Pentagenarians & Beyond: W/B 10/29

Deb, the mouse thing was new to us. they eat plastic coating on wiring but plenty of plastic they haven't touched. we park our truck outside spring to early fall. we never had problems with mice until they got into the truck engine. they chewed insulation mainly but the windshield washer bucket was the strangest. there was windshield washer solution inside, not exactly enticing. large white plastic tub buried deep inside the engine compartment. the dealer seemed to have seen this before. I've read about it several times since. they did the chewing while truck was outside. Got into the cab chewing under the dash and chewed on Kleenex to make a nest. :( I have no clue how widespread this might be but the damage can be done before you know it. you can buy capsaicin products to coat chew targets. CR did a short report on this recently, so there is some comfort knowing we aren't the only ones this has happened to. I will post a link if it's available. it's scary because who knows what might get chewed endangering safety.

ETA here is the link to the CR report on rodents chewing on your car parts.
https://www.consumerreports.org/car-maintenance/how-to-protect-your-car-from-rodents/

Deb DH has 2 more years to go before medicare. he is 63 this month.

diane sue, it is not the medicare supplement that is the issue. All the fuss over the ACA has scared off insurers . not much available for people who are retired but not old enough for medicare. they could not repeal the ACA so trying to make it fail and reverse all progress on getting everyone insured. there are companies that research and get people signed up for insurance that fit them, but yesterday was the first sign up day and everyone was totally slammed. He's been on private insurance the last few years but those policies have disappeared. medicare runs smoothly, no complaints. I can't blame insurance companies considering the unrest the current administration has caused in the marketplace. We should have universal coverage. period. we are a rich country not a banana republic.

I was OK with Ramped upper body although I backed down a little on weight from the last time I did it. I've been doing high reps for upper body. no heavy weights there so I didn't want to overdo. I feel a little achy in a few spots but nothing bad. I thought about kickboxing but decided against because of bending, kicking moves. my wound looks good but I will stick to treadmill/elliptical to be sure. I am getting decent workouts during my "no exercise" 2 weeks.
 
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Today I did KCM’s Total Body Kickboxing, workouts one and two. I forgot to start the Fitbit until I was beginning the second workout. I did not use the weights in workout two, I just wanted the cardio. After I finished I was able to edit the workout time to get correct data. My workout time was 51 minutes with 340 calories burned. Average heart rate was 126 and maximum heart rate 145.

The disc problem is not my player, it’s the STS discs. I was previewing them before I started the program and some would not play. I cleaned them all carefully and have had only a few problems. It looks like some kind of residue from the plastic case is on the discs. I can see the spots and sometimes fingerprints on the discs that have never been used. The discs in front and back of the are in perfect condition, but those in the middle have the spots on them.

Valerie, I have seen several reports on the local news over the last year about rodents eating the soy wiring in certain vehicles. One family had $2600.00 worth of damage that the dealer would not pay for. They said it was not a warranty issue. I hope that your husband is able to find health insurance.

Diane Sue, Total Body Kickboxing was fine, but my preference is for more lower body moves also. I like a good balance of boxing and kicking.

Lori, thanks for the heads up about SB’s price increase. I saw something about it on another forum. I need to decide if I will use it enough to justify the cost. Although, now that I will have the Jumpsport it might be worth considering.

Judy, you are inspiring me to want to do a spinning workout. Like Lori, I was thinking about it and Diane Sue’s pictures brought it to mind again. I want to work it in soon.

Deb, my thoughts are with you and your friend.
 
Today I did Kelly Coffey Cardio Blast both workouts athletic step and plyometric together, 51 minutes, 366 calories, average heart rate 140, max 178, 4,501 steps., 366 calories. I then did Kelly's Slim Sculpting mix core and abs, 32 minutes, 15# kettlebell throughout, heart rate 11 average, 149 max, 141 calories, 539 steps. This is a favorite core ab workout of mine, balance and use of weights :) Total time 83 minutes, 507 calories. I added the 7 minute ball stretch from Barre Amped stretch and strength and did not bother to count it.

