<p>I went to Wegman’s after the morning workout and got an awesome wild blueberry scone and a non-fat pumpkin spice latte (I can only drink coffee if it is seriously disquished). The major Wegman’s coup, though, was the discovery of the blueberry beer than I had in Maine this past July and LOVED. Have a 6 pack in the 'frig right now. Wondering if I can bubble wrap pack a few bottles into my luggage to take back to TN.<br>
First activity for my 40th high school reunion is tonight.</p>
<p>Actually I heard Northborough would be the first one. Then Westwood.</p>
<p>[Wegmans’</a>; first Mass. store coming to Northborough - The Boston Globe](<a href=“http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/10/13/wegmans_first_mass_store_coming_to_northborough/?p1=Local_Links]Wegmans’”>http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/10/13/wegmans_first_mass_store_coming_to_northborough/?p1=Local_Links)</p>
<p>Well, my little story of the day (as I try to get fired up for Spartacus) is bringing home two giant size boxes of cat litter from the grocery store: 28 pounds each. As I carried them in from the car, one in each hand, it occurred to me that I was carrying almost as much weight as I carried around 24/7 just last February. Jeez, no wonder I was winded walking up stairs. I’d be winded today if I carried around 56 pounds of cat litter for very long. Insane. When I’m about to pass out during Spartacus, I’m going to keep that thought in mind as motivation to keep going.</p>
<p>That’s one of the exercises in this Big Book of Exercises. Carry one very heavy weight (kettle ball, dumbbell, 28 pound box of cat litter) in each hand for 60 seconds or until you can’t take another step, which comes first.</p>
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<p>I brought six bottles of wine from SFO to SEA in my checked softshell suitcase: each bottle was wrapped in bubble wrap, then the bottles were packed into 2 UPS express mail boxes, 3 bottles/box, and sealed (Fedex and USPS boxes would work too). This was placed into my suitcase, and dirty clothes were used as extra padding around the boxes - the wine bottles survived intact despite being handled by Menzies Aviation:</p>
<p>[A</a> Menzies Aviation employee unloads BB’s luggage](<a href=“http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/picturethis/2013128773_pt_hammer.html]A”>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/picturethis/2013128773_pt_hammer.html)</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>Ran six today. Felt okay. I was working very late yesterday so no workout at all. Work is ramping up; it will be a challenge to keep up with the workouts for a while.</p>
<p>Week 3 of Spartacus has been recorded on the stone tablets and I feel like someone has been hitting me in the head with one of them. </p>
<p>I changed it up a little bit today. The 5th exercise (split jumps) and 10th exercise (squat presses) are the two that suck all the oxygen out of my lungs. So I did the whole two sets at full “mean man in the iPod” speed, except I paused the iPod for 60 seconds after the fifth exercise. This let me recover my heart rate and breathing just a bit before diving into the last five exercises of each set. It didn’t make it any easier – average heart rate of 81%, max of 98% including the warmup and cool down. It did let me go a little stronger.</p>
<p>*I bumped up the goblet press to a 20 pound dumbbell and 10 reps.</p>
<p>I bumped up the one arm dumbbell swing to 20 pounds and 10 reps on each arm (brutal).</p>
<p>I did the T-pushups with 10 pound dumbbells. Really tough.</p>
<p>I did the dumbbell rows with 15 pound dumbbells, fifteen reps.</p>
<p>I bumped up the pushup position rows to 10 pounds. </p>
<p>And, I did twelve reps with 15 pound dumbbells on the squat presses.*</p>
<p>And now I’m toast. Waving the towel, saying “no mas”.</p>
<p>teriwtt: I hope your tailor does a good job with your pants. I too needed my pants taken in lots and lots and lots and my tailor sometimes did a great job and sometimes the pants Just. Weren’t. Right. </p>
<p>I’m now at a stable (lower) weight so I’m buying new (smaller) pants that fit.</p>
<p>I wound up getting rid of many pairs that just didn’t cut it.</p>
<p>Let us know how they are post-alterations.</p>
<p>Well, that was the second time in row that Spartacus has just wiped me out. I almost had to take a couple of Advil last night. I think the one-arm dumbbell swings with the heavier weight may have done me in. That’s probably a bit too athletic for an ol’ fat guy.</p>
