That IS interesting! I haven't heard that before. We have an elliptical and a regular exercise bike. We use them both a lot without problems. DH has lower back problems, but never complains about having problems due to the elliptical. His chiro has never mentioned it as a possible source, either. I'll get him to ask her next time he goes to her. I don't notice any back problems when I use it. Maybe some of it has to do with the posture maintained while on the elliptical. I do get onto DH about his frame while exercising. ??? I'll pay more attention to how he uses it versus how I use it to see if I can offer any "hints." I tend not to put any body weight on the machine...ie, holding on with my hands. I maintain a VERY light grip/touch. He tends to have a death grip on it and I think that causes him to hunch over a bit. Glad you mentioned it. I wonder if DH IS bothered by it, but doesn't realize it's aggravated by the elliptical because he already tends to have back problems. Hmmmm. For me, I think maintaining a strong core is key. DH definitely doesn't do that! I LOVE the idea of the recumbent bike! I couldn't talk anyone in the family into that one! They all thought it looked too weird! I really wanted a good ergometer (I rowed crew on an adult team), but geez...too cha-ching for me! If you don't belong to a gym, why don't you go get a day pass (or go as a guest of a member) and try a good workout on an elliptical? After hearing about people having back problems, I'd try it out a few times for myself before investing the money.

All of this, of course, depends on your age and condition. Hopefully your elliptical includes a heart monitor. That will tell you better than anything we can say what you should be doing. Figure out your target heart rate and go from there. I have to go very, very slowly because I have a really rapid heart beat. I hit 130+ within two minutes of starting, but that's unusual and not likely to be your problem. I don't think I could do a 30 minute session either. I do circuit training now at the gym so I don't overstress one area of muscles. My neighbor got an elliptical and uses it first thing in the morning before she showers for work. She is very strong and has been able to quickly advance in both speed and level of difficulty. Her only problem is that she finds herself slowing down when she gets really buried in her Sudoku puzzle

Hi Dan, I thought of you numerous times thinking "our situation can't get as bad as his". Well here's our story. We ordered the door in late May and were told it would take 8-10 weeks. Jeld-wen rep & store rep were here 2 or 3 times to measure & make template before ordering so the new elliptical window would match the arch in the brick. Door finally arrived first part of September but the paint job was horrible so they sent it back. Week later door arrived again. Installed by our local contractor who does great work. Part of the subfloor needed to be replaced due to rotting from moisture leaks on old door. Width & height-wise the door & sidelights fit fine; however the upper curve of the elliptical on new door does not match the brick opening. There's a gap of 1 1/4" on upper left & 7/8" on upper right with no gap in middle. (Remember-only reason we went with same brand was because noone else could get elliptical arch to match) We're contacting a mason to see what to do. Also, we had planned and told them we wanted to use our old lockset since it was only 6 months old. I had specifically crossed the new lockset off the order blank. When the new door arrived it was predrilled for a different lockset & had a special triple latch system requiring a unit costing $600+ which they ultimately provided at no cost I'm holding back about 15% of the door cost till we figure out how to fill the gap. Our options are caulk, mortar, possibly a custom brick moulding (if we can find someone to make it), relaying the brick or other (not sure what that is). As for the door--it's much more solid than our old door. The door rep said the upper elliptical window was custom made & he didn't keep a copy of the template so it would be a matter of he said, she said as to "why" the new window doesn't fit. The Formanek on the interior is beautiful. It looks like a solid oak door and matches our woodwork beautifully. On the exterior its steel as we ordered (since we get so much direct sun we were told to avoid fiberglass) and much tighter. Unfortunately, once installed I realized the lighter paint color (again recommended since we get so much direct sun) just doesn't go with our darker brick exterior so we're getting it repainted by an auto body shop. But the paint color was a choice we made so we'll deal with that. We call it the door from hell. I wanted a porch when we built but hubby didn't. If I ever build a house again, I'll have my porch or at least a larger portico with extended overhang and a simple, one-unit door that could be easily replaced if needed. For the money that we put into the original door & now this replacement door we could have enclosed the area and had more living space.....or I could have had my porch :) We tried something fancy with the door when we built. I realize now all I want is functional, tight & energy efficient.

Thunbergia grandiflora (Bengal clockvine) is a vine, opposite leaves, triangular or ovate, leaves are large, (larger than flower) up to 20 cm width up to 6 cm. Flower blue to mauve sometimes also white 8 cm across and 4 cm long tube, that is pale yellow inside, flower can be axilar but usually in racemes. whileThunbergia erecta (Bush clockvine) is a herbaceous perennial, woody, can also be a sprawling shrub, but not a vine. leaves ovate-elliptic small, (smaller than flower) Length is up to 3 cm and width is up to 2 cm. Flowers tubular 4-6 cm across, rich purple with a yellow throat, there is also a white-flowering form. Both of this Thunbergia are completely different, and not so difficult to ID.