Lurkers Invitation June

[Shadowpup]

A long one!

Hi all,

You know me so well

First, a few personals, while our internet is working ...

Michelle, how fun, having your niece visiting, and a ten day cruise sounds perfect. She’s a lucky girl! That’s a great name - Hi Ho Silver. Did you decide on how to handle onboard workouts? I was out about the time you were thinking that out. What a great time of year to be floating on the water, and it sounds like you will be out over the 4th. Do they do fireworks over the water where you are?

Shoegal, I’m so glad your back is beginning to heal up. What a rotten time of year to have to be so careful, but it is sensible of you to take it easy. I don’t suppose this calls for new shoes … ? Or a new low impact workout? Uh oh, here we go enabling again.


Laura, I’ve watched motorcycle trials (my ex did that) but never mountain bike trials – it sounds like that is what your husband does? The motorcycle trials are amazing; the controlled movements across all manner of obstacles required incredible control. Fun to watch. C&W? Hmmm, that’s not one I have …. And Benda balls too. Great calorie burn, and what a nice combination of workouts you do, hitting all aspects of fitness. I used PowerYoga again this evening, for 20 minutes, btw; you’ll see why I needed it towards the end of this post! I remain very grateful for what I learn from everyone here.

Janie, what a shame about the asparagus and the tomatoes. Very glad you at least got your money back, but it is disappointing to put in all that time and care, and then have the plants die. Zucchini always seems to manage, though, doesn’t it. Do you do anything special for your cukes? They never do much for us. BTW, I really enjoyed that Forza clip - inspiring. Thanks for sharing it. The workout looks like a blast, perhaps something to try between mesocycles. And speaking of workouts, you did a fantastic job with yours. That’s quite a calorie burn; you’re up there with Laura! The eating has always been the key for me, that plus strength training. And keep your Joey nice and fit. He sounds quite wonderful, and the world needs wonderful people to be around as long as possible. Same goes for you, ‘kay?


What a funny week this is shaping up to be, a real mix of back to nature and technology. I ended up taking half the day off, since it was the day the part of our hay we buy from others ended up being delivered. Our own will be harvested over the next week, but we are usually about four tons short. In this case, the work crew for unloading it was myself, the friend of ours who grew it, and my husband. It comes on a big flatbed truck, stacked several rows high, and is unloaded onto a conveyor belt that takes it down from the truck and into the barn. From there we move it into a storage area, where it is stacked. My job was to pick up each 70-80 pound bale from the conveyor belt, and move them about six steps into the storage area. The two men handled the unstacking onto the conveyor and the stacking into the storage area. I picked my task because it meant I could raise the bales deadlift style. Thank goodness for Cathe and STS! Last year, my back gave out after about a ton of bales and this time I got through all four tons ! I’m not quite sure how this will affect my STS Legs tomorrow; it might be sensible to insert an extra cardio day and put Legs off another 24 hours.

During a water break, I checked on my work computer, and discovered that a podcast interview I’d done earlier was posted. If you’re curious, you’ll find it here: http://www.govinfosecurity.com/podcasts.php?podcastID=271. It is just a little folksy, but overall ok.

And now … drum roll … for the fitness equipment. I finally have a real weight bench! And put it together myself, although honestly that meant inserting four bolts. This is something I’ve been looking at for several months. I picked out the Ironmaster SuperBench. There are eleven different angles you can use, and an easily removable seat for comfort. Very few moving parts, very solid, and easy to change the bench angle. I also added two attachments, one for doing dips and one for doing crunches/declines. Without attachments, it weighs perhaps 60 pounds, so I can move it without too much difficulty. I thought very hard about a cage/squat rack, but until we redo our basement there truly is no space for that, and I’d need a bench anyway. The contrast with doing weights on this versus my Firm step is amazing. No more sitting on the floor leaning backwards to do inclines. Even used flat, the height is much better for my back; I had not realized how much contorting with my legs I'd been using, to keep my lower back relaxed. Same thing on rows. The higher bench lets me keep a better angle for rows without kneeling. And perhaps best of all, I like the way that the narrower bench lets me use full range of motion in my shoulders. With a step, there's always been some restriction there, since it is wider. The Firm step worked great for a long time, and it has held up really well all things considered, but it is a pleasure to have this!

 

[MDolfiniReed]

Quick check-in before heading over to Quantico for the weekly staff meeting this morning. Did GS BSB--the bicep work is seeming less arduous although I have to take a break on the partial curls. I'm getting there.

Joe has a full day of activities planned with Chelsea: all involving getting stuff ready to go on vacation, in other words: work. Right now darling niece is still in slumber land.

More later...
~michelle

 

[janiejoey]

Today is a rest day.

Well - Wednesday already. I didn't do anything yesterday - took another rest day for the back and right now it is not 100% (STILL!) but it is much much better. I know - it takes awhile. I do plan on doing something tonight - I'm actually dying to do something - really itching to work out hard but I know I can't right now.
Janie - I watched the Forza segment with IIaria - it really looks like fun. I thought that it looked dangerous in a class setting - someone might swing big and hit someone else. I don't think it is up my alley - I've investigated IIaria before and decided against the Powerstrikes workouts because I'm not a fan of the kickbox.
Okay - I'm going to go - I'd love to take a litte nap right now - don't know why I'm so tired.

Shoegal, Glad you are holding off on any big movements with your back and resting. It can only get better from here on out. As long as you follow back rules that is. Take baby steps and very slow motion as not to hurt your back again. If I were you though, I wouldn't exercise at all for awhile yet. It hasn't been that long and would just feel for you if it occurred again to you. Just my opinion, cause I care. But, you know your body more than any of us. If you do some exercises tonight, I'm cheering for ya. Oh dear, Forza diffidently is not for everyone. I picked this workout out because it was so darn different. I also have all of Cameron Shayne (Budokon) that one day I want to get to. Need to be much stronger before I can attempt something like that. All these workouts are a mixture of martial arts; yoga, kick box... Have a nice nap.

