Pentagenarians & Beyond: W/B 12/18

Good morning,

Yesterday I did Strong & Sweaty Ramped Up Upper Body. This was a great workout. So far I have liked the 2 that I have done a lot. The mall wasn't that bad, just a couple of returns. We didn't shop at all.

Josie, good to hear from you. Hope all is going well.

Carolyn, good job on the workout! I thought Imax 2 was a very tough workout...I could never get the step routine in that one.

Valerie, hope you had a nice walk.

Diane Sue, good luck at the DR today. Your Christmas sounds nice. Well we went over to the "dark side" on Christmas Eve. My brother's Son-IL put a game on the big screen TV called QuipLash. There are teams and you use your phone to answer questions, vote etc. I was not in favor of it at first, but when I saw how much fun all the kids were having, from 6 year olds to the "adult" kids I had to cave and try it. Afterwards we did sing our traditional Twelve Days of Christmas where everyone is assigned a number and I was happy.

Lori, thanks for the info on Bootcamp...I didn't realize you use a body bar in that one...looking forward to it. That's great that your son is moving back and you figured out how to keep your workout area. :). Nice that your husband was home all those days.

Judy, so exciting to be painting and getting new furniture :). I bet the kitties liked their new toys and treats.

A workout, then maybe going to my cousins to help her get ready for the painter...yep..the same painter I had.

Have a good day!
 
Good morning everyone. We did our power walk yesterday at the park. About an hour. We should have done a run but DH didn't wear the right clothes thinking it might be icy. It wasn't. So next time. Some nice trails with some up and down to them. I did 35 on the treadmill later for another two miles

Previewed the phat workout. Uses a step for much of it. Looks very good. I heard some "undulation" in the music volume so it sounds like they fine tuned it to lower it when cathe says something. I will hear better when not running. treadmill is loud.
My new step is great. The old risers fit perfectly so I have as much height (or little )as I want. The new angle making risers function like regular risers so perfect and space saving.
 
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Today I did Flex Train before going out with my husband. It's been a long time since I had done it, but I enjoyed the workout very much. My daughter was determined to not be defeated by Afterburn, so she tried it again today. My other daughter then decided to try it too. They couldn't stop talking about what a great workout it was and how tough it was! They greeted me at the door with "oh my God--Cathe is wonderful". I think I have converted them!

Lori, my youngest moved back in after she finished her undergraduate degree. It was wonderful having her here for a while before she went off to Columbia for grad school.

Deb, IMAX 2 is one of my favorite step workouts. I was so proud when I could finally do the full workout.

Valerie, I'm glad that your new step is working out. I like having the extra risers to allow me to use the step as a weight bench.

Hi to Diane Sue, Judy, and Caitlin.
 
Today I did 30 minutes on the treadclimber, 1.5 miles an hour first 10 minutes graduating to 2.5 mph to the end. Fit Bit says 158 and the Tread Climber was 10 calories more. Not a remarkable difference. I watched the timesaver premix of Strong and Sweaty Bootcamp no upper. That would take some modifying. It is doable but it does have the compound segments in it that would have to be adjusted to just lower. Cathe shows cardio modifiers. It was right at the stretch segment when I was done on the Tread Climber. I have 5, 128 steps so far today. I generally do not have more than two in a whole day since surgery. I forgot to check where it was at before I began but guessing I got about 4000 with the Tread Climber. I have wondered how the Tread Climber would do with my Fit Bit. I went to the doctor this morning and I can do stuff that does not require arm movements that require pushing and pulling type movements. Even on the spin bike no grasping and tensing upper body muscles. I cannot vacuum. My husband said he would do it. I can sleep in the bed now but I need to keep my arms down to my sides. They said I could try a different bra since I am allergic to this one they gave me but with all kinds of specifications as to not push in and up and not too tight but some compression. Nothing that will flatten. That is a lot to look for in a bra.

Deb, I love the board games and getting away from all of the electronic devices. I do not think I would enjoy a game like that too much. When we have family Sunday Brunch the older boys always end up in a different room playing video games. Sometimes you hear the guitars and instruments playing while someone is waiting their turn. My grandson 16 is really into his musical instruments and has quite a collection. I think he is selling his ukulele though.

