Pentagenarians & Beyond: W/B 7/27

[garance]

Hi Deb, Josie, Valerie, Lori, and Judy--

This morning I did Burn Sets bis and tris with Core 1 (47:40) and last night went for a 3 mile walk with Max.

Deb, teething hedgehogs are baby toys, little round rubber hedgehogs with lots of little knobs on them. Babies like them because of all the rubbing on their sore gums when teething. Paddy liked to sit and endlessly squish them too. The major problem was finding them back in the day when you couldn't go online and find everything. I had to buy them from FAO Schwartz in NYC and would load up with 4-5 of them whenever I went to the city.

Valerie, I have a friend who has been watching the British original House of Cards. She says it's really good and much prefers Ian Richardson to Kevin Spacey. I might have a go at that after I finish this season of the American version.

I make a salad dressing I found ages ago in the NYTimes magazine where you bake 5 shallots in a little bit of olive oil at 350 until they are all soft. You squeeze out the centers and process them with walnut oil, white wine vinegar and salt and pepper. The shallots are lovely and sweet. The salad is chopped romaine, toasted walnuts, chopped, and feta or goat cheese crumbles.

Judy, that looks like a good-sized space to transform and fill with equipment.

Lori, it's great that you can get in a workout at noon. Human Resources at Williams has a wellness program that encourages staff to get moving during lunch, and I have seen a lot of people just out walking in the "village beautiful" aka Williamstown, or as my boys called it, Billsville.

 

[fox2star]

Good morning and Happy Thursday!

Nothing new here, we had huge rain storms yesterday around 5:00 pm, just when I was leaving work. The rain was coming down so hard, I opted not to use the thruway, took streets instead. You couldn't see the white lines on the road and I was sure I would need to pull over. Then when I got to my neighborhood, it was dry as a bone. We got the storm early this morning. Nice though, no watering needed today!

Judy, your gym will be great. The area that your DH is going to clean for you looks like the other side of our basement, where John keeps his stuff. Drives me nuts. His is all fishing and shooting equipment, with lots of Rubbermaid type boxes. I have tried to get him to straighten it out, but gave up years ago. As long as he stays on his side I pretend it's not there.

Lynda, are teething hedgehogs really tough or soft material? I really thought that was a typo, and you meant that they would be "teasing hedgehogs" like running after them in the yard or woods .LOL.

Hi to Valerie, Lori.

Work, then home, then repeat...I took Monday off so looking forward to a 3 day weekend.

Take care,

 

[Traildoggie]

Deb, I might serve the salad WITH chicken but I think melon salads are too watery to add chicken to. just off the top of my head. watermelon in most salads for me only works if it's tossed and eaten ASAP. but let us know if it worked!
Lynda, I
I'm always surprised how gentle and sweet onions are when roasted. Hard to believe it's the same vegie. when raw they're sharp and biting to me and I can't taste anything else. I flick them off or, like Deb, ask for none. I made a pasta salad yesterday with roasted vegies. was going to use the barbecue but it must have a leak and the tank is empty so ended up using the stove grill pan. Love grilled vegies. off to yoga.

 

[garance]

Hi Deb, Josie, Valerie, Lori, and Judy--

This morning I did KCM's Cardio Quick Fix, both workouts (44:39) and last night I took Max for a 3 mile walk.

Deb, I tried to find an image for you, and found one, although it looks somewhat different from what I bought. Maybe they aren't making them anymore (?). Since they are for babies, not dogs, they were pretty squishy, but also meant to be safe for a baby to chew on. Paddy never destroyed them, but he did intermittently lose them. He would carry one around with him and drop it some place and that would be that until we just happened to run into it. Deb, I think you can watch the series Extant with Halle Berry on Amazon Prime. I have been enjoying it--in case you are looking for something new.

Read an interesting article in Vogue on fitness routines of middle-aged stars. A lot of dance, light weights, apparently because you don't want to look like Madonna with rope-like muscles, and serious walking--10,000 steps a day to maintain weight, 14,000 if you want to lose. Always some new advice about fitness. I did like the final quote from Cameron Diaz: "Aging is not a right. It's a privilege." I need to save that one for days when I'm feeling old.

 

[labnick]

Good evening ladies,

Did 35 minutes of Barre this afternoon. The first 20 minutes was Suzanne Bowen's lower body interval. I feel more of a burn from some of her workouts than I ever did with weights. It is amazing how I can see my thighs changing from all the Barre work I have been doing. Especially my inner thighs. My DH even made a comment. Yeah finally found something to shape my thighs!!!

