Home Workout enthusiasts - week of August 4th

[cniles]

Walking wounded reporting in!!!!:(

Saturday night I walked/barged into a floor fan at my parents house.... SOMEHOW it managed to bruise/cut the back of my left knee and bruise the whole right quad - how???? Not sure how this happened (... maybe too much wine:cool:) Anyway I have trouble bending my left knee while I'm putting weight on it - it's nasty looking too - BLACK.:o My right quad is a mottled black/blue all down the front/right side.

SO - I'm having a little trouble doing cardio right now (let alone walking!!) I did Super Sculpting - upper body and abs this morning. We'll see how this goes this week.

Boys are with grandparents - I'm typing from our new desk in my newly painted "study" - I'm really excited about the room because for the last 4 years it's been a eyesore. It's beautiful now.

Trying to plan my week - DH has off tomorrow and Wed and has some outdoor project lined up. I'm clothes shopping today... gotta clean, make food for my MIL's family reunion this weekend.

How was everyone else's weekend??:)

[Spotted Pony]

Charisse, hope your leg is feeling better! A friend of mind cut the back of his leg on the flap of a cardboard box. It ended up being such a bad injury that he had to see a wound specialist! Those household items can be dangerous!;)

Last week flew by. I found a Pilates tape at the library and really enjoyed it. It had 3-10 minute workouts. I returned it and got another tape that I will do this week. No exercising for me this weekend. My mom and I met an aunt and uncle in Geneva Lake, Wisconsin and had a fun weekend. My DD starts kindergarten next week, so it was nice to take a little vacation before the craziness of school starts!

[Valerie226]

Yipes Charisse... those everyday household items can really pack a punch! Hope your leg heals up quickly. My thought would be to let it rest and do like you did, focus on upper body and abs for a couple days.

I did Muscle Max on friday, not smart as I hadn't done it in a while but I thought we were going to hike sunday and bike saturday. DH changed the plan to hike saturday so I was sore right out of the box. We did a 13 mile RT one that's a grunt. weather was very pleasant, cool and breezy and the wildflowers were gorgeous. Saw a glimpse of a bear while taking a break on our way down. he dashed across the trail 50 yards below us. but OMG did I get sore and tired. just about could not walk on sunday although I'm pretty normal today.
we saw a young (just fledged) hawk who couldn't fly. he was near the trailhead on the ground . he was still there on the way out and dozens of people must have walked past him. we didn't know if we could have done anything to help but we were almost 3 hours drive away, no way could we stick him in the back seat to take to a wildlife center. I did call them to see what we could do if that ever happened again. We'll never know if he made it .. he could flap around a little but did not seem able to get airborne.

[cniles]

I'm dying for some good cardio but the back of my knee is still really tender to bend!

So I did Cardio Sculpt Fusion this morning - more a dance/pilates/stretch workout. It felt good to stretch - my lower back has been really tight lately. But I need to sweat soon - can't have my wine and not do cardio!;)

Valerie - how are your legs today? I hope the hawk was able to make it - I'd have no idea what to do with it in that case.

CJ - Sounds like the pilates DVD was good. Is it your youngest/oldest starting kindergarten? Full or half day? I start school on the 20th and the boys start on the 26th. Hard to believe! Although Jack starts soccer practice next week so the craziness will start then!!

Have a great day everyone!

[JoanneOR]

Hi ladies! Sorry I've been MIA!! Life just gets in the way sometimes! I have been working out though - I have to - it's what keeps me sane! ;) I just started Cathe's August rotation and did Pyramid Upper Body today. I'm going to use the treadmill during my lunch hour.

Charisse, ouch!! Hope your knee heals quickly. Don't feel bad - last year I about killed myself walking into a coffee table in our hotel room during a vacation. I was carrying a pizza box and walked right into it. Had some nasty bruises on my shins!

CJ, I have a daughter starting kindergarten this fall too. Where does the time go?? They have orientation on the 29th and start the day after Labor Day. My boys go back on the 25th. The summer is just flying by.

Valerie, I love the stories of your hikes. So sad about that hawk - hope he made it.

[srahndennis]

Hi, all!!

