Health and Fitness Thread

[snubbyfan]

The weather cooperated and we went for another hike. It was sunny, warm and a bit humid.
We went 5.21 miles and depending on where we were on the mountain, the temps varied between 84 and 97 degrees.

When we got home and I fired up the grill to barbecue a coupla chicken breasts, it clouded up and stormed on us. The storm passed in about 20 minutes and it got sunny and warm again.
The chicken came out juicy and yummy.

Tomorrow it's supposed to be cooler and stormy. We're gonna take a day off and rest up for our next Y visit on Monday.

[snubbyfan]

I sometimes find rest days to be the most difficult. I havta keep remembering to not exercise.
On a dreary day like today, I'd be riding our home stationary bike and doing ab work.
I really just need to sit, rest and eat lotsa protein.
I'm looking forward to going to the Y tomorrow.

[snubbyfan]

I sometimes find rest days to be the most difficult. I havta keep remembering to not exercise.
On a dreary day like today, I'd be riding our home stationary bike and doing ab work.
I really just need to sit, rest and eat lotsa protein.

[vonn]

I check in to keep up but haven’t had much to report. Keeping the status of blood work etc in the good range and my walking steps numbers are good,especially since the afternoon temperatures in my shop have been around 100 mark the last couple of weeks. (Metal building with no shade) I use how fast I can cut the grass as my benchmark and I haven’t gotten any faster but not any slower.

[snubbyfan]

Dreary rainy day today. Temps only got up into the mid 60's.
Felt good lettin' loose at spin class today. I know it's a good idea to have a day off and let my body heal but I was eager to get back into exercising.
Felt good today. Spin class was a lot of fun and I felt strong in the workout room.

Tomorrow's supposed to get up into the mid 70's and partly sunny. Sounds like a good day for a nice long hike in the mountains. I'd actually like it if it was over 90 degrees and sunny but I'll take it.

[snubbyfan]

Mid 70's and kinda overcast today. We went for a nice hike in the mountains.
Got up to a high of 78. We ended up going 6.40 miles.

There's a gate at the top of the first ridge. Last year, my best time to the gate was 22 minutes. Today I made it to the gate in 19 minutes and 58 seconds.
That's my best time since before my degenerative peripheral motor nerve condition started.

[CBus660R]

I did a non points race Sunday. It was a harescramble instead of an enduro. Harescrambles are a shorter loop that you do as many times as you can in the time limit, no breaks or rest time. This race was an hour and half plus 1 lap. The course would have been awesome if they didn't get a gully washer the night before. Most of the course turned into 3 ruts, 1 for your left foot, then the bike, then your right foot. It was a real suffer fest lol I did OK, but since I'm not used to the longer duration, I paced myself a bit more than I should. I wound up 3rd out of 8 in my class and top third overall. Most importantly, it gave me some race pace action to try and stay sharp during the 3 month pause in my enduro series where I am chasing points.

[snubbyfan]

We've been getting a lot of rain out here too. Our favorite hiking trails are deeply rutted.
The good news is that the park service has finally cleared the uprooted trees that were blocking parts of the trail.
Tomorrow, we're planning on a nice hike.
We haven't gotten the bikes out yet. We're gonna let the towpath dry out a bit more. We're planning on a bike ride on Sunday. Should be dry enough by then.

[snubbyfan]

Beautiful day today. My wife and I went for a nice hike in the mountains. We ended up going 6.76 miles in 3 hours. The temps got up to 89 sunny degrees.

Tomorrow it's off to the Y.

[snubbyfan]

At the Y today, the people in our spin class were sayin' that I should be called "Flash" 'cause I can spin so fast my feet become a blur. I told them that I have a motor nerve condition, I keep telling my feet to slow down but they pay no attention to me.
After spin class I did my usual drop sets workout. Felt pretty good.

It's been sunny and warm for the last coupla days, the C&O Canal Towpath should be dry enough for a nice bike ride. We're planning one for tomorrow if it doesn't rain tonight.

