Wow I'm *so* excited!!!

amyg

amyg

Cathlete
My sister asked me a few months ago for some advice about getting her in shape a little. She lives 4+ hours away so I gave her suggestions for videos since it was winter and she wanted to be inside. A few back and forths, she was so excited about what I suggested and a few form pointers I had given her she asked me if I could train her from afar (I'm a PT). I said that she needed to prepare herself since I would require her to use weights...

She said she already had weights, 2 pounds. I think I oh so innocently replied something like that 2 pounds was a toenail, or something equally kind. :eek: She yelled at me in an email and so I dropped the subject; to each her own! I did give her one last suggestion for a workout I knew she would love which she ended up loving to pieces, so I thought I had done a good job and went on with my life.

Anyway, she just texted me and asked me for suggestions for what weights to buy!!!! Almost knocked me out of my chair. This is exciting, folks! I'm AMAZED. I advised 3, 5, and 8, and then told her 55 cents/pound was a good price for them. She told me I had saved her a bunch of money since she was at big 5 and looking to buy some expensive weights there.

I'm so excited I may have saved her money and that she's open to using weights that might actually increase her strength!!! Yay!!! She has always felt she can't do a lot of things since she has scoliosis and has been working on her back for years and years. I'm excited that she maybe can see that I'm really trying to help her and not just show off what I can do, since that really is not my point in the slightest. Yay!!! :cool: :eek:

I'm totally singing my praises here; sorry! :eek: It's just really exciting for me. Goofy, I know. ;) :p Go sis! :D
 
So happy to hear you may be able to get her going on some fitness for her own well being.

It is truly exciting to know you have made a difference in someone's health, especially a loved one whom you want around as long as possible !

Best of luck keeping her going and hope she makes some good progress. Have fun !
 
amyg said:
Bummer; no change. She bought fitness bands by Danskin instead.

Never mind! :(
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Baby steps...she will get there. You just have to keep showing support and encouragement for her.

Or she will be like my DH who complained before during and after every workout we would do together to the point where I gave up (on the working out togethter, not on him:p).

Either way, you have done and are doing your part. The most important thing you are doing is being an inspiration to show that it is possible.

Carrie
 
I agree, being a good role model is the best way to get your message across. Plus, bands can give you quite a burn! Once she sees improvement from that, she may well decide to get some heavier dumbbells.

anne
 
Hang in there, Amy. I know you want the best for your sister. Keep encouraging her! :)

My sister struggles with her weight and has been doing so for as long as I've been exercising. Once we tried working together, and I quickly realized that motivation is such an individual, personal thing...what inspires me isn't what inspires her. That was something she needed to find herself, and until she did, exercise was going to be like pulling teeth.

Over the years she has tried different things ~ diets and such ~ but has never had any lasting success. She doesn't ask me for help, and I don't offer. I just celebrate with her whenever she's happy about losing a few pounds, and I tell her how wonderful she looks. I figure one day, if she really wants to try exercising seriously, she'll come to me and ask about my treadmill or something.
 
My sister is a more healthy weight than I am. It's more that she feels like she is weak and is more than happy to support that belief for herself. I don't understand or agree, obviously! ;)

Her chiropractor doesn't seem to be helping, either... keeps diagnosing her with new "ailments"... seems to me that being told she has tendonitis here, there, everywhere isn't always helpful... she said she didn't know she had shoulder issues, etc so it's just confusing to me that the chiropractor keeps diagnosing her with things she's never mentioned previously. (Not sure if the chiro is telling her things because she's telling the chiro or if the chiro is trying to keep a patient returning.) Maybe it's all true and she has been in excrutiating pain for the past 15 years and I just haven't noticed it and she hasn't mentioned it?

She wouldn't spring for 5lb weights yesterday... didn't want to spend the money and so bought bands instead?? She would have paid $6 for the weights and bought the bands for $19. It's just wacky; she is either not being straight with me or she isn't being straight with herself. It's something I feel pretty strongly about so I guess I'm not being objective.

I'm all for keeping healthy and strong, but I'm not sure she's willing to work to get there. I guess I don't believe her position and am having a hard time supporting her while she finds others to keep giving her reasons to stay right where she is. Not to mention how disappointed I am after my high hopes yesterday. :(
 
I tried working out with my sister, once. I put her on a stairmaster at a low setting, low resistance, etc. and then got on a treadmill near her. I was lost in my workout when there she is, standing in front of me. I took out the earbuds and asked her what was wrong, and she said that she had to stop because she thought she was getting sick. Concerned I stopped jogging, hopped off and asked her what was going on...

