Mel B, CS, Katami BG

I just did the Mel B warmup on the bungee then Mel B upper body from youtube.
Since my hip was still annoying me, I did CS717 which didn't help
Then I laid on my roller head to tush which seemed to help.
Then I did Kore Katami with the heavier bar across the back but the yellow bar when held in front.
Then I stretched my front flexor really well.
Finished with alittle Body Gospel Live with Fitstix (selecting music louder of course) which I hope to continue as sparks today.

Got to say the hip does feel better than it has since yesterday's workout.

Walking, YD, CS

This morning I did Debbie Rocker's Quick Start Walk on the bungee holding XCOs then workout one from the (Barefoot Dancer) Yoga Dance Earth dvd. Tweaked Quick Start to make it more interesting. Earth was fabulous and really should be revisited more often. Finished with Classical Stretch 720. Still not sure how my back, hip and knee will be feeling later. Sometimes the CS felt great and sometimes threatening. If all goes well, will do CS more often.
I saw our PBS just switched from season 7 to season 8 and will be watching for the new season 9. It is usually a few weeks behind other PBS schedules.

ETA:
just did the cooldown from Z-Box and really enjoyed it!
Sometimes the best parts of some workout dvds are the warmups and cooldowns

Jammin & D'abell

This morning I did the express Michelle Dozois Rockin' Body Cardio Jam, some on the bungee and some on the floor holding XCOs. Then I did the standing parts of the Hamelin D'Abell Method dvd.

Hip and knees have been improving.
Not sure how today's combination will affect their healing.

Be Muved warmups

This morning, I started with Jessica Smith's Sole Sculpt which was ok but nothing special. Mostly freestyled to it on the bungee with XCOs, gliding disks and glider. Then I just did the 3 warmups on BeMuved Bollywood and really enjoyed them all. They are simple to follow but tweaked enough not to be boring. Mostly like a Classical Stretch warmup but more choreographed.

BAK

What a crazy trip.

First I started breaking out in hives and then DH had these real mean looking red streaks on his lower legs. My hives may have been stress and/or something I ate. DH's rash was from walking in the heat which has happened before.

Anywho I took an antihistamine for my hives and prepared to watch Big Brother in the hotel room but the tv signal kept cutting off. Called down to the front desk and the gal said that somebody would come up to fix it. So here I was half asleep by the time the guy came. All he did was pull the plug on the cable box and replug it. Hey I could have done that myself!

Oh well, we ate good and came home up $11 LOL

ETA:
I did get over 20,000 paces on the pedometer in spite of hot humid weather.

Also we have had mysterious deliveries of dry grass inbetween the screen and window in our den. Pretty sure it is a grass carrying wasp and even saw a wasp out there one day. Interesting read about them:
http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/2011/10-12/grasscarrier.html

ETA: I took matters into my own hands and saw the wasp on the screen outside and gave it a squirt of hair spray. Mother Nature evened the score a bit with a spider bite on my bare foot in our den within the hour. Thanks goodness for Arnica gel to remove the pain. Hope I can still workout soon.

Chili Pasta

I haven't posted one of my crazy recipes in awhile and since I did it for another forum, decided to share it here as well:

I did pork chops on the Foreman grill
and
a crazy chili pasta concoction made in a single deep frying pan or pot: fresh chopped garlic sauteed in alittle canola oil, rehydrated minced onion, can of Aldi's Black beans, can of Aldi's diced tomatoes in a chili sauce, can of Aldi's Fiesta corn, one to two cans water and a box of small pasta shells.

Can add extra cumin, turmeric, chili powder or any other favorite Tex-mex seasoning, especially if plain diced tomatoes were used. Can use any small shaped pasta or rice instead of pasta too.

Mix everything together, bring to boil, lower flame and cover till water is absorbed and pasta tender, stirring occasionally, adding more water as necessary. Takes about 20 minutes. I never bother to boil pasta separately anymore.

More Jessica

This morning I did most of Jessica Smith's Cardio Dance Sculpt:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lxPUC7gvH4&list=PLBB662DA71D5C5C84&index=3&feature=plpp_video

I liked alot of the unique moves in it but again would prefer better music.
Also would prefer doing just one set of each move so may edit it one day or break it into chapters.

