Lowther Rinse Repeat

What Activities Are You Doing This Week? August 18, 2008

So my second month of bootcamp ended last Friday and I had fabulous results.  I loved everything about bootcamp and would absolutely do it again in a heart beat.  Unfortunately, I can’t quite justify spending $200 again this month to do it again - if it was $100 a month, I think I’d go year round, but alas it’s not.

So myself and another girl I met at bootcamp are planning on going to Steve Nash.  She’s out of town this week, so when she gets back next week, I’m going to try it out with a free week and sign up if I like it. She already has a membership there for $75 per month - which I am willing to pay if I like it.

That leaves me with nothing athletic planned this week and I really don’t want to slack for the week.  I’ve been thinking that I may see if the World Gym has a free pass I can use and try it out - it would be my backup gym if for some reason Steve Nash doesn’t work out.  It is less expensive and far closer to my house, but I wouldn’t have a workout buddy there.  If any of you workout there and would like a gym buddy for the week - ping me, I’d love to join you!

My other option is to continue to run the seawall or to play tennis.  Unfortunately I’m not that great at tennis and don’t have a tennis partner.  If you live downtown and would like to play with me let me know - as long as you can deal with my beginner status.

So this is my dilemma.  What would you do?  Are there any other outdoor activities that you’d recommend for one of the last weeks of summer?

Bootcamp - The Results July 22, 2008

I did it.  I survived bootcamp!! When bootcamp first started, I didn’t think that that was going to happen.  I felt every muscle in my body ache for the first two weeks - the problem with waking up in the morning turned from an issue of getting my eyes to open, to being able to move my stiff aching body enough to roll out of bed.

As the weeks progressed, it slowly became easier as my body adjusted to the new grueling workout routine.  Don’t get me wrong, I could still feel the intense work out the next day - and even that evening if it was a particularly hard workout - it just wasn’t as hard as those first couple of weeks.

After the 2 week mark, I started to notice subtle differences in how my body was looking as well and more importantly, how I was feeling.  So the results are in and I am extatic.  I couldn’t be happier at all.

The first number was my result on the first day of class and the second one is on the last day at class.

- Push ups in one minute (girly ones): 22    /   39

- Sit ups in one minute: 30    /    40  (my form is also much better than the first time)

- Plank hold (you balance on your toes and arms and see how long you can hold it - I did the girly ones though where you balance on your knees) - 1:35 *the longest of all the girls!!    3:00 min

- Squat hold (where you lean against a wall and pretend that you’re sitting on a chair) - 1:07   /    1:23

- 1 km run - 5:40   /   4:36 * Yes I knocked over a full minute of my time!!

Then there were the measurements:

- Right Bicep: 10.5 in  /  11 in

- Chest: 38.5 in    /    35.5 in

- Abdomen (they measured across your belly button and not your narrowest part - kinda didn’t love that bit): 32 in    /    30.5 in

- Hips (again not where I’d think to take it - we did it across the largest part of your butt): 40 in   /   38.5 in

- Right thigh: 23 in    /    22 in

- Calf: 13.5 in    /    13.25

I was so impressed with the results that I have signed up for another month of bootcamp.  We started last night and I am going to try and make it 4 nights a week this time instead of 3 (it would be 5, but I have beach volleyball on Thursdays).  I’ve even almost quit smoking.  I’ve not quite quit completely yet, but I’m down to 1/2 - 2 smokes per day, which is a huge improvement over what it was.

At the end of this session, I will update you with my stats again.  I highly doubt that the results will be as good as the first time, as I don’t really have any weight to lose, rather I need to tone.  Where I do expect to see the results is in the fitness test.   If I can improve that much in just 4 weeks, imagine what I’ll be able to do in 8!

The Problem with Allergy Medicine - Inflated Drug Efficacy June 16, 2008

I always know when summer is approaching by the onset of sneezing fits and the overwhelming desire to scratch out my eyes- yes, I am talking about allergies. I am allergic to just about everything that you find outside. But, I can deal with this because it means that summer is almost here and I love summer.

I deal with my allergies by seriously medicating myself with antihistamines. I love antihistamines, they are great. They eliminate all of my allergies, except on the worst of days. I have tried pretty much every brand of allergy medicine out there and I’ve found that Aerius, by far, works the best. Originally, you could only get it prescribed by a doctor, but in the last couple of years it has turned into an over the counter medication.

Aerius is expense. I’m good with this. It cures my symptoms and allows me to enjoy the great outdoors in my favorite season. As you can see in the picture , it costs $31.99CDN for a pack of 30, or $1.07 per tablet. This really is quite a reasonable price if the efficacy of the medication is 24 hours like stated on the outside of the box.

This brings me to my MAJOR PROBLEM with allergy medicine in general. It NEVER WORKS FOR AS LONG AS IT SAYS on the box. And it’s not even off by a little. I find that 24 hour allergy medicine works for maybe 6 hours and on bad days I need to take 2 for it to really work (keep in mind that these are the extra strength ones). I have a problem with this. So if you do the math - on a bad day I’m taking about 5 or 6 pill (well above the maximum daily recommended dose). So now instead of paying $1.07 to cure my allergies, I am paying between $5.35 and $6.42.

The drug companies need to be upfront with us on how well their medicine really works. It allows the consumers to make informed decisions regarding their selection in pharmaceuticals. Without this information, when we, as consumers, make pharmaceutical purchasing decisions they are not optimal decisions and this can lead to consumers that are unhappy with your product - such as me with this blog post. I will continue to purchase Aerius, as I find it works the best and I’ve found this issue is consistent across brands. But, I will, without hesitation, switch brands if I find a product that is as good or better. I would be a far more loyal consumer had they been more upfront with me before I made the product purchase.

My Awesome Summer Outfit May 28, 2008

Twitter this morning seemed to be all about what people were going to wear today given today’s awesome weather. I chipped my two cents in an let everyone know what I’d donned for the day. It was suggested to me that I needed more than just a description - as 140 characters does not do a good outfit justice. So to my twitterati peeps - I will comply. Here is my outfit today. The flip flops are as a result of my still somewhat broken foot - which is healing nicely. I should definitely be ready for Survivor Bootcamp next month.

*I know the pic is kinda dark, but it was taken quickly with my iphone

And yes I am wearing my sunglasses inside and no I am not that cool - I just wanted to give you the whole outfit.