[snubbyfan]

Today turned out to be an off day. We had originally intended to take the bikes out but we just couldn't get it together.
That's okay though, with all the hiking a visits to the Y, it's good to have a day off. I got some leatherwork caught up then laid in my back yard on a sunny day. synthesized some vitamin D and smoked a cigar.
For supper we had a bullhead trout fillet and asparagus.

Speaking of hiking, we're planning on a hiking trip tomorrow.

[snubbyfan]

Beautiful warm sunny day today. My wife and I went for a hike in the mountains. The temps got up to 93 degrees.
We ended up going 6.94 miles.
After we got home I fired up the grill, threw in some hickory chunks, lit a Gran Habano Vintage 2002 Robusto cigar, grilled some thick pork chops and drank a coupla cold beers. The chops came out yummy and juicy.
Tomorrow's supposed to be even warmer and we're planning a repeat of today, 'cept it'll be bison burgers going on the grill.

[snubbyfan]

Sunny humid day today. My wife and I strapped on our boots and went for a hike in the mountains.
Today, I planned an extra long hike and we took a trail we had explored in the past. There was a lot of erosion from all the rain we've had but it was still passable.
The temps got up to 95 degrees and it was sunny and quite humid. In fact there's a heat advisory in the area for the heat and humidity. I like it like that but it was starting to get to my wife so we headed on home.
We ended up going a respectable 5.64 miles.
After we got home I fired up the grill, a Cuban Rounds Toro with a natural wrapper cigar and opened a nice cold beer.
Today I grilled bison burgers in hickory smoke. This gimpy Injun likes him some bison meat.

Tomorrow, it's off to the Y.

[snubbyfan]

The spin instructor was brutal today. The entire class was pushing it for 45 minutes straight without a break.
She said that she chose us because we're her advanced spinners. Works for me, I enjoyed it.
Had my regular workout afterwards.
It was supposed to be a rainy stormy day today and it did storm while we were at the Y but it cleared up and got downright pleasant. So we stopped in town at Little Caesars Pizza, got a sausage and pepperoni stuffed crust pizza and a diet soda, stopped at a park along the C&O Canal and had it for supper.
I was stuffed after just 2 slices.
Added up my calories after we got home. Even with the pizza I ate only 1800 calories and I'm sure I burnt at least half of that if not more at the Y.
Tomorrow's a rest day. We have left over chicken, pork, bison and now, pizza.
On Thursday, there's a clothing optional resort near town and they're having a half price day on grounds fees. If the weather's nice, we're gonna go there for a hike then skinny dippin' in their outdoor pool. We're gonna bring a picnic lunch and a cooler with drinks. I'll probably smoke a cigar while laying in the sun working on my all over tan.

[raljr1]

Snubby, thanks for sharing, but this is one time when your forum buds DO NOT want pictures....

Robert

[snubbyfan]

Originally Posted by raljr1

Snubby, thanks for sharing, but this is one time when your forum buds DO NOT want pictures....

Robert

Ya sure? I've lost a lot of weight.

[snubbyfan]

Nasty rainy day today.
After spin class, a coupla people asked me if I was a professional cyclist. Quite the opposite, I pay to pedal.
Anyway, spin class was lotsa fun.
In the workout room, I felt pretty good and I went up in weight and reps on a coupla exercises.
Now I'm already looking forward to the next time.

[snubbyfan]

I've been a bad bad boy.
Yesterday my wife and I went on a road trip to visit my mother. My sister lives with her as her caretaker.
My sister had an old bike she offered to give me.
Well I have it in my living room now on my portable bike stand.


It's a Trek 7.2 Hybrid and judging from the components, it seems to be for the more "budget minded" rider. It is light with an aluminum frame and narrow tires. I'm gonna change the pedals, adjust the brakes and shifters, lube the chain and air up the tires and it should be ready to go.

