Pentagenarians & Beyond: W/B 5/3

Good morning,

I could not sleep, woke up at 4:00 with those darn birds chirping away.

DB ( new Deb), & Dawn. Welcome! I started weight training with The Firm as well. Love the first 6 original ones, but not the ones after that. By then I think I was doing Cathe, but it's all a blur now! :) Just turned 62, I recently retired ( March 1) and am getting used to the freedom from working. No children, but 2 dogs that keep me busy. You'll hear about them from time to time. :). Dawn: good job on x-Train legs!

Drover, Sorry to hear about your illness, but good that you are still keeping some exercise in your routine. It has to help I would think. I remember you having to move, how is the new place? I just started STS again, after a long time...I don't remember when I did it...it was right after we got the program.

Lynda, when you say you keep the clivia inside, does that mean in the house, watering it like a house plant etc, or do you just move it into a garage or basement and let it lie dormant for the winter? I am going to look for them at the nursery.

Valerie, I don't think I would like that jolt, even if you expect them. LOL.

Lori, the wall squats don't bother me any more, now that I know how I am going to modify. I have disk 5 on for today.

Hi Josie, & Judy,

Lunch with my friend today, and finally getting to see her new grandson...(he's 9 months old)...where does the time go?

Take care,
 
Cathe Pure Strength - Chest Shoulders Triceps
Madeleine Lewis A.M. Stretch


Good workout this morning. Read a thread about someone going back and pulling out this Cathe and gushing over how 80s but good it was and realized I hadn't done it in some time. So pulled it out this morning. Think this was my first introduction to the split concept as I was doing Firm before coming across Cathe and had never done split workouts before. Discovered I loved lifting weights that way. Cathe and Cedie look so different in this workout.

I love lifting weights way more than I enjoy any form of cardio. So happy I started doing them many years ago and have stuck with them.

Dawn, I have never done that workout. Legs is not my favorite thing to workout and I normally skip doing them because of all the limitations I have. Every once in a while I'll try and work them in at least once a week because I know they need it but my knees talk to me so much afterwards and I have to modify like crazy to protect them. But I do what I can and am thankful I can.
 
Hello ladies!

This morning I did Jazzercise Dancin' Abs (58:00)

Deb, I have the clivia inside as a houseplant during the cold months. It has, in the past, put out enormous blooms in February. I had a colleague in Philosophy (Laszlo Versenyi--pretty famous for his work on the Greeks), now deceased, and he actually saw the original clivia growing outside in Texas. He retrieved a trowel from his car and dug one up and brought it back to Massachusetts. I am good friends with his widow, and when I saw this thing blooming, I told her how much I loved it, so she gave one to me. They propagate pretty easily if you fertilize them once a month--which is how mine managed to get so crowded. If you were close, I would give you some that I threw out. I did my first pedicure of the summer--it is a beautiful shade of aqua. Looks great!

DB, I did Pure Strength a lot. I don't know if you noticed, but those are the World Trade Center bldgs. as her painted backdrop. She has the short hair in PS and looks very different from now. But then, we all do.

Dawn, I did that workout on the three month XTrain rotation. I haven't done it in a long time. It has some impact that I always tried to modify. I have only done the new contrast training one once and I must modify this one a lot.

Cathy, that is tough about your auto-immune disease. I have a friend on prednisone for an auto-immune disorder, and because it weakens her bones, she tries to go out walking every day. She hates the prednisone because it gives her such a big appetite, so she eats a lot and gains weight.

Lori, Max is now beginning to look at me after dinner for a walk. His leash is one of those extendable ones, so he can't exactly put it in his mouth in mute appeal to me, but he looks at me. I think it's still a bit too dark to go out for walk after dinner. But soon. It's so beautiful today.

Josie, what a nice way to gift your parents. Is your DH actually driving all the way back?!!!
 
My email function is not working this morning...was fine when I left to go shopping but I got home, and with no one here, and the computer not turned off, now it's not available. always something.

