The HCGers exercise thread

[minimonkey]

Bierarsch -- what kind of exercise do you enjoy? I have tons of recommendations for workout videos....I do all my working out at home.

I also don't have the funds for a gym membership, and decided the money (when I have any) is better spent buying equipment and dvds that will last me a long time.... I still work out with videos I bought years ago, so I definitely do use them -- and I've slowly been putting together a very functional home gym... but I started out with a vcr and a bunch of videos, and worked from there.

[DisneyPrincess]

About 800 calories for the day. Higher than I wanted but I made a yummy dinner for Dh and Ds and tasted some

Thinking of fasting until my carb up starting tomrrow night. Im going to see how I feel and if I need it around my weight workout I'll have some protein. No run tomorrow so I'm sleeping in!

[lebebe]

Didn't go to the gym today because I'm sore from my upper body workout yesterday...DOMS are a pain in the butt, literally!!! Just going to stick to rebounding tonight. Have a great evening, everyone!!

[Bierarsch]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

Bierarsch -- what kind of exercise do you enjoy? I have tons of recommendations for workout videos....I do all my working out at home.

I also don't have the funds for a gym membership, and decided the money (when I have any) is better spent buying equipment and dvds that will last me a long time.... I still work out with videos I bought years ago, so I definitely do use them -- and I've slowly been putting together a very functional home gym... but I started out with a vcr and a bunch of videos, and worked from there.

I don't really know what kind of exercise that I enjoy.... helpful, I know. I know that I need to work on my core and on building/toning muscle. I have very tense neck and shoulder muscles that I have to fruquently get deep tissue and trigger point massage to be able to move without pain, and then I have limited flexibility/dexterity in my feet because of my club feet and subsequent surgeries. I am able to walk, run, jump normallly, but I supinate pretty badly. I have shoes and insoles that are a godsend and really help with that part. I am thinking yoga and pilates is a good place to start, and then beginner weights that I can do at home?

[minimonkey]

Maggie --

So sorry to hear about the neck and shoulder pain -- I lived with that chronically for years, and it is NO fun! (Mine is a lot better now, but it still flares up sometimes.) Do you own a TheraCane? If not, let me sing the praises of that thing loudly and from the rooftops.... it allows you to massage your own trigger points, and it helps like crazy with neck and shoulder spasms.

I know almost nothing about yoga, so I can't be of any help there... but I am a huge fan of isometric exercise as a starting point for building strength, balance, and flexibility all at the same time. You don't need an exercise barre to do these workouts, either -- just a sturdy kitchen chair works fine. All the moves can be modified to accomodate for individual body differences, and you will still get results (and quickly, in my experience.)

I'm partial to the Bar Method because it has given me the best results overall, and I love Burr Leonard (the founder) as an instructor. She has a new beginner's workout that is supposedly very good -- I am doing her newer advanced workouts and I just love them.

I also enjoyed the Lotte Berk workout tapes when I was first starting out, though I found I outgrew them fairly quickly -- they are definitely a good starting point.

The Bar Method and Lotte Berk both incorporate light weights for the upper body, too -- so you get some bonus muscle building for the arms and shoulders. (If you google Bar Method Burr Leonard, it will take you to the official site for that.)

For core work, a stability ball is also fantastic. There is a stability ball DVD called "On the Ball" Pilates, with Lizbeth Garcia -- I liked that as a beginning workout a lot -- though I do suggest being very careful to support your neck on all the crunch moves, as they can strain it a bit.

I'm pretty new to lifting heavier weights myself, but have found I adore Cathe Friedrich as an instructor for that... she emphasizes proper form, and her workouts are really well paced.

Hope that helps!

[minimonkey]

Did another new workout today, and this one was a score -- it's the "Lean and Toned" dvd by the Exhale Core Fusion crew.... and it was genuinely enjoyable and reasonably challenging, without being too brutal.

It wasn't anything terribly different from the other isometric workouts I own, but there were some new moves in there that worked the abs really nicely, and it incorporated more pilates than I am used to doing, which was a nice change.

Tomorrow will be a lifting day -- and I am greatly looking forward to that.

