Changes...

I went in to see my doctor last week because of a nagging cough that just won't go away...turns out it is Bronchitis...not too big of a deal. While I was in his office I took some time to ask about exercise and his opinions on what the trainer told me about skipping cardio in favor of weight training if my time is tight. He said that cardio is so important and that we need balance. Both weight training and cardio are important. He said they now recommend 60 minutes seven days a week of cardio training. He said that if time is tight I could cut it down to 30 minutes a day in two segments of 15 minutes. He said that he tends to move around at the gym and doesn't stick to just one thing.

I'm still exercising at the gym three days a week. I'm doing cardio for about 45 minutes and weight training for the rest of the time. Because of my back issues he suggested that I use a machine he calls the captain's chair. I'm not sure what it is called, but I linked a picture to give you an idea. I put my back against the cushion in the back of the machine and rest my forearms on the padded area on the side and grip the handles pointing up. Currently I'm doing 4 sets of 26. I started with one set of 10, so I'm making progress. I started fresh with exercising again in October 2011. Also I cheat because I'm not able to pull my legs out straight - I just pull my knees up as far as I can and that is farther than it was when I started. I still call the machine the torture chamber though because it is always a challenge.

Here is a description of how to use the machine in a variety of ways.