Now the guilty pleasure part.
While we were there they ordered pizza's for supper. I got Pizza Hut deep dish with italian sausage. I figured I'd have a coupla slices then put the rest in the 'fridge. Well, I ate half the pizza. I looked it up later and I ate 1,560 in one sitting. Also, it's not just the calories, it's the grease, fats, sodium and other stuff that's not supposed to be in my diet in such quantities. Luckily, all I had up to that point was a 140 calorie granola bar and 170 calories of cashews. Comes out to just 1,870 calories but it wasn't exactly a well balanced diet day.
Today at spin class at the Y, there's a fellow who's wife is having his baby, So, the spin class instructor brought cup cakes, cooking and soda. We all signed a congratulations card.
She had a rather vigorous class to burn lotsa calories. I just had one cookie and it was a 130 calorie sugar bomb (yes I checked).
Workout went well, we both felt pretty good.

Weather's supposed to be nice tomorrow, we're planning on a nice hike in the mountains.

[vonn]

Spent today humping 2600 pounds of feed at my deer lease,600+mile drive round trip. Saw quite a few deer and had bunches of hogs on my game cameras. Almost 16 hour day kicked my butt! Tomorrow I will remember I will be old soon.

[snubbyfan]

Originally Posted by vonn

Spent today humping 2600 pounds of feed at my deer lease,600+mile drive round trip. Saw quite a few deer and had bunches of hogs on my game cameras. Almost 16 hour day kicked my butt! Tomorrow I will remember I will be old soon.

Now that sounds like a workout.

[snubbyfan]

Dunno why but I felt particularly energetic during spin class today. Even though class was the same amount of time, it seemed to end too early. Sometimes I think I'm having too much fun.
Usual drop set workout afterwards.

The weather's supposed to be nice, hot and sunny for the next few days and we're gonna go hiking tomorrow.

[vonn]

Saharan dust starting tomorrow here,may give sensitive people some problems according to the weatherman. Hard to believe that it blows that far. Hot and dusty will not be fun in my shop! Been getting my 10k steps in but can barely get enough water in me.

[snubbyfan]

Originally Posted by vonn

Saharan dust starting tomorrow here,may give sensitive people some problems according to the weatherman. Hard to believe that it blows that far. Hot and dusty will not be fun in my shop! Been getting my 10k steps in but can barely get enough water in me.

We made sure to bring plenty of fluids with us on our camping trip over the weekend.
This is from my Garmin's remote temperature sensor today.


There's a heat advisory out here. I'm loving it and plan to go for a nice long hike in the heat tomorrow.

[snubbyfan]

Went for a hile today over our favorite mountain ridge. Temps only got up to the mid 90's but at least it was humid.
We ended up hiking 6.30 miles.

Tomorrow, it's off to the Y.

[snubbyfan]

After 4 days from my last Y visit, I wasn't too sure of how I'd feel. I started the day feeling kinda sluggish but once I got on my spin bike and started spinning, I felt a lot better. My energy came back and I felt great.
In the workout room I did my usual drop sets with my usual weights.
It's been a while since I weighed myself. I decided to see what the scale at the Y said. It said I was down to 150 pounds.
That means I've lost a total of 80 pounds. I wasn't trying to lose more weight. We've just been a lot more active since the warm weather got here.
Tomorrow, we're planning on a nice hike in the mountains.

[41]

One of the best exercises is walking. I had one Aunt that looked like she was on her last leg so I told her that she needed to get out and walk around the property. To my surprise, she lived another 19 years.

Here is a video on a recent discovery of using 5 MG of rapamycin once a week to extend your life. It has also been tested on dogs. This is probably the most important video you will see in your lifetime.

Dr. Bill Faloon is one of the founders of the Life Extension Foundation:

YouTube

[snubbyfan]

My wife and I went for a nice hike yesterday and we're planning on another hike today.
Yesterday's hike was cut short. We heard approaching thunder and didn't feel like hiking in a thunder storm. We did get rained on before we reached the truck and it felt refreshing.
Tomorrow it's off to the Y.

[41]

Prevention is necessary for good health and that involves getting a yearly blood test and an ultra scan of your cardiovascular system every two or three years depending on your age. I use Life Line Screening but your local hospital also has the capability of doing the tests.