Lori, I know you will love having your son back at home. I do understand the regret of giving up your workout space. It will be nice when you get it arranged and you get used to it.

Judy, that will be so much fun redecorating the living room. It always makes things feel so new.
 
DH did the S&S spin workout this morning. He said the sound track varies so when cathe talks, it tones down volume, and then goes back up when she's done. I must not have been the only one who complained about her being drowned out on the ICE series!

Diane sue I have a couple of very nice maidenform bras with plastic front hooks. Mine are underwire. they are very comfortable and go on and off without a lot of contortions. something to think about ...although bras these days are an investment!

I printed up the S&S workouts this morning. I didn't want the whole 50 pages, just the full workout with all chapters. for Ice, I had printed the whole thing and ended up with a lot of paper I don't need. I see no need to print every premix etc.
 
Diane Sue, I bought two Moving Comfort front closure bras after my surgery. No underwire and they worked well.
 
Carolyn, that is nice that your daughters are loving Cathe's workouts.

Valerie, I have to choose one without wires. The problem with the investment now is that I may not be wearing it later as they say there is some swelling for up to 6 weeks. I tried on a sports bra that I used 8 years ago and I am not so sure that it doesn't compress a bit too much. It is a Moving Comfort Sports bra that has the straps that Velcro adjust in the front and back hook. I think it is made by Brooks. I also had purchased some old Playtex Cross Your Heart Bras to wear to sleep in that are supposed to lift and separate the last time. Those were not so comfortable. They don't want lift anyway. They said lifting opens up the pocket and the implant can move and turn. So, that is out. I was hoping not to spend a lot till I can be fitted properly. I think themost comfortable bra I have is a Wacol no wire bra that I spent 60 dollars for. I think I will just have to go out in search of something that I can try on or suffer the rash and itchiness for another month. I have been putting cortisone on the rash but it is not helping much. They said if I had any questions about a bra I could bring it to the office and they could check it out. That seems a bit awkward to me. Plus if it is not right I would have to run it back to the store. I may try some or all of the SS spin workout tomorrow.
 
it holds the girls in place without compression. I have a lot of sports bras but most are over the head styles, and are stretchy and compress. the maidenform is comfortable, no compression, and the front hook is nice. I can't hook the back ones and I imagine that is an issue for you until you heal up. the plastic hook avoids the metal I have problems with. this is jusr a 'regular" bra but I was thinking a front hook would be better for you while you heal.
 
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Good evening ladies...

Now workout this morning. First day back to work and I just needed to sleep in. Been up late the past couple of nights.

Deb...the kids left today so I really want to do the ramped up upper body in the morning. This looks like a great workout. Glad you liked it. She goes really heavy at times in this one. Not sure I will match her weight all the time but going to try. I needed to contact customer service about my downloads. I noticed some of them skipped a bit. Was odd. Customer service got right back to me with a new link. I redownloaded so hoping this solves the issue. They use a 20# barbell in the bootcamp so my body bar was perfect.

Valerie...I love my power walks when I take GiGi. I prefer this over running. Easier on my joints. Glad the music is better. I did read a few people were unhappy about the music so it wasn't just you!

Carolyn...we are looking forward to Nicholas coming home. :). Afterburn is really hard! Love that your daughters are impressed with Cathe. They must be impressed with mom too!

Diane Sue..great job on the tread climber. Hmmm I too wonder how the fit bit would be with it. My apple watch seems to capture my jump workouts. I agree with Valerie aboitbthe expense of bras. Crazy expensive! Make sense you would not want to invest for only short term use.

Judy...glad you liked cardio slam! It looked really great and getting good reviews. I love a fresh coat of paint and then new furniture on top! It will be beautiful when done.

Have a great night all!
 
Valerie, yes front hook is better. I used to have a zip front under armour sports bra that I wore all of the time. This bra they have me wearing is a long line one with a wide band that is causing the rash and it has about a dozen hooks up the front. It also has hooks on the shoulders which seemed odd but at first when I went in they used those to carefully pull it loose over the bandages so I guess they had their purpose.. I mostly wear the cami sports bras now because they are easier to get off and on over my shoulders or I can just pull them all the way down without pulling off over my head. That is because of the off and on shoulder issue and I also hate trying to squeeze out of a tight sports bra getting it over my head. The maiden form sounds nice but they said no wires. Maybe I could find something at Kohls.
The first week I wore my surgery bra and a zip front hoodie so I did not have to try to get something over my head.

