Settle down AMANDA this isn't for life....unless you.... DON'T TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!!...wink

Glad you are feeling better GROOVY

3.25 on the treadmill after work tonight! Sore back (twisted at work) and all!

I finally got to go the gym today. Hooray! 32 mins on the treadmill for 300 cals.

Amanda, if you're dog sitting, go for lovely long, long walks. You don't get the endorphins, but its still exercise and the dog will love you for it.

The dog is old and can barely walk a mile :-)

I am moving to another dogsitting gig tomorrow...only this time, back in my home base, near my gym (with lovely recumbent stationary bikes and even an arm bike) and (and this is the best part) a PRIVATE, HEATED POOL in which to do my spazzy water aerobics and swimming in peace.

No, I never have problems posting here. Hmmm. Good luck to you Diva with your workouts!

Did 50 min. of TJ's Punch, Kick and Jam
10 min. of Ab Jam (floor work)

My abs are feeling it today!

Plan for today - find an hour to swim in peace. Then while Sarah does her cardio at the gym, I'm going to do arms/abs. Then I'm going to quit feeling sorry for myself and try to come to peace with this knee issue.

I wish I could just go for long walks. Unfortunately, the knee appears to be degrading rather quickly, locking pretty severely, popping, and subluxing (which is a lovely thing...basically my kneecap is slipping off to the side), even when walking and particularly when walking downhill. So I'm calling myself swim/armbike restricted until I can walk without pain. Which, unless something makes a dramatic turnaround, will be sometime post orthopedist visit (August 22), and probably after that (ie, after the ortho actually -does- something).

That sounds awful, Amanda. I know you love your exercise! Do you have health insurance?

My knee is driving me crazy at present too with its clicking and twinging and aching and swelling. I asked the trainer-who-always-helps-me at the gym today whether I should lay off the LBWOs until it feels better, and he said no, lay off the running and do the elliptical instead. Grrrr. I like running and I don't like the elliptical much. So I did a mere 12 mins elliptical (100 cals) and then a FBWO for around 210 cals.

As soon as I get health insurance (yay!) in the Fall, I'm going to see an orthopedist about my knee. The last time I had a doctor look at it a few years ago, she insisted that physical therapy and general quad improvement would do the trick. But now my legs are quite strong--I can hack squat 100lb and deadlift 100lb, and my knees still cause lots of problems. So I want surgery. Dammit!

Keep up the good work girls!

I'm fully insured...but the orthopedist has a two week wait for an appointment! Irrrrritating. I think I'm suffering from endorphin withdrawl, I've been in a TERRIBLE mood all weekend.

The docs always told me to lose weight and strengthen the quads. It was like a never ending chorus..."lose weight! Strengthen your quads!". I did BOTH, have rock solid quads and hamstrings, and weigh 130 lbs less. The knee still hurts. And I wonder, often, if they had paid attention to the problem before, rather than assuming it was just because I was heavy, if I wouldn't be in the sort of pain I'm in now.

OK, one more whine. Apparently, I'm allergic to neoprene. Which I learned after putting a neoprene brace on my knee. Now, not only does it hurt, its covered in an itchy rash. Classy.

You might be right. At any rate, they should take you more seriously now. You're in great shape with muscles all over the place.

Go swimming and get your endorphins! Quickly now!

I got 45 min before my knee hurt. Apparently it can't even be really bent back and forth now without hurting. Lovely.

On the plus side, when it hurt, I stopped...and planned in my head my arm-bike attack tonight at the gym.

:mad: Take it easy on that knee KIDDO or I'm calling :callme: your dad! It obviously isn't tracking correctly.

Today is my 10th ANNIVERSARY of not smoking :carrot: so I did 3.5 miles of treadmill to celebrate that!

Tomorrow is another anniversary for me! See you then ;)

mandalinn, I am so sorry you are having such a hard times with your knee. :( I hope it get's better soon. Maybe Swimminmg can help you get your fix, or does that hurt too?

I was going to go to the Community center for Water Aerobic's and then some laps, but apparently, the man didn't put enough gas in the truck for me to do anything other than carry the boy back and forth to school. WTH is up with that? Trying to keep me prisoner or something? lol I'll have a speaking with his butt about this tonight. Yeah, I could go get gas myself, but then I wouldn't have the $$ to go to the pool.:o Soooooooooo....I guess I am going to do the WATP's thing today, except I am going to break it up into 2 or 3 thirty minute workouts.

