Sportmom - that's very likely. My emails have Piper Boligee in the name (it's my hotmail account). I haven't checked the list today yet (3FC comes first). :-)

Pat, right now, I am using Quick Oats. I know the regular kind is better but the last time when I was at the store they did not have the regular kind. I am almost done with the bag, I think there is one cup left. I do have Steel Cut Oats already lined up.

Question though - this is the first time I have purchased the steel cut kind and I see the texture is completely different. Will it gain a lot in volume during cooking? I guess so, since I see that 1/4 cup amounts to the same number of calories as 1/2 cup of the quick oats (which re the regular flakes).

wndranne - congrats on your weight loss and welcome.

Anne - The first few weeks of NRLW are fairly quick workouts, 20-30 minutes. I think I asked you before but are you using light weights to start out with? Maybe no weights? Do you do a slight warmup before? Also, do you stretch afterwards? Drink plenty of water afterwards? I haven't been super sore in many years so I can't think of too many things other than those things.

Tomato - You know you can microwave regular oats right? I'm surprised that you would crockpot them but I've never tried. As for steel cut, they will gain some in volume. I have been adding pumpkin puree to my hot cereal (Bob's red mill high fiber hot cereal) which plumps it up nicely. You can also make it as thin or thick as you want depending on how much liquid you add.

Wndranne: So glad your here. Suggestions? I think you are doing some really great things already. Some things to consider perhaps:

Stretching. DOMS are inevitable but a really good stretching routine may be helpful in between your sets as well as part of y our cooldown. I like to stretch during those 30 second breaks between sets or at the very least between body parts. The stretching helps to remove some of that lactic acid that builds up as we lift to near or at failure.

Drink plenty of water during your workout and throughout the rest of the day. You probably already do this. (speaking of which, I'm watching children today. They've just turned on the outdoor hose and plan on flooding the sandbox. As long as they stay in the sandbox...)

Eat a good protein and carb ratio, try as much as you can to sleep when you can, and do not feel guilty about it! When I first began lifting I was amazed at how hungry I was as well as how fatigued I would become in the afternoon. I would workout in the morning, arrive home at 10:45, prepare a lunch, and then take a nap with my son about an hour later. I needed these naps just as much as he did. We were both growing new bodies. I also recall my legs feeling very heavy and achy while I acclimated to lifting.

Good luck. There are so many ways to become fit but I really credit resistance training with helping me reach my goals. Give yourself some time to build a good foundation and if you need more than 48 hours to recover the first few weeks that's okay too. I can imagine you are still "on call all hours" with the baby and sleep is hit or miss. Sleep is very important for recovery so keep that in mind. I can't wait to read about all of your successes!

~sigh~ The boys are completely soaked at this point. I knew it was a matter of time. Good thing it's laundry day.

DOMS? I keep trying to figure it out. Day AFTER muscle soreness would be DAMS (which is about what I think when I can hardly sit or climb stairs). I still get sore after changing up my workouts. I did parallel squats on Friday and I felt it all the way through yesterday. Day OF muscle soreness maybe? But it usually hits me 24-48 hrs after the weightlifting session.

DAMS which would be a better name 'cause that's what I'm usually uttering under my breath when they occur. Along with "I do this on purpose because, why?"

DOMS: Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness. Yep, it usually occurs the next day but I've had it begin to settle in within an hour or two after my workout too.

I think DOMS is inevitable any time you start or re-start lifting, from my experiences. If you don't get it, you're probably not lifting heavy enough. But it quickly passes after the first week if you stick with it. Keep some ibuprofen on hand or even an electric blanket that you can use to warm up your bed before entering. Thought I've been consistent over the last month+, yesterday my shoulders and arms were killing me. My right arm was really tight, like I had scrunched a headband up there and forgotten it or something. I tried really hard not to take ibu and found that by warming up my bed before getting in, it was just as soothing.

No outdoor activity today - we waited too long and got rain. THe library worked instead. Honestly, my knees were feeling sore last nite so I think I need to stay off the downhill parts of the path. At least on the treadmill, you can get in all the uphill that you want without the downhill damage on your knees.

Fran - I agree that soreness is normal and expected but "oh my god, i'm going to die" soreness isn't.

I ran this morning, did kettlebell workout last night and today my legs are quite sore

Hi Anne. Nelie right's - the first few stages of NRLW are fairly short workouts, easily done - even with a warmup - in 30 minutes. The hardest part for me was I had to keep refering to the book (well, the xerox copies I made) to be sure of what I was doing. I've been using NRLW for WL and swimming for cardio lately as my knees are really bothering me.

