Whoops!

I'm learning to love "humpday". Taking that old adage to heart, whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger (and the remix is a great cardio song via Kelly Clarkson), I've modified it a bit to embrace the things I hate doing because they're hard. Like cardio. When I started working out last year, I did cardio first because I knew that if I didn't get it done first, well, I'd just be too tired to do it after lifting weights (the fun stuff). So I do cardio first, when I have the energy to do the thing that I hate (because I'm not good at it).

What's odd is how that has now become the thing I look forward to in the morning, probably because:

1. I've gotten better at it.
2. The endorphin rush is amazing but you have to get there to experience it.
3. Getting sweaty and limber gives you a great sense of accomplishment when you can beat your own scores (in my case, mileage).

So today is a Leg Day which gives me the excuse to do more cardio than usual. I do a 45 minute and a 15 minute workout on the Precor cross-trainer, the first a gentle hill, the second a quick set of intervals. 4.86 miles + 2.24 miles = 7.1 miles. WaHoo!

My cotton hoodie is drenched and I feel great considering I skipped cardio kickboxing last night. Something I ate yesterday didn't agree with me, and I spent the evening with a rather upset belly. Which meant that I didn't drink as much water as I usually do either. There's no soda in our house, not even diet soda which I think has the unfortunate effect of making you thirstier. We drink a lot of water flavored with a few ounces of fruit juice. I know fruit juice is suppose to be highly caloric and there's too much sugar in it, but if you only toss 2-3 ounces of cranberry or whatever mixed fruit juice into a 12-14 ounce tumbler of water, well, I don't see the harm.

Today's a Leg Day and I do a good half dozen sets of squats on the Smith machine, increasing the weight until I've got a measely 105 lbs (bar + 3 ten lb plates on each side). My knees are a tiny bit sore so I don't go any heavier. Afterwards, I do a half dozen sets of deadlifts with 95 lbs (bar + 2 tens and a 5 lb plate each side). I hit the seated leg curl machine twice for a total of 6 sets of 15 reps at 75 lbs. Because I've got short limbs, I've adjusted the seat and leg roller to their shortest settings. It's still a bit awkward and I have to brace myself against the handles that lay over your lap so I don't pop out when I curl my legs back under the seat. Really, I could use a seat belt for this station.

I'm pretty much done at this point with the exception of abs, and because I do abs every day, I do the torso rotation machine, twisiting sit ups and lower ab kickouts. I stretch out on the mat off to the side and eventually head off to the showers because even I can tell that my clothes reek — it isn't just guys who get stinky when working out hard!

Whoops! I get on the scale and I'm not prepared for what it tells me. 104.2. I check the scale again. What the? Here I am thinking that I missed cardio kickboxing last night and I should be heavier, and here this scale is telling me that I'm lighter. I haven't even finished all the water in my 1. 5 liter bottle today (well, there's probably two mouthfuls left)! I don't think I'm losing muscle mass so I'm hoping it's fat. Maybe I really ought to consider eating breakfast in the morning... if only it didn't make me want to hurl when I do cardio. I'm not prepared to get up an hour earlier just to eat. Dilemmas...