I am definitely starting to see some leaning out happening visibly now, which makes me very happy indeed. Even better is the fact that there is some truly nice muscle under there that is beginning to show

[DisneyPrincess]

Originally Posted by Bierarsch

I don't really know what kind of exercise that I enjoy.... helpful, I know. I know that I need to work on my core and on building/toning muscle. I have very tense neck and shoulder muscles that I have to fruquently get deep tissue and trigger point massage to be able to move without pain, and then I have limited flexibility/dexterity in my feet because of my club feet and subsequent surgeries. I am able to walk, run, jump normallly, but I supinate pretty badly. I have shoes and insoles that are a godsend and really help with that part. I am thinking yoga and pilates is a good place to start, and then beginner weights that I can do at home?

Yoga is great for stretching and can be good for the core when done properly as well. Pilates will give you more of an actual calorie burning workout. Walking/running are obviously great cardio calorie burners. Start with something you can stick with and ince you get into a routine you can add/modify. Some exercise is better than none

Originally Posted by minimonkey

Did another new workout today, and this one was a score -- it's the "Lean and Toned" dvd by the Exhale Core Fusion crew.... and it was genuinely enjoyable and reasonably challenging, without being too brutal.

It wasn't anything terribly different from the other isometric workouts I own, but there were some new moves in there that worked the abs really nicely, and it incorporated more pilates than I am used to doing, which was a nice change.

Tomorrow will be a lifting day -- and I am greatly looking forward to that.

I am definitely starting to see some leaning out happening visibly now, which makes me very happy indeed. Even better is the fact that there is some truly nice muscle under there that is beginning to show

you are gonna look smokin at goal!!

P90x chest and arms on tap this afternoon and rest from running. 10 miler in the morning

[lebebe]

Mini...... Speaking of old workout DVD's, have you seen the one called Power 90 by the P90X Beachbody guru? I forget his name. I actually have that DVD (Power 90) but haven't done it yet. I'll have to dust it off and see how it is.

I also have the old Winsor Pilates DVD and... again... have never done it. Maybe today will be an oldie but goodie day along with some rebounding for cardio and going to the gym this evening to sit in the sauna.

Have a lovely day, ladies!!!

[nola baxter]

Lebebe
I find the body gets used to oxypowder to some degree too,
(do you find this Mini??)
ie, if I have not taken it for a while it has a far more distinct effect than when I take it regularly;
and I dont like taking it all the time in case my body becomes dependant on it.
But it is a very gentle cleanser, and potentially has the ability to heal and clean up the bowel , whereas Senna just acts as a harsh laxative.


Marie
It is interesting that you have been given two different kinds of advice.
It does make more sense to me to wear shoes so your feet can move, and grip, and activate muscles, this seems a better long term rehabilitation idea than just inactivating everything to provide stability.
It seems like the principle of "use it or lose it".
As Mini suggested, you could wear the toe socks for a period of time daily and maybe gradually increase as muscles get stronger and more able to support your hip and body.


Mini
Its good your S.O. was able to bring it up- better to have these things out in the open than festering away untalked about.
It is a hard path you have chosen, you must love him very much!
But sometimes we love who we love, and it seems there is not so much choice about it..

[lebebe]

Originally Posted by nola baxter

Lebebe
I find the body gets used to oxypowder to some degree too,
(do you find this Mini??)
ie, if I have not taken it for a while it has a far more distinct effect than when I take it regularly;
and I dont like taking it all the time in case my body becomes dependant on it.
But it is a very gentle cleanser, and potentially has the ability to heal and clean up the bowel , whereas Senna just acts as a harsh laxative.

that's the best recommendation you could give, nola... I'm all about trying to heal these issues I have. Can't go on for the rest of my life taking senna!!! thanks!!

[minimonkey]

Nola and Lebebe --

I actually think the OxyPowder did help heal my gut issues to a large degree -- as long as I keep my eating on track, I generally don't have to take much of anything for regularity now, except a magnesium supplement and vitamin C (not huge doses of either, just a daily supplement.) I also take probiotics and digestive enzymes, and I think that helps too.

I used the Oxypowder really regularly for about 3 months, and it seems to have gone a long, long way to helping condition the bowel to function better on its own (unless I eat most grains or too much fiber, in which case it gets angry and inflamed and bloated.) Maybe I can add those back at some point, but right now, I am not particularly wanting to risk it -- if I decide to carb up, I will opt for fruit or lower-glycemic sugars, and very minimal grain-ish things.

I did eat tempeh with only some mild and transient discomfort last week, so that's encouraging! Hummus, too, seems to be reasonably friendly in small amounts.


