Nutrition and exercise!

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

Not "diet" and exercise because dieting brings unpleasant things to mind - but - do you ladies watch what you eat and exercise at least three times a week to keep your figures? Or does running around after your kids keep you in shape? Share!

[LizzieMaine]

I *walk* as much as possible -- at least two miles a day, weather permitting, and sometimes four. I also belong to the local YMCA, and when the weather doesn't lend itself to strolling, I'll go over and work out for an hour or so. I also ride my big heavy Schwinn Hollywood around town in the summer, which gives me a good workout.

Dieting, not so much. I'm too much of a sucker for Comfort Food. I probably should, though -- until I was 35, I could eat anything I wanted and never weigh more than 125 pounds, but I fear now those days are gone forever....

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

I'm a semi-vegetarian: I'll eat fish and shellfish but no red meat or poultry. This is not because I don't like those things, I love them, but I have a very strict "don't eat anything you wouldn't personally kill" policy. I'll go fishing. I won't kill a baby cow. I think it makes sense! I also eat organic almost exclusively (at home anyway). I just think it's more environmentally responsible. But I love my sweets! Give me ice cream or give me...death?

Workout-wise, in the temperate weather I run a few miles around a nearby peninsula. But since it's usually either too hot or too cold around here, I go to the gym about 4-5 times a week and do a run-elliptical-stairmaster circuit that takes about 45 minutes. Really makes a big difference. Plus I sleep like a baby!

Originally Posted by LizzieMaine

Dieting, not so much. I'm too much of a sucker for Comfort Food. I probably should, though -- until I was 35, I could eat anything I wanted and never weigh more than 125 pounds, but I fear now those days are gone forever....

Hmm....you still look pretty slim to me!!

[maisie]

When it gets to the summer i really have to watch what I eat! Especially over easter i pig out on lots of choclate which is my worst enemy! So I just have to stop eating it, or else i will not fit into any of my 40's clothes!!!

[RetroMom]

I try ("try" being the operative word ) to work out on my treadmill everyday for at least 30 minutes.

I also count housework as exercise, running up and down the stairs with laundry and all that bending and stretching to vacumn multiple times a day.

Family sit down meals are important, but I find the more I cook, the less of an appetite I have so I rarely eat dinner (or breakfast) usually just lunch.

With the weather turning warm, we will open our pool and so I will be in it all the time with the kids, so I will get some exercise that way too.

When I was younger and single I was always on a "diet" whether I needed to be or not. Now I kind of just use common sense, and try to stay away from the junk food.

[RetroModelSari]

I walk about 20 minutes every day (from the bus and back ) and I just watch what I eat when I gained weight again. I discoveres a looot of sparris for some days helps me to get thinn again. It´s day two after my latest sparris eating and so far I ate a huuuuuuge lumberjack-steak for dinner and today a biiiiig dish full of Pasta with red Pesto

[Paisley]

I do Body for Life: I eat six small meals a day, lift weights three times a week for about 45 minutes, and do intense step aerobics three times a week for 20 minutes. I do the step aerobics to swing music tapes that I make. In addition, I take one-mile walk most days and go dancing once or twice a week. I feel great! It's when I don't exercise that get tired and ache.

[PrettySquareGal]

Originally Posted by LizzieMaine

I *walk* as much as possible -- at least two miles a day, weather permitting, and sometimes four. I also belong to the local YMCA, and when the weather doesn't lend itself to strolling, I'll go over and work out for an hour or so. I also ride my big heavy Schwinn Hollywood around town in the summer, which gives me a good workout.

Dieting, not so much. I'm too much of a sucker for Comfort Food. I probably should, though -- until I was 35, I could eat anything I wanted and never weigh more than 125 pounds, but I fear now those days are gone forever....

I wish you lived closer because I could walk with you! I'm also a walker.

I've been eating healthily, generally, since 1985, and what I mean by that is no refined carbohydrates, a variety of grains, not just wheat, and low fat fare. However, I DO love comfort food and my two favorites are pizza and ice cream. Because I eat so well overall I am able to have the occasional treat.

A secret of mine is my "little helpers." I keep a bag of grain-sweetened chocolate chips in the freezer and have a handful daily.

http://www.worldpantry.com/cgi-bin/n...prrfnbr=213701

[MelissaAnne]

I had to start watching what I eat and start exercising more when they diagnosed me with diabetes (and I'm only 30! - but I have a family history of it). So far, I've lost 20 pounds just by working out three times a week at Curves, walking the dog, and playing outside with my daughter. I also really cut back on what I eat. Now it's only whole wheat pasta, fat free or lean meats like chicken, turkey, fish, and tuna, veggies, whole wheat bread, fruits, etc. No more cookies and cake, although I do indulge once in awhile. Dark chocolate is a must because a square a day is actually good for you and it helps my sweet cravings. Because I started doing all this, my blood sugar levels went back to an almost normal state - they caught the diabetes just in time for me to make some changes and almost reverse it.

But the best part of all? Clothes that I haven't been able to wear for years fit again - and I love to go shopping!

[Fleur De Guerre]

I walk up to 4 miles a day (usually 2 and a bit, but 4 if I leave the car behind at the home end of my journey) but that's through the filthy streets of London so I'm not sure whether there are any real health benefits. It certainly saves money! I am also extremely keen on yoga - since taking it up I have lost around 7 pounds without even trying...in fact I often lost nothing before even when I was trying, and now I do tend to eat rather more sweet things than I probably should. I would like to train to be a yoga teacher in the future, and I am desperate to take up swing dancing, but finding the time and money is difficult.

