Playing around on the AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill and a family birthday party (you know those are my favorite).

Just running on a $60,000 treadmill.  I have heard all about the AlterG Treadmills before so I was really excited that I finally got to try it out.  

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When I first got there they had me put some sweet compression/really tight shorts on that had a nice little flap on the top with a zipper.  I stepped onto the treadmill and into the chamber and then zipped myself into it.  The first thing that the treadmill did was weigh me so that it could correctly adjust to what % of body weight I set it to.

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The dashboard had the normal settings for incline and speed (this particular one went up to 11 mph and also -3 mph ((so you could walk backwards on it)) and it had an easy to use weight control setting.  

In the below picture, the treadmill was set for 59 = it was set for me to run with 59% of my bodyweight (it goes from 20-100%).  Most rehab patients at this particular clinic usually use 50-75% of their bodyweight on the treadmill.  It is all controlled by air pressure and it felt pretty strange when the chamber first filled up and then continued to add more air pressure… it definitely lifted me up.  I loved that there were cameras at different places so that you could watch how you land/run on the screen in front of you.  

I first started at 80% and then increased it all the way to 40%… as I was doing this running felt easier and easier and easier.  It felt like I had an awesome tailwind making it feel so much easier to run at higher speeds than I normally do.  It felt like I was running on clouds and I loved landing so lightly.  I could get some sweet personal records on this thing;)    

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Man, I wish that I had one of these in the past when I was rehabbing from different injuries.  Such a good way to keep up your fitness while coming back from a lower-body injury! It would also be so nice to use after a big race so that you could still run and train without all of the impact as you are recovering. The only thing that would take some getting used to for me was my arm swing.  I felt a little off because I didn’t want to bump anything with my arms as I was running.  

Now I just need to learn to run so light on my feet in a race:) 

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Sunday was a good one.  We played in the leaves. 

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And for dinner we went to my mom’s house for my nephew’s bday dinner.  He chose every item on the menu… oh my mom’s funeral potatoes are the best.  

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He begged me to take a picture with him since we were both wearing pink.  PS Brooke is just scratching her nose:)  

It is crazy that he is now 12 years old… I was in the room when he was born!

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He let Brooke help him blow out his candles on his homemade oreos.  I really loved his choice in dessert.  

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How often did you eat dinner together as a family when you were growing up?  Did your mom or dad cook?  

Ever gone to physical therapy for a running related injury?  What did they have you do?

Who has tried an AlterG Treadmill out before?  Thoughts!?!

On your birthday—>  What do you normally choose for your dessert?

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83 comments

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I bet that treadmill is a life saver with injuries. I’m asking my gym to get one. I’m sure they have 50,000 laying around :) happy fall!

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I love how Curly is all ready for some dessert! So cute!

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I agree that the alter G is a great tool. I wish I had actually utilized it at work before now…but oh well. I’m glad you are seeing the benefits Janae! I tried under 50% body weight and I felt like I was literally bouncing to the moon.

I always choose red velvet cake, birthday or not LOL. ;)

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Birthday dessert = anything chocolate. Those homemade Oreos need to make their way through my computer screen, please.

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I’ve never run on one of those treadmills before – looks like a very weird/cool experience! I’d love to try it once, though :) .

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That treadmill looks SO cool! I’ve always wanted to try one of them!

Happy Bday to your nephew!! He sounds like a great kid :) My mom and I usually sit down together every night, whether we make a real dinner or if it’s just guacamole and grilled cheeses like last week! My grandma makes dinner for the whole family a few times a month and those are my favorite days!

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Yes family parties are the best! I used to always choose cheesecake for my bday dessert but now things are trickier if I don’t want to feel crazy sick the next day. My birthday’s next saturday and I’ll probably wind up baking my own grain free cupcakes.

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homemade Oreos?? Yum!!

We always ate dinner together as a family growing up, and I hope I always eat with kids one day too. I’m well aware that I’m going to be at the dinner table asking the typical mom questions that used to drive me crazy “so what did you learn at school today?”

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Awesome! I have been wondering about those, but thankfully have not had the need to use one….touch wood. I know some of my running friends have their own, and as they are professionals, they could not live without it any more. Interesting that you showed such a detailed analysis of it, now I am curious! But not enough to induce something to need to ;)

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They have their own!?! WOW!! PS Tina, just read your Chicago race report. You are beyond incredible.