Lorie, a couple of late nights can catch up with you, best to get some sleep. The doctor's assistant was telling me her husband got her an Apple watch for Christmas. She was talking to me about fitness and getting back into doing something.
 
Good morning,

Yesterday I did Strong & Sweaty Cardio Slam. I used the premix with the modification box....that was interesting. It helped a lot, but there were exercises that she didn't modify that I thought should have been. It's a pretty long workout and pretty intense. I could never do the workout without modifying.

Valerie, a power walk is probably better than a run...at least for the less impact. The new step sounds like a good deal all around.

Carolyn, funny that your daughters are now discovering Cathe....they probably are amazed that you have been doing these workouts for a while and how tough they are.

Diane Sue, great that you are able to do the Treadclimber! I can see how it would be really difficult to sleep with your arms at your side. How can you be sure you don't move them up while sleeping? I would probably just stay in the recliner. That bra sounds like a challenge too. The only good thing about that game with the phones is that you had to think quick, it was mentally challenging and everyone played together, not looking down at a screen playing a game alone on a phone etc. Basically the phone was used to type an answer, olds days we would be using pencil and paper...:). Hope you can find a bra that works....I am sure if you Google it there will be a ton of suggestions.

Lori, good to rest once in a while. Cathy Customer service is pretty good. They were really responsive when I cancelled my Live monthly subscription right on the payment date, so I didn;t have to pay an extra month. Great that you can match Cathe's weights! I usually go one or 2 DB's below. It Upper Body, I was waaay lower.

A workout, then going to my friend's to (finally!) finish watching the last season of Suits.

Take care,
 
Deb, I have previewed Cardio Slam in both formats. I too saw places that I would probably modify other moves. At least for awhile. I saw she does show modifications in Bpotcamp. They are not in a drop down box though. Just a brief demo . Sometimes she shows the modification after they have already started. It will take a few times to remember what they are to be able to do them from the beginning. I am glad that she has them though. Keeping the arms to the sides is a challenge even in the recliner. I find sleep a bit more difficult because I am trying to be conscientious of my movement and how I am laying. Last night I slept in the bed and dropped off to sleep immediately. I did my usual wake up a couple of hours later though. I forgot that I had read to roll obto the e idea and put your legs over to get up. I sat up quick and really felt it. Now I know whythey said no ab work. Another thing about the recliner is that it is easier to get in and out of. Ours is motorized so that is even better.
I have Google so many bras for my purpose. There are lots of forums out there and suggestions. I think I need to try them on. One of the Sports bras if fit right might be best at first because I could probably still use it later. A lot have mentioned the Under Armour zip front, Moving Comfort Fiona ( I have an old model wrong size, updated one some complaints) and anot her that is a longer one that zips seems to be the popular one even with some surgeons I think it is Bright Contours. A lot of women purchase that need a lot of support for fitness. They sell these on Amazon. I just wis with fitting the had cup sizes. They say use their chart and not Amazons and if you have the cc size of the implants you can call them and they will help. My only problem with it is that the model looks like she has large breasts squeezed into it. In fact if you type in breast augmentation on Amazon you get pretty much everything I have seen elsewhere, incling the Marena they gave me to wear.
 
Good morning,
Today I did a Step Blast timesaver workout. I need to work in a stretch later today. I had a successful week from a WW perspective--weight remained the same. That's what I had hoped.

Deb, my daughters are definitely surprised that I can do Cathe workouts. They knew that I have been doing them for years, but they never paid much attention to the content.

Diane Sue, that's a lot of requirements for a bra. I have seen the Marena brand. I hope you can find something that you can use later. We shopped online for bras yesterday and I was shocked by the prices.

Lori, getting back to work routines after a break always left me tired. It took a day or two.

Hope everyone is having a good day.
 
