<p>MOWC, that is awesome!!! That is also one of the shortest periods of unemployment I’ve heard of in the last several years! </p>
<p>40 hours a week sounds divine.</p>
<p>Yeah MOWC! I 'm so happy for your good news!</p>
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<p>Believe me, I’m not cryin’ about putting on a few pounds this week. I’m playing with house money, still down 91 pounds from where I started… I was actually very surprised that the scale had started dropping again. I’m on the verge of having visible abs and probably would have if it weren’t for the dreaded “loose skin”.</p>
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<p>New Rules of Lifting for Abs today. This is the harder of the two Phase 2 workouts for me. Three of the four strength exercises are 8 reps per side or 16 reps per set, so it’s a lot of reps. And, I’m near my limits on weight on most of the exercises. 2 x 30 pounds on the split squats, 60 pounds on the one-arm DB rows, 2 x 60 pounds on the DB deadlifts, and I bumped up to 2 x 35 pounds on the alternating press with the shoulders and head on a stablity ball. Plus two of the most difficult core exercises known to man: the Valslide Painful Pushaways and the Stability Ball Mountain Climber knee tucks. Definitely some gruntin’ in that workout.</p>
<p>Today was run/walk for 22 minutes. I tried using mapmyrun on my phone, but the gps couldn’t find me half the time, so I’m not sure exactly how far or how long each segment was. I think I’ll stick to my low tech kitchen timer.</p>
<p>Woke up to rain, rain and more rain! If it does not stop any time soon, I will have to run on the treadmill, picking the lesser evil. :(</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone.</p>
<p>Gorgeous day here, but it started at 36 degrees. Met my daughter at 7am to run and we were both dressed for snow! It never warmed up much, but we were OK. Neither of us felt very energetic, so we did a very easy pace for 6.5 miles. THEN- breakfast at a great crepes place.</p>
<p>MOWC, sounds excellent!</p>
<p>Following a successful open back surgery last March (third one) fusing more vertebrae (old motor vehicle accident from my 20’s), I’m so fully recovered now that, with dr’s blessings, I started a weekly pilates class to develop some core strength, and a class in beginning country line dancing just for fun. I haven’t danced in 35 years! I used to be a die-hard contra-dancer and Morris Dancer in New England during grad school, so this little ladies class at the local high school is very exciting for me. Just to move around freely = complete joy.</p>
<p>paying3tuitions – that’s great. My best friend has had back problems and finds that dance classes and core exercises are exactly what she needs – she finds the classes really fulfilling, and her sciatica tends to bother her only when she’s skipped three or four days of dance/core.</p>
<p>Years ago I went to a wedding for a friend who was a Morris Dancer, and his whole Morris Dance group came dressed accordingly to the wedding and then did a bunch of dances at the reception – it was great.</p>
<p>It must be a major relief to be able to move painfree again! I’ve haven’t sprung for this because it’s an expensive book, but it would be my first purchase if I had a back injury to rehab or protect:</p>
<p>[Amazon.com:</a> Ultimate Back Fitness & Performance 4th Ed: Sports & Outdoors](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Back-Fitness-Performance-4th/dp/B002C9ERUG]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Back-Fitness-Performance-4th/dp/B002C9ERUG)</p>
<p>This one is supposed to be for the semi-layperson and there’s a companion DVD that walks through evaluation of several injured athletes to determine what exercise they can do.</p>
<p>As I understand it, McGill’s approach is to figure out what and for how long a person can exercise pain free and then use those findings to build a program to strengthen the core and protect the spine.</p>
<p>Core is important. Keeps your back happy and keeps your waist skinny.</p>
<p>efit30 Total Body Workout (30 minutes) - more of a cardio workout. I like these workouts at home because they are particularly easy on the knees - even the cardio segments. They do “star jacks” instead of the traditional jumping jacks and movements that are typically jarring are decelerated with a pause or cushioning movement. This is described as an intermediate workout and that’s they way I found it. It wasn’t hard but it wasn’t really easy either.</p>
<p>[Full</a> Total body Workout in 30 minutes - eFit30 - YouTube](<a href=“Total Body Workout 4, Cardio, Sculpt + Tone, Hard Abs, 30 Mins - YouTube”>Total Body Workout 4, Cardio, Sculpt + Tone, Hard Abs, 30 Mins - YouTube)</p>
<p>Went to the YMCA this afternoon for weight machines and free weights. I will do a bit more on the free weights at home tonight.</p>
<p>Went to take a nap last night around 8:00 PM and woke up around 6:30 this morning. So my body is still asking for rest. I may have some low-grade cold slowing me down a bit.</p>
<p>I got my little workout from carrying more heavy stuff (old furniture from the basement and garage loft to the dumpster in the front yard. Moved a massive old TV hutch that was in the basement when we bought the house. I had the top, so I straddled it, squatted down as best I could, and deadlifted it up to the next step. About 12 steps, in total. Definitely huffin’ and puffin. No way I could have done it a year ago.</p>
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<p>BC:</p>
<p>I really like the looks of that workout. Good combination of bodyweight squats and lunges and pushups. That sort of thing would be an excellent choice for Geezer Home Workouts, even if you hit the PAUSE button and took some breaks. The exercises they are doing look solid. It’s a little reminiscent of iPod nazi workouts.</p>
<p>P3t, that’s awesome! </p>
<p>What a difference a day makes! H and I never ventured out of the house yesterday. The rain and wind were just a bit too much. Luckily, the clouds got blown away by the wind, so we are going for a ride/run.</p>
<p>It wasn’t bad in the sunbelt 
, I walked down to Fremont yesterday( about hr & 1/2 round trip) & wore my rain jacket so that it wouldn’t rain.</p>
<p>Last night H & I walked to the movie theater- but it didn’t rain enough to put my hood on.</p>
<p>Thinking of joining the gym again, cause while I like my tai chi class, sometimes the schedule gets in the way of other things & I need more than just taking walks.
