<p>I did about 20 minutes of Pilates this afternoon. Then I did 1000 meters on the rower machine. Wow was that more difficult than I expected! Then I finished off with 200 kettlebell swings. I guess it’s time to put the 20-pounder away… I did 140 double-arm swings in a row…</p>
<p>Thanks, iDad. I’m going to try it.</p>
<p>Vibrams- I have run in them. I think the most I’ve done is 3 miles. I have also worn them to work, which creates quite a stir. The darn things are really hard to put on. I actually prefer some of the other minimalist shoes for the Vibram-type training. Right now I like New Balance road (have gone 6 in them) and trail. The trail have a Vibram sole but not separate toes and are actually really awesome looking and comfortable. Nike Free Run also has a more normal shoe feel but gives you the minimalist training benefit. One of my local running friends who has always worn pretty supportive shoes has built up his Vibram Five Finger training and just finished a marathon in them yesterday. We’ll see if he can walk next week… To be honest, I haven’t quite decided if the whole thing is a gimmick or not. I DO think it feels good to lighten up the shoes for the shorter runs, but I’m not sure our structured running shoes have ruined us for life.</p>
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<p>Can you (once again, I know, I should have paid more attention) provide the link for this?</p>
<p>In case you haven’t ventured over to the “Dummies” thread, I thought I’d mention that someone over there posted abotu an interesting blog, Jan’s Sushi Bar (I don’t think links to blogs are allowed here, but it’s the first thing that comes up when you Google).</p>
<p>I have read some of her posts this morning and while none of it so far is new, she is interesting and seems to be following sound science (she is a Taubes believer, for example).</p>
<p>Amesie:</p>
<p>This is the very first core workout I did (at 250 lbs) back in Feb 2010 and four of the five core excercises I did this past week in Week 1 of his new 12 week core program.</p>
<p>[YouTube</a> - Core Workout: Ab Exercises for Beginners](<a href=“Core Workout: Ab Exercises for Beginners - YouTube”>Core Workout: Ab Exercises for Beginners - YouTube)</p>
<p>His original iPod workout program is more of an all around fat loss program with core training, whole body dumbbell weight lifting exercises, and interval cardio:</p>
<p>His new program is all core training, really intended to be used in conjunction with whatever cardio and/or strength training you are doing:</p>
<p>[YouTube</a> - Amazing Abs Solution](<a href=“Amazing Abs Solution - YouTube”>Amazing Abs Solution - YouTube)</p>
<p>Just got back from the Y and did a bunch of the machines from yesterday and tried a few new ones today. The new machines are smoother and they work muscle groups without additional strain on other muscle groups - I think that I’m going to do my weight machine workouts at the new gym - I feel better after the workouts - the good workout feeling - without any of the stress of the old gym (arm and knee stress).</p>
<p>Going out to dinner tonight with relatives, will do a bit more at home tonight.</p>
<p>I feel great today, which really surprises me. We had a huge line of thunderstorms sweep through this afternoon which interrupted my plans for an afternoon run. It is son’s birthday so exercise will wait post dinner. </p>
<p>I actually just went back to the beginning of this thread and re-read some of the first few pages, looking to see when iDad first made his appearance. There is a lot of great information in the beginning of the thread for anyone just beginning a diet/exercise program.</p>
<p>Did a 2 mile shake out run just to get my legs back from yesterday. THEN- the dreaded first bike ride of the season. It went OK. 22 miles on hills but none of the gigantic hills that you have to train for a month to even get up. I thought I wanted to go more, but by the time I got home I realized that was plenty. No cars hit me and no dogs bit me. Success. I managed to keep H in sight even up some of the hills. It helped that he rode 70 miles at 18mph on big hills yesterday. Lance and his group rode 100 at 25 mph.</p>
<p>Geez – you all are so chatty on this thread that nobody noticed/mentioned we hit the 10,000th post!!! (BCEagle grabbed the honors.) </p>
<p>Cold and rainy here this morning so no walk for me. Back to the gym tomorrow.</p>
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<p>Rest day for me, as Sundays usually are. Kinda feeling it from last week. I think the overhead DB presses worked some muscles I haven’t worked in a while.</p>
<p>Looking ahead, iPod nazi kicks it up a notch on the core/ab exercises this week.</p>
<p>DH and S home from college & I had a nice walk this evening. It was neither rainy nor 94 degrees and humid. Lovely!!</p>
