Home Workout enthusiasts - week of July 7th

[cniles]

Ok summer is moving way too fast for me!!!!

We had a nice weekend. It rained on the 4th and we basically just sat around the house:rolleyes: Actually I cleaned b/c I was concerned I would have a houseful of people on Saturday due to the weather.....

However the weather cooperated and Saturday we had our pool party. Everyone had a grand time - food was good.:)

I did Burn and Shape yesterday as I needed to work off some BBQ! Not sure what I'm doing this morning. Trying to get my week organized - Sam starts his All Star tournament on Sat so we have 3 practices this week, my nephew is still here thru Wed... I think I'm going to take the boys down to Gettysburg on Tuesday - a nice educational time:D

How was everyone's holiday weekend?

[Valerie226]

Strong work charisse... get it worked off before those extra calories take up permanent residence! glad to hear your pool party was not rained out and that you didn't end up with 22 people running around inside your house.

I'm not reporting much exercise. we're getting our countertops tomorrow. I worked out for a while saturday but have slacked off the last 2 weeks with too many other things going on. we spent much of the weekend tearing out the remains of our kitchen. (it might be "work" but it's not exercise) Lots of walking, lifting and hauling plus some garden work. we are taking a trip at the end of the week whether things are completed or not, and they aren't likely to be. a backpack probably, so I will get some exercise there.
So I haven't been sitting around eating bon-bons but not a lot of "real" exercise. I had an issue with a hip that kept me from doing treadmill. I strained something deep inside that hurt like the devil but is now better. I don't know how I hurt it but I could not stand on one leg, even briefly, like when you put on a pair of pants. one leg fine, second leg, NOT fine. walking was OK but running was not. so a little forced rest was in order and I feel markedly less discomfort since saturday. Friday and saturday I ran slowly on the treadmill for 1 mile. also did Cathe's GS bicep shoulders.

Went to dinner at a cousin's home saturday night and learned that he's been unfortunately diagnosed with T2 diabetes. Not good news but he's 55, overweight and doesn't get any exercise. just another reminder that "no exercise" can lead to all kinds of problems.

[cniles]

Valerie - My dad has T2 Diabetes. He was diagnosed about 5 years ago and has controlled it through diet... not necessarily through exercise (my mom would like him to do a bit more!!) But my mom is great - a true CL cook and they eat soooo healthy.

Ugh about your hip. I'm glad some rest has helped it - don't push it too much. And I understand about the work but not really exercise bit. Just doesn't seem to count - although I'm sure you are working really hard. Hope its all paying off with your new kitchen.

I ended up doing a FIRM workout with Emily -can't remember the name but it's really light weights, pilates/yoga/dance workout - lots of stretching and long, lean movements. It was good. Super hot and humid today - yuck.

[Valerie226]

For diabetes, moderate exercise is a great help. I think most people know that, but they still don't do it! helps the body use its own insulin better, plus it burns calories, plus all the regular benefits of exercise. cousin has gained a LOT of weight in the last couple years ( a good 50 lbs) and although I doubt he would become a "hard core" exerciser he could get in some walking if he tried a little. He lives literally right on a lovely walking/biking trail and belongs to a gym.... doesn't use either. He has hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and maybe other things, mostly of recent. he got a really "good" job a couple years ago and has not been watching his diet. He works hard but he looks like a heart attack trying to happen. I would hate to see that. He was actually on the thin side ( at least 6 feet, 180lbs) a few years ago and all was well, but seems to have let down his guard. I'm sure he's in the 250 range now. DH and I offered to take him and his wife( she's younger and probably 115 lbs) on a hike but I'm thinking we need to find something pretty easy! really really easy....

[srahndennis]

Hi, all! A nice holiday weekend at our house. The 4th was quiet -- just the three of us. Then we had DS's family birthday party on the 5th. He wanted spaghetti & meatballs with an ice cream pie for dessert -- so that's what we did. It was *fairly* cool for Texas and we were able to spend a lot of time out on the deck. The big fan with the mister helped, too!

Sounds like everyone is busy, busy.

Valerie -- hope the countertops look gorgeous! We've decided to hold off a couple of months but will probably get things underway this fall.

Charisse -- So much for a lazy summer! Hope the All-Stars go well and that it's a positive experience for Sam.

Today I did Slow & Heavy Chest & Back. My arms are shaking still!!

In case everyone didn't see her post, Michelle checked in on the other stuff board and posted that her Mom's last scan didn't show any cancer. She's 2/3rd of the way through her treatment plan. Just wonderful news!

