The MIrror as Incentive

I packed all my gym gear last night out of habit so that I wouldn't have to think about what I should wear or what I should do. Just like I packed my husband's lunch (leftover chicken & noodles from dinner) and my son's snack bag (juice box and a slice of freshly-baked banana bread). It's been so warm the last few days that we've been enveloped in a perpetual shroud of fog, but I know that cooler temps are just around the corner.

I get to the gym a little late because I'm trying to clear all the snot out of my head before I get in the car. I'm not really sick anymore, but I'm still on antibiotics (10 days!) and as much as I try to resist, I still wind up taking the 12-hr decongestant because my head still feels lopsided. Bleah!

The gym is crowded but it's Monday so that's not unusual. The ellipticals are vacant and I get on my favorite Precor #3 and peddle for 35 minutes. Eventually I'm warm and sweaty, and I've logged in 3.98 miles which is pretty good for a Monday. I've spent the weekend wishing I was napping, but not actually doing anything particularly athletic or strenuous.

Today's Total Workout:
35 min hill #6 = 3.98 miles
Smith Bench Press for Chest, Triceps & Front Shoulders (I'm not up to benching heavy because I'm still experience some dizziness when I lay down or bend over so I just do heavier reps this session): 12 @ bar / 25 @ 95 / 20 @ 115 / 12+3 @ 125 lbs / 15+5 @ 115 / 20+5 @ 95 (each+ signifies a pause or rest before completing the additional reps)

Cage Stretch & Kicks: bending my forehead to my outstretched shin gives me vertigo lately but today isn't as bad as it has been for the past several weeks, and I do this stretch every day that I go to the gym. The stretch (left) works much better if you extend the back leg and dip that heel while bending to touch the forward leg.
Shoulders: I grab 2 magnetic discs (2.5 lbs each) before I even know what I'm going to do with them but I figure I'd make the shoulder routine a bit more interesting today. To be honest, working shoulders is probably my favorite part of the routine because I really like what I see in the mirror as I work out. There is something immensely gratifying about seeing the silhouette you want, the muscles flexing as you move, the chiseled shapely arms you've always wanted... and now actually have.
Superset Front & Lateral & Rear Seated Inclined DB Raises: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs (Rear Seated done with 22.5 lbs because doing 6 sets of 15 reps means Up the Weights!)
Superset Lateral & Rear Seated Inclined DB Raises for an additional 3 sets (I only do 3 sets of Front raises because Benching also works them, and I think they are more fragile than the lateral or rear muscles, at least on me)
DB Tricep Extensions: 2 x 12 @ 20 lbs (my left wrist is twinging so I only do 2 sets)
Torso Twist machine: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Ab Crunch machine: 2 x 50 (feet up on stays) / 2 x 50 (feet on ground)
Tricep Press Downs: 3 x 12 @ 40 lbs (I use a flatter bar because that's what's available and my left wrist complains bitterly)
Flat Bench Lower Ab Kickouts: 100 (before the rug burn actually happens)
Mat Strectch

The scale reads 109 lbs. I don't use the sauna today. I've forgotten my extra towel and the light needs to be replaced. I know I'd fall asleep if I lay down in a hot dark room! I have errands to do before I get home anyway. My home scale reads 107.4 lbs. I settle down to snack on pumpkin spice black tea and matzoh slathered in my new favorite spread, Whipped Cottage Cheese. I don't like the sodium content, but salt-free cottage cheese literally tastes like school paste. Bleah. I'd really prefer matzoh slathered in butter (you can tell I grew up in NYC) but I'm trying to be kind to my gall bladder.

Tomorrow is Back & Biceps and I don't know whether I'll be able to do any pull ups, or chin ups. My right elbow sporadically hurts, usually when I'm not doing anything at all, but usually after I've done something innocuous, like slicing apples on the cutting board. B tells me that she's finally going to call her doctor about her elbow because she's in so much pain. I see a few other regular ladies out on the gym floor and we all smile our brief greetings at each other. I also see FishBoy (from the fish counter at the supermarket), T-Shirt Guy, both Pace U Guys, PJ Pants and a bunch of other guys, but they all stay out of my way. I'm all business and they have nothing to offer me.