<p>Finished the last workout of the month. Next month is supposed to be more challenging --don’t even want to think about it.</p>
<p>Rock and Reach Stretch
Plyo inchworms
Sidelying 90 90</p>
<p>1 round 60 seconds per exercise with 15 sec transition
Goblet squats with 18# kettle bell
Push ups
Grappling sit ups
Bench dips</p>
<p>Total reps:104 (earlier in the month it was 91)</p>
<p>5 rounds as fast as possible
12 on each side Excaliburs with 15% resistance on the Keiser machine
12 on each side 1 arm table top chest press with 15# db on the physioball
24 v-ups</p>
<p>Time: 16:14 (last time it was 19:20)</p>
<p>Finished off with 6 minutes of double unders jump rope.</p>
<p>Thanks for the thoughts about moving from walking/jogging on a treadmill to walking/jogging outside. Idad, I agree that those of us who are discovering exercise in middle age ought to be quite careful. One of the attractions of the treadmill is that from what I have read, it seems less likely to cause knee problems than is pounding the pavement outside. </p>
<p>Can someone provide some details about the Garmin things? I have a few routes I’ve mapped out with the car, but that approach won’t work for off-road paths.</p>
<p>Oh–and the cover of that New Rules book does not make me think “exercises for middle-aged people” . . .</p>
<p>I’ve never figured out the reason for weight fluctuations either, but it’s why I like the daily weigh-in more than the weekly one. I also generally weigh a pound less first thing in the morning than right before I go to bed.</p>
<p>I always do this yoga sort of thing before the doctor (or anyone else) takes my blood pressure - it seems to work. My blood pressure now is lower than it was in my 20s.</p>
<p>The treadmill actually bothers my knees more than outside running. It’s just too repetitive. It IS true that it is a more cushioned surface.</p>
<p>Garmin will measure your distance very, very accurately unless you are under a thick tree cover. It has to be really thick to interfere. Tall city buildings can also interfere if you are surrounded and the Garmin can’t pick up the satellite. The Garmin 205/305 can be acquired very inexpensively right now (305 has heart rate monitor). I like my upgraded 310 very much, but it costs more.</p>
<p>Here’s a simple Google Maps based program that you can use to map out any walking/jogging route and have it show distances, rough elevation maps, etc. </p>
<p>If you click the option “Automatically For Runners” It will draw the route for you just by clicking a few points, but sticking to paved roads. For off-road stuff, use “manually, straight lines” and click a lot of points to follow your path. It’s pretty accurate for distance.</p>
<p>There are other websites with this kind of capability now.</p>
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<p>Garmin is a GPS system that will map your route after you walk it and then display it in one of several software options. Garmin’s own software displays BING maps. The software I use displays in Google Maps. If you have a model with an integrated heart rate monitor, it will overly the heart rate information on the speed/distance/route.</p>
<p>I agree. Generally, I can run faster and longer outside than I can on a treadmill. Amesie, you will have no problems with maintaining your treadmill speed on a trail.</p>
<p>New Rules of Lifting for Abs workout for me today. Another workman-like effort as I’m approaching the end of Phase I. I finally felt strong on the dreaded front foot elevated split squats. 12 on each leg times 3 sets is really a lot of those nasty things. </p>
<p>3 sets of 12 pushups with my feet in the TRX straps were solid again. I really like doing that exercise. Romanian deadlifts with the barbell and inverted rows on the suspension straps to round it out.</p>
<p>For core, I did front plank with my elbows on the stability ball, rolling ball out and back. For side planks, I lifted my bottom leg up and did knee drives – one of iPod nazi’s variations.</p>
<p>This program is having exact the same effect as it did the first time. Put on a pound or two when I first started Phase I and then it kicks in and starts making me leaner and more muscular. Coincidence? I don’t know.</p>
<p>Arghhh. I waited til Wednesday night to register for the 5K tomorrow, just because I wanted to get close enough to be confident of a forecast for decent weather. On Wednesday night, the forecast was for a mix of sun and clouds, high in the mid 60s. Perfect. So I paid my $25.</p>
<p>Now, the forecast for tomorrow (race starts at noon):</p>
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</p>
<p>In other words, pouring buckets of rain. A little mini-nor’easter. About as bad as you could get this time of year. Yuk. </p>
<p>I guess I’ll just play it by ear and see what the weather is actually doing in the morning. I don’t really want to go walk/jog in the pouring rain. At least I won’t have to worry about parking if it’s raining!</p>
<p>Any tips on rain gear? I’ve got jackets. Might have to break out my hideous neon-blue rain hoodie in a pouch. I think the Brooks running jacket will be too hot with those temperatures, but that’s an option with my floppy waterproof hat. And, what a sight I am in that outfit, trust me!</p>
<p>Having done more than my share of running in the rain, I [ersonally wouldn’t want to deal with a jacket for a 5K. You will get warm very quickly and even the best running jackets tend to feel heavy and hot once you get going. When I ran my marathon, it was raining and snowing and sleeting the entire time, so I had to wear the jacket, but I hated it.</p>
<p>It doesn’t look like it will be too cold, so I would wear the jacket or something waterproof until start time, ditch the outerwear and run in a long sleeve tech shirt, where you can pull up the sleeves, or if too hot, tie around waist.</p>
<p>Once you are running it won’t really matter much, since your feet will get soaked (make sure you are not wearing all cotton socks! wear thin ones that won’t slip when wet) and the rest of you will get wet, as well. Floppy hat sounds like it will be annoying once you are running, I would go with baseball type cap to keep water from dripping into eyes.</p>
