<p>Beil1958 - I think upthread I just talked about this. A couple of weeks ago I took in six pairs of dress slacks that I use for work to be altered at the dry cleaners. They altered and dry cleaned all six for $116. One pair needed to be taken in on each side as opposed to the back because they are side-zippered pants. I thought it was a phenomenal deal. I did have her make sure they were very snug since I’m still losing. I was so tired of constantly pulling my pants up.</p>
<p>Funny thing is now, I’m going through another cycle at work, where I’m very close to quitting, and if I do, I don’t know when I’d be motivated to look for another job. So it is possible I’ve just spent $116 to have clothes altered I may not wear for a while. But I spend pretty good money on my dress slacks and really like what I have. I just didn’t want to spend the time going out and shopping for things I already had in my closet, but that were too big when I could keep them by getting them altered. If I wasn’t particularly attached to the clothes (they were old or ragged) I might have tried shopping for new stuff.</p>
<p>I actually now have about six pairs of shorts in the back seat of my car that I’m going to take in to have altered at the same place. We’re going to Hawaii in two months and I didn’t want to buy new stuff when I like the stuff I have. At least I won’t have to have the shorts dry-cleaned!</p>
<p>So the foot is feeling better today. Did not bring the crutches with me and although I’m moving slow, it feels less cumbersome.</p>
<p>Let me tell you how strange is was to land in Philly, deplane, turn on my iPhone and instantly get a CNN headline update that the Philly airport had detained a cargo plane for a suspicious package. Then as we walked through the airport, as we passed TVs, I could see CNN was reporting live from the airport. It was rather surreal.</p>
<p>Was able to get my flats on while still wearing the ace bandage so that made me happy.</p>
<p>Heading into NYC to meet D2 tomorrow for lunch, but she says we can take a cab from her friend’s apartment to minimize the walking. It’s very rare these days that I get to see both my girls in the same weekend! Just wish D2 didn’t have a three-hour class and that she could go with us.</p>
<p>Texted my trainer today and updated him on the injury. Also asked him if he had anything in mind that I could do while the foot is healing. He said we could definitely do upper body stuff and core stuff. This is why having a trainer is nice… if I didn’t, I would basically have used the injury as an excuse to sit at home and do nothing. </p>
<p>NorthMinnesota - can you get a shoe on your foot?</p>
<p>I took two pair in to be hemmed, at about $15 per, and then proceeded to move them to the “fatty” reject pile before I could ever wear them. I finally realized that getting stuff altered made no sense when I can buy really nice Perry Ellis dress pants that are the right length for $19.95 and take them back for a smaller size if I lose weight before wearing them. One problem is that the fashion in men’s pants has changed. All my older pants in the closet are the big, baggy, pleated MC Hammer style, when the current fashion is flat front, no pleats, cut trimmer. As a not-so fat ol’ fat guy, I really like the newer trimmer style and am happy to retire the generous MC Hammer cuts.</p>
<p>I bought six pair of the premium iron-free chinos ($40 to $50 at Kohl’s or LL Bean) for a grand total of $105, including one pair at Kohl’s pricing. These things are really versatile for guys – they can be worn with a sport coat and tie or as a slightly dressier casual alternative to jeans. I found a pair at the Bean outlet in New Hamshire for $7.50 (their material is unbelievably nice) and bought them even before I could fit in a 36. I figured for $7.50, it was a good gamble and gave me a pair of “thermometer pants” to gauge my size. Then, I hit the mother lode when I was at Marshalls the day they put out a shipment of exactly my size, style, length for $15 each. I’ve learned that the secret is to grab it when it’s there. You can’t shop Marshalls with the expectation that your size, length, and style will always be there.</p>
<p>That’s a good sign. Probably just a sprain. Should be back to semi-normal in a week. I’ve about decided that I will just keep wearing the simple little ACE ankle support every time I walk or workout. It doesn’t interfere and I think it does give just enough extra support to keep from turning my ankle. I need all the support I can get with my 2.5 inch vertical leap!</p>
