[ris]

Ok, this weather sucks. It's been raining non-stop since yesterday, and it's supposed to rain straight-through to Tuesday. And it's not even soft, warm, spring rain. It's cold, yucky, bundle-yer-ass-up rain.

At least the rain has given me an excuse to sleep in and rest a little. My muscles need a break. (But I'll still go to yoga tonight.)

I'm kinda proud of my restraint: last night I got together at a Japanese restaurant with a bunch of old friends from high school. The pitchers of Kirin beer (which I love) kept coming, and I had NONE of it. I had a couple of miniscule cups of sake. I barely even got buzzed. I just enjoyed the taste with the food. They were all trashed by the end of the meal and ready to move on to one of my favorite bars. I hugged everyone goodbye and went home. I was in bed by 1 am, and today I have no regrets.

You're right, Pixie, Pop/soda is totally toxic. And just tastes gross too.

Amilita, I'm right there with you. I've cut back to one cup in the morning, and if I'm working, I have one small cup at the beginning of my shift which starts at 5pm. And I'm sorry to hear that your gym's re-opening has been postponed again. That SUCKS.

So, speaking of migraines and such, that's why I don't get a period, RisaLa. I used to take the pill in the normal way (with the 1 week of placebos) and I would only spot for a day, but I would get wicked migraines. My doc said it would be fine for me to take the active pills continuously to avoid this. I do just that, and I'm a much happier person. Some people argue that the pill causes weight-gain, but that's *usually* just water weight. For people like me, not being on the pill means severe PMS in which I'm so depressed and irrational that I can totally justify eating half a bucket of fried chicken, a pint of mashed potatoes, and a root beer float in one sitting, thus causing real weight-gain vs. a little pill-induced water retention that I can just sweat out. Plus, without the pill, I'm cranky/tired/sluggish and wind up skipping any kind of physical activity. Oh, and before the pill, I got really bad pimples, which I used to hide under layers of makeup, which meant that I hated going places like the gym where I'd have to show my makeup-free, pimply complexion to the world. And that concludes my mini-essay on why the pill rocks my world and why I still take it even though I no longer sleep with men.

RisaLa, what kind of allergy meds are you taking? Have you tried any of the sprays like Nasonex? I start taking that before the leaves bud on the trees and I'm good to go all spring. I do the saline spray and then that each morning and I can run outside without allergy/asthma crap getting in the way.

Catlady, yoga's a great primer for cardio. You'll probably start to feel so good that you'll want to do cardio soon. I had such an amazing yoga class on Friday that yesterday, despite my tendency to feel less motivated on rainy/cold/grey days, I had my best run ever. I really feel that it's connected.

Zora, that's great! I totally hear you on that weird, simulaneous energetic/tired feeling after running.

My co-worker ran nearly 18 miles the other day... and then CAME TO WORK that evening. He's 42. He only started running in his 30s. I want to be him when I grow up.

And maybe I will. Yesterday, I registered for a marathon this fall. Training sessions start in 3 weeks. Have I lost my mind?

[_octinoxate]

Voodoo, if you have the money, definitely try to talk not only to your doctor about exercise but also to meet at least once with a personal trainer to customize a workout that will accommodate your spinal issue. Back problems are scary, NOT something to mess around with. That said, most workouts can be modified to low-impact (read: not jumpy) versions. I do low-impact options myself a lot of the time because I have weak knees. For instance, instead of classic jumping jacks, I keep the arms going but do the legs one at a time, stepping out to the side then in instead of jumping them out and in.

Congrats and good luck on your decision to make some lifestyle changes.

Dragon, I don't know how to cut down on pill-induced bloating (besides maybe avoiding salt that week?), but I can say that on Yasmin I get little to no water retention. Neither does my sis, who's also been on Yasmin for years. In fact, Yasmin gives me no side effects at all, except taking away my acne. (Score!)