Member123

Kim,

Thank you.

I have so much to do and here I am lurking around on this board! What's the matter with me?

I'm trying so hard to get some outfits together so that I can look different in each of the pictures for the shore excursions. In looking at the pictures that we took on our last cruise, I looked the same no matter where we were. It was disappointing. But I realized that the reason was I didn't have enough tops that were totally different from each other; in other words, I had 3 tops that were a creamy color that blended well with my jackets, but when I wore them you simply couldn't tell the difference among them. So this time, I'm taking red, blue, gold... so there! Anyway, that's my plan.

I'm doing my best. I wish that I could have the patience and the discipline to create spreadsheets the way that some people do... especially the Cruising Fashionista on this Fashion Board. I think I've waited a little too long to get started with that; I leave in 3 days, so I have to be done by then.

I have nothing to do for the next 3 days except finalize what I'm going to pack... do my manicure and pedicure.... a salon appointment... and have 3 Zumba sessions! So, the countdown truly begins....

I've GOT to stop reading these threads and get to work! LOL...:eek:

Happy Easter.

Ok, everyone. So I called Anita and told her it was bad, (very, very bad) to sip beer and practice Zumba. FYI.

Also, I've been taping my Zumba classes. Just audio. No video. What a happy coincidence that Anita was working on her playlist and I thought it would be helpful to her if I taped the classes that I was attending... especially since I go to so many instructors during the week!

What that now means is that I can take Teddy, Young, Evelyn, Raquel, and Kristy with me on the cruise! How wonderful is that?!? My DH bought me some sport earphones so that I can plug in while I'm gone and I could Zumba by myself in the fitness center.. if I want to!

I've been doing a marathon Zumba experience right before my cruise. I went last Thursday morning, Friday morning, Saturday morning, this Sunday morning. I'm going Tuesday evening, Thursday morning, and Thursday evening before I head out to Florida! OMG! And I'm keeping up, feeling great...

I feel like I'm turning into some sort of weird Voice of Zumba. Last Saturday I had someone approach me and ask me if my knees felt better with the different shoes. Then, this morning, I had someone approach me who wanted to discuss Zumba and the different instructors because she'd seen me in the Saturday morning class and wanted to talk.

Her story is really interesting. She has limited time because she's a full time student. She really wants to exercise because she can feel the pounds creeping up on her since she's been so sedentary with her studying, etc. She thinks Zumba is a lot of fun, but she was told that she couldn't JUST do Zumba... that she had to cross-train. So she's been trying to do spinning classes and also do some running... but she hates her spinning classes and she hates to run. So I discussed with her that Zumba is one of the BEST programs to do because it's HIgh Intensity Interval Training. And that if she did the moves with "intent," in other words if... instead of just stepping to the side, for example, she "lunged" to the side... and if, instead of just doing the machete move... she purposefully squatted doing the machete move... then she would be doing a toning move as well as a cardio routine. So, we had a nice chat. I told her that she shouldn't force herself to do what she "hated," because that was a recipe to quit. She should do waht she "loved," because that was a recipe for success, for ongoing improvement, and for feeling great. I also told her to take her measurements and not to worry about the scale. I spent about 15 minutes talking with her.... which I guess she needed because she stayed and kept asking me questions. Anyway, the Voice of Zumba. I thought when I got into my car, what the heck?!? Where is this coming from? I've always been pretty anonymous in my exercise... but apparently Zumba is a bit different in that respect.

So, ladies, I'm going to miss you on my cruise! I'm going to do my best to keep up with a bit of exercise during the time that I'm gone. I do have an internet connection and can leave Anita some messages, so I'll stay in touch.

I'll post my weight on Thursday, just to keep myself honest. Then I'll do my best to enjoy every single bite that I take on my vacation... get some honest movement into my day (besides the shore excursions and the ridiculous notion that I will take the stairs instead of the elevator) and we'll see what happens on my return. So, we'll see if I can go for these 3 weeks and maintain....

Donna!

So glad you posted. And with such good news!

I think you are right on spot... our body is such an efficient mechanism that it is an optimum adaptor! Anita shared a book with me that had a very funny analogy. She could probably do a better job remembering it, but it went something like this... when you're sleeping, the brain checks in with all your body parts and asks what's been going on?... need anything?... and the body parts will respond... nothing new... nothing different... no reason to change... let's just keep on doing what we're doing...

Now this happens after you go from being a couch potato to an exercise routine... when the brain asks what's been going on... the body parts start screaming and yelling... OMG... you won't BELIEVE what we were put through today!... and the brain says... ok... you need more energy reserves... you need more synapse activity... I get it... I'll come to your rescue!

But, after you keep doing the same exercise time after time... the body parts just say... nope... don't need anything new... same old same old routine today... after all, it's Tuesday night and we knew what we were going to do... no big deal...

Funny thought process.

The essence of the information is that you HAVE to SHAKE it up! Both in diet and exercise duration, intensity, schedule, etc.

I have 4 different Zumba instructors. Then, I have the ability to switch out a Saturday morning with a Friday morning class. So I can vary my exercise routine and keep it interesting for me. Each of the instructors has a different playlist. But, with that being said, I know I need to get back into the gym and do my resistance training. Share your weights training with us, as I'd love to know what you're doing.

Your routine sounds great! I wish that my gym (don't like its environment) was comfortable enough for me to enjoy the steam and sauna aspects.

Also, Happy Easter to everyone. Enjoy your holiday and come back and talk with us... we missed you!....

Kasi,

Initially, I thought I should wear a HRM because I was worried about doing strenuous cardio exercise and "keeping" within the fat-burning zone and not going so high that I would hit 90% of my max heart rate. When I started Zumba, I consistently hit 110% of my MAX heart rate. So, obviously, (I know this sounds like a broken record) I had to do some research! The funniest line that I saw went something like... you can't go over your MAX heart rate. Think about it. Are you still breathing?

