Freakin' Friday

I won't lie. I was damn tired when I got to the gym this morning. I had my son in tow as there was no school today but I think it was the culmination of the week's workouts, plus the fact that yes indeed, I do have my period. Of sorts. I got to the gym a half an hour late, and still the cardio stations were fairly vacant. But instead of climbing aboard elliptical #3, I decide to use  #1 just to mix things up. 25 minutes into my set, the sweat dribbles down my face and I start to feel good. 45 minutes gives me an even 5.0 miles. Great! I was thinking that I'd be lucky to make 4 1/2 miles when I started out. It helped just a teensy bit that I'd added Katy Perry's Firework to my cardio mix. (Yeah, I'm a teeny bopper at heart, a middle-age woman who just can't act or look her age. Is that a problem?)

I can't find the handles I like for the Seated Cable Rows and have to use handles with a thicker rubber grip that bites into my palms. I use my neoprene grips after the first set and lift heavy just for this exercise. Damn if I wasn't right about being able to do 10 reps instead of quitting after 8! I get 3 sets and I feel quite satisfied with that.

Afterwards, I do Lower Back Extensions and then proceed to Cage Stretches and Kicks. I'm thinking that if I do Pull Ups, I can skip doing Lat Pull Downs. Because I can't get my face past the Cage edge, I only do partial pull ups but I do 3 sets of 12. I'm concerned about time since I have my son in the child care room, and I move right into Bent Over Rows with 70 lbs, then Dumbbell Curls, Concentration Curls, and then Reverse Grip Barbell Curls. I finish with the Mat Stretch (no Twisted Triangle today).

Today's Total Workout:
45 min cardio hill #5 = 5.00 miles
Seated Cable Rows: 12 @ 90 / 12 @ 105 / 3 x 10 @ 120 lbs (this is very satisfying!)
Lower Back Extensions: 2 x 25 @ 90 lbs
Cage Stretch & Kicks & 3 x 12 partial pull ups
Bent Over Barbell Rows: 15 @ 65 / 5 x 15 @ 70 lbs
Dumbbell Alternating Curls: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Concentration Curls: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs (I really think this is adding a fullness and length to my biceps I hadn't seen before so I'm considering upping the weight on this a tad)
Reverse Grip Barbell Curls: 3 x 20 @ 40 lbs (as much as I grimace doing this, I really enjoy how this feels and the heavier weight seems to be helping my golfer's elbow as well)
Mat Stretch (I didn't do abs today and feel a tad guilty about it; on the other hand, I've been feeling twinges in my lower abs that I can now attribute to menstrual cramps because yes indeed, I am getting my period!)

I'm pleased to see R arrive at the gym but I don't have time to even say Hi to him. He's chatting with J anyhow, and it's not my style to insert myself into conversations. I just walk around to get my stuff and slide off silently. The scale bounces between 110, 109.6 and 109.8 lbs and I'm not sure what's going on. After I shower, M (someone I know from a previous gym some 15 years ago) comments on how great my back looks. She says she told herself that I'm just a kid so of course I can have a great back. Then she asks me how old I am and without any hesitation, I tell her I'm 52. She tells me that I'm her inspiration now. She's only a few years older than me and damn, if I can do it, well she can do it too. Go girl!

I tell her two things that I think are key to my success: a good cardio workout every day (I don't bother with counting calories because that sort of mindset will really screw you up with focusing on the minutia of calorie-counting when you should be concentrating on the big picture of muscle-building to activate your metabolism), and enough protein afterwards to keep you from eating all sorts of crap that will sabotage your fat-loss efforts. She tells me she eats a Luna® bar after working out, and I shake my head disapprovingly. Sheepishly, she admits that there's a lot of sugar and carbs in there. She's allergic to dairy so the Ensure® High Protein I drink is out of the question as it contains whey protein. She's got some homework to do if she wants to be successful!

M needs to lose a few pounds (isn't that how we all start?) and is moving slowly with the 5 lb dumbbells because she doesn't want to hurt herself. She's taller than my husband so I think she's being a tad too timid but I don't want to scare her off, so I just nod in agreement. Honestly, she could go heavier. And if she did, she'd see faster results. Why are women so timid? Sometimes I feel like a "guy" in my attitude and my workout. I can't be bothered with fear. I've read that muscle-building testosterone levels rise after workouts in both men and women. Well, I guess I'm making good use of that fact, if that's truly the case, because I believe in working out hard to make good use of my time.

I spend all afternoon running errands with my son, and even have his photo taken with the Mall Santa like we've done for the past several years. By the time we get home, there's barely time to feed him and do some Chinese school homework before I have to get him ready for Ninja Game Night at our tae kwon do school. My home scale tells me that I'm 106.2 lbs with 18.8 BF, 52.6 TBW, 39% muscle and 4.8 lbs bone. Again, the readings are fluctuating in an odd way, but really, all I'm concerned with is that I weigh less than 110 lbs. Really. And that my clothes fit properly. Really. Maybe I'll get a chance this weekend to use my new elliptical that's parked in the unheated garage. But I'm not holding my breath. Really.

Good Feelings

Well, no one asked me about candied bacon today and no one I know had any winning lottery tickets. Still, today was quite exhilarating. At least that's how my workout felt! Again the ellipticals were abandoned when I got there. Again, I got to use my favorite Precor #3 and set it for hill #5. I start to feel the odd ache in my inner thigh and straighten my posture and shorten my stride to more of a bicycling motion. The ache goes away. By minute 25 I'm sweaty and happily humming along to my iPod. 45 minutes gets me 5.08 miles. I'm happy.

The Smith is also vacant so I set up to do reps. 4 sets of 25 reps at 95 lbs feels pretty good. After I wipe down the bench, I put my sodden hoodie back on for Cage Stretch & Kicks. Those also feel pretty good considering yesterday was Leg Day. Not that my buns aren't sore because they are, but I tend to work through soreness in the belief that getting the blood moving in those areas will aid recovery. I come back to the free weight area to do shoulders and grab a pair of 20 lb dumbbells.

Halfway through my sets I decide to add a few sets of inclined dumbbell presses even though I know that benching already works the front deltoids. After 5 sets of 15 reps of seated inclined rear raises, I'm thinking perhaps I should up the weight on this one exercise. Or change my positioning. Putting my chest in my lap would probably be harder, and then I wouldn't have to up my weight.

Today's Total Workout:
45 min cardio = 5.08 miles
Smith Bench Press: 12 @ bar / 4 x 25 @ 95 lbs
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Front & Lateral Dumbbell Raises: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Lateral Raises & Front Inclined Presses: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Seated Rear Inclined Dumbbell Raises: 5 x 15 @ 20 lbs
One-Arm Tricep Extensions: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Declined Bench Press: 25 @ bar / 25 @ 65 / 25 @ 85 / 25 @ 75 / 25 @ 65 / 50 @ bar (45 lbs)
  (doing those last 50 reps felt really great, but I'm sure it intimidated the heck out of the guys)
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: about 125
Lower Ab Kick Outs: about 100 (I develop an abrasion doing this but don't notice it until I shower!)
Mat Stretch (no yoga today!)

I see R and wave Hi to him but I'm in no mood to stop and chat. I move from one exercise to the next with barely a pause except to wipe down sweaty benches, and chug from my water bottle until it's drained. I also see J but I don't really have anything to say to him at all, so I don't even wave Hi. At least R and J are chatting with each other.

The scale reads 109.4 lbs which is better than yesterday. My home scale reads 106.8 lbs and again, the other readings are up and down and don't make much sense to me. I just know I'm bigger. I take my measurements just to be certain. As I suspected, I've put 1/2 inch back on my hips! Not that they were very big to begin with, but at my height, I don't want a big butt. Right now I'm measuring 33+ / 26 / 33.5" which is why my clothes never fit properly. And that 33+ is all back and pecs so that makes other things difficult to fit as well... Oh well. I still had a great workout and left the gym feeling light as air.

Candied Bacon

When my son got off the school bus yesterday, two girls popped their heads over the railing and asked if I'd make them candied bacon. This morning the same girls asked if I'd give them candied bacon for Christmas. This afternoon the school bus driver asked me how to make candied bacon. What a lot of fuss over bacon and brown sugar!

I spent this morning running errands for a friend laid up from hip replacement surgery and got to the gym an hour later than usual. It's Leg Day! I'm always surprised when the cardio section isn't busy but I'm happy to be able to use my favorite Precor. The first 35 minutes gets me 4.02 miles, and the intervals gets me 4.37 miles. I'm grinning before the first leg is even halfway over, and the second leg is exhilarating. I'm such a cardio junkie.

The skin over my back and glutes has been itching me for months now, and I'm wondering if this is a symptom of menopause, or just dry sensitive skin due to humidity changes, or perhaps, dare I suggest, muscle growth. Squats are relatively easy. I've squatted heavier but because my pants feel snug in the seat, I'm not inclined to up the weight although I've squatted 115 lbs before. Again, dead lifts are another matter. I'm always tired after I do them and I've never been tempted to up the weights! Dead lifts are a whole body exercise, and because I raise my elbows to bring the bar to my chest, it also works shoulders and arms.