[Valerie226]

Stacy, I'll let you know all about the granite process. the guys are here now & it's a very nice crew. should be done my early afternoon. you need to have cabinets empty, tops off, drawers out, sinks out. totally unusable kitchen at that point. we did the tear out ourselves which saved a few hundred $$. DH loves to do that kind of stuff. I don't, but it takes a lot of the mystery out construction. underneath the smoothly finished outer surface, things are pretty rinky dink. always amazes me that houses stand up when you see the way construction is done. :eek:
Because we did the tear out in limited chunks our kitchen has been sort of half a$$ed for a couple weeks now. No sink or dishwasher makes for great mileage walking to the laundry room sink! We kept things workable by saving a couple sections of the formica countertop and placing them across the open cabinets. that allowed cooking and storage of "used all the time" stuff like knives and a cutting board.

Hope Michelle shows back up here. she needs get back on program now that her Mom is doing well.

My hip is OK, did an hour of cardio yesterday treadmill for 30 at close to normal pace and 30 more on the elliptical plus core #1. I've done cathe's GS back, shoulders biceps pretty regularly and will try to fit it in today too. I enjoy that one a lot and I think my biceps look better. I keep thinking about the slow and heavy series but probably should work on what I already have.

[cniles]

Hi guys!

Back from Gettysburg - UNBELIEVABLE. They have a new visitors center and museum. The cyclorama will be completed in Sept. It is amazing what they have there. It was a bit beyond my 8 yr old's comprehension but I'm sure we'll be back again. I think they take a field trip in middle school. We didn't do the full auto tour of the battle sites - the boys got hungry and tempers got short so I didn't push it. We're only 30 mins away!

So I exercised this afternoon. I did Cardio Overdrive. I'm whooped. The scale is still holding steady and not moving down. I think I need to up the cardio a bit... being at home I've been snacking more. Gotta stop it.

Valerie - how long will this take? Sounds like you have a working situation set up to allow for meals though. Is it a brown or grey or black granite? I think you said before but I can't remember!:cool:

Stacy - Spaghetti and meatballs sound lovely in the summer! We're having a pork roast and pierogies tonight :D Happy Birthday to your son! Speaking of lazy summer... got an email from Jack's soccer coach - fall practice begins the week of Aug 11th. So with all stars finishing the end of July that give us.... 2 weeks! WOO HOO!:rolleyes: Oh well - we're still having fun. They are in the pool as I write!

Have a great Tuesday and stay cool!

[Valerie226]

I've never done much visiting of historical sites although it must be interesting. last summer we spent some time looking around the Lewis & Clark trail and doing some research about their trip, Sacajawea, etc. Historical things ARE really interesting but I think most of us get turned off in school when they make everything tedious and boring and take all the interesting things out. I've gotten new interest now that I have time to do more pleasure reading but I've forgotten so much!! totally embarrassed at how little history I know.

Anyway, the granite is done!. it looks great... :D:D all my worries were for nothing. the room is not finished by any stretch but the granite looks very, very nice. the color is very nice and blends very well with the wood and the white sinks. Appliances look good with it. I'm glad I didn't go for stainless. there is one countertop that I didn't do that is sort of a divider wall between kitchen and family room. it's still formica but I was worried about "granite overload". it will need replacing with something. but I will wait at least a few days before I decide. before, the dark cooktop was very noticeable against the light formica, but it's less in-your-face with the darker granite, a real improvement I didn't think of. They were here before 8 this morning so I had no time to exercise but will try to squeeze in a little this afternoon. charisse, you are putting all of us to shame with your regular exercise!!

[srahndennis]

Gettysburg sounds great!! I love to do things like that. I've never been to DC and can't wait until DS is old enough to go.

Charisse - the snacking is killing me, too. I don't know what it is but I seem to be muching all the time! I know better but I still keep doing it. It's nice that you'll at least have two weeks free this summer! I always think that the summer will be slower but it never is.....quite the contrary. We're in our second week of swim lessons. We'll skip a week, then have one more. That puts us to almost the end of July. Then we'll have DS's kid party somethime in August. And school starts August 25th!

Valerie -- sounds like things are moving right along with your kitchen! I'm glad the granite turned out well. I know what you mean about the worry. It's such a big decision...not to mention that you're stuck with it like it or not. It was like that for me with our floors but I love them! It's hard to exercise with all the commotion -- good job trying to work it in.

I did Low Max this morning. Sweaty, sweaty. Our A/C was making a loud noice this morning -- I was praying that it didn't quit while I was in the middle of my DVD! Off to call the repairman.......

[cniles]

Stacy - I hear ya on sweaty sweaty!! I went out to weed and then push mowed our yard - I was a drippy sweaty mess!!! The humidity is crazy! I then took a brief break and came in to do Core Max #1. My lower back has been bothering me and I think I need to do some superman's more regularly!!

