Really tired today, didn't get home from the ballpark until a bit after midnight. The Mets won so DF was happy about that. I think we were the only ones at Miller Park not partaking in the Miller products to excess. :lol: There were some ornery Brewers fans leaving that place!

I was hoping to get a run in tonight, but I might swap that out with a little FBWO and run in the morning as it is just too dang hot. I'm really liking my resistance bands and the ball these days.

Rabbit - I like your stone system, visual aids help me too. :) Kind of reminds me of Richard Simmons old deal-a-meal system, only it's stones and bowls instead of cards and a wallet.

:welcome2: OH2007! My quads still hurt from the lunges I did on Tuesday. And I still do them unweighted :rolleyes:

Sugar Cube - I like to do the Gilead workouts sometimes too. I've done a little cardio kickboxing at home, like anything else after a little practice it get easier, but the coordination can be tricky at first. Those side kicks are great for the butt and hip flexors!

Sorry to hear about the situation with the BDay this Saturday. Hope it isn't too awkward, that's some pretty heavy news to have hanging over what's supposed to be a celebration.

The Mets won? That means my dad will be happy. He actually talks about them in the first person. "WE are having a good year." That kind of thing. Its kind of cute I think.

Lunges. I have a love hate relationship with lower body workouts. Squats lunges etc. Trying to love them more..they are so good really.

Better go on a run before the heat hits.

Mel you are right. My goal *is* to loose body fat not lbs. They just keep coming off. I am probably not lifting heavy enough. But go easy on my..its hot.

I'm here to report that I've wussed on the lunges for the time being. I've replaced them with step-ups for now. I'll try them again in a month or two. *hangs head in fake shame* :lol:

Okay, here's a question for you coordinated types: How in the heck do you get into position for DB bench presses on the stability ball without a) looking like a complete drunken fool, b) knocking yourself out getting the DBs into the start position, c) scaring small children/entertaining large children with the new vocabulary, and d) slipping, rolling, and splatting your way into a full-body cast? Once I and the weights are both in position, I'm cool. It's getting it all there that kills me. :o

:)Love the colorful description! I will try to help if I can. First, practice getting into position with lighter weights than you would generally use until you are sure you have it down. Don't want any concussions! Sit on the ball with your dumbbells resting on your upper thighs. In a slow controlled movement with your core muscles engaged to stabilize walk your feet forward and lean back until your lower/mid back is resting on the ball. Bring your weights to starting position at your shoulders and voila. Hope that made sense. :)

Lunges are out my vocabulary for the time being! :) However, squats are not - sigh. My physical therapist had me doing ball squats this morning, and a I use a device he has called a Total Gym (which it certainly IS NOT) to do sort of lying down one-legged squats. I think I should be able to use the leg press machine at the gym to duplicate this movement once I no longer have access to the therapy office. Step-ups are still a real painful issue. I can pretty much move my knee anyway he likes if there's no weight bearing involved. But the good news is that the kneecap seems to be pretty much freed up and now it's "catching" as it tries to move correctly. So I'm doing exercises to strength my hips, quads and hamstrings, plus he's doing some manual manipulations to break up scar tissue in there - OUCH! - plus some ultrasound and/or icing to improve the blood flow and reduce inflammation. I see the doc next Thurs, proably more x-rays, and he's talked about injecting some synvisc to see if that helps, both the knee and some arthritic changes on the leg bones themselves. My advice to all of you: don't get old! :lol: Really the knees are more a structural issue I've had most of my life, just getting worse the older I get, and frankly, the more I push some exercises! Sigh. Not much chance I'll ever be a runner again, but that's not to say I can't get some great cardio on the elliptical or bike where there's not nearly the stress on my knees. :)

Shan, your description of how to get onto the ball made perfect sense to me. I learned to do abs on one by sitting on it, then putting my feet against a wall and rolling it up my back til it was in the position I wanted.

Sorry so many of you are suffering in the heat! Send a little this way - it's in the low 60's.

OH2007: I loved your description of trying the ball with bench presses too. I have a love/hate relationship with the ball too. I always feel like a goof when I'm trying to stablize myself on it at the gym. :doh: I save those manuevers for Sundays if the place is nearly empty. ;)

Hiker: Awesome job reaching your goal! Gone any tips or secrets for me? ;)
I'm still working on on maintaining my current weight. I think that this new month will show some new losses even though it is birthday month in our family. SIX! All at the end of the month. Now that's a lot of cake folks...:dizzy:

Pat: Congratulations on your three pound loss. It sounds like decision to join WW was a good one! Glad to know that it's working well!

