Gym is Open (Thursday 2/7)

The gym is open! What did you do to move your body today? Kix

I'm off to stroll the halls again, you think the maintenance crew will notice the path I'm wearing in the carpet???? LOL

Maybe you should walk counterclockwise to wear a different path in the carpet, or perhaps borrow your husband's shoes so the footprints can't be traced back to you! Kix

I did a shorter run today, 3 miles. But I tried it at an incline of 1% - operative word was 'try.'    Lord, did that hurt! A friend of mine who runs marathons (this guy is huge - a big, 300 lb. football player who can run a 7 minute mile. Everyone is shocked when he says he runs marathons!) - anyway, he said it's much harder to run outside and suggested that I run at an incline to get my body use to a much harder run. I started at 1%, couldn't breath or feel my legs   , then went down to .5% and did ok. I think I will gradually add the incline, about .5% every week. If it helps me run outside, I'm all for it. Tie yourself down when you go out today, it is WINDY!!!!

One of my coworkers in St. Louis was a 400 lb dude who was so athletic and graceful, it was amazing.  He could dance, run, sprint, do hurdles, etc.  He was solid as a rock, just a big, big dude. I upped my treadmill speed to 2.8 (sometimes 3.0 if I feel like committing suicide) and on the fat burner program, it cranks the speed down because it says my heart rate is too fast.  Funny thing, though, I don't feel like my heart is about to explode.  Maybe I should try the cardio workout tomorrow because it allowed for a higher target heart rate. No kidding about the damn wind.  Granted, we aren't suffering like the folks in TN, but I keep expecting a tree branch to poke through the window any second now.  When I left the gym today, I had my workout towel around my neck and the sucker nearly took off for Kansas. Kix

Hi, Kix and welcome to Thursday.  I'm so ready for the weekend it's not funny - been along week here in Cleveland...   I made it to the gym at lunch today and did my lower body routine, plus some of the exercises the physical therapist suggested for my knee earlier last year.  My knee is much better than it was a year ago, but I think it will be helpful to reincorporate some of her exercises into my routine.   I did not do any core work at lunch today - I started to do some sit-ups and my abs cried out for mercy.  I've been doing core work every day and apparently today they just needed a break!  Hopefully they'll feel better tomorrow and I can do some core work with my upper body routine.   I will go back to the gym after work for cardio.  I've been mixing up my cardio routine and just aiming for 45-60 minutes of cardio per session.  I'll use the elliptical, stationary bike, rowing machine, stair stepper, or stairmaster depending on my mood.  Only thing I don't do is the treadmill - not sure why, but I just don't like it very much.  If I'm going to walk, I want to be able to do it outside!   Anyway, that's my story today - who's next? Kellie

I'm curious, what kind of knee exercises did you get from your PT?  I've been doing the quads machine every day, which helps, but I'm always looking for more stuff.  I'd like to be able to bend my knees a bit better than I can right now. I tried the stairmaster, and I can't figure out how to make the darn thing work.  I think it would be good exercise, too.  I guess I need to suck it up and ask the gym staff for help.  I don't like the elliptical because it's hard on my knees and I look too much like Wile E. Coyote when using it.  I watch people zoom on the elliptical and do sudoku puzzles at the same time, and I'm amazed. I like the treadmill because it helps me build up my legs so I can enjoy walking outside.  I need to start changing up my treadmill work, though, I think my body is already adapting to the straight "fat burner" program I've been doing. Kix

I did a lot today - I walked about 3 miles at the park and I did 30 minutes on the bike.

Wow, that's a lot of walking!  Good job! Have you gotten a pedometer yet?  I bought an Omron from Amazon.com that cost me around $20 and it's the best pedometer I've seen yet.  I burned through two of them that my HMO gave me (cheap crap), so it's nice to have one that actually works well.  It also stores my step activity for seven days so I can compare my level of lazy sodness from one day to the next. Kix

Hey Kix :)  25 mins on the elliptical  125 reps on the rower (killer)  my brother told me he does it for 10 mins . if I did the rower for 10 mins I wouldn't be able to post it lol  Estelle