I noticed a slight tolerance developing near the end of the three months with OxyPowder, but nothing dramatic... and since I ran out of it, I heven't bought any more. I suspect I will, however -- I think doing the full cleanse a couple of times a year is probably a good idea.

[minimonkey]

As for the Beachbody workouts -- I've never done them, but I know DisneyPrincess is doing P90x at the moment, so maybe she will chime it on this one A lot of people swear by them.

The new rebounding series is based on a lot of the same principles, and I really like it -- though I don't think I'd want to do that kind of workout every day -- it seems the potential to grow physically acclimated to it is fairly great, at least for me -- though there is a lot of variety in the rebounding series, and that helps.

I like mixing it up with lifting, isometrics, what have you. I also still like to throw in my old workouts by The Firm every so often -- they are classics, and they do make for a good workout.

I used to have some Winsor Pilates tapes, but I grew rather bored of them, and passed them along to a friend some time back. For some reason, the Bar Method and the Core Fusion workouts are a much better fit for me -- it might be as simple as the pacing, or just liking the instructor better -- who knows?

I need to quit stalling and get writing here -- wishing you all a very lovely and productive day!

[ellenalesa]

Hi Mini,

I was reading about Oxypowder...do you have to do a full cleanse, or can you just use it to encourage Bernice to visit, or just use it for a weekend?

I could sure use something to move things along....it's getting better, but I'm used to a daily habit, sometimes more, and now it's 2 or 3 days in between...

[DisneyPrincess]

A little smooth move tea really helps me. I usually drink it a few times a week depending on how I feel and it always produces movements the next morning

As for power 90, I used to do that in college! Is it that old? Lol. It was a good workout at the time. P90x is much more intense and I LOVE them, though they are long. ImO worth the money because you get lifting, cardio, yoga, plyo, etc....

Speaking of, I didn't get in my workout today. I have a lot of work to do and we have a busy weekend so I needed to get things done. I'll make it up Monday evening since Dh will be gone.

Have to get up before the sun for my 10 miler since it's supposed to be 100 degrees tomorrow

[minimonkey]

You GO with that ten miler tomorrow, Disney! You almost make me want to start running again ... almost

Elenalesa -- you can use OxyPowder as needed, or you can do the full cleanse. I opted for the full cleanse during a P2 round, and I found it really helpful.

I react rather badly to senna, so the OxyPowder is a good option if I need it.

[minimonkey]

OOOh, yeeeah was todays workout a good one! Another of the new dvds -- this one is called "butts and guts" by Cathe Friedrich, and she ain't kidding, especially with the butts! I haven't worked my glutes that hard in a long, long time -- ouch!

I suspect I'll really be feeling that tomorrow, but now that I am done with it, I must declare it a 5 stars (out of 5) workout -- I was cursing it about three quarters of the way through, which says a lot

Keto action is kicking in today, and I am feeling powered up and quite good right now. My body is loving the extra protein, I think .... I tend to do really well on keto, at least in terms of feeling good, energetic and strong. We'll see what the scale has to say in a week or two, but this feels like a good plan of action for now.

[nola baxter]

Mini
I am glad you are feeling good today!
It is good to hear of your experience of oxypowder.
I dont know how much bowel healing it has done for me, but I have found it a good and useful tool over the years I have been using it.
These days I just take it for a bit of a clean-out every now and then.
In the past I have also done the full cleanses, and taken it in smaller maintenance doses for some periods of time.
My ex who had bad haemorroids, said it was an absolute life-saver for him at times.



I went and worked out yesterday- but was not feeling up to par. So I did a pure power workout- lots of heavy weights with long rests in between, interpersed by some low level cardio.
It actually worked well, as I was able to up a few of my weights by doing it this way.
It was not the same kind of intense fatiguing workout I usually do (with a lot of conditioning/fatigue sets in between)- but nice for a change, and achieved a different goal- ie, helping to increase pure strength.
Then today I went and did some plyometric jumps, weighted and unweighted, interspersed by some more low level cardio.
So all in all- I feel I achieved what I wanted- I just spread it out between two workouts!

I have decided to force a few of my weights up right now, by just increasing the weight, and doing as many reps as I can, even if its only 2 or 3. This way the body gets used to the heavier weight, and starts adjusting strength upwards.
I have been stalemated on a few lifts and finally realised that I should use this approach, to get my body out of its rut! I dont know why I didnt think of it before. I was trying other stuff, but not this..

So I will see where that gets me over the next weeks.