Today's Total Workout:
35 min hill #5 = 4.02 + 35 min interval #7 = 4.37  Grand Total = 8.39 miles
Smith Squats: 12 @ bar / 5 x 12 @ 95 lbs
Smith Dead Lifts: 12 @ bar / 5 x 12 @ 95 lbs
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Seated Leg Curls: 3 x 15 @ 90 lbs
Seated Leg Extensions: 6 x 15 @ 45 lbs
Ab Crunch Station: 2 x 50 (uppers) / 2 x 50 (lowers)
Mat Stretch

The gym is fairly empty today and I'm surprised. But I'm always surprised that no one else works out as regularly as I do. There are the senior citizens who meet here every morning. They get in much earlier than I do and I've no wish to hang out with them. I don't think I'd get much out of conversations with them, and without chatter, I get a lot done in the time I'm here. The scale reads 110 lbs before I rush off to finish the errands I started. By the time I get home, it's 3 pm. My home scale tells me that I'm 107.2 lbs. I check the last several Wednesday readings and note that I was about 107 last week as well, but 105-6 in previous weeks.

One of my errands was to buy some Power Ball tickets. It's up to half a billion dollars. That's a lot of candied bacon.

Snow Snow Go Away!

They're closing school early down in Westchester and even in neighboring townships, but the snow's not sticking to the asphalt and the only cancellations have been for after-school programs and events. I went to the gym after putting my son on his school bus, but I kept my cell near me, something I rarely do when I work out. The ellipticals were once again abandoned so I hopped on my favorite #3 and punched in hill #5 and pedaled away for 45 minutes, enjoying all of the sweaty exhilaration that good cardio music brings. I got 5.09 very pleasing miles.

I have to listen to my body more these days otherwise I'm in danger of underestimating my own strengths and falling into a mindless routine. For example, I usually warm up with a set of 12 reps at 90 lbs, then 105 lbs before doing 3 sets of 120 at the Seated Cable Rows. Which is what I did. 3 sets of 6-8 reps. Except that it dawned on me after the 2nd set that I wasn't really struggling at rep 8 when I stopped. So for the 3rd set, I got another 2 reps past 8. Damn! I should be doing sets of 8-10! The 12 reps at 90 lbs (a cool down of sorts) seemed pretty easy as well.

Lower back extensions then off to the Cage Stretch & Kicks. I read in the Muscle & Strength website that one should always do Pull Ups or Chin Ups instead of Lat Pull Downs if and when possible. Because the Cage isn't really set up with horizontal bars positioned for me to safely do pull ups (if I'm grasping at the edge of the Cage, there is the risk of toppling the Cage over), I have to grab bars that are inset a good 10 inches from the edge. This leaves little room for one's head so I could only do partial pull-ups, but I did get 3 sets of 12. These didn't hurt my forearms and elbows as much as the neutral grip chin ups and I'm not sure why. Now off to do a few sets of Lat Pull Downs...

I can do 90 lbs without any issues but it's boring so I always up the weight to 105 lbs, close to my own body weight. I get 3 sets of 12 reps. Then I start to feel my right hand get a bit numb in the fingers. Another quick set of Lower Back extensions at 97.5 lbs and then I grab 10 lbs of magnetic discs to stick on the 60 lb barbell for Bent Over Rows. I like this exercise. It makes my back and arms tired at the end, but I can feel my lats and biceps.

Today's Total Workout:
45 min = 5.09 miles
Seated Cable Rows: 12 @ 90 / 12 @ 105 / 3 x 6-10 @ 120 / 12 @ 90 lbs
Lower Back Extensions: 2 x 25 @ 90 lbs
Cage Stretch & Kicks & 3 x 12 partial pull ups (have to figure out how to do these better)
Lat Pull Downs: 12 @ 90 / 3 x 12 @ 105 lbs
Lower Back Extensions (again!): 2 x 25 @ 97.5 lbs
Bent Over Barbell Rows: 15 @ 65 / 5 x 15 @ 70 lbs
Dumbbell Hammer Curls: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Reverse Grip Barbell Curls: 3 x 20 @ 40 lbs
Torso Twist: 25 each side @ 50 lbs (no other abs today)
Mat Stretch (no Twisted Triangle today but I feel very limber and my stretches are good)

I see R so I go over and say Hi to him and then we get into a discussion about tattoos and tattoo artists. Knowing me, I probably won't speak to him for the rest of the week. But I'm trying to be more "social" in a normal manner. There are other regulars at the gym but none whom I chat with out on the gym floor. B hasn't been here in a very long time. She texts me that she's not sure when she'll be back. She misses working out but she doesn't come as long as her husband is home on use-it-or-lose-it vacation time from his job. Wow. She might not be back until next year! Egads! I know she has a home gym but she doesn't appear to use it much. And my new elliptical is scheduled to arrive in two days. We've decided to park it in the garage, where the old treadmill used to be. I'm itching to try it out on the weekends, but, as everyone knows, I'm a fanatic.

The scale reads 111.2 lbs which is better than yesterday. The home gym reads 109.2 lbs and again, my BF is up, TBW down, muscle down and bone down. But these are fractional differences. I look at the calendar and realize that I'll probably get my period next week. Egads!

Bleary Monday Blues

I won't lie. We ate like hogs the entire weekend, and not just leftovers from our own turkey and stuffing dinner. Yesterday we drove up to Poughkeepsie to visit a showroom (Fitness Showrooms) with the intention of trying out and buying an elliptical for home use. I was armed with printouts from an elliptical review website. I wanted to check out the Smooth Agile DMT X2 which got high ratings, just under the Precor EFX 5.25. I love the Precors at the gym but we didn't want to drive to White Plains where a competing showroom (Leisure Fitness) features that brand. However, when we got there, it was evident that Life Fitness was their main brand. They didn't have any Smooth Agile ellipticals whatsoever.

They did have a Precor EFX 5.25 for me to try. And after several hours of discussion and hopping between machines to try them all out, I finally settled on a Vision Fitness S7100, a brand I'd never heard of before. It actually scored decently on the aforementioned website. It's cheaper than the Life Fitness models (some of them were commercial models that cost about $5000). It's cheaper than the Precor 5.25, and I have to say that I was disappointed in the Precor. Not just the antiquated dot-matrix display, but the motion was a bit gritty. Since Fitness Showrooms no longer carries Precors, the store manager was selling his floor model. He'd cut me a good deal if I really wanted that particular one, but that was just it: it would be that particular one, with the gritty feel and horrid display. No thanks! I'll use the Precors at the gym, and for home use, we'll use the Vision S7100.

Then we went across the street to eat a late lunch/early dinner at a place we'd never heard of before: Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse. It was wonderfully Disneyesque from the talking moose and buffalo heads to the antler chandeliers and snoeshoe decor. And the food was actually pretty good! My prime rib was perfectly rare. My husband's NY strip steak was lovely. Sweet potato fries came dusted with cinnamon sugar which it didn't need but it was tasty. The Onion & Ale soup was refreshing and cheesy. We were too stuffed to even consider dessert. My son had his fill of macaroni & cheese, and chicken tenders, which were actually tender. A big plus considering the major disappointment we had at our local Four Brothers Restaurant, which used to know how to cook a decent prime rib, and now sadly can't tell the difference between medium-rare and medium-well done.

I was a bit surprised that there was no one at all on the ellipticals at the gym this morning. I did my 45 minutes, barely busted a sweat and got 4.97 miles on hill #5. The Smith looked busy so I did Cage stretches and kicks. When I returned to the Smith, the 45-lb plates were still on the bar and no one was around, so I unracked them and took over. I hate it when people just walk away without putting their weights back.

Over the weekend, I discovered a great weight-lifting website chock full of useful information called www.muscleandstrength.com. Okay, it's a tad condescending to women (since women aren't their main audience) but all the articles are fairly useful and detailed, and reinforced a lot of my training beliefs and practices.

Today's Total Workout:
45 min cardio #5 hill = 4.97 miles
Cage stretch & kicks
Smith Bench Press: 12 @ bar / 12 @ 95 / 3 x 10 @ 145 lbs / 12 @ 125 / 12 @ 105 / 25 @ 95 lbs
  (this is actually feeling easier even though I still can't finish a 12-rep set)
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: about 100
Dumbbell Front & Lateral Raises: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Lateral Raises: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Rear Inclined Seated Raises: 5 x 15 @ 20 lbs (I'm probably over-working these muscles and should cut back either on reps or sets but I haven't decided which yet)
One-Arm Tricep Dumbbell Extensions: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Lower Ab Kickouts: about 125
Tricep Press Downs: 12 @ 40 / 3 x 12-10 @ 50 lbs (now I know why my right side cramped up a few weeks ago -- I feel my right obliques contract to stabilized me as I press heavy!)
Mat Stretch (no Twisted Triangle today!)

I see R and after I'm mostly done with my workout, I say Hi to him and ask him about his Thanksgiving. He's all chatty and tells me about the four helpings of dinner and two helpings of homemade cheesecake and pumpkin pie because he's got a sweet tooth. Then we start talking about dogs and next thing you know, it's 15 minutes gone by. He's able to workout while he's chatting so I'm a tad envious about that. I can barely collect my gear while I'm chatting with anyone. Eventually we just wander off to different stations and I'm relieved because I still need to do Lower Abs and Triceps.

The scale reads 112 lbs. Same as last Monday! I'm not as worried about my weight as I am about the fact that my pants fit me differently now. Suddenly, my butt and thighs are tight in my pants although (thankgoodness) the waist is still loose. Must be those squats and dead lifts kicking in finally. I'm not sure how I feel about it. On one hand, it's great not to have a super saggy butt (like an old elephant). On the other hand, I don't really like my pants so tight in the butt and thighs. I guess I got that elliptical just in time so I can do some extra cardio now to trim these babies down!

