Wow!~ You're getting a majorly high-powered machine! Good for you, Bawdy. I'm sure you'll put it through its paces--especially since you're one who prefers silence when you work out. You hve my admiration for that.

About the pad...since you have a carpet, the only consideration is whether or not you think the treadmill will ever be moved to some other spot in future, leaving the carpet under it exposed. In other words, do you care if the weight of the treadmill leaves permanent marks in the carpet or not? If you don't, then you need nothing else: the carpet should provide plenty of traction for safety.

Take care, Sona

Thanks, Sona. The carpet has already been pretty much permanently crushed down from the two weight machines that were in there, not to mention the Bowflex. The treadmill is almost 300 pounds, so I don't think it will get moved.

We do have a pad underneath the Bowflex, but only because it came with the unit. I really don't think there's a need for it.

Hello, my name is Bawdy Wench, and I would like to start a gym log.

If not now . . . When?

My treadmill is all set up, and today I picked up on my journey to fitness again. I won't go on and on about how I feel, etc. I'll just post what I did. Well, and maybe a few words on how great I'm beginning to feel. But no rambling!

Day 1: Sunday, January 23, 2005

Full upper-body workout (Bowflex and free weights)
Full lower-body workout (free weights)
20-minute interval cardio workout on treadmill (max speed 4 mph, max incline 0)
20-minute interval cardio workout on treadmill (max speed 4 mph, max incline 6)

(Yes, I'm always an over-achiever at first!)

Personal Rating (5 thumbs-up is euphoric): :thup: :thup: :thup: :thup: :thup:

After yesterday's marathon session, I decided that to do anything this morning would be a mistake. Tonight, my thighs are extremely sore, so it's probably a good thing I didn't work out this morning.

I'll do the treadmill again tomorrow evening. DH has to leave again tomorrow morning for Atlanta, but will be back Saturday for a week!

See you tomorrow!

Well, I've been working out on a semi-regular basis, just not posting about it. But things are changing (see my journal for details).

Day 1 of 45

Worked in the cellar most of the day. We're ripping up the old floor and building a new floor. We have a dirt cellar, and are replacing the floor joists, etc. Lots of hammering, bending, stretching, lifting, and general demolition. Not a real workout, but I'm sure I burned more than a few calories.

Also did 45 minutes on the treadmill (incline of 3 at 3 mph). A lighter workout today. A few intervals of higher intensity, but more for the long haul today. My plan is to do the treadmill every day, but alternate days of high-intensity interval 20-minute cardio workouts with lower-intensity but longer duration workouts.

If not now . . . When?

Hi, Bawdy! :wave:

This sounds (to me) like a perfect cardio plan: alternating the fat-burning part with the endurance-building (and heart-strengthening) routine.

If you settled on this intuitively, congratulations! I had to have it pounded into my head. :rolleyes: Probably because I'm such a routine/habit freak.

Glad you've separated out your WOs from your journal, and I hope it keeps you motivated.

Best, Sona

Thanks, Sona. Yes, I did devise it on my own. I'm having a minor problem, though. Around the time I got the treadmill and starting using it on a regular basis, my feet started hurting -- mostly the ball of my foot. At first I thought it might be caused . . . dare I say it . . . by my 4" heels. But, I was off work almost all last week and didn't wear them. And the pain was really bad Sunday night. I had done every other day last week, then a full workout on Saturday, and a 40-minute "endurance" on Sunday.

Think I need better shoes? I'm wearing name-brand (don't ask me the name -- if it's not something like Etienne Aigner or Anne Klein, I pay no attention!) shoes designed for walking. Maybe I need to get ones with more support and padding and that are made for running.

Thoughts?

Day 2 of 45, Monday, Feb. 7: no workout

Day 3 of 45, Tuesday, Feb 8: 60 minutes on treadmill, 3 mph, no incline (to see if that's what's bothering my feet)

Day 7 of 45, Saturday, February 12

60 minutes on treadmill, 3 mph, 0 incline

OK, yet another experiment. (Refer to journal for food experiment.)
I'm going to do the high-intensity interval (HIIT) workout on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, a steady 3 mph 30-minute workout on Tuesday and Thursday (or even switch off the treadmill completely and do the stationary bike at a steady pace), and then on the weekends I'll do a longer 3.5 mph steady workout on the treadmill.

