The Girlfriends' Locker Room has reopened under the management of fitness trainer Kimberly Garrison. Check out her new digs here!
THERESA: Getting enough rest, ladies? Apparently today is National Insomnia Awareness Day.There are plenty of important reasons to get enough sleep. It's good for your love life!
JILL:
I'm actually sitting here in pain because I'm so exhausted. Lack of sleep has become a chronic problem in my life that I don't know how to resolve. I usually fall asleep fairly well but then awake in an hour or so, and the worry machine is engaged. My mind catalogues my worries, which always seem worse in the dark of night, anyway, and I sleep fitfully, if at all, the rest of the night. While I was driving to work today, praying for the day to be over before it started, I thought about how differently I feel when I'm fully rested: energetic, positive, etc.
Sometimes I even take sleeping pills (Ambien) when it gets really bad. Then I worry about that! About getting addicted, psychologically if not physically. And then I think I get rebound insomnia.
I get my best sleep in the morning after around 5 or 6, but I'm up at 7 or before so I can exercise and stay healthy!
Any ideas, folks?
THERESA: I go through phases when sleep is difficult. Jill, do you usually drink wine in the evenings? I am finding that certain kinds of wine keep me awake--- merlots and cabernet especially. And I know you love chocolate, but I find chocolate really makes me feel too wired to sleep.
JILL: Sometimes I drink wine with dinner, but not usually during the week. I also may have a piece of chocolate after dinner, but it never makes me feel wired and I have insomnia even when I don't have either wine or chocolate.
APRIL: I find that I am so tired I fall into bed at 8 or 9, then reach a danger zone at around 3 or 4 a.m. (especially when my daughter jumps into my bed like clockwork) that I can not fall back to sleep. If I stay up until 11 or so, I am even worse. I can't find a happy medium and don't want to rely on NyQuil, although it's a beautiful thing.
LAURIE: Meditation is useful for turning down the thought/worry volume. It also helps you become more aware of tensions in the body and how to relax them. Though it certainly hasn't cured all my stress-related issues, I do think I sleep better because I meditate.
JILL: I thought about meditating the other day and then felt overwhelmed with yet one more thing to a., learn and b., practice. I'm so overloaded as it is, with books I have to read for book club, commitments to exercise, work, family, chores. . .I know meditation would help, but who has time to seek serenity????
JENICE:
I never have trouble sleeping if I work out really hard at some point throughout the day. I can't do it too late at night, otherwise it hinders my ability to fall asleep. But if I've done my thing early enough, I'll lose consciousness the seemingly the second my head touches the pillow. But I know what you mean, Jill, about not needing yet another assignment.
LAURIE: It's a choice, definitely. Here's something to read about meditation.
KIMBERLY: I rarely have a problem going to sleep. I empathize with Jill. I would not be able to function with out adequate rest. A good night's rest is just as important as eating fruits and vegetables and exercise.
THERESA: Who's signed up for the Broad Street Run? I'm going to sign up in the next few days, though I haven't yet. Yesterday I ran outside for the first time in many months, and what a welcome break that was after a winter on the treadmill!!!!
JENICE: I'll be out of town, so I won't be able to do the Broad Street this year. So, I've set my sights on the Susan G. Komen Mother's Day Race the following Sunday. Anyone who doesn't feel up to Broad Street, should consider this considerable one.
THERESA: I've run the Susan G. Komen race the last couple years. It's only a 5K, but I usually feel pretty slow because it's right after Broad Street. But it is a wonderful event. It's so inspiring, no matter what pace you set, because it's for such a good cause and so many people come out to show their support!
KIMBERLY: I'm assembling a group of ladies for the Susan G. Korman Race. Theresa, you inspired me last year to start doing this.
THERESA: About the website, by the way. We've been distracted and busy with many other things in recent weeks, but are resolving now to get back into regular posting. We greatly appreciate anyone who shares ideas, questions and comments. So, let us know how you're getting in shape for Spring!!!!
THERESA: Check out Kimberly's Daily News column today about heart health. Shes writes that heart disease remains the No. 1 killer of women and claims nearly 500,000 women's lives annually. "In fact, according to the American Heart Association, 1 in 2.5 women will die from heart disease or stroke, compared to 1 in 30 from breast cancer," she says. "Those statistics are shocking when you consider that heart disease is primarily a lifestyle disease - and therefore largely preventable." February is when the American Heart Association pumps up its efforts to promote heart health, and we can show our support this Friday by wearing red dresses to help raise awareness about cardiovascular disease.