Hey guys. I'm here. Yesterday was one of the crazy early mornings for me with no exercise. But today, I was back to the normal workday routine. After my walk with Ripken, I did Step Blast again. It takes as much mental concentration as physical exertion. I was a sopping mess by the end, but it felt so good.
My niece Chelsea is here. Yeah! She and DH washed the Hi Ho Silver this afternoon--that's our jetdrive dinghy. The boat is Silver Lining, so Hi Ho Silver seemed an appropriate name for the dink. We'll be heading over to the boat either tomorrow or Friday for about 10 days. I'm so looking forward to taking some time off. I've got over 2 and 1/2 months of leave stored up--time to use a little.~michelle

Michelle, You are doing so well on your exercises. You must be burning a lot of calories. I'm impressed. Did you know I have a niece named Chelsea. I love that name. Sounds like you, your honey and Chelsea will have a great time on the boat and dinghy. Will there be any fishing. If so, can I come?

Hi ya'll! Sophia had a dentist appointment in Boulder today, and we met up with friends afterwards at the pool. I just got home and have to get them dinner. I am debating wether or not to motivate for my workout which is Kick Max. I should........
Janey: I prefer roads and easy trails myself...sorry about those tomatoes too. I loved fresh tomatoes from my daddy's garden in the South! One of the best things about summer! Did you have a rest day today or did I miss your workout post?

Laura, Swimming in a pool sounds so lovely right about now. Bet you had fun. That was nice of you to cook dinner for everyone. What did you cook? Did you do Kick Max? I have the same memory as you with my dad. Warm tomatoes right off the vine. Yum! I didn't have a rest day, sorry I didn't post it. (I forgot to ) 30 min. of Power Max and burned 258 calories. Not as good as the day before, but I did something at least. Sure wanted to do yoga, but ran out of energy.

Janie, what a shame about the asparagus and the tomatoes. Very glad you at least got your money back, but it is disappointing to put in all that time and care, and then have the plants die. Zucchini always seems to manage, though, doesn’t it. Do you do anything special for your cukes? They never do much for us. BTW, I really enjoyed that Forza clip - inspiring. Thanks for sharing it. The workout looks like a blast, perhaps something to try between mesocycles. And speaking of workouts, you did a fantastic job with yours. That’s quite a calorie burn; you’re up there with Laura! The eating has always been the key for me, that plus strength training. And keep your Joey nice and fit. He sounds quite wonderful, and the world needs wonderful people to be around as long as possible. Same goes for you, ‘kay?
What a funny week this is shaping up to be, a real mix of back to nature and technology. I ended up taking half the day off, since it was the day the part of our hay we buy from others ended up being delivered. Our own will be harvested over the next week, but we are usually about four tons short. In this case, the work crew for unloading it was myself, the friend of ours who grew it, and my husband. It comes on a big flatbed truck, stacked several rows high, and is unloaded onto a conveyor belt that takes it down from the truck and into the barn. From there we move it into a storage area, where it is stacked. My job was to pick up each 70-80 pound bale from the conveyor belt, and move them about six steps into the storage area. The two men handled the unstacking onto the conveyor and the stacking into the storage area. I picked my task because it meant I could raise the bales deadlift style. Thank goodness for Cathe and STS! Last year, my back gave out after about a ton of bales and this time I got through all four tons ! I’m not quite sure how this will affect my STS Legs tomorrow; it might be sensible to insert an extra cardio day and put Legs off another 24 hours.
During a water break, I checked on my work computer, and discovered that a podcast interview I’d done earlier was posted. If you’re curious, you’ll find it here: http://www.govinfosecurity.com/podcasts.php?podcastID=271. It is just a little folksy, but overall ok.
And now … drum roll … for the fitness equipment. I finally have a real weight bench! And put it together myself, although honestly that meant inserting four bolts. This is something I’ve been looking at for several months. I picked out the Ironmaster SuperBench. There are eleven different angles you can use, and an easily removable seat for comfort. Very few moving parts, very solid, and easy to change the bench angle. I also added two attachments, one for doing dips and one for doing crunches/declines. Without attachments, it weighs perhaps 60 pounds, so I can move it without too much difficulty. I thought very hard about a cage/squat rack, but until we redo our basement there truly is no space for that, and I’d need a bench anyway. The contrast with doing weights on this versus my Firm step is amazing. No more sitting on the floor leaning backwards to do inclines. Even used flat, the height is much better for my back; I had not realized how much contorting with my legs I'd been using, to keep my lower back relaxed. Same thing on rows. The higher bench lets me keep a better angle for rows without kneeling. And perhaps best of all, I like the way that the narrower bench lets me use full range of motion in my shoulders. With a step, there's always been some restriction there, since it is wider. The Firm step worked great for a long time, and it has held up really well all things considered, but it is a pleasure to have this!

