<p>Amen on the spices. When I started using Penzey’s spices and grinding my own (instead of buying ground cumin, for example), I had to actually reduce the amount of spice in many recipes because the spices were so much more powerful. If you cook a recipe that’s already zingy with store-bought cayenne (as many of Paul Prudhomme’s recipes are), the ultra-fresh, ultra-potent Penzey’s cayenne will knock your socks off.</p>
<p>Tennis today. This is my first workout this week outside of snow removal. Very busy at home and work and a bit stressed out. One thing though - all of my joints feel better. I won 6-1, 7-6. Basically a little tired or not enough calories in the second set. I should be settled by next week and can hopefully get into a routine including workouts.</p>
<p>BC:</p>
<p>I’ve about had it with the snow. Another major snow removal today. Snow blower up and down the driveway (deep and heavy) and shovelling the deck. I was thinking about Airdyne intervals, but I’m plum wore out and writing down “snow shovelling” as today’s workout.</p>
<p>I’m getting stronger at shovelling, but still… It’s really not what I would call a “fun” workout.</p>
<p>A lot of people have had it with the snow. MA is at 50 inches + whatever this last storm did. That’s more than double what it usually is right now. At least you’re not in Boston - all that snow is a major headache in the city, especially if you drive.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I’m with you… and I don’t shovel snow 
My cousin said yesterday she had a 9-hour commute to get home from work yesterday! She lives in DC…</p>
<p>I’d just stay in the office all night if I had to face a 9 hour commute.</p>
<p>It’s the “had I but known” problem. Twenty-one years ago I took H to the airport in some light snow. Snowing a little harder as we got halfway there, and really snowing by the time we got to the airport. Flight canceled. Started home, only to find that it had really turned into a full-on blizard at that point – very much not predicted by the weather people – and cars were being abandoned right in the middle of the turnpike. After something like 6 hours we’d made it to the first place with a motel. A really, really cheap motel. Really cheap. I think they charged us $29, and it was substantially overpriced. I didn’t undress, and certainly never took off my shoes. Not the night I planned, but there’s a good stretch where there were just no good options, so we kept plugging along.</p>
<p>I hope I’m not the only one working out today!</p>
<p>More New Rules of Lifting for Abs today. I knew I was in for a rough time when I saw an 87% of max heartrate – doing side planks! 90 seconds of plank, alternating between normal and one leg/one arm up in the air for 10 seconds at a time. 45 seconds of side plank on each side, alternating between normal and the top leg/arm up in the air for 5 seconds at a time. Two sets of those and on to the strength excerises.</p>
<p>First superset: alternating between split squats (front foot on step) and inverted rows (on the TRX straps). I did the split squats with a 40 pound dumbbell held under my chin, which is quite a challenge since I can barely pick the thing up. Three sets of those, 36 reps on each leg and 36 rows, total. </p>
<p>Second superset: alternating between Romanian deadlift (like a deadlift, but you don’t put the weight down, you just lower it to your shin level) and pushups (I was trying them in the TRX straps). I cranked the deadlift weight up to 77 pounds on a barbell, which isn’t much for normal guys, but this ol’ (formerly) fat guy couldn’t even pick up 77 pounds a few months ago. This is a dicey exercise. If you don’t maintain really good form, it’s hell on your back. 36 reps total. I managed all 36 reps of the pushups, but not all of them were what I could call textbook form! TRX pushups are beyond difficult for me.</p>
<p>Fifty minutes. Average heartrate 80%. Peak heart rate 100%. New batteries got my monitor back in the groove.</p>
<p>^^No you are not. I just finished 35 minute line dancing with D2.</p>
<p>I would like to thank people / posters here for the encouragement and suggestions. I have not been able to find time to post. I frequently work 12-hour day with a high stress job. That is one reason exercise is very hard. D2 is a high school freshman (D1 is a college junior). So for next 3 and half years, I will be able to continue to do line dancing with D2. The problem is when she goes to college, I will lose all the motivation to continue this exercise, even dancing is not that much of an exercise for some people here. </p>
<p>I read an article today about exercise and calories. Here is the summery.
The calories a person can burn for the following activities (summarized from the article)
Range calculated based on body weight between 130 to 200 pounds.( Your body naturally burns about 75 calories an hour at rest, I assume for a 75 kg/ 165 pounds person). I believe that calories burned in the following list are not in addition to 75 but include the 75 resting calories.
Washing Your Dog: 159 to 245 calories per hour.
Doing Yoga: 176 to 270 calories per hour.
Skiing, Ice Skating, Snowboarding: 410 to 630 calories per hour.
Playing Basketball: 468 to 720 calories per hour.
Watching Basketball: 88 to 135 calories per hour.
Walking: 176 to 270 calories per hour.
Answering Email: 105 to 162 calories per hour.
Playing Pool: 146 to 225 calories per hour.
Lifting Weights: 222 to 342 calories per hour.
Grocery Shopping: 123 to 189 calories per hour.
Doing Laundry: 121 to 186 calories per hour.
Cooking: 126 to 194 calories per hour (You can sweat off almost 200 calories by spending an hour in the kitchenjust dont cancel out that burn by sneaking bites before mealtime).