<p>5k walk. Pressed and rowed the heavy dumbbells. Did 8 Bulgarian split squats on each leg. And box jumped up 12 steps. Now, it’s off to do some yard work.</p>
<p>Quick update as we’re heading back to see Pajama Game again tonight.</p>
<p>When I got up this morning, the foot felt even that much better, but the calf is really stiff from minimal movement. Wore some new boots I have and did OK. Headed into Manhattan to meet D2 and she says, “Let’s head over to Central Park; it’s such a beautiful day, I’ll bet the colors are great.” I told her I would if she honored my pace. This is a kid who race walks as her normal pace. I think the ‘stroll’ was harder on her than me. </p>
<p>Got back to our hotel tonight and did a google pedometer map of our route and we walked 2.7 miles!!! Granted it took us almost an hour and a half, but as I walked, I definitely felt the calf muscle loosen up a bit. Then we sat down for lunch around 80th and Amsterdam, and by the time we got up to leave, it had gotten so stiff again that we took a cab back to her friend’s apartment. So while the foot is doing better, I’m feel the calf is more limiting now. Will have to figure out how I can get a good stretch in the calf without rotating the ankle. </p>
<p>Sounds like the ankle is going to be A-OK. That’s good news. When you said that heard it pop on stairs, I was worried that you might have really torn something.</p>
<p>To stretch the calf without rotating the ankle:</p>
<p>Stand about four feet away from a wall, facing the wall. Lean forward so your arms are supporting you on the wall and your body is at about a 45-degree angle. You can get a good stretch on the calves that way. </p>
<p>Also, in that position, if the ankle can do it, put one foot about 12 inches away from the wall, then bend your front leg and – keeping your back leg extended – try to touch your knee to the wall. Gives a good hip flexor stretch. Then, push up with your front leg so you are standing again, and stretch the back of the front leg.</p>
<p>Put your feet together and repeat on the other side.</p>
<p>This is really interesting. Young whippersnapper exericises from the ol’ fat guy. I stumbled across this series of videos as I was looking for tips on the Bulgarian split squat. This is a series of short videos showing Mike Boyle coaching a dozen or so exercises he uses with the athletes in his NFL combine training. These are college senior football players (the guy in the video is a Harvard defensive back) who are among the top 300 college football players in the country invited to the NFL scouting combine for evaluation prior to the draft. Boyle trains them to perform well in the tests at the scouting combine. </p>
<p>What I found fascinating is that these young whippersnappers are, by and large, doing exercises that us old geezers can do that are fantastic for both fat loss and functional day-to-day fitness. There are squats and core stability ab stuff and jumping. These 21 year old kids may do the exercises with more weight, but there’s nothing here that a geezer like me can’t build up to.</p>
<p>This link will take you to the first excerise:</p>
<p>Once that has finished playing, you can click any of the thumbnails at the bottom of the video player to get the other exercises – including using the ab roller! Each video is about a minute. Almost everything can be done with little or no equipment and/or in variations using the stabilty ball or dumbbells. I’m going to add this one, the one-legged straight-leg dead lift:</p>
<p>Ruh-roh. I may have spoken too soon about ol’ fat guys being able to do these exercises. I just tried the Single-leg, Straight-leg Deadlift and, wow, is it tough from a balance standpoint. This one is going to take some work! This single-leg stuff is a real stability challenge, in addition to working the muscles in one leg.</p>
<p>The first kid who knocks on my door is going home with two bags of Reece’s peanut butter cups and a bag and half of individually wrapped red twizzlers…</p>
<p>I’ve avoided the temptation of peanut butter cups (at 100 calories each), but the twizzlers are “only” 25 calories. There’s a reason I don’t have that stuff in the house any more!</p>
<p>And, whoever scheduled trick or treat at the same time as the Patriots game should be shot…</p>