I had a speaking with my Doc the other day, and explained that I have been counting my calories, and working out 3 to 4 day's a week (unless sick or hurt), and I have been struggling with the SAME 6 lbs for 3 freakin' months! GRRRR:mad: She said that maybe I could try breaking my workouts up, and instead of doing an entire hour (or so) @ one time, break it up and do 30 minutes in the morning and then another later... She say's this might help me speed up the metabolism. So That's what I am going to do. The goal is morning and Lunch time, and maybe, if energy and time permits, another 30 in the afternoon's around 4'ish. Wish me luck. :hug:

Edit:
Morning:
30 minutes- WATP - 2 Miles
Lunchtime:
30 minutes WATP - Aerobics & Strength training

Lots of luck Pink! :lucky:

Can't remember when I posted here last but...

Monday...2 mile WATP, & 1.51 mile walk on the treadmill
Tuesday...walked the neighborhood and did 3 miles
Today...2 mile WATP and mow the front yard this evening

I had an ich to burn tons of fat and tone up today! 1 1/5 hour workout!

30 min. of Turbo Jam's Fat Blaster
30 min. of Turbo Jam's Lower Body Sculpt
30 min. of Kathy Smith's Upper Body/Abs

I am beat and know that I'm gonna feel it tomorrow!


EZMONEY, Happy 10th Anniversary of not smoking!! I'm quitting on labor day weekend. I can't wait to be smoke free and healthy! Congrats to you!

Don't worry DIVA it will come!

Great job Cristina!

Awesome GROOVY! I will congratulate you in advance! You will be so happy when you do! IF you ever have trouble with it, feel free to PM me and I can tell you some things that helped me make it!

Today I celebrated my 10th anniversary of my first 5k by doing 3 1/2 miles!

Have a great work-out tomorrow gals!

AMANDA ~I got my "eye" on you...wink!

30 min in the pool. 50 min strength training.

80 min frustration and pain. But I guess that would be double-counting

How many calories do frustration and pain burn, anyway? Does it have to be physical pain, or will psychic and intellectual pain count too? I'd hate to think there are calories I'm burning that I'm not counting. :)

30 mins elliptical (310)
UBWO (140)

50 min water aerobics.

OK, I just need to vent. Bear with me.

I've been good. I've done NO impact exercise, limiting myself only to swimming, and then only a couple of times. I've done no LB lifting. I've gone slowly up stairs, taking two steps per step, just to make sure I'm not hurting it. I've iced every 3 hours, for 30 minutes, I've compressed, I've rested, I've elevated. I went to an MRI, and have the films (but no ortho appt until Wednesday...he was totally booked up).

Why does it hurt worse? I'm in some SERIOUS pain here, and I've been so good! I hate having restricted myself to this degree, only to have it get worse anyway.

UGH.

Argh. How frustrating. Are you taking regular ibuprofen to keep the swelling down? It sounds as though you're going to have to suck up the lack of exercise until you can get to the orthopedist, even though that will make you miserable. Truly blowing out your knee will also make you miserable, but for longer, so be careful.

I'm going to go lift now. At least that will make me feel like I did something.

3.25 treadmill

40 min arm workout. It was intense. I'm referring to it as "punishing my arms since i can't punish my knee".

My doctor phoned but since I've been housesitting, I didn't get the message until after he was gone. But since a) he called personally, b) he would have received the MRI report, and c) he knew that I had an ortho appt on Wed and didn't have plans on doing anything but getting the MRI authorized and having me carry the films to the ortho, I can't imagine this is good news. What doctor calls personally to say "your test was normal!".

Hugs Mandalinn :hug: :hug:

PINK...I hear ya about the heat, ugh! It's actually cooled down today...supposed to be a cool 97, lol!

GARY...thank you! And...congrats on your 10th anniversaries! I've never been a smoker but knowing people close to me who have tried to quit...it is hard, so kudos to you!

Thursday...mowed the back yard in this heat, ugh. Took a full hour and that is with a self propelled mower.

Today...3 mile walk thru the neighborhood early this morning and did my 2 mile WATP video. Still feel like doing more for some reason but I think I will call it good for the day.