A Sense of Well Being

To have a sense of well being, I need both physical and mental stress to be at a tolerable level. If either type of stress increases, it will affect the other. Physically, I try to muve (move to music) in ways that I enjoy without triggering pain. Mentally and emotionally, I try to exercise my mind and avoid stuff that will put a damper on my mood.

Last night even though I slept well with Melatonin, I woke up stiffer and with lots of twinges. I did workout with Jessica Smith's Cardio Barefoot Flow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFKd5QUP4pw&list=PLBB662DA71D5C5C84&index=5&feature=plpp_video
and I was feeling better but then the twinging returned and increased.
I believe it was a reaction to mental stress from a bullying group online. It was bad enough when they seemed to target me but now I see them targeting anyone who is not in their inner circle. There is no need on a public forum to be nasty and try to silence or outshout people with a different opinion.
To VF's credit, they did rid the forum of one bully/toxic person and it seems as though many will start reporting posts with personal attacks or bullying so this kind of behavior will be prevented.
Another forum I go to often about AC travel has had a handful of bullies for over the year that I have been participating there. Hopefully, this forum will limit personal attacks as well and become more pleasant but I am prepared to avoid it altogether if the poor behavior persists. I have seen alot of my informative tips get buried by the nasty rhetoric so see little reason to continue participating there.

Filemail

When I post a filemail link to videos, that link can be shared with friends. Sometimes I send the filemail link directly to a person or even everyone in my filemail address book. These links can also be shared privately with other people who may like them.
Even if somebody already has the video, they may want it on their hard drive or may want to put it on another device.

There are other uses for filemail besides sharing videos. For example my old pc has a floppy drive but new laptop doesn't. I can filemail a program that is on a floppy drive from my old pc so I can download it on to my laptop.
filemail can be sent from anyone at
www.filemail.com
For occasional users, there is a 2gig, 30 downloads and 3 day limit.
Since I have mentioned filemail.com on my blog, I was upgraded for free for one year to 10 gigs, 100 downloads (actually 200 if I use more than 2 files to create a zip file option) and 30 days. I will really miss this upgrade when the free period is over!

Anywho this morning I warmed up with Caitlin on the bungee. Her videos are really good because of the music and simple moves to follow. Then I did some XCO workouts I found on youtube but used my Fitstix. Really enjoyed that and sweated! Then I did the standing Pilates routine by Denise Austin which I found on youtube. Very nice routine similar to Ellen Barrett stuff. My hip/knee thing did start to twinge but a front flexor stretch nipped it in the bud.

Finally some hip release

This morning I warmed up on the bungee to some ReFitRev and Zumba with Caitlin. Zumba with Caitlin videos can be found at http://www.youtube.com/user/bostonathleticclub/videos
Then I did Katami Abs but with the blue heavier bar.
Then I did some Zumba Toning Sticks routines on youtube but used my Fitstix instead.
Finished with some of the roller stretch on Cardio Dance Flow with Trudie Styler which really seemed to help my hip!

ETA: so far my hip and knee have had much reduced twinging since my workout so I am hopeful this episode is finally healing

Nia Awareness of ShinBones

Here's the link for the most recent Nia class Awareness of ShinBones:

http://www.nianow.com/story/2012/07/nia-class-video-awareness-of-shinbones

50/50 Day

This morning I warmed up on the bungee to a jump video then tried the glider which felt ok but since the right hip got triggered by something yesterday decided not to risk it and did the rest of the Katami Stability ball workout instead but very cautiously. Then did some of Jane Fonda's Prime Time (designed for people with joint issues) and everything seemed to be cooperating. Finished with some BeMuved Bollywood and as soon as I finished, my right hip started hurting like yesterday. Also got a new pain after the workout! Right outer elbow (?tennis elbow?).

May do some Egoescue stuff later.

ETA: I noticed the upper bar on the Urban Rebounder may have been a good substitute for the light Katami Bar for those who get the workouts without a bar.