Valerie, I will have to go look at that CR report. That could be a really bad situation since vehicles perform with a lot of that wiring. That is odd about the windshield washer container. You really are doing well with your workouts while healing :) I have my thoughts on the insurance situation. I think medical costs have gotten way out of hand. I know there is a much shorter time frame to get signed up this year which should have been planned out better. As Medicare you start several months ahead of time to get signed on. When it is a mass of people all at once it seems like it would be impossible. The problem with everyone having insurance provided brings about other issues. They should be citizens, not outsiders. We waste dollars where they should not be wasted. Also I sat with dh and the retired officers meeting when they had a couple of different insurance handlers explaining things and the City's person talking. A lot of costs could be brought down if people knew how to keep their own costs down. Some research etc.. Not going to the doctor for basic cold viruses and things that can be treated at home. Our City opened a clinic for employees and retirees where they can get a lot of the basics like physicals, standard blood work, immunizations, mammograms done, with no cost and are trying to get the employees to use this and the doctor's for other care. It saves money. I really wish they would get it right. And you are right, it feels like the retired community is taking the brunt of a lot of this. When a huge chunk of the retirement check is going for insurance it shrinks what many have to live on. It makes me sad when I see our elderly working in fast food places and buying crappy cheap food at the grocery store because there they are limited on funds.

Carolyn, I have found that some of Kelly's older cardio workouts had music that I liked a lot better on them. I am bit funny about the music making a workout more fun. I will try the lower body segment as an add on to something else from Total Body Kickbox soon. That is odd about your STS discs. Mine seem to keep working even though they are in the cases. I will have to go look at them. Plastics do have a tendency to deteriorate. I wonder if that is part of the problem. I have some plastic cutting mats that I got 10 years ago from Avon. I use them to roll out cookie dough and cut it. Recently the colored edges showing whether the particular one was for meats, veggies, etc.. started coming off on my fingers and counter top. Sort of like latex turns gummy.
 
Diane sue I posted a link to the mouse chewing business in my above post. I added it after I first posted this morning. there is quite a bit of info in it. your car issues made me think of the mouse chewing we had in our truck last year. we've had trouble with mice getting into our truck and cars before, but they are from parking at campgrounds or trailheads where there are a lot of well acclimated mice.
 
Good evening ladies,

This morning was cardio of choice so I did a couple of SB bounces. Her newest one looked simple with a nice bounce but boy the barre moves on this one really worked my glutes. Love when this is unexpected! I followed up with another bounce workout for a total for 40 mins this morning. Tonight was a couple of bellicon health bounces. I call them health bounces because they are really a nice casual bounce and I do not use any weights. Was 37 mins and still was 232 cal. So a nice little workout to get the lymphatic system pumping!

In my little room I have some knitted and crochet afghans that my mom made for me years ago. She has been gone now for 23 years so they are very special to me. The cream one on the jumpsport she made me in the early 80’s. Glad being so young I had the sense to care for it. I treasure it now.

Deb...nope...that TV will stay where it is. We have a large 120 inch projection screen I may set up. Thinking though I may paint the wall and use special cinema screen paint in stead of using the screen. You can buy the paint at home depot so it is readily available. It won’t be that difficult and will look really cool. We may just put the screen up to see how we like it then decide to,paint or not. Very nice your friend has you. Awesome your company offers insurance for you even though at a pretty penny.

Carolyn....I did that exact same thing this morning!!! Half way through I looked to see what my HR was and realized I never hit start! I have done this before and hate when I do this. I plan to spin this weekend so will get 2 workouts in this week. Well that stinks about the dvd’s. Any chance you can reach out to Cathe’s customer service? When does your Jumpsport arrive?

Diane Sue...I never really paid that much to the music until I started with BBS. I find upbeat music is necessary for her dance workouts. Then after this I started noticing music in every workout that I do. I think Kelly looks great. I follow her on FB and she mentioned she had some professional pictures taken recently and posts them every now and then. I think for this box set she is realeasing. She looks amazing.