Stretching is something I need to do more of. I find that my hips for some reason are very tight lately

Oats: I have no idea why someone would use a CP to cook quick or old-fashioned flakes. The microwave works perfectly as long as you use a big enough bowl. I have a nice deep one that works well. Steel-cut I understand the CP (or rice cooker). I have only a 6 quart CP and no rice cooker, so I'm limited to the stovetop. I use a bigger saucepan than would appear necessary, low heat (just enough to keep it at a low boil), and stir it often. It is a different texture, but very yummy IMHO. DH won't eat oats in any form except uncooked flakes. Those he adds to whatever cold cereal he's eating. Oh, there is one other way he'll eat them - in a sweet granola or oatmeal raisin cookies.

Hey Pat: Tight Hips? Have you tried this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVlX5HNKamw

I learned this pose in my yoga class a few weeks ago and I really find it helps to open up the hips. I kind of have to make adjustments while in the pose and some days I'm more flexible than others but overall I think this is a great one to add to a stretching routine.

Here's another video example:

http://video.google.com/videosearch?...um=4&ct=title#

The Happy Baby Pose or Deadbug Pose is great too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBSCNF0jKQY


Namaste

Thanks Lydia! I'll have to try these. Funny how the woman demonstrating the happy baby looks anything but happy! I'm on the lookout for a good tape to try. I own a couple but I'm not crazy about them. DH goes to a yoga class 2x a week, but I've not found one that fits with my crazy schedule.

Hi Anne Hope you aren't quite as sore at this point!

My legs are sore for the first time in quite a long while. Maybe it's because I skipped my usual Saturday workout, or maybe some new things I did yesterday at the gym. Not sure, but it does feel good for a change.

I'm sleepy and overate at an election party last night. Cardio id done, tho, and I'm off to work.

Mel

I am sore myself as well. After I did my first BFL upper body and lower body workouts, I no longer wondered how the people featured in the book (or on the website) managed to beef up so much (and I definitely did not start from a 0 exercise level). But it's a good feeling.
Zumba tonight, in lieu of cardio.

I feel myself beefing up too, esp. in the shoulders and upper arms from those heavy flies, bench presses, and shoulder presses. Problem is, I've got a good 1-2" of fat covering over the lean-ness. I need mucho cardio to burn it off and a cleaner diet. I think I could probably do cardio 18 hrs a day, just park myself on the treadmill and walk all day, and not see muscles for a few months. It's painfully slow.

I did my fbwo today - with only a 48 hr rest since Monday as I'm trying to make up a missed session while I was sick last week - and I felt pretty strong again today. Gotta love that chocolate milk - it's miracle food! lol I think I must be getting to about my 6 week point since I started this time around and it must be time to switch up the exercises again.

So for a review of the 30 Day Shred.........

I liked it! It's definitely high impact. But as she says in the dvd, "I have 400 pound people doing jumping jacks, so no modification, you've got to do the program!" OK, so no low impact mods are allowed I guess!

It's divided into 3, 20 minute programs called Level 1, 2, and 3. You move between levels when you feel ready. The 20 minutes are composed of 4 cycles of a 5 minute circuit: 3 mins strength, 2 mins cardio, 1 min abs/core on the floor.

How it relates to a program I would build - well, I think my weight lifting covers more bases since it def takes longer, but I think this is a great recipe for a compact fat burning routine. The hr stays up the whole time bc there is no rest, so I suppose it could have interesting results.

Will it replace my 90 fbwo and 30 min cardio sessions? No, I don't think so.

I think this is probably best for 2 things - when you have been working hard and have that last 10 or 20 to lose and want to shake things up and try something new. It must be called a shred for a reason! The way I see myself using it is when I go on vacation like at Christmas and can't take my treadmill and weights with me. I think I could do this routine daily and keep my fitness level for the week and feel good and not sluggish.

All weekend I was so sore......as I climbed the stairs, I kept thinking "I'm so healthy I can barely walk." Yes, we do this on purpose...why? And then I see my arms and think "squeeee!!!!!" I have biceps an' deltoids an' triceps an' other muscles---and cannot even believe it.

Thanks for the answer re: DOMS.

Today I worked with a trainer I usually don't work with and he had me do a lot of circuit type stuff....I used a couple of weights but it was mostly squat jumps & pushups & crunches. A nice way to mix it up and I learned that I can create a great strength workout at home if I ever needed to.

Have a great day all!