I have a diagnosis! Shockingly (not!), its the same one I had at 16 (but that took me 4 years to get, rather than 2 weeks, because I was heavy).

Heres what happens. I have these bands of connective tissue in my knees that, for about 50% of people, go away during fetal development. For me, they didn't go away, but hey, they don't for most people. Problem is, mine are much larger than those of the general population (I have on the sound of my videotape of the first knee surgery my surgeon, cutting out the first, saying "damn! Thats a huge plica!).

When I was younger, I did karate. About a year or so after doing it, I noticed I was in some serious knee pain, and I had to quit. The doctor said it was ultimately the karate that did it, but what happens with a symptomatic plica is that it starts out larger than average, and as you get more active, it gets caught up in things and swells and forms scar tissue.
Then, since its swollen, it catches on more things, swells, hurts, and forms scar tissue. Thus it hurts, pops, clicks, and otherwise does dramatically painful things.

After starting karate, it took about a year for this process. This time...yep, about a year after I started doing impact exercise.

Except this time I'll go to surgery quicker, because primary management includes NSAIDS (which I've been doing consistently for 6 weeks), rest (2 weeks) and quad strengthening (and ya'll ought to see how strong my quads are). So hopefully the doc will listen to me and not have me doing mild quad exercises (ball squats with no weight) etc. and trying to treat me like a patient that doesn't already work out, and will just do the damned surgery to fix the problem. I also know the surgery is not a huge deal and recovery time is quick, because I've done this before. So...mostly good news, and better than "normal" because it sucks to be in pain and have people say "well, its normal, don't know what to tell you".

Still on rest, though, and since the injury is hurt by bending (which explains why the swimming hurt), I can't do ANYTHING involving my leg until I go see the ortho.

AMANDA ~ Glad it isn't worse news :hug:

3.25 treadmill

That's great, Amanda. Or rather, it's awful, but at least you have a plan of attack! I'm sure the physical therapist, if not your doctor, will be able to see how strong your legs are. Be pushy and you'll get what you want :)

Today: 32 mins elliptical (300)
LBWO (150)

I'm thinking that I'll be able to go back to running tomorrow. My knee is feeling a lot better. I'm getting health insurance starting Sept 1 (after 2 years without!) and I'm going to get myself to an orthopedist, if I can. Does it have to be actively playing up for the doc/orthopedist to take you seriously, or can you just complain of general and recurrent knee problems?

Mandalinn, I hope you start feeling better soon. I can't imagine!

Did 20 min. Turbo Jam and 10 min ab jam (standing) this am.

I'm leaving for the beach in about an hour! We'll be gone for two weeks. I'm bringing my videos and 2 sets of dumbbells. I hope to walk the beach the days I don't work out. I will continue my exercising, I'm so determined!!!

We won't have internet. Two weeks away from my beloved computer! :o So I won't be checking in for the rest of the month. I will document everything and hopefully will have lost inches and lbs. upon my return.

Have a wonderful rest of the summer. I'll see you in September!

FeelingGroovy (love the name by the way, lol makes me think of that song) walking on the beach is a great workout! Have fun!

You ladies with your hurting knees, ouch...lots of hugs to you an dhope you get some relief soon. :hug: :hug:

Today...3 mile walk and 2 mile WATP video, woohoo! Feeling good!

Thanks!! Yes, it's an awesome workout and fun! Funny you mention the song. It's on my MySpace page. That's my name.....feelingroovy. ;) That song is always in my head! LOL One of my favorites!!!

Quick 9 mile bike ride for 350 cals. (Quick is an overstatement: it took just under 50 minutes. I really need a better bike!)

Took yesterday off since I had a 9 hour day at work plus a 3 hour round trip to get there and back.

24.5k bike ride ... 1h15min...

Yup. I need a better bike :)

Hiked today - a first for me! Not sure how far, but took about 2.5 hours - amazing! Who am I turning into, and when is the mother ship coming back for me?? :joker:

Heather :D

Onya, Heather!

31 mins treadmill (300)
I crapped out during my UBWO today. I couldn't lift anything as heavy as I did last week (why?!) so I got discouraged and gave up halfway through...

YUP makes alllllll the difference in the world... I had a good mountain bike and I wasn't able to go as far as fast as I do now and I have a hybrid, not even a street racer type bike... and I love it!!