She said her heart was pounding - it went over 100 - and she couldn't catch her breath, and the control panel of the stairmaster said you should stop if you become short of breath. Well, hellooo!!! It's your first time doing cardio - of course your heartrate is going to go up! <hahahahaha> And short of breath? Exercise just kind of scared her... I love her dearly - she just cracks me up, sometimes!

We don't workout together, anymore. She walks...when she's shopping in the mall :D but that's about it. And she thinks I'm the crazy one. :D

Sorry it didn't work out this time - don't give up! She at least thought about it, right? That's progress!
 
I have kind of a funny story like that. :)

My parents go out West for the Winter so as to avoid having to deal with the rather nasty snowstorms that sometimes hit our area. This means my sister and I have to coordinate things in order to keep their property as snow-free as possible.

As long as the inch total isn't too crazy, I like to shovel. I figure it's a workout, right? (When I have to go out for the third time in one day, that's when I get cranky.) So usually my daughters (ages 13 and 9) and I are the ones over at the house, clearing the drive.

One storm, we couldn't get over there. My sister's kids are 22, 21 and 18. Nobody in that house wanted to clear the drive, but they were eventually guilted into doing it (I love them, but man they are lazy). The next day, my sister complained about all of them being "sore," the 22 year old SO sore that he called into work. That's right. Called in sick because he was SORE FROM SHOVELING SNOW. She was actually irritated too, as if I should not have expected them to extend themselves like that for their grandparents.

I remember saying, "That's what happens when muscles are exercised. That's normal." :D Was there no Advil in the house?! :p

Needless to say, I'm back to doing all the snow myself. *chuckle* My brother wanted to send the kids a Get Well card, but I stopped him. Would have been hysterical though.
 
OMG the card would have been hilarious. Love that! :p May have to remember it... (insert old devil smiley!)
 
amyg said:
My sister is a more healthy weight than I am. It's more that she feels like she is weak and is more than happy to support that belief for herself. I don't understand or agree, obviously! ;)

Her chiropractor doesn't seem to be helping, either... keeps diagnosing her with new "ailments"... seems to me that being told she has tendonitis here, there, everywhere isn't always helpful... she said she didn't know she had shoulder issues, etc so it's just confusing to me that the chiropractor keeps diagnosing her with things she's never mentioned previously. (Not sure if the chiro is telling her things because she's telling the chiro or if the chiro is trying to keep a patient returning.) Maybe it's all true and she has been in excrutiating pain for the past 15 years and I just haven't noticed it and she hasn't mentioned it?

She wouldn't spring for 5lb weights yesterday... didn't want to spend the money and so bought bands instead?? She would have paid $6 for the weights and bought the bands for $19. It's just wacky; she is either not being straight with me or she isn't being straight with herself. It's something I feel pretty strongly about so I guess I'm not being objective.

I'm all for keeping healthy and strong, but I'm not sure she's willing to work to get there. I guess I don't believe her position and am having a hard time supporting her while she finds others to keep giving her reasons to stay right where she is. Not to mention how disappointed I am after my high hopes yesterday. :(
Click to expand...

It sounds to me like your sister might need a new chiropractor...or to change and go to a physical therapist! You probably have her pegged right - as someone who is happy to hear why she should stay right where she is.

Hopefully, if you remain steadfast in your support, she will wake up and smell the dumbbells!!

Carrie
 
Two pounds IS a toenail. Ha! The other day I was talking diet & exercise with a co-worker and I realized she hadn't listened to a thing I'd said when she remarked "I CAN'T live on salads"... I said "I don't live on salads... No FIT person LIVES on salads... Where are you getting this stuff?" I swear, the primary thing unfit Americans should be doing to become fit is to R.E.A.D.. The way they all still think it's done is so 1970s. Everyone always asks how I did/am doing it but they don't want to read the books I recommend (or magazines or websites), pick up weights, or try Cardio Coach (even at the current ridiculously low prices, for crying out loud). I tell them about this website (and others) and suggest they need to LEARN what works so they don't do something crazy like drastically cut their calories while exercising hard, then wondering why they're too tired to continue. I'm amazed at the way people whine about where they are but are so unwilling to learn how to get where they say they want to be, safely and correctly. I'm glad your sister finally came to her senses and that she has you to help. But I get your frustration. All this makes me think of the scene on WORKOUT where Jackie's receptionist wanted time off to get liposuction and Jackie spat "You just don't want to do the work." Goofy as that show (and Jackie) is I think that's the root problem. Learning to do it the right way is work. Making time to work out is hard, packing up nutritious food for your workday (and washing up all the containers) is a hassle. The planning is a pain... Spending time to actually read and study is effort. Many of us deal with it because the results are worth it but there's no getting around all the work involved.
 
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