<p>I had to try the 15 pound duimbbells for the lunge walks. Couldn’t do it. After eight reps, I couldn’t lift them up again. Had to go back to the 10s for the second set.</p>
<p>I did try some pushups during my “little something extra” after my iPod workout. Did 20 of them – the most I had ever done before was 15, so there’s a little progress. #19 and #20 were pretty darn hard. I couldn’t have done 21.</p>
<p>Then I did six Bulgarian split squats on each leg – touching my knee to the ground on all of them on both sides. I’m really starting to like that exercise. I’m going to have to start adding the dumbells. Then, I did ten dumbbell rows with each arm – 25 pounds. And, topped it off box jumping up 12 stairs. I’m starting to get a little lighter on my feet on those – not quite like an elephant stampeding to the water hole.</p>
<p>During the actual workout, burpees are starting to feel a little better. That is a really, really tough exercise for an ol’ fat guy. It has everything. Balance. Plyometric athletic moves. Core. Upper body. Legs. And, it sends the heart rate through the roof.</p>
<p>Let me tell you…my arms are like limp noodles tonight and I am exhausted! I will be asleep by 9:30. So much for working out with the trainer!</p>
<p>missypie…do you like Wasa multigrain crispread/crackers? Those spread with one of the flavors of Laughing Cow light are good or even peanut butter. I remember they were one of Oprah’s favorites. I grill extra chicken breasts and then have one for lunch most days. Do you like eggs? Hard boiled eggs are good…although I don’t eat the yolks…just not my thing. Berries are good for you. D2 likes Vanilla protein powder in a Blender with berries…she eats very little meat so it is a good way for her to get the protein.</p>
<p>Now, I don’t feel so bad. If someone who looks like that is panting like a dog after burpees, no wonder I’m totally gassed after six of the diabolical things!</p>
<p>Best comment from the comments section: “Damn, I hate burpees, but, if she’s my trainer, I’m doin’ 'em…”</p>
<p>Chintzy: Is that what your burpees look like?</p>
<p>Oh my. T-pushups, too. I most certainly [don’t</a> look like that](<a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube) when I’m doing my T-pushups. I do, however, feel her pain after eight reps. Six is about all I can usually manage. These are really hard. I’m using 10 pound dumbells; she’s using 8 pounders.</p>
<p>Done with my weights. Pfffff… I’m out of air! I had to use the 9-pounders for my t-pushups… 2 X 8 reps in addition to my regular mini-torture routine with 15-lb weights and regular pushups. Many thanks, i-dad, for posting the info on how to do t-pushups correctly (I used to do them with my feet too close together, so every time I rotated into a “T”, my neck would hurt a bit). And no, my t-pushups did not look like chintzy’s in i-dad’s link. ;)</p>
<p>That’s impressive. The weight is not the problem as much as trying to keep sufficient core strength and maintain some kind of balance. Keeping the feet apart a little bit really helps, but just doing the pushups on the dumbbells isn’t easy. I get going OK, but then I’m totally gassed. There’s just nowhere in the exercise to let up. I mean, the easiest point is a full one-arm side bridge with the other arm extended to the ceiling – not exactly a relaxing position! I feel like the exercise is still doing me a little bit, rather than vice versa, but I’m sure that better control will come with fitness. I would love to have a little more fluid motion continuing the pushup directly into the arm raise instead of two separate movements. I just don’t have the explosiveness coming up from the pushup to do that. I was actually glad to see how much trouble little Svetlana (or whatever her name is) was having with that exercise. </p>
<p>A similar exercise from iPod nazi is a little easier and I can be a lot more aggressive with it. Start with a side bridge on the elbow and two feet - one in front of the other. Then, lift a dumbbell in the free hand straight up towards the ceiling. Then, twist and reach down and under and past the belly/side with the dumbbell – so your belly has now rotated and is facing down with your arm reaching under it. Then, pull the dumbbell back out and up to the vertical position (feels almost like a tennis backhand move). It’s a nice dynamic variation on side plank.</p>
<p>Wow, idad, watching those burpees brought back some memories! Our CrossFit gym did a “100 day challenge” starting on New Year’s Day - adding a burpee each day. I was so happy when Day 101 came! </p>
<p>I had forgotten how fun those were. Thanks for the inspiration.</p>
<p>A little bit of marginally interesting history to explain my lunch problem. Back in the day before law firms hired female attorneys, there was a Men’s break room and a Women’s break room. When we hired our first female lawyer, they had to change it to Attorney break room and Staff break room. We are on four floors and there used to be three Staff break rooms and one Attorney break room. Then we remodeled and created one large palatial break room instead…multiple microwaves, granite countertops, wide screened TV…and it instantly became the Staff break room and there is basically no Attorney break room. Yes, I could certainly go in there and make my lunch or heat my soup in the microwave, but that would be a great inconvenience to the staff, as they would be forced to stop complaining about the attorneys and their jobs while I was in the room.</p>
