Saef, I just glanced through your post without really reading it and thought for a minute you said that you had a "clothes hangover." I suppose that would be what would happen if you spent a whole day shopping and spent too much money!

Jessica, actually, I **do** have a clothes hangover, from too much recent eBay shopping.

I don't have room in my pre-War apartment-sized closets for all the stuff I've bought, particularly shirts. I am a sucker for a bargain price on a nice, crisp, tailored shirt that I can wear to work, particularly one by Faconnable or Ralph Lauren or, for some reason, Tommy Hilfiger.

Like, I'm going out to dinner tonight -- just at my neighborhood's corner bistro, but still -- & I'm annoyed because I can't decide which bright-colored summery linen shirt to wear.

6/14:
Dumbbell circuit B + back extensions
Stationary bike - 8 miles
Yoga - shoulder opener & hip opener flows

6/15:
Treadmill sprint intervals
Planning yoga after work

I'm having some issues with my image as well, though I find myself conflicted. I love the athletic look, but still wish I were skinnier. I still don't see myself as slim when I look in the mirror, even though I know that I am.

monday- 45 city blocks, roughly 2.5 ish miles

June 15: 30 min. elliptical, 15 min. stairmaster

Totals:
14 days
852 minutes

Thursday, June 16:

60 minutes arc trainer, hill intervals, resistance at 9
60 minutes Pilates class


My form at the teaser is compromised because I have trouble keeping my legs together. My spinning classes have left me with strong outer thighs & weak inner thighs, so I have a definite turnout if I stand without thinking about making my feet parallel.

June 16: 60 minutes hip hop class

Totals:
15 days
912 minutes

Friday, June 17:

9:43 minutes warm-up rowing on the Concept 2 to reach 2,000 meters
60 minutes weights
45 minutes elliptical, random intervals, resistance at eight, half backward

There is no getting around it; I'm not deluding myself when I look in mirrors. The P90X shoulders and arms workout routine (that would be disc 03 in the set) has quite discernibly changed my arms & shoulders over the past two months.

Now I can't say I'm "doing P90X" because I made my own idiosyncratic use of what this video demonstrated. I got the disc in mid-April, watched it maybe three times, wrote down the routine & began doing it in the gym. I did make some modifications: I only do each sequence once, rather than twice, and I swap out two of the 15 different exercises for others. I do it three days a week, quite faithfully.

I don't lift very heavy: I use 10-lb. weights for all but the front & lateral side raises, when I use 7.5 lbs. (Just today I bumped up to 12.5 lbs. for most of the exercises because I think it's now time.) I do 16-17 reps, usually 17, which may make the lighter weight somewhat more explicable.

Still, there is a very visible difference in my arms.

I do still have bat wings, but now feel okay about going absolutely sleeveless this summer, which was my goal.

At this point, I don't know what it would take for the bat wings to vanish. Because of the peculiar "drape," the way they hang off my arm, I really think it's mostly excess skin & that doing even more & heavier weights or putting myself though the effort of losing 10 more pounds is not necessarily going to take care of that problem area. But I'm getting to the "Oh, f&%$k it" stage where I don't care & I am willing to show them in public anyway once the weather turns & we get uncomfortable 90-plus-degree days & tank tops are the way to go.

Woohoo Saef! That is fantastic! Enjoy the tank tops!!!!

I still have the bat wings. I think they would be there no matter what I weigh. I don't see them most of the time but if I hold my arm out to the side and don't flex, they are still there.....

This is one of the components of my long-running "injury". I'm currently spending lots of time I don't have retraining the mind-muscle pathway (abs, glutes, knees, VMO especially and probably a few others I can't remember at present because my mind is so busy concentrating on the pathways). It's exhausting and there's no time for other gymn stuff. Or much else. But I couldn't carry on as I was.

A cautionary tale, saef. Act now. Oh, and VG work on the tris etc. Roll on tank top days.

I have the bat wings, too. I was just last night wondering what I could do about them - I do a lot of tricep work and they are still there, so I may just have to live with what's left.

Why do weak inner thighs make you stand with your feet out? I do it too - more on the right than the left, like most of the women in my family. They keep telling me it is something with my right hip.

It's because the outer muscle are stronger, so they rotate the legs so the feet are pointed outward.

Jay

Saturday, June 18:

50 minute spin class
60 minute Pilates class

After spin class, I cannot sit on my heels; my quads are too tight & it hurts. But after I work my legs & core in Pilates class, I can sit back easily. I think I should do this stretch every day. (I think it's called "hero" pose in yoga.)

At work, working and working on a report. But I've brought in my exercise mat, so every 45 mins or so I get down on the floor and do a few things. I know it's not possible for everyone but it's working here.

ETA: too many 'work' words in the above. I should have more relax, enjoy, chill out, outside type words. Well, that will come, I'm sure.

I really enjoy lurking (for the most part) in this thread. You all do the most interesting stuff for exercise.

After wrestling with the dogs all day I rarely have any energy left for gym stuff. Much less learning new stuff. I'm still doing the same 5 routines my trainer gave me 3 years ago with the weights (with more weight and reps of course). And my yoga routine is about 15 years old.

But it all works. Add in the 2 bike rides on the weekends and some kayaking and I'm pretty darn fit!

Who else do you know who can deadlift a 50 lb. dog (with 2 other dogs attached to her waist - 85 and 25 lbs. respectively) and carry her 100 + yards to the car? And then neatly sidestep all her upchuck while still having the other 2 tied to me?

I must write an "Exercising with Dogs" piece

Dagmar