So, I just decided... based upon the fact that I was feeling better and better and having a lot more energy... that Zumba was only doing good things and that I just didn't need to worry.

The Polar monitor that I had... well, I've had 4 of them and I'm finally done with Polar!... pooped out on me. The last one that I bought, I spent extra money in order to have replaceable batteries. Well, they really aren't. It's all over the web how unreliable the transmitter becomes after it has its battery replaced. The watch's battery was an easy replacement, but the transmitter battery?... there's a New Jersey saying here... forget about it!

So I ended up replacing my HRM with a Timex HRM. The reasons that I chose the Timex:

the algorithm that is used by the monitor to calculate your zones of activity isn't based on the 220-age = max heart rate calculation. With this HRM, you do the series of exercises that I've already posted and estimate your own, individual max heart rate.

it gives me data on my peak heart rate hit during exercise, duration of exercise, time within 5 different zones (if I want), lowest heart rate during exercise, calorie burn...

Like Anita said, I believe that the bpm data is accurate, but I'm not sold on the accuracy of the calorie burn... in exact calorie measurements. However, I am sold on the idea that, within its own data, from one exercise session to another, it will give me information on how hard I worked out. I can compare how my body responds to the playlist and styles of different instructors that I go to, as well as different exercises that I perform. So I can keep a running tally of my efforts with calories. By tracking my food in the myfitnesspal app and then putting in the calories burned from exercise and tracking the weight and body fat fluctuations, I can get a GREAT idea of what I need to do to make all my efforts count. And that's what I like about the HRM.

Also, for me, there's one thing this HRM does that my Polar did not. There is a RECOVERY data. I think because this particular HRM is geared toward runners and they are very interested in knowing how long it takes them to recover from their exertions... they do a lot of interval training, etc. Anyway, when you hit stop/end on this HRM, and continue to wear your transmitter, it will analyze your bpm and at the end of either a 1-minute or a 2-minute (you decide) time, it will show you your bpm drop; in other words, if I hit stop and my bpm is at 165, after a minute the HRM will show 15... meaning that my bpm at the end of the minute is 150. The importance of that number, for me, is heart health. I've been told that a healthy heart will decrease its beats by at least 10bpm in the first minute after ending exertion. If you heart doesn't recover from exertion, then you have a problem that needs to be monitored by medical professionals. So, it's a peace of mind thing for me to have that information. Knowing I have such a strong recovery assures me that the max heart rate (I usually hit a peak of 174.. sometimes 178... once 181...)... isn't that big of a deal.

If you're concerned about the strap transmitter being comfortable, I can assure you that I don't even notice it's there during exercise. It feels more noticeable, actually, after I've stopped exercising.

Anything else you would like to know?

Ok Ladies,

I need some good feelings this morning.

It´s 4 weeks since I took my measurments, and in starc contrast to you, I´m loosing neither centimeters, nor inches, actually it seems to get worse :(

 

I was so frustrated, I skipped the scale in an attempt to not make it worse.

 

Tonights a Zumba class, that´ll help me keep my mind on track, but right now I´m pretty demotivated...

 

 

@Anita, how did your talk with Kelly go?

Kasi,

I noticed something over the weekend that I especially didn't care for. I've lost quite a few inches around my ribcage, but I still felt like the area was pretty tight and toned. Well, it isn't anymore. It's like all weird, loose, and jiggly! I don't care for it, at all.

Here's the weird thing as well. Before, I couldn't really grasp a bunch of "stuff" and pull it away from my body. Well, now I can! I can grasp a whole big chunk of "stuff." So, of course, I did some research and came up with the following:

To reduce subcutaneous fat, many people resort to dieting. However, since this fat stores energy, it is often more easily reduced with exercise. Studies focusing on fat measurements show that women who exercise three to four times a week tended to have greater subcutaneous fat weight loss. About 60% of the pounds lost from exercise were subcutaneous fat. Dieters who did not exercise regularly still lost weight, but only about 30% of their weight loss was subcutaneous fat tissue.

OK. So, what I think is happening on my body is that the subcutaneous fat is actually being reduced, BUT the intermediate situation is that it looks WORSE because it's all lumpy, squishy, and I can grab sections of it. Whereas before, because i had MORE of the stuff, it was harder to grab sections of it. Am I making sense? This stuff isn't muscle.

So, taking measurements... it's an art. You don't know, unless you have some sort of marker on your body like a freckle, etc., exactly where you placed the tape from one measuring effort to another. Taking measurements is usually a motivator because the tape WILL move in increments when the scale doesn't. However, be careful using the tape measure as an absolute metric for your progress because (a) you could have pulled the tape tighter or looser on the previous go round and (b) you could have placed the tape higher or lower on the previous go round.

Also, be aware that your TOM and your body's hydration will affect that tape measurement, as well.

The pundits want you to only take measurements and/or weigh on a frequency basis of weekly or monthly, in order to take into account the fluctuations of your body on any given day. They "think" that by taking an extended time away from your measuring and/or your scale, that you will avoid the occassional blips up and, therefore, keep your motivation. Well that idea holds true... unless you hit your day of measurement on a blip up day! Then you end up feeling the way you are feeling today...

Well... STOP that! Because you KNOW, deep down in your logical place (rather than your emotional place), that what you are doing is the right thing to do for your life and health. You kow that you're watching your diet. By watching your diet, I mean literally that you are consciously aware of what you are eating... not mindlessly eating... but mindfully eating. There's a huge difference. It's not about calorie counting; it's about being mindful of the nutritional value and appropriatenss of the food that you're eating. You know that you're exercising in one of the most beneficial programs for weight loss and for happiness. Zumba makes you feel good. There's a great endorphin release with Zumba. Keep it up. You know that you're on a path where you will eventually see the results that you want.