Charisse - So sorry about your knee!! Sounds quite painful. I guess the wine gets us one way or the other -- or both! ;) Enjoy your kidcation!! It's nice to have a few days on your own, isn't it?

CJ - Glad you found a workout you enjoy! That's so key for me. Good luck with kidnergarden this year. My DS is nine and will be in fourth grade....time flies.

Valerie - Your hike sounds wonderful! Glad you've recovered from the double duty.

Joanne - Good to see you! This is my third week on Debbie's summer rotation. Haven't decided what's next but it may be Cathe's August one.

Hmmm....what have I been doing the last few days?? Friday I did Supersets, 2 rounds skipping core, Saturday was the 4DS Kickbox/Bootcamp Cardio premix, Sunday was LIC. I took off Monday and today I did Muscle Max Upper Body with Core. First time for Muscle Max -- I've never done the whole thing -- and can't imagine doing it then going on a 13 mile hike!! I think my legs would have been screaming!!

[Valerie226]

Legs are pretty good today. did 30 on the treadmill yesterday along with cathe's back & biceps.
this morning I went to yoga and am deciding what else to do. It's going to be "beastly hot" here today and tomorrow ( don't laugh) in the mid 80's. maybe upper 80's. that really throws everyone into a tizzy especially this year since it's been very cool so far. that is too warm for me to hike though, so may be time for the bike ride we didn't do this past weekend.

The wildlife people told me the bird has to be "contained" before they'll send someone out to get it. this was too far anyway with gas prices like they are. the way to contain a bird is to drop a big cardboard box over them, and then slip another piece of cardboard underneath. then you can maybe move the box to a vehicle to transport for care. this was a young bird and not aggressive like an adult so if we'd had a box we could have attempted it. It's also possible he stayed out of harms way for a few days and flew off under his own power. I often keep a flattened cardboard box in the back of my car as a catch all for muddy boots and wet clothing, so this would not be too hard to plan for.

So, we've got killer box fans and killer coffee tables! Hope everyone survives the rest of the week unscathed!

[engineer]

Hi everyone and welcome to August. Is summer just whizzing by or what? Anyway, as they say the best laid plans of mice and men….Needless to say I didn’t workout last Friday, or Saturday, or Sunday! I spent quite a bit of time both Friday and Saturday on my feet and my knees were killing me. So Sunday I just kept them propped up. But Monday I had to do something – guilt was setting in big-time. So being the true lover of pain that I am I did Cathe’s GS Legs. But I sure did wimp out, ball squats on the wall and bowflex rather than the faster lunges and the weights were almost non-existent. And today the knees are hurting.

I had a doctor appt today so no breakfast so they could do blood work and they x-rayed my knees in anticipation of what the ortho guy is going to need late next month (it’s so far away). And the appt went through lunch hour so all I’ve had was the powerbar that I had stuffed in my purse. Not sure if I’m going to do anything this evening or not.

I hope everyone is looking at a good week. We got a call from the breeder that that mare still hasn’t ‘settled’ but the vet felt in the next few days she should be good to try again. This will make for one late baby horse next year.

Valerie - I hear you on the 80's being hot! Good job on the workout.

Sarah - Seeing the workouts you've done I can only say wow, I'm tired just reading it.

Joanne - All of the Cathe rotations are tough but I'm sure you're up to it. Hope you can stop by a little more often.

Charisse - Hey take care of that leg, ouch. And I hope you and the boys are living up this last break until school.

[cniles]

Yea!!! I feel like I'm 90% "normal":) I did Burn and Shape this morning and had very little trouble with bending my knee. My lower back wasn't as tight either so I'm hoping by getting back into a routine it will loosen up.

Today is more prep for this family reunion... Yesterday I got the bedrooms ready for family - today I focus on the downstairs... also am baking cinnamon bread and black bottom cupcakes.... Friday I'm making a huge crockpot of maidrites (sloppy joes) and baking my strawberry/rhubarb pies (frozen but need baked). Washing floors and bathrooms should complete my very clean house!!!:D And I'm not officially hosting!! I'm just the B&B;)

Joanne - Sometimes it's just silly how we get banged up!!:) I can't believe Caitlin is starting kindergarten! So crazy how life moves so fast!!