Lynda I looked at clivia and it looks a lot like amaryllis.... I have a huge pot of amaryllis I've accumulated over years and it's just finishing flowering. I keep the amaryllis inside from fall until late spring. it flowers in about march.
mostly doing shopping today while DH does yard work. I might take today off too. we are thinking about a backpack haven't done one in a couple years aand are deciding on a place to go. will take a lot of effort to locate all the bits and pieces we'll need as they're scattered!.
ETA I finished my shopping and returned and messaging is back to normal. must have been something related to updates? I'll never know.
 
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DB - Pure Strength was one of the first Cathe workouts I bought. It's dated with the clothes and hairstyles, but it's still a good DVD that I use a lot. I have to watch my knees, too. My left knee slips and catches with some of the movements, so I go light on weight and modify when I do legs. I use puzzle mats when I do higher impact and that helps me a lot. I wish I could keep up with Cathe and crew, but I'm glad for what I'm able to do and modify where I need to.

Today was XTrain Bis and Tris. I felt like doing some steady state cardio, so I added on PRS 1 Timesaver 1.
 
Good evening ladies,

No workout at lunch as we all needed to help the mailroom out so there was no time to workout. Came home and did my STS legs. I am really enjoying STS this round. I modify more and do not feel guilty at all. I still get a great workout in and know I am having strength gains.

Been over 21 days now that we started with the 21 day fix. We all agreed to keep going with it for another 21 days. I have not weighed myself since last week only becuase I keep forgetting!

Lynda...your toes sound nice! :). If I take Chester right when I get home it is still light enough otherwise if I wait then yes it gets to dark.

Deb...you poor thing. You retire and you still are up so early! When I first moved from the city to the small town I live in now it was the crickets that always woke me. Now I am so used to them I never hear them anymore.

Db...is pure strength the one where she has short hair and a head band? Am I remembering this right? Came out around the first Imax? If it is then I loved PS back in the day and used it alot along with Imax. I should pull it out and see how I do with it. Imax would kill me pretty much everytime. Years ago I used to workout with a friend and we would do Imax together once a week. That was a long time ago!

Dawn...great job on Bis and Tris. I have never even opened PRS1. Still in its wrap. I did do PRS2 a couple of times but most likely will never again. I have really lost interest thru the years with step.

Valerie...weird about your emails. Can't wait to hear about this trip!

Josie...yes what I nice thing to do for your parents. Such a wonderful adventure your DH took. Seemed to have gone by quickly. I am sure you do not feel it went quick!

Hi to Judy!
 
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Hi Everyone,

This morning I did a 45 minute Spinerval and Medicine Ball abs from Ab Circuits. I also did my PT exercises and stretches.

I like Pure Strength. I'll have to do that one again soon. I think I'm ready to get back to some of the heavier weight workouts now.

Deb-I'm sorry about your sleep :( I know how you feel, I have some trouble sleeping too.

Lori-Great job on the 21 Day Fix! I like the idea of modifying STS. I might have to try that approach.

Dawn- I wish I could keep up with Cathe too! I usually end up modifying some of the leg and core work.

DB-I was born in Rock Island, IL and lived in the Quad Cities most of my life. I moved to Michigan almost 8 years ago. I have some family in the St. Louis area too.

Hi to Lynda, Valerie, Josie & Cathy!

Judy
 
Good morning,

We need rain, I hate to say that.

DB, I have not done Pure Strength in years, but remember that I liked it a lot. Cathe has changed a lot over the years, but like someone said, so have we all right? I'm with you, I like lifting a lot more than cardio, and only do cardio because " I think I should"

Lynda, my friend and I stopped at 2 nurseries yesterday looking for Clivia, no deal. One place never heard of it and looked it up on a iPad to see what it was. The article they found said it is hard to come by. He said I should look on line and order it there. I still have a couple of larger nurseries to go to first. Now I am on a mission! :)

Valerie, you will probably never know why e-mail or sometimes the internet goes haywire at times, and if you call your provider, they will deny it anyway. LOL. I have given up on that! As long as it comes back in a reasonable amount of time. We had the same thing happen with our phone last week, (land line)...and I had arranged for someone from Time Warner to come to the house and check the modem, then all of a sudden it was back and ok. Crazy.