The home scale reads 109.2 lbs which seems very reasonable. My BF is up though and my TBW is down, and I scratch my head puzzled because muscle and bone are also up. Whatever. It's how your clothes fit that really counts. And mine are getting too tight. Sigh.

Post-Turkey Perspective

Because we got home around 1 am last night (from my brother's house in NJ), having thoroughly stuffed ourselves on turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, bread stuffing, spinach dip, lobster dip, mashed potatoes, salad, baby carrots, blueberry pie, a raspberry sherbet & 7Up punch beverage, mushroom gravy, cranberry apple chutney, assorted sushi rolls, and chocolate mousse cake, it was unlikely that I'd make it to the gym this morning. However, there are some things so ingrained into our lives that habit would be an extreme understatement. So, I went to the gym. I was about 45 minutes later than usual, but still, I was there. As were others on a lovely, sunny Black Friday morning.

There were a few diehards on the treadmills but the ellipticals were all vacant so I got on my favorite Precor and did my 45 minutes. I'm happy with the 4.98 miles and try to keep reminding myself that today is Friday, Back and Biceps Day. The Cable stations are all full of overly beefy dudes I don't recognize so I do Cage Stretch & Kicks while I'm still warm and sweaty. I won't lie: I'm damn tired, not having gone to sleep until 2 am, but it's Friday. It's the last workout day this week. I'm good at justifying why I'm here.

At past Thanksgivings, my identical twin first cousins had been looking a bit chunky for a while but are now in competition for losing weight and getting fit. One showed us his iPhone app that detailed his 5 miles of running 3 times a week. It takes him about an hour, and he's cut out red meat. His brother maintains that he's lost weight just by not eating meat without exercising, and that of course, he's the better looking twin anyway. It was a great family reunion, and a chance for my son to reacquaint himself with 2nd cousins he barely ever sees. For him, it was like having instant siblings.

Today's Total Workout:
45 min cardio = 4.98 miles
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Seated Cable Rows: 12 @ 90 / 12 @ 105 / 3 x 8 @ 120 lbs
Lower Back Extensions: 2 x 25 @ 90 lbs
Lat Pull Downs: 12 @ 90 / 4 x 12 @ 105 lbs
Bent-Over Barbell Rows: 15 @ 65 lbs / 5 x 15 @ 70 lbs
   (this again, is a 60 lb bar with pairs of 2.5 lb magnetic discs stuck to each end)
Lower Back Extensions (again!): 2 x 25 @ 95 lbs
   (usually I use the 7.5 lb brick but I couldn't find it today)
Seated Alternating Hammer Curls: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
   (these seem easier now! damn, I'm gonna have to up the weight! )
Torso Twists: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Reverse Grip Barbell Curls: 3 x 20 @ 40 lbs
   (the heavier weight seems to be improving my "golfer's elbow")
Mat Stretch (no Twisted Triangle pose today!) 

I don't see R or B today and M is just leaving as I arrived this morning. I glance up at the clock and realize that I really have to skidaddle as I have a turkey to put in the oven (the problem with eating out for a long weekend holiday is that there are no leftovers to make into meals) and my son has an orthodontist appointment to fix a broken wire on his braces. The scale reads 111.4 lbs and although it's a lot for a Friday, it's not a lot considering last night's complete pig out. It's really not that much when I go home and look up how much I weighed this time last year: 117 lbs. And last year, I actually didn't go to the gym that Thursday or Friday afterward. 

Gobble Gobble!

I actually made it to the gym today and thoroughly enjoyed my abbreviated workout. 45 minutes on the Precor got me a decent 4.95 miles and then I moved right onto the Smith to bench for reps. They felt really easy. The Cage Stretch & Kicks went well and then I moved back to the dumbbell rack for deltoids. It was soooo crowded with high schoolers that I had to be satisfied with a pair of 15 lb dumbbells so I improvised.

I only did 3 sets of front and lateral raises but didn't rest in between exercises so that felt good. Then I did a few sets of bent-over (chest in your knees) rear dumbbell raises but they were so easy at 15 lbs that I did sets of 15 reps without any issues. Several benches seemed to be missing and after a brief set of Tricep Dumbbell Extensions, I did some abs and then Mat stretch. The Torso Twist has a big sign on it stating that it's reserved for an Event. ??? Then I see R moving a pair of 125 dumbbells with a gaggle of wide-eyed high schoolers staring in disbelief, so I mosey over and wish him a Happy Thanksgiving. He nods and smiles.

Today's Total Workout:
45 min cardio = 4.95 miles
Smith Bench Press: 12 @ bar / 4 x 25 @ 95 lbs
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Superset Front & Lateral Raises: 3 x 12 @ 15 lbs
Seated Bent-Over Rear Raises: 3 x 15 @ 15 lbs
One-Arm Tricep Extensions: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Lower Ab Kick Outs: 125
Mat stretch with Twisting Triangle yoga pose

The scale reads 110 lbs and I'm okay with that. I had a good workout and get back to the locker room to indulge in a hot shower. Now I'm just trying to get my husband and son ready to head off to my brother's house in NJ for Thanksgiving dinner with our cousins. Tomorrow I'll be cooking turkey, mashed parsnips & carrots, chestnut-sausage stuffing, and probably some banana bread. But damn, I'm gonna make it to the gym in the morning! After all, I'm a gym rat through and through.

Pre-Turkey Workout

We actually made it to kickboxing last night so I knew I was going to be a little sore this morning. My butt is always sore, or so it seems, but my shoulders were a tad tender today. Just as well, since it's Leg Day, and I love Leg Day. I love doing the extra cardio! It makes me feel THAT good!

from www.footdoc.ca

I'm a bit stiff and again, my right hip feels a little off when I start off, but I concentrate on keeping my pace and now putting too much pressure on the ball of my foot. Instinctively, I flex my toes to stave off foot spasms. It feels as if my right foot's all connected in a zig-zag pinball way with nerves in my pinkie toe zinging diagonally across to a bunion. I know that physiologically this isn't likely but that's how it feels. And foot diagrams show me that it's possible for nerves to interact in non-linear fashions.

I blame the surgery I had 20 years ago to remove a schwannoma (a benign tumor) from my inside ankle for my toes getting oddly numb and my foot developing a bunion since I never wear tight shoes or heels, and my left foot is bunion-free. If I wear the wrong socks I'm in big trouble. My foot'll go numb and my toes'll get bruised from the seams. If the socks are too nubby, my foot'll go numb. If my shoes are too tight, my foot'll go numb. Luckily, today the threat of spasm passes and I complete my 2 cardio sessions with a total of 8.34 miles which makes me very happy.

www.smartdraw.com/examples/view/nerves+of+the+foot/

I do my standard set of Smith machine Squats and Dead Lifts (damn those aren't getting any easier and I've been doing them since April!) when B comes over to chat. She tells me that there's a huge (as in overweight) guy grunting so loud that she could hear him in spite of her turned-up iPod. Then she tells me that he had lousy form, arching his back and lifting more than he could handle. I've never seen him before and figure he's an idiot for not asking for instruction on proper form, and he'll injure himself and we'll never see him again. Yes, I'm a bad person. I tell B that the gym employees are all certified trainers so really, members ought to seek them out for help. B tells me that I really ought to consider becoming a Personal Trainer and I laugh at her. I don't have that good-natured patience, those all so important people skills.

Today's Total Workout:
35 min hill #6 = 3.97 miles + 35 min interval #7 = 4.37  Grand Total = 8.34 miles
Smith Squats: 12 @ bar / 5 x 12 @ 95 lbs (these don't feel bad at all today)
Smith Dead Lifts: 6 x 12 @ 95 lbs (these, on the other hand, feel absolutely exhausting)
Cage stretch & kicks
Seated Leg Curls: 3 x 15 @ 90 lbs (I have to brace myself against the lap bar to keep from popping out of the seat because I'm short and I'm curling nearly my own body weight)
Seated Leg Extensions: 6 x 15 @ 45 lbs (I haven't upped the weight because I don't want bigger quadriceps, just better defined and shaped ones)
Mat stretch: this time I do the Twisted Triangle Pose before I take my shoes off to do the rest of my mat stretch routine and it's much easier to do standing on the floor. I can feel my legs starting to stiffen up though and my stretch is not as good as it usually is on Leg Day. 

I have the dawning realization that knots in my shoulders are from grasping the handles of the elliptical when I do cardio. Being a small person with short legs means that often handles aren't placed where your arms fall naturally. I've got to focus on not contracting my shoulders when I "run" from now on! The scale reads 110.4 lbs and I'm pleased to be losing some of my puffiness. My home scale confirms the weight loss but again perplexes me with the rest of the readings: 107.8 lbs, 19.5% BF, 52.1 TBW, 38.1 muscle and 4.6 lbs bone. ?? Losing bone again? Yeah, right. I guess I just need to average the weekly readings instead.

Of course, tomorrow's Thanksgiving and although the gym is open from 7 am to 1 pm, I won't be there (sigh). However, I do plan on going on Friday. Because I can!

What's in a Number Anyway?