You know you will.

Kasi,

Thank you so much for taking the time and explaining the ports to me, very very helpful!

I did do the Doge Palace tour the last time that I was in Venice. I think that we did the Secret Itineraries tour, not with a guide but with an audio guide. It was spectacular! We love to do the DIY-tours because we love to linger. As an example, when we toured Buckingham Palace in London, we entered with a group (timed entry) and the way that the tour was organized, you could only go forward... you could never make a U-turn and go backward. BUT, we went forward very slowly, saw literally everything, imagined being the Queen! LOL... and we exited with the group that had entered a few hours behind us! When we see things, we like to really SEE things! I couldn't believe when we were in the Vatican Museum we saw a person literally running through the Museum, screeching to a stop in front of some statue or painting, taking a picture, and then running away! He must have had a very limited time and really wanted to say he'd been to the Vatican Museum and have the pictures as proof. IDK. Wow, that was a train of thought that took me to some strange places....

Zumba Clothes! OK. Yes! I too want those cargo pants! Today's class was pretty colorful because a LOT of the ladies were wearing Nike's new fashion violet color in their tops. Here's what I realized today. I sweat a lot during Zumba. OK. I've realized that before today... but I'm not that happy with the more slim, kind of clingy, look of the yoga capris. I think I'd like more room between my skin, sweat layer, and clothing fabric. I'm just saying....

Anita, several of my instructors do the one-leg up, one-leg down style. Yes, their shoes are a contrasting color. I love it when they do that; in fact, one time Evelyn was "reminded" to button up her one leg because it's so much easier to see the footwork that way. The instructors that are the best really dress so that you can see how they are planting their feet... and they do very exaggerated footwork in the beginning of the sequence and then tone it down a bit as they go along through the song.

The class this morning was spectacular. Felt so good to go, especially with my Pig Out Brunch that I inhaled yesterday. Like I said before, maybe something was in the moon? Anyway, yesterday I went to Zumba in the morning. Sometimes I can't face breakfast as early as I need to in order to get to Zumba and that was the case yesterday. So I ate a banana and headed out the door. Thought I was going to an easier Zumba class and ended up getting my butt kicked! Then I came home and had a recovery shake... so, with my latte (which is never missed!) my calorie intake was about 282 calories and my HRM said that I burned 883 calories... even if my HRM was being optimistic, you can understand that I was hungry! And we were heading out to brunch!

Did I eat everything in sight? Well.... I really, really wanted a glass of sparkling wine... and the bread/butter.... and the Eggs Oscar which turned out to be the BEST shrimp/crab cake, 2 poached eggs with hollandaise sauce nestled on top of grilled vegetables (asparagus, onions, potatoes, carrots...OMG)... and then... well the carrot cake dessert was small and the coffee tasted really good and the cream to it was a nice addition. Anita, am I being bad here? (Anita told me I couldn't post pictures of my cruise food on here!... so I'm wondering if I'm being bad?...)

I use the myfitnesspal app to figure out calories. Well, my best guess is... about 1143 calories for brunch!

I knew I had to eat something for dinner, so I ate a modest 282 calorie dinner. Some tuna, etc.

I did gain just a tiny bit this morning. Nothing really. Probably because of the Zumba exercise that was also part of yesterday. And probably because of the WATER intake that I did throughout the day. I hit the ginger/mint water infusion pretty heavy in the afternoon to try to help with my digestion! I would say, using Thanksgiving dinner as the metric for the "stuff" feeling factor and putting that at a "10"... my stuff feeling after brunch was around an 8.5+ ???

Zumba this morning. I think I probably took care of the small bounce up. We'll see tomorrow. Having a regular calorie day today!

I have to fit into my CRUISE clothes!!!! :eek: I can't blow it right before I leave! LOL....

OK, everyone... back in track...

Kasi (and everyone else!)...

Here's something that I didn't even THINK of while I was doing all that measuring and recording of lost inches.... Yesterday I went BRA shopping. Well, I had to do it because I needed to have a strapless bra for a formal night dress. So, I stumbled into a specialty bra store (Anita when we visit next we're going to go to this store for you because they have one in your area). This bra store was pretty amazing because their claim-to-fame is that they are expert bra-fitters, and they do everything without a tape measure! I was seriously skeptical and then seriously impressed by the experience.

Here's the funny part! I've just been stumbling along with the bras that I own... EVEN THOUGH I've lost an amazing amount of inches in my ribcage. My bras were getting more and more uncomfortable because, as it turns out, the band of my bras is seriously loose and so all the support is shifting to my bra straps! Although I don't have the need for serious support, the shift still made them so uncomfortable that I didn't like them anymore. And I used to love these bras. Anyway, this annoyance with my bra was more like one of those things that you know you're irritated with, but not so much that you're analyzing why... kwim?

I guess my advice to you ladies is to look into this for yourself because the support of your bra is supposed to be in the band. I did buy a strapless bra; it wasn't cheap. And I'm going to go back for a more involved fitting when I get back from my vacation.

Kasi, my ports are: Ponta Delgada, Lisbon, Seville (Cadiz), Malaga, Barcelona, Provence, Livorno, Civitavecchhia, Messina, and (as you know) Venice. Please let me know if there are any must-sees in any of these ports. Most are new to me; I don't need help with Rome... any pointers are welcome!

Kim, when I get back, I'm going to run those recipes through a nutritional analysis to see exactly where they're at in terms of fat percentages. I can tell you that you won't be disappointed with your order of sample salmon. If I remember right, that was the first order that I placed with that company. Got hooked, obviously, on the quality and yum-yum-yum of their salmon.

