<p>Kmc- Miami means Miami-Ohio, the school her D attended for undergrad. MiamiDAP lives in Toledo, but I am still not buying the $25.</p>
<p>BC, my 2 mile run yesterday was awful, too. I have no idea why, just that it was. </p>
<p>I may get in a little stretch/strength/core this evening, but not much. That’s okay (actually the plan). Picked up my packet and we decided to take advantage of happy hour since traffic coming back would be a bear if we drove home right away. I enjoyed my salmon caesar salad and my husband elected to have a turkey burger.</p>
<p>Stay safe during the storm, all ~</p>
<p>Are you racing this weekend Deborah? If so, good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks, Blank. I really enjoy having a race to look forward to, even if it turns out some excited child starts jumping up and down on top of my foot when we’re all lined up, or the group in front of me decides to take group photos just before the gun is supposed to go off, or someone steps on the back of my shoe nearly pulling it off when we start moving forward, or there’s the unfortunate gal who falls right at the start and you fear is going to get trampled but, whew, she stands back up again (no it wasn’t me, but it was scary!)…</p>
<p>Today:</p>
<p>Cals 1767
Fat 131 g
Carbs 98 g
Fiber 25 g
Protein 110 g
Sugars 34 g</p>
<hr>
<p>Yesterday:</p>
<p>Cals 1924
Fat 114 g
Carbs 109 g
Fiber 32 g
Protein 133 g
Sugars 37 g</p>
<p>Thanks for the clue-in, momofwildchild 
I was trying to put together “Miami” and “swimming” and then snow shoveling twice a year Now it all makes sense. I used to live over near (south of) Detroit and with the moderating effect of Lake Erie, there was nowhere near the regular snow I get here on the west coast of Michigan, so maybe the landscape guys have a hard time selling a full season package. So I think she means the ad hoc, drive by ploughs at $25 a pop – I do have a neighbor who does that, but as you can guess, the full season payers get their contracted visits first and frequently (2" rule.) I have a wicked hill on a long drive that is a challenge for even a garden tractor with a plough so I’d likely be housebound without my hardworking plow guy ;)</p>
<p>So, health and fitness related question: many moons ago in a different city I had a gym I liked, but as (now) a business owner with wicked long hours at times, I cannot get into the rhythm of gym-getting-to-food-getting-work-done. So my evil plan has been to integrate enough activity into my at-home time.</p>
<p>This snow shoeing thing up the hill and through the woods is working well - I get enough work out of it to have DOMs set in, but of course, I’m a decade out of shape. I have a treadmill I’ve been supplementing evenings with, and space in the pool house for more equipment.</p>
<p>I do have free weights and a George Cruize book (8 min in am). But I used to like the full body, fast circuit, maximum strength approach used at my old gym, and particularly liked the ab/back extension machine.</p>
<p>These days, is there a good whole-body multi-use machine anyone would recommend? When I try out the odd machine at friends houses, etc., they don’t always feel stable and smooth. I have facet joint syndrome in my back and have to be careful doing weight-resistance – it’s how I came to stopping it all in the first place. </p>
<p>Thanks in advance for any suggestions.</p>
<p>Another future tip request is a good low-impact routine for water. I have a pool (since just last year) but I did somehow put out my back the first time I tried a routine, which may sound counter-intuitive, but it only takes a wrong twist!</p>
<p>The EMS Heavyweight in L is indeed L - basically a bit loose on me. It’s has me nice and toasty this morning (20 degrees) and I’m not going to find an M so I’ll just live with it. I do need to wear a pair of pants that’s a size up with these.</p>
<p>The tops are absolutely wonderful. I basically use it like a sweatshirt in the office. It would be perfect with a pocket.</p>
<p>Yesterday:
Cals 1363
Fat 31 g
Carbs 115 g
Fiber 20 g
Protein 107 g
Sugars 32 g</p>
<p>I had book club last night so couldn’t control dinner. I chose to have some wine. Had some extra calories left from a good workout so not too bad for a splurge day.</p>
<p>Kmc, great questions. I’ll be curious to see what feedback you get. Personally, I’d want to be really, really careful what machines I used if I had back troubles. Some of the ones I used years ago could be jarring, have a sort of snapping return motion. Not something I’d want to expose a sensitive back to. I’m wondering if a physical therapist might be able to help you determine some of the best and safest exercises. I’m also thinking that there are probably some good paced workouts that would get your cardio going, etc, that don’t involve machines that might do the trick. I don’t know anything about the TRX and don’t know if that’s something that would be advisable or not.</p>
<p>I really don’t like any of the all-in-one machines. We have one in the office but I never use it. I’d rather use the Smith Machine or dumbbells. The all-in-one machines always make too many compromises in order to try to do a lot of things.</p>
<p>TRX is interesting though I haven’t learned the things that you can do with them and I don’t know that I’d want to do them in public. There are a lot of bodyweight exercises that you can do and an inexpensive free-weights set (dumbbells or dumbbells + barbells) can give you more.</p>
<p>Itching to get to the fitness center today - am not being very productive at my desk right now, so should just go and get it done (the fitness center is on the campus where I work).</p>
<p>We walked this morning – no fair weather friends with us!</p>
<p>It wasn’t that bad. More slushy than snowy. </p>
<p>I liked swimming a lot yesterday. It gives me a pleasant after workout feeling in the shoulders.</p>
<p>KMC:</p>
