Friday's Puzzle

I won't say I'm getting old but I was surely unmotivated this morning when I dragged myself to the gym. I figure, Friday's are usually empty so I'm not going to go crazy. Plus, I think I'm still recuperating from last night's Cub Scout Halloween Party night where my husband and I manned a game booth that entailed kids tossing either styrofoam skulls or handkerchief ghosts into plastic cauldrons some 5 feet away.

Everyone left with a prize. It was fun, but by 8:45 pm, I was ready to head home and go to bed. After dessert, of course, because I'd just gotten Edy's Limited Edition Pumpkin Ice Cream. I had mine with some minced candied ginger. My husband is a huge fan of fresh pomegranate seeds (what a pain to process!) and sprinkles them liberally over his bowl of ice cream.

So this morning, I'm telling myself that it's okay to get less than 5 miles on the elliptical. I can barely keep the 200 stride per minute pace and slip down into the 190s. But I do get 5.09 miles and due to the humidity, my clothes are thoroughly drenched. Now B will go and use the hair dryer in the locker room to dry off before proceeding with her exercises. Not me. I prefer to hit the weights still wet. Oh, stop being so squeamish! I do wipe down my stations, and my hoodie keeps most of my sweat contained.

Seated Cable Rows are heavy today. Well, the 120 weight is always heavy. But at least I have the proper handles. Suddenly there are a lot of bodies at the stations. They're kids. Well, teenage boys. I recognize some of them from this summer's gang of wastrels who spent more time draped over the equipment talking than actually working out. What? Is it a half day today? No school? I'm not that interested. Cage stretch, kicks and chin ups are next. I'm stiff and my butt is sore (oh, when isn't it?) but that's not an excuse. I spy Mr. Pajama Pants on the treadmill and wait to see if he decides to lounge on the Lat Pull Downs for the 4th day in a row. Thankgoodness he decides to use one of the other machines.

Today's Total Workout:
45 min cardio = 5.09 miles
Seated Cable Rows: 12 @ 90 / 12 @ 105 / 3 x 8 @ 120 / 12 @ 90 lbs
Lower Back Extensions: 2 x 25 @ 90 lbs
Cage stretch & kicks & 12 close grip chin ups
Lat Pull Downs: 12 @ 90 lbs / 5 x 12 @ 105 lbs
Bent Over Barbell Rows: 15 @ 60 lbs / 5 x 15 @ 65 lbs
Alternating Dumbbell Hammer Curls: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Ab Curl Machine: 2 x 50 (upper) / 2 x 50 (lower)
Reverse Grip Barbell Curls: 4 x 20 @ 30 lbs
   (I figure I'd work my way up to 6 sets then up the weight)
Mat stretch

I see R and by the way he's moving, it's either the weather or the shot that's causing him pain. Uncharacteristically, I flag his attention and actually squat down to speak to him. He's in such pain that even seated on a bench, he can barely look up. How're you doin'? I ask him and he grunts Not good. Then he tells me that he'd had 3 shots and they were excruciating. He'd never felt pain like that before. Wow. He's due to get 2 more shots. I tell him that perhaps it's just all swollen now and perhaps by then, it'll be better. He tells me that he thinks he made his injuries worse by spotting someone on a bench press. Ouch. He's a gym-rat adrenaline-junkie. (Boy, do I know the type!) He grits his teeth and says, It is what it is. I can't argue. I can't even offer anything more than an I'm sorry, and I just wanted to see how you are. Polite as always, he smiles and says, Thank you.

The teenage boys now give me a wide berth after I speak to R. Before, they were in my way, getting annoyingly close for no apparent reason. Yes, there's a good reason to pick the biggest, most intimidating guy in the gym to befriend. R isn't the meatiest guy, but he's consistently at the gym, and he can push some really heavy weight. He's extremely graceful for a big guy, and he's got the face of a Roman Centurion. I wouldn't want to mess with him.

The gym scale reads 107.4 lbs, the same as yesterday. I sucked down my water before my workout was over, same as yesterday. And I'm drenched, same as yesterday. Oh well. When I get home, I wait until my hair is reasonably dry (yeah, due for a hair cut although my husband keeps telling me that it looks nice longer) before I weigh myself on the EatSmart scale. I expect the measurements to fluctuate a bit, but I'm curious to what extent and in which direction.

The readings: 105.2 weight (down a tad from yesterday), 18.4% body fat (very odd that it's lower), 52.9 total body water (at least one thing is completely consistent here!), 39.3 muscle (hmmm), 4.8 bone (heavier bones again?). I don't get it. I'll buy being a tad lighter. But I'm pretty sure I haven't dropped fat and put on muscle overnight. Unless there's something I don't understand about human metabolism. I was really expecting my water weight to fluctuate with my body weight. Another puzzle. Oh well.