Off to Zumba this morning... Sunday morning...

Hey, ladies....

having a fun beer with your hubby while chill-axing on a beautiful evening night watching your DS playing tennis?... totally part of a healthy lifestyle!

chilling out on your sofa after a week's worth of work and just enjoying your time with your DH and letting your brain rest?... totally part of a healthy lifestyle!

You just have to put on your Zumba clothes and HIT IT the next day! Which you both are doing! So... :D...

Kasi! I'm so glad that you didn't do more harm to yourself when you slipped in the grocery store. Anita can tell you that Kelly's Mom took a hard fall (and she's not a young person) and the reason that they think she didn't seriously hurt herself was because of Zumba and Pilates. So thank all your previous exercise sessions for the ability to absorb that fall. Whew... :eek:

Hope we hear from Donna soon...

All you dear people have a fabulous day today! I'll come back later and tell you about my <ahem> day yesterday. It must have been in the influence of the moon or something that we all needed to just relax and calm down....

Bye for now....

Indiana71, please walk me through your process. I have to leave in just a little under 2 weeks and, right now, I'm a bit overwhelmed with the idea of even coming up with a packing list! It would be educational for me to get a peek into how you plan your spreadsheet... what goes into that?... I would love to be a bit more organized because since I'm a mix/match type of dresser I realize that I end up wearing "favorite" outfits quite a bit more.

Have you read any of the threads on color, CJW posts, anything like that? I'm a CJW fan, so I dress in colors that he has enlightened me to "see" look best on me. For me, that means no black. I'm a bright, clear, warm color dresser, but I can still pack light because of all the mix/match.

How do I even get started with your Fashionista Flair?!? :D

OK. So, here's the deal...

be careful what you wish for!....

The people at the gym were complaining about this Zumba instructor because she was more (a) social, (b) friendly, © took too many breaks, (d) didn't challenge them enough! Ha! She kicked EVERYONE's hiney today! Those ladies were bailing to their water bottles and sucking them down like nobody's business and running for their towels to get the sweat away from their eyes!... Had to laugh...

The instructor was AWESOME.

I burned so many calories; I was very impressed with myself.

Kim, I never thought that drinking too much water might create a problem with dehydration! That's an interesting piece of information. I can tell you that I've been super thirsty ever since I started this drinking water effort.

Hope everyone is having a happy, happy Saturday! I'm getting so excited for my trip! Doing a lot of planning for shore excursions. Thinking hard about my packing list (but that's the subject of another thread!).

Thinking about how I can keep up with Zumba while onboard ship. Has anyone ever gone into the fitness area and tried to do Zumba while onboard, without there being an actual Zumba class scheduled? The Zumba that they had on my last ship was a modified form of Zumba, much like the old cha-cha classes, etc. I want to do the whole heart-pounding, sweat-producing hour-long Zumba effort. But I'm kind of shy, and I don't want anyone to see me doing ZUmba in the fitness studio and then come in and expect me to be able to show them what to do! KWIM? So, any suggestions? Anyone?

Why is drinking water during the day so darn difficult?

I don't get it.

Anita reminded me that the formula for drinking water is between 1/2-oz per lb of body weight on the low end to 1-oz per lb of body weight on the high end. So, for me, 9 and 18 glasses (8 oz) per day. OK. Being an "achiever," of course I want to drink the optimal high end volume of water.

My pitcher is 32-oz, that I'm using to do the infused water. Yesterday, I managed to drink 2 pitchers, so I was just a bit short of the lower end goal. I spent the entire day having to go to the bathroom! Unbelievable! I drank the morning infursion of lemon/lime and the midday infustion of mint/ginger. I didn't even think about the evening infusion of cucumber. I thought I'd never be able to sleep if I drank more water! And I woke up tired... and THIRSTY... this morning!

And that's the other thing. When I don't drink water, I don't get thirsty. Why is that? Drinking all that water yesterday, and I feel absolutely parched today.

And I'm feeling fatigued...

So, I'm skipping Zumba this morning. I'll go tomorrow morning. I'm so glad that I have these choices. If the Zumba instructor this morning wasn't such a lttle demon, I could probably go... but she's one of these "trophy" Zumba instructors and I just can't face her. The one on Saturday morning people actually complain about because she takes such long breaks between songs... so I think I can face her just fine! We'll see how different I feel tomorrow about the experience. I'll let everyone know.

Yes... there's a pitcher of water on the counter. Today's another day! We'll see how my body responds to the water intake today. I know that it takes a while for your body to settle into a new routine and, hopefully, I won't have quite as many potty breaks today. :D

Kasi, My heart just immediately ached for you and your DH. I realize that it hit me personally but I also went to Alaska just a few days after my Dad passed. I spent the morning of our day at Hubbard Glacier... well... that was the day of his funeral... it was so difficult for me. Alaska is spectacular and there is a lot about God's beauty that is soothing when our human hearts are aching. In the hospital my Dad had said to my Mom that he wanted me to go on my Alaskan trip because that was the one place that he regretted not seeing. He said that he would have traded Paris for Alaska! So, I was very conflicted, but I went. Looking back on past decisions can bring regret; I honestly know that I would do things a bit differently, today, but I would still go to Alaska.

OMG! The whale-watching shore excursion was beyond amazing. Of course, I didn't realize that you mainly saw whale tails when you "spotted" a whale; just amazing nevertheless.

Our SIL, Anita's DH, is an outdoor adventure-type. His wish is to go to Alaska. We want to go back and so we're just waiting for the right time, when our GS is old enough to appreciate the experience (as well as old enough that the adults won't be on a constant "freak-out" about his whereabouts). We just know that is in our future and I'm really glad because I'd love to go back to Alaska with a happier heart.