BFL-style weight sessions will be 3 times a week, with a day's rest in between. I'll probably start each day with the cardio, and then do the weight sessions in the evening. I simply don't have time to do everything in one stretch.

So, this morning I got up and did a HIIT cardio workout. Tonight I'll get some upper-body weight training in.

Don't wish me luck, but do wish me focus!

February 28 was the last time I posted here? Yikes!

DH and I just got back from Ireland last night. I had a great time climbing mountains and hiking around and scrounging through castles and ruins. DH didn't even try to keep up with me. All that time on the treadmill sure did wonders for me!

This one mountain I climbed was called Knocknarea (say, knock-NAR-ea). I don't know the elevation, but the guide book said it takes 30 to 45 minutes to climb up and another 30 to 45 minutes to climb back down.

I made it up, stayed 10 minutes up top, and got down again all within 50 minutes!!! Wow! DH stayed in the car reading and smoking his pipe. He figured I would be gone at least a couple hours.

And when I got back down I felt great! Granted, a little winded, but great.

I'm hoping that this vacation showed DH that he needs to hunker down and eat better and do a regular workout routine, including the treadmill. We even went to one castle where the upper parapet corridors were so narrow, he couldn't even begin to go down them. It really was kind of sad to see him staying behind. I'm sure he felt bad, too, though he maintained that he really had no interest in climbing mountains or hiking. (This from a man who used to love hiking.)

So today it's back in the swing of things for me. Regular workouts and eating right. I might experiment with the eating, but not sure in what way yet.

Ireland? I'm sooooo jealous (turning *green* so to speak!) Sounds like you had a great time. Welcome back to the fold of eating well and exercising!

Thanks, Spud! We had a glorious time. It was our second trip there, and it was every bit as magical (if not more so) than the first time. I'll be posting stories, etc. in my journal, if you're interested.

Thanks - I'm looking forward to reading it. I'll have to venture over that way some day - it sounds very endearing.

Hello, again! It's been "only" almost 11 years since I last posted in my Gym Log.

In those years, I had a full knee replacement in one knee, and then just last year I shredded my meniscus in the other knee and had surgery to clean it up. Still not back 100%.

Both those events took a toll on my activity level. I'm now 61, and feeling lousy. My weight is WAY up, thanks to menopause primarily (I gained almost 50 pounds in 18 months after my last period), but also to being too lax about things. I did get down to the 160s in 2011 using hcg, which has been the ONLY thing that will get the weight off ... which is why I've decided to do it again (details in my journal).

The plan I'm doing advocates exercise, whereas the original plan by Dr. Simeons said absolutely no exercise. The calories are a bit higher on this plan (550 - 750, the higher end being on days you exercise) and you are allowed more protein, which would definitely support the workouts.

I do yoga usually twice a week (sometimes 3 times), but because of my knees I can't do anything even resembling strenuous. Still, I credit the yoga with getting me as far as I am.

When I had my knee replacement, they said I could expect only 115 to 120 degrees of flexion in that knee. I did a Google search on the replacement unit I had, and it said it supports up to 150 degrees of flexion. I told my surgeon and physical therapists that 150 was my goal. They laughed hysterically. The laugh was on them, though, because due to the yoga, I was able to get to 140+ degrees. They were stunned. So was I, as a matter of fact, but then I put my mind to it and made it happen.

So it's time to make things happen again. I'm feeling way too old in my body, and yet very young in my brain. I want those two feelings to get closer together.

When I started the hcg round in 2011, I was at the same weight I'm at now, except I'm carrying much more fat now, meaning I've lost significant muscle. The only way to get that back is to start working out again.

This is going to be very hard for me, so if anyone feels up to it, I'd really appreciate some support. I find I need accountability, so this is it. I need to make the commitment. TODAY.