almeeker

Tuesday Report Card

Health & Fitness Goals

1. Calories 1,400 T-Th & Sun, 1,600 F&S. 1,279, 2,059
2. Water 100oz. Y,Y
3. Protein 25% or higher. 25%, 17%
4. Calorie deficit 3,000. -918, -128 (total -1,046)
5. Exercise 5 hours. 0 min, 45 min (total 0:45)

Other Stuff

1. Housework 1 hour daily (minimum) + 1 load of laundry (this place looks HORRIBLE, it's scarier than a haunted house!) YY, YY
2. Deal with the flower pots on the back stoop. N,N
3. Deal with the squash. N,N
4. Plan out 4-H calendar. N,N
5. Make appointments at orthodontist, call dentist office. N,N

I had a chocolate chip cookie incident yesterday. One of those situations where you can only chalk it up to "motherhood" and move on. Our youngest has been difficult on school mornings, she sobs inconsolably, complaining that her tummy hurts and so she should stay home from school today. In an attempt to solve the problem she and I made a list of things that would help her go to school easier, item #3 is "make cookies for her kindergarten class". So yesterday afternoon we got out a couple packages of cookie mix and cooked up one pack for school and a second batch for home, then she and I ate an entire pan together before we went and picked everybody else up from school.

So when I say "entire pan" what I mean is that she ate 2 and I had 8! Plus a couple of wads of dough in the process !!! Thank heavens they were only 80 calories each, lucked out there. It wasn't pretty but it could have been much much worse. The last time I bought cookie dough for a fund raiser, a 1" ball of it was 290 calories . I don't know what they make that stuff out of, but apparently it's quite quite flammable.

Anyway if you take away the 800 calories for the cookies, I didn't really get that much to eat, but I gotta say that happened late in the afternoon and I had THE BEST workout last night. Coincidence? No, let's face it I was strung up on cookie dough. Only had time for 45 minutes but made lots of sweat and even threw in some extra sets and everything. I thought I would hurt this morning, but I don't.

almeeker

The school is early elementary, so grades K-5, and it's open to everybody. The program is totally voluntary, but kids are all pumped to do it, mostly because there is a recognition program. Each child has a card with their name/teacher on it, which are kept alphabetically by teacher in plastic index card boxes (very high tech right?). The kids come out to recess and head for the moms with the file boxes, the cards have 12 dots on them and for every lap one dot gets punched through (we also have fun punches, bugs, feet, butterflies, leaves, whatever). 12 laps around the soccer field = 1 mile. Once the cards are full all the moms cheer and make a fuss, the filled card is put in a special box and the child is given anther one. After Wednesday Walkers, the mom in charge takes all the punched cards and files the 1/2 filled ones back in the boxes and makes a list of the kids that filled a card. It's a beautiful system really, because you don't have to be able to run a mile to get an award.

On Friday the principle takes the list and calls all of the kids that filled an entire card (went a mile) down to the office over the loud speaker. At the office he gives each of them a "Toe Tag", which is actually a small plastic foot with a hole in it, they are very small, 1/2 the size of a quarter. When you get your first Toe Tag of the year you also select a necklace or a bracelet, which is just a tiny little (cheap) chain. Sometimes the Toe Tags are special for the seasons, this month there are pumpkins and ghosts. They were talking about getting turkey legs or leaves for November. At Christmas there will probably be stockings and/or stars. And yes the program goes year round, unless it's raining or below 10 deg F. The kids love to wear their necklaces around school to show how many tags they have, the boys usually get bracelets and hang them from their backpack zippers, it's all about status.

At the awards ceremony at end of the year the principal will pass out additional awards, 5 miles, 10 miles, 1/2 marathoners, 15 miles, 20 miles, 25 miles and MARATHONERS. He has a cute way of doing it, he calls up everybody that walked 5 miles or more and he passes out an award, then he asks the following to remain standing and everybody else sits down, then he passes out the 10 mile award and so on, until he's down to the child who walked the most miles, and then he hands that one a big fat trophy. Last year there were 2 girls that walked 28 miles each, they are cousins and also walking partners at school. They also keep track of how many miles the kids have walked total over the years, so those two also got recognition for having gone 100 miles. I actually got choked up over that, and they aren't even my kids. I don't know what all the awards look like, but it's a big deal to the kids. The 5 mile award is a gold pin with a flying shoe on it, and it goes up from there.

I think the program has been going on now for 5 years, so none of the kids that started this in Kindergarten are old enough to try out for the track team yet, but we know they will. We do have some some on the track team that walked from 2-5 grade and I've heard they are absolutely dynamite.

As far as dealing with levels of fitness, it's a non-issue. Kids are kids, they run/walk without having any problems with shoes or form, none of that matters to them. There are kids in flip flops, crocs, sandals, high heels, boots, skirts, dresses, whatever, they also run a little or a lot and then walk and goof around and chase each other, an attention span is not required, we don't even pass out water (but we should). Yesterday we had a kid on crutches walking, so there you go. He only did 1 lap but - he did a lap on one leg, so not too shabby.

