PAT - Travel and weight loss what a great trip. Welcome back, though you were in my neck of the woods and we did have very nice weather last week.

Working late last night, so I skipped the gym this morning. I have a decision to make regarding this evening, I could grab my gear and hit the gym after DH gets home but he is really sick though he dragged himself to the office. I could stay home and play nurse, not that I am any good at it. We shall see, maybe jsut the Self Challange workout at home.

2 FRU - I think that I get sciatica when I get above 190 pounds, do you think that is possible? I mean that once I get to 189, no back pain, no matter how much I am working out. It is a real inspiration to lose weight. I make the lunches in the morning, unless it is just leftovers, I just can't make up the salad the night before for some reason. DH is on shakes for lunch now with cut up veggies (though who knows how much dressing he is using) so it is pretty easy. Depends on when you function well, me after 9 pm, I forget my name, 4:15 am, I am multitasking. Overall, though you are one busy lady.

RABBIT - Hurray for good lawyers, I second that. I work with lots, though in real estate law, and a good one is so great to work with even when we are on opposite sides of the table. Glad to hear things are lightening up for you.

I hear you, my 7 yo has power legs, she was hiking in shorts on Sunday, and she was moving up the hills with her full pack and you could see the definition very clearly. I won't even discuss what I have.

I am on my shredded wheat and banana kick for breakfast, I keep reading all of your posts on the cottage cheese and I am not feeling it yet, though I am now a firm believer in the nonfat plain yogurt.

Off to clear up from last night, speaking of lawyers, they will be calling early for the results.

It feels good to have my c) for cardio and I had a good d) for weights, but I'd feel more virtuous if it was accompanied by a) eat less and b) eat clean all in the same day!
Dimples, cracks! Jen you need a doctor!
Liza, I have a little mirror that I bought so I could keep an eye on the back of me. I just don't use it. Hmmm, now you've got me thinking.

Today I'm using the Dec 04 edition of Oxygen. Anja Langer is going to teach me a wicked shoulder workout. If I can tell the articles from the ads, Right Robin?

Yesterday I did the pull out in the Oxygen Glutes magazine... I did 2 sets of 9 out of the 10 exercises. On the 10th one which were squats I was on the side of the gym where it's very warm for some reason, warmer than the other side... So as I am doing the front squats on the tropical side of the gym I get a hot flash!! Well that did me in I thought I was going to uke: so I left...

Welcome back Artmaker and Pat

I'm running to and from the gym and working chest/tris once I get there...

TTFN

Got up on time and bustled to the gym bright and early only to sorta fizzle when I got there. Did 10 minutes on the eliptical to warm up, and then just couldn't lift the weights. Used the same amount of weight I used last time, but this morning it was hard hard hard. I soldiered on for 2/3 of my workout and left. However, here it is 5 hours later, and I'm quite pleased that I went. I feel fairly good. And I KNOW I would have felt like cwap if I hadn't gone. Sometimes, a body does what a body wants.

SusanB, you're right on target about Oxygen. But I'm such a sap for new ideas that I keep buying it. I might as well subscribe. Same with Shape.

Welcome back Pat. We've missed you. And Rabbit, never underestimate the power of stress. Even though I think about the mind-body connection all the time, I can still miss the ramifications at the oddest moments. Like you, I always feel better when I can keep moving.

And moving on is what I've got to do now. Talk to you all later.

I'm finally getting over the shock of putting the clocks forward and made it to the gym today for circuit training. I thought I did pretty good though my body still feels tired and getting out of bed was difficult .

I like days when I lift .

Morning all. I'm feeling much more like myself today. Exercise sounds like a good idea again.

Robin - good for you for doing as much as you did. Funny how that goes isn't it. I've gone to the gym whining to myself on how much I didn't want to go, and had great workouts. And like you, have gone without protest and just fizzled out.

Rabbit - you sound much better today. Lots to be said for a good lawyer. I worked for lawyers for years, and found the years I worked in family law/divorce to be the most stressful.

Liza - it was GORGEOUS in your area last week. I was so grateful to have some sun and warmth for a week. It's still gray and in the high 30's here. The snow is melting, and dirty, there's mud everywhere. Yuck. We leave for Utah on the 19th where once again there will be sun! When we get back in May things here will be much improved.