Netiquette Rant

I have mentioned before that the anonymity of the internet enables some people to say stuff they wouldn't say in real life, face-to-face. I just noticed it bothers me to read posts by rude people saying rude things even when they are addressing other people than myself, just as much as when directed at me.

VF did get rid of that one extremely toxic person awhile ago but there are still plenty of toxic people online who just say whatever to whomever with no control over their verbal incontinence. Of course, everyone has different opinions, some of which may be more valid than others but there is no need to get nasty if somebody has a different opinion. Just have to remind myself the nastiness is their problem, not mine. Some people have mental and physical disorders which affect their behavior too so I need to have more patience and empathy for those who do not seem to have any for others.

Imagine this world if everyone went around saying whatever they wanted unfiltered!

ETA: This morning I was feeling so much better than I had been as far as stiffness and pain. Unfortunately, I strained my butt/hip area again because I worked out too aggressively. Anywho I warmed up to some Batuka on the Beach then did a bouncing workout on the bungee then did some Tony Little on my Gazelle type thingy, any of which may have caused the strain. Finished with some Nia's Awareness of Ankles as well as some Egoescue techniques which seemed to help.
So there are PIAs online I must avoid as well as a real life PIA because of injury I need to avoid as well.

ETA:
Just did some more of the Nia Awareness of Ankle Joints using my laptop for streaming instead of the dvdr I had burned and could see what to do with the feet much better:
http://www.nianow.com/story/2012/06/nia-class-video-awareness-of-ankle-joints

Nice Workout Combo Today

This morning I warmed up with some favorite Batuka videos and think my right knee handled the bungee alittle better! Then I did a few songs from Misty's Strong. Then I did the second warmup segment and first dance segment from BeMoved Bollywood. Finished with the standing chapter of Lee Holden's Qigong for the lower back.
I enjoyed all of these revisits.
Postponed the second half of the Katami stability ball dvd for another time because my left mid back muscle feels strained.

ETA: I definitely have been feeling better since starting bedtime Melatonin.

Barefoot Dancer Filemail

I am in the process of uploading the Barefoot Dancer TV episodes to filemail again for those who missed the previous filemail of them. Come back to this post for the link which I will post below.
Fastest way to download all of the of the files is to choose the zip file.
Again, the easiest and fastest way to burn dvdrs of the files on a pc is with Freemake Video Converter which is available free at www.freemake.com
(mac users may have to use another software)
For more tips, check the labels for Barefoot Dancer, filemail, filemail links, Freemake Video Converter and Freemake Video Converter tips.

After taking over 3 hours to upload, here's the filemail link for the Barefoot Dancer TV episodes:
https://www.filemail.com/dl.aspx?id=AGXZQRPWYOHRHKN
Luckily downloading is much faster than uploading!

BeMoved Bollywood Dance

This morning I warmed up mostly off the bungee to GRDance videos then did half of the Katami stability ball dvd. Really liked the warmup but my body wasn't cooperating with the one legged stuff so did them without the ball.
Then I did the BeMoved® Bollywood Dance and CoolDown. I lurved the warmup yesterday as a spark but the Dance was less like Nia with flowing whole body movements and more like a Bollywood Walk. There was some TIFTTing which didn't bother me as much as usual but started to lose interest when it was the same routine done over and over again. When I got to the Cooldown, I realized how much more the warmup and cooldown were my preferred chapters. The dvd, itself, is more chaptered than the menu so I can mix and match segments easily by skipping forward so it can feel different on different days. Still a keeper BUT would have been so much better if not the same routine repeated several times. I did change the routine up myself a bit to keep it interesting, mostly by alternating the starting side which Sherry Zunker should have done so the body moved equally on each side.
Also would have liked a music louder or music only option.

BeMoved® Bollywood Dance

All I did so far was just the 13 minute warm up on *BeMoved® Bollywood Dance* by Sherry Zunker and it is a KEEPER for its warmup alone. Lots of unique whole body moves, easy to follow, with pleasant music and voiceover.

