I have been riding my recumbent bike nice easy going to loosen up my knee joint then walking up the block as far as I am comfy with, but for what ever reason I am sore in my knee today have some swelling that feels like fluid that goes away after a heat treatment. Tuesday I went to my chiro for a work over he said my back is really tight and stiff even though I am doing some stretching maybe I need to do more plus I am doing exercises for my sciatica.
I know I am long overdue for a round of back injections but couldn't get an appointment till after the first of the year...hurry up will ya.

today it was cold, the kind that charges at the bones and gives your teeth a solid rattle. Its the kind of day that would have had me almost incapacitated at one point in my not so far off history. But not today. I took extra flights of stairs, and I ran with the dog. I did this remembering all the days that it wasnt an option in this body, and for my childhood friend who is being robbed of her mobility by ALS. So just for today my activity felt like a fight instead of just going through the motions.

Yesterday and today I did pretty much the same routine: manual stair master for 30 minutes, levels 2-4, 2.5 floors per minute, 230 cal., 75 floors. And no back pain, what a relief! I have one more day of vacation before I go back to work on Monday.

I'm watching Making a Murderer on Netflix. So good!

The back is feeling pretty good, ever since I decided to push through the pain and starting working out on the eliptical starting last week. My chiro told me it made sense that this was helpful. I wish he had told me this before (last I heard from him if I was in pain, I was supposed to just do stretches....'course last time we discussed it was 9 months ago when I was in wicked bad pain). :|

Needless to say, that (and the chiro), along with the stretches in the morning, have made a difference. Sucks that my 6 month old mattress jacks up my back, but hey!, I only buy a mattress once every 15 years, so that is how it goes....

My :dog: and I had a great day hiking the local trails and he is still Mr. Energy even though he is 10.5 years old. Gotta love a Russell Terrier!

Update so we are almost a month in andnim down 11 lbs. Still a lot to go. Baby steps is what that special person tells me. At the end of January I'm hoping my endurance is up so I can start some strenght training.

3.5 miles on rowing machine. Might have a bike ride later on...

Currently I'm stuck in the car. But I have plans to play a little pond hockey with friends tonight.

Ok I have a question for all of you who have been excerising on a regular basis. I have NO idea where to start on the strength training. How many reps I should do and how often should I increase the reps?

Any and all help is greatly appreciated. Thank you for all the support I have gotten for y'all already.

Punching bag

I find this to be sort of a personal thing. Its really based on you and how you feel.

That being said, in my experience, a good place to start is 2 sets, 8-12 reps per set. I typically will increase the amount of weight I'm doing when I can easily, without straining, complete my reps. I do not generally increase the amount of sets or reps.

I really don't think I'm anywhere near ready for the punching bag. Maybe later on yes. Thanks for the advice

Randrum

I am assuming here that you are talking about free weights. If your not then please explain to me which machine. The gym I belong to has so many machines I have NO clue where to start or how to even use them.

I keep reading where some are talking about a circuit. Is there a certain circuit to follow? If so what is it? Do you have to do everything on the circuit everytime?

I have so many questions and don't want to hurt myself or break a machine. I promise to try and not overwhelm y'all with questions.

Thank you for your patience

I suggest talking to the management at the gym. They should walk you through the machines and should give a general outline for what to machines to use to reach your goals. It is also important that they show you how to use the machines correctly so that you don't hurt yourself.

Dapper is right. It is a good idea to talk to the gym staff about how each machine is used so that you use it properly. They may also be able to give advice as to where to start.

Personally, I usually lift, when healthy, 2-3 times a week. And I tend to focus on muscle groups. Upper body (chest, arms, shoulders, and back) and lower body (legs & abs). I use a combination of free weights and machines.

Occasionally I'll throw in a circuit for variety. I go to Planet Fitness and they have a 30 minute express circuit that makes it easy.

Lol I was just saying what I like to do. Guess I should be more specific! :)

Absolutely talk to staff at your gym. They should actually be requiring that you get a "how to" on all equipment before using- (wishful thinking) But you could really hurt yourself or just not get an effective workout if you wing it. They should also be able to answer your questions about how much to start with.

Work break for me around 2pm and will be using the rowing machine. Then back to work until late tonight so that will be it for me- but that's okay.