I'm having a hard time believing that Thanksgiving is just two days away even though I picked up my free frozen 16 lb turkey from the supermarket yesterday. My brain, and all the gym posters, and all the fitness magazines at the grocery checkout counters scream that we ought to be working our little tails off and eating in moderation come the big day. I'm still a bit freaked out about being bigger and heavier (in my mind this occurred really suddenly, like yesterday) so I'm not sure what I can do about the coming Food Apocalypse.

Perhaps my body is getting acclimatized to my cardio regime. I worried about that when I went from 30 minutes to 45 minutes of cardio this time last year. Whoa! It's been a year? Granted that I don't weigh nearly as much and I push a lot more weight, but still I worry about instantly morphing into a soft doughy dumpling as soon as menopause hits me. 45 minutes at hill #5 gives me 4.92 miles and I'm warm but not drenched. I settle into heavy sets for Seated Cable Rows when B comes over to ask me about form and weights.

I tell her that perfect form isn't going to make her stronger. Only lifting heavier, and sometimes you need to compromise "perfect form" to move heavier weights. As long as you don't hurt yourself, or wind up using other muscles when you "cheat", I say it's okay. She seems skeptical and says she'll go ask M who happens to be standing nearby. After conferring with him, she comes over and says, Well, he said what you said. And he smiles and adds, I agree with you absolutely. I think I smile back (I don't always know what my face conveys sometimes). Later, B says, I wasn't calling you out on your form. And I smile and nod Yeah, right.

Todays' Total Workout:
45 min = 4.92 miles
Seated Cable Rows: 12 @ 90 / 3 x 8 @ 120 / 12 @ 90 lbs
Lower Back Extensions: 2 x 25 @ 90 lbs
Cage stretch & kicks
Lat Pull Downs: 12 @ 90 / 5 x 12-10 @ 105 lbs
  (I can't grip the bar anymore by the 10th rep of set 5)
Bent Over Barbell Rows: 18 @ 65 lbs / 5 x 15 @ 70 lbs (I lost count and got carried away at 65 lbs so I moved back up to 70 lbs with the magnetic discs)
Seated Alternating Dumbbell Hammer Curls: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Concentration Curls: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Reverse Grip Barbell Curls: 3 x 20 @ 40 lbs
Mat Stretch (today I add a yoga stretch called Twisted Triangle and it's damn hard to do in socks on a smooth mat, so next time I'm either leaving my shoes on, or doing it on the floor)

from Shape.com

I feel big, and the fact that my arms look smooth and my face looks puffy doesn't help me any. A woman in the locker room tells me that my back looks really impressive and she uses the word "ripped" but I know I'm not "ripped" at 19.5% body fat. I'm just big. The scale tells me 111.6 lbs which is a tad better than yesterday but not much. Later B tells me that I'm starting to get that bodybuilder shape, but warns me that I don't want to get too much bigger because I'll look like a guy. No, I don't want that. But I love lifting weights. I love how it feels and I think I should get as muscular and strong as naturally possible before menopause kicks my butt and I won't be able to make muscle or keep my metabolism fired up.

I'm actually kind of surprised that I'm bigger: I'm doing everything naturally possible, like lifting heavy once a week, doing massive reps, not really supplementing except drinking 25 gms of protein via Ensure High Protein right after my workouts, and doing cardio everyday that I do workout. Yup, this completely goes against everything they preach in those fitness magazines. At home, the scale reads 108.4 lbs, 19.5% BF, 51.8 TBW, 39.3% muscle and 4.8 lbs bone. Really? I've put on .2 lbs bone? I suppose if I cut down on butter and red meat, and wine on the weekends, I'd drop the extra 3 lbs of bloat. I'd feel normal. Even now, my clothes feel a tad tight. Egads!

Reap What You Sow

I knew today was going to be difficult just because we'd had such a hectic weekend. Having barely recovered from the onerous belt testing graduation ceremony at my son's tae kwon do school Friday evening, we plunged right into Chinese school the next morning, to be followed by kung fu, and then a mad dash home to load the car with Cub Scout camp-over gear. We made it to the Boys Scouts camping grounds in time to participate in archery, but thankfully, missed the requisite hike. The boys engaged in tag and other tom-foolery while adults supervised dinner preparations. After burger, dogs and assorted chips, there was bonfire marshmallow roasting and flashlight tag.

After my husband and son had ensconced themselves in their tent (my husband had had enough of the bunk cabin arrangements at last spring's sleepover), I made the mistake of mentioning that the Leonides Meteor shower was this weekend and what a perfect night to see stars! We, and a few other cold-hardy adults sat around the bonfire staring into the frigid night skies for several hours until my husband retreated back to his tent (with an air mattress and sleeping bag), and eventually my son convinced me that it was well past his bed time. The next day, after doing several loads of laundry, we headed off to Connecticut for a play date with one of my son's friends. We brought potato bread rolls, burgers, dogs and a 2010 bottle of Cupcake malbec. It was quite nice but we got home late.

from aidmymuscle.com/quadricep-strains

Sooo, this morning I was hoping to get at least 4 miles on the elliptical. My start was good, but just as I changed my stride (minute 3-4), I felt a familiar but inexplicable dull pain that radiated from inside my hip cradle down along the inside thigh and into my right knee. I had to assume a shorter stride and position myself more upright to lessen the pain. It felt as if it might spasm and knot at any moment. This went on for several minutes and it slowed my pace from the normal 169  down to 105-110. After a minute or two, I managed to increase my speed and gradually lengthen my stride but the spasm threat occurred at least once more before completely dissipating at minute 25. So much for 5 miles today. By minute 35 I was feeling more my old self, but there was not a lot of time to catch up on distance. 4.84 was what I got today. It's better than 4.5.

Today's Total Workout:
45 min = 4.84 miles
Smith Bench: 12 @ bar / 12 @ 95 / 3 x 10 @ 145 / 12 @ 125 / 12 @ 105 / 15 @ 95 lbs
Cage stretch & kicks
Front & Lateral Dumbbell Raises: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Lateral Raises & Inclined Dumbbell Presses: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs (I added this light pressing movement more for stretch & variation)
Seated Rear Inclined Dumbbell Raises: 5 x 15 @ 20 lbs
One-Arm Tricep Extension: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Seated Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Tricep Press Downs: 12/12/10 @ 50 lbs / 12 @ 30 lbs
Mat stretch

I see B today. She tells me that I look good and comments on my flat stomach. I laugh because she doesn't have any belly either. She also comments on my haircut. She's probably the only one who's actually noticed! And apparently, she's had Pink Eye (conjunctivitis). Now she's just getting back to the gym after being on vacation, and being sick. She complains about losing strength and feeling fat. I tease her, of course, because she looks scrawny to me. But I'm glad she stayed home when she got Pink Eye! I see R too, but neither of us appears very chatty today so all I do is ask him if he's done with the inclined bench, which he is because he's wiped it down with a deluge of bleach water.

By the time I get to the Mat stretch, my legs are cold and stiff so I go slow and easy on the stretches. I know I've over-indulged over the weekend and that I'm not going to be happy with the scale. Salty fatty meats and lots of wine do not make a good diet. I'm not quite prepared for the 112 lbs though that greets me. My round face is puffy and pink in the mirror, so how much of this is water? I am lifting heavier though, so I should also be putting on some muscle weight, even if I can't really see it. My home scale reads 109.6 lbs. What surprises me is not that my body fat reading is higher (19.7), but that my TBW reading is the lowest I've seen it (51.4). Muscle percentage is higher (39.7) but so is bone weight (4.8 lbs). None of this really makes any sense to me. All I know is that I'm heavier, and probably a tad bigger. I'll just have to see this week whether this is a fluke or a trend. After all, I'm eating more, and lifting heavier. Yeah, I'm probably bigger!

Frenetic Friday

I'm tired before I even get to the gym. When I get to the cardio area, all the Precors are in use but a few of the LifeFitness are free so I clamber up and discover to my disgust, that both sets of handles and the screen are completely covered in droplets. I'm not sure droplets of what but I'm thinking sweat, sneeze and other bodily fluids. I have no choice but to disinfect the entire machine with the spray bottle of bleach water and then wipe it all down. I even spray my hands just for good measure. I hate the LifeFitness machines. This one makes my ankles and knees ache slightly as I slog through a course on Level 1. Eventually, I see that one of the Precor's has freed up and I'm immediately on it, never mind the 6 minute investment I made on the LifeFitness machine.

45 minutes and I'm telling myself I'll be lucky to get anything over 4 miles so I'm pleased with 4.92 miles, but this was hard going. Back and Biceps today. I'm doing reps because I want that good feeling, that endorphin rush. I'm feeling a little less tired but wonder if it wasn't a mistake to add a beaten egg to my 5-minute oatmeal and freeze-dried mango cubes this morning. During cardio, I felt a little full and it was distracting even though I'd eaten my standard breakfast at least an hour before I arrived at the gym.

Today's Total Workout:
45 min = 4.92 miles (I'm not going to count the 6-minute LifeFitness session)
Seated Cable Rows: 12 @ 90 / 5 x 12 @ 105 / 12 @ 90 lbs
Lower Back Extensions: 2 x 25 @ 90 lbs
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Lower Back Extensions (again): 2 x 25 @ 97.5 lbs
Lat Pull Downs: 12 @ 90 / 4 x 12 @ 105 lbs / 12 @ 90 lbs
Reverse Grip Bent-Over Barbell Rows: 15 @ 65 lbs / 5 x 15 @ 70 lbs (I borrow 10 lbs worth of magnetic discs from the front desk so I can use the 60 lb bar instead of struggling with the 70)
Alternating Dumbbell Hammer Curls: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Concentration Curls: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs (the last 4 reps of the last set required assistance to squeeze the curl)
Reverse Grip Barbell Curls: 3 x 20 @ 40 lbs (if I did it once I can do it again, so I upped the weight)
Flat Bench Twisting Sit ups: about 150 (at least my underwear tag didn't bother me here like the way it was scratching my lower back during cardio!)
Lower Ab Kick Outs: about 100
Mat Stretch (didn't add planks, push ups or any yoga positions. yet.)

