Taking Joy in Little Things

Yesterday near dusk my son and I spotted an unusually colored bird we'd never seen before. Or at least I'd never seen a real live one scratching in the leaf litter under the privet hedges. "Is it a robin?" my son asked. "No. It's a towhee." What!? And after it flew away, I checked google images for it and sure enough, there it was. Cool! There are also a lot more purple finches this year (my son and I like to call them rose finches for their beautiful red-pink color). Global warming can't be all bad, can it?

It's still April but temperatures hit 72°F this afternoon. And while I enjoy sun on my face just as much as the next northern-clime inhabitant, I'm not partial to biting insects. But they do love me. That's one of the perks of exercising inside a gym: being inside! Away from all the biting insects and flies that want to buzz your ears, climb up your nose and zoom straight into your eyes. Happens to me all the time. Every summer.

Great sound, comfy
but funky wiring

Don't buy these!
Muffled sound,
uncomfortable earbuds

Last night I was unusually tired by dinner time so today I skipped playing on the Nexersys. Three times a week after full workouts is probably enough for now. I have my iPod and the new JVC headphones, but even though I've switched to smaller earbud cushions, the music still sounds tinny and distant. Ambient noise still filters in even at higher volume settings. Disgusted, I go back into the locker room and switch out the headphones, but not until after I've finished a less than stellar cardio set. Lesson learned here is that pricier headsets do not always meet expectations regarding comfort and sound quality. To recap: cheap Maxells are a complete waste of money, cheap Sony's sound great and are reasonably comfortable but have a weird wire design, moderately priced JVCs sound only moderately ok. I still miss my old Phillips headphones. Sigh.

Today's Total Workout:
35 min cardio = 3.98 miles Bleah!
Seated Cable Rows: 12 @ 90 lbs / 10 @ 105 lbs / 8 @ 120 lbs / 4, 6, 8 @ 135 lbs
Keeping in mind something I read online yesterday, I drop my reps on the heavy set and concentrate on improving my form. Surprisingly, I wind up increasing my reps as well.
Pull Ups: 12+2 / 11+1
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Twice guys come over to use the cable station adjacent to the Cage but both times they leave before they get any momentum going. Not sure if it's me or something else: is what I'm doing too distracting or just plain annoying. Or maybe even intimidating?
Pull Ups: 10+2 / 8+3
Reverse Grip BB Rows: 6 x 15 @ 90 lbs
Standing Alternating DB Curls: 3 x 12 @ 25 lbs (these are really hard today)
Pull Ups: 10+2
Chin Ups (oh, what the hell!): 12
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Flat Benching Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Lower Ab Kick Outs: 100
Lower Back Extensions: 2 x 25 @ 97.5 lbs
BB Curls: 6 x 15 @ 40 lbs
Mat Stretch: I don't know the names for all the moves I do but there are several and this takes about 10-15 minutes. One of these days I ought to have someone video this but since I'm fairly solitary, it's hard to imagine who would want to do this for me.

I gather all my gear and head to the lockers to change and shower. En route I notice Eagle Eye stealing a glance at me. I haven't seen him in some time. He looks different though, thinner and his face looks splotchy and sunburned. Then I remind myself that he's probably a kid in his 20s, albeit, a very handsome kid in his 20s, and I've got 30 years on him. Still, it's good for a woman's ego to have the attention of young men.

The scale reads 108.6 lbs which is a tad heavy for the end of the week, but I'm lifting heavier and working out harder. It's not unreasonable to assume I'm also putting on size/weight. B tells me that she squatted 175 lbs for two reps today. I congratulate her with a big grin. (Unsurprisingly, she never grins or smiles when I tell her that I've lifted a new personal best.) Then I asked her if this would put size on her thighs and butt. "Of course," she replied. She says her lower back arthritis is acting up. I'd be more worried about my knees, but I have bad knees. Actually, I'd worry more about my butt and thighs making all my new pants unwearable. I don't need to be big, I just want to be strong, flexible and have mega-endurance. I want practical strength, and I want to look good too. I don't think I'm being unreasonable.

I've got on my least favorite of the 36AAA bras I purchased from LulaLu.com. It fits reasonably well but seems a scratchy under the arms. However, it expands my summer wardrobe by making it possible for me to wear otherwise paper-thin cotton T-shirts. Now, what to do with all the bras I've purchased over the years that really don't fit at all. Some are still in their wrappers.... Hmmm.

Later as I sit in my car, gulping down my vanilla Ensure, I see R crossing the parking lot on his way into the gym. That, in itself, makes me smile. Interacting with him has gotten weird. I suspect the feelings are mutual so mostly we avoid each other. Other gym regulars have departed by now. M, the Mayor, skinny J, MacGyver, Loud Mouth were all in earlier. And earlier, a nice Irish (by her brogue) woman asked me if I lifted a lot of weights. "Uh yeah," I replied, looking up from the iPod I was trying to affix to my waistband. "You're so strong. You make it look so easy!" she said brightly. I thanked her and mumbled about how if you keep lifting weights, it does get easier, and you do get stronger. I'm sooo NOT a good sales person first thing in the morning! But it's the little things that make me smile.