Valerie - Sorry I did laugh at your "beastly hot" comment:p But for your region it does sound hot - we're expected to hit 90 today. Thanks for the info on containing a bird. Very interesting.

Stacy - You've been busy!! Did you say you get up at 5ish to do your workouts? I'm going to have to adjust my time when school starts - no more 8am workouts till next summer!

Ok - gotta go check on the bread!:D Have a great day!

[JoanneOR]

Charisse, glad to hear you're on the mend and back to your workouts!! Getting ready for the relatives sounds like enough of a workout! Oh, speaking of freak injuries, we went to a friends gymnastics party over the weekend. My DH, big kid that he is, decided to go join in the fun with the 20 kids and was jumping on the trampoline and into the big pit. Yes, of course, he injured himself. His foot is really sore, no swelling or anything though. He went to the doctor and he gave him a cortisone shot which seems to be helping a bit.

Caitlyn is starting kindergarten, but she'll have to be out about a month. I didn't want to be a downer on this thread, but she has to have open heart surgery. It was somewhat expected, but a bit of a shock still. It'll be in September, two weeks after school starts. That's partly why I wasn't posting too much - just too freaked out about it to think about much else!! But, she'll be in great hands and it's necessary. I'm sure she'll be fine, but it's still quite scary to think about it.

Anyway, back to happy stuff and workouts! ;) Today was Amy's Hi/Lo Dome Challenge. I substituted it for Cathe's Imax3, which was on the rotation for today. I'm trying to baby my aging knees a bit ;) and Imax3 has lots of jumping and impact. And, I get a bit burned out on Cathe if that's all I do. The workout was really fun and sweaty!!

Michelle, take care of those knees. No workouts was probably the best thing. I hope you get a good report from the tests and the ortho doctor. GS Legs is a tough workout - weights or no weights. Don't underestimate yourself!!

Valerie, mid-80's for us is "seasonal". 100+ is beastly hot!! Of course, there's that humidity factor, too!

Stacy, great workouts!! What's on tap for today?

Have a great day all!

Joanne

[cniles]

Joanne -

Hugs. I was wondering how her health has been doing... I can't imagine what you are going through right now. From what you said it sounds like you're confident with the people/facility providing her care. Please let us know how she is and how you are when the time comes. I know we'll all be thinking of you guys. More hugs.

[MeganHussey]

Sorry to hear about your leg! Although I've never sustained an injury running I used to get joint pain, but I've found that heating pads and a cream called Joint Medic help. I've been doing lots of fitness walking and dancing but need to get back to running; you ladies are leaving me in the dust!:)

[Valerie226]

Did our bike ride yesterday in great time. it's about 35 miles RT, we stop for a break at the halfway point. took 2 hrs 40 including the break No, not Lance Armstrong, but there are others on the trail besides bicyclists... walkers with strollers, runners, horses, etc & it crosses a fair number of streets. need to stop or slow down regularly but the breaks are not long enough to drop your heart rate much. I love the workout.. it's a long time of elevated heart rate, but not REAL elevated. it's so strange though. DH is dripping, pouring sweat, and I have just a faint bit of moisture. He's in much better shape than I am but I simply do not sweat and I am going going almost as fast. only a few minutes difference in our ride times total. one of these times I will wear a HRM to see what the HR is.
I forget if I posted about my new shorts here or on another thread, but I got some nice padded shorts that actually fit and they have made a huge difference. I didn't realize how much time I used to spend "adjusting" my butt on the seat! Gotta get breakfast ,so more later.

[cniles]

Just spent 2 hours in the garden "cleaning up" - I pulled out bee balm that has gone wild, deadheaded, pulled off yellow leaves, weeded etc.... My forearms are all scratched up:cool: I just can't wear long sleeves for this job when it's 80 degrees at 8am!!

So now i need to decide if I'm doing cardio. My back hurts (of course) from bending over. I still have some last minute clean ups - the boys return tomorrow along with some of the company tomorrow eve so I need to make sure everything is ready. (And if it's not - I gotta take the oh well attitude!;))

Megan - welcome!

Valerie - the bike ride sounds great! When I lived in the burbs of Philly they had a great rails to trails ride that I would walk... it would wind along the Schuylkill river - really nice.