Deborah, (If I can call you that), I sometimes get mad at our internet people because it is so inconsistent at times. Jeesh! Glad to see it working enough that you post to us. With gardening, yes, zucchini seems to always grow and grow and grow. So much so sometimes I don't know what to do with all of it. Cukes seem to grow like zucchini for me. I use mushroom compost. We get so much, have to give it away to our neighbors. They love us. Concerning Joey, I will try and keep him fit (me too). Thanks for the compliments. A lot of work on the farm! I'm so impressed with your hay bale at 70-80 pounds and have to move it 6 steps. OMG! 4 tons of that? OK lets see, 2000 pounds = a ton. You mean to tell me you moved, about (if not more), 106 bales of hay? I'm so impressed with you. And your back took it? Thank God is right, for Cathe and STS. I listened to your bodcast interview. You are so well educated and with all that you do. I have to admit, that one of my hobbies are picking locks. I didn't know that you could get into a garage by pouring antifreeze on the lock. Thanks for the tidbit, but you know you didn't give anything away, right? What a life you are living. The best of the best. Good for you. May I have a job at the Pac. NW National Laboratories and protect IT systems (International Technology) too? I know I asked before.LOL Seriously. IronMaster SuperBench, looks like a fantastic adjustable weight lifting bench. You better get a variety of heavy weights so you can be sure to get those tons of hay put away every year. LOL You are incredible! Enjoy your bench with the attachments. Now you can throw away the Firm Step. Yeah! Just make sure when you do bench presses, fly's... that you don't go beyond the edge of the bench (with your arms and elbows), any lower than that or you will be working different muscles instead of the muscles you want to use. It sounds like a great bench I might want to add later to my collection of exercise equipment. It's really nice to see what you look like. Now I can put a face to your name.

Quick check-in before heading over to Quantico for the weekly staff meeting this morning. Did GS BSB--the bicep work is seeming less arduous although I have to take a break on the partial curls. I'm getting there.
Joe has a full day of activities planned with Chelsea: all involving getting stuff ready to go on vacation, in other words: work. Right now darling niece is still in slumber land.
More later...~michelle

Michelle, You sure are getting there. BSB is a great workout. I take breaks on the lower and higher end curls too. OUCH! Awe, getting ready for vacation is work, I have to agree with you there.

Take care everyone and have a great day,

Janie

 

[janiejoey]

Seems I doubled my post. Don't know how I did that. Anyway I deleted it.

Will catch up later,

Janie

 

[Shoegal]

Yesterday I had every intention of working out - and then DH asked if I would walk with him. Decided that would be a decent and moderate workout. We ended up not doing that, however - and I did yard work instead. It is very difficult and different for me not to work out in the traditional sense. I don't even believe that is a workout at all. I got a brand new weedwacker - and proceeded to trim around the place - trimmed to my hearts content - which turned out not to be long at all. Since it was new I took it apart to see how it worked - and see how the string was strung - that took up a good bit of time and by that time it was dark. But I made my line nice and neat - where the grass meets the flower bed.

Janie - I wanted to tell you about that hydrangea I had bought some time ago that took that dive inside the house - well it is doing quite well outside now - has a bunch of new leaves and looks almost healthy!! I had taken an impatien indoors over the winter last year - it survived inside the house but got all leggy and long and didn't bloom. I just wanted to see what would happen to it. I planted that outdoors at the start of the season and it is growing very well - now is filling in and becoming more bushy. And I had planted some zinnia seeds over the weekend and one pot of them has germinated and is sprouting. I just love walking around and seeing the growth - it is so exciting to me.

Shadowpup - I have a coworker who owns horses and he described your hale bale experience quite the same. He had asked a bunch of the people at work to come out and help because it was too much for just him and his daughter. They all came back after that weekend and said they were wiped out afterwards. You should be proud of your strength. I also listened to the Podcast - you sounded great - well spoken and knowledgeable - thanks for sharing that with us. The weight bench sounds stupendous. Nothing like having the proper equipment. I'm afraid I'm still using the Firm Bench.

Michelle - Enjoy Chelsea and your time off - I know you have been looking forward to it. I agree that it takes all this work to go on vacation - but it is well worth it - isn't it?

Laura - I remember going to the pool daily when I was a girl. Me and my brothers and sisters would walk up from the house - we had seasonal passes - it wasn't a short walk - but we made it up there every day. My mom used to walk all five of us but then she started to work - so we just went ourselves. I remember that fondly - it is a very summer thing to do. So enjoy yours.

I agree with everyone's assessment of C&W by the way - yes the weight work is a little rushed - I'm always very happy she stops to lift but it doesn't last long enough.

I will work out tonight for sure - I know everyone says to take it easy - but geeze - I'm finding this to be like torture. I do feel much better though but I will do something light.

Signing off. - everyone have a great day.

 

[janiejoey]

Yesterday I had every intention of working out - and then DH asked if I would walk with him. Decided that would be a decent and moderate workout. We ended up not doing that, however - and I did yard work instead. It is very difficult and different for me not to work out in the traditional sense. I don't even believe that is a workout at all. I got a brand new weedwacker - and proceeded to trim around the place - trimmed to my hearts content - which turned out not to be long at all. Since it was new I took it apart to see how it worked - and see how the string was strung - that took up a good bit of time and by that time it was dark. But I made my line nice and neat - where the grass meets the flower bed.
Janie - I wanted to tell you about that hydrangea I had bought some time ago that took that dive inside the house - well it is doing quite well outside now - has a bunch of new leaves and looks almost healthy!! I had taken an impatien indoors over the winter last year - it survived inside the house but got all leggy and long and didn't bloom. I just wanted to see what would happen to it. I planted that outdoors at the start of the season and it is growing very well - now is filling in and becoming more bushy. And I had planted some zinnia seeds over the weekend and one pot of them has germinated and is sprouting. I just love walking around and seeing the growth - it is so exciting to me.
I agree with everyone's assessment of C&W by the way - yes the weight work is a little rushed - I'm always very happy she stops to lift but it doesn't last long enough.
I will work out tonight for sure - I know everyone says to take it easy - but geeze - I'm finding this to be like torture. I do feel much better though but I will do something light.
Signing off. - everyone have a great day.