For more info including clips:
http://www.totalfitnessdvds.com/Be-Moved-Total-Mind-Body-Dance-Workout-Bollywood-p/933.htm

New and Better Day

Slept really well last night with Melatonin. Only had one painful back area I couldn't reach with Arnica gel but DH rubbed it on for me this morning and the pain has been gone since. So my only chronic problem right now is my right knee and its main hindrance is rebounding. There is some connection to the hip because when the hip feels good the knee feels funkier. When the knee feels more normal, the hip is knotted.

This morning I warmed up to some great GRDance clips which I may post later. Did just one song on the bungee but my knee preferred the floor. Very glad I didn't cave and buy an expensive Bellicon! Then I did the standing Impact Katami and sweated bullets. Next I started revisiting Misty's *Stong* and wondering the whole time how the heck I have ignored this wonderful dvd for so long. Think I only have done it twice after first getting it. I will see if I can upload a clip or two later. Its one drawback is it was pricey for a dvdr purplish/bluish back. Maybe Misty has since released it with a pressed silver backed dvd.

ETA:
Here some GDance done this morning
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1OwBmKIzr4&feature=g-user-u


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u6UlradEiU&feature=g-user-u


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uospIFF4U9Y


You can buy the whole download of the *Strong* dvd at
http://www.mistytripoli.com/store#!__store
WARNING: the dvds are not pressed!
Here's a clip of Tribal Funk on the Strong dvd:

new day

So after doing that great stretch I found last evening, my hip felt really loose but my mid back knotted up on both sides LOL That stretch almost felt like a chiropractic adjustment and guess the rest of the back didn't like it. Anywho slept well with Melatonin in spite of the back spasms, woke up and had a Tylenol and worked out feeling just some back twinging instead of actual pain spasms. Though my right hip feels loose, my right knee still has something funky going on. However, it doesn't hinder using stairs or anything else, except maybe high energy rebounding.

This morning I warmed up on the bungee to GRDance but still not as enthusiastically as I used to do. Then did alittle Capoeiro. Then the standing segment of Kardio Katami but had to switch to my basement dvd player for that dvd because the PS2 didn't want to play it. Really like the last move extending the back leg while holding the bar in the front overhead position. Then I finished the last few songs on Misty's Alive and did some of the youtube stretches I have been finding helpful. Right now am feeling really better than I have been but do have a Tylenol in my system.

ETA: The Tylenol is long gone and I am happy to report that all joints and connective tissue are now feeling better today than they have in a long time. Still an occasional twinge here and there but soooo much better.

Hip Stretch

Found a great hip stretch using a band so had to give this great stretch its own post!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_HlYDVeZ2s&feature=related



also this video covers the best Egoescues
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za1lBGlt6cY&feature=related

Pain, Fibromyalgia

Pain is a funny thing.
When it is there, I am very aware of it.
When it is gone, I am not always aware of it.

Tuesday morning I woke up with a throbbing tooth and thought for sure it was heading for root canal. Made an appointment with my dentist for the next day then the throbbing left and never returned. Dentist could find nothing and said to return if and when the pain returned. He didn't even charge me for the visit.

Same thing happens with alot of my daily aches and pains. Some pain is chronic and felt everyday. Some twinging and intense pain spasms happen out of the blue and go away just as mysteriously. I started recording the pain since when it is gone, I am less aware of it. Also tried to remember previous bouts of pain over the decades. It is pretty clear I have been living with daily pain for as far back as I can remember. My ribs were so sensitive in my 20's that I had a huge fight with my DH since he had a tendency to poke me there. After comparing my pain sensations online and with friends, I am back to the conclusion that I have fibromyalgia which I have considered on and off over the decades. Yes there are other things going on like some injuries and arthritis complicating the sensations but it is clear that my tolerance for pain is more sensitive than what is normal. I cannot tolerate most pain meds without a bleeding tendency so am pretty much left with Acetaminophen/Tylenol, external Arnica, and whatever combinations of heat/icing, massage and exercise seem to help.

There is no magical cure. Just keep on muving, avoid triggers and do whatever helps to lessen the pain messages my nerves are sending to my brain. Stress plays a huge factor too so stressing over pain just makes the whole scenario worse.

ETA:
I decided to try Melatonin because it seemed to help me sleep in the past and may have been helping pain tolerance as well. Think I stopped using it because I was in a better sleeping pattern so didn't need it anymore at the time.

