Equilibrium

I got to the gym and B was already on the cross-trainer. I haven't seen her since she wrecked two of her wheels hitting a pothole on the main road around here. B likes to talk and since I hadn't seen her since last Thursday, I felt obligated to listen, which meant my iPod was on low, and I wasn't going very fast on my 30 minute cardio trek. Finally L came by to chat, and she and B went off to a different cardio station. That left me less than 20 minutes to make up for lost pacing and mileage. Crank up Titanium (Bulletproof) and I'm off to the races and finish my cardio with a respectable 3.15 miles.

It's bloody hot outside and I'm thankful that the gym has good air conditioning and I can wear my hoodie until it's drenched. It's so hot that I'm having doubts about going to kickboxing tonight. I don't think slow-motion ceiling fans and open windows are enough. Today is a Pull Day, a back and biceps day. I do rows and pull-downs, biceps curls, reverse grip barbell rows and the infamous 21s. I skip the close grip pull-downs since my right inside elbow is still tender. Doing chin-ups yesterday on my husband's newly installed chin-up bar probably didn't help at all. But I wanted to see if it had a small enough grip and was positioned narrow enough for me to do pull-ups and chin-ups. It is. I'm pleased.

My husband said, "You make it look so easy."
"What are you talking about? I could only get 6 of each type."
"Yes, but you just pulled yourself straight up and down with your legs extended perfectly still. None of that wiggling and flailing and struggling to get yourself up the bar."
"Ahhh."

I don't tell him that wiggling makes the movement harder, and that all the pros at the gym (and on Ninja Warrior on G4TV) can pull themselves up with perfect control of the rest of their body. My husband is pretty strong, but he's also pretty big. And not in a good way. He needs to lose some weight. If he were lighter, he'd find it easier to do pull-ups and chin-ups. I think he ought to do more cardio but the treadmill is broken. I want to get him a treadmill for Father's Day or his birthday. He suggested something we could both use, so that makes the treadmill a cross-trainer elliptical instead.

He also mentions the Big Green Egg ceramic grill and I know he'd really rather have one of those than another piece of exercise equipment. Yes, we're both "foodies". He bought a meal plan book to go with his new workout system in our garage gym. It calls for a lot of small meals and foods we don't normally eat. I think he should just adjust his portion sizes down a bit and stop snacking instead. But it's hard to tell other people what to do. You can only suggest. And lead by example.

I get on the scale today and it reads the same 107.4 as yesterday. Wow, that doesn't usually happen. Of course, I don't usually have an ice cold beer with dinner either, but last night I did. I'm not worried. I remember weighing 107 in HS and thinking it was too much because I was still having trouble fitting into the size 5/6 dresses my mother insisted I wear. Of course dressmakers have let out their seams to make everyone feel better about themselves (so that 5/6 is probably now a 3/4). My clothes fit great now (I like them a bit loose). And cold ice cream on a hot day seems like the perfect dessert.