<p>Make sure to have dry stuff to get into RIGHT afterwards.</p>
<p>I thought that it would be sunny tomorrow too (for tennis) but I’m playing indoors today and tomorrow.</p>
<p>Ran one mile, did ab dolly plus, 15 minutes of aerobics and worked on the Smith Machine. I was pretty sore from tennis on Thursday and didn’t feel like doing a lot of anything yesterday.</p>
<p>I’ve only run a 5K once where it was raining and it was a light rain - it was actually quite refreshing - the weather in early August is usually quite hot and have a light rain and overcast weather was definitely better than high-80s and a lot of humidity. We’ve had quite a string of rainy weather in the Northeast in the last few weeks.</p>
<p>idad, good luck! You fashion will not be judged during the race, so feel free to wear anything that makes you feel comfortable during the run. </p>
<p>It rains here today, too: light drizzle and about 60 degrees. Perfect running weather! H is not thrilled about biking on the trail. I’m excited about hitting the trail in my new Nike running skirt! We went out last night and danced until midnight; hence the late start.</p>
<p>Day 1 and 58 bike miles done. Here in Lynchburg, TN. No problems today. Finished strong. Stayed cool and never took the jacket off. What a shame since my team jersey largely displays the name if the company I just “left”.</p>
<p>Hey, can I join you all? I could stand to lose 20 pounds. </p>
<p>My biggest impediments are, in no particular order:
Hate to cook / prepare meals - so I wind up skipping, or stopping at Starbucks and eating what’s there … and then get so hungry I overeat
Hating to exercise … I mean, I really dislike it. And I don’t push myself as much as I should. I find it boring and completely unfun. I also have a major hangup because I don’t see myself as athletic, stemming from childhood.
This will sound funny, but I DON’T have health issues (high chol, bpressure, diabetes, etc.). In a weird, sick way, I almost wish a doctor would try to scare me about these things because maybe that would motivate me. But I really am in excellent health from a bloodwork, etc. standpoint. </p>
<p>Aside from that, I’m all over it! LOL. I love reading MOWC’s inspirations. Where do I begin, esp now that the kids are gone and my last excuse is gone? How do you get to the point of actually liking exercise enough to consistently do it? I just cannot get there.</p>
<p>For losing a few pounds, I think I would recommend two simple steps:</p>
<p>a) if you drink any sugar, stop. Cut the soda, fruit juices, sports drinks, and all sweetened beverages</p>
<p>b) Take a look at what you eat and try to identify a few carbs that you can most easily cut. Deserts, chips, crackers, cereal, etc.</p>
<p>Those two fairly painless steps are enough for most of us to start losing a little weight.</p>
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<p>As for exercise, nobody said it had to be fun! What’s fun is to start to feel how regular exercise makes you look and feel. Just try to commit to 30 minutes, three days a week to get started, whether that is brisk walking, or some kind of simple core/strength/conditioning workouts or whatever might seem interesting to you. From my perspective, the first exercise that we should do is something that build core stabilty, strength, and a few moments of high intensity conditioning, but the most important first step is to just start doing something a few days a week. Believe me, I know all about hating exercise. I hadn’t done any for decades when I climbed on that rickety old yard sale exercise bike 18 months ago.</p>
<p>Played 70 minutes of tennis indoors in mid-60s temps with very high humidity. We were at 5-5 when we got kicked off. The hitting and playing felt very good; long enough to get loose and get a decent workout but not a marathon where there’s bodily damage. Court time is $25/hour - we usually just pick a fairly quiet time of the day and use the courts; we usually don’t play on the weekend. So 70 minutes for free is a pretty good deal. During the week, we can usually get in two hours.</p>
<p>I was definitely playing better today compared to Thursday. On Thursday after the loss, I thought that I needed lighter racquets to respond better to faster balls on indoor courts but today I compared my current frames to my previous frames and my previous frames were heavier so I added 3.5 grams of lead to the hoop and at least 3.5 grams (steel nails) to the handle (pro stock frames have silicone inside the handle and it’s easy to push nails into the silicone). The power level of the frame went up substantially - I think that it’s comparable to my old frames and the weight of my new frames now matches my heaviest older frame. The frames now make a nice thwack sound when hitting the ball hard. The added power and depth made it a lot harder for my opponent to take control of rallies. The added weight adds power but only if you’re strong and fit enough to manage the extra weight through a match.</p>
<p>I have one racquet that has an even higher swingweight but I only have one of them. I have been trying to get another for two months but they are extremely rare and difficult to find on the open market.</p>
<p>It’s great that you don’t have any identifiable health issues, but what sort of shape are you in? I am genetically slim and don’t have any BP, cholesterol, or other issues, and sometimes people say, “Oh, you’re skinny, you don’t have to exercise!” Bull.</p>
<p>Can you touch your toes? Could you go for a bike ride with friends or your sig other without collapsing halfway through? If you had to spend 2 days walking everywhere in NYC, could you do it, or would you be sore the 2nd day and demand to take a cab? </p>
<p>There’s more to health than bloodwork. You need to find something to do that will get your heart rate up and exercise your lungs & muscles. Don’t call it exercise. Is there any sort of dancing that you like? Zumba? </p>
<p>Or just suck it up and walk briskly for 30 minutes every day or so. Think about why you’re doing it and it will be worthwhile.</p>
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