This morning I did the Jessica Smith Barefoot Sunset Walk on youtube. I love the variety of movements and how she tweaks them to loosen all of the joints. It may be the most therapeutic walking type workout. It's like a Nia Walk Fusion. Of course, I do most of it halftime.

Then I did the standing part of Katami Konditioning. Again the bar kept me in alignment as well as made me sweat while working mostly the core.

Finished with the standing part of the nice Classical Stretch for golfers on the Cardio Stretch dvd.

I feel much better now than I did before workingout.
I must make myself move more throughout the day too.

Katami Bar and Sunset Walk

This morning I did Kore Katami then some Capoeira then some of Jessica Smith's Sunset Barefoot Walk on youtube. Kore Katami definitely felt different with an actual Katami Bar. When I woke up, even my left wrist was bad but I was able to do all of the standing moves with no problem. I am uploading a clip showing the standing moves. I had to tweak the Capoeira workout an awful lot but did wind up with some nice feel good moves from it. The Sunset Barefoot Walk is a winner filled with plenty of moves, both rebounder and Fitstix friendly. Easy to tweak to get more out of whatever your focus may be. I think I may like some of the routines in its second half the most, especially the African dance at the 23 minute mark. It is like a Walk-Dance-HiLo fusion. May not be the best quality but think Jessica should definitely make some Walking and other Barefoot dvds!
I should mention I managed the above even though sleep deprived waking up way too early because of a dentist appointment this morning for a tooth that has been sending some pain signals.

BAK and Katami Bar

Back At Keyboard again after a couple of days in AC. Knees and back are much improved so now a tooth has decided to take over sending pain signals! Oh well, while away I had submitted a bid on an EBay auction for the first time in years and won! I was the only bidder for a Katami bar set which included 2 bars and 5 dvds at a very reasonable price. Auction closed Sunday, I paid online Monday and it is already on the truck for delivery today!
Can y'all guess what my workout will include tomorrow?

ETA:
Ironically, Paul Katami has 50 dented boxes on sale at
http://www.katamifitness.com/shop/katamibar-full-kit/
not sure if these sets are for 5 dvds or 8 dvds
I already had a 6th dvd (Abs) that I had found quite awhile ago.

ETA:
I liked the vhs back in 2005 or so?? The only dvd I acquired prior to the auction was Katami Abs. Always wanted the bars but gave up till recently checking Ebay after a VFer posted some of the dvds on her trade list. Closest thing I could find was holding a pool noodle wrapped in ankle weights LOL

There is very little info about the dvds online but I have determined some workouts have been combined onto less dvds since the first original set of 11 dvds. For example, I now have the combined Impact and Krunch dvd. The ones I do not have and know little to nothing about are Kombinations, Kontrol, and Konnect. Stretch is now combined also but had the vhs on that one. One thing I really like is the standing stuff is first and the floor stuff afterwards so no going down and up and down and up. Wish all workouts were this way since I usually just do standing routines.

So the auction closed Sunday.
I paid on Monday.
and received the package last evening!! WOW

Here's my observation of the bars. The yellow bar is virtually weightless but definitely helps to keep the body in alignment when doing twists, etc. Very easy to hold without aggravating any joints.
The blue bar is heavy enough for me without being too heavy because I do have a chronic tendency towards joint and muscle strain lately. Advanced exercisers would prefer much heavier bars, medballs or kettlebells but these seem just right for me. A way to use muscles differently while protecting the joints. Absolutely no strain on my wrists, elbows and shoulders and alignment seems better for my hips and lower back.

If you like Paul Katami, prefer less intensity and working with a single weight like I do, these are definitely worth a try. The dvd moves are repetitive so not ready to order the 3 missing dvds (Kombinations, Kontrol, and Konnect) through Amazon for more $$ than I paid for the whole EBAY set. If anyone caves for Paul's deal, please share which dvds you received. I would love to trade for the missing ones. If nothing else, share a review of the lesser known ones so I can determine whether I am willing to cave on any of them.

