How's everyone doing? Does anyone have any first half stats they want to share?

I started doing my new lifting plan Friday nite and had to stop bc I felt too mentally (and physically!) weak to think straight! Oh boy, this is body for life, huh? I finally got thru it and am ready to start my new lifting with the lb tonite.

I swear I posted to this thread yesterday. Weird!

Anyway, I've been feeling weak and sick since Sunday, but I think it's because I've drastically reduced my caffeine intake. I actually skipped my workout today and went back to bed, for the first time in 7 weeks. I'll get it done tonight, but sleeping in til 7:30 on a weekday felt odd. Maybe I'm one of those people effected by the time change? I wouldn't have thought so, but some friends swear it messes with their bodies.

My new LB workout is kicking my tush is a good way. The UB routine I'm less enthused about. Probably because I feel all weak again. And my running is suffering. A lot. I have a race on Saturday so I hope whatever this issue is that it's resolved by then. The race is a 5K Prediction Run. Basically you tell them how long you think it will take you to finish the race, and then the person closest to their predicted time wins. I predicted 37:09, I chose that number becuase it's my age and the year. Scientific, huh? I could be anywhere from 35 - 45 minutes, based on a lot of factors. I'm hoing to find a spot behind some of the cute military boys. At least it would be scenic. This is one of the big races here in Pensacola, probably becuase it's sponsored by the local pub, and people along the route usually pass out drinks to the runners. Nothing like a drunken 5K. Since I haven't drank for 10 years, I guess that's not really a motivation, but the costumes will make it a fun race. I'll be posting pictures on Saturday or Sunday.

Well, I changed up my lifting routine this week as promised. And gave myself a case of spaghetti legs! I have never gotten all jiggly in the middle of a lifting session, never! What gives?! I was doing sumo style plie squats with a single dumbbell. Starting at 20 and going to 35 as my max, then back to 30 for the 12 followed by 12 traditional squats at 30. It was a little hard getting down the stairs after getting dressed this morning! WOW. I don't think I'll have "pain" tomorrow, but we'll see.

Free day was more like a threeday so I think I'll be skipping it this Sunday. Still can't quite figure it out. Think I need to just do one free meal and that's IT. Let the rest just be quantity or schedule free, but stay away from the junk.

Hello. It sounds like everybody is doing really well! This is my first BFL week and I'm having fun. I'm having a hard time eating all my meals, though. Eating the right foods is easy, but eating six times has been difficult. I did my first lower body workout yesterday and I'm feeling it today! I worked out with a friend and I was joking with her this morning about how sore I was. I'm a 3 on my own personal leg soreness scale!

Level 1 - Just a little tight, no biggie
Level 2 - Face squinches up when I have to sit and stand
Level 3 - I need to brace myself to sit on the toilet (handicapped stalls are a blessing)
Level 4 - Frankenstein walk
Level 5 - Wheelchair

I swear I've been a level 5 before. Years ago I had to call in sick one day because I WAY overdid it and was so sore I could barely move. No fun at all. I'm trying to ease myslef into the BFL weight lifting workouts so I don't do that to myself again. I think I did the perfect workout because I'm sore but not debilitatingly sore.

Have a great day everybody!

Genesis, that is TOO funny! I love that scale - we should pin that as a sticky to the top of the forum!!

I was just coming to post that it's time once again to re-rent the walker from the medical supply store! Instead, I'll just say LEVEL 4 right here people!! My goodness. You'd think I'd never worked out before. I feel like I can feel each and every piece of my quad muscle from where it starts in my pelvis down to where it ends inside my knees. Crazy stuff. I would think I need to switch things up earlier, but, it's not like my previous 6 weeks of exercise had gotten easy either!! I'm a little scared to do my ubwo today for fear I'll be total body still tomorrow and unable to get out of bed. YIKES!

Hi BFLL,

Just popping by to tell I'm MIA for the next 10 days, I'm on a business trip to San jose, and I'm putting BFL on hold for the duration. i did pack the resistance bands, but I don't think they will get much use.

have a great day all,
Rabbit

I was at a level 4 yesterday from a calf workout on Monday night. I hobbled out of bed and the first 1/2 mile of my run was really hard. But then I got the kinks worked out. Still a little sore today though.

Still here and kicking, BFLLs.

I switched back to the previous workouts for the last couple days, knowing that if I was sore, I'd never finish the race tomorrow. Sunday I should be able to give it my all though. No more races till fall. I'm going to concentrate on lifting instead.

Dixied: Good luck tomorrow on your race!

Midwife, what was the calf workout that made you sore? I"m still trying to challenge mine to the point of feeling it and doing calf raises on the bar of my bench with 35lbs in each hand still hasn't done it for me.

Ran this morning, 3/4 of my time is now spent running, it's my second push up since running, 3rd increase since starting. Did NOT make my legs feel better. As I walked around after my shower and getting dressed, they still hurt. That's unusual. Usually treadmill walking when I'm stiff brings relief; i thought running would do the same.

What's a good glute stretch? I spent a ton of time after running doing both my normal stretches plus extra for my legs like a runner's stretch, stretching on the wall, lying down stretching, but no matter what i tried, i seemed to be unable to isolate out the glute.

Off for lunch - grilled ham and cheese on w/w melt!

The calf workout in question:

Stand facing a wall. Lean against a large exercise ball placed kind of at your chest/tummy level so that it is supporting you against the wall. Then (hodling dumbbells) raise and lower your heels (I did 30 with each set). That was supersetted with body weight calf raises....20 with my toes pointed in to where they are almost touching and 20 with my toes pointed out to where my heels are almost touching. 3 sets of all that. So not much weight, but the reps did it, I think. That and pointing the toes in and out really isolates parts of the calf that regular calf raises don't for me.

Thanks! I usually only point slightly outward, so I will have to try moving around other ways!

Glute Stretches:

This one is also called the pigeon pose in yoga. It's one of my favorite stretches that really loosen ups my hips too. No workout is complete unless I can cool down with this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBwkdjc4e4I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTK7J...eature=related

This one stretches a little more of my lower back but perhaps you may feel it also in the area of the glute you are trying to isolate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svth0...eature=related

Happy stretching.

Well guys, I jumped in and did my new, last half, ubwo. Keeping fingers crossed that I don't wake up tonite in upper body pain, since the lb soreness hasn't subsided yet. My thighs hurt when I roll over in bed or when the kids climb on me, or when I fist pound my thighs, but of course that one is avoidable - the others are not! I can just feel them really puffy and swollen. 2 days post. Yum. Supposed to do lbwo again this weekend - ha! We'll see!

Thanks for the clips LYdia. That first one, well, I call that the broken leg wannabe. That really works?? Looks scary! I've been doing the second one with the best success of the ones I found today. I agree, the third one is better for my lower back.

I also found one that looked like a frog giving birth....up on your knees leaning forward and you walk your knees out. Umm, attractive. Didn't work. I realized the glutes are pretty hard to isolate!