My nephew leaves today (he's been here for a week and a half) We'll miss him but it will be nice to get back into a different routine... ie boys sleeping in their own beds and not in sleeping bags on the floor!!;)

Valerie - so glad the granite turned out!! yea!!! Are you going local on your hike this weekend or traveling?

With regard to the historical sites.... I spent EVERY summer taking family vacations that were educational - (parents were educators) We visited every thing in PA, camped and toured.... My parents got very creative too!!!;) Most of the time I really enjoyed these vacations - I'd like to share that with my boys as they grow up. (although we did have a meltdown in the giftshop yesterday:cool: Sorry I'm not buying a toy musket - ) Anyway since I'm off for the summers I figure it's my job to get them out and about to local attractions!!:)

Have a great Wednesday!!

[engineer]

Ok I’m trying to come back from a very, very long break. Way too long and my weight is here to prove it. :mad: My fibro really flared for the last few months so I went back to the doc and asked her about that new drug. But she had just been to a talk on chronic pain and put me on another regime of pills. I have that new drug, Lyrica, plus Celebrex, plus Cympalta and a muscle relaxer for night and a pain pill for when it’s needed. I can say it’s working, I feel better:) – still not back to ‘normal’ but much better. And I am eager to get back to working out. But I am going to take it slow and build up so I don’t suffer another set-back. So last night I did 30 minutes on the treadmill, followed by day 1 of the old Firm Abs tape and then day 2 of the old Firm stretch tape. Not a lot but it’s a start!:rolleyes:

I’ll catch up on personals later – It’s nice to be ‘back’. :D

[cniles]

Yea Michelle!!!!

We're so glad to have you back! Yes take it easy - slowly work your way back. It's wonderful to hear that you're feeling better!! :):):)

[srahndennis]

Michelle -- Welcome back! I think your plan is an excellent one and it sounds like you're off to a great start. I was complaining last week about how quickly I lose my conditioning after just a week off. I'm sure you'll be feeling that, too, but be patient with yourself. It's much better to do a little more each day than to injure yourself by doing too much too soon. Glad your Mom is doing well!

[srahndennis]

Ckecking in with Slow & Heavy Legs & Shoulders this morning. I'm working at home today so I can wait for the A/C man. Hope it's nothing major.

Have a great day, everyone!

[Spotted Pony]

Hi all! Checking in for the first time this week. I borrowed the FIRM Cardio Sculpt DVD from the library today and gave it a try. I must be completely uncoordinated and unable to follow instructions. After twenty minutes of random kicking and arm waving, I turned it off and got on the treadmill! Guess it's not for me! The library had some others, so I'll give them a try.

Sounds like you all are on-track with exercising and are having busy summers! I'm off ride my old horse now. He thought he was retired...poor guy! We're taking the mentally damaged three year old gelding to another trainer this weekend for an evaluation. He wants to be a good boy, but whatever happened to him with Trainer #1 has really blown his mind. And put a big ol' scar on his tongue. :mad: I am just sick about it. Keep your fingers crossed that this new trainer will be able to help my colt. If not, colt's prospects are grim.:(

[engineer]

Howdy, late afternoon and I’m kind of in a lull energy wise. Oh well, here is what I did last night towards my fitness goal. I did another 30 minutes on the treadmill but a different program this time. Then I did the old Firm 5-day abs day 2 (which was tough as my abs were sore from yesterday:eek:) and then the old Firm 5-day stretch day 3. So both days I spent 46 minutes towards my goal of being healthier/fitter than I am.

DH picked up his motorcycle today (so he’s a happy camper:)). It’s part of the perk for working here is that you get to ‘lease’ a vehicle for 2 years at a very low $. I got a Ranger and he got a Kingpin. Guess we are going to start taking the bike to work. Well all I know is that today I won’t have to wait for his meeting to get out so I can get home and workout again – yippee and I won’t be so late to supper.

Well tomorrow is Friday and I hope that everyone has some fun planned.

[Spotted Pony]

Are there different series of the Firm tapes? Everyone else seems to like them, so I don't want to give up too soon!

[srahndennis]

Happy Friday, everyone!! Yea, the weekend is here. Not sure why I'm excited....we have 122 bags of rocks being delivered tomorrow for the bed in the backyard that we've been working on! :eek:

Spotted Pony - Charisse is the FIRM guru around here but yes, there are lots of different FIRM tapes. I think the cardio sculpt is one of their newer ones, though. Don't give up right away -- it takes some time to learn the moves and the exercises. One thing that Cathe suggests that I never did before was to watch the DVD one time through before trying to workout with it. Made a world of difference for me! Sure hope your new trainer is a good one. It's so sad when an animal is mistreated.

