[christineu]

Hi all-

Thanks for all the help with the Nordic Track information. In another few weeks - when my foot fracture heals enough to do mroe then 60 seconds on it- I will probably be bugging some of you about how to get the coordination and motion right-lol. I did get a suggestion from someone at a knee site I post at and she said she had problmes with the fly wheel rubbing on carpet at the lowest incline on the Pro model. Has anyone else noticed that? She had light colored carpet with high shag so it was very noticable. I was thinking about getting a small piece of linolium (or however it is spelled)- maybe even one of those 12"x12" sticky tiles to slide under mine just to be safe- I have dark green carpet thanfully. I also have to slide mine out of the way in my beedroom when not in use so I didn't think one of those treadmill mats would work well- that and I hate the idea of spending abotu 50% of what I spent for my Nordic Track to get one.


On the upper body cycle- I have great news! I found a rucumbent bike at Walmart that works great with very little to change on it. It is the 4650 model from Stamina- it list at $149, though Walmart had it at $99- I got it for 10% off since I bought the display model- all ready assembled too! I basically just took the front part off and set it on an adjustabel height table. The only thing I have to change are the peddles- need ones that are more comfortable for my hands- and I am changing where the monitor is so that I can see it from where I am using (basically I am using it from the front side of the bike).

The monitor came out to put bateries in and I was able to fanagle with the wire on it and ran it out the other side though right now I have it held in place with duct tape- I am going to see if I can get someone to leangthen the wire so it can be put on at the bottom so it looks better. I love it- I get reisitance going backwards and forwards- the resistance knob is on the other side (away from me) but is easy to reach from my chair. The seat part will go in my garage for now but it also has a rowing exercise you can do with it. SOmetime in the future if I have a workout room I may have it set up in the corner so I can use the rower part and also use it to sit down and do upper body weights- I can't stand up and do them for long with my knee problems.

For anyone who is looking for a basic recumbent bike, I would recomend this one. It is a little more difficult to adjust how far back the seat is then my Schwinn but at a fraction of the cost ($100 versus $500) it would be great for most people. I had to have one that I can adjust the seat on easily since I use it a lot after surgeries when I am on crutches- not a great time to be fighting with a machine while stading on your head-lol. Here is the link to a picture and info from the manufacture: http://www.staminaproducts.com/produ...s/15-4650.html It also folds down pretty small for a bike- especially a recumbent one and was easy to get into my car and into the house (though I didn't help much with still being on crutches- I did move the front peddle part from ontop of a cabinet to a table while sitting in my office chair so that should tell you something about how easy it is to move).

Off to bike away on my arms....
Christine

[ageoldie]

Since reading your posts I have decided to give the NordicTrack ski machine at my health club a try. I had a home model one time that I loved, but it wouldn't hold up to my weight, and then I used one a a club I belonged to at one time, but it has been several years since I've tried it. In the morning I pland to try to find it. The club I'm a member of has things on three different floors, and I've never bee anywhere other than the pool ared since I joined. I do remember seeing the NordicTrack when I took the original tour of the club, and I asked someone about it Friday. The said it is on the second floor, so wish me luck.

[christineu]

Barb-

I hope you were able to find it. I think it is important to mix up our routines once in awhile- by using our muscles the same way all the time, our bodies get smart and become more efficent- great for a lot of things but not when we want to lose weight and inches, is it? Let me know how it goes- I can't wait until April 16 when I see my doc to find out when I can get started on it.

I did 10 minutes on the upper body cycle today- 5 forward, 5 back. I could definently feel my heart rate go up though not as much as I would like but I wanted to start off easy- I don' t need to screw up my arms or shoulders on top of everything else I have to deal with. I figure if I do the Nordic track 3-4 days per week for a hard workout and then mix in eliptical a few times a month and a few visits to the pool I should have a pretty good base of aerobic conditioning- the upper body cycle will be great on top of that- or in place of it when things aren't going so well- like now with my broken foot. With the aerobic stuff taken care of, I can use my Pilates reformer, therapy ball, exercise bands, hand weights and ankle weights to finish out my exercise needs so I can tone up and increase my flexibility.

It is a real shame that so many pieces of exercise equipement have a 250 pound weight limit on them since so many in America are over that. I know you and I are not the only ones who have this problem- what are we suppose to do join a gym when we are at our highest weight and try to exercise in front all these other people just so we can use equipment that is appropriate for our weight? I know when I first started out there was no way you would find me going near a gym though now I don't mind at all. Add to the equipment problem the fact that just in the past few years did any of the fitness clothing companies think to make anything for us to work out in and we were in a real bind. I am glad I had the initiative to get by buttin gear and and start eatign right and exercising to lose weight even though it has not been easy. You must be able my height with your goal weight at 156- mine is 160 though that may change as I get closer. I am 5'8" and am currently 235-240 (can't get an accurate weight until all the swelling in my foot/ankle goes away <sigh>).