Anita, thank you for getting the salmon recipes to Kasi. I appreciate that so much! :D

Goal report:

OK. Don't leave the ginger in the water for too long because it becomes very astringent after about 3-1/2 hours. I fished the ginger pieces out of the water after a glass from the 3-1/2 hr infusion point. I did manage to get one pitcher down yesterday. Well, that's not a lot... I have to do that math that Anita gave about how much water to drink, but I can't remember the formula so I'll have to go back through the posts. Anyway, I think I got about a 1/3 of the water down yesterday that I was supposed to drink.

Off to infuse lemons/limes.

It's Friday Eve! Yeah! Hope everyone is having a great day. Zumba for me tonight...

hey, there, indiana71...

Please tell us how all of your planning worked out for you. Were you glad that you did it... or did you end up being more spontaneous in your outfit choices? Did you find that you had neglected to think about something that would have been helpful to remember in planning your outfits for the day?

I'm just wondering because I have a cruise coming up in about 2 weeks and I don't know whether it would be better for me to really plan and plan and plan.... or because I'm a mix/match kind of gal, if I'll be just as happy with packing a certain number of tops and bottoms and just picking and choosing on any given day.

I do have quite an effort, though, because we're doing a 13-nite Transatlantic, followed by 1 day on land, followed by a 6-nite relocation cruise, followed by 3 days on land. So you can see where I'm thinking that planning might be good... or it might be wasted effort. I'm just not sure.

I don't have the accessories that you do! Your accessories sound fabulous. I just have a few earrings and some bracelets, etc. I just haven't had time to get into the accessories world... yet... and I don't have the luggage space/weight to be able to take as many shoes as I would like, that's for sure!

I'm so glad that your cruise was wonderful. Details! Please provide details! :D and pictures! Would love to see some pictures! :D

OK.

I guess, like everyone else, it's smart of me to have WATER as one of my short-term goals. So, I'm upping the goal just a bit and I'm going to say...

1. WALK the TALK... add infused water to my daily routine.

So, to get prepared I bought all the ingredients while grocery shopping today. I already had lemons and limes, so I bought ginger root, a mint plant, and a cucumber. Couldn't swing the melon, just too pricey today. I came home and got a pitcher of water going for my afternoon water. I added a few slices of ginger and some mint leaves.

.... about the mint plant!... There was a mint plant, (actually a little live plant of mint for $2.99) that was much cheaper than a container of mint (6 oz for $1.89), so I bought it even though I know that it won't actually be alive for long. It was just a cheaper way of getting my mint!...

So, I prepared the pitcher of water about 2-1/2 hrs ago and totally forgot about it! I just walked into the kitchen, to make a cup of tea, and saw it sitting on the countertop! Had my first glass, right then and there. Very minty, with just a hint of ginger... LOL....

I guess this proves to me that having water as a goal is a good thing, since I just don't think about drinking my water during the day. Added bonus: the pitcher looks pretty sitting on the counter!

Kasi, you honeymooned in Alaska! Did you do a cruise or a land tour, or a combination? We are so fortunate that we get to buy our salmon from Alaska; we have a great source that flash freezes the freshly caught salmon and ships to us, for less than we can purchase in a local grocery store. I checked for you but they don't ship international. :( Well, I guess it is kind of perishable, right?

I have some great salmon recipes. Actually, Anita has them too. If I get back and she hasn't put them on here, then I'll do that. I would promise, but I know I won't get to it before I leave.

All those fish that you mentioned, I'm absolutely not familiar with a single one of them! I got a DVD, Despicable Me, to watch this weekend.

Last week was unusual for me. It's tax time and paperwork season...:(:p

So, I thought I'd change up a bit and instead of going on Thursday night, I'd go on Friday morning.... Saturday morning... Sunday morning. I tried out a new instructor on Sunday morning, at 8;30am :eek:, and I really liked her!

3 days in a row... I felt pretty good on Sunday. All like... yeah.. see what I did?... I'm the woMAN... kind of feeling...

and then on Monday? Holy cow, I felt like I was moving through warm molasses. I couldn't believe the effort it was taking me to just glide down the hall. It was pure muscle fatigue; not really soreness, just really tired muscle feeling.

Tuesday evening? Uh-oh... Zumba class... and I just couldn't believe 1/2 hour into the class how I felt so incredibly sluggish! It was amazing how those 3 days in a row took the stuffing out of me! I stuck it out and my HRM showed a high calorie burn, but I didn't feel like being "at the party." Felt more like... hey, where's the punch bowl?... LOL....

So, this week, it's another class on Thursday evening. Then, Friday morning, followed by Sunday morning. We'll see!

I wear capris and a shelf-bra top in an athletic fabric. I don't need a lot of support so I don't have to worry as much about that and I tend to wear the same clothes that I would wear to yoga. Anita, I can't even imagine spending that much money on clothes and cutting into them :eek:

Kasi,

What type of fish do you eat in Germany? Here, both Anita and I, we have such a great source of fish from Alaska that we tend to think salmon when someone mentions fish! But, in my European travels, which haven't been as extensive as I would like, I don't think I've ever seen salmon on the mneu. I can't even remember the fish that we had in Venice; I just remember that it was a white flesh fish and they grilled it whole. Quite a presentation! They brought the whole fish to the table, all of it... surrounded by some vegetables... then they proceeded to filet the fish off the bone and make our dishes up for us right in front of us. I had read that there are restaurants that do that so you can see the quality of the fish that they are serving to you, but I'd never experienced that before! Wow, that fish was great...

But, again.. my thoughts are just taking off and I'm leaving my original thought behind!... what type of fish do you normally eat? And what flavors do you like?