[minimonkey]

I'm intrigued by that kind of lifting, Nola -- I'm glad to hear you were able to rally and get a couple of good workouts in! Its awful feeling off-kilter.

I don't feel comfortable enough with my form and technique to go truly heavy at the moment, but I think I'd like to work up to heavier weights.

I am enjoying the Cathe workouts right now -- she's good at showing form, and since I am working out with my roommate, we can also give feedback to each other as to whether we seem to be doing it right, etc.

In the course of today's dvd, I did two sets of plyometric jumps with 20 lbs weight (10 lbs dumbbell on each shoulder) -- it wasn't bad. I was surprised at how well I held up to it. I probably could have gone heavier, actually. I also did a lot of squats with a 35 lb barbell -- I definitely could have gone heavier there if I had done fewer reps, or a shorter workout.

That workout is LONG, though... the butts portion of it is a little over an hour, and my glutes were dying by the end of it... seriously on fire! The abs section is only 15 minutes after that, but it is a pretty intense 15 minutes, particularly since the core muscles have been engaged the whole while.

I am already feeling some soreness, and I think that will be a lot more pronounced tomorrow.

I'm not sure I will get a workout in tomorrow, because I have a very long day at school, though I may do a bit of something when I get home. Sunday we will hit the upper body with a good strength workout.

I have to say, I am genuinely digging the lifting... and I am loving seeing some real muscle coming in on my upper body I already had a pretty good muscle base from my prior workouts, but I am getting stronger very quickly at the moment... it's still no great shakes as far as real strength goes, but the difference from week to week is pretty amazing.

I can't wait to see where that takes me after I've been doing it for a while.

[DisneyPrincess]

10 miles accomplished. Nice run this morning. Tomorrow I have a 3 mile recovery run and then Monday I will hit a heavy weight workout since I missed it yesterday.
Continuing to fuel a little extra today and then a normal day tomorrow.

[nola baxter]

Hi Mini
You are right to not go too heavy to start off with.
From the point of long term safety and performance, it is better to start lighter and get all the joints and ligaments and muscles used to it, and then move heavier after your body has had time to adjust to it all.

It sounds like you are pretty strong already, and will soon be streaking ahead!

[nola baxter]

On a light note,
I went skiing with my boyfriend yesterday.
My just turned 8 yr old son took to it like a pro! His first time on the slopes and he could ski very well in a short space of time.
I could ski moderately well- which surprised me as I only went once before - and that was 20 yrs ago.

It was good leg exercise. Though I was a bit freaked out that I might twist my knee or something in my learners ineptness!

My boyfriend was amused at all the food I took. At the end of the day he said - did you eat all that? I said yes, this is a low calorie day for me- I can eat much much more than that!

Back into the gym this morning. Hoping for a good workout!

[minimonkey]

LOL about the food and the boyfriend, Nola -- I have no idea why that delights me so much, but it does!

The skiing sounds fun, and I am so excited for your son and you both doing so well -- I love skiing! I haven't had the opportunity to go in a while, but when I was skiing regularly (my ex had a cabin in Tahoe, and we went quite a bit) I had actually gotten reasonably good at it. I could do black slopes pretty well, as long as they were groomed -- I never did get the hang of moguls much, though.

[minimonkey]

It's time for a Cathe 'slow and heavy' workout --- I really love these. I am doing upper body today. Arm muscles... bring 'em on!!!!

I was surprisingly un-sore (yes, I know that isn't a word!) after my glute-a-thon two days ago... I'm very pleased by that.

I feel like I really have my exercise on target right now--- if I could just get the eating figured out, and my hormones balanced, I'd be very happy.

[minimonkey]

Disney -- so glad your training run went so well! You'll be rockin' that marathon for sure

[minimonkey]

Hoooyah! Biceps, triceps and abs are worked I am definitely stronger than when we first did this rotation... and this felt great!!!! I love feeling strong

[Bierarsch]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

Maggie --

So sorry to hear about the neck and shoulder pain -- I lived with that chronically for years, and it is NO fun! (Mine is a lot better now, but it still flares up sometimes.) Do you own a TheraCane? If not, let me sing the praises of that thing loudly and from the rooftops.... it allows you to massage your own trigger points, and it helps like crazy with neck and shoulder spasms.

I know almost nothing about yoga, so I can't be of any help there... but I am a huge fan of isometric exercise as a starting point for building strength, balance, and flexibility all at the same time. You don't need an exercise barre to do these workouts, either -- just a sturdy kitchen chair works fine. All the moves can be modified to accomodate for individual body differences, and you will still get results (and quickly, in my experience.)

