<p>After 2 weeks of semi-slothdom, got back on track. Did 3 yoga classes on Sunday, pilates and yoga on Mon, weights and yoga Tues, and have a fluid running class tonight. I’ve got to tell myself it’s ok only to have 1 class a day, though. I can go all or nothing!! </p>
<p>Yes, PG one class a day is great! Glad you left semi-slothdom behind! With the holidays approaching I think it is an even MORE good reason to stay on top of the exercise routine. Plus it helps me to keep my holiday sanity. :)</p>
<p>Wow, Plantmom, 6 miles! At some point I would like that to be my goal - to get at least one longer run in a week. I can come up with 30-40 mins a few times a week to run/exercise but right now with work/home/family responsibilities, finding more time - that is just for me - is tough. Won’t beat myself up about it though, I know that the 40 ish minutes I do get 3-4 times a week is overall a good plan for me with good results. </p>
<p>Deb, we had a new Marshall’s open here a couple of weeks ago. They had a few Marmot things - mostly lightweight outerwear (not for exercise but like light down coats) - very nice, but I couldn’t justify! I visit 6pm.com regularly to look for Marmot buys as well. Bought a couple of long sleeve tops - one hooded, one not a couple of weeks ago for 60-70% off - $19.99!!! Keep an eye there for things.</p>
<p>You have mentioned Icebreaker before - I’ve not familiar with that brand - will have to keep a lookout.</p>
<p>Speaking of prices, had an Athleta ad in my email today for their “cozy joggers”. <a href=“Athleta”>Athleta;
Just what I was looking for to get my daughter!!! But upon looking, $98!!! No can/willing to do!!! Love their products, don’t always love their prices! </p>
<p>Pizzagirl- I know many people can’t understand why I do what I do, but I can’t understand doing 3 yoga classes! If I come out of a class feeling the need to do another one, I don’t think the class was adequate. Not that yoga (well, except the hot yoga I do) should kill you, but an hour class should take care of it. If you want to do some cardio before or after, that’s another story. If you are doing multiple classes, which you have often reported here, I don’t think you are getting much out of each class. For example, if you were to do a spin class, you should be tired enough that you really don’t want to do much of anything else- maybe some upper body weights. If you come out of spin class and want to do 2 hours of yoga, you haven’t worked hard enough to get much benefit out of the spin class.<br>
Same with the multiple yoga classes. It just sounds really inefficient to me and would certainly lead to burn out for me if I felt I had to exercise 3 hours a day to feel like I did enough. I believe that you have to work at a level of intensity (not panting with hands on knees necessarily- although there should be some of that in your exercise life) that provides benefits in 45 minutes to an hour of exercise. That’s just my opinion, but I think you would see better and faster results with an increase in intensity and decrease in total classes.</p>
<p>It just felt really good, that’s all. It makes me feel good to use my body that way. I didn’t do them back to back - I did them throughout my day (morning, mid-afternoon, evening) with errands and so forth interspersed. I agree it’s not the “best” from a weight loss standpoint, but I’m trying to get myself into a mindset that all movement is good, not just that movement that results in weight loss. </p>
<p>I agree I’d probably be better served by increase in intensity – like the OrangeTheory which is HIIT – but for me right now, the yoga, pilates, strength, fluid running that I DO do is better than the high-intensity cardio that I don’t do, if that makes sense. </p>
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<p>I’m making a point of not going to TJ as I really don’t need any clothes at all. If I go there, I’m sure I’ll find some bargain too good to pass up!</p>
<p>I’ve never had any luck finding things at our local TJ Maxx. Wrong sizes, hideous colors, brands I’ve never heard of - I’d love to find things there but no such luck. </p>
<p>I finally did buy a jacket but I am waiting for it to arrive, so the jury’s still out: <a href=“http://shop.pearlizumi.com/product.php?mode=view&pc_id=93&product_id=2105548&outlet=&color_code=3ZW”>http://shop.pearlizumi.com/product.php?mode=view&pc_id=93&product_id=2105548&outlet=&color_code=3ZW</a></p>
<p>I thought this was a good compromise at a price point I could stomach. I get a little overheated on runs and thought the added breatheability would be a plus. </p>
<p>PlantMom, I love seeing your mileage increase! Pizzagirl, wish I had the time to do classes like that! I’m hoping to find some that I enjoy soon. I agree - any activity is better than none at all. </p>
<p>Hiked in Valley of the Fire, around an hour north of Vegas. Think the scenery is better than Red Rock. Hiked around 7.5 miles of rocks , sand, hills, etc. I think the 6 hours of hiking was more strenuous then the bike ride the other day. The knees were barking at first, but I got accustomed to the climbing. Probably should have worn knee braces. </p>
<p>Sabaray, nice jacket! are you thinking about using it for running your race? I have a Lulu (surprise! 