I see R and he's been chatting with J so I'm not sure if I should even say Hi. I know J has sporadically been trying to catch my eye without seeming too obvious. I recognize a lot of regulars in the gym today. Eventually, before doing Abs and Mat Stretch, I do walk up to R to say Hi and How're you feeling? He seems surprised, probably because I've pretty much ignored everyone for the last several days. (People have told me that I'm intimidating when I work out. It's probably because I'm so intensely focused on what I'm doing. I can push a lot of weight. And I can do a lot of reps. At least that's my opinion.)

He's better. Not 100 percent but better. His sciatica is gone, but his back is off so he's not doing core today. "Are you getting another shot?" I ask him. He's not sure if he should because he's just starting to feel better now. I tell him I just wanted to see how he was and have a good weekend. He smiles and says Thank you as he puts on his hoodie to leave. I don't look around but I can see a lot of the regulars staring because, damn she don't talk to nobody. Even J has an odd, almost stricken, look to his face but I don't acknowledge him. I can't. I'm headed off to Mat stretch. Ugh. I glimpse Mr Pajama Pants as I leave the work out area. He's got an odd look too. Time to shower and dress, and hopefully everyone'll be gone by the time I get out to my car.

The scale reads 109 lbs. Last night, I had deliciously salty home-made pulled-pork with BBQ sauce on a potato roll. My fingers aren't swollen today and I feel really good as I leave the gym. My home scale reads 107 lbs and I'm not concerned. My lats are a tad sore. The fact that I can actually feel my lats has me completely excited. Still I'm torn between wanting to be bigger and stronger, and not being any heavier. I look at Rene Marven and think I don't want to look like her. She's impressive at 5'2" and 136 lbs (actually, she probably weighs more competing as a heavyweight) but there's a hardness to her features now that she didn't have 3 years ago. I like the way I look now. Even with the silly hair cut.

The Anti-Social Hoodie

Yesterday's workout felt so phenomenally good that I tried to reproduce it today even though it's a Push Day. But, I figure I'd do reps and that might give me that same cardio-induced endorphin rush. I actually feel pretty energetic on the elliptical until I find myself at minute 18 wondering when I can slow down a bit. Ah, I must be thinking of the intervals I did yesterday. Still, 45 min gives me 5.13 sweaty miles and it feels good.

The Smith is free so I put a 25 lb plate on each side of the bar and proceed to do 25 reps, 4 sets. I have to strip off my hoodie to put my elbow braces on and I leave the hoodie off until I go to the Cage stretch because that's by the front door, and even though there are double doors, it's still a bit chilly in that area. I feel very loose and limber although I don't quite have the stamina to do more than 10 minutes. Back to the dumbbells for deltoids.

Damn, 20 lbs still feels heavy but my body must be adjusting because I can finish each 12-rep set without much pause. Yes, I'm grimacing at rep 10-12 but I finish. I see two other women in the dumbbell area but the most I'm able to focus on is where everyone is, and who they are. Not what they're doing. I just like to be aware of potential crashes so as to avoid accidents.

Even though I'm wearing my yoga pants, I do twisting sit ups and lower ab kick outs before eying the decline bench. I haven't done THOSE in a while so I psyche myself to do reps there. I see R glide in with his hoodie up. He doesn't normally wear it over his baseball cap. I figure he must be feeling as anti-social as I am so I don't bother him. By the time I go to leave he's taken it off, but he looks like he's into his workout and I'm in a place in my head where I'm not feeling very sociable or talkative. I know it's probably rude, but I don't even say Hi. B's teased me about being in my own little world when I'm at the gym, and I don't contradict her. I don't come here to chat. I've avoided saying anything at all to V who I've seen twice at the gym this week. But I'm so put off by the thought that he'll engage in completely inappropriate behavior or conversation that I just slink by silently.

By the 4th set of Declines, I get to rep 22 and stall so I put the bar back on the stays, take a second and then pump out the last 3 reps to finish. Then I drop the weight and knock out another 25 reps. Again, I need to stop at rep 22 and rest a second before finishing the set. By the 7th set, I've knocked the weight back down to 65 lbs and I can get a full 25 reps without pausing. So I go for the burn and push out 50 reps with just the bar. I'm a bit dizzy as I get up from the bench, but I feel really good. I've also sucked down my entire water bottle and switched from my cardio workout mix to Billy Idol so I'm nearly dancing with the beat. This is a good time to end the workout with the Mat stretch. That also feels pretty good because I have all my stretches back. I briefly think about adding planks or some variation to the stretch. Maybe next time.

Today's Total Workout:
45 min cardio = 5.13 miles
Smith Bench: 12 @ bar / 4 x 25 @ 95 lbs
Cage stretch & kicks
Front & Lateral Dumbbell Raises: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Lateral Dumbbell Raises: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Seated Inclined Dumbbell Raises: 5 x 15 @ 20 lbs
One-Arm Tricep Extensions: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Seated Twisting Sit Ups: about 100
Flat Bench Kick Outs: about 100
Decline Bench Press: 25 @ bar / 25 @ 65 / 25 @ 75 / 25 @ 85 / 25 @ 75 / 25 @ 65 / 50 @ bar
Mat Stretch

The scale reads 108 lbs. I'm not thrilled but I'm not upset. I'm not sure how I feel about the new haircut. It is cute. It does keep the hair out of my eyes. And neither my husband or son have said anything about it so I'm assuming they haven't noticed because it wasn't a drastic cut. Really just trimming and shaping. The home scale reads 105.2 lbs with readings similar to previous days with the exception of TBW which is 53.1. Again, I'm puzzled but not greatly.

I'm still looking at ellipticals for home use, but the recommended machines are all front-wheel drive (rear-wheel drives are suppose to have less maintenance issues) and brands I've never heard of. I know rowing machine fans claim that rowers are better, and I do love the fact that they don't require electricity, but again, my issue is with my grip and all the related joints. Even doing a session on the elliptical can elicit numb fingers with wrist and thumb pain if I'm not constantly repositioning and flexing my hands. My elliptical workouts don't involve upper body: I just use the grips to keep myself steady because I'm moving so fast. I suspect that my body has some sort of collagen issue, because I've inherited "poor circulation", i.e., movable veins (a real nightmare if you've ever tried to give blood), skin that retains the faintest impressions, blood vessels that compress easily, and extremely dry sensitive skin.

I call B when I get to the parking lot to find out what's become of her. Apparently she's been sick since she got back from vacation. But she'll be back. I tell myself that tomorrow, if I see R, I'll make a point of saying Hi, so that I'm not a complete anti-social freak. I have to tell myself these things because it's so easy for me to just withdraw into my workout, oblivious to the world. I've been trying hard not to be a complete jerk. BR at the front desk tells me that I should look up Rene Marven on FB  (under ifbb Pro Rene Marven) to see her photos from the NY Grand Prix. (Actually, Rene has her own website! Click here to view.) BR also tells me that she's so impressed with how much I've transformed myself, and we both agree that damn, I work hard for it. That makes me happy. Even if I am an anti-social hoodie jerk.

It's a Sin to Love a Workout So Much

I had, to paraphrase Pink's hit song Blow (Me One Last Kiss), a sh*t day, or rather, a sh*t morning. Until I got to the gym. Ever since Hurricane Sandy, people have been driving in a daze, as if they've inhaled entire packages of antihistamines or taken other stupid pills. There was the woman who made a U turn in the middle of a busy intersection but couldn't quite pull it off without driving into the shoulder. The car was a Subaru, which means it has a tight turning radius, so driver incompetence was responsible for the broken K-turn that took a full 5 minutes to complete. Or the guy who just stopped his truck in the middle of the road to check his phone. Or the woman who couldn't figure out how to get on the highway and kept cutting in front of people because she was always in the wrong lane. I don't honk my horn but I am cursing under my breath the entire time.

And then I got to the gym, hopped on my favorite Precor elliptical and knocked out my two sets of cardio because it's Leg Day. I get 8.11 total miles and I'm happy. Not quite delirious but close. Smith Squats are next and my right knee feels a bit off so I lean forward a tiny bit more. The Dead Lifts again take my breath away, and I find myself crouched over panting between sets. I keep my hoodie on the entire workout because my hair is making me crazy flopping in my face all the time.

Today's Total Workout:
35 min hill = 4.01 + 35 min intervals = 4.10 Grand Total = 8.11 miles
Smith Squats: 12 @ bar / 6 x 12 @ 95 lbs
Smith Dead Lifts: 5 x 12 @ 95 lbs (I don't pull up as high today in order to spare my golfer's elbows)
Cage stretch & kicks
Ab Crunch Station: 2 x 50 (uppers) / 2 x 50 (lowers)
Seated Leg Curl: 3 x 15 @ 90 lbs
Seated Leg Extensions: 6 x 15 @ 45 lbs (maybe I should up the weight a teensy bit)
Mat stretch

I feel really good now and I can't help but think that it's the extra cardio I do on Wednesdays that makes the difference. The scale reads 108.4 lbs. I have a ton of errands to do, including getting a hair cut (nothing drastic! but my hair's out of my eyes now!) and cheap gas (20¢/gal cheaper than local gas), and buying new sneakers for my son. By the time I get home, it's nearly time to meet the school bus. The home scale reads 105.8 lbs and again, the rest of the readings are in line with past readings. I've had a good day.