Lynda...very interesting article. I think Madona looks terrible. Between her muscles that you mention and her cosmetic procedures. There is nothing wrong with aging gracefully. I am not opposed to a little botox if that is your thing. But you need to know when enough is enough. Extant looks really good. Need to find time to watch. I am reading Under The Dome and then want to watch the series on amazon.

Valerie...hate when that happens. All set ready to grill and then...no gas. Ugh. We have a forman grill which we love but try and only use in the winter months. Makes a great back up when we need it.

Deb...that's the weather we had the other day. So scattered. Would love to have a 3 day weekend. We are on vacation the week after. Going to the Cape and it could not come quick enough.

Judy...your gym is going to be great!!! You must be getting excited.

Hi to Josie!

 

[Traildoggie]

Lori, it was a real annoyance... I started the grill up and it flamed up and then dropped to nothing. we need a new gas tank, this one must be leaking slowly. stovetop grill pan is useful in times like this.

I haven't seen any pics of Madonna lately but it seemed like she was kind of stringy looking, like she was too thin without any fat layer left. anorexic looking. not attractive.

Great to hear something helps thighs. I can't do barre. somehow my legs are not connected right and it's torture. some yoga moves are equally impossible. been doing that at least 10 years now and my hip joints do not rotate outward like most. I'll never see anything close to lotus.
saw some pics of Cameron diaz recently and she looked great. toned and slim but not starved looking.
some folks definitely go too far but it must be hell deciding what to do or not do if your looks are your living.

Judy, if I can add any gym thoughts... we bought shelving ( not exercise gear) nicer than the flat gray sheet metal and it works great for storing dumbbells and keeping them off the floor. it's silver wire, so it keeps things from rolling and allows them to dry out. getting things up off the floor for storage is great for making best use of the space. It's not a big rack but it is flexible. think I got it at Costco or a "storage" place. not fancy but extremely useful.

 

[fox2star]

Good morning and Happy Friday!

I have a 3 day weekend to look forward to. I really like having Mondays off. I need to get back into some type of routine...I have been slacking off again.

Valerie, I really don't mind the flavor of onions, just don't like them to chew, whether cooked or raw. My father was the same way with mushrooms. If they were chopped up in a cooked dish so that they could not be seen, he was ok, but would never actually eat one. We have 2 tanks just for that reason...if one runs out, John just hooks up the spare and makes sure he gets the empty filled right away.

Lynda, is that Cardio Quick Fix a good one? I see you do that frequently. I assume that it has Lauren doing the low impact version? Does it get your heart rate up? I am itching for new workouts for some reason. I ordered the Beginner Horizontal Training DVD..( thanks Judy for enabling me!! LOL)...It has short workouts to start with that you can build on.

Lori, oh no...now I have to see try a Barre workout! Will look at Cathe's for a shorter premix. Which one of hers do you like? the Cape sounds wonderful! Where do you stay? We went there once (Provincetown) and stayed in a great B&B.

Judy, can't wait for the "after" pics of your new workout area. Valerie is right, getting things off the floor is the way to go...not that I do that! I have a great weight rack that was a gift from John, and most of the weights I use regularly are on the floor anyway.

Hi to Josie,

Work, then agility class...anyone have anything planned for the weekend?

 

[garance]

Hi Deb, Josie, Valerie, Lori, and Judy--

This morning I did Supercuts (45:55) and last night took Max for a 3 mile walk.

Deb, you're right about Cardio Quick Fix. I go back to it a lot because the first workout has no dread factor in the morning, and by the time I have finished that one, I'm ready for the hiit second workout, which really gets my heart going. Her modifier in this one is Nicole and I follow her about half the time in the second workout. I don't think the first workout is either long enough or hard enough to really get your heart rate up, but the second one I could imagine doing by itself for a short, effective workout. Enjoy your long weekend.

Lori, I was really into barre for about 18 mos., but didn't see much of a change in my thighs (darn!). Wonderful that you have found something that really works for you. Weird that I have never been to the Cape, even though I have lived in MA all these years (over 40!). I always heard the traffic jams were horrific, and we went to the Jersey Shore instead, where the beach is like sugar.

I may go to a movie this weekend if anything gets decent reviews. I'm still waiting for Boyhood to show up at our local art house theater.

 

[labnick]

Good afternoon ladies,

This afternoon was a combination of Cathe LBB barre and Suzanne Bowen's lower body interval. Was about 36 of pure burn bliss!

Lynda...We have a time share in West Yarmouth so we go every year and love it. The time share was given to us about 5 years ago. It was our intent to trade it off and go to all different places every year but we have yet to do that. I am loving Barre! Like I said before finally found something that is working for me. My legs are thick and weights and cardio did thin them a bit and give them shape but I am really noticing a difference with Barre. I love that I can get a good 30 minutes at work and not be all sweaty but feel I got a great leg workout. Have fun at the movies!