I intend to show a few clips of the dvds as I do them on my blog over the next week or so. Paul was not as well known when this system emerged. Too bad because if he were to have developed this system more currently, it probably would have been a huge success.

50-50 Day

So last evening my knee stiffness returned in both knees and the bum knee was back to being what it was before the fall. Not great but at least not worse. We are invited to a wedding in MD in September and right now the thought of trying to walk after almost three hours in the car is filling me full of dread. So unless the knees have a miraculous recovery, I doubt I will risk the trip. Ironically, we missed a previous affair in MD many years ago after my parents fell down the same stairway. I wound up staying home to babysit them through their recovery instead of them babysitting our son as originally planned.

This morning I did some of a fun stability ball routine found on Sportskool's Video On Demand from an old Step Jam workout led by Sharon Twombley. I used my smartbell for the holding moves and a beach ball between the knees for the knee squeezing moves. Not sure if these moves will help or hurt my knees yet. Then I did some of the cardio from the Cardio (Classical) Stretch dvd with Shelley McDonald and Miranda Esmonde-White while holding Fitstix. Finished with a couple of youtube videos.

Nice Combo today :)

I had a nice workout this morning:
Warmed up on the bungee to GRDance videos
Did ~20 minutes of Ellen's Barefoot Cardio
then .....
(don't faint)
did some of Leslie's Fast 3 miles but with music only and Fitstix and some UR. GREAT MUSIC! and easy to tweak moves to make them more interesting
Then did Holden's Qigong for Lower Back and really should have revisited this one much sooner! Really loosened my tight lower back/hip.

ETA: Another one day ailment!
I swear everyday, there is something causing intense pain.
Last evening when wiping out the tub, got another muscle pulled in my back!
Even with Arnica Gel and Tylenol, it was having spasms.
Took a night time Advil and put on Arnica gel and finally found a comfortable position
Woke up to hardly a twinge!!
Hope I can skip one day of a new pain problem today.
Chronic Right hip isn't even twinging after Qigong for the Lower Back.
:::Crossing Fingers ... and Toes:::

Weird Thyroid/neck Reaction

Yesterday, I had a scratchy throat either from allergies or a possible cold which I nipped with a good night's sleep and Hydrogen peroxide in the ears. After eating some very spicy food, I started to feel a tightness in my throat and neck and saw my goiter looked huge! I have an enlarged thyroid from benign cystic nodes. Started to worry that maybe surgery and thyroid medication was in the near future. I put Arnica gel on my throat which seemed to relieve the sensation and had a night time Tylenol last night to ensure good sleep. Anywho this morning I did wake up with a stiff neck and headache which worked itself out without any medication. Otherwise, neck looks and feels normal today! Of course, while this was going on I didn't realize my back was feeling much better LOL

This morning I warmed up on the bungee to GRDance youtube videos with just the slightest right knee twinge then did the Surfer Girls Cardio while holding a heavier homemade XCO and also the Abs Shred with just slight back twinges. Next alittle Misty's Alive and then the standing routine of Holden's Qigong for the Upper Back and Neck. Still some twinging in left mid back, right lower back/hip and right knee but way less intense than previous days. Was happy to get back on the bungee :)

Here's GRDance on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/GRDanceFitness

New Jessica like Ellen

This looks great!
Jessica Smith did a youtube workout similar to Ellen!

Cardio Barefoot Flow in the Living Room:

Ellen and Misty

Didn't sleep well last night because of pain (mid back).
Started with the upright portion of Ellen's Fusion Flow and finished with a couple of songs from Misty's Alive before the humidity got to me.

Back feels really loose now!!

BAK again

Knees are much better! Now just need the lats on both sides to stop twinging. Guess I did too much upper body on the stairs railings to take the load off my knees.

So we were on our way home from a quick trip to AC when our son texts us about a water leak in the basement. Plumber already came and fixed it. Oh well, there went most of my winnings for the trip! There was some wear and tear on on joint which caused a pinhole where two pipes rubbed against one another for years when expanding. Now I know where that leaking sound I heard occasionally in the basement was coming from LOL

Hope to get a real workout in tomorrow. Today did alot of stairs climbing because of the basement leak.