Boxing Takes Its Toll

So ready for a shower!

I'm tired and various parts of my body are sporadically complaining, like my butt, both elbows, left calf and front delt. But only sporadically. My right hand with the bruised knuckle does not hurt. But my wrist and ankles feel weak today. Hmmm. It could be boxing. I'm starting to recuperate better from each session, but it's only early evening fatigue that really bothers me. Or it could be that odd hormone dance that women endure during their monthly cycles because fluctuating hormones can make ligaments extra-stretchy, or make you feel like all your earthly energy has been sucked out of you by invisible vampires. Without an actual period to mark each cycle, I have no idea what the hell my hormones are up to each month.

I'd love to smack the Nexersys tomorrow but my son is off from school, so I'll take him to the gym with me. On those days, my workouts are abbreviated instead of extended. I probably shouldn't worry so much but I don't want him feeling abandoned. No boxing tomorrow. I make up for it today by diligently running through my routine as if it were Monday instead of Thursday. Today is my 2nd Push Day of the week, and I'd be lying if I said I was able to muster the same energy. Hell, I couldn't even make my 4 mile quota today.

Today's 2nd Push Day Workout:
35 min hill = 3.96 miles Bleah
Smith Bench Press (reminder: because the Smith has a counterweight pulley system, the bar isn't really 45 lbs, more like 25 lbs so subtract 20 lbs from each set!): 12 @ bar / 20 @ 95 lbs / 10 @ 115 / 8 @ 135 / 3 x 5 @ 155 (I just couldn't get that 6th rep today) / 12 @ 135 / 25 @ 115 lbs
Cage Stretch & Kicks

Only 6 sets to go!

I see V enter the gym while chatting on the phone and I duck my head to keep from being seen!
Rear Inclined Seated DB Raises: 6 x 15 @ 25
Damn, these feel awfully heavy when I take them off the rack, but eventually I loosen up and the exercise gets easier. 
Lateral DB Raises: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs (I'm too lazy to up the reps to 15)
Lateral DB Raises SuperSet with One-Arm DB Tricep Extensions: 3 x 12-15 @ 20 lbs
I knock out 15 reps for the last set so I know that I should probably do sets of 15 next week.
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Up: 125
Lower Ab Kick Out: 100
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Close-Grip Bench Press (for triceps) on a standard Olympic bench: 25 @ 45 lbs (bar) / 25 @ 55 lbs / 2 x 25 @ 65 lbs (slow and steady wins the race because I have to pause at rep 20 to catch my breath before finishing the last 5 reps for both sets)
Mat Stretch

The scale reads 108.4 lbs. I'm okay with that although I find myself trying to reconcile my disparate body images. I'm a small person, but not really. I wear small clothes, except a lot of my bras are size L or 36. Different photos give me an inconsistent view of myself. I don't think I want to put on any more size because it'll be impossible to find clothes that fit! Yet, part of me wants to keep pushing, to see how much more weight I can move. The beauty of high repetitions is that muscular endurance does not necessarily build size. I'm okay with being small. Perhaps I'll have to concentrate more on definition although I'm not one for dieting, especially since I'm not competing in anything.

I am bummed about the latest research showing that lecithin from eggs is as bad as carnitine from red meat in promoting gut bacterial linked to higher rates of heart disease and stroke. I'm really enjoying that egg in my oatmeal every morning. Last week I used organic fresh strawberries mixed into breakfast. This week it's back to the freeze-dried mango chunks. I'm waiting to hear what the Paleo community has to say about it.

It's a brilliantly hot and sunny Thursday and I'm inside typing this blog instead of sitting outside in my portable hammock soaking up the unusual May warmth. I'd really like a cold beer (there's nothing more refreshing than an ice-cold Stella Artois with its mineral-clean taste), but I've promised myself not to indulge unless I'm not working out the next day because I'm such a flyweight (with an Asian liver that doesn't handle alcohol well) that it will affect my"performance". I know no one is looking, but I've got my pride. I don't really need anything else.