Lurker's Invitation

Marathon shopping trip on Saturday - and to top it off it snowed all day. We didn't get as much as Michelle - but 6 inches is a fair amount and it makes everything look gorgeous. No matter what the weather my sister and I said we had to go out. On Friday night while I waited for Rex to get home I wrapped a little. To be honest I find it boring to wrap - and I tend to lose focus so I don't put my head down knock it out - I wrap a couple and then lose interest. I set a small goal of 10 and then did a couple more so I was actually rather pleased with myself. After I got home on Saturday - and it was late - 11pm. I wrapped some more. I was up till 1am - then got up early to finish wrapping then I loaded up my car - drove into town - unloaded car - then went out to shop. When we all got home - we wrapped up what we just bought. We (my family and I) sang Happy Birthday to Rex - whose Birthday is actually TODAY!!! I am taking him to dinner tonight - but it promises to be rather busy today as well. The hard part is actually over - now but I still have to wrap Rex's gifts, and some other gifts - finish decorating :eek: - I almost didn't put that in there - but yes, I'm sorry but I'm still not finished - and although - probably for a normal person they would be done enough - I'm too crazy to let it go - I don't think I'll finish tonight - but I will get it done before Christmas!!

My Shock Cardio came!!!! An entire box of new exercise videos!!!! Christmas came a bit early!! I looked through and Step Moves is probably my first workout of choice - want to do that tonight - but I'm worried about having enough time. :( It is sooo exciting though.

Laura - that was quite an eventful evening. Glad everything is getting back to normal - and Bo's tooth is getting fixed - so that is a good thing and Eliza wanting to practice - That's excellent!!! So I think everyone is so right to focus on the positives from the situation. I think you have such an interesting life - I just love hearing about it.

Michelle - Isn't all that snow fun - especially seeing Ripken react to it. My sister's new Golden, Howie. is so fascinated with it that he digs and rolls around in it then forgets what he came outside to do. My girls like the snow but come inside quicker then they would normally. They really don't like to be cold.

Shadowpup - I think you probably did a wonderful job with the decorating - and a little bit of Christmas here and there sometimes is just enough. I just enjoy doing it - I probably don't want it to end too soon. I really don't have a lot of lights - just a lot of stuff - and I like to spread it everywhere throughout the house so oh well -I think you described my decorating perfectly -it is hard work and a lot of pressure - but also very fun and satisfying all at the same time.

Janie - hope you are gearing up for Christmas and you are having a good visit with Sid. Drop us a note when you get the chance. I know we are all so busy.

Ok - gotta get on with it - but I could certainly use a nap!!!:)
 
Ergh! I just wrote a long post and then did a stupid thing: I didn't press submit reply and it disappeared.

So this will be a quickie just to post my workout for today: IMAX3 this morning. So glad the IMAXes are done for this month. Tomorrow is Step Works from CardioHits which should be a bit less taxing.

Shoegal: lucky you, you got your Shock Cardio. Maybe when mail delivery resumes sometime this week, I will get mine. The federal gov't closed today due to all the snow which meant no mail delivery. Hopefully....tomorrow.
Happy Birthday to Rex.

Hi to Shadowpup, Janie, and Laura.
~michelle
 
Hi all! Good intentions, no follow through on the posting ... I'm down to the last few items for Christmas, and the last few cards, and maybe adding new decorations :) And almost have work caught up, so true vacation can start. Still, the workouts have been good. I added more cardio because there has been yummy fudge and chocolate peppermint bark in the house, and both are favorites. I'd rather do an extra insanity every other day than try and skip those!
 
Finally had a few minutes to get caught up! Except for the stocking-stuffers, all Christmas presents have been dispatched. There are a few that came for DH from my family that I promised to wrap (which means putting them in a cute gift bag, in our house). There are sure to be a few remaining cards I’ve forgotten to post, but I made a version that says Happy New Year and that’s what the strays will get :)

Workouts: actually very good. I'm going through old favorites and new birthday presents. Here's what I did the last three days. TRX boot camp, STS Meso 3 Biceps Tris Shoulders, Insanity, Bento In The Ring. Three hikes :)

Shoegal, wonderful to see you’ve gotten your Shock Cardio! Definitely an early Christmas! Let us know what you think about – oh, everything :) The choreography for the Step one has me and my two left feet nervous. By the way, yesterday I did Amy Bento In The Ring (a birthday present). Once you’re ready for even more cardio, that’s one to consider, unless you’ve tried it already? The kickbox has more choreography than most, and it’s a solid workout. You may be less bored by Amy than other instructors.

Michelle, so glad you’ve dug out. Nothing wrong with having teenage boys do it. We just have a shortage of them out here! The amount of snow you had is challenging anywhere, especially since it was heavy and wet. Definitely a day to stay indoors. Sounds like you put the time to good use. You won’t have to go in extra days, will you, because of the closures? Sure hope not … BTW, I finally caught up with your earlier post about how Ripkin got his name. So appropriate, especially since he enjoys ‘working out’ with you! That makes him an athlete : )

Laura, you certainly seem to have a case of lemons into lemonade! Good thing that tooth was discovered. A colleague of mine had a heart attack that apparently was triggered by a rotten tooth. No kidding. But apparently the infections can be really serious, so as Michelle says, this may be a true blessing! I’m glad your DH is taking all this okay. Very impressed by the violin-playing, too. Are your girls mathematical as well as musical? Those traits so often go together.