I get my blood test from the Life Extension Foundation when it is on sale for $199 which is done by Lab Corp. If I walking into Lab Corp for the same tests, it would costs me over $1200 assuming I had no insurance.

If Bill Clinton had followed this protocol, it probably would have saved him a bypass operation.

[snubbyfan]

We met the spin instructor on our way into the Y today. Since she retired from her other job, she can get in anytime she wants.
Anyway, spin class was lotsa fun. The spin instructor is requesting people to send her some song suggestions.
After spin, we went to the workout room and I started working my chest on a different machine. We'll see if my chest muscles are sore or not tomorrow. I'm still doing drop sets. It's my theory that since the heaviest weights are done for only the one first set that it's less strain on my joints. I can still get a good workout to failure.
Interesting thing is that even though I've reduced my overall caloric intake, I'm still getting stronger while reducing bodyfat. Must be all the protein I've been eating.

[snubbyfan]

Dunno what it is but I felt really great at the Y today. In spin class my energy level was over the top.
Had a great time in the workout room too.
Maybe it's all this beautiful hot sunny summer weather? Heat does help with my peripheral motor nerve condition.

[41]

Ten-Minute Workouts for Fitness

Three minutes of intense exercise can give you the same level of fitness as 45 minutes of more casual exercise (PLoS One, April 26, 2016;11(4):e0154075). Two groups of out-of-shape men exercised three times a week for 12 weeks. One group pedaled stationary bicycles for 45 minutes. The other group did the following 10-minute workout:
• warm up for two minutes on a stationary bicycle
• pedal as hard as possible for 20 seconds followed by very slow pedaling for two minutes (recovery)
• repeat the 20-second all-out pedaling followed by two minutes of slow recovery
• pedal all-out for the last 20-second sprint and then cool down for three minutes.

Both groups made the same improvements in fitness as measured by:
• Maximal amount of oxygen uptake (Vo2max) - 20 percent increase in both groups
• Insulin sensitivity index (to prevent diabetes) - more than 50 percent increase in both groups
• Skeletal muscle mitochondrial content also increased by the same amount, even though the intense exercise group worked out for only 10 minutes per session while the casual-exercise group's workout took 45 minutes, or 4.5 times as long.

Benefits of Exercise
• Your fitness level determines, in part, your susceptibility for suffering heart attacks (Prog Cardiovasc Dis, 2014;56:382–90), diabetes, certain cancers and premature death (Ex and Spts Sci Reviews, 2017;45(1):7-15).
• Regular exercise helps to prevent many chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes (Can Med Assoc J, 2006;174: 801–809).
• High levels of fitness predict a long lifespan (Arch Int Med, 2012;172:1333-1340), and low levels of fitness predict a shortened lifespan (Circulation, 2008;117:614-622).
• Not exercising is the most common modifiable cause of chronic disease (Can Med Assoc J, 2006;174: 801–809).
• The most common excuse for not exercising is lack of time (Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2002;34: 1996–2001). This new study shows that ONE minute of intense exercise, in a regular program of ten-minute workouts, is enough to gain significant fitness benefits.

My Recommendations
• Everyone should try to exercise every day because a high level of fitness helps to prevent disease and to prolong life.
• Intense exercise takes far less time than more casual exercise for the same health benefits.
• Caution: Always check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program or making a sudden change in the intensity of your existing exercise program.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin on Health, Fitness and Nutrition. | Ten-Minute Workouts for Fitness

[41]

Meats Linked to Fatty Liver and Diabetes

Eating mammal meat or processed meats is associated with increased risk for diabetes, particularly if the meat is cooked at high temperatures (Journal of Hepatology, March 19, 2018).

The authors showed that eating red or processed meat is associated with excess fat in the liver that can cause high blood sugar levels. The authors believe that it is not the cholesterol or saturated fat in mammal meat that links meat to diabetes; it is the heterocyclic amines (HCAs) that are formed when the meat is cooked for a long time at high temperatures.

