Yes. And you can even do swings with a dumbbell, you just have to adjust how you hold the dumbbell. For most of the swings, holding the dumbbell by the head with two hands, with the dumbbell hanging vertically works well. You could also grip the dumbbell by the center with both hands (either hands overlapping or…

I’ve got a heart rate tracker that I use at the gym every day. It gives me a general idea of the intensity of my workout that day compared to workouts on previous days. It also allows me to “compete” (in a friendly way) against others who have similar trackers in the group exercises classes that I take. The instructor…

Most (All?) of the St Ives stuff uses organic materials for the exofoliant (is that the right word? The rough stuff that does the exfoliating). In the scrub that I use, it’s a combination of ground up walnut shells and apricot pits. Much more environmentally friendly than little plastic spheres.

I empty my pockets into my shoes when I’m in line. That allows me, after the scan to just grab my bag, shoes and laptop and move quickly to the nearest out of the way bench to repack and reshoe. Never had a problem with TSA with having things inside my shoe, even keys.

Also a sternum strap. Might look a little silly/less professional (but if you’re that worried about looks, get a briefcase) when carrying it, but your back and shoulders will thank you.

Interior and exterior painting are good skills to have. But living in an area where 15+foot ceilings are common, there are rooms where it does make more sense to hire someone to do at least some of the painting.

Or mention to the flight attendant that you have a tight connection. Most of the time they’ll make an announcement as the flight is taxing to the gate asking everyone else to remain seated so you can dash out the door first.

I had arthroscopic knee surgery last July and then spent the next couple of months dealing with the insurance. The surgery center my surgeon used was brand new (and beautiful and had an amazing staff and I was the only patient in there when I had my surgery...couldn’t have asked for a better experience) and hadn’t…

I was going to comment on something similar. Also, some schools have programs that theoretically can be completed in four years but unless a student takes some crazy high number of hours a term, are really more like five year programs. When I was at Georgia Tech, between the co-ops and various architecture and…

I think that only applies if someone starts running with healthy knees (and probably hips and other joints). I’ve been told by both my orthopedist and my physical therapist that, due to my past history of knee issues (which are partly related to my physiology, partly to past injuries), distance running is not for me.…

When I get shots in my knee, my PT uses a cold spray. There’s a bit of sting when the skin gets really cold but it numbs the area enough that I can’t feel the needle at all. I’ve always wondered why they didn’t use something like that with kids.

It is good. Real, European chocolate in multiple varieties at reasonable prices.
It’s not the best chocolate I’ve had (but I have world traveling family and friends who bring me chocolates from around the world to sample), but it’s significantly better than the mass marketed US stuff and cheaper than buying the…

I haven’t had good luck with introducing new gamers to Munchkin. I think a lot of it is that there are so many exceptions to the rules (you can only use that card if you’re an elf, unless you have a card that says you can use it even if you’re not an elf...). But I have found it to be a great “second level” game. Once…

Seconding Forbidden Island. When that gets too easy, Forbidden Desert offers a similar but significantly different (and more difficult) experience. Castle Panic is another good, fairly simple cooperative gateway game.

Yes. Body weight squats are can be effective. We do them regularly in my boot camp class at the gym and after a couple of sets, you can definitely feel them. As alwyas make sure your form is good (keep your weight on your heels...you should be able to wiggle your toes, keep your chest up, back straight, make sure your…

I’ve often heard those referred to a narrow or diamond push-ups. They shift more of the work to your tricepts and are definitely harder (at least for me) than push-ups with a wider hand and arm placement.

Personally, I think there are a bunch of different ways you can do push-ups, none of them being “right” (although…

DFW is actually a great airport to fly into/out of. There are tons of security points, which makes for much shorter lines than at most other similarly sized airports. More ticket counters and baggage claims make those areas less crowded and the wait time to pick up bags is usually very short (about half the time, my…

At my gym, there is a pretty predictable pattern of attendance throughout the year. The New Years Resolution crowd will start to thin a bit by the end of January but will drop off significantly at the start of the week after the weekend after Valentine’s Day. The next big drop-off will be at Spring Break and will be…

Another option is body weight exercises. No/very little equipment needed, just some floor space. At my gym, we have a couple of basketball gyms which aren’t used all the time. I do a good portion of my strength workout, all of my abs and my stretching in there. If the gym is in use, I’ve used a back corner of the…

Yeah, the Mindstorm system isn’t really a toy but more of an entry level robotics system. You can do some really cool stuff with them, but the learning curve is kinda steep particularly if you don’t have a set project in mind. I would bet that a majority of the sets that Lego sells are to the middle and high school…