Janie, hugs to you and your Joey; I hope you are enjoying preparations, and that Sid’s troubles are not causing too much stress … it’s bad for your GERD … take good care of yourself, ‘kay?


I owe you more stories about Hawaii but am too distracted by Christmas! More later. I want to at least tell you the story of the Cardio Bunnies and the Testosterone Twins, and how I proved I can be as immature as the next person :). Don't let me forget.
 
Hi Everyone,

So I did some wrapping last night which I don't usually enjoy but I really got into it last night and even tied them with pretty ribbons and bows that I made. They came out so nice! :D:D:D Than today Bo comes home with box after box of presents. Most of them are from family and are already wrapped but there are also those that were directly shipped from online purchases so looks like I will be wrapping again tonight after this post....;)

I had my two pilates classes today, one of which I mostly talked through and one of which I did along with the class. I also did the P90X Chest, Shoulder & Triceps & Ab Ripper X. It isn't one of my favorite in the series because I find the combination of all those pushups with the triceps and shoulders a little straining on the shoulders and to tiresome for my triceps. I don't know why but my triceps tend to give out first on pushups not my chest. Does anyone else feel the pushups in their triceps? I have noticed some nice definition gains in my arms from P90X but I haven't noticed huge improvements in strength per say...I have decided not to add on an additional week (to make up for my sick week) after all. So I have two more weeks left including the recovery week until I start my 1RM.


Nice to see everyone back on line...except Janie..hope you are doing well and look forward to hearing from you...

Michelle: how special to have a white Christmas, especially now that it has mostly been dealt with!;) Good job on all those IMAX's. I have often thought it would be good to try and do one IMAX at least once a week. Do you have the original IMAX?

Shoegal: I wonder if you have ever worn a heart rate monitor for a marathon shopping trip. I bet you burn a ton of calories. Shopping really wears me out. I don't know how you can come home and workout on top of it! I hope Rex had a great B-day. My father's birthday was the 20h of December and it often got over looked in the Christmas frenzy. I am so jealous you have Shock Cardio! I am not sure about mine. I haven't received any notification and can't figure out how it was to be shipped. Everything else I have ordered from there I have done UPS but it doesn't say on my confirmation email and I haven't gotten a order shipment notification from UPS yet either.:(:confused:

Shadowpup: funny you should mention your friend who had a heartattack from an oral infection. I have a friend here who also had an undetected oral infection that ended up leading to two strokes. One at home and one in the hospital which resulted in open by-pass surgery. I guess the bacteria had begun to collect around his heart valve and where it began to form bigger and bigger masses of bacteria that eventually broke free into his bloodstream and caused the strokes. Totally crazy stuff...he is doing ok now regaining use of his left side through therapy and his speech is very good. He was only 48.
 
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Did Step Moves!!! I came home - popped that baby into the player and got going. It is a good one. I easily mastered the first two combinations - which were fun. I was thinking "okay, one more combo" and wondered if this would be as easy. No -not so easy - parts of three stumped me a little. I was able to get them - parts of them -but when I tried to stick it all together I would get all mixed up. I am confident that by the 2nd run through I'll have them all down pat. Cathe goes fairly quickly on the 3rd combo and there isn't too much of a break down. Cathe says "I'm gonna throw alot at you" and she does but I have to say that despite my inclination toward complex step I'm always so completely surprised at how easily I pick it up. It is quick - so this is one workout that has zero dread factor for me. There are no premixes - just chapters, the intro and the workout. I'd love to hear what everyone else thinks of this once it arrives.

Took Rex out for dinner - I really wanted to make it nice for him. I'm not one to downplay anything - I think it is important to make a fuss but I wasn't happy with the way things turned out. Yesterday morning we had this huge screaming match in the car - and I was fairly irritable afterwards. Fights like that take a bit to wear off even if the conflict is resolved so that fighting residue was with me all day and into the evening. I was changing after the workout to go to dinner and I prayed to God I could pull myself out of my funk and have a nice time. It was simply an okay time. Oh well - I was completely exhausted and came home and dropped into bed and was instantly asleep. Hopefully Christmas will be a lovely day for us.

Shadowpup - Nope - don't have "In the Ring" but you probably suspected that. That is an interesting idea though - perhaps another instructor could change my opinion of kickboxing but I have my doubts - if I don't care for Cathe's kickbox there is little chance anyone's will do. I didn't like Tae Bo or Turbo Jam. I would very much like to hear more about the Cardio Bunnies and the Testosterone Twins. Consider yourself reminded. :) Good job on all your workouts - wow - I'm impressed.