Tuesday Tribulations

I drive my son to the bus stop this morning because it's raining and I don't want him to soak his sneakers before he's even arrived at school. He's all excited about the Chess at Recess club he's joined, as well as the new orange and teal braces he got yesterday to fix a wicked cross-bite. Then I head off to the gym. The parking lot looks really sparse and I'm assuming that all the women arrive suddenly and "just in the nick of time" to fill the class that starts at 9:30. I'm already on the elliptical by the time they descend.

Mac'n cheese and left-over grilled steak laden with seasoning and salt make me feel puffy and slow this morning, but better than yesterday. 45 minutes gets me 5.09 miles and I'm warm and happy. I also have my grey cotton hoodie on so there'll be no fussing with the blasted zipper. No B today. I see R glide in, looking thin but not in agony. I also see M making the rounds, chatting and socializing. I see this all peripherally because I've got my head down and my iPod turned up for Seated Cable Rows. The Cage Stretch feels pretty good too: the left hamstring feels nearly normal in spite of the deep dull ache in my glute that persists when I raise my leg to chest height.

I decide not to do chin ups in order to give my forearms, elbows and grips some time to rest. My elbows always seem worse after close-grip chin ups and I haven't found anything at the gym that enables me to do regular chins or pull ups without killing my forearms. My hands are just too damn little for the equipment (although I can chin my self just fine at home in the garage)!

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
Lat Pull Downs: 12 @ 90 / 5 x 12 @ 105 lbs
Bent Over Barbell Rows: 5 x 12 @ 70 lbs (embarrassingly, after my sets, I can't put the 70 lb bar back on the shoulder-height rack and have to leave it on the floor instead)
Lower Back Extensions (again): 2 x 25 @ 97.5 lbs
Seated Twisting Sit Ups: about 100
Seated Alternating Dumbbell Hammer Curls: 3 x 12 @ 20 (these actually feel really good today)
Lower Ab Kick Outs: about 100 (my underwear is giving me a rug burn now!)
Reverse Grip Barbell Curls: 5 x 20 @ 30 lbs (I was torn between using the 30s or the 40s for same reps but less sets. Fatigue won and I went with the lighter bar.)
Mat stretch (this feels really good today but I still need to work harder on the left hamstring)

I chat with R briefly to see how he is. He won't admit to being better although he's had another shot and his sciatica has improved. But his wife thought he'd contracted meningitis over the weekend because of the fever, nausea and pain. Migraines apparently also run in his family. He's a mess! But it's nice to see him at the gym today. He says he's thinking about cutting back in order to give himself time to heal, but then what would he do with himself. What a Gym-rat junkie! I should know.

The little tag on my brand new GAP all-cotton underwear is chafing my backside. I'm either going to cut those annoying little tags off, or wear my underwear inside out. That explains all my old anonymous cotton briefs which are missing sizing and brand information. The scale tells me I'm right to assume that I'm retaining a lot of salt-sensitive water: 110 lbs. And I don't have my period anymore. (sigh)

The home scale reads a tad better: 107.2 lbs, 19.2% BF, 52.4 TBW, 38.6% muscle, 4.6 lbs bone. I look up the last time I weighed about 107-8 lbs and compare all the other readings. Everything seems within range. The Levi's tag, on the other hand, really has to go! I've got a scab on the small of my back now due to the plasticized stitching that holds the tag in place.

I did discover one great solution to keeping "stretch" jeans in shape, especially around the waist where they tend to become really huge: wear a belt before the jeans get stretched out! I got this great simple black leather/silver square buckle belt at Marshall's (Calvin Klein Jeans) for around $14 and it actually helps to keep the waistband from muffin-top proportions. Caveat: if you use the belt after the waist stretches out, well, there's just no hope of making the loose extra fabric look halfway decent. Wash it, toss it in the dryer and try again!

Monday Blues

It's Veteran's Day and there's no school today, which means I get to the gym later than usual because I've let my son sleep in for a bit. Still, the gym's not as crowded as I expected, and the childcare room has a dearth of school-age kids. The ellipticals and treadmills are sparsely populated as well, so I plug in my 45 minutes, knowing that today is going to suck because not only did we feast like BBQ-pigs this weekend, I imbibed several alcoholic beverages, and I still have my period. My face is puffy and my hair is too long. Yes, today is going to suck.

45 minutes gives me 4.93 miles and a decently warm sweaty feeling. Good enough to bench heavy today anyway. I manage to get 3 decent sets, happy that my back's not sliding across the bench as I press, or that my hamstrings haven't seized up. No, it's just my joints, my wrists and thumbs that complain. 10 reps and I knock the weight down by 20 lbs and do a set of 12. Then down another 20 lbs for another set. Then 10 lbs down. And I feel pretty damn good when I'm done. I feel invincible. I wish I felt like this all the time, but then I'd probably be insufferable.

Cage stretch and kicks, then back to dumbbells for shoulders. I think briefly of doing abs but the odd scab on my lower back nags at me, even though I'm fairly certain that it's the stupid tag inside my Levi's that's causing the problem. Delts are hard as always but I can't back down from the 20s. And I'm running out of time so I only do Tricep Extensions and Torso Twists before hitting the Mat Stretch. I haven't seen B or R today. There are a few other regulars I haven't seen since pre-Sandy. (I do see Mr Pajama Pants as I exit the gym with my son. Usually my son's presence is enough to squelch any untoward interest in me, but guys can be so weird and unpredictable.)

Today's Total Workout:
45 minutes = 4.93 miles
Smith Bench Press: 12 @ bar / 12 @ 95 / 3 x 10 @ 145 lbs / 12 @ 125 / 12 @ 105 / 12 @ 95
Cage stretch & kicks
Front & Lateral Dumbbell Raises: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Lateral Raises: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Seated Rear Inclined Dumbbell Raises: 5 x 12 @ 20 lbs
One-Arm Tricep Extensions: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Torso Twists: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Mat stretch

The scale reads an unsurprising 110.6 lbs and I don't have time today to do a home scale reading. We're off to the orthodontist, lunch at the local pizzeria, shopping for a birthday gift, and then the pediatrician for a flu shot before finally heading home. It's already dusk by the time I pull into the driveway. I'm pooped, and there's still dinner to be made, the dog to be fed and walked, laundry (good grief!) and homework (both 2nd grade and Chinese school) to be tackled. Thankgod tomorrow's back and bi's. I'm looking forward to that!

Friday is Just as Good an Excuse as Any Other

I admit my workouts usually suck on Fridays, and not just because it's the 5th day in a row of a rather intensive exercise regime. Uncharacteristically, I had a strong (for me) alcoholic drink last night with dinner. It was the last glass of pre-mixed Mojito & Rum and I was feeling the need for an instant muscle-relaxant. One drink is all it takes for the knots in my traps and upper back to simmer down. And the reason I don't drink during the week is because it messes up my workout the next day.

So, I tell myself that if I get 4.5 miles today I should consider that good. I'm not smiling as the sweat starts to drip off my nose. But I do get 4.91 miles which is better than I expect. Again, the gym is uncharacteristically quiet, except for the women streaming out of class. Again, B and R aren't here. But Mr Pajama Pants is. Sigh.

It's Friday and I decide to take it easy. I'm sure you'll laugh at my version of taking it easy. At Seated Cable Rows, I go for reps and do 5 sets of 12 at 105 lbs instead of 3 sets of 6-8 at 120 lbs. I have to be so cautious with my right knee when I go heavy and I just can't do it today. Then 2 sets of Lower Back Extensions. At the Cage stretch, the kicks come easily, especially since we didn't make it to Kickboxing last night. But I decide that my "golfer's elbow" is complaining too much so I bag the chin ups. More Lower Back Extensions. Then to the Lat Pull Down machine.

Drat! I've just busted the zipper pull off my favorite sweat-laden royal-blue cotton hoodie and have to pull it off over my head instead. Damn. Well, after I wash it, I guess I'll take it to the tailor and get her to replace the zipper. It's not the first jacket I've replaced zippers on, and it won't be the last. Hulyas Tailoring is great and I highly recommend her to everyone.

Today's Total Workout:
45 min cardio = 4.91 miles
Seated Cable Rows: 12 @ 90 / 5 x 12 @ 105 lbs
Lower Back Extensions: 2 x 25 @ 90 lbs
Cage Stretch & kicks
Lower Back Extensions (again!): 2 x 25 @ 90 lbs
Lat Pull Downs: 12 @ 90 / 4 x 12 @ 105 lbs (again, I'm having trouble hanging on to the bar)
Bent Over Barbell Rows: 6 x 15 @ 60 lbs
Torso Twists (I've got to cut down on this, it's making my waist wide again): 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Seated Alternating Dumbbell Hammer Curls: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Seated Concentration Curls: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs (by rep 8 I have to assist with the other hand)
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Lower Ab Kickouts: 150
Reverse Grip Barbell Curls: 4 x 20 @ 30 lbs
Mat Stretch

I see R out of the corner of my eye. I'd say Hi except he's chatting with M and I don't like to interrupt anyone, even to say Hi. M is one of B's favorite people. He's a retired cop and one of the gym rat regulars with a physique that shows it. But I'm not comfortable even saying Hi to him. There's something unsettling to me about him. B claims he's just a really really nice guy and that's fine with me. He's B's friend and I'm sure B's perfectly happy to keep it that way. I'm happy to comply.