Judy....been ages since I have done All out low impact. I remember loving this one.

Valerie...I do mostly High Reps now a days and really enjoy it. Surprisingly when I did the FT Total Body I was still lifing some good weight. More than when I anticipated. Couple of times I grabbed lighter then immediatly knew I could go heavier. Hope you husband get his insurance worked out. It is so expensive.

Have a great night all!
 
Valerie, thanks for the article. I have been parking my car outside in the driveway since we got the motorcycle a few months ago. We do have a lot of squirrels. If there were rodents though it seems that would be obvious when they look under the hood. How did you know when it was mice? The nest? I don't look under my hood, so I doubt I would notice anything. It seems like a lot for someone to have to get into things and wrap wiring with that special tape. It seems like that would not last for a real long time. My daughter's husbands parents had to spend thousands to replace wiring in their attic because squirrels chewed it up. I see all kinds of suggestions on the discussions under the article.

Lori, I have afghans my mother made, my grandmother made, and my husbands mother made. Also a quilt that my other grandmother made. I finally passed the quilt to my one daughter who loved it. She requested using it whenever she was sick. When she was pregnant and was having morning sickness she would come over to our house and lie down with the blanket. My girls came for Mom when they weren't feeling well, Anyway I passed the quilt on to my daughter. She has a quilt rack she keeps it hanging over. My grandmother and mothers afghans are both starting to ravel. I need to find a way to fix them. I know how to crochet and knit. I think if I got out a hook I could pull some of those loose ends up and tie them off. I put them up because I was afraid of it getting worse. My grandmother that made the quilt taught me to crochet and I taught her to knit when I was a teenager. I would go sit with her and listen to her stories about growing up :)
 
Good morning,

No workout yesterday...

Diane Sue, I have not read much on the new workouts, I should go over to that thread, and check out the FB page etc. I would have to admit that of all the cardio out there, KB is probably my least favorite one to do. Those are such nice memories about your grandmother.

Valerie, thanks for the link....that is so weird...I like the tape idea that they had, but how do you know where to put it?

Carolyn, good workout! That is too bad about those STS discs..Good that you could get them to play.

Lori, so nice that you have saved those mementos from your Mom. I still have a lot of my Mom's kitchen stuff and still use it today! I agree about music and a workout. It can really make a difference in how you feel about even doing the workout.

Hi to Judy,

Any plans for the weekend?

Take care,
 
Lori, i forgot to mention how great Kelly looks. I also follow her on facebook. She is inspiring.

Deb, so far no plans for the weekend. I kind of go through phases on which type of workout I am loving. I used to hate floor cardio, but it has grown on me. Partially because with floor cardio I dont have to get out a lot of equipment and also it is easier to work around and play with Gertie at the same time. With the step she wants to bring her toy and lay by the step. With the rebounder she wants to place the toy on it. I still favor step though.
 
Carolyn I think Cathe’s customer service people would replace those disks at no cost .

We tried a few things that supposedly repelled mice. We set a lot of traps in the truck and garage until we stopped catching mice, then moved the truck inside. Did not get many but it only takes a few to cause a lot of damage. The capsaicin tape must be a more recent product. would be impossible to tape all wiring in a vehicle. If mice were chewing on one part, maybe you could tape it. I’d work on killing the mice involved . They can get in thru the tiniest opening so not possible to block or tape everything. we used snap traps and sticky traps.
I remembered something else they chewed..the rubber seal at the bottom of the garage door. we replaced it with a double layer. it stopped as suddenly as it started, and there was nothing enticing inside the garage to attract them.
last winter the problem moved to our deck where they ate the bottom out of the compost bin and the jug of Alaska fish fertilizer. The problem came and went by itself . It happened while we were on vacation. We thought that might have been a possum or raccoon. never caught anything. I set a big live trap for several weeks but no luck. nothing going on so far this year.

Did 20 on elliptical, abs from high reps and pushups. Light day .