Michelle - sounds as if it is taking a little bit of time to dig everyone out. How much snow do you usually get in Virginia? Do you have a regular salt crew? I remember a couple years back Texas got a bunch of snow and they were completely ill equipped to handle it. I asked a guy down there if the salt trucks were out - and he said "What salt trucks?" :confused: Are you pretty much ready for Christmas? IMAX3 sounds like torture this time of year.

Laura - The list of workouts you did sound like a lot to me and to top it all off you do your classes. How do you do it all? My wrapping style is to slap the paper on as quickly as possible and to move on. :D I'm impressed you got into it. Rex likes to be meticulous about his wrapping which should be no surprise to me since he is meticulous about everything! He lectures me about nice crisp corners! :rolleyes:

Janie - we are missing you here.

Everyone have a great day!!!!!
 
Shock Cardio arrived this morning while I was doing Step Works. My DH yelled up to me, "What's this box from Cathe.com?" I had to pause the workout and come downstairs to jump around with glee. DH just shook his head. After Step Works, I did the first segment of Core Max. Just a little extra ab work to help keep things in check during the holidays.

Virginia doesn't usually get much snow, but the Va Dept of Transportation does have snow removal crews, equipment, and supplies. We haven't had much snow to speak of the past several years. Everyone has been saying that we were overdue for a big one and with the way the rain has been coming up out of the Gulf the past month, it really was only a matter of time before we got hit with cold air and moisture at the same time, with the end result being a major Nor'easter coastal snow storm. Fortunately, our road is now clear, the driveway is clear and dry, and the mail carrier can get to the mailbox. Alot of melting going on today.;)

Shoegal: don't fret too much over the birthday. First off, it's done. Second, maybe you have a little holiday stress going on. The IMAXes are fun, but they sure are tough. For this month, sister and I did one of the IMAXes each week: IMAX, IMAX2, and IMAX3. I think I posted the rotation sometime last week.

Shadowpup: I've been on leave since last Friday. No makeup work time for me with the snow. How are the children? Have you been able to take any of them for a ride or just too busy? Looking forward to hearing your Hawaii stories.

Laura: must be that time of year to go to the dentist. I've got my 6 month cleaning next week. Are your girls on Christmas break yet? How does Maggie like the holidays? Ripken is like a kid. He especially likes to wear his jingle bell collar which the kids enjoy.

Okay, got to run. I think DH and I are going shopping.
~michelle
 
Having a couple family crises here lately. Sid is still showing horrible signs of withdrawals. Not a pretty sight. Right now he is a child in a man's body, with child fits. He's crying all the time, and sometimes it quits, "Just like that". And he's worrying about losing his wife, and he gets into these fetal positions. That's the best way I can describe it.

He's been at our house for the last week with Joey, and I've been at Sid's helping our Tina. It's tough! No exercises have been done. When we try it was always interrupted. It got so bad I had to be with Tina and help her through her pain. Will plan exercises again after our Christmas party or New Year. (Sid and Tina will not be over for this event)

He did finely go home last night and I came back home as well. Hopefully Tina and Sid can now at least be civil to each other. I don't ever want to experience this again. But, I have a feeling it is far from being over. In my mind, I wonder sometimes if it isn't mental on Sid's part.

Their marriage is at stake for sure. All this came about because he had to "all of a sudden" tell his wife after 15 years, that he was kinda sorta was with a hooker at his bachelor's party. Said no intercourse happened, but...What an idiot! He picked the worst time to be telling her this. She and him has a company they own and she is doing her best to keep it afloat, she's taking care of her son, going to meetings, and on and on, while he is at home trying to get better and doing hardly anything to help out. She is overwhelmed, to say the least, and also has gotten into the fetal position herself. I'm so very angry with Sid! OK, enough said, or I'll go on and on.

My little dog Molly stopped eating her food that I make her. Food that is prepared for kidney problems in older dogs. The worst you can do is feed her meat without any other stuff inside the meal. But, since she is not eating and will only eat pure meat, maybe it's time to just let go and have her enjoy the time she has left.

I Have not been eating very well, and have not been exercising. The new year will be perfect, I hope, to start on another rotation and eat better. In the mean time, I'm just not going to worry about it until the Holidays are over.

Not necessary to respond to this, it's certainly not meant to be a bummer, but just a vent for myself. You gals are great for letting me do this.

Deborah, How coo:cool:l is that? Enjoy those two weeks of staying home. Yeah! I'm not sure when I'll get the my Shock Cardio, but I'm looking in the mail box everyday.

Laura, Sounds like your daughter might be a violinist one of these days. What an awful experience just before the Holidays. Hope everything turns out alright for everyone. Just need to clam down with gentle music and family around him. Do you think that will help?

Deborah, I'm also trying a little more decorations than normal too. Thanks to Shoegal.

Michelle, Good job on your exercising with BM. Yes, I think the upper body portion will compliment shoveling. LOL:D

Laura, OMG! That (the horrible night) did come as a blessing in disguise. Wow! Glad the tooth is taken care of now. Enjoy your yoga and the Christmas party.