I love fish. Here we tend to absorb a lot of different cooking flavors. So we have Mexican flavors like the Veracruz that Anita provided. I believe that the salmon/lentils has a bit of Indian inspiration in it. Other than salmon, we have sole, bass, swordfish, tuna, mahi mahi... as our choices.

On another subject, I thought I would mention how I helped with cutting down sweets (although I have to admit that I don't have a huge sweet tooth). Do you get those little bits of chocolate like our Hershey's Kisses? Do you know what I'm talking about? They are just little chocolate drops that are packaged in foil with a little strip of paper out of the top that make it easy to unwrap? Anyway, a serving size is considered 9 pieces = 180 calories, so 20 calories a piece. So, I put the bag in the frig so that the chocolate hardens. Then, I eat 2 pieces for my treat. I don't chew them; I just put a piece in my mouth and literally warm them up and swallow. This is pretty satisfying and takes a while to do; you can imagine because the little piece of chocolate is cold and it takes a while for the mouth to warm it up and liquify it. So, for 40 calories I can absoltuely satisfy my need for a sweet treat. Just FYI.

Donna... where are you? Doing OK?

Well, Anita provided us with a challenge and I've been thinking and thinking.

I can't really come up with anything, right at the moment. Maybe it's because my next vacation is only 16 days away!!! :D

I did read an interesting post, from the fashion board area of all places. Someone was asking there about weight gain on a cruise and another person chimed in with information and a very funny analogy. I'm not going to repeat the information here because I haven't researched to find out if the poster knew what they were posting or if they were just making up numbers. You know, sometimes when people post it's so very obvious that they're trying to be funny even though the post is done in an authoritative, informational tone of voice? Like a poster said that the cruise ships install special mirrors in the elevator area that have a distinct property embedded in them that make you appear to become wider throughout the cruise... this special property is designed to make you appear as if you're gaining weight so that you will stop eating everything in sight by about day 3 or day 4 and then they can save money; it's all a ploy of the cruise ship to help their bottom line. Well, you know that is a tongue-in-cheek post and not really factual. I've never read the "facts" as presented by this one responder, though, and I'm hesitant to pass along the information. But... the one thing that did ring true to me...

they said that we spend so much of our time right before a cruise doing the things that are healthy and designed to help us with weight loss strategies. We (1) exercise, and (2) watch our calorie intakes... resisting temptations like dessert because we know we're going on a cruise and we'll be indulgent there so we postpone that dessert and don't feel at all deprived. Then, when we hit the decks of the ship, we race to the buffet (a good friend calls it the Pig-Out Palace!) and then it's off to the races for the rest of the cruise! And then we think that all we have to do is climb the stairs instead of take the elevator and we'll be OK.

I've been doing a bit of reflecting on that, actually. The whole relationship with food and what it means to be on vacation and to be indulgent and to have a healthy lifestyle, etc.

This is turning into a novelette, but I have to say that I am feeling so good in-my-body at the moment. In 1994, I had to have goiter surgery. That pretty much began a weight struggle that I thought I would never win. Hypothyroidism and weight gain seem to walk hand-in-hand, even if you get your thyroid levels in check. So, even though I resisted the thought, I simply thought that having a "thicker" middle, losing my waist, and adding some fat to my ribcage and my abdomen were just something that I had to endure.

I got my weight under control, halting its increase... going from 135 in 1994 to my heaviest point at 181 ... by strength training. That was the THING that eventually brought my weight under control. Then, I began to have weight loss, by paying such close attention to my calories and by increasing my "burn" in the gym. So, I went from 181 to 165 in a year. Then, it took me another year to go from 165 to 155... and I stalled there... big time... like a couple of years fluctuating between 155 and 150. The minute that I got to 150, I'd bounce. Going on a cruise meant that I had a few months of trying to lose the 5 lbs that I might gain there.

Cardio! Wow! I hate cardio :p:(

I tried so many times to get a routine going on the treadmill, such boredom! Couldn't stand the elliptical. Couldn't stand the cycling. Tried to walk outside and played all kinds of games, trying to make it fun. Don't know how to swim... Cardio... Just not for me...

When I visited Anita it was right after a cruise vacation. Oh, wow, what a cruise vacation it was! We flew to Rome and spent 9 days on a land trip before boarding Celebrity Equinox and doing a 14-nite Transatlantic. When we got home, we spent about 3 weeks getting ourselves ready to go back out to the Caribbean on the Freedom of the Seas because we were celebrating DH's birthday and meeting up with cruise friends. So, we had been out to sea for quite a few days. We flew from Florida straight to family for Christmas vacation time.

And that's when Anita took me to my first Zumba class.

After coming home, I've found some great Zumba instructors. I really love to go....

This morning....

I weighed 145 lbs.

Pre-goiter Surgery weight here I come! I haven't weighed this in such a long time! No, it isn't as dramatic as the weight loss on the Biggest Loser. But, for me, it's quite an accomplishment. And I feel so great... just to be able to hold my arms down by my sides and not bump into any bulges from my torso. I still have some spare tire type of lumps and bumps, but I am confident that they will be leaving soon....

Zumba!

That's the difference.

I forgot my original train of thought. LOL. :D

Oh, yeah.... short term goals.... must put my mind to that. I'll come back.

Infusing water is truly simple. To a pitcher of water, you simply add your ingredient; for example, to infuse water with lemon and lime, just alice your lemon and your lime and add those slices to the water. Unless you're making gallons at a time, you wouldn't add the whole lemon and the whole lime. Just add enough slices to achieve the flavor in the water that is pleasing to you. Obviously, the longer the water "sits" with the ingredients, the more flavorful (or overpowering) the flavor will be. GInger can be overpowering, which is why I said that. For ginger, I never leave the slices in the water longer than a few hours; it just becomes too much for me as ginger can add a certain sharpness of flavor, kwim?