Another article reviewed three prospective studies to show that the highest risk for diabetes was with red meat, chicken or fish that was cooked in an open flame or at high temperatures without water (grilling, barbecuing, broiling, roasting or frying), and cooked for a long time or long enough to brown or char the surface (Diabetes Care, March 14, 2018).

When you cook with water, the sugar in foods combines with water to form harmless byproducts. Cooking without water causes the sugars in meats to combine with proteins to form harmful HCAs and PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons).

Many previous studies have shown an association between diabetes and eating red meat two or more times per week (Am J Clin Nutr, Oct 2011;94(4):1088-96). Diabetes was also strongly associated with consumption of processed meats, refined grains (flour) and sugar-sweetened beverages.

Risk for diabetes was moderately increased by some vegetables and fruit, eggs, dairy and fish; and was not associated with eating beans or nuts (Eur J Epidemiol, May 2017;32(5):363-375). Other studies show that soybeans are associated with reduced risk for diabetes (Eur J Clin Nutr, Dec 2016;70(12):1381-1387). See Why Meat May Increase Risk for Diabetes
How Sugar Can Fill Your Liver with Fat

How to Reduce Your Consumption of HCAs and PAHs
• Reduce your intake of animal-derived foods that are high in fat and protein, since most of the cooking methods used for these foods will cause HCAs and PAHs to form.
• Limit grilled, broiled and fried foods.
• Limit foods that have been browned or charred in the cooking process.
• Use water-based cooking methods whenever possible: steaming, simmering, boiling, stewing or microwaving. Water prevents the sugars from attaching to proteins and fats.
• When cooking animal products, include acidic ingredients such as lemon juice or vinegar if possible (J Am Diet Assoc, June 2010;110(6):911-16).
• Where possible, cook for shorter durations and at lower temperatures.
• Eat lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans. Include plenty of foods that are eaten raw, such as fresh vegetables and fruits. Fresh fruit is associated with reduced susceptibility for diabetes (PLoS One, April 11, 2017).

Dr. Gabe Mirkin on Health, Fitness and Nutrition. | Meats Linked to Fatty Liver and Diabetes

[snubbyfan]

Weather was pretty much perfect for a hike today and my wife and I strapped on our boots and headed for the mountains.
We ended up going 8.32 miles and spent 'bout 3.5 hours doing it.
Temps got up to 90 degrees but it was less humid and didn't really feel like it.
Tomorrow it's off to the Y.

[snubbyfan]

At the Y today we're having fun at spin class. The spin instructor asked everybody to suggest two songs for a spin music mix. I suggested:

YouTube

and:

YouTube

They're both rather energetic.

Had my usual workout, since I'm maintaining, I don't push it too hard.

[snubbyfan]

Back in my rock climbing days, I got myself a Tanita body fat analizing scale. This was probably around 25 years ago.


My body fat was around 10 to 12 percent.
I haven't been using it in a while. My wife does but I just step on the scale at the Y occasionally.
Tried the Tanita this morning. 150 pounds and 15 percent body fat.
According to this chart, that puts me in the lean catagory for a 35 year old and I'm 55.


I think I can live with that.

[WuzzFuzz]

Snubby, I think we're going to nominate you for the Jack Lalanne award for this year.


WuzzFuzz

[snubbyfan]

Originally Posted by WuzzFuzz

Snubby, I think we're going to nominate you for the Jack Lalanne award for this year.


WuzzFuzz

I'll take it either in cash or premium cigars.

[snubbyfan]

At today's Y trip, we had a newbie at spin class. She hasn't even ridden a bicycle before. My wife and I helped to get her set up and the instructor welcomed her to class.
My wife warned her to not try to keep up with me. I tend to get rather energetic and enthusiastic.
After class the newbie asked me if I cycled in the olympics.
Hmm, If they had a disabled over 50 class and I had a sponser.....
Anyway, after spin class, my wife and I had a good workout.
Then it was off to Aldi's to pick up some chicken, then home to cook it.