Shoegal, Love yard work. One of my most favorite ways to workout. Time fly's when you are having fun. Did two hours of it myself today. Taking the weed whacker apart sounds like you have engineering skills. What made you do that? Just curious. That dear hydrangea is still alive? I knew you could keep it alive. Just keep it outdoors from now on and it will thrive. Like I said before, it needs freezing wheather to bloom. Next year you will be amazed. Isn't gardening wonderful? I share your thoughts on it. To me C&W us what it's suppose to do. Cardio and weights at the same time. I do that one as often as I can when I want to lose a bit of weight. I guess I'm used to it. I get everything ready the night before and I know what's coming when I do the workout. Take care of your back my friend. What workout did you do tonight?

Talk again later,

Janie

 

[Shadowpup]

Good morning, all! It's gorgeous over here, though a bit brisk still. Is this really summer? As long as the sun is shining and the wind stays low, it will still be a great day to do something outdoors. Yesterday, I took my quarterhorse out for a ride, and he was very good! He can go either way, but he hasn't been out for a few days and was on his best behavior. No Killer Ducks, fortunately, so we both had a good time.

For workouts - since I took a half day off, I opted for both a short hike and Drill Max Ultimate Cardio. Drill Max might seem like an odd choice, when the main goal was to loosen up my back and upper body. But it occurred to me that the last time I felt that tight in those spots, it was after doing Drill Max cardio, and so decided that it would be worthwhile to see if doing "Ultimate" at moderate clip would help. (It's probably the moderate stability ball lifts that make it seem similar) I gave myself permission to work at a moderate rather than intense HR, and decided against raising the stability ball above my head. The hour of moderate work and constant motion, plus ten more minutes of that PowerYoga dvd, seems to have done the trick. It may still be a day early to do STS Legs, with all that back involvement. Did I say "moderate" often enough??? It was my mantra, last night.

Michelle, I hope yesterday went well at Quantico ... it's 4th quarter crazies everywhere in govt these days! Will be in DC myself again, just briefly, the week after the 4th. Glad to hear that your bicep work is getting easier. That's one of the harder areas for me, too; my shoulders and biceps never seem to improve as fast as triceps, legs, back. It doesn't seem to matter how much or little I work them. Is Chelsea enjoying getting ready for the cruise ... ? I've been wondering - when you decide on a long trip by boat like that, do you also decide where you will stop each night, or do you kind of take each day as it comes?

Shoegal, I was thinking about you last night doing DrillMax. Maybe the answer for you is also to do something involving movement, but to do it very lightly. Such as step without using a step, or DrillMax without doing a full squat or lifting a ball, or my old favorite Reach (Kari Anderson). Or hiking - have you ever done heavy hands hiking, where you hold very lights in your hands, to "intensify the movement" as Cathe would say? That would let you move around without overstressing the muscles. Oh yes, and congrats on rescuing that hydrangea! Those are gorgeous. You are a brave woman to take apart a new weed whacker Sounds like your gardening is coming along well. You certainly have a great workplace if people are willing to help carry hay for one another!!! It's definitely hard work.

Laura, I have three horses now, after losing my oldest, who would have been 30 on May 2. Miss her terribly ... Anyway, two are half siblings (same father) and a third (my quarterhorse) I'd gotten for my husband ... but the horse himself had other plans, and made it clear he was "Mom's riding pony", and no others need apply. My husband decided he didn't want to learn to ride anyway, so it all worked out. Fortunately he still is willing to do barn chores. Did you end up doing KickMax? That's a good one! Hope you had a great time with your friends, and enjoyed the pool.

Janie, your math is spot on. Over 100 bales. That's a lot of deadlifts! But with Cathe in mind, it becomes achievable. It's something like - ten sets of ten each, 50 percent of 1RM for deadlift, with a little row action added on to the end. Looked at that way, it's not so bad! And, yes, this was a great way for ME to finally explain that MY weightlifting hobby "pays for itself", because we don't have to hire help for lifting bales. Clearly we need to keep investing in equipment. A cage with a spotter built in would be nice ... Thanks for listening to the podcast and I am glad you enjoyed it And you may call me Shadowpup, Deb, Deborah, whichever you prefer. I'm used to all three, now! And you are a woman of many and varied talents - with the mixed martial arts, sword work, lock picking skills, and gardening, you would fit right in! And good point on that bench. The Firm step keeps me from letting my arms flop out too far, and I will need to watch that carefully, especially when I get tired, to avoid too much pull on the shoulders.

Ironlady - you have a great day, too! And the same to the other lurkers I know are out there Pippadog1, I missed meeting you while I was out - stop by again And BooBoo, it would be great to hear how you are doing if you see this.

 

[MDolfiniReed]

We're running around trying to get stuff packed up to head over to the boat. DH would kill me if he knew I was "wasting time" posting. Did Powermax this morning--it's an oldie but a goodie. Since we will be on the boat, no step for 10 days, so I wanted to get in a good cardio this morning.

More later after we get over to the boat and unpacked. Lots of good stuff going on out there.
~michelle

 

[janiejoey]

Good morning, all! It's gorgeous over here, though a bit brisk still. Is this really summer? As long as the sun is shining and the wind stays low, it will still be a great day to do something outdoors. Yesterday, I took my quarterhorse out for a ride, and he was very good! He can go either way, but he hasn't been out for a few days and was on his best behavior. No Killer Ducks, fortunately, so we both had a good time.
For workouts - since I took a half day off, I opted for both a short hike and Drill Max Ultimate Cardio. Drill Max might seem like an odd choice, when the main goal was to loosen up my back and upper body. But it occurred to me that the last time I felt that tight in those spots, it was after doing Drill Max cardio, and so decided that it would be worthwhile to see if doing "Ultimate" at moderate clip would help. (It's probably the moderate stability ball lifts that make it seem similar) I gave myself permission to work at a moderate rather than intense HR, and decided against raising the stability ball above my head. The hour of moderate work and constant motion, plus ten more minutes of that PowerYoga dvd, seems to have done the trick. It may still be a day early to do STS Legs, with all that back involvement. Did I say "moderate" often enough??? It was my mantra, last night.
Clearly we need to keep investing in equipment. A cage with a spotter built in would be nice ...