I'm partial to the Bar Method because it has given me the best results overall, and I love Burr Leonard (the founder) as an instructor. She has a new beginner's workout that is supposedly very good -- I am doing her newer advanced workouts and I just love them.

I also enjoyed the Lotte Berk workout tapes when I was first starting out, though I found I outgrew them fairly quickly -- they are definitely a good starting point.

The Bar Method and Lotte Berk both incorporate light weights for the upper body, too -- so you get some bonus muscle building for the arms and shoulders. (If you google Bar Method Burr Leonard, it will take you to the official site for that.)

For core work, a stability ball is also fantastic. There is a stability ball DVD called "On the Ball" Pilates, with Lizbeth Garcia -- I liked that as a beginning workout a lot -- though I do suggest being very careful to support your neck on all the crunch moves, as they can strain it a bit.

I'm pretty new to lifting heavier weights myself, but have found I adore Cathe Friedrich as an instructor for that... she emphasizes proper form, and her workouts are really well paced.

Hope that helps!

Thank you for the recommendations, Mini! I will look into them. The TheraCane sounds amazing! Today I woke up in a lot of pain... not sure what I did, but it's the neck and shoulder again. I have a massage appointment tomorrow but I'm hurting.

Originally Posted by DisneyPrincess

Yoga is great for stretching and can be good for the core when done properly as well. Pilates will give you more of an actual calorie burning workout. Walking/running are obviously great cardio calorie burners. Start with something you can stick with and ince you get into a routine you can add/modify. Some exercise is better than none

Thanks, Disney! As soon as I am done with P3, I plan on starting C25k again. I will also probably start a small amount of extra stretching/very light yoga.

[minimonkey]

Bier -- a great deal of my neck and shoulder pain/spasms/etc. turned out to be due to undiagnosed/untreated migraines -- everyone had assumed that the neck problems were causing the headaches, not vice versa... but once I got on migraine meds I discovered that the neck pain/tightness/knots in my neck and shoulder were DUE to the migraine.

I don't know if you get headaches along with this, but there is a lot of research that now indicates that migraines can cause neck and shoulder spasms... might be worth checking out.

Definitely get yourself a theracane... those things are a lifesaver!

Sorry to hear you are hurting so much -- that kind of pain is awful

[minimonkey]

I'll be sitting on my caboose a lot of today, writing a paper -- but going to get in a lower body weights workout at some point this afternoon.

I am going off the hhcg for a bit, since I am not sticking to anything like protocol anyhow -- so I am doing a p3 break, and then plan to attempt a real round that will be consistently low calorie and hopefully will get me to goal.

I will keep up the super clean eating, and of course the exercise -- and see if anything changes during this time.

I am finally seeing some inch loss even though the scale isn't budging... so am hoping that continues.

[Bierarsch]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

Bier -- a great deal of my neck and shoulder pain/spasms/etc. turned out to be due to undiagnosed/untreated migraines -- everyone had assumed that the neck problems were causing the headaches, not vice versa... but once I got on migraine meds I discovered that the neck pain/tightness/knots in my neck and shoulder were DUE to the migraine.

I don't know if you get headaches along with this, but there is a lot of research that now indicates that migraines can cause neck and shoulder spasms... might be worth checking out.

Definitely get yourself a theracane... those things are a lifesaver!

Sorry to hear you are hurting so much -- that kind of pain is awful

Amazingly, I don't get headaches or migraines from it. I used to have migraines when I was younger, but I believe they were thyroid/hormone related because I've not had one in a very long time. The chronic spasms and tightness has been a problem since my teen years. At least 10, if not 15 years. I carry all of my stress in my neck and shoulders, and sit at a desk all day for work. Bleh!

I have thought that I have fibromyalgia before, but am too scared to get tested for it. I already have one autoimmune disease and I don't want another one, even though it explains the pains that I have. At that point, I would look into LDN therapy.

I am looking through the DVDs that you recommended right now.

[minimonkey]

It might be worth looking into Lyme as a possibility too -- turns out that was what was causing pretty much all my symptoms (probably including the migraines), which were chronic (and very debilitating) for years and years. A lot of people believe that fibromyalgia is just undiagnosed Lyme disease.

And yes, there is Lyme in Texas! Just a thought....