Michelle, diffidently sounds like Winter excursions. I'm so grateful we normally don't have that kind of snow. I also have a lot of cleaning to do before the party. Where in the world we find the time for all this? In the end, it works it's self out.;) Enjoy your Step N Motion when it arrives.

Shoegal, Enjoy the snow. I do the same thing when wrapping presents too. Today, I have to do it, so I can get other things done. Congratulations on your Shock Cardio. Yeah!

Michelle, Great job on your workout. Isn't it frustrating when you type a long post and it just vanishes? Yuck! You just went with the flow, that's great.

Deborah, Sounds like you are ahead of the Christmas stuff. Sigh of relief, right? I'm eating what ever I want and not thinking about the consequences at the moment. I guess that's what I do for stress. The supplements I'm taking are really doing a great job. Don't feel any GERD at all while taking them. YEAH! I truly think this stuff is saving my life from pain and misery. You are so good about keeping up with the workouts. How do you do it? What mind set are you in? I need that mindset too. Good for you!

Laura, Oh, the never ending wrapping. I know how that goes. Good job on your classes and workouts. You are a trooper. Congratulations on the muscle gains. Doesn't that feel great?

Shoegal, Step Moves are fun. Great job. You'll catch on to it very quickly. I promise. Stressful days for you and your hubby it seems. Once the Holidays are past, things will be better. (hugs).

I'm going to start making cookies, then try to do wrapping after that.

Take care everyone during this stressful time.

Janie
 
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One more day until Christmas Eve! Wow! It seems like yesterday that the girls were starting their 1st day of 3rd grade and now we are half way through another school year and starting a new year. I don't know how the rest of you feel but I won't be sorry to see the end of 2009! It hasn't been the easiest year for us by any stretch of the imagination.

I showed up for class today thinking that it would be slow because of the Holiday rush but it wasn't....So taught a Pilates class on the fit ball. It was tough and I bet I will feel it tomorrow. And then I did the P90X Plyo. That is a tough workout. One of my favorite from the series. It makes me really want to try Cathe's HIit Cardio Shock workouts. Which by the way I did get my shipment notice today and it is supposed to be here by the 24th! That would make a very nice Christmas gift to me indeed! I have been reading all the posts about people doing their workouts! Considering doing a week of the shock cardio as my recovery week instead of the P90X version. It would be more cardio and less weights than P90X as the recovery workouts have lots of weight bearing exercises in it.

Shoegal: I am so jealous! I bet I won't get the moves down so fast, but over time I will get it! I hear you on the fighting thing, it upset me to. I am glad you were able to muster for the evening.

Michelle: I had seen in a previous thread that you got your Shock Cardio while working out! That is great, at least you know you will use it! (as opposed to those people who buy exercise equipment or DVD's that just gather dust) I have to say again I like the idea of one IMAX a week and sometime I am going to try that out...

Janey: I am so sorry to hear about Sid not improving. I wonder if you are on to something about the mental component. How long has he been off the drug in question? It doesn't seem to be getting better for him. Is he getting professional help as well? I hope he can pull it together for his family for Christmas. Don't worry about not getting your workouts in or your eats. You will get back to it in the New Year. We can do it together. I had thought I was doing pretty good. But I really remembered how all those little bites can really add up the other day..I had finished a tough day of working out and came up to sign out at the Rec Center and once again there were all sorts of goodies on the counter. Including some Russell's Candies which are really good covered chocolates. Before I really even stopped to think about it I had popped one into my mouth...and one more on the way out the door. I stopped and decided to go check the damage and was shocked to see that two tiny little chocolates were 150 cals! Yikes that could add up fast huh??

Oh well not to much damage done and back on track in 2010!!
 
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Oh, Janie, (((hugs))). So very sorry that your family is going through this. Your Tina is lucky to have you and Joey in her corner, and Sid is too. It takes such a long time for these drugs to work out of the system. The brain gets changed, and people are not themselves. Hopefully Sid will eventually recover and rebuild himself again, and if he is very lucky he will not have destroyed his marriage in the meantime through his behaviors and very badly timed confessions. But, as Laura said, I hope he's getting assistance as it sounds like he needs professional help. Have you got a local Narc-Anon, one geared towards helping families of those who have suffered with addictions? That might be a safe place to burn off steam, and get a feel for how long this is likely to take.

In the meantime, you and Joey deserve all the TLC you can get. This is not a time to worry about rotations. Still, if you can find a way to do your favorite exercises for a few minutes in the morning, itmay help you feel more balanced through the day. Five or ten minutes of jumping jacks or jump rope makes a huge difference psychologically, by getting those endorphins flowing, and personally this is what drives me to be so consistent. It is a way to hold on to sanity even when life gets crazy, more than a wish to burn calories or build muscle, at least when the going gets tough. Don't feel guilty whatever you choose to do. Sometimes it's important to give your body a break, so you can come back stronger than before! We'll all have a great time with our next rotation in 2010 ((hugs)).

