Got to the gym so my workout got cut short, but otherwise it went ok. Swam 4 full laps in the pool, though only half a lap at a time, resting in between, but that’s the most I have done at one time for about as long as I can remember. Guess I need to start doing that at least once a week.
Didn’t get upstairs till about 6:30 and they closed at 7, so I had to rush through my workout. Did one set of squats, 10 reps x 115lbs, next 2 sets were 6 or 7 x135lbs, then did 2 sets of 5 x 155lbs, my new max. I really felt it though.
Did 4 sets of military presses, 65lbs. I tried 90lbs and failed miserably, could only do 1 rep. Since it was almost 7, I did supersets of millitary presses, and pull-ups: 3 sets of 5 reps, bodyweight -55lbs. Hopefully I can get down to bodyweight -30lbs.
Share on Facebook
Had an awesome workout today. For the first time, I felt I really hit my maximums. I’ve been gradually increasing the weight I’ve been lifting as I make sure I can first lift the weight using correct form.
For instance, I read somewhere that doing squats, proper form is to go down low enough so that the hips are lower than the knees. Your natural inclination is to stop just before the hips reach the knees, but this actually puts more pressure on the knees. Of course in order to go down far enough you have to use a lighter weight.
My workout today was my “A” workout from Starting Strength:
4×5 squats 135 lbs
3×5 bench press 135 lbs (warm up set of 125 lbs)
2×5 dead lifts 145 lbs
3×5 dips bodyweight minus 45 lbs
4×8 incline sit-up no extra weight, I was using a machine to do crunches, but I think incline sit-ups are better like free-weights are better than machines
2×10 extensions, no extra weight. My back was pretty weak after those dead lifts. Again, up till today I was using a machine, but it never felt right.
Now that I am home, it takes an extra push to stand up from seating, same as the first time I did squats. Hopefully I can move tomorrow, lol.
Share on Facebook
This happened by accident, but I recently started using an old-fashioned push reel mower to mow my lawn. My battery powered Neuton mower stopped working the first time I tried to use it back in April. I looked on Craigslist to find a reel mower, because I figured that would be inexpensive, and never break down, and I might use it occasionally after I fixed the Neuton mower. I also read that a reel mower is healthier for the lawn, especially if you want to keep it short. They actually use tow-behind “gang” reel mowers to mow golf courses, and an even shorter reel mower with more blades for cutting the greens. A guy in Overland park had one for sale for $30, so I called about it, and went and picked it up that night. He was able to remove the handle so it would fit in the trunk of the car, so I wasn’t able to try it before I bought it. When I got it home, it was fairly hard to use, so I didn’t really do much with it. I finally looked online to figure out how to adjust how it cuts. There are 2 screws on each side that you have to adjust with a big screwdriver. To tighten the blade, you tighten the screws closest to the blade, and then loosen the back screws. After that it seemed easier, so I used it to mow the front yard and the front yard of the house next door where the neighbors had moved out. I got the Neuton fixed by replacing a relay so I used it to finish mowing the rest of the lawn. The grass was very long in some places in the back, and the reel mower got snagged on grass or weeds that are too long. I looked online again to see about raising the height of the cutting blades, and found a manual for my mower, Great States 404-16 or 1404-16 16″ reel mower https://www.reelin.com/ProductLine.aspx It said in order to adjust it to cut properly, what you have to do is flip it upside down, blades-up, and make it will cut paper between the blades and the cutting bar, all the way across. It took me a while, but I eventually got it so it would do this but wasn’t too tight. You really shouldn’t have to adjust it at all unless it’s more than 3 years old and/or saw heavy use. I decided if I was going to start keeping the lawn mowed this year, I needed to see what I could do about getting rid of the weeds and greening up the lawn. So I went to Grasspad a few weeks ago to get some Trimec weed killer, and some Loveland Golf Course Starter fertilizer. I mixed up the Trimec concentrate and leaf sticker and sprayed the entire lawn when I got home from Grasspad. I figured i should leave the lawn alone for at least 3 or 4 days to give the weedkiller a chance to get absorbed by the weeds. 3 Days later it rained, and it has rained almost every day since then. Last night when I got home from the book store, Half-Priced Books, I decided to try to mow the lawn since it was getting dark and it was fairly cool out. I started at 8:30 and spent about 45 minutes doing the front and one side until it was too dark to see. I was also exhausted and soaking wet with sweat. If I could spend 45 minutes to an hour every day pushing the mower, that would take care of my cardio for sure. Having the blades properly adjusted so they weren’t too tight, but were tight enough to cut properly made a huge difference. It’s still hard work to push it, but it never gets hung up like it did before. I have a bad habit of pushing myself past my limits when I mow the lawn or shovel snow, so when I stopped, I was completely out of breath, and very very hot. I had to sit down outside to cool off and get my breath back before going in the house. I’ve noticed I have the same problem at the gym. I never quite catch my breath in between sets, and my breathing doesn’t get back to normal till after I have a shower and change. The mower I got is the Great States 1404-16 16 inch reel mower. It works fine and uses good alloy steel. You should be able to find a cheap reel mower in the classifieds or craigslist, just don’t buy anything that is an actual antique. The modern reel mowers work much better than they used to. There is a lot of choices on the different kinds of reel mowers you can get. See this buyer’s guide http://www.cleanairgardening.com/reel-mower-buyers-guide.html for a more detailed page on this subject. I am very happy with the one I have, the only issue I have is that it is hard to adjust the height, and it only goes up to 1¾” high. I also had to fabricate some tension springs out of a clothes hanger to keep the roller attached to the roller guide at the maximum height. It might be easier to just take the plastic guides off, heat them up and bend them in so they are tighter, but it still might need some kind of brace on the sides. If I was buying a new mower, I would probably get the Scotts Clasic 20″ mower. It is wider, and it’s easier to adjust the height up to 3″. There’s also the English-made Brill razor-cut 38 mower that is a no-contact mower. It’s easier to push, and has better quality steel parts, but it’s also pretty expensive. If you live further south and have Bermuda, St Augustine, or Zoysia grass, you need a heavier-duty reel mower or a powered reel mower for the thicker lawn. I’m thinking about asking if some of my neighbors would pay me to mow their lawns with my reel mower, since it’s both better for the environment than a big riding mower like the lawn services use, and it will cut the grass shorter while keeping the lawn healthier. If I do manage to start doing that, I will probably buy a Brill razor-cut mower since it’s lower maintenance.
