GO ABBA GO!!!

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by patentparanyc
Very cheap. cheaper than conventional cereal.

Cheap doesn't mean no markup. It's not cheaper than house brand cereal at other stores.

[patentparanyc]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
Cheap doesn't mean no markup. It's not cheaper than house brand cereal at other stores.

That is true. It is more expensive than say, "America's Best" but does not usually have HFCS. unofortunately, food stores make you PAY for healthy.

The prepared rosemary chix breast--was 11 bucks for 2. 11 bucks!!! what kinda highway robbery are we talkin' here?

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
2. I remember reading the Penthouse forum letter than was the source for [i]debbie does Dallas.[/]

I found the letter, ummm, gripping, but the movie was better.

3. The novella "Man Gets Hit With Football" was shit.

[andViolins]

Originally posted by robustpuppy
The pretzels and goldfish are for the toddlers who won't know better until they are 3.

I got a rock.

aV

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by ltl/fb
Thank you! I will try that. Apparently tonight, since I just got dumped for dinner (I was expecting it).

On the topic of working out, there was an article in the NYT about doing really short (e.g. 1 to 2 min) bursts of unsustainably intensive cardio intermittently during a cardio workout, and how a couple or three studies have shown it increases fat burning and condition really quickly. I have tried it, and it really seems to affect my heart rate in later workouts -- like, three workouts after that I will be going pretty damn hard (but not insanely) and my heart rate isn't even nearly as high as it was going not as hard a week or less before.

OK, that didn't make a lot of sense, but now that I've typed it, it's staying.

BTW, I am really worried because I cannot find the mockery the post I'm responding to.

there is a serious training thing called either intervals or fartlek. intervals are running say a lap hard, then stopping to recover for a minute, then repeat. Fartlek is jog along a route and periodically sprint for a bit.

these are pretty high level workouts though. the first thing is to get used to running at all. during that stage i would suggest varying distance and speed of the overall workout. say if you are running 3 miles fast for you, try going 5 slow- do not even worry about pace. once you are used to going 5 slow, move up the speed for the 5.

The fartlek/interval thing can be started by sprinting along one of the straightaways on a track and jogging the rest of the lap. done properly though that is a pretty tough workout.

[Replaced_Texan]

Originally posted by ltl/fb
Thank you! I will try that. Apparently tonight, since I just got dumped for dinner (I was expecting it).

On the topic of working out, there was an article in the NYT about doing really short (e.g. 1 to 2 min) bursts of unsustainably intensive cardio intermittently during a cardio workout, and how a couple or three studies have shown it increases fat burning and condition really quickly. I have tried it, and it really seems to affect my heart rate in later workouts -- like, three workouts after that I will be going pretty damn hard (but not insanely) and my heart rate isn't even nearly as high as it was going not as hard a week or less before.

OK, that didn't make a lot of sense, but now that I've typed it, it's staying.

BTW, I am really worried because I cannot find the mockery the post I'm responding to.

I heard about that article but I didn't read it. I was going to try out its recommendations and see whether or not it worked. Something like that may help considerably with the half-marathon training that I've somehow fallen behind on.

[Anne Elk]

Originally posted by Replaced_Texan
My mother loves pilates to the point she's toying around with getting her certification to become an instructor. And she looks awesome. She spends a lot of money for an hour of private instruction twice a week. I don't know that translates to a class setting with a few more people in it.

Is the class using reformers or mats?

I assume mats since they want us to bring our own.

Dare I ask what a reformer is? Is this some kind of crazy cult disguised as an exercise class? Have the Scientologists from BU spread to my funky urban neighborhood?

[patentparanyc]

Originally posted by Anne Elk
I assume mats since they want us to bring our own.

Dare I ask what a reformer is? Is this some kind of crazy cult disguised as an exercise class? Have the Scientologists from BU spread to my funky urban neighborhood?

It is the Pilates Machine they use, right?

[Not Bob]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
Mohawk and Risk Pool are actually pretty good. Straight Man is kinda funny, but too college faculty politics for me. Having read Mohawk and Risk Pool and then starting Empire Falls, i have to say, he has milked that poor small town. I just bought Bridge of sighs his newest which is about "the problems faced by some good hearted people in a beat up poor upstate NY town."

Paigow told me once that my persona reminded her of a character in a Russo novel -- she didn't say which one, but I like to think of myself as a Paul Newman-esque Sully. Sigh. I miss her.

At any rate, I disagree, sorta, with Hank. Nobody's Fool is his best, but Straight Man and Empire Falls are close behind. Disclaimer: I haven't read The Whore's Child or The Bridge of Sighs yet.