It may be that Molly is off her feed because of the stress over Sid and Tina. My cat - the one who owns me - is really upset, what with my being in and out, the decorating, and the indoor construction. Plus I've moved a few plants. It has her eating things and deliberately throwing them up where I'll see them. Molly, being a considerate dog and not a demanding cat, may be feeling the tension in the air and finding it affects her appetite. We can hope so; hopefully a few weeks of just her favorite foods/meats will not cause any problems. Your vet could perhaps reassure you about that.

Michelle, neat! You have your Shock Cardio too! I'd've been dancing too! Which will you do first??? My shipment looks like it is just leaving Pennsylvania. They have not updated since yesterday. SIGH. Laura and I and Janie will just have to live vicariously through the two of you for awhile. BTW, we ended up with a tiny bit of snow, maybe three inches. And very nice that you are on leave. It's a mixed blessing when shutdowns happen, otherwise.

oops, Laura, Shoegal, I was going to post personals for you also and I am called for dinner! More later.
 
Janie - my goodness - such a lousy time for all of this to happen. I know you and Joey can handle it - you are both so strong but ((Hugs)) to you and your family - we are all thinking about you here. I suppose you have to get through the bad to come out on the good side. One way or another this will work itself out. I wouldn't worry about exercise or food - there is plenty of time to jump back into it once you aren't needed so much. I've kind of let it go a little on the exercise and the food. Sometimes I just get so tired of watching so closely. Hope Molly is ok - Hugs to her as well.

Michelle - wish I was off too - it would be a great thing if I could stay home and get some of this stuff done. Managed to do still more decorating - It sounds ridiculous now - just a couple last minute things I wanted to do but haven't managed to fit in. Are you going to try to do a couple of the Shock Cardio workouts or stick to the rotation? They all look so good.

Shadowpup - I like the idea of doing just a little bit of something to get the blood moving and endorphins flowing - it is a whole heck of a lot better than nothing at all.

Laura - the goodies are everywhere aren't they!!! In a week there is this truckload of cookies that arrived at our house. I think a little bit of something is nice this time of year but there is so much and not enough people to finish it off. My sister makes cookies - DH's sisters make cookies - the neighbor dropped off cookies - heaven forbid if I made cookies myself. Work also has a ton of goodies around. The landmines are everywhere!!!

I still just have so much to do - I don't know how I'm finishing but it has to be done!!! Hope you all have a great stree free day.:)
 
Such good intentions last night ... I'll do posting piecemeal today to get caught up!

Yesterday: it was a rest day, but I'd hardly moved, so I did two of my new TRX dvds: a short one on core and a long one on flexibility. The core workout was just okay. It was 20 minutes or so, when I put the A and B sides together. I learned a few useful moves, and they are going on my ipod to add on to other workouts. That is worth the cost of ownership so I'm pleased to have the dvd. Part of the issue is that there is quite a bit of shoulder involvement in these core movements and since I did shoulders yesterday, I skipped those - I'll probably like it more when it's the only workout I do. In contrast, the flexibility dvd was quite fun! I don't usually enjoy spending long on flexibility and even my favorite yoga dvd has my attention for 20 minutes. At least the first time through, I liked the whole 50 minutes. There were some novel hip openers and chest openers; they can be used after my strength workouts too. Today I am feeling nicely stretched, possibly a little overstretched in my right knee (more of a warning twinge than a pain), otherwise just fine.

Shoegal, I firmly believe that it is fine to let exercise be used to meet the most important goal, and if at some point that's stress relief? Then something fun it is. Even (especially) high end athletes change their activity level through the year, too, and there's nothing wrong with going for just a blood-pumping energizing and short activity as opposed to a calorie-burner muscle-builder. Using exercises as a mental Rx is better than pills :eek: About Amy, do you have her step? I've tried one and the choreography is harder; while In The Ring isn't at the level of Advanced Kickbox there, it's enough harder you might find it entertaining. Or not - there are still kicks everywhere (that's the part I like/need to work on). Cathe's kickbox is relatively straightforward in comparison.

About the birthday dinner ... it's great that you pulled things together to have a pleasant evening with Rex, even if it was not all you'd hoped for. It could have been a disaster, and instead you had a good time. Just imagine if you hadn't - so disappointing, that would have been. Instead, you're on the way to a wonderful Christmas! Sounds like you are really into the spirit of it now, and on the home stretch with the decorating.

Speaking of decorating, thanks for inspiring several of us to do a little more on our decorating; I appreciate it! And so does DH. Our best feature is our stairway. It is a spiral, and because we have two strands of light going up, it looks like a double-helix. The lights are LEDs (white strand and multicolor strand) with many different speeds. Our “Christmas Tree” looks like an electric DNA strand! The great room is surrounded by windows, and at night you can see it reflecting in three of them, and play with the light flash pattern controller. I love it! Yes, I know, geeky scientist humor. :eek::eek::eek: Next year it might be fun to add lights up and down the poles, to show how the strands join up. Uh oh …
 
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Laura, I have to admit, that I'm looking for a better year too. Looks like your pilates classes are doing well. Everyone knows that goodies are just around the corner, and exercising to justify those goodies.LOL Good job as usual on the P90X Plyo. You are so lucky to get the Shock Cardio by Christmas Eve. Shock Cardio for recovery week? Very good idea. I'll be back on track in Jan. Thanks for the cheering up. I appreciate that.

