Sunday, December 20, 2009

TO MAKE YOUR WALK EASIER.....

Take your music with you in a very portable fashion. I crochet, so I like this one:

http://www.dmc-usa.com/mjRS/1/doc/US_freedesigns/crochetdenimipod.pdf

but there are plenty of other ways to tote your ipod or MP3 player.

There are lots of these armbands available. Some look fancier or higher-tech than others, but all do pretty much the same job as this one:



http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&source=hp&q=ipod+armband&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=8701451723089667723&ei=iW8sS8-XOYLSM-_l8Y4J&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=image&resnum=4&ved=0CC4Q8gIwAw#

or use this tinyurl to get there:

http://tinyurl.com/yz42qhe


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Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

NOT RHUMBA - ZUMBA!!!

I found ANOTHER addiction!! Check this out on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf0q6qtThF4

The dance shown is the first we learned. Now, I CANNOT wiggle like the sweet young thing in this video - but I don't care. It's FUN and quite a work out. A friend goes with me and she's unable to do a lot of the upper body work because of a heart condition - but she does what she can at the rate she can do it. Still fun!

I found a great dance studio (where I also linedance) so I don't have to pay a membership fee or whatever. They use a punch card that makes Zumba a great value. Way more expensive at other places.

Try it out!!




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Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

MY THANKSGIVING TREAT

This time last year, I was recuperating nicely from a knee replacement - my second. Things were going along well except for some muscle pain on the outside of my lower leg. Not a huge problem. I was back to walking several miles a day at a nice clip. But, with winter coming, I was unsure if I could keep up the recovery. I asked my orthopedist and he told me (again) that I could walk, bike, or swim. He told me to have my husband get me a stationary bike for Christmas. Fat chance!!

I had an old bike 'rescued' from a garage sale years ago. I cleaned it off and tried to ride it. It was so loud that I couldn't hear the TV or radio when riding it. PLUS I got blisters in places that blisters shouldn't be! So much for that bike.

Fast forward a year, and I came into some money and decided to treat myself. I wanted a recumbent bike. I did a lot of research and found one bike that fit all my requirements - durable, quiet, well-reviewed - at the right price. Here it is:


It's a Stamina 7100 Fusion which means it has all the benefits of a recumbent bike without taking up as much room and it's doesn't really 'recumb'. It has a slight backward slant to the seat, but the seat itself is really large and comfy. It doesn't fold up, but it has a roller on the front for 'easy' (if you have the right muscles) relocation. The thing is heavy. My sons assembled it for me on Thanksgiving and were quite impressed with the quality of the fit and finish. It is SILENT, has (battery operated) electronic options to increase the intensity of the ride, measure distance, calories, and time. It even came with a cute little water bottle!

The really good news is that I enjoy riding it. So does my husband. When he can't make it to the gym, he'll hop on it during the news and pedal away. On those days when I haven't been able to go for a walk, I'm very happy to grab my book and hop on. I started at a 30 minute 'ride' and am increasing by about 5 minutes per day that I ride. I ride on Level 3 which has some hills and valleys, so I find that unless I pay attention, my pedaling rate will go down. But, it's really nice to have this to use on those days when I can't walk. I've also hopped on for a brief ride in the evening if my walk was in the morning. Can't hurt and the cardio is really good for me.




***************************
Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.