Morning water: Lemon and Lime Slices

In addition to their unique phytonutrient properties, lemons and limes are an excellent source of vitamin C, one of the most important antioxidants in nature. Vitamin C is one of the main antioxidants found in food and the primary water-soluble antioxidant in the body. Vitamin C travels through the body neutralizing any free radicals with which it comes into contact in the aqueous environments in the body both inside and outside cells. Free radicals can interact with the healthy cells of the body, damaging them and their membranes, and also cause a lot of inflammation, or painful swelling, in the body. This is one of the reasons that vitamin C has been shown to be helpful for reducing some of the symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

The idea behind drinking lemon/lime infused water for your morning is to help the body heal from the activity that it just went through during the night. if you study body activity (it's pretty interesting), you'll find that sleep is one of the most important activities that you engage in; sleep is where your body restores itself, heals, repairs, takes away the fat stores (!) or increases the fat stores.. etc. By adding the properties of lemon/lime to your water, you're doing your body a service through the introduction of antioxidants which are your body's fight against the free radicals that might have been produced while your body was performing its nightly activity.

Spearmint

Cures headaches, fevers, digestive disorders, nausea, helps problems with respiratory, glandular and nervous system, releases emotional blocks, increases metabolism and helps in burning extra fats.

Peppermint

Aids in digestion, eases the stomach, assists in the treatment of asthma and allergy conditions and reduces nervous tension, anxiety and pain from headaches.

Ginger

Alleviates symptoms of gastrointestinal distress, has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

The idea behind drinking ginger/mint infused water for your midday water intake is to provide your body with some assistance as it turns to performing digestion activity. You've eaten your breakfast; you've had your lunch; maybe you've had some snacks along the way; in any event, you've eaten 2/3 of the calories that you'll be eating that day (in theory). So, giving your body some digestive aid is a good thing.

Cucumber

Melon

Relaxing, cooling, anti-inflammatory properties.

And the idea behind drinking cucumber/melon infused water in the evening is the same as drinking a cup of chamomile tea. You're simply slowing down. It's the water-infused equivalent of doing relaxation yoga. Just letting the cares of the day go away and getting ready for the healing properties of sleep.

I wish that I would do this all the time. I don't know why I don't because it truly doesn't take THAT MUCH EFFORT! And, it tastes good... and it makes me feel like drinking more water. Especially on the days when I drink the ginger-mint infusion, I feel like my tummy "pooch" isn't as big. Maybe I'm hallucinating... but it feels that way.

So, I just put out this information because Anita asked me to. I love bringing some of the spa rituals into my home. This water infusion was introduced to me when I went to the Avania Spa facilities and I took some of the information from their brochure. Enjoy!

Gotta run; off to Zumba this morning.

Yes, Anita, I do love the spa. And I try to bring some of that spa "feeling" into the house on a daily basis.

But, before I tell you that... let me tell you this

Especially as it relates to restaurant food, as well as our CONCEPT of healthy eating. When you think of eating healthy, most people think of eating more... and less... less in terms of fat and sugar... more in terms of vegetables and fruit. So, most people would say... if faced with a choice of...

an entree salad... OR...

a half rack of ribs... that

you should definitely order the entree salad.

Well, tonight DH and I were feeling kind of out of sorts with the kitchen. I had attempted to thaw some chicken breasts and they hadn't quite made it to the complete thaw stage by dinner time. Plus, we were going to grill the meat and the weather isn't cooperating to make grilling a real pleasant chore. It's kind of windy and a bit chilly because we have some rain coming in that is supposed to hit us hard and heavy all day long tomorrow.

So, we decided that we'd do a take-out meal. My DH is very conscious of the fact that he really loves to eat on a cruise and he always tries to be careful before cruising (what he calls "good" which makes me crazy because I hate to define my eating in terms of "good" or "bad") and eat relatively lower calories. Anyway, DH decided that he'd order a favorite salad from a good family-style restaurant.

Based upon Anita's looking at the Chili's restaurant's nutritional information, I decided to check on that particular entree salad. WOULD YOU BELIEVE?????

1600 CALORIES!

And that was before a lovely croissant on the side! A half-rack of ribs is 810, by comparison.

OMG!

I've just been called to dinner. I'll come back with the spa info in a bit.

Hope everyone is having a fabulous Friday evening!

I understaqnd wanting to cruise with friends; and I understand how your friends and you can have different views on what to do on vacation. We have friends that are very relaxed in their dress... we enjoy dressing appropriately for formal nights. And, yes, appropriately means that to arrive in the MDR means that you will observe the requested dress on board the ship.

So, here's my question? Are you tied at the hip to your friends for all meals while on board?

Because you have several options. I have sailed both Celebrity and RCCL, so I would tell you that on formal nights... you could... eat in the buffet, eat in a specialty restaurant, order room service and have a celebratory meal in your stateroom (I'm talking about the "special" service meal that comes with a beautiful presentation).

Keep in mind that on formal nights you will have the Captain's Reception, etc. Since you haven't cruised with Celebrity or RCCL before, you won't be expected to dress for any of the loyalty events.

When we go with our friends who dress more relaxed, we are very aware of their preferences and don't invite them to events where they will be embarassed or we will be embarassed; i.e., we wouldn't take them to an Easter brunch at a country club where the dress code clearly states that no jeans are allowed in the dining room. Don't you think it's appropriate that you take the same kind of consideration with you on your vacation? That you don't do anything that would embarass your friends? I think you could have a great time on either Celebrity or RCCL... and if that includes not putting on a tie... then I think you could do the appropriate planning to seek out your alternatives to remain out of the MDR. IMO.