Sid: He gets counseling and he doesn't like them, says they don't understand that particular drug recovery. Then stops the counseling. No matter what we say or do , it's not the right thing to do for him. Damned if you do, and Damned if you don't. He even convinced/diagnosed himself that what he is going through is that particular drug withdrawl. We can't convince him to see a doctor because he thinks they will give him more drugs. It's a no win situation when it comes to Sid. If he doesn't get better soon, my prediction is someone will call 911 (when he gets into these fits) and letting the doctors deal with his illness. There is nothing more we can do.

Deborah, Sid: He doesn't think anyone understands his unique situation and won't go to any Narc-Anon. It's so sad too, that he won't do these things. What ever suggestions we come up with, he finds excuses not to do them.:( Thank you for the hugs and wonderful suggestions. I will pass it along, in hopes he will consider it.

I'm going to take your advice and do my favorite workouts. I love the Wedding VHS, and Rhythmic Step, I absolutely love the Meso 3 workouts, but, I think I will stay with cardio for now. I stopped the posting for a little while and did jump rope for about 10 min. Thanks for the tip. It did feel good.

Today, though our little Molly isn't feeling well at all, and I'm keeping an eye on her. Called the Vet and they said there isn't anymore I can do for her, (except maybe fluids under the skin, that I can do at home. I don't want her to have needles in her.) and when the time comes I will know. I asked them if they think (since she is throwing up most of what she eats) if she feels nausea, and they said yes, she probably is. I also asked when I feel the time for Molly to come in (to go to sleep), if I can come without an appt. and they said yes. She really is going down hill. She usually wants to sit on my lap a lot, but now she is on the couch by herself sleeping. I mostly don't want her to suffer, but I also don't want her to go too soon either. This really sucks!:(

Shoegal, Thank you for the hugs, I can feel your concern. You all are such good friends. Hope you get done with your decorations on time. I have a feeling you will. Enjoy!

Deborah, I'm going to have to purchase these TRX devices and the DVD's that come along with them. I looked them up on the internet, whoo, expensive, but maybe later during the year, I can get a good deal on them. They are awesome, especially for traveling.

You did a great job on your workouts. You are just like the energizer bunny, you keep going, and going, and going...LOL:D

I really have found a unique/special group of people here. You all are inspiring, helpful, concerned and fantastic people. So glad/proud that I know you. (I want to say more, but then it would sound gushy:rolleyes:)

Gushy in the way Joey and I talk to one another sometimes. "Poopsie, My Oppsie Woopsie, Lovey Dovey, Honey Bunny"...I don't think you want to hear all that. LOL:eek: Now I'm being silly.:p

Janie
 
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Loooonnnnngggggg day!!:confused: With lots of stressful driving in a snow storm on windy mountain roads! I had to go to Boulder to work with some clients and run a few errands and then drive all the way to Mid-Gilpin County where I teach my Pilates class. And of course the conditions were terrible! I ran out of time to finish my errands but luckily my DH has to go down tomorrow to meet up with a jeweler to pick up my present!:eek: So he can run the few errands I had to drop.:eek: He and the girls went skiing today and are also going to go in the morning! I really want to join them ( I feel like I am missing the fun!) But I have a ton of cooking to do for the Christmas Eve dinner and I know if I go it will eat up at least half the day and I will get all stressed out about all I have to do for the evening. Once Bo goes to Boulder it will be hard to get everything done and have the girls....plus (trying to see the bright side) I do really enjoy cooking when I can do it uninterrupted and just focus on that. I am a miserable cook if people are constantly interrupting me for this or that. It really messes me up and then I get all stressed out.

I managed to squeeze in the P90X Back and Biceps and Ap Shredder! Almost done now! I went up in weights on the biceps doing most of them with 15lbs. I am feeling them now...

Shadowpup: that TRX does sound interesting. I will have to keep it mind when I am ready for something new. Your decorations sound high-tech indeed!

Shoegal: so what do think so far of Shock Cardio. Mine is supposed to arrive tomorrow, but who knows with this storm. I am not quite ready for it anyway so it is ok if I don't get it for a few more days.....Yep those land-mines are everywhere! I fell prey to them once again this evening at the Rec Center. GO figure that the fitness center would be the most booby trapped place of all??? Once again just two pieces of this and that.....but we all know they add up fast!

Janie: It is so frustrating that sometimes the people who need the most help are unwilling to receive it. At least he has you guys in his life...I hope you Molly is feeling better. It is so hard with our pets when they are sick or ready to leave us. They are such a source of joy in our lives and it is very hard to see them in pain. I hope that the transition is peaceful for her. You have given her a wonderful life full of love and joy. I hope she gets to spend a nice Christmas with you and Joey! Hang in there and we love you to!!