DH decided on insurance. Awful process. Maybe he makes it worse than it needs to be. mainly catastrophic coverage. Preventive care makes more sense but will see how this year works.

I'm neutral on music unless it's annoying. I notice if I don't like it! Ramped upper body sounds awful to me, and it's too loud. I wrote a note on top of the worksheet to go to vocals only so I don't forget and have to stop and turn it off part way thru. its a change I notice most. on older disks, cathe's voice is not overwhelmed by the music, but on newer ones she is drowned out. a reason I decided not to get this new series. I run all on the same player so the people doing the sound mixing have changed the balance.
 
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This morning I did Kelly Coffey Step Boxing both workouts combine, 59 minutes, 379 calories, heart rate average 130, max 155, 5,600 steps. I thn did 21 Day Fix Extreme Yoga, 31 minutes, 86 calories, 130 steps. Total time was 90 minutes, 465 calories.

Valerie, traps makes more sense. A person could never hit every wire in the car with something. You would cove one area and they would go for another. I think sometimes we make things more difficult than it needs to be. It took me a bit of research to understand the whole medicare process. My aunt who drives the RV around is in her 80s and she just uses the basic medicare. She said she had Part D for awhile and cancelled it. She does not take medicines. She says it was a waste of money because she had to buy one prescription in a year that for an eye prescription which was way less than paying for a Part D supplement. I think she has some decent money put away from the sale of a large parcel of land that she had in Washington. She still has land, gardens, and her bees.
 
Today was D 23 Shoulders, Biceps, and Triceps. My workout time was 1 hour 17 minutes with 300 calories burned. Average heart rate was 110 and maximum heart rate 142. This disc worked okay for the most part. There was one small blip but it didn’t interrupt my workout.

Lori, the SB dvd arrived today. Thanks so much! I’m not sure when the Jumpsport will arrive. The estimated delivery date is the 6th, but when I check the tracking it doesn’t show that it’s in transit. Sometimes the tracking information is not correct. I expect it to arrive Monday or Tuesday.

Diane Sue, I had two quilts that my grandmother made. My youngest always loved them and she took one with her when she moved.

Valerie, I made a list of all the dvds that have problems, but I can’t find it now. I will probably recreate it if I decide to contact Cathe customer service. I like to have specific details for calls like that.

Hello to Deb and Judy.
 
Carolyn, glad the dvd arrived. I received a text notification that the new BBS Bounce dvd was delivered today. Call me odd but I am so excited to get home! Lol!!!
 
Carolyn, I find quite often that tracking is off on things. Sometimes I just see shipped or preparing and it shows up.

Lori, so Suzanne Bowen has the new Bounce workout out? It's on dvd right? Let me know how it is. I might like to pick that one up. I get excited over new workouts too. I want to do them asap :)
 
Good evening ladies, this morning was a rest day. I had an early morning doctors appt.

I love having things around from my mom and grandmother. Hoping some day my son would love them too. My mom collected hummels and she had a few plus all 25 of the hummel anniversary plates. I have them hanging throughout the house. I recently read somewhere that Millennials are not interested in heirlooms. This makes me so sad and hoping this is not the case. Today is the anniversary of my dad's passing. 52 years. He was a young man when he passed at 33 years old.

Diane Sue...no not Suzanne. Body by Simone's new bounce DVD. I just converted to digital and will review in a few minutes. I never understood why I get so excited for new workouts! Always have been like this.

Valerie...I was always neutral on music until recently. I hate that it stands out now. I liked it before when I really did not notice. Glad your husband settled on the insurance. Such a terrible process indeed. We are just started with open enrollment now. Ugh.

Have a great night all. Hi to Carolyn, Deb and Judy!
 
Lori, I don't think all millinials will be that way. My husband and I both have things collected from historical events, travels and our parents and grandparents. I hope that my grandchildren will appreciate at least some of it. My mother and grandmother collected the old carnival glass in blue. I gave it all to my daughter who keeps it in her china cabinet. We used the candle stick holders for lighting candles at her wedding since her color was blue for the wedding flowers and brides maids. I saw a Body by Simone trampoline workout on Amazon. Does she have more than one? Your Dad did die young. My Mother passed away 26 years ago. She was young too. 30 years ago my youngest daughter was 8 years old and went and spent time with my mother through most of a summer. It was a close time for her and quite a memory. That was not long after my mother was diagnosed with als. She treasures things of my mothers that she has.
 