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The Alter G sounds amazing! I cannot run on a treadmill, but i wonder if this one would be different. Did you try this at a clinic or a gym?

My mom and dad both cooked, but growing up we also ate out a lot. Both parents were working, and me and my sister were in a lot of sports and activities making it hard to eat dinner at home, at a normal hour.

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Jen, you could give it a go at a PT clinic near you.. Search here http://www.alterg.com/product/find-an-alterg/ and you can purchase a package for pretty cheap!

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I got to run on the Alter treadmill a few weeks ago and it was amazing!! It was the first time in months I have actually been able to run without my plantar fasciitis pain. It was magical. I may have pushed it too far (oops. #runnerproblems) but it felt so good to be running again it just didn’t care. :)

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My dessert has to be anything with peanut butter and honey!

Does your heart rate go up just the same on the Alter G treadmill?

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We sat down as a family 4-5 nights a week for family dinners growing up.
I’ve never been to PT, but I have a cranky knee that won’t go away. Maybe it’s time for my first trip.
Birthday cake!!!

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The Alter G sounds really cool. Now if only someone would give me $60,000 to buy it with! I promise I would be really nice and share it with all the other runners in my area for free! haha

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We ate dinner together every single night as a family. I am really glad we did because it taught me a lot about family and how important meal times are together. Even if my husband works late, I wait for him to have dinner!!

Brookes outfit is so cute, i want to raid her closet!!

GUESS WHAT? yesterday I BQd for the very 1st time! 1 4 marathons later and it was my first!! I think i will be startinf all my sentences with that for a little while!! :)

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Congratulations!!!!! That is pretty brilliant!

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NICOLE!!! That is incredible. You are seriously amazing!!!! Huge congrats!

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Homemade oreos?! That’s awesome! Great choice in birthday desserts!

Usually my mom cooked but my dads a good cook too. He usually did breakfasts when we were growing up and my mom did dinner (unless it was grilling, then it was dad)

I love the AlterG Treadmills. It would be awesome to be able to train on them, esp when dealing with an injury. I wish my physical therapy center had one! I feel like I can run forever on one!

Salted caramel cupcakes are one of my go-to desserts for my birthday. If I’m traveling, then I like trying something new and different that I can’t get at home!

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I loved using the alter G when I was returning to running after hip surgery. I think it would be a really great tool in helping to prevent running injuries!

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So cool! I’m trying one of these out in a few weeks and can’t wait!

I always choose Chocolate cake on my birthday :)

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That treadmill sounds awesome! For my birthday, I usually choose a really rich chocolate layer cake. And I love making my own birthday cake haha!

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I’m trying the AlterG treadmill on Wednesday! I can’t wait!

I wish I could do dinners with my family more often than I do. We used to eat dinner together every night, but now we live halfway across the country from each other. I miss them a lot.

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I would have loves this treadmill during my recovery from stress fractures! Can I borrow $60,000? ;-)

Ice cream cake for birthdays!

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You don’t need to buy the AGT to benefit from it :)
Enter your zipcode to find your closest one, and you can purchase packages at your most convenient clinic to use the treadmill: http://www.alterg.com/product/find-an-alterg/

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I need to try this! It sounds so cool to be running lighter and lighter…what I find pretty cool too is they have a camera so you can see how you’re stepping.

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I ran on an alter G this summer rehabbing. It’s awesome! You really so feel like you can fly! Getting off and stepping out of the “suit” though always made me feel so heavy. Dang gravity!! ;)

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HAHAHA I totally thought that same thing… stupid gravity:)

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We always had dinner together as a family. Like 99% of the time. My dad usually made the protein and my mom made everything else.

The AlterG looks like it would just be fun to play on – and super amazing if you had an injury of course ;)

When I’m at my Grandma’s house I usually ask for a jelly roll or an angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream. It’s the best.

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Physical therapy was my home away from home for the entire summer. I had peroneal tendonitis. Never used an alter g but I loved doing balance exercises on the wobble board. And I loved the massages they would give.