<p>@MOWC - thanks for the info on Vibram alternatives. I can’t wait to hear the verdict from your friend on how runnning a full marathon went!</p>
<p>I had trouble putting them on the first day or so, but now my toes slip right into their slots very easily. I get tons of comments on them when I wear them “around town”, but I don’t care - I think they are super comfortable. I am with you in the “undecided” category at to gimmick or no – “Born to Run” was intriguing but not necessarily 100% convincing.</p>
<p>H said I wore him out yesterday so today we walked together at a slow for me, brisk for him pace. Still very humid, but considerably cooler than yesterday. He is interested in the iPod Nazi workout. We tried to talk S into walking with us, but he walks to and from work each day so he doesn’t view it as recreation like we do.</p>
<p>Check out Reebok Realflex Run. Less minimalist, but very comfortable. Brooks (my shoe sponsor) is coming out with a line of minimalist shoes in the fall.</p>
<p>No exercise since last Tuesday. Feel AWFUL and can’t wait to get to the gym tomorrow AM. It was S2’s college graduation weekend. Normally I go to the gym on Thursday night, but S1 was back from Europe so I tore home to see him. Then Friday, running around getting ready for the weekend; long drive to the school. Yesterday was one of the most rainy, cold, miserable days I’ve ever experienced. Today, sitting through a four-hour ceremony, followed by a three-and-a-half-hour drive home. Yuck. Can’t WAIT to get to the gym tomorrow.</p>
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<p>Walkin’ at his pace and encouraging him on his journey will probably make you feel better than any fitness gains you could make for yourself right now.</p>
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<p>I would definitely go stir crazy after six days without exercise now. Kinda funny, since I went 25 years without exercise and didn’t seem to mind! Of course, I’d also go stir crazy sitting thru a 4-hour graduation ceremony. I guess that’s a plus for small liberal arts colleges!</p>
<p>Couldn’t agree more, iDad. H is not a morning person so I am going to keep to my routine of getting out in the morning for some semblance of a jog (I call it shuffling) and then walking with him in the evening. </p>
<p>I think the best part of all of this is he is actually taking an interest in what he is eating. I’ve tried to persuade him that he should start his day with some form of protein but he likes cereal. At least he is reading the cereal labels now and noticing the difference in sugars.</p>
<p>The way I look at it is that any change he makes in his diet is a plus. There will be time to make more changes down the road. I ate cereal (small portions for a change) for a bedtime snack for the first six months I was losing weight.</p>
<p>As I went further along, it became easier to make additional changes. Plus, everyone has to figure out what they can live without. It may be that cereal is his thing, just like half n’ half in my coffee and blue cheese & croutons in my salad are my little indulgences.</p>
<p>The first half of this video shows some Ultimate Fighting Challenge dude working out at Mike Boyle’s gym. I had to laugh. He makes the same death rattle wheezing sounds on the Airdyne as I do! :)</p>
<p>[YouTube</a> - Kenny Florian prepares for UFC 131](<a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube)</p>
<p>“Fat is not the problem,” says Dr. Walter Willett, chairman of the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. “If Americans could eliminate sugary beverages, potatoes, white bread, pasta, white rice and sugary snacks, we would wipe out almost all the problems we have with weight and diabetes and other metabolic diseases.”</p>
<p>It’s a confusing message. For years we’ve been fed the line that eating fat would make us fat and lead to chronic illnesses. “Dietary fat used to be public enemy No. 1,” says Dr. Edward Saltzman, associate professor of nutrition and medicine at Tufts University. “Now a growing and convincing body of science is pointing the finger at carbs, especially those containing refined flour and sugar.”</p>
<p>Americans, on average, eat 250 to 300 grams of carbs a day, accounting for about 55% of their caloric intake. The most conservative recommendations say they should eat half that amount. Consumption of carbohydrates has increased over the years with the help of a 30-year-old, government-mandated message to cut fat.</p>
<p>[A</a> reversal on carbs - Los Angeles Times](<a href=“http://articles.latimes.com/2010/dec/20/health/la-he-carbs-20101220]A”>A reversal on carbs)</p>
<p>Most here are familiar but this article provides a nice summary explanation.</p>