Share on Facebook
I attended a class in May called:
New-trition: InvestigatingInflammation and Pain – Nan Borchardt, RD, LD, CDE. Medical Biochemist
She talked about different foods that cause inflammation to be worse, and what kind of food and nutrition that can help relieve inflammation. The biggest group of foods that cause inflammation is fatty foods, especially meat, that contain saturated fats, (Omega-6 fatty acids) along with excess sugar.
The best thing you can do to relieve inflammation is to take lots of fish oil. When you shop for fish oil, you really need to look at the “Supplement Facts” part of the label. The front of the bottle, where it says 1000mg or 1200mg of fish oil is misleading. What you have to actually look at is the amount of Omega-3 fatty acids, which is normally listed as a combination of EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) and DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid). Most bottles of 1000mg or 1200mg of fish oil contain about 300mg of Omega-3 per softgel. You can get double or triple strength Fish Oil which contain 600mg or 900mg of Omega-3 per softgel. The only place I have seen where this information is listed on the front of the bottle is at Walmart.
Nan recommended taking 2400mg of Omega-3 per day to deal with normal inflammation, and 3600mg per day of Omega-3 if you have a lot of problems with pain. This is a lot of softgels, even if you get triple-strength. For healthy people that don’t have a lot of problems with inflammation, she suggested 1200mg per day, IE. for people who are on a strength training program.
One option to get more Omega-3 is to order high potency fish oil from a place called Emerson Ecologics, which is where researchers and dietitians order high-quality, ultra-pure supplements for studies. The drawback to that is that I believe you have to have a relationship with a dietitian to get an account with Emerson Ecologics, because they normally only sell to professionals.
Share on Facebook
I have been going to the local gym about every day for the last week. I was putting it off because I wasn’t sure what to do for a workout program, and finally decided to use a modified version of the Starting Strength workout found at http://www.startingstrength.net/workouts/
Basically, it’s a series of compound free-weight exercises.
Workout A is
- 3×5 Squats
- 3×5 Bench press
- 1×5 deadlifts
- 2×5-8 dips
Workout B is
- Squats 3×5
- standing press 3×5
- 3×5 bent-over rows
- 2×5-8 pull-ups
Also do crunches and hyperextensions each workout day
They have what’s called a lazy river in the pool area, where you can walk or swim with or against the current. It’s a very low-impact way to exercise. You can ramp up the difficulty by simply walking faster, or by walking against the current. I usually do a number of laps before I go upstairs to lift weights or do cardio on a bike or treadmill.
Share on Facebook
One thing that I picked up from the movie that I just watched last week, was that the body is only designed to take in 500 calories at one time. [I assume athletes and people that are fit and have a higher metabolism can use more than that.] What I took from this, is it’s better to eat smaller meals, 4 or 5 times per day. Also, don’t drink anything with your meals other than water. If you have to have some kind of drink, have it later.
Share on Facebook
There are a few relatively simple things I started doing directly after Christmas 2009 that really got me started losing weight, and getting in better shape, and just feeling better.
Cut out pop and snacks and almost all processed foods.
Drank lots of water, no other liquid except coffee and/or a small orange juice in the morning.
Starting to go to bed at the same time each night, then getting up early in the morning.
Cut down on meat (didn’t cut out food and animal products till Feb 2010), and starchy food
Lots of walking, but at the time I was visiting my dad in Logan Lake, and since where his house is it’s very hilly, just walking to the store was an excellent work out. I found it was much easier when I used nordic hiking poles at least for the hills.
Share on Facebook
One thing I learned early on my “road to a new me” is that I have to always consciously have a positive attitude. If someone would have suggested this to me a few years ago, I would have said they were crazy, because I didn’t know how. Like the book says Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, and they are all small stuff. Don’t let yourself have any negative thoughts. Walk with a good posture, with your head up, and stop frowning!
This page actually talks about some things you can do to get rid of stress and be more relaxed:
http://www.wikihow.com/Have-Presence
Share on Facebook
How to Improve Your Posture – wikiHow.
Another good page. Improving your posture is important and will really help your self-asteem.
Share on Facebook
How to Act Like a Model – wikiHow.
A good site that lists the basic things you need to do look like and have the self-confidence of a model.
Share on Facebook
