For the first time in my life I ran outside in the real world, with the intention of running, and with a running buddy! It was amazing, we really ran, this wasn't just some slow walking, we kept up a steady jog pace up and down grades AND talked! I felt great and the only part of me to conk out were my lungs and throat which felt like they were sucking ice shards, otherwise I felt good. And ... we did 2.75 miles!!!! The most I've done alone on a tread was 1.5!!!! My running buddy is a former personal trainer and is in excellent shape and she said that I did really well. yay

We have a crossfit training building in my city, I'm not to that level yet, I still lay on the floor half dead after an hour of boot camp; but im looking forward to trying it. Hope it doesn't cost that much here my gym membership is already 80.

@ Blackberry - lucky, "only" $100 a month, here it is $130 for 10 classes! In order to make real progress I would need to do it at least 2/3X per week, that's like $150 a month! I went to the introduction WOD Tuesday, today is Thursday and I can barely walk! I'm waddling like a cowboy because the muscles in my thighs and behind are so sore! =P I coughed earlier and that hurt too, but I'm going back tomorrow =)

@ Blackberry - lucky, "only" $100 a month, here it is $130 for 10 classes! In order to make real progress I would need to do it at least 2/3X per week, that's like $150 a month! I went to the introduction WOD Tuesday, today is Thursday and I can barely walk! I'm waddling like a cowboy because the muscles in my thighs and behind are so sore! =P I coughed earlier and that hurt too, but I'm going back tomorrow =)

I laughed out loud at this! Isn't it amazing how much our mindset changes! I've been upping the resistance on the exercise bike because it was becoming too easy. Now my thighs and butt hurt again...a lot, but I'm still ready and anxious to get back on that dang bike every day! ME! The original queen of don't sweat...I'm actually looking forward to exercise. And, furthermore, I'm ticked at myself if I'm not sweating within 10 minutes. I MUST be getting that endorphin high, because I can't think of any other reason I'd be wanting to get back in there and kill myself every day!!!

@ Lissa - you want to talk endorphin high, get a ball like a raquetball or tennis ball or lacrosse ball, lay on top of it so it fits into the soft groove around the inside of your shoulder blade, and starting with your hand down by your hip facing upward, slowly lift your arm in the air and rotate it a single unit until your arm is lying over your head, palm still facing upward. Do it for 2 minutes, which is how long it takes to break down the hardened tissues etc. and it is positively euphoria inducing! ohmygod it is amazing, we did it at the end of crossfit.

Hey guys there is an app on my iPhone that's called 5K and it trains you from couch to 5K you can play your music and it tells you when to walk when to run its pretty cool for all of you all wanting to get into running but not sure how to go about it ! :-)

more in the fitness NSV category! I started crossfit last week and am learning how to "lift" - I dead lifted 100 pounds last week and am learning how to "clean jerk" this week, eventually my goal is to be able to do a real pull up - so far I am just hanging from the bar with my knees up but it's a start!

I find it much more difficult to run outside than on my treadmill........I'm sure it is something I'm not doing properly, but I just seem to hit the pathway kind of flat Any suggestions on how to make this transition?

Awesome...

DeaKay - Running outside IS more difficult than the treadmill, and it's not because you are doing something incorrectly! When we run in an uncontrolled environment we are using every party of our bodies, including our minds, to negotiate and navigate the terrain so it is definitely more taxing. That said, I was told by an experienced runner that 180 steps per minute is a best practice golden standard for running. You want a nice loose canter, so that you are sort of prancing along, with your arms bent at the elbow, loose fists bouncing in front of your ribcage. The next time you run take a stop watch or your wristwatch and cound how many pairs of steps you take in a minute of jogging, adjust your gait until you have 90 pairs.

For me, the most difficult part of all of this has been the breathing, my throat and lungs give out on me long before my muscles do! I still need help in breath regulating. Hope this helps you!

@ Lissa - you want to talk endorphin high, get a ball like a raquetball or tennis ball or lacrosse ball, lay on top of it so it fits into the soft groove around the inside of your shoulder blade, and starting with your hand down by your hip facing upward, slowly lift your arm in the air and rotate it a single unit until your arm is lying over your head, palm still facing upward. Do it for 2 minutes, which is how long it takes to break down the hardened tissues etc. and it is positively euphoria inducing! ohmygod it is amazing, we did it at the end of crossfit.

Globetrotter, HOW did you know that I have problems with that particular area of my back?? I'll be trying this today!

The good news: I lifted, pushed and flipped an enormous big-rig tire end over end down a field! And I'm swinging kettle bells and doing this thing called a Turkish Get-Up.

The bad news: I got on the scale 2 days ago and I am NEARLY NINE POUNDS up from my all time low achieved in early January. I am devastated. 2 or 3 pounds can be explained away by our "bounce" range, but not 9 pounds, that's real gain. Since the old lie about muscle weighing more than fat we used to tell ourselves is just a myth, I am devastated. I average between 700-1100 calories, depending on how much I work out, keep my carbs lower than 40, take my Vitamins and work out 5 days a week. IT'S NOT EFFING FAIR.

Globetrotter, How are your clothes fitting? It IS possible that you've gained some muscle weight. If you're female, you could also be retaining water due to TOM. Are you taking measurements? That will tell you if you're really gaining or if you are simply building muscle. Yes, a pound of fat and a pound of muscle do weigh the same, but the muscle is much more compact and looks sleeker on our bodies.

Thanx for trying to see the hopeful Lissa but sadly I just finished TOM (yes I'm female lol) and so should be at my least water-retaining. My pants are just that mere suggestion of too snug that isn't visible to others but that I can feel. Also, in photographs my cheekbones and jawline are just a suggestion of a shadow fuller than they were, something only my eye would see, but all of this is confirmation (to me) that the horror on the scale is in fact real gain =,C =,C.

This makes me very very sad. In the first part of January I got within 14 lbs of surgeon's goal, and it was a modest goal! Now I am 23 lbs away from surgeon's goal - I'm still effing huge and fat and it's just not EFFING FAIR.