For more information the Association's Go Red for Women campaign and to get a free red dress pin, go to www.americanheart.org.
Girlfriends, do you have something red to wear this Friday or will this require a shopping trip?
APRIL: I actually also received a small pin shaped like a red dress from the front desk at work. More still may be available.
LAURIE: It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, with the Eagle green and Go Red! I think I have a plaid skirt that covers all the bases.
Seriously, doesn't it shock you to read the stats on women's cardiac problems?
THERESA: My skin is so dry it's making me cry. And I believe lip balm is a product invented only to sell itself-- the more I use, the more chapped my lips become. It's cold outside, the air is so dry and I need help, Girlfriends!!!! Can anyone relate? What great slathery creams and other remedies can you suggest?
DIANE:
I use this fantastic hand cream that I get from, believe it or not, Restoration Hardware. They have a day cream and a night cream. I’ts called No Crack. Works for me! The last time I needed it, I called the company direct: Dumont Company, Lacrosse, Wisconsin.
APRIL: I have sensitive skin and for the longest time I was buying this Estee Lauder cream with lavender. Nothing else would work. I just discovered something better, especially now for dry skin. It is Oil of Olay for sensitive skin, a new product. $8 for a big container.
JENICE: I've tried everything but only two things really work for me - old fashioned petroleum jelly or Queen Helene's Cocoa Butter Creme. Anything lighter and I get major ash break through.
WENDY: This time of year, it's got to have the word "butter" in it to work. I like anything with shea butter (it's everywhere, especially at Bath & Body Works and the Body Shop). And I totally agree with Theresa about lip balm. I think petroleum jelly is VERY drying.
LAURIE:
I like Kiehls products, especially the Baby Lip Balm, which doesn't have an SPF but really works. I just got a great night eye cream, too, Imperiale Repairateur Moisturizing Eye Balm, from them. Burt's Bees has some good dry-skin hand balm that is too sticky for daytime but is good at night. Also, when my skin is really dry I stop using any kind of cleanser but old-fashioned cold cream.
I've read these petroleum-based products are the worst. Though plain, gooey petroleum jelly does seem to work. I like that shea butter Body Shop stuff, too!
KIMBERLY: My personal favorites are Clarins (super restorative night wear). I wear it doing the day and in spite of these frigid temperatures my dry skin stays hydrated all day. For the lips I would recommend MAC's lip balm. It's wonderful. By the way be sure you drink plenty of H20. Two-Thirds of Americans are dehydrated and the skin is a water hog. My preferred brand of water is Smart Water. It is vapor distilled (the purest form of water) and has electrolytes (for rapid hydration).
THERESA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta has a feature going on CNN right now in which several people have commited to work with him to get in shape. One of the stories struck me as especially interesting. It's Harald Fricker, 45, who used to be a long-distance runner (an elite athlete who used to run 100-mile races) who has been overeating for years and now weighs 275 pounds. Yikes.
I guess the rewards of a healthy lifestyle got lost in the shuffle of family commitments and work, and he's gained about 13 pounds a year in recent years. And he looked so great as a long-distance runner! It'll be great to see if he can get back on track! Let that be a lesson to us all about what can happen to ANYONE, even a top athlete.
JENICE: Gulp. How scary is that? But it's more proof that the effort of eating right and exercising consistently really is hard! Especially in the winter.
APRIL: I think one of the pitfalls with exercising intensely, especially running great distances, is that, especially for me this past year, it's tough to keep that daily pace. I lost momentum.
YVONNE W: I work out a lot, and I still do not like the way I look. One way I have of controlling my weight is to not allow myself to gain over eight pounds without seriously working hard to get rid of the weight. The longer I wait the more out of control I become. The more weight gained the harder it is to get rid of both phsycially and psychologically.
LAURIE: Well, Yvonne, I think you look great! But we each have our personal goals (and personal perceptions of ourselves, too). I lost about 17 pounds max when I was ill last year and have gained back about 5, which I wanted to do. But now I am fighting to keep off the remaining 12! I've set a maximum and, when I hit that on the scale I "diet" by cutting back on sweets and stuff and hitting the trekker more. So far, it's working, but I do wonder if, now that I'm eating more normally, I might slowly gain back all of it.
KIMBERLY: This is why I do my best to spread the gospel of resistance training (weight training). Consistent resistance training at the proper intensity builds muscle and increases the metabolic rate. Long distance running on the other hand, while good for the heart, does not build muscle nor increase the metabolic rate. Long distance running in fact, more often than not creates the condition of muscle wasting. If Harald had had a more comprehensive routine it is unlikely that he would be in his current condition.
