67alecto

My hairline is receding and with my brother being 9 years older than me, I have always seen my future. Within a year of buying a jeep, I realized that having hair of any decent length was a lesson in futility. I started off getting a #3 guard trim at the barber, and then my wife got me a decent Wahl Trimmer and I started doing it myself. I went down to a #2 after awhile, and now once a month I go with a #1. I started with the #1 last October when I went as Max Payne for Halloween.

Hey everyone - I hope your challenges went well. I've been running ragged since the first week of December and haven't been able to be around. I've had a bout of stomach flu, numerous horrible colds, a round of RSV, and strep. Between all of those illnesses, a now 1-year-old toddler, and more snow in a month than we had all of last year, I've been getting my ass kicked all winter. I see a light at the end of the tunnel, but I'm not quite there yet.

We got a ton of snow earlier this month and all you need to get a workout in is a shovel. Shovel your driveway. Shovel your neighbors. Shovel the sidewalks. Live in an apartment? Go dig out some cars. If you're still not tired, then recreate Rocky 4.

If not NW Arkansas, we have several in SW-Missouri here: http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/12628-any-missourians-here/

Tears by Health

I do, but it's a lot easier for me...a #1 or #2 guard on the trimmer and 5 minutes later I'm done.

Wow, does this seem dated to anyone else? I just turned 40, and the household dynamic this describes is no longer the norm. The idea that women are relegated to certain tasks and chores is dying more and more each day as kids grow up in homes where these stereotypes no longer work - primarily the one where the woman is home while the husband works. I grew up in such a home - my dad was an executive, my mom stayed at home with the kids, cleaned house, made dinner, etc. But in my home, my wife and I both work. I do all the dishes, 90% of the shopping, 90% of the cooking, the yard work, etc. I don't do it as some sort of weird, protracted foreplay. Coincidentally, the idea of men who help out getting more sex was the subject of a recent study. http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/04/living/upwave-men-chores-sex/index.html?iref=allsearch the intro: "The rumor: Girls love a guy who helps out at home If you're the kinda gal (or guy) who thinks there's nothing more appealing than a man who cuts the grass, folds the laundry and shuttles the kids to lacrosse practice, you're not alone. So guys who help more at home get more at home, right? That makes sense, but then some are saying men who do chores get less sex than men who don't. The verdict: Helping around the house improves guys' chances, but not every chore counts" And it goes on to say that men who do traditionally female-assigned chores get lucky less than guys who do the "manly" things (working on the car, cutting the grass, etc).

I feel like a quitter, but I have to stop this round of Insanity. My right knee is just not up for it. It's been sore the last couple of days and doesn't seem to be getting better. I've decided to try out T25 starting next week as it is supposed have less jumping, as well as defined modifications if you're having joint issues.

First week of insanity down. The plyometric cardio workout bothers my knees, so I substituted the Pure Cardio workout - it's ~40 minutes of hell, including ~15 minutes without a break. Lots of side to side movements, plus burpees, pushups, and more. Less twisting and jumping than the Plyo-cardio, though.

One walk yesterday. I crashed when I got home, dozing on the couch until my wife got home with the baby. I intentionally stayed on the couch rather than move to the bedroom so I'd wake up when she got home and wouldn't sleep 2-3 hours. In all, I got about a 30-minute nap. After preparing dinner for the kids, I went downstairs and did the next Insanity workout - Cardio Power and Resistance. 39 minutes of fun. Right knee is sore today from all of the jumping, twisting, etc. Nothing major, and I'm anticipating it working itself out. Tonight, we're driving down to Branson to go to Silver Dollar City for dinner and to walk around and see the Christmas lights. My plan now is to get the Insanity done before we leave. It's Cardio Recovery tonight, which is ~33 minutes, so it should be doable after I get home and before we need to leave.

Yesterday was pretty busy, so no walks as I had to run some errands instead. After work, I made dinner for the kids, and then cooked up a new batch of chili. After that was done, my wife and I made cookies to take to work. After the first cookie was done (~10 dozen orange snaps), I went to do Insanity while my wife started the next one (mincemeat). It was Plyometric Cardio Circuit - lots, and lots of jumping. I put on my knee straps before I started and again focused on keeping my knees stable. No issues last night, though the 42 minutes was predictably hellish.

Got a 2nd walk in at work yesterday afternoon. After I got dinner for the kids, I did the Insanity fit test. My results were almost dead-on on to the 2nd Fit Test from my first session in the first part of the year. A little muscle soreness today, but nothing crazy since I had been doing some body weight stuff the last couple of weeks. My right knee is sore, though, and as I was doing all of the tests I was focused on keeping my knee in line through each motion.

I rocked it for Halloween when I went as Max Payne. I've decided I like the shaved head (well, shaved with #1 guard anyway), so I've kept that. I'm down to a mustache/soul patch though.

As I-Jo said, higher BPM isn't a good thing. When i was at my heaviest, my resting pulse was usually around 90-95. 160lbs lost, I'm 55-60 BPM 90% of the time. The other times I'll be closer to 70, and I chalk those up as a result of stress, immediate activity, etc. These measurements are taken by the nurse before I give blood every 2 months. The Mayo-Clinic says normal resting pulse is 60-100, so that is why your doctor doesn't have any concerns. If you do a lot of cardio, your resting pulse will get lower as your cardiovascular system becomes more stronger and more efficient. I seem to remember Lance Armstrong's was around 40 back in the day.

Oh, and I've finished two more of the books from my stack.