<p>For the price of a decent machine, I just outfitted a decent home gym:</p>
<p>Nice mat
Airex pad (for kneeling exercises)
Dumbbells ($1 a pound at WalMart, buy bigger pairs as needed)
Stability ball
Rubber resistance bands
Jungle Gym XT or TRX suspension trainer
Weight bench
Medicine ball
Chin Up bar
Kettlebell (for swings)
Interval timer</p>
<p>I do compete, whole body workouts, including warm up, core exercises, power, and stregth training (upper body push, upper body pull, squats, deadlifts) that take about an hour three times a week.</p>
<p>The workouts are similar to these:</p>
<p>[Week</a> 1 Workout Plan | Program 1 | Sleek/Strong With Rachel Cosgrove - YouTube](<a href=“Week 1 Workout Plan | Program 1 | Sleek/Strong With Rachel Cosgrove - YouTube”>Week 1 Workout Plan | Program 1 | Sleek/Strong With Rachel Cosgrove - YouTube)</p>
<p>[Sleek/Strong</a> With Rachel Cosgrove - YouTube](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Sleek%2FStrong+With+Rachel+Cosgrove&oq=Sleek%2FStrong+With+Rachel+Cosgrove&gs_l=youtube-reduced.12...136556.136556.0.138137.1.1.0.0.0.0.44.44.1.1.0...0.0...1ac.2.2R1s0cbiCjA]Sleek/Strong”>http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Sleek%2FStrong+With+Rachel+Cosgrove&oq=Sleek%2FStrong+With+Rachel+Cosgrove&gs_l=youtube-reduced.12...136556.136556.0.138137.1.1.0.0.0.0.44.44.1.1.0...0.0...1ac.2.2R1s0cbiCjA)</p>
<p>The only machine I’ve been tempted to buy (aside from my [Airdyne</a> bike](<a href=“http://www.orthocanada.com/pro/img-Ortho3/produits/airdynebeauty.jpg]Airdyne”>http://www.orthocanada.com/pro/img-Ortho3/produits/airdynebeauty.jpg) is a [“lat</a> pulldown” machine](<a href=“http://valorathleticsinc.com/store/CB-12-Plate-Loading-Lat-Pull-Down-p-16352.html]"lat”>http://valorathleticsinc.com/store/CB-12-Plate-Loading-Lat-Pull-Down-p-16352.html) that I would use without the seat as a high/low/mid cable pulley for a number of core exercises that are great with cable pulleys. I haven’t bought it because the darn thing is just so big.</p>
![http://www.orthocanada.com/pro/img-Ortho3/produits/airdynebeauty.jpg]Airdyne](http://www.orthocanada.com/pro/img-Ortho3/produits/airdynebeauty.jpg%5DAirdyne){kind=link}
<p>Total success yesterday. Walked for 1 hr on the 14th floor with co-worker. That was too slow for me, my back started telling me, do not walk that slow, but nothing I could do, co-worker had a knew surgey not too long ago. My back was fine the minute we stopped. For all who walk, boy, I never walk slow, apparently it is much harder, my normal speed is about 4 miles/hour or a bit faster.
Then, swam my normal 1.5 miles in a water that was still too warm but apparently I have built my tolerance for the warm water. Then did all my 6 weight mahcines, 2 sets of 10 reps on each, took about 15 min. I even increased weights by 10 lbs on 2 machines. I felt really good after and was going to go for a walk with my H. but forgot.</p>
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<p>You mean to tell me I’m the only one who encounters stuff like this at the start of every race??? ;)</p>
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<p>This is so me! I’d be the woman on the news who needed the jaws of life to free her from the TRX when she wrapped herself in the cables.</p>
<p>Week 3, day 3 of C25K done. It’s about 80 degrees, and sunny, but with a breeze. I’m up to continuous running intervals of three minutes, and still taking them very slowly (5.3 mph). I can feel my heart rate revving up, but I’m still able to make it through without a lot of difficulty breathing. Next week I see the intervals of running go up to 5 minutes. That, as best as I can remember, will be the make it or break it point for my running career :-0 So far today, about 3 miles of walk/job, and probably 2 more tonight with H. </p>
<p>Nature report of the day–almost whacked in the face by a large yellow (sulfur) butterfly, and noticed one loggerhead shrike atop a bald cypress. Why nature? It is the best distraction, along with the appropriate music, to the less pleasant part of the outing (that would be the running).</p>
<p>Hoping the best out of the snowstorm for you in the NE. D in Boston has called about the start of the deluge.</p>
<p>FWIW, PlantMom, I don’t think your running stretches sound particularly slow at all. If for some reason you have more trouble going that rate as the stretches get longer, I would just slow it down.</p>
<p>On C25K they’re using the word “jog” and if you remember that I think you’ll be just fine.</p>
<p>PlantMom, I finished C25K end of December and never at any point was I able to run at 5.3 mph. Now I tend to average about 4.5 - 4.8 when I run. </p>
<p>Everything I read says its more important to be able to tackle the distance first, and worry about speed later. </p>
<p>Just did 3 miles indoors - 1.5 on the track and 1.5 on the treadmill. That 1.5 on the treadmill is sure harder after running on the track for 1.5!!! (as opposed to just starting out on the treadmill).</p>
<p>Thanks Deborah T and abasket, I looked at my pedometer, which is what I use to keep track of the rates, etc., and I see that my peak speed, each running segment, is 5.3 mph. So, I am averaging lower rates, maybe 4.5 mph? It’s hard to tell from the gps pedometer. I have done all but two of the C25K segments outside; but the two I did on the treadmill seemed easier, even though I had the treadmill cycling between 4.3 mph for the walking and 6.0 for the running. To me, the treadmill seems easier–I assume that’s because I’m using the belt to move my legs. I also feel like the landing and stride after each step on the treadmill is easier because of its springiness, especially compared to the pavement of the road or sidewalk. Does that make sense? When I’m outside here (no hills–here significant elevation changes in the landscape are measure in inches), it is definitely more work to move/lift my body weight.</p>