Dawn, good job on the X-Train rotation. That is a tough series.

Lori, you and The Ladies are doing great on the 21 DF! Now Pure Strength...yes, love it, but anything Imax...not so much. I sold Cardio & Weights, because I hated the cardio in that one, and it was an Imax I think. I have been in this house for 31 years, and still can't get used to those darn birds!

Josie, are you feeling ok now?

Judy, great workouts yesterday! Careful with the weights...I know you will be! I would start with about half of what you normally lift and see how your hip/sciatica feels before going any heavier. Maybe just add a couple sets of leg work to what you are doing, not a full lower body workout, and see how it goes.

Maybe some yard work today, plenty of stuff to do.

Take care,
 
No workout for me today. Got a cortisone shot in my knee and it's pretty sore and swollen today. I plan to ice and rest it up today. Last time I got it done it took a day or so to get back to a functioning level.
 
Hi ladies--

I did not work out this morning because I went to have my blood work done. So I had a nice long night of sleep.

Deb, I totally agree on the rain. We really need it. On the other hand, I am loving these sunny warm days. I think Clivia is somewhat exotic so it may be hard to find except online. Boy, this batch of chickens is so serene because they have not had a single hawk experience. DH moved them out into the pasture on Monday, so they are really ranging and loving it. Nice picture of my DH at his facebook page for East Mountain Farm. He sold quite a bit of meat at the sheep to shawl event at Sheep Hill (Rural Lands sponsored). You would probably love to watch the dogs herding the sheep--so smart.

I did both of the PRS workouts several times and then became a bit bored with them. This always seems to happen with step workouts, no matter how creative they are. I love them at the beginning and then burn out after awhile. I remember doing the low max step workout over and over and over because I loved the music in addition to the choreo, but finally had to stop.

DB, I have had my share of cortisone shots in the knees over the years. I haven't had any pain in my knees now for quite some time though. I have been taking Osteo-Biflex and pine bark extract, so I foolishly hope that is helping.

Back to my workouts tomorrow!
 
Garance, I did some reading on those supplements you're taking and I plan to try them and see how I feel. I like to get the cortisone shots before the pain becomes unbearable and I know I'm going some place where I'll be doing a lot of walking and hiking in the Smokies fits that bill. I'll be trying them out starting next month and will let you know if they make a difference for me.
 
DB - I sympathize on the cortisone shot. I had one once and it hurt like heck! The needle was pretty big and scary, too.
Lori - Congratulations on your weight loss! I was debating for a long time about STS or XTrain and ended up getting XTrain. Still might get STS in the future, though.
Today was Tabatacise. I attempted Tabatas 1 and 2 and it wasn't pretty. I had to stop a lot, but the important part was that I kept restarting. I still got in a real tough workout and can cross that off the list for the week. We're having some nice summery weather today and the apple blossom trees are in full bloom, so I spent some time reading on the patio.
 
those of you with osteoarthritis type knee pain ( probably all of us at some time) there is another injection to improve joint mobility called Synvisc. DH had a couple of these over a year ago and they helped him a lot... he's very bow legged and will eventually need knee replacement but this has helped a lot. . his orthopedic surgeon recommended. just something to ask about. we both take glucosamine.. don't know if it helps but dont' see how it could hurt.
we tried the backpack.. located all gear, packed, drove up there... but they were too many people headed to the same spot and we couldn't come up with another. so back home and will try the same plan tomorrow, different location.

Lori that's fantastic. wow 8 lbs. you are kicking butt
Deb, both our computers did not have email access.... even said something about inadequate installation or something. couple hours later, all was fine. I am assuming there was some maintenance going on probably at our cable provider.
 