Like mentioned above, you posted on the FASHION board. Perhaps you would experience different opinions if you posted on either the Celebrity or RCCL boards?

My experience with the "new" (to me) jazz aerobics sneaker.

Here's the deal.

When you stand on a wooden floor in athletic shoes... I was weearing Asics for example, cross-trainers... or any shoe that has a significant tred on the sole, you really don't have to engage your muscles much to just stand there. In fact, glance around class... you might find that you see quite a bit of locking of knees... in other words, people are standing either with one leg planted and a hip thrust so that the straight leg has a locked knee... or standing with both legs planted and both knees locked.

Having locked knees and doing zumba is not a good idea... you don't want your knee joint to be a shock absorber when you hit a pivot point or do a hip wiggle...

OK.. back to standing...

When you stand on a wooden floor in slippery shoes... shoes with no significant tred on the sole... guess what?... you slide all over! The only way to keep from sliding is... <drumroll> ... to engage your glutes and quads. I began analyzing this when I realized that I had begun with my knees at shoulder width apart and I was slowly going to a place where my knees were hip distance apart. So I experimented a bit with body mechanics...

During the class... it was so much easier to do the cumbia steps... I can't even describe... and every time that we would pivot... holy cow... i actually MOVED... which was a new sensation for me... My Asics totally grabbed the wooden floor... when I did a cumbia step... I really had to actually STEP through the movement as opposed to sliding through the movement...

SO... the result...

a workout for my inner thigh and quads and glutes that I felt the next day like nobody's business.

I've gone to only 2 classes in the new shoes. I was much better in the 2nd class, but I did slip a bit when I planted my foot and slid... but absolutely no knee involvement... my body just tightened my glutes and quads as a reflex to keep me from sliding...

My advice is to look at the soles of the shoes that you're wearing to Zumba. Make sure that you can actually slide across the floor and pivot easily in any shoes that you're wearing. For me, it made a huge difference in how my knees feel after class... and the next day.

I'm very pleased...

uh...

But my butt hurts....

uh...

But that's a good thing.

Terri, so happy to hear from you! Those camel flats on Friday must be super comfy to still be wearable after the disastrous Thursday shoes! What brand are they?

I had the exact same thought about my closet, as well, the other day. It's uplifting to go in there and see all those bright colors. Such a change from the closet of yesteryears. Sorry all you muted color ladies; I'm sure your closet "speaks" to you as well... maybe in soft whispers instead of the LOUD HELLO that my closet gives me! LOL. :D

Thank you for posting your outfit selection(s). See, this is what I was asking when I posted about those infamous white cargo capris. IRL... how are we doing with our wardrobes? There's the "theory" and then the "practicality" of finding the right pieces for our lifestyle needs.

And, it's very interesting, isn't it, how our eyes continue to become more educated and enlightened as time goes by. I think part of the assistance is that we've managed to find colors that are appropriate and "right," which makes the slightly-off "finds" more noticeable.

Anyway, hello! Yes, you know we always want pictures. Love pictures. Kim called it a wardrobe pictodiary... which I thought was a very cool word. Post a pictodiary please!

Kasi, the Voyager cruise that I'll be on is only a 6-day repositioning, but I'll be happy to let you know any sports related daily activities that come out in the Planner. I'm in touch with Anita while I'm gone (through that slow, slow internet connection onboard), and I know that she'll be fine with posting information that I can send her way!

Donna, thinking of you and hoping your work went well and your visit with your parents has been a lot of fun. Remembering that tomorrow is your Thumpboxing class. So interested in hearing what that is all about as I've never heard of anything like it.

Re: the exercise personality test. Hmmm. A bit of a puzzle for me. Quick Question: if I have written exercise routines that I used to do circa 1993, and I have measurements that also include my ankle circumference, and I love... love... love... to enter data regarding my weight training as well as my average heart rate... peak heart rate... duration of exercise. and I love to CHART the data?... Does that mean?... possibility? that I "could" be a Fitness Perfectionist? I'm just wondering....:p:rolleyes:

This has been one of the most fun reads on the fashion board! I have so enjoyed all the postings, comments, and especially the pictures. You all have made me laugh with pleasure. And you've given such wonderful websites and tips! Thank you all!:D

indiana71: have FUN. I'm so interested in seeing your pictures from your cruise. (and your outfits). Love your thoughts and you made me laugh with your recent purchase. It's always FUN to go clothes shopping after a hair stylist appointment. Who can't use an additional sea-day outfit? LOL.

Yeah, Pictures!

That's really all I have to say....

Thanks, everybody!

JaneStarr, a YES!

Kim, a NO!

Julie, a Maybe!

LOL. Julie, no, there's no point in tea staining this pair. They come in a SAND color, which is already putting that possibility into the picture... which, of course, I bought. The point is that I think that I actually like the look of these pants (white) with my FIRE tops; I think that they are bright, clear, and wonderfully accented.

OK. I'll post pictures. But, not until a few weeks from now because I have a problem with my hair! My appointment yesterday was postponed until the 19th... so I promise that I'll post some pre-cruise pictures before I leave.

My point about the pants was that.... with all those gold accents they really aren't appropriate for WINTER/ICE because they should be looking for silver and the gold would through off their outfit completely, just as the white (in theory) throws off my outfit. So, between the two, I think FIRE has a better possibility of actually making those pants work... because of the brightness of the gold accents. Oh well... the pants are way, way too bright for SUMMER/AIR (imho), so.... we'll see when you all get a chance to evaluate the pictures. (I'll proably get one of those infamous... Close but No Cigar Ratings!... LOL...). Nevertheless, eyes wide open... I'm just going to go for it!....