Deborah, Our real Summer is not here yet either. It will only get to low 70's today, like it has been all week mixed with rain. Would love to ride a horse again someday. Perhaps when we visit the ocean we could do that. We'll see. Enjoy the beautiful weather while riding, and I'm also glad there were no killer ducks in the area.LOL Your workouts are great and very wise to manipulate the workout the way you did. We all have to listen to our bodies more. Hope you continue to invest in equipment, it's a good life to stay healthy.

We're running around trying to get stuff packed up to head over to the boat. DH would kill me if he knew I was "wasting time" posting. Did Powermax this morning--it's an oldie but a goodie. Since we will be on the boat, no step for 10 days, so I wanted to get in a good cardio this morning.
More later after we get over to the boat and unpacked. Lots of good stuff going on out there.~michelle

Michelle, There is no way you are wasting time posting. I love PowerMax and usually do that one as my step workout most times lately. I can't wait to here more about your vacation.

Today Joey and I did Pyramid Upper Body. He is such a constant complainer. I feel that he simply needs to do it. I'd rather hear it all the time instead of him quitting. I can handle it. Burned 456 calories.

 

[Shoegal]

Worked out last night. I did Kari Anderson's Push - just the step portion (there are both hi lo and step portions) Both segments are 30 minutes in length. I only did the step and then I did the "guts" portion of B&G - modified it a little too. I liked that I did something but I didn't feel like I got this excellent workout either. I generally really really like Kari Anderson - I have everything she has made. When this workout came out I was soooo excited - the problems I have with it now (and is why I don't do it very much) is that it isn't difficult enough and the background excersisers kept "whooping." I was so irritated I wanted to scream. The bottom line is that I did something. I'll get back to full speed soon.

Shadowpup - thought it was funny that you mentioned "Reach" - I almost reached for it. I really don't have any beginner Cathe workouts - I didn't buy any of them because all I have wanted for awhile are advanced workouts. I decided early on not to buy beginner because I wouldn't use them. Guess I was wrong - I could have used that now. I really admire that you listen to your body so well - I need to be better at doing that. Love your stories about the horses - love that your quarterhorse decided that Mom was his rider.

Michelle - You get going and don't worry about us here!!! Just between us though - it was good of you to stop by. I am actually all excited for you - boating sounds like too much fun right now - especially with the beautiful weather we've been having.

Janie - Do not be impressed with me taking about the weed whacker - I just did it to educate myself. To be honest - it came all apart and my DH had assembled it. That made me angry because I didn't want to go to him to figure out how to work it and then ask him everytime I needed something. I wanted to be the authority on it so I took it apart and reassembled it. Now I know. Gardening is wonderful!!! My mother has a pretty extensive perennial garden & I absolutely love it - I used to go out and just look at it every morning - weed a bit and take it all in - sometimes in my nightgown.

Laura - fill us in on your day.

Well - today was bring your dog to work day and I totally missed out. I have to write that down!!!

Have a great day.

 

[Shadowpup]

Michelle, very glad you stopped in to say hi, even with all that packing! Not a waste at all

Janie, it seems like we're both experiencing strange weather years. Hopefully your rain will go away, though it cuts back watering, which is always nice. Sure! See if you can find a horse riding place while by the ocean. I have never ridden on the beach but have had friends do that, and they say it is every bit as much fun as it seems it would be. And PUB is a nice one; it is my go-to for upper body when I have only a weekend to get both upper and lower body in (and am not doing STS), though I have to admit that sometimes I will do only the 'up' part of the pyramid! For legs, I'll go to Leaner Legs. Somehow I've never really connected as well with PLB as with PUB.

 

[janiejoey]

Worked out last night. I did Kari Anderson's Push - just the step portion (there are both hi lo and step portions) Both segments are 30 minutes in length. I only did the step and then I did the "guts" portion of B&G - modified it a little too. I liked that I did something but I didn't feel like I got this excellent workout either. I generally really really like Kari Anderson - I have everything she has made. When this workout came out I was soooo excited - the problems I have with it now (and is why I don't do it very much) is that it isn't difficult enough and the background excersisers kept "whooping." I was so irritated I wanted to scream. The bottom line is that I did something. I'll get back to full speed soon.
Janie - Do not be impressed with me taking about the weed whacker - I just did it to educate myself. To be honest - it came all apart and my DH had assembled it. That made me angry because I didn't want to go to him to figure out how to work it and then ask him everytime I needed something. I wanted to be the authority on it so I took it apart and reassembled it. Now I know. Gardening is wonderful!!! My mother has a pretty extensive perennial garden & I absolutely love it - I used to go out and just look at it every morning - weed a bit and take it all in - sometimes in my nightgown.
Well - today was bring your dog to work day and I totally missed out. I have to write that down!!!Have a great day.

Shoegal, I also use different DVD's for different parts of the body I want to work. I do like Kari and use her when my energy is low. I hear ya about the background whoops. Again, I also like to do things that don't always require my hubby to help. So, I know where you are coming from. For the first time while Joey was gone on vacation, I put a game computer from my bedroom to the living room in hopes that I would do it right. Guess what? I did it right. It's up and running just fine. Yes, going out first thing in the morning (before I get dressed) to the garden with a cup of Joe in hand, is so wonderful. I would love to see your Mom's garden. Could you take pictures of it? Oh how wonderful to be able to take your dog to work. So sorry you missed out on it. Next time you'll be ready.