[CBus660R]

We had race 4 yesterday. I pushed hard and rode fast, but made a few mistakes along the way and didn't get the result I wanted. The fitness was there and I felt strong all the way through the end. With the heat and lack of rain the last 2 weeks, the ground was really hard when I low sided on a fast sweeper in a grass track section. I went tumbling good and got bruises all over, especially my right hip which is particularly bothersome since I like to sleep on my right side lol Race 5 and 6 are only 2 and 3 weeks out, so it won't be long until you get another update

[snubbyfan]

Originally Posted by CBus660R

We had race 4 yesterday. I pushed hard and rode fast, but made a few mistakes along the way and didn't get the result I wanted. The fitness was there and I felt strong all the way through the end. With the heat and lack of rain the last 2 weeks, the ground was really hard when I low sided on a fast sweeper in a grass track section. I went tumbling good and got bruises all over, especially my right hip which is particularly bothersome since I like to sleep on my right side lol Race 5 and 6 are only 2 and 3 weeks out, so it won't be long until you get another update

Some ice, a cold beer and a good cigar. You'll be as good as new.
Crashing always sucks but walking away with just some bruises then laughing 'bout it's a good thing.

[snubbyfan]

Yearly update, took this yesterday:

I've been working on cutting off more body fat.

From Last year:


The year before:

[snubbyfan]

In spin class today at the Y, the spin instructors bike was partially disassembled and sitting in a corner. She's using a different bike but wasn't happy 'bout her bike.
Otherwise, spin class was lotsa fun as usual but only had 'bout half the people, as usual.
I've switched to using the Hammer Strength Machine and doing drop sets on that with a bit of a twist.


I do a coupla sets with a minute between sets after each drop.
Also, I've started doing my lat. work by doing a set of 10 overhand pullups for my first set, then doing drop sets with a lat. bar.
The rest of my workout's pretty much the same. I figured I'd start with changing up the exercises that work the largest variety of muscles first and maybe work on changing up the isolation workouts later.

Tomorrow, if the weather holds out, we're planning on going for a nice hike in the mountains.

[snubbyfan]

Nice day today. My wife and I strapped on our boots and went for a hike on the local mountain trails. We ended up going 7.7 miles in a bit over 3 hours. The temps hit a high of 88 degrees.
After we got home, I fired up the grill and cooked some mahi mahi and asparagus with hickory smoke. They came out tender juicy and yummy.

[chopshopcop]

Well, it's been a while since I've checked in here. Still working out 4 days a week, but my local gym closed down about a week ago. The original owner sold it to one of the trainers a couple of years back. She subsequently married, had a child and after a few years, decided they wanted to move to Montana, so they sold the business to a FF.

He had it for about a year, maybe a little more and outa the clear blue sky, decided to close. A national chain had opened a gym down the road and drew off a lot of his clients mostly because they offered tanning beds. The only options were the chain gym and a hole in the wall gym the next town over with very old, outdated and rusty equipment. The wife said no to the hole in wall and surprisingly the chain offered better rates anyway so we went with them.

Since last year we've been to Scotland twice. On the Isle of Skye there's a summit called the Quiraing (A' Chuith Raing in Gaelic) about 1,781 ft high. There's a rough footpath that you can take to reach three different areas at the top, the first trip we didn't try, time was short and we didn't have proper clothing anyway. Second trip we made it a little less than halfway up before turning back. We've booked another trip for April and my goal is to make the top and all three sites.

Anyway, the new gym has some nice equipment, including a stair climber machine. I got on the thing three times this week and it has destroyed my legs. I usually do 30-45 minutes on the treadmill at different inclines, leg presses, squats and other stuff but that's child's play compared to this beast. I can't remember the last time my legs hurt this bad. I think I'm gonna have to break open that bottle of Talisker I brought back

[chopshopcop]

Well, it's been a while since I've checked in here. Still working out 4 days a week, but my local gym closed down about a week ago. The original owner sold it to one of the trainers a couple of years back. She subsequently married, had a child and after a few years, decided they wanted to move to Montana, so they sold the business to a FF.