<p>Not too sore this morning, which is good.</p>
<p>Saw a minivan covered with bumber stickers and tri, 26.2, and other crazy stickers. My favorite: “Advil has no calories.” Just take the Advil, idad!</p>
<p>NorthMinn, congratulations! I am tickled for you! BunsenBurner, that link was too funny! And congratulations to everyone keeping the clothing and tailoring industries afloat.</p>
<p>Tried my first spinning class today. The instructor was sick, so I’ll have to try a few more classes with different instructors to get a better feel for it. I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but it wasn’t that bad.</p>
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<p>You aren’t going to get away with that here anymore. You have re-defined yourself and the “feeling young, thin guy” has taken over your body!</p>
<p>Chintzy- the right spin teacher can make ALL the difference. There are some that are simply horrible. Too much jumping up and down, screeching music- more like aerobics on wheels than a cycling workout. I think I mentioned how awesome my instructor in Dallas was (except for the 2 years he was in federal prison…). </p>
<p>Did my 6 mile walk with my old high school friend. He was fresh off his last place finish at Steamtown Marathon last week and is an even slower walker than I am. My HR only averaged 96, but we had a lot of fun talking and at least it was time on my feet. Gorgeous morning (windy but we were pretty sheltered) on the Perkiomen Trail with falling leaves. Haven’t seen him in 40 years and thanks to facebook and our shared love of running, it was like the years just vanished.</p>
<p>I have my bottle sitting on an old computer that I use as storage. I just took one.</p>
<p>I got two invites for tennis on Friday for today and tomorrow and just got back from hitting for 90 minutes. We hit back and forth for about 40 minutes and played points after that. It wasn’t a match but it was a decent workout. I was subbing for someone that was injured.</p>
<p>Tomorrow I sub for someone else that’s injured in doubles. That’s more of a match but it’s only doubles. It’s nice to play a bit more tennis; especially when this week was a bit of a bust - running-wise.</p>
<p>I noticed a new machine in the aerobic machines room at the YMCA. The brand of the machine is Octane. It is a bicycle/stepper with hand bars. You sit on a seat and push the pedals back and forth but they are in front of you; not underneath you as on a bicycle. You can pump your arms back and forth too. I’ve never seen a machine like this one before. I’ll have to give it a try someday.</p>
<p>MOWC:</p>
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<p>Trust me, I’m still an ol’ fat guy when it comes to doing squats while swinging a 20 pound dumbbell between my legs and up to shoulder height with one arm! Hell, it wasn’t eight months ago that swinging a cold Heineken out of the fridge would have been all the exercise I could handle!</p>
<p>I must say that finally being able to do these squats has changed my day-to-day fitness in very noticeable ways. I brought home three 40 pound double bags of charcoal from Home Depot and 60 pounds of barbells from WalMart and 56 pounds of cat litter – and I can really lift that stuff out of the trunk “with my legs” instead of my back. </p>
<p>Your Perkiomen Trail walk looks just fantastic. That’s my idea of a rough terrain hike!</p>
<p>chintzy:</p>
<p>If your spinning instructor ever says, “Crank it in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…”, hop off that bike and run screaming for the parking lot as fast as you can!</p>
<p>nminn:
Congratuations on the big four-o. They are gonna have to replace all the exercise bikes at your gym by the time you are done! I hope you can get your knee straightened out. I had big concerns that my knee would ever allow me to do lunges and squats, but strengthening the muscles has pretty much resolved that, knock on wood. It’s just been a long slow process to build the strength and flexibility, then one day I realized it wasn’t an issue anymore. I think the muscles must have taken over the load from the ligaments.</p>
<p>I have one little pain in one knee that I feel when walking up stairs or a very steep hill before I’m warmed up and loose. Probably a meniscus issue, but nothing like you are exeriencing. More of a little annoyance.</p>
