Denverchick - can you see whether there's another tin of mackerel in olive oil at the back there, please? And is the table tennis ball there or do you think it's really gone down the back?

Thanks.

From Puerto Rico! I just keep walking around feeling amazingly grateful for such a wonderful opportunity to be here. Really too many details to even post about but all really great even with the kids along. It's a group vacation for the employees and the families of my DH employer.

I have little control over the food choices or the timing of meals so I'm just winging it. There is a fitness center but I'm not really able to do pullup/chinups without my head hitting the ceiling. I've just decided that this week is a rest/recovery week.

Got some great input about neighborhoods/schools in the DC area at dinner last night. So, its back to researching and contacting my realtor again.

Mel: :woot: on your timeshare. How WONDERFUL! Enjoy! Oh, and good save with the coffee. See, see how important balance and stability training is. (take that anyway you like Mel.)

Alena: That house is beautiful! Really! DH thought it was a little far for a Northern VA commute. Loved it anyway. Thanks for the fun!

So I tried to do a little yoga on the beach this am. Not quite as relaxing as you might think. It was early, hardly anyone was out which is good. However I kept sinking into the sand during my poses and the tide got pretty close by the end of the hour during the downward dogs. But, now I can say that I did it.

K. Kids doing homework and I've got some research to do. Enjoy the afternoon everyone!

I think I would gladly trade Lydia's sand for the heat at Bikram yoga. I lost my Bikram virginity today (as fellow-sufferers told me after that congratulated me on survival).

All I can say is: OH-MY-GOD! It was bloody awful, LOL. I have never sweated like that in my entire life. I don't recall EVER having sweat beading up on the backs of my hands. (Not to mention other places). I did not realize, until after I took off my cotton tank top, how much sweat did it soak up - it weighed a ton. I feel like a wet noodle and tired at the same time, and I have a headache, although I am trying to drink as much as I can to make up for the loss of liquids.
The verdict will be in tomorrow morning - I will let you know.

Oscars night or not, I will be going to bed shortly.

Alena

Hi all,

Lydia - that sounds all so wonderfull!! Glad to hear you are enjoying yourself on the sands of puerto rico. Did the dress come too?

Alena :blush: what ir bikram yoga? Sounds pretty intense!

I'm going in shortly for another working week. The weekend went by in a flash..me working in preparation for my next businesstrip, DS had his entire field hockey team over for party, night out & sleepover, DD had a sleepover elsewhere, and there are the mundane details of laundry and grocery shopping.

Have a great day all,
Rabbit

Morning, everyone!

While Mel is skiing today at breckenridge at 13,000 FT, DH, The Boy, and I will be powering down slopes of our local "mountain" ... at, um, 2100 FT. It's been in the low 40s for the past three days, so I'm not expecting much in the way of snow. The last ski day of the year, most likely, and thus bittersweet.

I've still been playing around with a mix of crossfit and traditional strength training. Saturday's workout involved 49 pullups, which meant that yesterday's 30 pullups (interspersed with rowing and DB swings, 2 other upper-body intensive exercises) stunk to high heaven. Oh well, if I have to check my ego at the door and shuffle back to the Gravitron, so be it ...

have to run to meeting #1. I'll be running around like a chicken with my head cut off until the ski trip. Ah, Mondays...

b. strong,
Kim
Kim

Hi Rabbit,

Bikram is yoga performed in a hot room (40.5 C) with some humidity.
Here is a link to full explanation in Wiki.

Alena

Shannon (and anyone else), here is the first lower body exercise of phase III,

Lower Body 1Day 1, Week 1 Sets Reps Rest
Perform a dynamic warm-up, choosing 3-5 lower body exercises 1-2 per exercise
(1a) Explosive dumbbell or kettlebell swing 4 8-10 :10
(1b) Sumo deadlift 4 5 :10
(1c) Swissball hip bridge into curl 4 AMRAP 3:00
(2a) Single-leg Romanian deadlift 3 9 :15
(2b) Donkey kickback 3 12 :15
Numbers are sets/ reps/ rest

Alena, thnx! Yoga in a hot room.. I never knew that even existed!