Hi Michelle! How is Shock Cardio??
 
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I was wondering if you guys could help me out with figuring out my workouts considering my schedule. I have been waiting to see what rotation Cathe puts up for STS/Shock Cardio but the reality is that I won't be able to do it considering my schedule. I am planning on doing the 6 1/2 month STS rotation staring Jan. 12th. The reality is that I am not willing to give up my winter sports (which I am not doing nearly enough of so far and I only have until April for them) My mom will be in Boulder for most of Jan-March so that frees me up to ski on Wed.

Here is a run down of my basic (crazy) schedule

Monday: 2 pilates classes and a weight lifting class
Tuesday: Pilates class and STS Chest, Shoulders & Biceps
Wed: Ski and Pilates class
Thursday: Pilates Class and STS Back & Biceps
Friday: I am in Boulder can possibly do some form of outdoor/indoor cardio
Saturday: STS Legs + Ab circuit
Sunday: Rest or Stretch

So do you guys see any where I can add in the Shock Cardio (realistically??) I guess I could do a HIit on tues and/or thursday or Saturday but don't want to wear my legs out for the following day of skiing. I do think I should keep one day of rest/stretch in on most weeks to avoid the possibility of overtraining. I will probably ski one day each week end with the family as well. I am trying to find places to put in more cardio as I am not getting nearly enough in as it is...

ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED!
 
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Molly woke me up around 4:00 am today. She was throwing up and having diarrhea. This is not going to get any better. Joey and I decided to take Molly to the vet today so she doesn't have to suffer anymore.

I can't go to sleep, so decided to post this before I couldn't. I'm assuming this is not going to be a good day. I have to be doing the right thing, her quality of life is not so good and will only get worse. She's losing weight and can't keep food down. It's not fair to my little Molly to hang on for my sake. I have to let go, but I don't know if she is ready. Can't see it in her eyes, only know I don't want her to suffer.

Laura, After Christmas you will have enough time to join in the fun. Try not to worry about it until then. Congratulations on increasing your weight on biceps. Well done!

Monday: 2 pilates classes and a weight lifting class
Tuesday: Pilates class and STS Chest, Shoulders & Biceps
Wed: Ski and Pilates class
Thursday: Pilates Class and STS Back & Biceps
Friday: I am in Boulder can possibly do some form of outdoor/indoor cardio
Saturday: STS Legs + Ab circuit
Sunday: Rest or Stretch

If I were you, the two days I would change is Monday: 2 pilates classes and one of the Shock Cardios. I'm assuming you teach instead of do the weight lifting class? If you do the weight lifting class, then, I really don't know when you'd do the Shock Cardio on that day.

The other day would be in Boulder on Friday: Add another Shock Cardio here. That's if you can get a DVD player or download it to MP3 and do it that way.

Realistically I don't see any other way to do it. You are right on for doing weight lifting every other day, and cardio in-between with at least one rest day during the week.

Hope this helps. Maybe the rest of the group can see something better.

Take care all, I'll try to post later.:(

Janie
 
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MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!!! Merry Christmas everyone - I wanted to get that in - I probably won't post on Christmas but I hope all of you have a wonderful day!!!

Well - my stuff is NOT done - all of my careful preparations and I truly suck at focusing. I have made some decisions though - 1.) I will never aspire to get my decorating before a certain time - I now know that I am incapable - and I should just accept that I'll be decorating until Christmas Eve every year. To be fair - no one ever really gets done - there is always something more you could do. So I am content. 2.) I decided that my pencil tree (which truly is a major pain to put lights on) doesn't need lights. I think that would help alot. Lights do help to hide a bad decorating job - so you have to be more careful with every other part of it - but wrapping lights takes sooooo many lights and so much time that I dread doing it - and in the end it prevents me from getting it done. Plus I really like how a tree looks without the lights. 3.) Next year I will do "Clare" (that is what I named my pencil tree) first. I really beleive that will help alot. But Merry Christmas - I hope everyone enjoys themselves with or without tons of decorations, or a fancy meal or lots of presents - that is just gravy - a wonderful day with family & friends (even the furry kind) or just that one special person - that is what this time of year is about. So I'm thankful too - for all of you.

Shadowpup - you know, we have spiral stairs too!!! And - we have indeed put lights on them in the past - but never once did I sit back and admire it as a double helix!!! And your Christmas tree is a DNA strand!! I find that absolutely brilliant - just something that fits your home!!! Glad you are enjoying that.

Laura - I think your Christmas is probably the most fun - having young girls at home. I told my DH yesterday that I think planning a holiday for children would be way too much fun. Seeing their excitment would truly be a thrill and I'd love to put together little traditions and a special day that they will remember all of their lives. Enjoy yourself. Yes - your schedule looks packed - I'm just thinking that since most of Shock Cardio is relatively short - perhaps getting up early do do a 20 minute something wouldn't be that bad - on the in between days - it would be over before you know it. That is purely a suggestion - I know you probably don't get enough sleep as it is - and I wouldn't worry so much about it - I think that you ought to enjoy as much of the snow as you can - that is good cardio there.