Good morning,

I spent some of the day on the phone with the retiree health care people for my 2018 coverage. I only need 3 months, then I will be signed up for Medicare.

Valerie, I feel for your husband...I hope he can find a state exchange that is not too expensive. There are so many choices, it gets very confusing. I have 2 choices, stay with the company provided group plan, which is going to be double the cost next year, or go to one of the NY state exchanges. Just going through the choices is so overwhelming. I can't believe those mice you had! Wow, they really were focused on eating anything they could!

Diane Sue, yes, Kelly does look great. I never was too fond of floor cardio either, until Cathe did the recent series with low impact shorter workouts. Your aunt sounds amazing! She does remind me of Ivy! :). That is great that your daughter treasures time spent with her grandmother. Your grandchildren will have great memories too.

Lori, you are not odd...just happy to get a new workout! How old was your Dad when he passed? 52 years...wow....my Mom has been gone for 43 years now. She was 47. I think that Millennials will not be as attached to things as we are. Just think about pictures....I have boxes of family pictures that came from my Mom and family.......relatives and friends of her Mom & Dads etc. Where will all these pictures that are taken on phones be years from now? Will anyone want. or be able to look at them? Pictures are not as meaningful now...my friend has over 1000 pictures on her phone.

Hi to Carolyn & Judy.

Agility class today, then I need to get the flower pots emptied etc before the snow flies!

Take care,
 
Hi Everyone,

Thursday I did Hard Strikes, then To The Mat (Bands & Floor Only Premix). Yesterday I did Tabatasize Premix 2( the first 2 tabatas with Core 2 added at the end),then Burn Sets Shoulders, Triceps, and Biceps. This morning I did Jessica Smith's Dynamic Stretch, which is a 30 minute stretch from her Walk On series. I liked the stretch. It was a combination of stretching with some yoga poses mixed in.
Today we will be going to Ann Arbor for a stamp show and will probably do some shopping there too.

Deb-I agree, photos don't seem to mean as much now that we have phones that can take and store so many. It used to be a big deal to take photos, have them developed, then physically hand them out or show them to people. I also have boxes of photos from my Mom and Dad.

Lori-Your Dad was so young when he passed :( My Dad passed away in 1992 and my Mom passed in 2007. It is sad that Millennials aren't as interested in heirlooms. I hope that isn't true for all, but it's probably true for many.

Diane Sue-I agree, Kelly does look amazing. She is inspiring!

Hi to Carolyn & Valerie!

Judy
 
Deb, my husband and I love phots. We have his families albums and mine. We put the digital ones all on external drives, share pictures with family. My husband set up a private facebook page for our family to share. Also one for his relatives. Some were thrilled, as he has lots of old pictures of his aunts and uncles and cousins. He recently put a lot on a thumb drive and sentbone to a cousin who had none and one to a cousin who lost her pictures in the Texas hurricane. So, I guess there are advantages. Nice when you want to print up a special picture or make a birthday card collage. But, if you lose those pictures on you devices you are out inless others have them.

Judy, when we started having the phones for pictures and digital cameras I tried downloading and printing and putting in albums. I soon realized I was taking way more pictures than with film. I still have boxes of those pictures.
You had a great workout yesterday. I always feel those firstvtwo tabatas feel extremely difficult and then they feel easier. I guess because by then the body is warmed up and ready.
 
Deb DH decided on a plan, not happily. with a $7000 deductible, it makes everything out of pocket. the even more expensive plans didn't drop the deductible much. mainly, he wanted to stay with most of the providers he has seen in the past.
Yes, we had some strange aggressive mice. when they start eating "non food" things, like the seal at the bottom of the garage door, you are at a loss as to what to protect. No problems so far this year.