[JoanneOR]

Valerie, sounds like a great ride!! I love bike riding, but just haven't been able to do it at all. Now that the kids are older I'm hoping we can do some family bike rides. Nothing like yours, though!

Charisse, thanks. :) Caitlyn has been doing great, so although we knew the surgery would happen eventually it was quite a shock when her doctor said it was time. I'm sure your house looks great - I agree - oh well, if it's not perfect!! Our block party is Saturday and DH's family will be coming. Our house is a wreck and I have no time to clean before then. I'm stressing about it, but then figured, what am I going to do? So what if they think we're slobs, right?! I did leave instructions for the kids to dust and vacuum their rooms and put away laundry while I'm at work today.

Today's workout was Pyramid Lower Body! Ouch!! Cathe does some work with the stability ball that just kills me! I'm going to try to run on the treadmill during lunch. Took the kids out for ice cream sundaes after soccer camp last night and indulged a bit too much. But it was yummy!!

Joanne

[Valerie226]

Welcome Megan!

Joanne, I didn't know until now that your daughter would be having open heart surgery. Best of luck to her. A scary & stressful time for everyone. Keep us posted. One of my best friends had open heart surgery way-back-when in the mid 1950's. It was quite the big deal then. I think we were in 3rd or 4th grade. she is still one of my best friends 50 years later, but it was a scary thing but it all turned out well.

Michelle, hope the MD visit goes well and that you get an answer to the knee issues.

Stacy, I did a fairly light Muscle Max by going light on the lower body weights, but mainly I just hadn't done it in too long. I hate hiking when I'm already sore and usually take "light" day right before. not light enough this time.

charisse, this trail is similar to the rails-to-trails program. we have a network of bike/walk trails that are at least partly from old railroad right-of-ways. This one is nice since it's close and is supposed to be extended in the next few years. It's very popular,the only trouble being vehicle vandalism at the trailheads. always gotta be some p*** heads to ruin things.

[Spotted Pony]

I can't believe the week is almost gone. As usual, all of your workouts blew mine away! Yesterday I helped a co-worker move all of her office plus our video editing and shooting equipment to our corporate office. We filled a cargo van, so I'm counting the loading/unloading as exercise! Today I did some Pilates and went for a walk/jog down the road. I lunged my horse with full intentions of actually riding him, but he was a little nuttier today than I wanted to deal with home alone on a windy day. Maybe I'll saddle him up when my husband gets home. He's a strange old guy (the horse, not the DH!). At 18, he has years of training and show experience, so he should easy. BUT...he has no patience and has alot of energy, so we have some exciting times! He really needs ridden every day, but that just never happens.

Engineer, what kind of horses do you have? Hope your mares are checked infoal!

Joanne, I'm sure your daughter is as excited about kindergarten as mine is. We met the teacher and saw the classroom today. We start on Tuesday. I'm doing fine with it, but poor DH is struggling. I can just see him following the bus to school!

[engineer]

Hip, Hip, Hooray Thursday is almost over. Has it bin a long week for anyone other than me? Oh well never mind that I am suffering the most wonderful/mild DOMS in my shoulders from Cathe’s GS-B, S & Bi. I tried to do 60% of the weight she was using, I know that makes me a wimp but it’s a step up from the last time I did it. I feel pretty good about that. And the best thing is that my knees feel good enough today to tackle the treadmill. So tonight I will get on the treadmill and adjust a couple of the limits and take off. Then I should do some ab work and some stretching.

Hope everyone has a great weekend planned. I think I see fencing in a pasture in my future. We are hoping to fencing in a small pasture to the west of the barn for winter for the girls. But it will involve clearing some trees, see what kind of progress we can make.

Take care and have fun.

Spotted Pony - Moving definitely counts as a workout and video equipment isn't normally too light. Good job on the Pilates (something I can't do as I don't have the patience) and the run. Sounds like your horse can use some yoga or zen or something. My girls are English Shires, big ol' drafts:eek:. And yes we ride and drive them.