YVONNE W: I wonder how the Girlfriends feel about training and when do they think they've overtrained. If so, how much time do they feel they need to recuperate?
Bally's says: "Overtraining occurs when you exercise beyond your limits - in intensity, frequency or duration - and when you don't give your body enough time between workouts to recover. Exercising too much can lead to a decline in strength, power, speed and endurance - all of those things you want to build through exercise. Other symptoms include loss of appetite, sleeplessness, fatigue, and depression. If you suspect you may be prone to over training, you may want to consult a personal trainer. He or she could help you understand your current fitness level, set realistic goals and create a balanced exercise program."
JENICE: Overtraining? This has never happened to me. If I get on a roll and wind up overly exhausted, I rest a few days so I don't burn out physically or mentally. But I know at least one girlfriend, who after working really hard, usually tells me she's sick. I shoot back, "You're not sick. You're tired!"
KIMBERLY: Overtraining is a rare occurrence for most. Most people, if anything, under train. An hour a day is the minimum. The Surgeon General recommends that Americans exercise a minimum of 1 hour daily. Most people are too busy socializing instead of exercising when they're in the gym.
JILL: In a similar vein, when I work out on the machines and am trying to increase the intensity, I add weights and have to decrease reps because it's too difficult. So am I doing it right? Or would I be better off using less weight and maintaining the number of repititions? I also wonder about what one trainer called "Muscle death" or something dire like that, where you use such heavy weight that you damage the muscle instead of strengthening it.
Any thoughts about how to increase the workout and when to get the best result?
KIMBERLY: There are a variety of ways to increase your intensity and increasing the weight is just one way. Generally speaking however, when you increase the weight you typically reduce the reps. For example, if you been doing 15 reps with 12 pounds, you might increase the weight to 15 pounds and perform 12 reps, 20 pounds, and perform 10 reps, etc. etc. etc.
Interval training is an excellent way to increase your intensity and hence get quicker results. The possibilities are truly infinite.
THERESA: Lots of us are battling colds and flu this time of year. Do recent reports about painkillers make any of you leery about using Advil or other painkillers? And do any of you find preventative supplements such as zinc and echinacea helpful?
And, what's your strategy for working out when you feel sick? When I'm sick, I just want to rest and subsist on hot tea and chicken broth.
APRIL: I take a mega-multivitamin but have never taken echinacea or zinc. I haven't been sick yet this year but am considering taking them as we approach January and February. I am nervous about the flu....I can never ever work out when I am sick. It is too taxing, and breathing is so difficult.
LAURIE: I take Vitamin C during cold/flu season, but the most effective anti-cold strategy for me, especially since the weather has been so mild in recent winters, is to keep taking allergy medication (Allegra prescription) into the winter, instead of stopping after fall ragweed season. I have mold allergies, too, and this can quickly develop into a cold.
One question I have re: all this - What can one do to purify the air in an office building (or, ahem, newsroom)? Does an air purifier work in an office cubby? I've heard there are some plants that purify the air somehow - is that true, anybody?
JILL: I'm still not over a miserable bout with bronchitis and have coughing fits that leave me feeling drained. Still I'm feeling so guilty about the fact that I didn't go to the gym again today, and haven't been there for two weeks. I'm afraid a vigorous work-out will trigger a coughing fit that will leave me feeling wasted. I just wish I could let myself recover without punishing myself for it! I take echinacea and Vitamin C when I feel as if I'm getting sick, but I doubt that it does any good. It certainly didn't this time.
KIMBERLY: When you're sick, you should rest and let your body fully recover before working out. Working out when you're ill could prolong the illness and spread nasty germs to others.
THERESA:
It's the time of year to make resolutions, which often means getting back into the routine of doing things the way we like best to do them, after the demands of the holiday season are past.
After weeks of eating too much, drinking too much, spending too much and not exercising enough, we're into a New Year. For me, it's time to start thinking about the Broad Street Run (still months away, but months that seem to pass faster each year!) and being more disciplined about hitting the weight room, making time for myself after weeks of making time for everyone else...
Keeping our New Year's resolutions is partly a matter of identifying the obstacles to our success. Time for me is an obstacle. Fatigue at the end the day. Forgetting how great I feel when I eat right and exercise. Finding a million other things to do. Needing new running shoes, but being too lazy to go buy a pair!
What are the biggest obstacles you face when it comes to fitness, health and happiness?