Michelle - Congrats on the new vehicles! That's always fun. And on getting your workout in. Way to go!

Charisse - I meant to tell you that I LOL about the toy musket!! DS know I *hate* guns of any kind and there would be no chance I'd splurge on something like that in the gift shop! I just hate gift shops!

This morning I did Step Max. It's an old Cathe -- probably mid 90's. The outfits were truly funny! Lavender leotards with white lace bike shorts for the crew. Cathe had on a lavender top & shorts with a big white belt!!! Good workout, though!

[cniles]

Charisse - I meant to tell you that I LOL about the toy musket!! DS know I *hate* guns of any kind and there would be no chance I'd splurge on something like that in the gift shop! I just hate gift shops!

This morning I did Step Max. It's an old Cathe -- probably mid 90's. The outfits were truly funny! Lavender leotards with white lace bike shorts for the crew. Cathe had on a lavender top & shorts with a big white belt!!! Good workout, though!

The boys know and have always known I will not buy guns (my smart alec 8yr old said you bought us water guns mom:rolleyes:) Anyway just not happening, sorry.

I love finding old tapes and seeing what the outfits are like!! Too funny!

CJ - DON'T GIVE UP! I love the FIRM but I've been doing it since they came out with the first fanny lifter probably about 6 years ago. The Cardio Sculpt DVD - that had dance moves? If your library has The Ultimate Fat Burning Workout with Allison or even Hi-Def Sculpt with Annie Lee those are 2 of the more basic workouts. These are from the new series. If you are able to get hold of any older workouts.... I recommend Super Body Sculpt with Stephanie (this is divided into upper/lower/ab sections) From the Body Sculpting System 3 Total Muscle Shaping with Stephanie (good cardio and weight workout - nothing too fancy) or from BSS 4 Supercharged Sculpting with Pam (good weight workout) For the older workouts you will need some sort of a step. The first two I recommended you do not need one - just 3/5/8lb weights.

Check out collage.com as well - you can preview a min of all the workouts. Michelle has many of the old FIRM workouts before they came up with the fanny lifter concept.

I did BSS 3 Total Muscle Shaping with Stephanie yesterday and this morning I did Stepboxing - good sweat.

My nephew is gone but my parents come into town this afternoon for the weekend. They are here to see Sam's first game of the tournament!

Gotta run - good to see everyone:) Have a great weekend!!!

[engineer]

Hey all well it’s Friday afternoon and here I sit under a tornado watch, waiting for DH to get out of a meeting. Because of the rain this morning we didn’t ride his new bike in so he was bummed. Oh well, lots more days of summer up here in the north land.

Last night I decided to try a bit of an experiment so I pulled out Cathe’s Body Fusion, one of her beginner workouts. I used on the top of the step so 4” and did none of the impact moves and I finished it.:D Two things that really are bothering me though. 1. is that I can’t physically do the lunges, my knees just won’t go there:mad: and 2. every step that I did I could hear my knees grinding.:eek: It wasn’t loud like DH’s knees but it was definitely grinding. Guess I’ll have to call the Doc again. Yuk.

If anyone has any tricks or tips on getting the knees to bend like that again, I’d love to hear them.

Today I went to the chiropractor and did the wonderful swirlly bed and got adjusted and feel so good right now. Tonight is either the Jacuzzi tub or the IR sauna. Right now I’m leaning toward the sauna as there is less to mess with.

Charisse - Good job on the workouts this week and it sounds like you are having a busy but fun summer so far.

srahndennis - I'm sure that excitment is from seeing the project finally coming together, remember to lift with your knees and sun protection other than that have fun.

Spotted Pony - Oh the Firm goes back to the 80's so there are lots of Firm tapes and don't give up. A tape you can do well the first time isn't worth your money. Challenge yourself to learn little bits and go from there, when you finally conquer it you will feel so good about yourself.

I hope everyone has a fun, and relaxing weekend.

[engineer]

Well I'm back, DH didn't get out of his meeting last night until after 6, by then I hurt so bad and was so tired from the whole week that I didn't do a thing except lay on the hot pad.:(

But I am feeling super today. DH had a meeting this morning and then had to see if he could get the model running on the system. So I did the Get Ripped workout and kept the weights reasonable as I haven't done any true weight workout in forever. Also instead of squats and lunges I used the Bowflex, and again backed off the load. Right now I feel just a little ache so I am hoping I used the proper weight.

Small steps, but steps forward nonetheless.:D

Have a grand weekend if I don't check in again.