd picture maggots in soda - all other foods were still maggot-free in her little analogy. It did work, she hasn't touched caffeine in many years. When I was a teenager and I gave up eating red meat, I would just think of all the sad cows getting chopped to bits in the slaughterhouse, that was enough to turn me off of beef (nowadays red meat upsets my guts too much so I still don't have much problem avoiding it). I need an analogy that'll turn me off of potato chips and candy though! :p

Well, I went to the gym, pushed myself as hard as I could (which wasn't quite as hard as last time) and I just feel tired now. I didn't sleep well last night and I'm planning to hit the hay early tonight, hopefully that'll get me feeling a little more chipper. I still feel rather blah right now.
 
A much better day today. Seemed to have bags of energy so was in the gym for a good hour doing legs and shoulders and now I'm walking round with legs like jelly which surely means I've done something right during my workout?!

Was also thinking to myself today that I should go back to my 'slightly' unhealthy eating habits and once again have more pastries, chocolate and bread as I feel the eating healthy side has taken an edge off my energy and power when working out?! What du guys reckon?
 

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