) jacket that is really lightweight and breathable. Haven’t done much running in it the rain to judge the utility or lack thereof - need to commit myself to long runs in weekends. </p>
<p>Did my hilly city walk this afternoon, right before the rain started. </p>
<p>4 treadmill miles this morning since it was rainy and awful outside all day. I now have TV in front of my treadmill, but morning news wasn’t that thrilling. </p>
<p>BB, I have a Nike hooded pullover that I really like - it has a kangaroo pocket with a concealed smaller inner pocket. Sleeves have thumbholes, really lightweight and wicking. Our last long run it was in the thirties when we started and I wore, I kid you not, a tank top with the hoody over it and I was fine, perhaps a big warm. Sadly it is not water resistant so I needed a backup plan, hence the jacket. UPS tells me it will arrive tomorrow. I’ve seen quite a few Lulu items that I’m coveting - Christmas is coming! </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.fluidrunning.com”>http://www.fluidrunning.com</a></p>
<p>This is the deep water class I’m taking (my hair is still wet!). It’s like running / doing cross country in the water - not like traditional little-old-lady water aerobics at all. It’s a way to trick myself into cardio :-)</p>
<p>Then this weekend I am doing the Hot Chocolate 5k. I am doing it with 2 coworkers who are doing the 15k, but we will meet after so it’s all good. </p>
<p>Water aerobics can be really challenging and tiring …a really good before bed exercise. </p>
<p>Ohio, hiking can be really challenging depending on the terrain! I hope your knees are ok. </p>
<p>Wow, Pizzagirl. That sounds like a great class. </p>
<p>Okay, Pizzagirl, you’re making me really miss my (now covered) pool 
I miss it even more than last year, because this year I aquajogged each morning after doing the hill.</p>
<p>Ohio, that sounds like an awesome hike!</p>
<p>5 slow miles this morning…weather makes such a difference. Warm and drizzly…not my favorite. </p>
<p>When I run a shorter route, I have what I call the “Horrible Hill” to get home - short and steep. I’m getting better at tackling it, though! I never thought this taper thing would be a big deal. I was wrong. All I feel like doing is eating and I can’t do that. </p>
<p>Reflecting on MOWC’s comment - I guess I do prioritize strength and flexibility over endurance. Of course, it’s a self-fulfilling thing here, but I naturally gravitate towards those things, so I make gains there. I really dislike the exhausted-cardio feeling so I shy away from it. I wonder how much of this is conditioned vs natural. I build muscle pretty quickly and I have a strong upper body / shoulders for a girl. I don’t think I’d have that lean runner’s body. I wonder if there are just different “types.” I look forward to doing the stuff I do do, and I won’t lie - I procrastinate on the running, which is why I’m not as strong on it as I was a year ago, and I’m not going past 5k. Maybe one day, but I wonder if I’m just naturally a different type? </p>
<p>PG, really, you should do what you ENJOY, works for your life and benefits your health and is likely to leave you as injury free as possible. For all of us I imagine a blend of both cardio/endurance and strength training would be most ideal. </p>
<p>I do think there was some merit to MOWC’s comments regarding the thought of whether a class is being beneficial enough fitness wise if you feel the need or even DESIRE to do multiple in a day. I can’t comment/have an opinion on it much because for me, classes are too confining and structured. But it’s good food for thought. </p>
<p>One more thought - for me, running became more enjoyable when I stopped thinking of it as a “race”. Getting past the idea of passing people, people passing me, speed, taking a 30 second breather to walk and be ok with it - all that jazz - was important for me to learn to run at my own pace, for that particular day in a way that was satisfying to me. I find that more often now, I just settle into a comfortable trot that feels very synced and “smooth” - well, maybe smooth is an overstatement… </p>
<p>You might be, and that’s fine. iDad doesn’t emphasize cardio and look how well he’s doing! I just think that even in the strength area, if you are able to do 3 hours of it, there is probably a lack of intensity, which in my mind translates to limited benefit. I’m not saying you have to be exhausted, and if you have lots of time and enjoy the 3 hours of classes, then go for it! I would fear burnout and an inability to sustain that much time devoted to the classes. </p>
<p>Oh, absolutely! And I’m not offended at all!
The 3 classes I took were all the level 1 - where I am focusing on form and flexibility. If I had taken one of the higher level ones like yoga sculpt with weights, I would have absolutely been unable / unwilling to do any more for the day!</p>
<p>I’m also just wrapping my mind around how I want to structure things when I retire. I have determined that classes work for me to keep me motivated, and I also like a lot of variety. So I have yoga (several levels), pilates, weight training, actual running, fluid running, and then things like barre, spin, Orangetheory, and maybe even an occasional CrossFit, all of which I could put into the mix. I do weights twice a week from 5:30 - 6:30 am and my “weight guy” says I should do weights 5x/week when I retire, but that may be because he wants my business :-)</p>
<p>What’s the useful life of a garmin? Mine has frozen in the middle of a run 2 days in a row now. I hate that! I’ve had it for 3 years, Is it time to replace it?</p>