( going to the doc tomorrow to see about my frozen shoulder- so when I do go to the gym, I will be able to do stuff!)</p>
<p>Today’s workout:</p>
<p>Major Houseclean</p>
<p>complete re-org of “craft room” aka “room where everyone feels free to deposit their crap when they don’t know where else to put it”
wipe down of refrigerator inside and out, removing everything and finding some unmentionable items dating from another era entirely
dusting, vacuuming, bathrooms etc. etc.</p>
<p>Think I’d rather be sweating at the gym…</p>
<p>LOL @ craft room description! We have one of those, too, and DH calls it “arts and crap room”. Must have been quite a workout, CJane!</p>
<p>Ran 7.2 miles in 57 min. Feels awesome!! I tried to parctice what the pro told me on Friday, and concentrated on engaging the glutes as much as I could. (I was told that I used
my hips too much to propel me forward, as if I were racewalking with violation of the rules :)). The weather was almost ideal for running: 55 degrees, overcast, not too humid. Now going home to make H some dumplings for lunch ( the dough and the filling was strategically pre-made last night).</p>
<p>Two hours of doubles (3 sets), mid-50s temps and overcast. Everyone else was in warmups and sweatshirts. I wore warmup pants and a tech tee. We won all three sets as the teams were lopsided.</p>
<p>I do not think that there’s much more outdoor tennis this season.</p>
<p>Also got in some time on the weights this morning.</p>
<p>That’s some hotrodding speed (better than 8 minutes per mile).</p>
<p>I had an interesting “workout” today. Took advantage of decent weather to wash skylights, with a sponge/squeegie on the end of a 30 something foot telescoping pole. I figure it probably worked my core pretty well maneuvering that pole from the bucket of soapy water on the ground up to the roof. Back to NROL4A tomorrow.</p>
<p>Plus, I’m all excited because Gillian Welch and David Rawlings were on Austin City Limits last night. This is one of the two concerts I’ve got tickets for over the next six weeks. Here’s the first song. The whole show is linked at the bottom of that page. Alas, not exactly high energy workout music!</p>
<p>[Gillian</a> Welch “Look At Miss Ohio” | Austin City Limits | PBS Video](<a href=“http://video.pbs.org/video/2151075845]Gillian”>http://video.pbs.org/video/2151075845)</p>
<p>Have fun interesteddad. I saw Gillian when she was the headliner @ the no depression festival in 2009.
[Gillian</a> Welch interview - Americana and roots music - No Depression](<a href=“http://www.nodepression.com/video/gillian-welch-interview]Gillian”>http://www.nodepression.com/video/gillian-welch-interview)</p>
<p>The second concert should be really special. I’m flying down to DC, staying with my daughter, and going as her date to see Ryan Adams solo acoustic at the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore.</p>
<p>I’ve been to two of his electric shows with The Cardinals, but it’s going to be really a treat to see him acoustic.</p>
<p>Here’s a sample from Ryan Adams in concert on BBC4 last Friday. This guy is an awesome songwriter. His new album was produced by the legendary Glyn Johns (Beggars Banquet, Sticky Fingers, Who’s Next).</p>
<p>[Ryan</a> Adams - Dirty Rain - YouTube](<a href=“Ryan Adams - Dirty Rain - YouTube”>Ryan Adams - Dirty Rain - YouTube)</p>