Diane sue, I am a 'D" so underwire is necessary. regardless, front hook or zip is useful. I had problems with zips unzipping unexpectedly. the problem is I am a little generous for the style. it applies pressure and stresses the zip. I think there have been a million jokes about the 'workout after your main workout, to get out of your overhead bra but those work the best for me. I have devised a way to get out of them by pulling out the tight chest band area and sliding my left elbow down thru it and then pushing up the left upper arm. I had to avoid lifting my left arm for a while after a surgery years ago, and it worked pretty well. for some reason front hooks seem to be an after thought for manufacturers. I never can hook the back ones. I put up with a lot of issues to get a front closure. Title 9 and Athleta have quite a few choices. I also use Runnersworld sports but none of these purchases have been recent, and styles come and go seasonally. most of them are expensive and since this is temporary, it may be more trouble than it's worth. yes, who ever thought bras would qualify as investments.

I did low impact sweat from ICE yesterday using the new step. I am humbled. my butt has been kicked. having a bigger bench helps somewhat but I am absolutely awful at this. totally awful! some of the moves are Ok and not hard, but a few are seriously ass kicking. I find turning around is pretty impossible. the weight used was inconsequential. It will be a long time before I can step on and off without watching what I'm doing. the speed and the direction changes destroy me. I need to stop the disk and try to decipher what she is doing with the fast foot moves and then try to do it at about 1/10 the speed. even the ones where she steps over that mat on the floor were tough. not "cardio" tough, but figuring out which foot and what arm goes where. It ended up not being much of a cardio workout. I've always skipped over step portions in other workouts because of this issue.
Is there a workout that you remember uses the step but less complicated moves? I need to practice on 'easy".

I had to wear a sling for a while because my arms go all over when I sleep. I only had to do it for a few nights though.
 
Today I did Cycle Sweat from Strong and Sweaty, 53 minutes, 360 calories, 11.22 miles, heart rate 122 avg./163 max. I may do some lower body barre work tomorrow. My Spin Bike said 411 calories today. Cathe's workout manager has over 500 calories. My steps were 3228. I always wonder how the Fit Bit Calculates the steps. Maybe the standing portions.

Valerie, do you have Cathe's basic step workout? It is very basic and simple. Or maybe do the just step mix from Step Jump and Pump. I think once you learn the moves in some of the workouts it makes it flow a bit more smoothly with less discomfort as you progress to others. It took me some time to get used to some of those speedy foot moves. Sometimes I am not doing the same thing but at least I am getting my heart rate up a bit. Sometimes those moves that are done quickly with the mat on the floor frustrate me when I catch my toes in the mat. Then I am trying to avoid tripping over it again or stopping to fix it. Most of the things I have read on bras for support is that the band needs to be snug enough and wide enough to provide support for holding them up. I still keep a couple of under wire bras buts do not wear them as often. If the Wacol no wire is clean or my Victoria secret no wire is not available I wear the others. Or if I need the t back one which is underwire. I have also discovered a couple of websites and a plastic surgeons site that had bra fitting and measuring instructions for comfort and proper fit and I guess I have always wore the wrong bra sizes.

Carolyn, nice job through this holiday season and keeping it inline on weight watchers. Yes, bras are ridiculously expensive. These two Marena ones they gave me run 50 dollars each. I have seen them over a hundred dollars for some. We spent over 200 when I purchased 3 at Von Muir a few months ago.
 
Diane sue, I never purchased a step workout because first off, I didn't have a step and second, I am basically Trigger when it comes to this. I do Ok with moves where I stand in place and go up and down like the leg abductions, but getting on and off and turning around... not sure I will ever get that. I know a lot of the dvd's have sections including step. the LIS one is probably a good example. much does not use a step. I'm thinking maybe I should find a few of the problem sequences, look for a pre mix that skips them. I also could take it down to one riser instead of 2, but it's putting my feet in the right place that's the issue, one step more or less won't matter. I do not have either disk you mentioned. I did get a disk with the step itself that I will look at first to see if it has some very basic stuff. time to pull out all disks I have and see which ones use a step. looking at the modifiers in S&S might show me ideas too.

we did a trail run this morning at the same park from the power walk. it was 40 minutes. lots of up and down so steep stuff needs to be walked. lots of rocks, mud, tree roots, and some steep stairs. still, it's pleasant and so different from a treadmill.
 
Good evening ladies!

Today was Ramped Up Upper Body. I felt really worked with this one and loved it. Come January 1st I have committed to get back to my double workouts. Us ladies at worked have really slacked off. Need to get everyone motivated again. We have all been so busy but just need to make the time.