We don't keep track of run vs. plod, we just punch the cards as they come around. I'm sure you could chart grade point and number of miles, but not speed. You might also be able to chart BMI vs number of miles, but I don't know if the school has weight as part of it's records or not. I can tell you this we have a number of regulars that are quite chubby, but they never miss. One girl in particular is very chubby and usually wearing a dress and inappropriate shoes, but she's like the energizer bunny, runs the whole time and usually finishes a mile every week. You'd never guess it to look at her, but she could probably do a 5K with ease. She gets a pink face, but isn't falling down exhausted afterward.

We've talked about doing the occasional "Wacky Wednesday Walkers" and having music and moms leading crazy laps every so often, like a "skip" lap or a "groovy dancing" lap, just to keep it fun and new.

Sorry to go on and on, but you asked for it.

Our school also has an elementary swimming program. Grades 1st and up all go to the pool for gym class for 8 weeks, usually starting in Feb or March. I've heard from some of the volunteer moms that all of the 3rd graders last year could swim, and most of them swim quite well. Our gym teacher is so AWESOME!!! Yesterday she had the 2nd graders playing lacrosse. I did not see any great catches, but their passing is coming along quite nicely - as far as I can tell anyway.

wildbeanerz

I seriously love that program at your school Amy! Every school should have something so fun to get the kids out and moving.

almeeker

So there you'll be in your fab LBD, saying "so, you gonna finish that?", and finishing everybody else's grass and raw fish. Welcome to life on a caloric deficit eh? LOL.

almeeker

LOL, if only it was "mine" to throw out. Ugh, I swear they've counted every piece, and will get nasty if I steal any. It's so nice that your folks are nearby, mine live nearby and it's a real blessing to me.

Mike smells like smoke because he rode on the little train at the zoo like 75 times choo-chooooo.

01gt4.6

quote=dar n;61369]Mike Why do you smell like smoke? The zoo sounds fun I like to visit zoos we do not have one close to us but when I go to Calgary or Toronto I always go.

Goals
Exercise 5 days: M=Walk/Stairs, T=Hike, W=Aerobics
Squats 5 days: M=Y, T=Y, W=Y
Ab work 5 days: M=Y, T=Y, W=Y
Calories less than 1400: M= 1190, T= 1250, W=1241
Calorie deficit of 5000 for week: M=-1105, T= -932, W= -726
Clean something (not daily chores) everyday: M=Y, T=Y, W=N
Keep food opinions to myself (other than here): M=Y, T=Y, W=Y[/quote]Pool league is always at a local bar. They haven't banned smoking in bars yet down here. Wonderful job on your goals this week.

Great job on your goals, but suck it up and get out there and walk! Deep down you know you want to. You knew what the weather was like before putting on that skirt. I went to the Hattiesburg Zoo with my friend Jamie and his 5 yr old son. His son wanted to take a train ride to the zoo so I was invited to come along. The zoo is super small. The train ride around the zoo too all of 5 minutes, so we decided after that to walk it.

01gt4.6

Quinn, I feel your pain. Growing up, my mom had her addictions that was hard to understand why someone can't just quit. It seems so simple when it's not you. You know what?? We must both step on the scle and face up to the damage that we caused. If we don't own up to it we'll never defeat it. Maintanance is hard, it's very hard. So I say, this Monday we'll not only step on the scale, but we log it as well. This will be our new start. Right? Then we can watch our scale (or body fat) drop.

That's awesome Amy. I guess that you are leading by example and already signed up for the Mardi Gras Rock n Roll 1/2 marathon, right? Great! See ya there. Don't let me down now and end up being a "no show".

wildbeanerz

You are so right Mike. Not walking yet this week has been killing me. My lower back is aching too from sitting in a different chair while my trainee was here on Tuesday. I just need to get out there and I will today on lunch. It's about 50* outside and sunny. The great outdoors is calling my name and I may even leave the parking lot that I usually circle and go for a road walk. I don't do it all the time because my work is located across the street from the big fuel tanks that the fuel tanker trucks go to to fill up and it is very traffic heavy from rigs. I don't want to get run over. LOL ... Your little zoo sounds perfect for a 5 yr old. Not so big that they get bored. I want to take the boys to the national zoo in DC. Maybe next summer.

I just warned my coworker (a guy) that tomorrow will be a bad day emotionally for me. One year ago tomorrow I had to have my oldest boxer (my first dog that I loved) put to sleep. So I am going to be on my toes trying to head off any meltdowns that include food for the next day or two.

almeeker

Dude, I'm not a runner and I live like 800 miles from there. I'll see what I can do, but no promises. I almost came to NOLA for my birfday, but it didn't work out with the kids school parties and such.

canary52

Hi All,

Can I join in late?

I did not have power till Tuesday night; thank you big freakish snow storm. In October. Right before Halloween. Not that I'm bitter.

I do not have time to catch up or comment on all posts yet or for big goals but how bout some simple ones?

1) Eat a low carb but balanced diet, one I can stay on
2) go to gym or walk when possible
3) water water everywhere
4) stay calm, no matter what

Amy, I wish they had that program in DD's school. It's awesome.

BTW I am absolutely devouring the new Steve Jobs bio. It shows him in all his ahem "glory." Great read.