[robustpuppy]

Originally posted by patentparanyc
I agree with you but I add that I do get helpful hints here, distance tips, eating tips, interval training tips.

Stop saying "I agree with you but" because what follows the but is usually an indication of how you did not understand that with which you purport to agree. If you want exercise tips, you can ask for them. It is not also necessary to engage in continuous, pathetic, fruitless, futile, pointless, counterproductive, having-effects-opposite-from-those-you-seek, useless, unsuccessful, unproductive, wasted, ineffective efforts to attain affirmation from people who will never, ever give it to you in a million billion zillion years, no matter what you do, even if you were to rescue one of their children from a speeding train.

[Anne Elk]

Originally posted by ThurgreedMarshall
I read somewhere (and tend to believe) that if you do the same cardio workout every time, your body gets used to it and adjusts, making it harder for you to burn fat. If you switch up your workouts or throw in some sprints, your heart rate changes and I bet it keeps your metabolism on its toes too. Hell, if you're running a bit and then walking fast (or even slower during rest periods), you're doing yourself some good.*

TM

*According to me.

2.

[Replaced_Texan]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
there is a serious training thing called either intervals or fartlek. intervals are running say a lap hard, then stopping to recover for a minute, then repeat. Fartlek is jog along a route and periodically sprint for a bit.

these are pretty high level workouts though. the first thing is to get used to running at all. during that stage i would suggest varying distance and speed of the overall workout. say if you are running 3 miles fast for you, try going 5 slow- do not even worry about pace. once you are used to going 5 slow, move up the speed for the 5.

The fartlek/interval thing can be started by sprinting along one of the straightaways on a track and jogging the rest of the lap. done properly though that is a pretty tough workout.

The thing described to me sounded slightly different than interval training. It was more like getting the heart rate as high as possible with the specific goal of fat burning as opposed to improved performance. Obviously, as you get better at pulling ergs or sprinting or hauling ass on an eliptical or swimming all out, your performance will improve over time. But, with this, the valleys are a lot, lot lower than in what I consider traditional interval training (i.e. sprint between two light poles, jog the next two, sprint the next two). The all out intervals are pretty short and the recovery is much longer.

(I think this is the NYT article, eta, maybe not since this describes what Hank described, but also looks like something very well worth looking into.)

[Sparklehorse]

Originally posted by Anne Elk
For beginners, it's all mat classes. I'm not rich, but it seems that what I learn in mat classes I would be able to do at home for free. Then again I could do jumping jacks and sit ups for free but they bore me.

Core strength and quickness is really important in dragonboating, so I was hoping Pilates would help accelerate that training and motivaate me to get moving on a daily basis. I've grown very lazy this year.

If I correctly understand what you're saying, $25 for a group mat class is expensive around here. At my gym (we can PM if you want details) the quads (4 people) with reformers cost about that much.

The core strength aspects of Pilates are excellent. You will get more attention and learn more quickly if you can do some private sessions or quad-size sessions. I do a private and 1-2 quads per week. I have a recurring hamstring problem that I think is basically resolved from Pilates but it took about a year for me to see those results.

The mat is actually more advanced work in most ways than using the reformers or other Pilates equipment. You can get a lot out of it once you know what you are doing. When you know less, it's sort of easier to not work as hard on the exercises.

The focus on breathing is also a great way to cut out all the white noise from legal work.

[bold_n_brazen]

Originally posted by robustpuppy
Stop saying "I agree with you but" because what follows the but is usually an indication of how you did not understand that with which you purport to agree. If you want exercise tips, you can ask for them. It is not also necessary to engage in continuous, pathetic, fruitless, futile, pointless, counterproductive, having-effects-opposite-from-those-you-seek, useless, unsuccessful, unproductive, wasted, ineffective efforts to attain affirmation from people who will never, ever give it to you in a million billion zillion years, no matter what you do, even if you were to rescue one of their children from a speeding train.

Now who's crazy?

[Gattigap]

Instead of skipping out early in the afternoon in order to take the Gaplets trick-or-treating, I decided to simply work from home today, which is pleasant enough but a bit odd because I keep getting emails about the costume reception from 3-5pm, and from Accounting that have a cumbersome background graphics of a black silhouette of a house against an orange sky saying "Come by the 5th floor -- IF YOU DARE!!!!!"

What the fuck is wrong with my firm? Has everyone's firm turned stupid today, or is it just us being 600 miles away from an earthquake last night?

Gattigap