Michelle, very glad you stopped in to say hi, even with all that packing! Not a waste at all

Janie, it seems like we're both experiencing strange weather years. Hopefully your rain will go away, though it cuts back watering, which is always nice. Sure! See if you can find a horse riding place while by the ocean. I have never ridden on the beach but have had friends do that, and they say it is every bit as much fun as it seems it would be. And PUB is a nice one; it is my go-to for upper body when I have only a weekend to get both upper and lower body in (and am not doing STS), though I have to admit that sometimes I will do only the 'up' part of the pyramid! For legs, I'll go to Leaner Legs. Somehow I've never really connected as well with PLB as with PUB.

Deborah, I think the rain is done for awhile now. It's been getting warmer the last couple of days. Garden weather! I also trade DVD's one for upper and a different one for lower, or visa versa. It's great we can do that, isn't it? It sure beats doing something that just doesn't connect with the body, that's for sure.

See ya all tomorrow and have great evenings everyone.

Oh by the way, I also wanted to extend my arms (Like Shadowpup/Deborah did) to; Tlstot/Tracy Lynn, Booboo, Ellep, Expatter/Romona, Pippadog1/Laura UK, Sprom/Sarah, Cookingparty/Patricia, Cldonadio, Snowflaken/Sharon, and Ckoverman24. You are missed and I for one would love to continue hearing from you. You all bring in a different perspective and simply are very interesting to know.

Hoping you haven't become lurkers again, but if you are lurking, you just might see this post.

Thartman/Tracy and Twinkletoes have moved on, but you know you are welcome here anytime.

We'll see Laura, Michelle, Shoegal, Deborah and Sherry as usual.

Thanks Deborah for the idea to welcome our people back again.

Janie

 

[ladubose]

Hi was MIA yesterday because a good friend was considering leaving her husband, spent the whole afternoon evening with her and our kids. Things have settled down which is good. Luckily I did PUB early in the morning and taught my Pilates class so I didn't miss out on my workout! Today I did a jog/hike with Maggie in Boulder while the girls were at the Tutor. Than I just finished PLB. I agree with Shadowpup, I have never connected with PLB as much as the upper body version which I love, but it felt good to do it anyway.

I read everyone's personals but need to get ready to go out to dinner with my husband now, the girls are at a playdate!!

 

[janiejoey]

Hi was MIA yesterday because a good friend was considering leaving her husband, spent the whole afternoon evening with her and our kids. Things have settled down which is good. Luckily I did PUB early in the morning and taught my Pilates class so I didn't miss out on my workout! Today I did a jog/hike with Maggie in Boulder while the girls were at the Tutor. Than I just finished PLB. I agree with Shadowpup, I have never connected with PLB as much as the upper body version which I love, but it felt good to do it anyway.
I read everyone's personals but need to get ready to go out to dinner with my husband now, the girls are at a playdate!!

Laura, You are such a good friend to help her out with her problems. I Wish her well, it's a tough one. Also did PUB. It really makes you concentrate! Glad you were able to continue with the Pilates class. Sounds like you had an enjoyable hike with Maggie. What a sweet looking dog you have there. Good job on PLB. Enjoy your dinner with your honey.

Today was Power Max, 45 min and burned 388 calories.

Good Mornin to everyone,

Janie

 

[Shadowpup]

Shoegal, somehow I missed your last post til seeing it in Janie! Sorry about that. I know what you mean about wanting to be the expert on your own equipment!!! On the one hand, it’s always nice when DH makes the extra effort to put together something, right? On the other hand, it makes it hard to really understand what is going on with the equipment. But your compromise was a good one. Very funny that you were thinking about Kari!!! I don't have Push, just Reach, and I really like it for days when I feel in need of a little TLC yet want a good workout. Used to use the Lotte Berke series for that too, but those have been gathering dust for many months.

Janie, nice shout out to the Lurkers. I missed quite a few! You are so good at keeping track of our little group . And good job on that calorie burn, too. Power Max is *not* one I have ...

Laura, so kind of you to help your friend … at times like that, a sympathetic listener is worth her weight in gold. Isn't it funny how sometimes a workout will connect, or not? PLB isn't that much different from PUB when you look at the workouts, but it sure 'feels' different. I hope you've enjoyed that dinner date with DH!

It was a beautiful day, and so I had a Laura-level of activity. It’s time to clean out the stables; hadn’t been able to face doing that for my mare’s stall, with her gone, but it really did feel good to go through and clean things up. Took me three hours yesterday to shovel out, wipe down, and so on – and another hour today – but now her former stall and paddock are ship shape and looking good again. And, feeling good after that, I did a bike ride, then STS, and topped it off by taking my big guy (the one in my avatar) out riding, as well as my quarterhorse. All in all, a major calorie burning day. I will be wiped out tomorrow!

 

[MDolfiniReed]

Hi everybody. I'm a little behind with my check-ins. Too busy relaxing.

Yesterday, just to keep with the daily routine of exercising, I did a light workout of upper body sculpt and stabilty ball abs w/ no ball from the Basic Step/Body Fusion dvd. It was a quick 30 minutes. Just enough to keep the muscle memory.

It's nice having Chelsea here, but we are going through some adjustments. First, DH and I are not into texting. Obviously, 13 year olds are. Right now we have one rule: at meal time, no cell phone, no texting. But I've got to tell you, I get peeved when I'm talking to the kid and that dang cell phone vibrates and she shifts her attention to IT and totally blows me off like I'm just her at her convenience. It is rude. Pure and simple. The kid was hanging out on the swim platform yesterday with cell phone in hand. DH and I had the same thought--wouldn't it be too bad if that dang phone ended up in the water. Kerplunk. She is definitely in a very selfish phase right now. Otherwise, I'm enjoying vacation.

Today, we are washing the boat. See how I feel about exercise after that.