Good evening ladies!

Today I only did 21 day Extreme Pilates and I am fine with this. Yes I am very happy with 8lbs as that was my original goal. But now I want to lose 2 more for play room! My DH is working all weekend as this is a really busy weekend for restaurants so my DS offered to take me out Saturday to a restaurant that has become a favorite for me and DS. I always eat way to much when I go and no doubt will on Saturday too! :). In Cathe's newsletter this week she talked about a Hiit interval workout prior to a high fat cheat meal seems to help. So I will give this a go on Saturday.

Valerie...that really stinks about your hike. I agree it's best to not do it when there are so many people that you would not enjoy it if you did.

Dawn...STS is a great system and I really enjoy it when I am doing it. This is only my second round. I have so many workouts it's hard to fit them all in! Great job on Tabatacise. One of my favorites from XTrain.

DB...I think we all know the feeling about cortisone shots in this group. Yes rest up before you work that knee. Hope you feel better soon.

Lynda...yes today was beautiful! I'll check out the facebook page. You very rarely take a day off so you deserve it today after going for blood work.

Judy...great job on the workouts today. Seems like you are really getting back to things.

Deb...all this talk about Imax I believe I have found my Hiit workout for my interval workout before my cheat meal! Been ages since I have done this. I may do this one or Imax 2. Love the music in the 2nd one.

Hi to Josie!
 
I wanted to tell you all... last night while we were getting ready for our trip .....that didn't pan out.... and DH went out to fill the hummingbird feeder and saw a large cat walking thru our yard. he hollered for me to come and I charged upstairs..... it was a bobcat. Beautiful!! just gorgeous. he looked at us and we looked at him , kind of a staring contest, and he flipped his stubby tail and walked off on his way. I've gotten glimpses before but never really saw one. he was beautiful! and this was just hours after we heard a black bear was tearing things up maybe 1/4 mile away. got into someone's bird feeder etc.. so here it is... Wild Kingdom! our kitty is not spending much time outside until nature gets settled down.
 
Good morning & Happy Friday!

We had a nice dinner at my brother's last night, but I think eating late like that does something to me and I end up tossing and turning all night. Very tired today. I am also cutting out caffeine in preparation for my yearly mammogram that is on Tuesday. I would think that the lack of caffeine would help me sleep.

Lori, great job on the weight loss! I have to keep that Cathe recommendation in mind...but no Imax for me!

DB, I hope the shot helps your knee. I have one knee that is kind of on the wonky side, but no pain yet...*crossing fingers*.

Lynda, I may look at an online catalog for a clivia. Do you have a good climbing flowering vine type plant that would grow in direct sunlight? We have a trellis against the side of our garage, and we have had some great luck with clematis, but then other years, they just die. I would like to try something different. Nice pic of your DH and the baby chicks!

Dawn, now reading on the patio sounds like a nice way to spend time, especially after Tabatacise! I think I sold those on Ebay.

Valerie, too bad about the trip not working out, better luck today. Yikes! A bobcat in your yard...and bears just a ways down? Yep, time to keep the kitty inside. When I was in Tucson, they told us that bobcats are always lying around on the golf courses, probably to stay cool. They just wait for them to move to continue the game.

Josie, hope you are back to 100% and your DH got home safely.

Hi Judy,

Not much today, a workout and maybe more yard work.

Anyone have any plans for the weekend?
 
Cathe Pure Strength - Back & Biceps

No time to do the abs on this workout or stretch it out, but I was glad to get this done. Knee feels better today and I'm planning to walk for lunch if it isn't raining. We're predicted to get thunderstorms, so I'll have to keep an eye out. Hopefully it'll hold off until after I walk at lunch.