I did 15 on the elliptical. and High reps upper body yesterday. almost done with the restrictions...5 more days.

I am not big on heirlooms myself. I agree though, the upcoming generations are even more disconnected. My aunt saved gold edged bone china for me. I had no interest in it at all. why did anyone want dishes that didn't go in the dishwasher? I HATE washing dishes. and took up all that storage space to use a few times a year. my mother had hummels and lots of 'knick knacks". my brother might have thrown them away. I've seen the same set of fancy dishes my mother had for almost nothing at a senior center resale shop near here. same way with glassware. Jewelry used to be more important too, but with my metal sensitivity, I can't wear any. I have one necklace from my mother that I keep in a safe dep box.
I moved away not long after college with what fit into the trunk of a Camaro. I have a few pieces of expensive cut glass that I got years later, but my brother ( the hoarder) has whatever else is left, and it's buried inside the house somewhere.
DH and I have tons of pictures from early on. I have a niece I will pass things to when I get old enough, but I am assuming she may not want all of it. (I am not close to my brother, sister, or their children). I have a big album with pictures of grandparents, great grands, all kinds of family long deceased and when I move on, I assume it will all end up in the trash. Sad in a way, but we never were a close family, and the connections disintegrated quickly when I moved away.
My mother is still alive and will be 98. my father passed don't remember exactly when, maybe 1985.
Lori , Deb, Diane sue it would be hard to lose parents so young.
Lori I agree, I liked music as background. newer songs all sound very much the same to me. but it is mainly the volume that bothers me. there are several now that I write 'vocals only" on top of the worksheet so I can avoid stopping part way thru when I can't stand it anymore. music with spinning is more important than with other workouts IMO.
 
Today I did two pre-mixes from Kelly Coffey's Slim Sculpting. I started with Upper with swings, 44 minutes, heart rate average 116, max 160, 237 calories, 1,214 steps. I then did the Lower mix without the swings and skipped the warm up and stretch, 26 minutes, 142 calories, heart rate average 117, max 158. I finished off with Suzanne Bowen Barre Amped Power Stretch , 22 minutes, 49 calories. Workout was 92 minutes, 428 calories burned.
Upper timed
kettlebell swings 4 sets 15# , 15#, 20#, 25#
Rock curl press 20# right 20# left 2 sets alternating right left 20#
overhead triceps extension 2 sets 25# , 2 sets from chest to extensions 25#
Rows right 31.5# left 31.5# repeat right and left
figure 8 swing 25# 4 sets alternating starting side
planks balance on kettle bell(same as on the core abs) 4 sets timed
single swings 4 sets 25# kettlebell
cardio jacks kettlebell press 15# 4 sets
rack press rack 20# right then left , 15# right then left
alternating swings 20#, 20#, 25,#, 25#
Lower body
Goblet squats 256# 1 set, 31.5# 3 sets
cardio scissors 4 squat oout 15# kettlebell 4 sets
airplane kettlebell 4 sets 15# kettlebell
push press lunge 4 sets right then left 20#
side lunge push off 20# 4 sets
side lean leg left 20# 4 sets
tactile lunge 25# 4 sets

Valerie, I hope that you continue to be free from the mice problem. Insurance deductibles are terrible. We rarely meet the deductable. My husband has a cyst in his hand we need to deal with, but this is not the time of year to do that because then there would be the possibility of it taking longer and we would end up using a deductible this year and starting on one after the first of the year. It usually came out with me paying out of pocket for my physicals and mammograms every year because of the deductible. So, I feel I am just forking out monthly payments for someone else' medical problems. But, then there is always the chance that something will come up. You never know. My daughter has beautiful china that her in laws bought them. She started out using them for special family dinners and they required hand washing. She finally followed suit with the rest of us and Chinet paper plates and utensils became the norm. That way we can play games and enjoy the visit rather than the clean up. I do still use dishes that can be put in the dishwasher for family dinners. Holidays are still paper plates though.
 
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