<p>^I’m glad I never worked in an office like that. I always worked in small architecture firms and staff and architects ate together, though the two partners didn’t eat with us because they always went out for lunch. I wouldn’t have thought it odd if they came and used the microwave or got coffee though.</p>
<p>The first office I worked at - two architects sharing space - we always all ate together and had a little happy hour every Friday evening.</p>
<p>That’s one thing I love about being in-house. Even though we are “executives” we are all sort of equal. I eat lunch with my assistant and paralegals many days a week, and frequently our boss will come in and join us. Our conference room is referred to as “the legal dining room” and is regarded as a fun place to eat and an invite to “come on in and join us” is coveted! Because we are “the cool kids” and all that.</p>
<p>In other news…there is a BIG BOWL OF CANDY on the reception counter. Not good.</p>
<p>You can buy a little microwave at WalMart for $50. A stylish one from Sharp in black and stainless steel for $80. Why not put one in your office? You could do the whole thing in one of the Rubbermaid containers with a screw-on top and not even have to bring a can opener. </p>
<p>I just find that a large can of soup has been a good filling, low-cal staple for lunch, which allows me the room to enjoy dinners. I usually jazz up the soup with some fresh onions, carrots, celery sauteed in a teaspoon of olive oil and some croutons. The french onion variety is so lo-cal that I can even throw on a slice of cheese. Soups are a good restaurant option, too. Except for the creamy chowders and bisques, most of them are relatively lo-cal, even in a restaurant version.</p>
<p>Back from the gym. Tough workout. Really pushed it on the bike today for an hour since I mainly walked yesterday and did the weights. Slow walking on treadmill for 45 minutes while talking to a friend. I have a little soreness on the front of my shoulders but so far no major pain from yesterday. Holding my breath to see if I get slammed tomorrow. Thinking of this week as my “last chance workout” before weigh in this weekend. Can hardly believe 90 days is almost up!</p>
<p>Making my version of stuffed peppers for dinner.Stuffing will be some extra lean ground white turkey, chopped portabella mushrooms, onions, garlic, broccoli slaw and seasonings. Then cover with a low sugar tomato sauce (new purchase so will give a review) and sprinkle some parmesan reggiano on top. Yum! Making extra so there will be some for lunches this week.</p>
<p>MN, if you were my neighbor, I would pay you to make extra portions for me!</p>
<p>As for a “personal microwave”, I handle our firm’s leases, so I happen to be about the only one who can’t plead ignorance of the fact that they aren’t permitted.</p>
<p>Hey. I think I could do 100 burpees in 100 days!</p>
<p>Oh, wait… you are talking about doing 100 burpees in ONE day? That is brutal. Something tells me that Crossfit programs may not be as kind and loving and nurturing as an ol’ fat guy like me needs!</p>
<p>missypie…I LOVE to cook! That’s what got me in the shape I am in…or was! I love to cook for people. Making pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread for my walking/workout friend as a gift. That way someone else enjoys it and gets the calories that I don’t need but I still have the baking satisfaction!</p>
<p>Hey, idad, I think you’d love CrossFit!! I quit when they stopped the “CrossFit Light” class for “old, fat moms” as my friend’s son put it. Here it’s all high school athletes, serious road warriors, and firemen! You’d fit right in…Stop by and try a class. They’re doing what you’re doing and you have the advantage because you LIKE all that stuff. Flipping that giant tractor tire about killed me the first time -but I could do it by the end!</p>
<p>Motto: “Don’t use a machine, be a machine.”</p>
<p>And yes, one burpee the first day, two the second day, etc…</p>
<p>Yeah, I’ve seen a bit of what Crossfit does. There’s a whole slice of the fitness and fat-loss community that follows the same basic approach, rejecting commercial gyms, weight machines, and long slow distance cardio. Crossfit pops up a lot in the blogs and YouTubes. It’s probably a bit too intense for me. I need the Crossfit Lite version for moms and ol’ fat guys – but, I’m sneakin’ up on it, slowly but surely. I sweat a lot more than Svetlana, but I’m not sure I’m any more out of breath from those burpees and t-pushups.</p>
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<p>BTW, I dumped every last peanut butter cup into the candy bowl at the local polling location this afternoon. The Reese’s had to go – replaced by salmon and brocolli for dinner.</p>
I love to cook for people. Making pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread for my walking/workout friend as a gift. That way someone else enjoys it and gets the calories that I don’t need but I still have the baking satisfaction!</p>