fyvel

I'd love to go! It looks like we won't be able to go this year due to a schedule conflict for my bf. But hopefully 2008 will work out

Well hopefully it was just a one time thing. I will be giving it at least a week off, since I'm going away on vacation and don't plan on doing any weights while I am there (no access to a gym, for starters!). I will be doing some kayaking and hiking, and lots of walking around, so the week won't be an entire write-off

Fyvel - the joint pain that you are experiencing is most likely to be caused by the writing. I found that once I started lifting, light repetitive movements hurt my arms, like computer usage, or playing bass. So I just limit those now, and stop as soon as I experience pain. There isn't really anything that I can suggest to make it go away.

That's an interesting point, but I'm not so sure about that. The only time I had the problem was the day after increasing weights for basically all of the exercises I do (which aren't that many at the moment). Not to mention that the pain was there before I started writing that day, but just intensified with that movement. I've always done a LOT of writing (let's say I spent more time in university than I really should have) and have never had this sort of problem before.

I actually have terrible shoulder troubles and the peck deck actually didn't do any damage to them. More than anything...the bench hurt me. So after I got 315 for the first time I stopped and only did dumbbells unless I was maxing. Dumbbells and peckdeck got me away from a lot of pain.

Ok, I am so new to this I had to Google 'peck deck'

From a vegan perspective, I don't worry about bug eggs...I guess I'm an "as long as they don't bother me or my loved ones" vegan, which is why I'll slap mosquitoes, step on roaches, and treat my doggies for ticks and fleas. But a chicken never intruded on my life. (Unlike Peter in Family Guy.) Of course, from an "ugh, gross!" perspective, I'd rather not eat bug eggs. That's just one of my many discriminating standards!

I agree with you 100%. Well, except for the stepping on roaches thing. When I see one, I stomp and tell it to go to where it came from. We're cool as long as it stays on the floor. And it doesn't bring back friends.

I'm just perturbed about eating bug eggs because it's nasty. Yuck.

But then one must worry about the dreaded 40!!!

Thanks

Oh wow that looks amazing. I'm really considering going. I'm in Miami, so Ft Lauderdale is only a 45 minute drive away. A vegan cruise... how sweet would that be!?

I have a personal moral opposition to eating at McDonald's. It's been years since I've bought anything there. There was something about them outright lying about 1) the beef flavoring in their fries and 2) the dairy and wheat in their fries that just rubs me the wrong way. I don't want to support a company like that, regardless of what they do and do not sell. Not to mention the fact that I would never trust that their vegan burger was in fact vegan.

Wow, I had no idea that rice could do that to birds. Duly noted.. thanks for the heads up.

We had a batch of rice from the local farmer's market develop a lot of lovely little bugs in it (we bought it before we realized their storage methods for dry products aren't the best - everything had an off taste to it). The creepy part is that means the eggs for the bugs were already in the rice. Yuck. I wonder how many bug eggs I've eaten in rice

I would absolutely not. Earth shoes uses fur in some of their shoes, and is just as unapologetic about it as any furrier.

I'd like to know more about this as well. The only fur I can find on their shoes on their websites is faux fur.

So do I! It seems like a great place

Hi fyvel, I believe I know you from somewhere else. (I'm "meatless" from VB.) Welcome to VBB&F.

Hi I definitely recognize your name from VB. Nice to see a familiar face.

Not elderly in the least, despite my upcoming birthday that is getting a little too close to 30 (I will be 28 ).

Thanks for the tips! I actually had some slight discomfort in my elbow last night when I wrote that so I was expecting it to be worse today (as it was before), but today I am pain free. I will take it slowly and listen to my body because I don't want any more problems (have issues with my knee).

Thanks for all the welcomes It's very nice to meet you all

Thanks Robert! I wonder if there are any board members in the Miami Beach area? I'd love to meet up with some people since I am still relatively new to the area (and it's impossible to meet people here!)

Thanks for the welcome

I'm originally from New Brunswick. I spent the last 3 years I was in Canada in Prince Edward Island because I was going to university there. I moved to Miami, FL in November of last year. I'm actually living in South Beach and I have to admit that having all those perfect bodies walking around is quite a bit of motivation to better myself, at least a little bit

I'm fairly new to this whole weight lifting thing and there is one negative that I have noticed: joint pain. It only comes after I push myself to lift a little more than usual. It is only in the right elbow, and it feels like it is right inside of the joint. It isn't a terrible pain, but aggravating. It was aching while I was writing at work the other day and was very distracting (I do a LOT of writing at work).

What I want to know is:

1) Is this a sign that I am lifting too much weight?

2) Is this normal and nothing to worry about or should I be concerned? If this is just part of the process, I can certainly handle it

3) Is there anything I can do to prevent this in the future?

I'm normally one to listen to what my body tells me, and right now it is telling me that I am lifting too much weight. I'd rather not reduce the weight I am lifting now because I feel like I am making good progress. Using less weight doesn't seem like enough because I can easily do 12-15 reps without any significant muscle fatigue.

Like I said, I am brand new to this, so I'm sorry if these are basic questions. Thanks in advance for any tips

Hello,

I've recently (finally) developed an interest in fitness that goes beyond going to the gym and plugging away on the elliptical a few days a week. As I approach my 30's I've begun to notice some interesting areas on my body i want to get rid of. I'm interested in getting a more toned body, with visible, lean muscles without too much bulk.

I was away from any type of workouts for almost a year due to life circumstances. I used to go to the gym, and when I no longer had access I started running until I hurt my knee (nothing too serious but painful enough for me to not want to aggravate it any more than I had to). I stopped running and got fairly busy ... ok no excuses. I just didn't make exercise a priority. I moved to the US from Canada and got myself a gym membership a few months ago. I was quite happy to just mostly attend yoga and other similar classes, with some elliptical and treadmill as my knee allowed. But somewhere along the line I decided I wanted more. I took advantage of the free introductory personal training session and got some tips on how to tone my arms a bit. I was taking it kind of easy until my boyfriend convinced me I needed to lift more weight (this was about a month ago). I upped the weight and after just a few sessions I was really impressed with the results. I wasn't expecting any results so quickly. So now I am just working away at that, but I think I will be getting bored soon and will be looking to mix it up a bit with some new exercises, as well as work on some more body parts.

I've lurked a bit here in the past, and I think that I have a lot to learn (and hopefully contribute!). I look forward to meeting you all (I recognize a few from another forum).