Contrast this to B who forgot to charge her iPod last night and consequently had no music to set her pace. She left halfway through the workout because she just "wasn't into it" today.
I've only forgotten my iPod once, and that was hell. Sartre was right when he said, "Hell is other people." I got sandwiched between two people who proceeded to have a flirtatious conversation while I was lying on a bench in between them. Talk about uncomfortable. All I kept thinking was, "Get a room already!" Of course, she ended the dialogue with, "Well, I guess I'll see you in church." Yup, married. To other people. I still see them at the gym. They still flirt. To the best of my knowledge, they're still married. To other people. A lot of people meet at the gym to work out together, take a class together, kibbitz, have coffee. It's a social place. Unless you're there to work out.
I hear that gym romances are the source of a lot of marital problems. No kidding. I noticed that the 3-time winner of the Women's Fitness contest has a different name now. I think she got divorced, which is sad, because in YouTube flicks of her earlier workout routines, she mentions how she and her husband had started the gym where she regularly trains. Later, I noticed that her trainer is not her husband. I haven't seen anyone I'd want to work out with. Not even my friend B. Even with her iPod, she socializes too much for my tastes. I don't talk a lot. I want results!
That's probably another reason for me not to even vaguely consider Fitness Competitions. Even though I'm making great progress, I'd probably need to find a trainer who knew about contest preparations, etc, and most of the folks I've witnessed at the gym are folks I don't really want to know. Because either they have no idea what they're doing, all they do is chat, or they're giving off some freaky vibes, and yes, I'm a big proponent of paying attention to people's body language.
I'm the first to admit that I'm playing this all by ear — I'm just doing what works. If after a month, I'm not getting results, I change the routine. So far, it IS working. I'm not "dieting" or doing anything crazy, and I'm continuing to lose weight and put on a bit of muscle. Everyone is different so I find it difficult to advise anyone, except to say
- "Do cardio until you get good and sweaty. Do it every day (or as much as you can)" and
- "Lift weights to build muscles because muscles burn more calories and, as a woman, it's damn near impossible to get big and bulky even if you lift lots of weights and lift heavy."
There are online retailers and actual stores (like GNC or Doc's Nutrition) that carry assorted powders and mixes. A1Supplements.com was recommended on a (currently inactive) blog called Geezercise. My only problem with Richard Sullivan is that while he rants about the high amount of cholesterol in the GNC Whey Protein (70 mg per serving), he has no problem eating nitrate-laced hot dogs several times a week. I guess we have to choose our poisons.
So now, not only do I get a bit antsy when I can't work out for more than a weekend, but I need to eat more protein. And drink a ton of water. And I can't drink alcoholic beverages on a "school night" because it makes me feel like a slug during cardio. Gosh, I'm such a "fun" person!
However, I am a steadfast believer that some of us do better postponing "breakfast" until later. We can go to the LA Times article about "nighttime fasting fostering weight loss". If we take this argument to its logical conclusion, then by postponing breakfast, I've extended my fasting time. It worked for my dad when he needed to lose a few pounds. It works for me. But it probably won't work for everyone.
No comments:
Post a Comment