Valerie, my ortho doc spoke to me last year about Synvusc and I may be going that route down the road when the cortisone is no longer effective. Right now they tie me over 3-4 months and I don't let my pain get too bad before going in. He's being very conservative for now which works for me. He says I'm a prime candidate for a knee replacement but can still get some mileage out of the knee with care. So that's where I'm at. It's bone on bone arthritis and sometimes that sucker will catch and it's a wonder I haven't fallen. Awesome about the bobcat. I would have been frantically trying to snap a pic on my phone to upload.

Dawn, when you do finally break down and get STS you'll be knocking yourself upside the head that you didn't get it sooner. It's my favorite weight series and you get to use any cardio and core work in between that you want as the weekly program only consists of 3 workouts. I love the split body concept. It's my favorite way to lift weights. I may start a 3 month rotation in June as we're not going on vacation again until Oct. I love mixing STS with LIS and XTrain and now RWH too. Man, they complement each other so nicely as Cathe always has cardio only workouts in the sets.

Deb, I know what you mean about eating heavy so late. Since working days in Feb I've adjusted my eating patterns to eat my heaviest meal at work for lunch. In the evening I may eat something much lighter. I've even had a bowl of cereal for dinner, a light salad, or soup. I feel a lot better doing that. I get so tired in the evening when I eat heavy and find lighter meals work for me.

You ladies have a great Friday.
 
Hi everyone!

This morning I did Flextrain (56:36).

Deb, we have wisteria on a trellis in direct sunlight and the flowers have a heavenly smell. I have problems sleeping as well when I have a late meal. Too much digesting going on I guess.

Lori, that's great news about the weight loss. You must be so pleased. My older son sent me a gift certificate to Different Drummer's Kitchen in Lenox, and my younger son won't be here until next weekend because he has a wedding to attend in Boston. But we will be going out to dinner tomorrow night anyway and bringing a good friend. Her husband is dealing with his father's estate as its executor, so she is alone this weekend.

Dawn, I sold Tabatacize immediately. Too much impact for me. It's wonderful that you can do those tabatas. I also sold my STS, although I was on my third round of STS when I had problems with my shoulders (lifting a heavy barbell over my head on to my shoulders seemed to be what precipitated the injury). I decided to sell because I was pretty sure I would not do it again. The first time I did it was the 6 month rotation.

DB, I was getting cortisone shots in my one knee every 6 mos. so I thought I would try Synvisc. I had a terrible reaction to the first shot. I must have been allergic. It was awful. I limped around Boston for a whole weekend in pain with a lot of clicking noises after that shot. I went back to cortisone, which just seems like magic to me. I have almost immediate pain relief. But I really haven't had any knee issues for a few years. I read about pine bark extract in MORE magazine--some study that showed improvement in knee mobility and cushioning. It's probably just another study, but it's not that expensive and no side effects, so I have been taking it for several years now.

Valerie, bobcats are so beautiful. I have seen a few around here, but DH, as you might imagine, does not want predators getting too close to his chickens. He really hates fisher cats.

Enjoy the weekend everyone!
 
Good evening ladies!

At lunch we did the plyo workout and boy this is a tough little workout that I am surprised everyone likes! Came home and did STS back and tris then took chester for a quick walk. DH is working late so I had plenty of time.

Lynda...enjoy your meal. I am all ready prepping myself as I know I am going eat everything when we go out on Saturday. I just can't help myself at this restaurant! I feel great and fitting in things I have not worn in a while. Once I hit menopause my weight has been slowly creeping up and I knew I just needed to commit and do it.

Valerie...bobcats are beautiful but yes do not let your cats out. There have been coyotes killing little animals around here so now I always go out with my little Nilla.

DB...glad your knee is felling better. A month ago I had a cortisone shot in each shoulder. They have been great since.

Deb...we are 2 weeks into meso 1. I will not sleep well at all if I go to bed after a large meal. Tomorrow we are going to the restaurant for 4pm. Nice and early.

I have already checked out the new online workout blender. I made a little custom workout and it was so easy. Thinking I will really this this tool.

Have a great night all,
 

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