My birthday is in 5 days! I usually love cupcakes. Preferably vanilla with buttercream frosting. Or an ice cream sundae :) I’ll be in cape cod this year so perhaps a warm apple cobbler. #drooling

My mom cooked dinner every night and we ate when my dad got home from work. Very traditional.

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My fave birthday dessert is obviously chocolate fudge cake. However, this past year I went with a giant cookie and brownie sundae at a local restaurant that is just heavenly! Growing up, my dad cooked more than my mom…

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That treadmill looks so stinking COOL. And why why why haven’t I tried the homemade Oreos yet?! That has to change asap!

I ate a lot of dinners in the car as a kid. Neither of my parents really cooked, so I’m a product of the fast food generation.

I always always always go for chocolate on my birthday. Can’t really go wrong!

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I ran my first full marathon yesterday and BQ’d!!! But it left me with an IT band injury (again)- I have never been to PT for an injury, but I am considering since this is the second time this has occurred.

Birthday- Cake- Vanilla with Vanilla buttercream frosting, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream= my weakness.

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Your first! Amazing!!

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WOW!! Kim, that is incredible! Way to go girl! I am so sorry about your IT Band problems, that is so painful!

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Thanks :) I am still on cloud 9 :) Just have take care of this IT Band now!

Did you end up getting in for the 2015 Boston Marathon? I live in Boston so will happily be cheering you on if you did! I am sad I have to wait until 2016.

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I will so be there! We will have to do a meetup! Congrats again Kim!

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That treadmill kind of blows my mind a little bit.

We pretty much ate dinner together every night growing up, which is a tradition I have carried into my own family. I preferred when my mom cooked as Dad would inevitably screw something up. I vividly remember him making meatloaf and we were out of regular oats so he used peach’s and cream oatmeal. Nasty.

My favorite dessert for my bday (in December) is the hub’s peppermint fudge or brownies a la mode.

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I’ve never tried an Alter G treadmill but I may have to! I am currently off with stress fractures and the pool running is driving me mad! :P

On my birthday, I normally choose something chocolate peanut butter for dessert.

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Jessica, you can buy packages to use the AGT at a PT clinic near you, super affordable (3 sessions for $50!) and convenient: http://www.alterg.com/product/find-an-alterg/

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This is so cool!! I’ve wanted to try running on the Alter G treadmill ever since I first heard of it, but I have no idea where to find one!

For my birthday I usually ask for a home-cooked meal and a dinner at home with family and close friends :)

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I want that treadmill! I want! I want!

I have had dinner with my Dad almost every week (he is an amazing cook) since my parents were divorced in 1988. Except for my college years, I’ve rarely missed a dinner with him. I am now 32yrs. old and expecting my first child in 2 weeks so we have ended our weekly dinners for now (he lives 45 minutes away)…makes me sad :-(

For my birthday I always request cupcakes. I love to make sandwiches out of them. (Take the bottom half of the cupcake and put it on top so the frosting is in the middle). yummers!!

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So the Alter G looks awesome! As much as I would LOVE to try it, I am also concerned that after experiencing a run at a lower body weight, my typical runs would feel SO much harder. I imagine this to feel like running through water or something.

Did you have this problem? I think I would miss the “floating-on-air-I-can-run-like-this-FOREVER!” feeling :D

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I totally think that I would have this problem if I ran on the treadmill a ton! I only tried it once so I didn’t notice the next day that I felt heavier on my run. It did feel weird to walk after getting off of the treadmill though!

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We always ate dinner together. My mom cooked most everything. My dad would cook omlettes and anything grill-related. They are both wonderful cooks!
I went to physical therapy for my neck issues. They mostly just did exercises with me and used massage. I wished I could have used something cool like the Alter G!
I ALWAYS go with some form of pie. I love pumpkin, banana creme, or lemon meringue.

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That is awesome! Now you have me craving an omelette and some banana creme pie:) Hope you are having a great day Rachel!

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We ate dinner together almost every night. My dad is an amazing cook! He still makes Christmas Eve dinner (no one else can replicate his recipes) even though we host it at our house!
For my birthday dessert I always want either chocolate cake or chocolate cupcakes.

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I tried an alter g treadmill at an expo a few years ago. It was bonkers and awesome! I was flying! I loved it, but it’s still a treadmill.