Had a decent workout this morning. Started with a 30 minute run on the treadmill and finished with a somewhat rushed UBWO with just the free weights. I only had a little over an hour and half to get everything done. Including a shower. ~sigh~

Have afternoon everyone. :sunny:

Perhaps August is the month for trying something 'just for a change". Yesterday I used a ball and bands and lighter weights to try a bunch of new things for legs. And I can feel them today. It's good!

Hi all, on vaca at the OC, MD. :beach: Anyone wanna guess what this is a picture of? It's for all of you needing motivation to do lunges! :lol3:

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...g?t=1186110159

Nice hammies! Way to go!

Kim

Shananigans, that made perfect sense! Thanks! Me, being the eternal dork, was putting the dumbbells on a chair to one side of the ball, then getting into the laying position on it, then reaching over and getting the dumbbells one at a time. Doh! :lol3:

Thanks for all of the welcomes, fellow lunge-lovers! :p (I do love both squats and step-ups, by the way, just not those stinkin' lunges of evil.)

I got in my weights today but missed my treadmill time due to a last-minute urgent errand run for hubby. I don't worry about missing a bit here or there as long as I get back with it the next day. I was feeling really strong today with all of my dumbbell exercises! So, on deadlifts, I moved to the barbell and increased the weight quite a bit. I later realized that one of the kids had decided to use the dumbbells and lightened the weights on them. So that's why I was feeling so strong today! :lol: Oh, my aching back from those heavier deadlifts.... That's what I get for being cocky and increasing too much at once! LOL

Okay Fran. If those are yours I'm green with envy! :chin:I also know that you have a daughter on the swim team...and those look like the legs of a swimmer. And those knees look pretty young. How can even our knees look old I don't know. :dunno: :lol:

Daaaamn those are some nice legs hrbabe, are they yours? ;)

I am lacking in the motivation dept. today, turned the alarm clock off at 5, went back to bed for "another 5 minutes", woke up again at 6.

Someone please give me a good :kickbutt:.

At least it's Friday.

How come my legs didn't look like that when I was on the HS swim team? Ah well, no one said life is fair ;)

I was wasted tired last night, so I just ended up going to bed early, plan on doing an UBWO tonight. Was really tempted to pull a "5 more minutes" when the alarm went off, but pulled my sorry butt out for a run. The scale is inching ever so slightly down this week. Just gotta keep it clean this weekend.

TGIF, have a good one all! :D

Week One Day Three
 

DH is being so great, taking care of clearing up from dinner so I have the energy and time to do some yoga before bed and will be able to just get up at 4:45 and get in a workout. Today it was Gilad and some LBWO, ok, my thighs are burning, but I know in the long term it is good for me. Also did some yoga poses that involved balance and front leg extensions. oh baby.

Forgot my morning snack and had a free sample Balance Bar, not too bad, high in calories so I am having a protein shake for lunch to compensate.

I have had cedar planks in my house for years and never used so I am getting some salmon tonight and fresh dill for the grill. Speaking of grilling, next door neighbors were also grilling and asked what I was cooking, I told him steak - he says you eat a lot of steak. Now I don't really care what they eat so I am not sure why he feels that this is some kind of neighborly riveting conversation. Drives DH nuts.

SHAN - thought of you on the lunges this morning. Gilad also has a section on the legs of squats that are not for the faint hearted as well.

DIANE - I have no idea how to manage the exercise ball and the DB bench presses, DD is very supportive though and encouraging, may be a girl thing.

PAT - I hope all this therapy works out for you, I can't even read your description of it, I would have to be sedated.

LYDIA - Your August sounds like my March, lots of birthday cake and lots of birthday candles, have a great Happy Happy. Knees and elbows never lie about the age.

SUSANB - August is as good a time as any to try something new, after all, don't you feel virtuous on doing any exercise in the heat and humidity???

HR - Thanks for the photo, stopping whining now.

Getting my nails done today, fun girly stuff, then going to fill in some time waiting for DD to get back from the summer camp field trip and then home to veg out. My relaxation before we pop in whatever NetFlix sent us yesterday. Have a great weekend everyone.

Those are definitely young knees :lol: However, lunges can make 99% of people's legs look great! Even with my 50 plus year old knees, the rest of the leg looks pretty darn good if I must say so myself;)

Speaking of which, I did a rare lunch-time leg workout. Short and heavy. Ended up having to blow dry my hair and do some strategic washing before I went back to work (which is why I usually do legs on the weekend), but got it done.

I'm headed for Columbus verrrrry early tomorrow morning and will probably manage one gym workout, and a lot of walking. Mostly clean food (dd eats pretty well) but Lydia's ice cream suggestions sound pretty tempting! The Irish Festival may be another problem area...but I can't drink beer or eat any bread type things, so that just finding food may be the bigger problem.

Have a good weekend, and I'll be back on Tuesday pm if I don't get to post from Buckeye Land!

Mel