The scale reads 107.4 lbs and I'm not unhappy with that. Menstrual cramps have twinged my lower abs sporadically all day today. But I don't have a backache so that's good. What I do have is an odd abrasion from either sit ups or kick outs. Bleah. But I'm very happy to now have two whole days to be a complete slug and not do one lick of exercise. The home scale reads: 105.8 lbs, 18.9% BF, 52.7 TBW, 38.5% muscle and 4.6 lbs bone. I would've thought that having my period would increase my TBW instead of BF but again, I'm not that concerned. It's something to puzzle over, but not too hard.

With all the storms though, I have been giving a lot more thought to purchasing a cardio machine for home use. I'd have to put it in our unheated garage though because our house is literally a converted summer bungalow that's already crowded for 3 people and their stuff and very furry dog. Since I really like the Precor 546 at the gym, I looked at the Precor website, as well as Treadmill Doctor, a purportedly unbiased company that repairs treadmills and elliptical equipment, and offers product reviews. The 546 is an old model and there are several refurbished ones on Amazon.com but really, am I going to buy something that I know for a fact can have grinding and thumping issues in the glide motion? I know that out of the 4 at Gold's Gym, only 2 move smoothly, 1 thumps and 1 feels like there's sand in the tract.

Unfortunately, the current model Precors that I like and can barely afford (EFX 5.25 - 5.31) seem to have an enormous stride lengths (20-24) which would be hard for me (at 4'11.5") to use. I'm trying to find something that both me and my husband (whose height of 5'11" makes this suitable for him) can use. I know people swear by their Concept2 Rowers but if gripping the bar/handle is an issue (like it is for me), then a cardio exercise machine that doesn't rely on hands is essential. I'll have to investigate further.

Post Athena

I didn't get to the gym until 11 am today because of the school 2-hour delay. I assume it gives the school time to de-ice their school buses as well as ensuring that the roads are all safely plowed. I had half a mind just to stay home after shoveling my walk way last night and half the driveway (before my husband got home and parked on the part I hadn't shoveled yet). I knew temps would rise into the 40s today and eventually everything'd melt by Sunday, but we live in a cold spot on a big hill, and it's not unusual for us to still have snow and ice when everyone else has none.

This morning, I shoveled the rest of the driveway and dug my car out from under 5 inches of sticky wet snow. Sticky as in stick to your snow shovel just when you're trying to toss it all away. And like the gym rat that I am, I got into my gym clothes, tossed my gym bag into the car and drove my son to the bus stop so that I had no excuses afterwards but to go work out.

The gym was pretty empty. I was surprised. B probably didn't make it out of her driveway because she relies on her husband to shovel or plow or whatever it takes. I didn't see R either. But I did see a few other persistent gym rats so it wasn't like the gym was abandoned. Just much much quieter than I'm used to. I'm achingly sore from kickboxing and shoveling. 45 minutes on the elliptical does wonders to loosen everything up, and at 4.99 miles, my hips, calves and butt no longer bother me. Wahoo!

Because there is a remote chance we'll go to kickboxing tonight, I decide to do reps at the Smith and knock out 4 sets of 25 reps. Surprisingly, as sore as I've been, they aren't as hard as I last remember them being. Cage stretch and a few kicks get my heart rate up again before I trudge off to do shoulders. My shoulders are really sore from kickboxing, what with all those jabs and punches, and push ups. But I plough through my sets with the 20 lb dumbbells and a lot of help from my iPod. I wimp out at the Seated Inclined Reverse Raises and only do sets of 12 instead of 15.

Triceps and abs are next. My lower abs twinge and then I remember that those are menstrual cramps so I say, the hell with it, and do Twisting Sit Ups and Lower Ab Kickouts. But I hold back on the Tricep Press Downs because I'm worried about landing on my face if I do push ups at kickboxing. The Mat stretch is much much better today and I'm happy that my left hamstring/glute is just barely sore now. It feels good to be back to normal. Which in my case, is probably always a tad sore, and always a tad tired.

Today's Total Workout:
45 min = 4.99 miles
Smith Bench Press: 4 x 25 @ 95 lbs
Cage stretch & kicks
Front & Lateral Dumbbell Raises: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Lateral Dumbbell Raises: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Seated Rear Inclined Dumbbell Raises: 5 x 12 @ 20 lbs
One-Arm Tricep Dumbbell Extensions: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 130
Lower Ab Kick Outs: 150
Tricep Press Downs: 3 x 12 @ 40 lbs
Mat Stretch

The scale reads 107.8 and I'm mildly disappointed. When I get home, the EatSmart scale tells me worse: 106.4 lbs, 19.1 BF, 52.6 TBW, 38.4 muscle, 4.6 lbs bone. My weight, body fat and total body water have some sort of relationship that's a big mystery to me. I know that the differences seem ridiculously tiny, but I still find it puzzling.

A New Workout Incentive

The threat of Nor'easter (Winter Storm) Athena, with heavy wet snow and the potential for snapped tree limbs and downed power lines, made me rush off to the gym this morning as soon as I could. Oh, and it's Leg Day as well.

The gym's not as crowded as I'd expected though, so I hop onto my favorite Precor and get my two sets in. My inner right thigh seems a bit painful, as if the hip isn't seated properly so I adjust my foot position with each stride until it feels right. My left glute is still sore. Of course. But it's more of the dull ache from exercise than from injury so I move through it, and eventually, as I warm up, it disappears.

The hill gives me 3.88 miles and intervals gives me 4.18 miles for a nice sweaty total of 8.06 miles. I know I'm suppose to go slowly during the valley portion of intervals, and then run like mad at the hills, but I just go as fast as I can for the entire set. I find myself really hurting for the first 15 minutes but then I catch my 2nd wind, and by the 25 minute mark, I'm cruising along at a decent clip. And as I've mentioned before, I never cool down during the Cool Down phase. That just seems like a waste.

I'm very pleased, especially with the tell-tale rivers of sweat pouring off my face and into my hoodie. I'm so eager to get my Leg Workout done that I rush over to the Smith because it's vacant, figuring I can Cage Stretch later. Plus, I'm wondering how last night's Cardio Kickboxing Class at UMAC will impact my workout today. Honestly, because I don't jog or run laps during the warmup, or do jumping jacks or burpees, or anything else that will impact my knees, I can't really give an honest assessment of the cardio aspects of the kickboxing class. But what I can do, I really enjoy.

Sick to say, but being able to knock out 30 pushups in 2 minutes (or as many as you can do) and then doing an additional 27 more with hands position outward, then another 20 "touching ear to shoulder pushups" is a lot of fun. My husband says he was struggling to keep up with me. But he was just coming out of a tae kwon do class as well. I also really enjoy punching and jabbing, and kicking the big heavy bags. Of course, my favorite drill is doing 4 punches or jabs, followed immediately by 2 push ups. My husband and I alternate smacking the bag and I literally bounce up from the push ups to get as many rounds in as possible before the 2 minutes is up. Fun! Fun! Fun!

Today's Total Workout:
35 min hill = 3.88 miles + 35 min intervals = 4.18 miles = Grand Total 8.06 miles
Smith Squats: 12 @ bar / 5 x 12 @ 95 lbs
Smith Dead Lifts: 5 x 12 @ 95 lbs (these were really hard today!)
Cage stretch & kicks (my hamstring is still a tad sore but better than yesterday)
Torso Twist: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs (not doing abs today because we did abs last night in kickboxing)
Seated Leg Extensions: 5 x 15 @ 45 lbs (I still suck at these but not horribly so)
Seated Leg Curls: 3 x 12 @ 90 lbs (it takes me a lot of self-control with this because my impulse is to smack the weight back and that's probably not good for the equipment)
Mat Stretch (better than yesterday but not 100% yet)

At the end of Mat Stretch, I usually sit with my legs straight in front of me and I bend slowly at the hips to press my face into my knees and reach my hands past my toes. Today, I feel something unexpected. A stitch in my right side, just under the rib cage, suddenly contracts into a full-force muscle spasm. I've never had an abdominal muscle spasm before. It's not exactly painful, but knowing that the muscle has knotted is unpleasant and I have to sit upright and concentrate on relaxing before the spasm dissipates. Good thing I decided not to do abs today!

The scale reads 107.8 lbs before I hop into the shower. My skin is really bearing the brunt of this sudden winter weather. It looks like peeling white paint and flakes off everywhere regardless of how much moisturizing cream I slather on myself. Loofahs and pumice stones barely exfoliate enough to make any impact. Even my trusty Amlactin cream seems to be failing me. I get home just as cold rain starts to fall. The temperature drops from 40°F into the low 30s, so snow is imminent.

My back starts to knot up and I dig out my handy Knot Buster, a small wooden object that looks like two doorknobs. I got mine over 20 years ago in NYC at a small corner health food store. It works like magic but you have to put some muscle into it. Just put it between your back and a hard stable surface like a door, or the floor, and roll it over the knot. You use your own body weight to press out the offending spasm. The only thing better would be a professional, i.e., a beefy masseuse with magic fingers.