<p>I certainly didn’t have any willpower today. Football and a bowl of halloween candy is a bad combo. Oh well. I haven’t had too many cheat days in eight months.</p>
<p>Honestly, I don’t have any willpower. It’s just a matter of enjoying the fitness and weight loss more than the snacking.</p>
<p>I was messing around with some Bulgarian split squats this evening in between trick or treaters and was able to touch my knee down to the ground on both sides – easily when squatting on my right leg, touching my left knee down. Not so easy, squatting on the left leg and touching my right knee down, but I did four in row getting all the way down. That’s pretty incredible considering that I started out not being able to squat down and rummage on the bottom shelf of the fridge. I was shocked that I could do it. It’s really teaching me that what I thought were “balky” knees can be fixed by strengthening the leg muscles over time. It never was the knees that kept me from lunging or doing squats; it was the the lack of stability to do lunges and squats that made me think the knees wouldn’t bend. Next up is starting to add some dumbbell weight. I’m doing them with just bodyweght using my outstretched arms for balance.</p>
<p>Arggghhh. Well, having four bags of candy in the house did not go well. I scarfed down at least 600 calories of raw sugar treats yesterday. I’m kind of disappointed that I couldn’t maintain a mindset of not wanting the junk, but eating the Halloween candy is probably a little too ingrained. In retrospect, it probably would have taken a zero tolerance approach.</p>
<p>Oh well, doesn’t serve any purpose to beat myself. Just gotta view it as an earned slurge day, pat my belly, and get back with the program going forward. And, as an example of how little correleation there is between one day’s eating habits and the scale, I lost a pound this morning after not losing any weight for a week. Go figure.</p>
<p>I had a few pieces of the Halloween candy. The only reason I wasn’t worse was because the whole weekend was filled with bad eating and too much of everything (out of town for a wedding). I have a bad cold- I don’t get sick very often but when I DO get a cold it tends to be bad with a horrible cough etc. I stayed home from work and don’t feel like exercising. Gained a couple of pounds, too. I can get it back under control, but maybe not today…</p>
<p>Yesterday was a splurge day for me too. Not so much candy…only had one fun size Snickers but did have wine, cheese and crackers during football game. Also had a Honeycrisp apple, carrots and too much roasted garlic hummus as football snacks. Didn’t buy the Halloween candy until an hour before trick or treaters showed up and then ran out even though I bought 7 bags! Glad there wasn’t any left!</p>
<p>Met with the trainer today and got a new upper body workout. He said he was pleased with my arm strength and thinks I will jump in weights quickly. Using 15 lbs per arm for free weights mostly. He has me learning pushups on a bar on a machine to build up strength before I try them on the floor. Did 3 sets of 10 today and he wants me to increase every time I try them so next time I should shoot for 33, then 36, etc so I beat my total every workout. I meet again on Wednesday for lower back and core exercises.</p>
<p>I would love Michelle arms! I did the Incline dumbbell press, rows, plate raises and tricep extensions with the 15s. My weakness was the bent laterals and standup laterals…only 10 with them. I know the core exercises will surely kill me as that has never been my thing.</p>
<p>15 pound dumbbells would be pretty much my limit on lateral raises. I’ve done them with the 20 pounders, but eight reps is very challenging and it just feels too heavy. I use the 10 pounders for the lunge walks with lateral raises in my current iPod workout. There is very poor leverage in a lateral raise with the weights at the end of long levers (your arms). </p>
<p>On pushups: I’m reluctantly coming around to agreement with iPod nazi that the pushup is the single best exercise in the world (althought the squat press gives it a run for the money). The various pushup variants (pushups, t-pushups, pushup position rows, pushups on the stability ball, and burpees) continue to kick my ass, although they are definitely paying off. What makes the pushup so effective is that it’s not only upper body and arm strength, but it requires a strong core.</p>