I’m asking for birthday homemade Oreos for my next birthday!

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This treadmill sounds great for rehab patients. I am actually going to a podiatrist today. First time I’ve seen a doc to treat my feet. Kind of scared to find out what they find. Hoping everything turns out okay. Wish me luck!

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I had a PR person contact me last week about trying Alter G as in rehabbing from my foot injury. I cannot wait to try it! Too bad they weren’t so darn expensive so more people and therapy centers could afford them!

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I have yet to experience the Alter G. It looks like you are running in a space ship. Did you find it all constricting?

I always choose cake for my birthday, but only because I love frosting and will eat all of it. I wish they made cupcakes that were JUST frosting.

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Homemade oreos sound pretty darn good!!! My birthday is in July so my go-to birthday dessert always involves ice cream in one way or another. This year it was ice cream pie and it was SOOOOO tasty!

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Mom usually cooked. But we liked it better when Dad did because he made things like Hamburger Helper and opened cans of chili. Yes, I grew up in a family of very refined palates.

I didn’t stay too long with physical therapy. I kept thinking I could do the exercise band stuff at home and save a lot of money. I did save a lot of money, but I didn’t do a good job staying with the exercises. Bad Liz.

Chocolate poke cake: chocolate cake, punch holes in it, pour on hot chocolate pudding. It’s totally delicious and super easy. But WHY have I never thought to have homemade oreos!? Those things are the best cookies ever!

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Those alter-g treadmills are SO CRAZY. I had never heard of them before until Hollie posted about one a couple of weeks ago and then it was up on your blog too. I would love to get a chance to try them! I work at UC Berkeley and it’s such a HUGE sports school (Cal football!) that I would bet anything they have one on campus…now to finagle my way into trying it…

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Brenda, they do have one on campus, you should definitely try it out! Let me know if you need any help with that :)

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WHAT!! How do I get on it?? You just blew my mind/made my day!

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Is there an email I can reach you on?

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The AlterG treadmill looks so cool!! I went to physical therapy when I was in middle school because I broke my foot running. They put those weird electrodes on my foot, put my foot in this warm sand machine (no idea how to describe it haha), and a few other stability exercise machines.

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The Alter-G looks so cool! I was in physical therapy four years ago for weakened muscle due to a rolled ankle and I wish that my PT would have had an Alter-G! They didn’t let me run for 6 weeks and they did deep tissue/ultrasound massage on my calves, stability exercises, and lots of icing.
I’m usually all about cake for my birthday, but this year I had brownies with peanut butter m&ms mixed in- that was a very good choice!

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I love Brooke’s dress – She always has the cutest clothes! Growing up we almost always ate dinner together as a family. I am hoping to continue this tradition in my home. Such a good way to make sure you spend time together.

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I cant hear what you’re saying in the video but Im guessing it’s something like, “This is sooooo fuuuunnnn!” I so want to try that and I think it would be a great way to be injured and still be able to run! I would pay good money for that (if I wasnt poor haha).

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That treadmill looks amazing!

So much better than pool running! :)

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I have ACL/MCL reconstruction surgery later this week and have been approved to rehab using an AlterG treadmill. I am SO happy about that because if I’m not allowed to run again for 4 more months, I would lose it. I miss my marathon training. Thanks to the AlterG, I can start up again in ~8-10 weeks :)

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That’s awesome news Amy! Good luck with your rehab, you’ll be outdoors running again in no time!

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A friend of mine had a hip thing and had to run on one of these – looks very interesting!

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Hi there! Happy Monday. That treadmill is something, and I thought Woodway treadmills were fancy. I like anything with cream cheese frosting for a birthday cake. Have a good one:)

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I love the Alter-G. I’ve used it twice now once post knee surgery and I started at just 30% of my weight. My doctor gave my knee a clean bill of health and we decided to test my knee on it. It made me feel so much better mentally. It was a knee problem that kept me from running for 9 years and I deeply missed it. Then this year I started at 60% after a small hip issue. It made rehab feel so much better and I got to “play” with it once at just 20% body weight and it was fun.

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Happy birthday to your nephew!! Mine was yesterday (the 19th) … Are we birthday twins?!