Deb...i like all of Cathe's Barre. But I'll have to say my favorite and I do it frequently is the Leg Conditioning (I think it is called) from her Lower Body Blast. It is about 17 minutes long so it is over before you know it. Gets you good though. Ha ha weren't we both saying we have enough workouts?? Funny that you are itching for a new one! I am the same way!!

Valerie...the shelving is a great idea. I do not have any but have been thinking about adding some. I have a weight rack that holds all my dumbbells but I have so many other items that could use a home.

I am still at work....needed a break so I came on to see what was going on here. Not sure if I will be working out tonight. DH is home and working all day. I think tonight would be a good night to relax with a glass of wine!

Hi to Judy and Josie!

 

[Traildoggie]

Had a hair appt this morning at 11 so we decided to do a ride before. we left earlier and rode a fast 25 miles so I could get home and change and get to hair by 11. it was a good idea and got me moving earlier. ride took 2 hours. we stopped a couple times, bathroom, and snack break so we are riding much faster than we used to. probably averaging around 15 mph for much of the trail.
Lori I liked all parts of LBB though I haven't done it lately. some "leg conditioning" works for me, like in LBB, but certain barre moves are just miserable. I don't think there's anything "wrong" with my hips, but they don't open outward and back like many dance moves seem to require. and I also have thick legs. been exercising for 50+ years to slim them down and nothing really does much. I think how much worse it could be if I didn't work out often. a family curse.

I will try to get a pic of the shelving I used. they're stand alone shelves so you're not limited, put them anywhere. I use a second one as a shoe rack in our laundry room. same thing, getting all our shoes and boots off the floor. they are strong enough to hold 30's and 35's but the weights don't roll and stay in place.

 

[fox2star]

Good morning and Happy Weekend!

Here are some pictures from Josie in Spain!! She has captions but I do not know how to get them on here easily, so you will have to guess what these are. Most are in Madrid...

 

[Josie]

Hi Ladies,

It took me a while to recuperate from the trip . We were suppose to get back last Sunday, but we got stuck in Miami. Our flight got cancelled and it was a big mess. Needless to say we will never fly on American Airlines they have the worst customer service.

I'm off to spin class with my friend Angie then breakfast and then we are going to body pump.

Deb, thanks for posting the pictures, but I sent them to all of you by e-mail.

I will be back later.

Josie

 

[Traildoggie]

JUdy, this is a link to the kind of shelving I used. Amazon.com - Whitmor 6070-3436 Supreme Small 3-Tier Shelving, Black - Standing Shelf Units I've seen this shelving at Costco before in bigger sizes. I think I got mine at a "storage" place that had smaller house sized units. they were very easy to assemble and look nice. you could take them apart easily to move them and as I recall the shelves can be arranged in various distances.

I have silver. it's not specific for weights so very flexible and available in many sizes. not fancy but better than the solid metal shelves IMO. like it said, I use a bigger one as a shoe and boot rack in the laundry room.

Deb, I got the pics too. DH deleted them because he didn't recognize Josie's name. He's very aggressive about deleting things from people he doesn't recognize and didn't mention it til later. I looked a couple of them but got interrupted by something else, and when I went back they were gone. (have no idea how to move them here anyway)
we had a discussion a bout this. he deleted them and then asked 'who's Josie?" wrong order!

we started watching a TV series on disk called "Brothers and sisters". lots of good people Sally Field, tom skerrit, calista flockhart ( that lady is REALLY annoying), Rachel Griffiths( Brenda in 6 feet under) ... but pretty silly and phony IMO. they keep playing annoying background music too loudly. just too "soapy". we gave it a chance and watched the whole first disk but it seemed to be getting sillier and more contrived by the minute. it got good reviews on Netflix. very artificial feeling, with every character doing predictably stupid things. not my type of show. so onward to look for something else.

 

[labnick]

Good afternon ladies!

This morning I did 3hours of the mid state trail with DS and his girlfriend. We decided not to take chester because we wanted to check out the ledges and another trail. Glad we left him home as it was a tough hike. We loved it though and had a really great time. The rain held out and the temp was enjoyable.

Now that I am home Chester looks very sad so since I am a good mommy and even though I just had a tough 3 hour hike...I am off to walk the dog!

Thanks for posting Josie's pictures. I need to look into how to post more than one at a time. So sorry Josie about your flight. That really stinks. Can't wait to hear about your trip.

Valerie...thanks for the link for the shelves. I'll look at them too!

Have a great Saturday all!