I also eat only fish and shellfish, and buy almost entirely organic at home. Apart from my sweet tooth I'm very health conscious and tend to compensate for overdoing sugar by being moderate the next day, rather than denying myself.

I also make a conscious effor to suck my stomach muscles in all the time. I have found yoga has vastly improved my posture, making me look slimmer too! I wish there was something I could do to make my calves slimmer though, all that walking is beefing them up somewhat!

[mysterygal]

I'm like you LizzieMaine, I can eat what I want and not have to worry about gaining weight, but can't exactly chow down on potatoe chips and chocolate like I did as a teenager without facing a little bit of consequence!
I do watch what I eat, mostly because I just want to eat healthy, breakfast: apple+coffee(must have!), lunce:salad, snack:big glass of V8juice, dinner: small serving of meat and salad. I do not eat shellfish, and recommend eating that occasionally, they are what is known as 'bottom dwellers' meaning they eat the junk of the ocean, so when you're eating them, you are actually digesting some of the 'junk' which is not the best for your body.
I don't work out, but I do have 3 kids!

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

Apparently I don't watch what I eat all that carefully because I just had a giant piece of chocolate cake! Those office parties really get me!

[Rosie]

I'll go along, eating what I want and not exercising regularly (I know I'm bad) until I notice my favorite dress or pair of trousers has mysteriously shrunk in the wash (Oh no!, How'd that happen?! ) Then, I become a health nut for about six months, eating organic and semi vegetarian, walking four miles a day, doing yoga every morning. Then, back to the slacking off, it's a vicious cycle with me.

[Naama]

I'm a semi vegan That means; I'm already a (full) vegetarian, and I try not to eat too much cheese (well, I almost never eat cheese) or drink too much milk, I use soy milk instead. And I never eat noodles or rice and I try to stay away from bread and chocolate/candy/sweet stuff as much as possible (it doesn't works so well always *sigh*). I also trie to save on calories. It all started when I started a diet one year ago I tried to loosen it a bit (ok, when I was really dieting I didn't even touch chocolate or sweets), but I'm still hoping to loose a few pounds, but somehow it won't work
No exercise for me! I go for a walk with my doggy and that's it!

Naama

[Lauren]

Originally Posted by Fleur De Guerre

I walk up to 4 miles a day (usually 2 and a bit, but 4 if I leave the car behind at the home end of my journey) but that's through the filthy streets of London so I'm not sure whether there are any real health benefits.

I can vouch for this one just by visiting for a few days last summer. The only city I ever went to where at then end of the day when I blew my nose it came out black. Icky! That's something I wish we had more of in the US, though... walking! More public transport, more bicycles, all of our cities seems to be so spread out that it makes it difficult to do that.

[mysterygal]

hiking and water sports is big around here in the Spring and Summer. Only have to drive about 30minutes for hiking and have all the breath taking scenery you can handle! I'm kind of lucky on the water sports thing cause I live right by the Columbia River.

[Katydid]

I try and hit the gym four or five days a week and usually run about four or five miles. Otherwise I run a hard three miles and do lots of crunches. Fortunately I love salads but I also love steak and I'm not always too particular about how lean it is.....and when you know what comes around every month I crave salt and anything it sits on so mostly fries and chips. I try and really watch what I eat during that week. I'm a "starving student" so my budget is really limited to lettuce and other vegetables anyway. Oh well.

[MoxieGrl]

I am like others, and it never seems to matter how much or how little I eat, I stay the same size. *sigh* I recently acquired a very um... interesting scrapbook from 1938 and in it the owner had alot of clipped exercise tips out of her local newspaper, so I've been giving those a whirl. And in the summer I swim everyday, and I bicycle probably 20 miles or so every week on my vintage bike.
-Stormi

[Fleur De Guerre]

Originally Posted by Lauren Henline

I can vouch for this one just by visiting for a few days last summer. The only city I ever went to where at then end of the day when I blew my nose it came out black. Icky! That's something I wish we had more of in the US, though... walking! More public transport, more bicycles, all of our cities seems to be so spread out that it makes it difficult to do that.

It's one of the good things about London - despite the pollution, everything is very close together, I rarely get the underground, and to be honest, the air is probably as bad down there.

I think it must be all that walking in the London air, but since I changed jobs 3 months ago, my skin has been very greasy and zitty. I have read up on it, and I think maybe the harsh stuff I use to counteract the grease might be having the opposite effect! So after reading that "Anti Ageing" thread, I'm going to try a vintage face-cleansing routine of cold cream to get the London grime off, and see if it makes my skin better or worse!

[decodoll]

Originally Posted by Lauren Henline

I can vouch for this one just by visiting for a few days last summer. The only city I ever went to where at then end of the day when I blew my nose it came out black. Icky!

Yes!! Isn't it!!?? I adore London, but that particular part is quite gross!

That's something I wish we had more of in the US, though... walking! More public transport, more bicycles, all of our cities seems to be so spread out that it makes it difficult to do that.

You just need to move to San Francisco! I haven't had a car for the past 13 years. You really don't need one here.

With all the walking I do, I should be in tip top shade if I'd just stop eating junk most of the time. Gone are the days when I could eat whatever I liked and at 5'6" still weigh only 105 lbs.