Rabbit

Edging back into the game..

1 set of FB workout yesterday.

There are all sorts of torture out there, Cross Fit included.

Pat - thanks for the workout! So back to 4 weight/2 cardio/1 rest on this one, huh?

Alena - I did Hot Yoga once and was pretty sure I was going to die before the end... Wow.

No exercise for me yesterday. Legs were still sore from the 13.2 miles on Sunday and I was an emotional mess for some reason. So I took the night off. Planning a run at the park today, unless the predicted rain moves in early.

Glad all the vacationers are having fun!

to all!

Hi everybody ,

I sneaked out for a quick today - only 30 minutes but I really enjoy every single one. Water was balmy and hardly anyone in the pool. The lifeguard was yawning desperately.

Shannon, I took a rest yesterday, too. I originally planned some cardio but I had a mild headache and my nose started to run (although that passed) and I just didn't feel like doing anything. I figured after 8 days of exercising I deserve one day off. Tell me what "13/2 miles". The numbers still confuse me but it wwas very kind of Pat to include explanation.

I am thinking of going to the torture chamber again tonight - what can I say - sanity has never been my strong point - I have 2 weeks of unlimited sesssions for $30 so I have to milk it while I can (and before TOM starts next week).

Later, gators!

Alena

Yes, and I don't like it! Yesterday we had a snowstorm, resulting in about 12" and we weren't plowed out until after 5pm, so I had an unscheduled rest day. Okay, I could have done a few of my upper body workouts with the DBs I have at home, but I didn't. This morning I'm going to Zumba and then will do the whole UB. Tomorrow is the second LB, and then I'm taking another rest day on Friday to go to Anchorage with my GFs (was supposed to be yesterday, but, um, we weren't driving in 12" of snow). So that will leave me with both cardio and UB2 on Saturday. Hopefully next week will play out a little better...

Okay, here's UB1

Sets Reps Rest
Perform a dynamic warm-up, choosing 3-5 upper body exercises 1-2 per exercise
(1a) Chin-up 3 9 1:00
(1b) Push-press 3 9 1:00
(2a) Seated single-arm cable pulldown 3 12 :30
(2b) Standing single-arm dumbbell shoulder press 3 12:30
(3a) Vertical thrust 2 8 :15
(3b) Iron cross 2 8 :15
(3c) Kneeling cable rope pulldown 2 8 :15
(3b) Straight-arm cable pressdown 2 8 :15

Alena - 13/2 was a typo. Was supposed to be 13.2 Oops. Hope you are feeling better today!

Pat - 12 feet of snow? Wow! Yes, no driving in it. Good luck with the workout schedule this week - sounds tough.

I am somewhat furious. I survived the second visit to the torture chamber (in fact, I think it was worse than the 1st time, I think I sweated even more [it that's humanly possible]).
But, it looks like it did aggravate my plantar fasciitis and my heel hurt a lot last night and still does today. The first portion (the standing poses) take almost an hour and because sometimes all the weight is on one foot only, it may be too much.

Oh well. At least that resolves the issue whether I should continue with the hot yoga or not. I have to admit that once I recover from the initial shock (I mean after the class is over, I shower, get some food into yourself and stop sweating, I actually feel pretty good. I tried to bend back a bit more last night and it did not hurt my lower back (fingers crossed) but the resurfaced plantar fasciitis would definitely be a big deal. It's a year since I got it and I am not completely recovered yet so I cannot afford to start all over again.

A crazy day at work today. I think I am close to losing my voice - I was on the phone the whole day non-stop. I just had lunch (at 4:25 pm) and there is still my smoothie in the fridge, untouched.

I think arms and shoulders tonite.



Alena