Talk about your exercise experience today

[nycfem]

Glad you are enjoying swimming! I feel the same way with swimming, nothing like it. I also feel like I could go on forever.

Here's one of my heroes (a lesbian no less):

" In 2013, on her fifth attempt and at age 64, she became the first person confirmed to swim from Cuba to Florida without the aid of a shark cage, swimming from Havana to Key West (110 mi or 180 km)."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Nyad

Originally Posted by femmepacker

Winter breaks are great for rejuvenating. Have fun

[ProfPacker]

my hero, as well. In the gym, when I am doing machines and stretching, I look directly at an ad made by Dara Torres (swoon). Her body is my ego ideal. So much stress at work that swimming is better than Bellevue, haha

[nycfem]

Word, lol

Originally Posted by femmepacker

my hero, as well. In the gym, when I am doing machines and stretching, I look directly at an ad made by Dara Torres (swoon). Her body is my ego ideal. So much stress at work that swimming is better than Bellevue, haha

[RockOn]

My workout today was ...

loaded and unloaded 3 truck loads of heavy lumber today. My dog, Kevin, was with me all day. He was the supervisor. On the way home, he insisted on stopping at McDonald's for a bag of burgers. He said supervising is a tough job and made him really hungry. LOL! Actually, he only had 3 plain hamburgers without the bread - vet said he must reduce his size by 30 pounds. My shoulder and arm muscles are tight and a little sore but in a good way. Guaranteed to sleep well tonight.

Talking about swimming I see ... I think it is probably about the best workout, not much stress on joints (forget the extreme pounding and pulling involved in some other forms of exercise. Good cardio too, I imagine.

[nycfem]

Today I did 2 hours and 40 minutes on the Arc Trainer (Level 10, Strength program), then 30 minutes on the StairMaster (45/55), and than an hour of weight lifting and stretching. I snacked in between each activity (apple, banana, bar, and popcorn).

[Ginger]

The first night I got to my parents' house, I did yoga on a mat in front of the TV.

The next five nights, I slept on a sofa in my dad's ICU room.

I think I burned calories jumping up to intervene each time he tried to pull the oxygen prongs or NG tube out of his nose—but in the end, that wasn't enough of a workout and now my muscles feel sleepy. I'm a little stiff and sore in the wrong way.

My sister flew in and took over nights at the hospital and will stay through our mom's surgery next week. I'll be back after that, and meanwhile, I vow to exercise. It keeps me alert and resilient.

Exercise and sleep will keep me strong and focused. Exercise releases sadness, somehow. When I feel strong physically I feel strong mentally, emotionally.

I flew down here with such good intentions to eat right and work out and stay strong and instead I binge ate (one day only, but still) on sweets and didn't exercise except for that one time.

Tomorrow I fly back to NYC. As soon as I'm home, I'll work out on my exercycle and catch up with True Detective, listening with headphones.

I so value my good heart rate, my healthy blood pressure, my high-functioning lungs. Most of all I am thankful for my brain, which only asks for enough time to recharge. IE, sleep. I can't squander those gifts.

[ProfPacker]

going to gym...haven't decided whether I will just swim or work out. It all depends on how crowded pool is when I get there. If it is empty...I do pool

nycfem: how do you concentrate on exercising and lifting and all you do for two hours. when I do machines, weights or cardio if I last combined 30-40 minutes it is victory. I rationalize it by saying...but I can swim for 1-1.5 hours. Doesn't feel as taxing.

cudos to you.

[nycfem]

Originally Posted by femmepacker

nycfem: how do you concentrate on exercising and lifting and all you do for two hours. when I do machines, weights or cardio if I last combined 30-40 minutes it is victory. I rationalize it by saying...but I can swim for 1-1.5 hours. Doesn't feel as taxing.

I don't know, I think I'm just made that way. I don't usually get sore or tired or even sweat, and I get bored if it's a short work-out. I never purposely do anything that hurts my body because that's not fun for me, and everything feels good physically and mentally, almost like meditation. If I skip a period of time and then return to working out I don't require much building back up. BB has a longtime joke that the gym is my mistress .

[nycfem]

Day 1 of my week off school!:

40 min. Stair Master (Intervals 45/50) and 50 min. weightlifting and stretching

[ProfPacker]

I admire your ability to do that. Everyone is different. Am I the only born and breed NY'er who doesn't love walking aimlessly. But lucky for me, I do love swimming, so I swam today for an hour. However, it was a holiday and kids were swimming across the lanes and I got distracted (trying to be Zen and not say pissed but was pissed).

I do the other stuff to enhance my swimming but never feel as relaxed. Have a great week with your mistress, haha

[nycfem]

I seem to be shifting a bit from the Arc Trainer to the Stair Master. Today: Stair Master, 1 hour, intervals 45/50; then, 1 hour weight lifting and yoga. Now maybe: hot bath!

[Ginger]

Last night I worked out for an hour on the exercycle while I watched True Detective.

