Time Off

[Alison]

What do you do with your Time Off?
I'm thinking that I work round the clock during Busy Season -
so during this slower season, I'm thinking I should spend time
doing some of the stuff that I don't usually have time for -
like Exercising, Friends, Home-Repairs......

[mrsito]

I knit, i write, i love to cook, i love to read...

[Sherry]

I've been trying to get back into an exercise routine and get in shape, so I've been making time to jog daily.  The weather in Florida is perfect for it right now... not too hot.

When I find a good book, I like to read.  I'm just finishing up one, "Money for Nothing."  A memoir about a guy in the lotto business.  I used to read a lot, but lately I haven't found many books that capture my attention.  I think I've been too caught up in the face painting world!   

When I find myself with extra money in my pocket, I like to eat out and shop.

[Alison]

Thanks, Ladies ~  I feel like I'm talking to Real People when there's more to them than "I painted a puppy, a great mardi-gras mask, and well, yes, spiderman".  I already knew some things about you two, and I'm glad to get a little more every once in a while.  I can relate to what you do.

I like watching movies.  My favorite movie is "Joe and the Volcano" - every see that? 
And I just finished watching "Beowulf" - Wow.

But I haven't found time to read in ages (although I did start a great book about 2 years ago)  What I do instead is take out books on cd's from the library.  I really enjoy them while I'm driving to gigs. 

Knitting?  That's a surprise.  What sort of things do you write, Ann?  I love both of those things.  And working out (not jogging for me, Sherry, although I wish I could figure it out).  So many wonderful things to do.

[mrsito]

The last knitting project i completed was a stuffed elephant, now i'm making my daughter a blanket...hmm, i write about random stuff, the rain, my ugly feet, sometimes about some dark twisty funny stuff...i have a very dry, very sarcastic sense of humor that can find it's way to my status updates on facebook...i'll upload a photo of my elephant spawn so you can see, yeah people find it odd that i knit...they say i dont look like the type wjo would...i love pablo neruda and paolo coelho, amy tan and anne rice but i read anything really...i can cook up a storm...

I watch reality shows too, i delight in making vicious comments about the vapid conversations and petty musings of the real housewives...watching them makes me feel normal

[Sherry]

When you mentioned Knitting, I thought of blankets.  Never imagining you could knit up a creature.  How nice!   

I love reality shows too.  Since moving to Florida and my husband still in Georgia, we're running 2 households, so we've had to tighten up.  That means no satelite t.v. and I miss my reality shows!   

There's still some of my favorites though.  The Bachelor!   

My mother and sister love the books on tape & cd too... especially when driving.  Me, I prefer to play my music when I'm driving.

[Alison]

I couldn't wait to get back here and report what I did today ~
I JOGGED!  I had been going on the treadmill
5-minute warm-up
then 20 minutes fast walking
then 5-minute cool-down,

and I did the same levels today.  But during the 20-minute fast walking phase,
I JOGGED FOR EVERY OTHER SONG!  It was easy to step into. 

I was joggingandwalking at an intensity of 3.8.
And I was very surprised to find out that
if you keep the intensity the same,
you have to move faster to keep up while walking,
but you can move slower to stay in step while jogging.

And I was delighted when I got here, anyway.
Figures that you would knit such a well-designed elephant, Ann.
Using the perl-stitch on the face
and the knit-stitch on the body
makes ALL the difference in the design.

BTW, I tried some of the machines to increase the intensity on my LOWER ABS,
but I didn't work the right area.  So I tried some leg-lifts and some things I saw people doing with the giant exercise balls, but I wasn't able to do that either.  Any ideas about how to target that area, anybody?

[Sherry]

Nice Alison!  I don't know the answer to your abs question, but my sister and a friend are big fitness buffs and go to the gym almost daily.  I'll see if they have any suggestions.

[GaFacepainter]

Awesome elephant Mrs. Ito! Its funny to look at something and say, "man, never in a million years could I do something like that", but when you hear someone say that about what you do it's different. In my off time I work on race cars and drag race. Here is a clip of me at the track. The guy standing beside the car in the beginning is my Dad.

http://www.facebook.com/v/1082822994410

[mrsito]

Sherry, you can watch full episodes of almost any show online...the new bachelor is a pilot...so this season it's the bachelor, on the wings of love...cringe worthy title!

Thanks for liking my elephant guys! I'm working on a lion right now, but using double pointed needles can be a pain on my wrists so in between parts i put the lion down and pick up my blanket project using a rectangular knitting loom.

Allison they say ordinary crunches dont really work the lower abs, maybe try a bender ball?

Cheers guys!

[Alison]

A bender ball?  What's that?
Oh, it's so hard, and I really want to tighten that part up - What did you find out Sherry?
I don't think I'll live long enuf to make it work without some external-assistance.

I use the machines at the gym for all the other parts,
but I don't think the machines for the abs are all that helpful if you aren't in real good shape BEFORE you use them

[mrsito]

 bender balls are small exercise balls that go under the small of your back when you're sitting on a flat surface, it increases your range of motion when you do crunches, you can probably find one on ebay or amazon...

[Alison]

Thanks - So I guess tennis-balls wouldn't work, huh?

[mrsito]

No tennis balls, lol! The bender balls are about the size of a jr. Basketball/soccerball...they're lighter than an exercise ball too.

[Alison]

I just built shelves.  Very close together.  So I wouldn't have to lift each kind of paper to find the kind I'm looking for.  I used Gorilla Glue for the first time.  So far, so good