My home scale reads 105.6  lbs which seems reasonable. I'm guessing that the 18.7 BF and 52.9 TBW are somehow inversely related to each other (the more water, the less body fat if your weight stays the same). My weight fluctuates on a daily basis so what I do is look at the entire week and do a quick average to see if I'm gaining or losing. The 38.5% muscle and 4.6 lbs bone readings seem consistent. But there's nothing like fearing another power outage to make you work out like there's no tomorrow!

Stretch Unforgiven

I woke up a bit sore but nothing I'm not used to, which probably means I wake up sore most of the time and am so used to it that I don't really notice. Just a tad around the pecs (translation: arm pits), and the ubiquitous left hamstring/glute connection. It's bloody cold this morning and I blink twice to make sure I'm reading 24°F correctly. The gym is uncharacteristically quiet although not empty, but all the ellipticals are vacant so I merrily hop onto my favorite Precor.

45 minutes leaves me warm, moist and satisfied with 5.05 miles. The Rowing Station and Lat Pull Downs are busy so I stretch at the Cage instead, while my legs are still warm. Still, my left hamstring nags at me right at the glute insert. Yep, my butt is sore. I do a few kicks and manage to squeeze out a dozen chin ups before wandering back to the Cable Station. Rows are free! With the right handles! Wahoo! B stops to chat with me and I see R glide past behind her. I'm happy to see that he's well enough to be here. B complains about being sick, or rather, being sick yesterday for 12 hours but seemingly fine now. Hhmmm.

Suddenly the gym is filled with the din of a thousand chattering women. Okay, it only seems like a thousand as a class lets out, and I turn up my iPod to drown out the noise. Seated cable rows are okay. Lower back extensions are okay. It's the Lat pull downs that are my downfall today. By the 4th set, I lose my grip on the bar and have to drop the weight down. Even then, I have trouble hanging on.

Because I'm having a grip problem today, I opt to stay with the 60 lb bar for Bent Over Barbell Rows. I get 5 sets without any problem. I need to rest my forearms before attempting biceps (otherwise I won't be able to hang onto the weights) so I climb onto the Sit Up board and knock out about 150. Since the Lower Ab Kick Outs seem to be giving me a rug burn, and my husband wants to go to cardio kickboxing tonight after tae kwon do, I don't bother with them.

I see B and R chatting animatedly so I wander over. I need to work biceps but instead stand around listening to them discuss his back injury, her adamant opposition to her husband bringing work home, the two cars crushed by falling trees at his parent's house, her big downed tree, his next doctor's appointment, her telling him that he should get seen sooner. Eventually, I get bored and wander off to actually do Bicep Hammer Curls. Then Reverse Grip Barbell Curls. Someone's got the 30 lb bar so I decide that I'd rather go up in weight than down, and grab the 40 lb bar. I manage 3 sets at 15. But just barely.

Mat stretch is still painful but getting better. Now it's only the left glute that's sore and stiff, indifferent to gentle stretching. Still, I persist. Tomorrow's Leg Day and I'll be better warmed up. Well, now I know. If I take a week off, my cardio and strength won't decrease dramatically, but damn I'd better keep up the stretching.

Today's Total Workout:
45 min cardio = 5.05 miles
Cage stretch & kicks & 12 close grip chin ups
Seated Cable Rows: 12 @ 90 / 12 @ 105 / 3 x 8 @ 120
Lower Back Extensions: 2 x 25 @ 90 lbs (my back is feeling a tad tired)
Lat Pull Downs: 12 @ 90 / 4 x 12-10 @ 105 / 12 @ 90 lbs
Bent Over Barbell Rows: 5 x 15 @ 60 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 150
Dumbbell Hammer Curls: 12 @ 15 / 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Reverse Grip Barbell Curls: 3 x 15 @ 40 lbs
Torso Twist: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Mat stretch

The scale is unforgiving today and reads 110 lbs even. I think I'm getting my period though. After I shower, I suck down an Ensure High Protein as usual, and then drive off to the voting booth because today is Election Day. I muse over my home scale readings later: 106.8 lbs, 19% BF, 52.6% TBW, 38.6% muscle and 4.6 lbs bone. Well, at least the water and bone seem consistent. I still can't figure out why the BF measures lower and both the muscle and TBW are higher, but since all the readings are very similar from one day to the next, I'm not going to worry about it. No, it's the stretch I've got to keep in mind. It's unforgiving!

The Post-Sandy Workout

The locker room was a raucous mess of women catching up on who had power and who didn't yet. I saw B. She looked tan but complained that while vacationing with her husband for the last 10 days, all she exercised was her mouth. She looked fine to me. I, on the other hand, felt large and bloated, having exercised nothing at all for the past 9 days. Even this morning's walk up and down the hill to the bus stop with my son left me a bit winded, and my butt a tad sore. It's amazing how completely out of shape the human body becomes when it's forced into an ursine hibernation state.

Okay, I could've done something over the last 9 days. Perhaps a couple of push ups, or maybe some crunches every day. Perhaps a dozen deep-knee bends every morning. But I didn't. Of course, today I'm paying for it in spades!

45 minutes on the elliptical gives me 4.8 miles which is better than I expected. But I'm disappointed that I barely bust a sweat. It leaves me wanting. When I get to the Smith, I can't decided whether I'm doing Heavy or Reps. I start out with 25 reps at 95 lbs, and quickly realize that I don't really feel like doing reps. So I up the weights by 20, do a set and then up the weights again. Three sets of 12 reps at 135 lbs seems unnaturally hard today.

I have no high hopes for the rest of my workout. B stops by to chat while I'm wrestling with the Decline Press and by the time she leaves, I'm cold. The Mat stretch is painful, especially my left hamstring. Which is odd considering that my left leg has a much better kick, and it was my right inner thigh and knee that complained barely 5 minutes into cardio. I had to elongate my stride a tad to stretch out my legs but that seemed to have fixed the problem then. Now, the only thing that's going to fix this sore hamstring, which I bruised playing rugby back in college (yikes!) is consistent cardio and stretching. Of course.

Today's Total Workout: 
45 minutes cardio = 4.8 miles
Smith Bench: 12 @ bar / 25 @ 95 / 12 @ 115 / 3 x 12 @ 135 / 12 @ 115 / 15 @ 95
Cage stretch & kicks
Front & Lateral Dumbbell Raises: 12 @ 15 / 2 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Lateral Dumbbell Raises: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Seated Rear Inclined Dumbbell Raises: 5 x 12 @ 20 lbs (yes, I wimped out)
One-Arm Tricep Dumbbell Extensions: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 100 (started feeling a rug burn again)
Lower Ab Kick Outs: 150
Decline Benching: 25 @ bar / 12 @ 65 / 3 x 12 @ 85 / 12 @ 65 / 25 @ bar (45 lbs)
Mat Stretch

The scale reads a whopping 111.4 lbs before it beeps a plaintive Low Battery warning. I'm not horribly surprised. I've been a slug all week. My face is puffy, and the skin over my belly and thighs is noticeably thicker. Secretly, I'm hoping that the 1.5 liters of water I sucked down today can account for at least 3 lbs and that I don't really weigh this much! 

The home scale reads 107.8 lbs (after I've peed about 6 times). That seems right since it's more than I weighed preSandy, but not that much more. I still feel fat though. Especially since the scale tells me that my body fat reading is now 19.6 (which, yes, I know, is still pretty low). TBW reads 52.1,  muscle 38.1, and bone 4.6. It does seem consistent. Well, at least my shoes still fit although I'm thinking that perhaps I am a size 5.5 and not a 6. (Unless I can find some silicone heel-grips. Of course, I can find them on Amazon.com because, as my husband likes to point out, you can find anything on Amazon.) And as promised, here are a few bad photos of those shoes. Now, I just need a haircut I can live with because my hair is making me crazy. Everyone tells me that it looks nice. But I don't like it. I'll admit it's hard to cut your hair when the mercury's dipping into the 20s. It's too long, it's in my face and it's making my skin blemish. Unless that's the periomenopause.

Be Back Soon!

Wahoo! We finally got power back at our house this evening. It's been a week without power, or school and I've been thoroughly unmotivated to do much more than keep the household running at a passable minimum. We finally got cell service yesterday and then our generator (powering the fridge, furnace, well pump and one light and outlet in the kitchen) died this afternoon. It was finally determined that it needed a new car battery, and off to Sears we went where thankfully, it was in stock. Who knew there were soooo many different types of car batteries! And, an hour after we got the generator going again, the power came back on. Wahoo!

But on the fitness front, I got an email from the promoter of last month's NPC NY Grand Prix and am posting his attachment. I'm definitely going to the gym tomorrow (we drove by and know that they're open!) and boy am I excited!

Tomorrow I'll even post a photo of the beautiful peep toe pumps I bought online via Amazon. I'm shocked that they fit! The oddest thing I've noticed since I lost weight is that my shoe size has shrunk. I bought a 6W shoe and it's even a tad large! When I first entered the work force (some 30 years ago) and donned pumps with my suits, I wore a size 5.5. Then, with flats, I wound up having to buy size 6-6.5 shoes. I was nearly up to 7s. I guess one's feet do get fat as one puts on weight! And now I'm so thrilled to find actually attractive shoes in my current size. I might actually be a size 5.5W. It's quite exciting!