<p>So… H just got back from a garage sale (he NEVER goes to those, but our neighbors told him about a bike for sale) and bought a Schwinn’s Pathway hybrid. He’s been riding a mountain bike and wants to see how much easier riding the hybrid is. Anyway, the bike is new and he got it for $100. I did a quick google search and saw that it’s a bike that was sold at Walmart, so I hope he doesn’t regret his purchase. Looks like it could have gone for around $300 or so when it was still being made. He’s on his way up to Kenosha, WI to test it out. Will meet him at the harbor up there later for dinner.</p>
<p>Down another 1.5 pounds. Have to say I think it’s a fluke. Had some dental work done on Wednesday (two temporary crowns placed on two back molars) and despite everything I have eaten and brushing my teeth, I still have a funny taste in my mouth, which has altered my appetite. Maybe I should take advantage of it for the next two weeks! Have to say (and please, feel free to go back and find the post where I last mentioned that I ate fish… it’s been quite a while), I ate salmon last night. I figured what the hell, since nothing else tastes like it’s supposed to anyway.</p>
<p>I’m finding I need more than a day recovery for lifting weights. I know the standard is a day’s rest, but my body has always had delayed reactions to things (when I used to get allergy shots, I wouldn’t have any redness at the injection site for over 24 hours after the shot). My worst day for being sore after lifting weights is usually the second day afterwards, not the first. But I’m doing my cardio on the off days, so that I’m still moving. Off to clean windows today… it’s a workout in itself as I’m very anal about it (and before anyone asks, no I will not come do your windows!).</p>
<p>Uh oh… could be trouble later today. I just looked at the menu for the place we’re meeting H (and his friend); it’s a burger bar. Don’t know what to expect from a place that sells burgers with these names: the bible pimp, milk jugs and electrical cords, green ■■■■■■■, ****ty bill, never trust a man with no shirt on, and liquor and whores.</p>
<p>Can’t wait to see which of those names CC automatically bleeps out.</p>
<p>If you don’t hear from me in the next week or so, send out the search party.</p>
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<p>I was thinking you were going to say that you could swing a 6-pack of cold Heineken out of the 'frig!</p>
<p>The Perkiomen Trail is paved- at least most of it is. It’s packed gravel for a few miles and a tiny bit rutted from the bad rains they had a few weeks ago. I’ve too clumsy to do much running or walking on “real” trails. It’s pretty flat, which I need right now. Valley Forge (as Tone Ranger will attest) is much hillier. </p>
<p>GO PHILLIES!!!</p>
<p>BC - that Octane machine looks really good. I’ll be waiting for your reviews.</p>
<p>teri - I’m ROFL after reading your list of the burger names. Please come out alive and post a review!</p>
<p>the burger bar sounds awesome. Can’t wait to hear about it!</p>
<p>Here’s the information from the website. The Y had two of their regular ellipticals too.</p>
<p>xRide xR6000—Great Ride, Great Workout</p>
<p>Challenge your members to test ride the xRide xR6000 for a workout to remember. Quite simply, the xRide xR6000 outperforms any other seated product on your fitness floor. Studies show that exercisers use 343% more glutes and burn 23% more calories on the xRide xR6000 compared to a recumbent bike.* Meeting the goals of every member, the xRide’s tremendous range of resistance levels, innovative workouts and enormous versatility are unmatched.</p>
<p>[Elliptical</a> Machines | Octane Fitness Ellipticals](<a href=“http://club.octanefitness.com/products/series_detail.cfm?ITEM_ID=19&ITEM_TYPE=E]Elliptical”>http://club.octanefitness.com/products/series_detail.cfm?ITEM_ID=19&ITEM_TYPE=E)</p>
<p>Thanks! I downloaded the info in PDF 
Sounds awesome and believable. A quick scan of the web says the machines typically sell for $2.5-3.5K, and there are none on ebay or local Craigslist (plenty of Precor treadmills, but the asking prices are not much different than what we paid for the new one). There is a local dealer not too far from us, so when DH gets back from his endless business trips, we will check the machine out.</p>
<p>Plans may have changed… Had to go rescue H at the five mile mark. Flat front tire! Switched out bikes for him (I think there could be a new business in this… bike rescue like AAA has for cars) and they’re on their way again. So much for cleaning windows (they were delayed because I was outside when he called so I didn’t get to them for at least 45 minutes after the flat) today. Am off to hit the outlet mall in Kenosha first before meeting up with them.</p>