KIMBERLY: The biggest obstacle we all face when it comes to fitness, health, and happiness is ourselves. The universe is always conspiring to give us the best fitness, health and happiness but then we go out and eat French fries and skip our workouts. The only person responsible for our success or our failure is us. So, this year no more excuses. JUST DO IT!
LAURIE: Happiness? Forget it - I'm just working toward tranquilty. But fitness and health, those I feel I can tackle. I read an article in the Washington Post on a do-it-yourself detox regimen. It's four days long. Wonder if I'll make it?! I have one more holiday party ahead, so I'm waiting till after that one.
If anybody wants to do it with me, I could use a detox buddy!
YVONNE W: My biggest obstacle is trying to eat correctly.
I have a tendency to binge. Once I get started it's extremely hard to stop.
THERESA: We'd really like to hear from lots of you out there! And Happy New Year from Girlfriends Locker Room!
YVONNE W: Since Christmas is so close I was wondering what the girlfriends think about this:
When I was a child every Christmas morning I ran downstairs and found an assortment of gifts and toys under our Christmas Tree. It was exciting. When I turned 12 years old I only received a watch and camera.
Even though it may seem silly, I still can remember how disappointed I was not to see all the gifts I was used to. Because it affected me so negatively I struggled with the age where I would scale back on Christmas toys for my son. I wondered if it was kinder to gradually reduce the number of items under the tree each year. I realize childhood comes with an expiration date, but I don't think I was ready for the shock at the time.
For the girlfriends that have small children or have practiced that multiple gift thing for their children at Christmas time, I wonder at what age do they think it's time to stop or scale back.
YVONNE: Very interesting dilemma. I remember the same feeling when I was that young. But, I was just listening to my aunt this weekend telling me that my 12-year-old cousin was whining about so few presents under the tree. I was thinking shame on my aunt and uncle for letting the kids' expectations grow to such a height with exhorbitant Christmases in the past. And shame on my cousin for not appreciating how hard her parents work. Guess there's no really easy way to transition to fewer gifts for a kid, except maybe to get the kids one or two very cool things they will love. And not a watch or a sweater.
JILL: I found as my son got older that he willingly exchanged the eight modest gifts he got every night of Chanukah for one or two blockbuster presents, so the problem resolved itself naturally. But if a child is accustomed to getting a lot of blockbuster gifts and then they dwindle, I guess that's another story. One obvious way to approach this is to talk about it, about expectations and the realities of growing up, so that there's less disappointment and surprise.
I also tried to help out an underprivileged family over the holidays so my son could see how blessed he was. . . Well THAT didn't work.
He often wouldn't come with me to deliver the gifts because he wanted to stay home and play with his! Sigh. . .
THERESA: We all like toys at every age-- we just grow to like different kinds of toys. When my kids hit 12 or so, they got fewer presents but bigger ticket items--- skis and video game consoles instead of dolls and toy trucks and puzzles and board games. Now that they're in their 20s it's tough to know what to get them... They may appreciate Amazon gift certificates about as much as anything I'd pick out.
WENDY: Whew, that's such a big question. We try every year not to go nuts at Christmas...only to have the guilts (which is weird, when you think of it) get to us and get us to load up on junk. We're not as bad as some, I guess, but my daughter really doesn't need any more plastic crap. And her birthday is in January, which makes it even more crazy.
One thing we are going to try this year, since we aren't going to be with family: We're going to plan some kind of family something -- game marathons, maybe even a videofest of our favorites, maybe both -- so there is an "event" to follow the presents. I think Sarah Margaret would love to just PLAY with us, or snuggle on the couch and laugh at the Simpsons, or something like that. We'll give it a try.
JILL: I think that's a wonderful idea, Wendy. Maybe you could start a holiday tradition along those lines -- find a cookie recipe that Sarah Margaret can make with your help (I have a recipe for aggression cookies, which are good and easy and let them get out their. . .aggression), and just hang out together. I hate to sound so Hallmark (especially after that painfully horrible movie last night) but that's what she'll remember long after the toys are long gone.
YVONNE: That's a good idea Wendy, because Christmas meant gifts and toys to me. I really didn't see that holiday as a time to enjoy my family. I was taught that Dec. 25 was about love, giving and sharing, but I was mainly focused on receiving gifts. I felt as though I deserved wonderful things at Christmas time. This is the first year I don't feel obligated to give gifts, but to wish the people I love happiness and good health for the coming year.
WENDY: Aggression cookies? That I have to have!
JILL: If my mind is still functioning tonight, I'll find the recipe and e-mail them to everyone. Pounding away at some cookie dough isn't a bad way to take our your frustration -- and then you get to eat them, too.
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