Dancing: 263 to 405 calories per hour.</p>
<p>susan- Sorry if I sounded harsh. I’m glad you and your D can enjoy the line dancing. As we get older, unfortunately, it seems like we have to step up the intensity and the duration of our exercise to get the same results! It can be a struggle to find something that you enjoy enough to do consistently.<br>
The problem with the list of things you posted is the duration of the activities. I have a large, very hairy dog- but I sure don’t spend an HOUR washing him! People tend to greatly over-estimate the calories they burn. It’s easy to do that…</p>
<p>I am pleased to report to everyone (are you hearing me, iDad) that I did NOT exercise today. (drum roll) I am happy to be alert and typing.</p>
<p>Yesterday my co-workers sent me home from work at noon since I was clearly quite sick. It was so unusual that I didn’t even recognize it. I had NO appetite (that was what got me sent home), aches and chills. Could barely make it to the parking garage. I guess it’s been 20 years since I have had this sort of flu/virus. Had 100.8 fever. I guess this is why yesterday morning’s run didn’t feel so great. I was planning on Hot Yoga yesterday at noon, but drove home and got in bed instead. Feeling somewhat better today, but walking around the house was still a challenge, so exercise wasn’t even tempting. This may take a few days. NOT fun. NO appetite- finally had some soup and half a sandwich. Ugh. I blame it on the stupid planes from last weekend.</p>
<p>You are lucky to have some kind of exercise that you and your daughter can enjoy together!</p>
<p>Get well soon, MOWC. All those running trails will still be there when you are fully recovered!</p>
<p>Being sick this time of year is no fun. It seems like it is impossible to get warm when you get fever chills with this kind of weather. The last time I was as sick as you are, I quit smoking, so there was at least a silver lining!</p>
<p>I hear ya on the increasing intensity. This new workout program I’m doing is a completely different kind of intensity than I’ve been used to – even though the actual exercises are similar or even the same. Instead of pushing it aerobically to start the next exercise quickly, I take the time to recover (usually 60 seconds or so between exercises), but then give it 100% on each exercise. I think it’s probably good for me to change it up. These are fantastic workouts.</p>
<p>Speaking of not running, it’s been so long since I’ve been out for a walk, I’ll probably be back to my ol’ fat guy days, bent over panting like a dog at the quarter mile post! I’ll have to take it easy, but I bet I’ll bounce back strongly after a few outings.</p>
<p>I skipped yoga today, but did go hiking in the Crum woods for two hours, in over a foot of snow. It was gorgeous and I have plans to go exploring again tomorrow with a friend.</p>
<p>Crumhenge in the snow! Can’t beat that… 
Hiking is great exercise.</p>
<p>I did my weight workout yesterday, and am up early to run before work. I can thank Mr Kitty for making sure I wake up at 5:30 am every day for the last 2 weeks. I just re-did our bedroom and had to ban Mr Kitty. He’s a destructive little devil. You should have seen the bottom of the old box spring…torn to shreds. He likes to knock lamps down onto H’s head too, and now that I have new lamps, Mr Kitty had to go (yes, H is wondering why lamps are more important than his head too). Anyway, Mr Kitty is not going quietly. He has finally stopped trying to claw his way back in, but now has this new plan where he comes to the door at strategic times throughout the night, and cries like a baby. I almost let him in cause he sounds so sad, but then I remembered the box spring, and the cat hair, and the lamps.</p>
<p>But I digress. I am awake at 5:30, ready to run.</p>
<p>susan, by the time your daughter leaves for college in three and a half years, you’ll either be committed to line dancing even without her or you’ll find something else to do, maybe with someone else. Don’t worry about your exercise that far in advance; all you can do is what you can do today. And today, you’re enjoying line dancing with your daughter.</p>
I think that focus on today is so critical, VeryHappy.
I got some hand putty yesterday at the OT, and shortly thereafter had to be told by the OT to put it down. Apparently it is pretty addictive, and very easy to overuse; she said I had to be careful and count repetitions with it and then stop. She’s right: I found myself looking at the ziploc bag with the putty on the counter several times last night and taking a tentative squeeze or two right through the ziploc before making myself stop. I knew chocolate sent out a siren’s call, but I didn’t think I’d have to put therapy putty behind closed doors to keep my mind off of it. And here it is first thing in the morning and I’m already thinking about should I do it now or make it a prize after I get some icky paperwork out of the way. I am weird.
If only plank called me the same way.
<p>arabrab, maybe they could profile you on that new show, “My Strange Addiction.”</p>
<p>I didn’t workout yesterday - very busy day.</p>
<p>I did just do the military press with a barbell at home though at 70 pounds. That’s the first time in a very long time. I have done the military press on the Smith Machine but it isn’t the same thing as doing it unsupported. The Smith Machine takes out tennis elbow out of the picture as I don’t have to flip the weight up with my arms. So it looks like I’m good to go with joints. Knees were fine too - will have to do some lunges too. Son wants to go to the Y today so I’ll go back to the weight machines at the Y. Might be a good day to try the fly (haven’t done that in a while either).</p>
<p>Strange question-
Has anyone noticed that they needed to go down a shoe size after losing weight?</p>