Shoegal: bring your dog to work day sounds like fun. Make sure you stay on top of that date for next year. Good to hear that you are getting back with the exercise.

Janie: love Powermax and PUB.

Laura: you are a good friend. I'm not sure how folks cope when they are trying to make a decision like that. I hope your friend makes a decision where she can eventually be happy.

Shadow: I'm just wondering when you guys are going to add a room on your house for all your exercise equipment. The weight bench sounds great. Good job on getting up all that hay. Those bales are beyond heavy--plus you are sweaty and dirty. Ick. I don't mind sweat but the dirty hay part is just not my thing. Give me a dirty boat any day of the week.

Okay--I'm sure I'll be doing more venting over the teenager. But at the end of the day, she has to decide what kind of person she wants to be. I hope this "all about me" phase is just a phase and not a life-long attitude.

~michelle

 

[janiejoey]

Janie, nice shout out to the Lurkers. I missed quite a few! You are so good at keeping track of our little group . And good job on that calorie burn, too. Power Max is *not* one I have ...
It was a beautiful day, and so I had a Laura-level of activity. It’s time to clean out the stables; hadn’t been able to face doing that for my mare’s stall, with her gone, but it really did feel good to go through and clean things up. Took me three hours yesterday to shovel out, wipe down, and so on – and another hour today – but now her former stall and paddock are ship shape and looking good again. And, feeling good after that, I did a bike ride, then STS, and topped it off by taking my big guy (the one in my avatar) out riding, as well as my quarterhorse. All in all, a major calorie burning day. I will be wiped out tomorrow!

Deborah, Thank you for the encouragement. PowerMax is one of the few step workouts I manage (most of the time) to get through. Truly need to work on cardio better. You did a lot of work there. When the cleaning bug hits, it just hits. Doesn't it? Sorry for the sad memories of your mare. It must have been hard for you. You did pull a Laura didn't you. Great workouts! Bet the horses loved getting out and exercising too.

Hi everybody. I'm a little behind with my check-ins. Too busy relaxing.
Yesterday, just to keep with the daily routine of exercising, I did a light workout of upper body sculpt and stabilty ball abs w/ no ball from the Basic Step/Body Fusion dvd. It was a quick 30 minutes. Just enough to keep the muscle memory.
It's nice having Chelsea here, but we are going through some adjustments. First, DH and I are not into texting. Obviously, 13 year olds are. Right now we have one rule: at meal time, no cell phone, no texting. But I've got to tell you, I get peeved when I'm talking to the kid and that dang cell phone vibrates and she shifts her attention to IT and totally blows me off like I'm just her at her convenience. It is rude. Pure and simple. The kid was hanging out on the swim platform yesterday with cell phone in hand. DH and I had the same thought--wouldn't it be too bad if that dang phone ended up in the water. Kerplunk. She is definitely in a very selfish phase right now. Otherwise, I'm enjoying vacation.
Today, we are washing the boat. See how I feel about exercise after that.
Okay--I'm sure I'll be doing more venting over the teenager. But at the end of the day, she has to decide what kind of person she wants to be. I hope this "all about me" phase is just a phase and not a life-long attitude.
~michelle

Michelle, Isn't it nice to just relax and do nothing? If I was on a boat and on vacation, I probably wouldn't exercise. You are so good. I have a grandson who is 13. He's part child and part grown up. For me I love that stage, but then again, he doesn't text when he visits us. Instead he's on the computer or watching TV. But then again, I get a chance to talk with him and while doing so, find he is a very intelligent person. Him and I are night owls and so stayed up into the wee hours of the night watching movies or reading books, and talking. He decided that he was hungry and got some clam chowder. After he ate it, part of it was on his little nose and mouth. It just melted my heart to see the child in him. Anyway, I took a napkin and put water on it and nuked it. Gave it to him to wash it off. He was so adorable. At 13 I do think it's an all me attitude. I think it's when they become in their 20's they start to think about other people other than themselves. At least in my family. There are some teenagers, that mature faster but, I think them as exceptions. In my experience, the "All About Me" phase goes away in time. I know it can be hard at times. Cody (my Grandson) decided to start taking leaves off my kiwi plant and it got to me. Told him to please stop taking the leaves off my plant and pick up the leaves that you already stripped off. I was thinking in my mind that why would this bother you, since you are going to cut it down anyway? The plant is out of control, growing into everything/everywhere, and when you do go by it, it somehow reaches out to you just because and slaps you in the face. But only if you don't duck under it's branches. My point is, I shouldn't have said anything to him. Now I have to ask myself why I scolded him in the first place. I felt horrible afterwords. So hang in there, 13 year olds are unique individuals. I am babbling, so I'll quit now. Added this little part tonight, just needed to say it for some reason.

We were all sitting outside eating our dinner and Joey has a birthday July 2nd. I told everyone that he will be 74 this year. Oh, boy, was I wrong! I did my math badly. He was born 1938 so that will make him 71 this year. I think I told all of you that he will soon be 74, well, he's not, he will be 71. Poor Joey, we mustn't make him older than he really is. Right? But, he's still my precious old man.

Janie

 

[Shadowpup]

Janie, that's funny! My husband did that on his own birthday a year ago - he called himself one year older than he was We claimed he just wanted extra presents Regardless, your Joey is doing great and you are too. You are making me want to buy power max, btw, though I still need to learn LowMax, having only gone through that one once. You are right: that cleaning bug is a powerful force. I'm doing more general barn cleanup today, and have spent an hour at it. I'd also like to repot some of my indoor plants during the hot part of the day. A hanging Christmas cactus, one with bright fuscha blossoms in the winter, is expanding out of it's pot! And a pothos looks like he intends to take over our entertainment center. BTW ... are you still playing Oblivion ... ?