Carolyn...A coworker wants a weight watchers buddy. I may join with her. 5lbs have crept back on and I would like to loose it. With me it is more for the balanced eating I would like. I eat really good but sometimes eat too much! Congrats on keeping the weight the same over the holiday season. Not easy to do.

Diane Sue...My husband and I love our Apple Watches. Hate leaving the house without it. Great job with Cycle Sweat. I passed this time on the cycle workout. I hardly use my spin bike.

Deb...Cardio slam looks tough even with the modifications. Awesome job. I had to go lighter at times than Cathe in the upper body. She is so strong!

Valerie...when I do step workouts I use one riser on each side and get a great workout. I read once the calorie burn isn't that much different from 1 to 2 risers so decided what the heck...might as well go with the 1 and save my knees. I used to always use 2 and years ago 3!! Crazy.

Have a great night all!
 
Lori thanks for that... but I'm not sure I can do the turning around stuff even on flat ground! when I said "Trigger" I meant Trigger! ( insert whinney" here!) I am awful at anything that can be called dance.

Now the spin bike.... I like that a lot! I had lost about 8 lbs at one point, most of it stayed gone for a year or more, and then it very very slowly has crept back. some weeks weigh in was better than others, but it has edged up. up 3, down 2, etc. time to get a handle on it. take advantage of the new years diet craziness. I'd love to lose more than that 8. we will see how it goes. my 'real" goal is more like 15 from the high point. I will have to see if I can reach that goal and then of course see if I can maintain. the WW program is working nicely now, a far cry from last winter. they seem to have lost their forums though, and now it's some yucky little facebook-y type connect thing. nobody actually talking about anything, just 2 sentence stuff.
 
Valerie, Cathe's Basic Step + Body Fusion is a beginner/intermediate dvd. The step is done a lot more slowly than on her other workouts. You can check out the preview on Shop Cathe. I was wondering if it would be there. I think they were putting this dvd in the Step Company Step at one time. She uses the shorter version of the step. I have it but it seemed so easy to me that I probably have only done it a couple of times. Also maybe some of the older classic ones. Power Max which is on the Classic Hits dvd was my first Cathe workout and one of my first step workouts. I loved it so much that I kept purchasing from her and at the time I did not want to do anything but step.
I was dropping a little weight before the surgery, but I am staying off the scale right now because I know that I would not like what I see. Too much sitting around and not so good calories. Particularly when others are feeding me. I am now back to most of the cooking so hopefully I can get a handle on it. I really do better with Step than floor cardio. Floor cardio has grown on me though.

Lorie, I figure if I have a few Cycle workouts I will be more likely to use it. It still is not my favorite cardio workout, but has been nice for a change and surgery recovery with the knee and now. Cycle Sweat seemed to have a lot more of the standing to sitting work in it. I was trying to be careful of gripping the handlebars as my doctor said and also I read so my legs got a workout pushing up and down. I liked it. I felt pretty well worked and sweaty when I was done. My husband has two of the Samsung Gear watches and doesn't really use them other than look at how many steps he did while at work on his feet all day. He has the earlier Gear that needed the cell near by and then the newer one he got a separate phone number for but it does not have all of the options like being able to take pictures with the watch.
 
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Good morning,

No workout yesterday. I did go to my friends and watch 2 episodes of Suits, then we went out to lunch. :)

Diane Sue, would you consider Boot Camp more of a cardio or weight workout? I hope you find a bra that works for you. Good that you were able to do Cycle Sweat.

Carolyn, that's great that you were able to maintain your weight during probably the hardest time of the year do to that!

Valerie, like others mentioned, I find that if I cannot get even the simplest step move, ( and I do not do any of Cathe real step workouts either), I just go up and down on the step, or I don't turn on it. I find those moves the most confusing. As long as you keep your heart rate up, it doesn't matter what you are doing, then just catch up when she is doing something simpler. I agree with Lori, one riser is still a good workout, and less chance to trip up.

Lori, great that you are getting the Lunch Ladies back on track!

Judy, are you still going to start the All Strong & Sweaty rotation January 2? I looked at it, may do it too.

Maybe a workout, then we are dropping off John's car to have the auto-starter installed.

Take care,
 
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