He had it for about a year, maybe a little more and outa the clear blue sky, decided to close. A national chain had opened a gym down the road and drew off a lot of his clients mostly because they offered tanning beds. The only options were the chain gym and a hole in the wall gym the next town over with very old, outdated and rusty equipment. The wife said no to the hole in wall and surprisingly the chain offered better rates anyway so we went with them.

Since last year we've been to Scotland twice. On the Isle of Skye there's a summit called the Quiraing (A' Chuith Raing in Gaelic) about 1,781 ft high. There's a rough footpath that you can take to reach three different areas at the top, the first trip we didn't try, time was short and we didn't have proper clothing anyway. Second trip we made it a little less than halfway up before turning back. We've booked another trip for April and my goal is to make the top and all three sites.

Anyway, the new gym has some nice equipment, including a stair climber machine. I got on the thing three times this week and it has destroyed my legs. I usually do 30-45 minutes on the treadmill at different inclines, leg presses, squats and other stuff but that's child's play compared to this beast. I can't remember the last time my legs hurt this bad. I think I'm gonna have to break open that bottle of Talisker I brought back

[chopshopcop]

Sorry for the double post, my computer hiccuped

[snubbyfan]

Originally Posted by chopshopcop

Well, it's been a while since I've checked in here. Still working out 4 days a week, but my local gym closed down about a week ago. The original owner sold it to one of the trainers a couple of years back. She subsequently married, had a child and after a few years, decided they wanted to move to Montana, so they sold the business to a FF.

He had it for about a year, maybe a little more and outa the clear blue sky, decided to close. A national chain had opened a gym down the road and drew off a lot of his clients mostly because they offered tanning beds. The only options were the chain gym and a hole in the wall gym the next town over with very old, outdated and rusty equipment. The wife said no to the hole in wall and surprisingly the chain offered better rates anyway so we went with them.

Since last year we've been to Scotland twice. On the Isle of Skye there's a summit called the Quiraing (A' Chuith Raing in Gaelic) about 1,781 ft high. There's a rough footpath that you can take to reach three different areas at the top, the first trip we didn't try, time was short and we didn't have proper clothing anyway. Second trip we made it a little less than halfway up before turning back. We've booked another trip for April and my goal is to make the top and all three sites.

Anyway, the new gym has some nice equipment, including a stair climber machine. I got on the thing three times this week and it has destroyed my legs. I usually do 30-45 minutes on the treadmill at different inclines, leg presses, squats and other stuff but that's child's play compared to this beast. I can't remember the last time my legs hurt this bad. I think I'm gonna have to break open that bottle of Talisker I brought back

It's good to hear that you found some place to get a good workout at. The Y we go to has one of those stair stepper machines, I may try it one day.

There's a mountain trail out here that's only 'bout 7 miles. Only thing is, not only does it start at a higher altitude than we're used to, it goes up from there.
Last year we didn't make it to the top. This year we're going to try again. We've been doing lotsa hiking on the area trails to get our legs ready but the real challenge isn't leg strength, it's the altitude. The trail we had problems with is 'bout 1000 feet higher than we're used to.

[snubbyfan]

At the Y today, the spin instructor's been requesting songs for a spin mix and she played one of the mixes today. It was lotsa fun and makes it seem a bit more personal 'specially when the mix included a song both my wife and myself submitted.
In the workout room, I could tell it had been 4 days since my last workout. Didn't feel any weaker just not as sharp. If that makes any kinda sense.
It's been dreary and rainy out here and it's supposed to continue tomorrow. I may just havta sit on my covered front porch smoke a cigar and watch it rain.

[Muss Muggins]

Back to the Y this morning after two months off. Got called last minute to referee Adult League Indoor Soccer on Sunday. Realized after my five games that high school season was less than a month away, and I better get my fat butt moving . . .

[snubbyfan]

Yesterday my wife and I hiked a different trail. It was only 5.5 miles but it wore us out. According to my Garmin GPS watch, it was roughly twice the elevation of our regular trail.
Today we went to the Y for our regular spin then workout.
Tomorrow we're planning on a hike on our regular trail and I'm planning on a Joya Red Toro cigar and grillin' some chicken.