I have one more episode to catch up on, so I'll do another hour on the bike tonight.

When I get off, I'm relaxed and exhausted in a good, deep way. The endorphin high, I guess. It makes me feel like I can handle what's coming.

A massage would be good too but I don't have time right now—I'm flying back down to see my dad on Saturday. Plus sometimes massages just make people cry and I don't need another trigger. Maybe when it's all over I'll do that. That might feel good. And a steam room. I could get into that.

[nycfem]

Does your exercycle have settings?

Originally Posted by Ginger

Last night I worked out for an hour on the exercycle while I watched True Detective.

I have one more episode to catch up on, so I'll do another hour on the bike tonight.

When I get off, I'm relaxed and exhausted in a good, deep way. The endorphin high, I guess. It makes me feel like I can handle what's coming.

A massage would be good too but I don't have time right now—I'm flying back down to see my dad on Saturday. Plus sometimes massages just make people cry and I don't need another trigger. Maybe when it's all over I'll do that. That might feel good. And a steam room. I could get into that.

[Ginger]

Originally Posted by nycfem

Does your exercycle have settings?

Yes there is a big atomic-age looking dial and I control the resistance to get my heart rate up, then let it rest, as I've always read and heard that it's the intermittent heart rate that is most effective.

The bike is my dad's from the sixties. I have his exercycle, his mounted swordfish, the pulley he made me when my shoulder went out, the cat on tracks he brought me from Germany when I was small, so many reminders of how generous he was with me, how much he cared about my quality of life and how I was doing. I hope he didn't worry about me. I realize I'm writing about him in the past tense. I told you already but to put it here, I'm leaving tomorrow morning very early to fly back, instead of waiting. He is starting to move faster to the end of his time.

I can't work out tonight.

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by Daktari

Cycling against the gathering wind storm.

This sounds wonderful. I love the way the air feels and smells before a good storm.

Ginger, I'm glad you get some peace from working out. The physical body definitely has a direct link to the mental and emotional components. I know I have less patience with people and tire far more quickly when I'm not regularly doing something physical that's helpful.

Yesterday was a day that teetered between helpful and harmful. I got in hours of shoveling due to the surprisingly long storm. They said one inch, maybe, but I think I wound up with 4 or so. By the end of it, it was a snow/rain mix which makes for very heavy snow when I'm already tired.

My body is reminding me of everything I did yesterday. I did take a fake Tylenol before bed and got plenty of fluids in too but I would not mind a 2-3 hour nap right about now.

Originally Posted by Gemme

This sounds wonderful. I love the way the air feels and smells before a good storm.

I suspect for folks with a sense of smell and both lungs it might be good. For me, with no sense of smell (or smell memory) and less than a full lung left it's not quite so wonderful

[nycfem]

I'm still on my school vacation and went to the gym today mid-day. I did 70 minutes on the Stair Master (45/50 intervals) and then 50 minutes of weight lifting and yoga.

Gemme, is the shoveling part of your job and do you shovel where you live or somewhere else? Do you listen to music while you shovel or just shovel?

Daktari, how does the diminished lung capacity affect your biking?

Originally Posted by nycfem

I'm still on my school vacation and went to the gym today mid-day. I did 70 minutes on the Stair Master (45/50 intervals) and then 50 minutes of weight lifting and yoga.

Gemme, is the shoveling part of your job and do you shovel where you live or somewhere else? Do you listen to music while you shovel or just shovel?

Daktari, how does the diminished lung capacity affect your biking?

A great deal sadly. I can't do anything at speed anymore. Struggle on inclines; real hills are too much of a challenge generally. A lifetime ago I rode in the Lake District (mountainous) and surrounding hilly areas every day.
I can cycle more easily than I can walk because upon getting breathless whilst cycling the bike carries on coasting whilst I stop pedalling. Getting breathless walking means stopping to get m'breath back.
And all because I smoked cigarettes.

[ProfPacker]

This is keeping me honest, ha ha. So I go to the gym and think to myself: I'll do cardio, machines, etc. I pass by the pool and it is empty and it calls my name. Seduces me into the liquid gold. I did 50 minutes swimming with resistance gloves, decided to do 20 minutes of swimming with weights as like a kick board and other weight exercises, swam 20 more minutes with swim paddles. And, done. Felt great, went to work and stress slides off my back

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by Daktari

A great deal sadly. I can't do anything at speed anymore. Struggle on inclines; real hills are too much of a challenge generally. A lifetime ago I rode in the Lake District (mountainous) and surrounding hilly areas every day.
I can cycle more easily than I can walk because upon getting breathless whilst cycling the bike carries on coasting whilst I stop pedalling. Getting breathless walking means stopping to get m'breath back.
And all because I smoked cigarettes.

I suppose that even though we can strengthen our lungs through exercise, there is a maximum output where it just can't get any better. Is this the correct thinking to use when discussing lung capacity? Are you at your max, do you know?