I did PT for an ankle and a knee injury. Never tried the alter G, but would love to try one out. I work as a PTA so I highly promote therapy for any and all injuries

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My favorite birthday dessert is fruit pizza! (undercooked) Brownies come in as a close second ;)

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When I was growing up we always had dinner together but my dad travelled often so it was just my mum and I most days. Now that my parents are separated, my mum and I always try and sit down together for dinner. My mum used to cook all the time when I was little but now that I’m almost 18 and love to cook, I make dinner most days :)

That treadmill looks so cool. I never went to physical therapy for running related injuries but other health problems and always loved the stretches and massages they did!
I always ask for cupcakes but I usually make a decorated fondant cake as well since I make those and I always use it as an excuse to get more practice in. My mum can’t bake to save her life so I’ve been baking my birthday cakes and cupcakes since I was about 12.

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I was a latch key kid and we hardly ate as a family together. I always loved big family meals as they were rare. Now as a mom I make sure we eat together every night around the table and I love cooking for them. We always host Thanksgiving with 20 people…just love it. Your nephew has my palett…yummy ham dinner!
Ran my first 18.5 miler yesterday can’t say I felt awesome after mile 16 but I pushed thru and I feel great today!
Amazing treadmill experience! That looks cool!

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Birthday dessert must be cake. If I don’t have cake then it doesn’t count as my birthday ;)

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My mom cooked a lot, but I seem to remember my dad wanting to take us out to eat a lot, too.

Dessert – peanut butter has to be involved, ALWAYS.

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We always ate dinner together as a family and now I make it a point to eat as a family with my husband and daughter every night.

I would love to try the Alter G! I went to PT from February-May this year for my ITBand, most likely caused by a torn labrum (I’m still avoiding the MRI). The PT would have me run and walk on the treadmill to correct my form, I did tons of balance exercises, core work, and at the end I was did squats and lunges.

My birthday dessert is Ben&Jerry’s Peanut Butter Cup ice cream or Phish Food frozen yogurt. Happy Birthday to your nephew!

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My mom mainly cooked while I lived at home. Now with my family, I’m the main cook but my husband has a few “signature” meals like waffles and biscuits and gravy :)

If I get brave, I hope to try making those homemade oreos!!! YUM. Maybe I will bake those for my birthday (or talk someone else into making them for me)!

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That machine is so cool!!

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That treadmill looks like so much fun! What gym do you go to that has one? I really wanted to try one when I had a metatarsal stress fracture, but pool running wasn’t sooo bad. I’ve recently had some trouble with my hip and glute, and I went to physical therapy in Germany. They strapped me to a table and shook my leg for an hour…needless to say, I didn’t go back!

We had dinner as a family most nights, and both of my parents cooked. Now when I’m home my dad usually cooks. I like to make my own birthday desserts- what better excuse to bake awesome, unhealthy sweets? The oreos look great!

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The treadmill seems like it would be cool to try.

Those homemade oreos look amazing!

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We always ate dinner together on Sundays, but other days it kind of just depended on our schedules. My mom was a great cook though! I just made funeral potatoes and followed that exact recipe :) So good!!!! For my birthday I usually like either ice cream cake, chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, or scotch-a-roos (if you haven’t tried them, you must!!!!)

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I am WAY too good of friends with my physical therapist. My favorite thing she does is have me run on her fancy treadmill with all these electrodes on me and she films it. From that she can tell where I’m weaker and how I’m landing. It’s pretty high tech!

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I’ve herd about the AlterG treadmills, but I’ve never seen one in action – thanks for sharing your experience with us!

I seem to remember sitting down most nights as a family for dinner growing up. I think Mum cooked most of the time, but Dad did special guest appearances with a mean spaghetti bolognese and what we called a ‘bitsa’ dinner – little snack servings of all kinds of things, like sultanas, carrot, cheese, dry biscuits, ham etc. Loved it!

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I have went to physical therapy for a lower body injury before. They had me do lots of single leg exercises like split squats and balance exercises. It seemed to help for a while and then my injury flared up again. I’m going to go in for a second opinion somewhere else soon!

What do you use to curl your hair like you have in the picture with the three of you? It looks so soft and pretty! Is it a curling iron or one of those curling brushes?

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