Jackie - How exciting!! It'll be great to have someone to talk to about it! Buy the Success Journal - worth every penny to have all the pages laid out for you already. I wouldn't trust the 4 yr old to take your pics - he'll cut off your head or feet for sure. Get a friend or neighbor to do it.
Right now we're using free weights because that way my S16 and I can work out at home (I have a weight bench and a few free weights). However, I prefer working out at the gym (he does too, but with the 2 other kids home for summer, it hasn't worked out yet for the two of us to go). At the gym, I use a combination - free weights for my arm exercises, pulley weights for back, leg press, quads extension, and hamstring machines for legs. However, I have always had trouble training my hamstrings. One day I was at the gym and there was this woman with great hamstrings doing the straight leg deadlift. A few days later I was gardening, pulling weeds, and afterwards I REALLY felt it in my hamstrings - realized I had been doing a version of the straight leg deadlift while tugging on those weeds! So I'm sold on that as a hamstring exercise. Important to train them well because women usually have an imbalance between their quads and their hamstrings (quads too strong relative to the hamstrings) which can lead to knee problems.
Don't be intimidated by the weight room. You may be surprised at how many women are there at different times of the day - when I work out midmorning there are always plenty of women. And having all those buff guys around certainly does improve the view, doesn't it?
The key with free weights is slow, controlled motions. You get a better workout using a lighter weight but slow controlled motion in both directions, than using a heavier weight and slinging it up and dropping it down. Good form is what's important.
S16 and I are so proud of ourselves - we spent the whole day at the county fair yesterday without blowing our eating plans!! We doubled up on our oatmeal for breakfast so we wouldn't arrive hungry. Ate low fat chicken teriyaki bowls with rice and veggies for lunch. Stuck with water to drink. S had a small skewer of shrimp later in the afternoon and a single scoop of ice cream as his only indulgence. Then he had a turkey sandwich for dinner while I had a baked potato without butter, just a little sourcream. And while we sat at the Weird Al concert that evening, we each had a small granola bar. How good was that, for being surrounded by deep fried twinkies, funnel cakes, strawberry shortcakes, corndogs, pizza, etc. etc. etc.?
Use your time now to plan your workouts and meals - we got busy and didn't really get that done beforehand and have been playing catch-up all week as a result.
Let me know if you need any help with meal planning or deciding on your exercises.
