Maintainers Giving Into the Imperative to Keep Going Through August
 

The thread title is obscure, yes, but I was going for an oblique reference to this month's namesake.

Never mind: We're maintainers using our bodies to move, just as they were meant to, staying active through August, the sweet, prolonged part of summer where the end is sadly in sight.

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Use this thread to post what you've done to be active, whether it's hiking, Bikram, spinning, lifting, walking, running, doing something to a video, whatever. Whatever keeps the blood circulating, the heart pumping and the muscles ebbing and flowing.

Friday, August 1st:

Finished NROLW, Stage 4, and incidentally, persuaded a friend who was working out in the same studio to try picking up a 15-lb dumbbell rather than an 8-lb dumbbell for her row while kneeling on the bench, because the lighter weight was obviously doing nothing for her. The look of wonder on her face when she saw that she could do this, that she was capable of it with a little effort but nothing exhausting ... My work in that gym is finished.

Salvete!

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Picking up on saef's imperial theme ...

Here's a pic of Imperator Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus as trainer. JC is holding someone's towel. He is also showing off some interesting muscles. You'd think people wouldn't argue with this man. :drill:

Plenty of Ancient Brits did argue with him in 55 and 54 BC, however, and also had the weather on their side. But they must have been in training too. The Romans didn't try again for a century or so.

G. Julius Caesar died 2,000 years ago.

And I should also be in training but the final stages of a report are getting between me and it. Things will ease by mid-week and I'll be back at it.

Thanks for the nod to my bikram, Saef!

Question about NROLW for you. I was looking at the book online. Do I need the book? Is it an easy program to figure out?

Love it!

Friday I did day 1 of the C25K. I was doing much more in California but with the heat here it is impossible to go as long as I was there. So I thought I'd just do this to start training for the 5K I am doing in December. I'm going to start with a personal trainer next week on Tues/Thur for strength training so I thought I would do the C25K those days and then the other days do my walk at home DVDs. At this point I need to add arm weights and going to buy a vest weight too, in order to get my heart rate where I want it to be.

Back to school on Monday - preplanning. I can't complain, it's been one of my best summers ever though.

August 2: 100 minutes very hard bikram yoga in London!

Totals:
1 day
100 minutes

Got way behind again!

August 3:

August 4:

August 5:

August 6: 100 minutes bikram yoga

August 7: 100 minutes bikram yoga

August 8: 100 minutes bikram yoga

August 9: 100 minutes bikram yoga

August 10: 100 minutes bikram yoga

August 11: 100 minutes bikram yoga, body pump 60 minutes

August 12: 100 minutes bikram yoga, 60 minutes UJam

Saturday, August 2nd:

60 minute spin class
60 minute Pilates mat class. I was not able to do the move where you are on your back and holding your legs straight up, drop them outward, then slam them shut. It's the outward movement that I can't do. There is some tendon or muscle on my left hip that really hurts when my legs drop below a certain point. If I were on the good girl/bad girl machine, spreading my legs out, the abductor would really be hurting.

Michele, yes, I would advise you to get the book "New Rules of Lifting for Women" out of the library, and also, the Facebook group supporting people who are doing this program is an invaluable resource. The workout sequences were hard to decipher till I saw online that lots of people had trouble with this and had helped one another figure out the problem. Then they made perfect sense and were clear. I generally use YouTube videos and read up online on any new exercise. I won't say it's simple but I am finding it to be extremely worthwhile. I did get some coaching previously in some of the moves, like squatting and deadlifts, and that has helped a great deal too.

I do appreciate you all letting me ramble.

No choice, I know. :D

End of the working day now and I'm wondering how to fit in any exercise, given the other duties I've got. Perhaps something lying on the floor?

What would you do, if you just had five minutes?

I don't go biking nearly often enough. I loved my ride this morning through pleasant shaded roads and along a local highway's bike lane. Only 12 miles/50 minutes but a great break from my usual weight lifting/body-weight training/cardio routines.

Sunday, August 3rd:

Did the first workout of NROLW Phase 5 this morning, which toward the end includes two sets of three 2-minute planks. If I can finish this phase by moving up to a pair of 35-lb dumbbells for the inclined bench press, I'll be delighted. They were too much for me today and I had to go back to 30-lb dumbbells.

Went for an almost two hour bike ride with DH. I was using my DDs old bike. We are going to look for one for me. We went 17 miles in 1:44 according to the Endomondo app. He's been trying to get me to join him in riding for a while and I wasn't interested but after renting bikes in CA and liking it I said I'd give it a try. It's just so HOT here! But it was fun.

First day of preplanning tomorrow. Students back the week after.

Monday, August 4th:

45 minute spin class, despite my sore left hip. I'm starting to wonder whether it's my IT band.

Tuesday, August 5th:

NROLW5B workout, challenging at moments, as I find doing 4x4 wide-grip lat pulls at just over 112 lbs to be ... not easy. Then there is the three consecutive 2-minute Prone Cobra movement. And sprints at the end. That is the cost of having my butt look better than it has in years.

Two mile hack (bridle path and lanes).

Went to personal trainer for second session today. On several exercises he would say this is for your posture and finally I asked "is my posture bad?" And he said everyone's is. I'm happy about working on posture because I know that I do hunch some and a lot of it is from being on computer so much. It was really good though since I've never lifted or done anything other than the walking DVDs.

Saef, I'm so proud I can do a two minute plank, but three 2-minutes.... Wow! I'm so impressed you are going through all of those weeks in the NROWL (or whatever the acronym is)! I'm just not that strong enough yet, but you are inspiring me to try it later on. I only signed up for 12 sessions with this trainer and then I will determine if I am going to continue with him for another 12 or do my own thing, such as that book, or join a gym. I'm also doing the c25k �� in this heat!