Frus - hope you're not getting ill! Loved your wedding dress photos btw. You look loverly!

at all of the rest of you....

PAT - Be glad you went home, we have snow, not sticking and just a grey old day. The daffodils are looking pretty sad.

I did my shoulders as per Anja Langer. Whew! I wish my heart rate monitor would come. That felt like hard work! I'm assuming that's because I have weinie arms. But it sure felt like more work than other times.

Semi sticking snow here today. I might bike yet, if the wind agrees.

Susan, shoulders always seem like hard work to me. It's one area I find it hard to up the weights on. There was a thread awhile back about this, and the fact that they are (relatively) small muscles has a lot to do with it.

All I can say is two nights of broken sleep = two days of poor eating. The Boy still wakes in the night from time to time. We all need the Easter holidays.

Pat and artmaker - good to see you again.

Wecome back, Pat!
OK, who sent the snow????? big white fluffy flakes for about an hour this morning

I did shoulders today, too. They are hard. I'm always walking a thin line between lifting well and getting hurt. The cortisone shot has me thinking I'm superwoman, but I'm afraid that when it wears off, my arm my just fall off They really are the hardest muscles for women to move up in weights. It sure doesn't help if your gym only has dumbbells in 5 pound increments, either. Ours go up to 15 lbs in small increments, but after that it's by 5's. That's fine for things like dumbbell squats, but for lateral raises (or any other shoulder/arm exercise) there is a world of difference between a 15 and a 20 pound weight! We now have fancy, quiet vinyl clad db's which platemates do not stick to.... These dumbbells looked like cartoon dumbbells to me at first because they are too big for their weight!

I love to do shoulders with cables; front raises with a single arm, or using a bar and both arms; sides raises with either double crossed cables or one at a time; rear delts bent over with double crossed cables. The downside is that you have to be pretty darn strong (use at least 12-15 pound dbs for front and lateral raises) to be able to use cables at all. But it does give you more options.

Food was horrible. Lifting and cardio good. 2 out of 3, but that isn't good enough longterm!

Mel

I tried an upright row on my home gym thing but that pulley only glides nicely at 60 lbs. It just plain hurt. Of course I did a few reps cuz I could. Anja Langer was using resistance bands. I ended up using a belt looped through a plate instead.

Hmmm. My gym has several sets of weights - all different - at various places. One set goes by 2.5# between 10# and 20#, then by 5#(can't recall how the lower ones go). The set I use more goes 8, 12, 15, 20, etc. Weird. In body pump we get 2#, 3#, 5#, 8# and 10# - in the colored vinyl stuff. Upstairs where the big boys often play are the bars and weights with plates.

A cautionary note about upright rows ...

I completely tore my rotator cuff doing too heavy of an upright row last August. It had to be surgically repaired in January and I'm still struggling through physical therapy (a/k/a torture) for it three times a week. i'm all the way up to 2# DBs!! (and yes, they're pink ) That one stupid exercise has cost me immeasurable pain and killed my personal training career for the time being.

Many trainers, physical therapists, and the National Academy of Sports Medicine (which I'm certified through) put upright rows on the list of exercises that should never be done. They put way too much strain on small and delicate muscles -- the technical explanation is that you should never do an shoulder exercise with internal rotation. You can safely work the front delts with overhead presses and front raises instead.

For the same reason, they suggest that front and side raises be done 'thumbs up', which means holding the DB like you're holding a can of beer (not the usual parallel with the ground way). That way you're not internally rotating your shoulders and there's much less impingement in the joint.

Shoulders are so small and prone to injury that we need to be super cautious while lifting. My therapist says that shoulders should never be worked to failure (like other muscle groups) because failure is teetering on the edge of injury. I really don't want any of you to go through what I've had to live with for the past seven months!

So, Susan, if it hurts when you do upright rows, for heaven's sake -- STOP! We need you in one piece!

Well I sure as shootin' ain't doin' them with 60 lbs again soon!
They weren't my favourite part of that adventure anyway.