Laura, I'm slowly getting caught up with posts, and was reading that you've moved to a new studio? Are you still liking it? Working without mirrors sounds like fun, actually. I don't have any in my workout space, for just the reasons you mention, though I wish I had an instructor of your caliber to check my form, in case I'm getting bad habits.

Michelle, when the household chores get intense, I tend to log those as exercise, counting perhaps half or a third the calories. I hear you on the texting. In our business meetings, it is very common for half of the participants to be using their blackberries under the table, passing notes to each other. It is offputting. Sometimes people like to do that ostentatious 'clicking through important emails', too. It's going to be interesting to see how the personal texting habit translates from the classroom into the work environment.

And also, Michelle, since you bring up the floor space issue ... well, gulp, I have to admit that I have rather taken over the library/entertainment room we built downstairs when the basement was only half finished. The walls are covered with books, there is a very nice big screen tv, chairs and couch, and even a little fireplace - but DH does not like to go in, because my exercise equipment is everywhere else! Neatly organized, but voluminous. However, he is a very smart man and rather than asking me to shrink what is clearly an expanding collection, he has agreed that we need to take the other half of the unfinished basement and turn it into a real exercise center, so that he can have the entertainment room back. Possibly by this time next year, but we'll see. Personally I don't mind exercising in the middle of books ... so he is going to have to tempt me with something very nice before I'll move

Hee hee hee ... come to think of it, when my new bench came, the picture on the topmost box was of the whole setup, which includes a big power cage (squat rack etc) as well as the bench. DH saw it first, and his only worried comment was that he didn't know where I'd fit it in the *library*. That sounds like a resigned acceptance that ultimately I'm going to need to fit one of those in the house, doesn't it???

BTW, yesterday's STS was *wonderful* with the new bench, doing the various chest moves. I absolutely feel spoiled to death. I played with different angles, loved the quick change from seat/bench to flat, and it was so nice not to be on the floor! Janie, I thought very carefully about your advice while I was doing the moves, though. It would have been very easy to let my arms flop too low.

 

[Shoegal]

Well - how is everybody?

For myself - I had a great weekend canoeing - my DH and I and the pups went out on the water and spent all day paddling Saturday. We always seem to have a great time together. We were supposed to meet his sisters for dinner at 5pm so we hurriedly got ourselves cleaned up and went out to visit them. That was fun too.

I decided to do a little 4th of July decorating. I usually decorate for all the little and big holidays - just a bit (except for Christmas when I go OVER THE TOP) sometimes just a couple of items - sometimes a whole lot of things. I only had some candles, an Uncle Sam figurine and a banner to put out - and decided - hey - I NEED MORE STUFF!!!! I went on a crusade on Sunday to find all this stuff I just had to have. More candles, a table runner, a red, white and blue platters to put on top of my kitchen cabinets, tea towels, etc. It still isn't "too much" but I was all satisfied with myself - what a nice job I do decorating. I usually think my DH is appreciative of these things I do - but he probably thinks it is more ridiculous than anything else. I was happy though.

Michelle - well, that texting business - yes, I agree - I am not a texter and I find all of that more annoying than anything else. It is probably because I'm old and resistant to change. My nephew did his fair share on the ride up - I'm thinking what kind of inane conversation could go on that long?!!! I mean - what could they possibly be discussing for that length of time??!! But, I'm afraid it is apart of their generation and they would be considered "odd" or "weird" if they didn't text. Parents participate now out of necessity. Yes - 13 year olds are selfish - Chelsea will grow out of it, I'm certain.

Shadowpup - Yes - you should spread out and overtake a bigger space for your exercise. It is very important to have a convenient and well equipped space. I remember a long time ago - when I lived with all my brothers and sisters at home I would try to get exercising in by asking if whoever was using the tv would mind leaving so I could workout!!! There was only one tv and one VCR and getting ready also required that I carry in my free weights from the other room too. My - how things have changed!!! I'm still busy collecting more stuff - hopefully this room will last a little while longer. I bet cleaning out the stables felt good!!

Laura - You must be a good listener. I have to tell you that having the ability to listen is quite a remarkable thing nowadays - it is nice that your friend had you there to hear her. Sometimes just talking about something helps to diffuse something you thought was overwhelming. Do your girls have cell phones and do the entire text thing - I thought perhaps you have a hands on insight into that whole thing and can enlighten us.

Janie -doing anything special for Joey for his birthday? It is not everyday that you turn 71 - right? Oh well - it is funny but I sometimes forget how old my DH is too. I seem to remember my own age alright though.

Hope everyone has a good day out there!!

 

[Shadowpup]

Hi all,

It's another gorgeous day outside - my last vacation day for awhile, so I'm running with this fit of getting-things-organized-and-neatened-up that has come upon me. DH is wondering if I am ill So far no workout today, but that's planned for tonight. It may not be a good day for a lower body workout, though, with all the bark spreading and so on. I'm torn - does it make more sense to work a body part to failure on a day when you're already tired - when you've pre-exhausted the muscle? Or to wait until a day when you're not tired? There's always the upper body, which has not worked as hard as the lower.


Shoegal, that sounds wonderful. When I grew up, we lived right next to a large river and we would raft or canoe on it; sometimes we'd take the canoe on camping trips and spend the day paddling around, just the way you're describing. Those were fun days! You remind me that they don't have to be over: we own a canoe I bet the dogs slept well, too

I admire people who decorate for holidays. Red white and blue everywhere - plates and matching towels - sounds great! A nice tribute to the 4th. The most I normally do is put together a red white blue dessert, and even that not for awhile.

And now back to the task of putting bark everywhere that DH has weeded. I abhore weeding; he doesn't mind doing it. The bark-spreading is much better exercise and that's the task I claim as my own.