Janie - I am so very sorry (((HUGS))) - it is never easy to lose our pets - they are a part of us and our children. I believe that since you were Molly's mother - you knew inside when the right time was for her - and being her mother - you did the hard thing and you were with her to the end. She knows that - and loves you for it. I'm sorry it had to happen now. What a blessing it must have been to have her in your life - a blessing for her too to have had you. I always find comfort in the fact that you did whatever you could to give her a wondeful life. I'm glad that you and Joey are all gushy with each other - you fit one another so well. We all love you here - and are very thankful you got us together.

Michelle - I know you are probably doing a super good job getting the workouts in and watching what you eat - it does make you feel good to take good care of yourself. Well, it makes me feel good - which I haven't been doing lately but frankly, I haven't ever really stopped exercising in years. If there is a week or a stretch of days where life gets in the way - I always know I'll come back to it - it is ingrained in my head and I can't ever let it go. Always in the back of my mind - I've got to exercise, I've got to exercise, I've got to exercise!!! I know you are probably the same way. Getting new workouts helps to keep up the excitement. Hope you enjoy your Christmas.

Alright - there is still so much to do - and I'm going to get it done. Merry Christmas everyone.:D
 
ladubose said:
I was wondering if you guys could help me out with figuring out my workouts considering my schedule. I have been waiting to see what rotation Cathe puts up for STS/Shock Cardio but the reality is that I won't be able to do it considering my schedule. I am planning on doing the 6 1/2 month STS rotation staring Jan. 12th. The reality is that I am not willing to give up my winter sports (which I am not doing nearly enough of so far and I only have until April for them) My mom will be in Boulder for most of Jan-March so that frees me up to ski on Wed.

Here is a run down of my basic (crazy) schedule

Monday: 2 pilates classes and a weight lifting class
Tuesday: Pilates class and STS Chest, Shoulders & Biceps
Wed: Ski and Pilates class
Thursday: Pilates Class and STS Back & Biceps
Friday: I am in Boulder can possibly do some form of outdoor/indoor cardio
Saturday: STS Legs + Ab circuit
Sunday: Rest or Stretch

So do you guys see any where I can add in the Shock Cardio (realistically??) I guess I could do a HIit on tues and/or thursday or Saturday but don't want to wear my legs out for the following day of skiing. I do think I should keep one day of rest/stretch in on most weeks to avoid the possibility of overtraining. I will probably ski one day each week end with the family as well. I am trying to find places to put in more cardio as I am not getting nearly enough in as it is...

ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED!
Click to expand...

Laura, happy to help brainstorm ... a few questions. Are you open to changing the order of the series? I found that some of the workouts could be done 'next to' each other, and that often with my travel schedule it made sense to do Legs first and the other two back to back. That's still three days of heavy weights a week, and each part was rested 48 hours before being strained again. Do you think you could plan on a ten day schedule? That would allow for slightly longer recovery time, to accomodate the skiing and extra weight day you have from classes. And, which days do you think you'll ski? One of the weekend, or will Sunday truly be a day off ... ?
 
janiejoey said:
Molly woke me up around 4:00 am today. She was throwing up and having diarrhea. This is not going to get any better. Joey and I decided to take Molly to the vet today so she doesn't have to suffer anymore.

I can't go to sleep, so decided to post this before I couldn't. I'm assuming this is not going to be a good day. I have to be doing the right thing, her quality of life is not so good and will only get worse. She's losing weight and can't keep food down. It's not fair to my little Molly to hang on for my sake. I have to let go, but I don't know if she is ready. Can't see it in her eyes, only know I don't want her to suffer.
Click to expand...

Janie, I'm so very sorry. This is the other half of the promise we make to our furry children, that we will love them enough to let them go, when it is their time. Our little brave ones often choose to stay longer for our sake than for their own. You have a heart that sees clearly: trust yourself to decide if Molly's time is today. And do not blame yourself for doing the right thing, or for grieving afterwards.

And when it is my own time to go, I cannot ask for a better way than if it could be gently, and surrounded by those who love me. Remind yourself that you are giving her that same great and final gift when you say goodbye. I will be thinking of you both today.
 
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Oh you guys, you are going to think we are crazy people. Joey is not ready for Molly to go yet. He wants her to have her last Christmas with us. Also, he thinks everyone in the family that will be here, will want to say their goodbyes to her. They love her too, and that does make sense.

She just ate a little food just now, I'm expecting throw up later today or tonight. But, we will have her at least for a couple more days. When it came down to the wire, we just couldn't do it yet. Joey says, she may be a little not like herself, but he doesn't see her suffering. I see her suffering from throwing up and nausea, but perhaps she'd also like to say goodbye to the kids.

This crazy person will be back to post after Christmas.

Enjoy your wonderful planned Holidays, you all worked so hard to get there.

Janie
 
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