Valerie - Even if you went light on MuscleMax I'm sure you got in a good workout. The bike ride sounds like fun and a good workout. You always seem to have fun, you are a lucky lady.:)

Joanne - Best of luck with the little ones surgery and I'm sure she will do fabulous. She got some great genes (just look at you;)) I agree some of that stability ball stuff just amazes me. I try and so far I have only gotten some bruises but no big damage, but I keep on trying.

Charisse - After 2 hours in the garden I'm thinking yoga or stretching is in order, but no major cardio. Your family always seems to have a great time when you are together, I don't think some spec of dust that only you see will make a difference.:D

Welcome Megan and no dust here (well I do live on a dirt road:rolleyes:) Just chime in with whatever. We are here to encourage each other to lead healthier lives and get up and move:D

[Valerie226]

Had a decent workout yesterday. 30 on the treadmill and then GS, Back/biceps. I am using close to "her" weight on many, definitely not all, of the exercises... some places get stronger faster than others apparently. my arms look different than they did, biceps especially seem to be taking shape. I am in love with concentration curls.
I'm a little afraid to push the weight level too much as an injury will put me back to square one instantly, and some exercises the jump from 5 to 8 seems too much. side lateral raises are a sticking point for me with 5 being too easy but 8 too hard ( she uses 10:eek:) so I'm trying to do part of the set with 8 quickly going back to 5 if I don't think I can finish. I've never seen 6 or 7 lb weights but they'd be useful.

[cniles]

I did Cardio Overdrive this am - yea!! Feel good although back is still a bit sore. I probably won't be able to do anything tomorrow as I will need to be at my MIL's in the am to help set up.

The boys come back today - yea! I really missed them. And some family arrives this afternoon. I'm all ready I believe!

Valerie - I have no clue how she does those side lateral raises with 10 lbs!!! I haven't seen 6 or 7lb bells - may want to check a sporting goods store to see if they sell 1 or 2lb bells to add to the 5's..

Engineer - yea! so glad your knees feel good!!! Building a fence - that definately will take some work. Good luck!

I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!!!:)

[engineer]

Happy Friday to all of us. And yes it is a good Friday, I did treadmill last night. I don’t know it’s been a while since I’ve done it but boy my heart rate went sky high and so the treadmill stayed at 0 grade and the speed was a lot slower than previous. :eek::mad: Oh well I still did it and I’m proud of that feat. I then did Firm More 5-day abs day 2 and Cathe’s Total Body Stretching – Ball Stretch 2. Very frustrating that I can’t get into some of the positions that I could easily do late last year.:( But I will keep trying and hope that the appt with the ortho comes up with something.

As for today I am going to do Cathe’s GS C&Tri.

Have a great weekend filled with fun and happiness.

Charisse - Good job on the cardio workout and it sounds like the fun is really going to be at your house. See you next week.

Valerie - Good job on being close to Cathe on so many of the exercises and I agree be aware so you don't get injured. You give me hope that someday I too will be able to keep up with her (& you).

[srahndennis]

Hi, everyone! Boy it's been a fast week.....lots going on. Still sticking to my workouts, though. Wenesday was the Drillmax Ultra Cardio premix (each of the six drills two times, no weights), Legs & Glutes on Thursday and today I did the upper body weights from 4DS.

Charrise -- Glad your back to cardio workouts! Enjoy your company - sound like it's going to a busy weekend! You are right about my workout times. We actually get up a 4:45 (the clock is set ahead to 5:00 'cause I have a psychological issue with getting up before 5 am ;)). I have to have coffee first but I'm at it by 5:30.

Valerie -- What outdoor adventure is on tap this weekend? Congrats on you new shorts! I know how important the right equipment is. I finally realized that my new workout shoes don't fit my ankle. So now I have new, new workout shoes and my feet already feel better than they have in months.

Michelle -- It's hard when you can't do things that you've done in the past but unfortunately, that's something you can't change right this minute. You're doing a great job getting in there and doing the best you can! Hopefully, your dr will be able to create a treatment plan that will help.

Joanne -- I'm sorry to hear about your daughter's heart surgery. I know it must be scary. DS had tubes twice and his addenoids removed. Nothing at all in comparison but it was still scary to me. I'm sure she has the best of care -- I work for a healthcare organization and know that incredible things are happening every day.