Workout Addiction or Distraction

Spring is here. Sparrows are chasing each other through the leafless privet hedges, woodpeckers are starting to thrum their lovesongs, and there's a raucous chorus trilling from the swamp. We only hear the peepers at night, but what a sound they make! Mourning doves have been cooing for some weeks now, and there's only a tiny bank of snow left in the shadow of one of our firewood racks. I should rip out the old vegetation from the garden, rake through the dirt and add the coffee grounds I've got sitting on my kitchen counter. Instead, I sit on the front steps leafing through piles of junk mail, basking in the sun while the dog tries to sniff out chipmunks and squirrels near the bird feeder.

Still, I did go to the gym. I'd planned to do a HIIT cardio session but the Precors were all occupied. The LifeFitness ellipticals were free so I hopped on one, but it moves differently, so I decided that Steady State would have to do. A quick Cage Stretch and then I'm sitting in front of the Nexersys, wrapping my hands and stuffing them into my kickboxing gloves. I'm pretty sure I wrapped them the same way I did last week, but when I'm done, my knuckles are pink and just shy of raw. Hhmmm. Maybe I'm punching too hard?

Reviewing the data screens from my Beginner and Intermediate sessions points to increased power and slightly lower accuracy. There were a few kicks that didn't register with the machine. And I did manage to sound the Warning Buzzer more than once. Okay, maybe I am punching too hard. My right shoulder was feeling a bit sore, but not when I punched. Yesterday was Leg Day so I'm not really sure what's causing the odd feeling. But I catch a glance of myself in a distant mirror and I like the way my arms and shoulders look so I'm fairly happy. I think I look powerful, like a warrior going into battle, and even though I'm a small person, that's how I carry myself, like a Viking god. I notice a new metal railing under the Nexersys station and when I query the gym owner later, he tells me that he was at a trade show and saw the "sit up bars" and said, "I want that." I don't think I'd ever do sit ups in front of the Nexersys, but it does have a cardio program that others might utilize.

Cardio Thursday Workout

20 min LifeFitness elliptical = 2.17 miles

Cage Stretch

Nexersys 5 rounds Beginner Follow Me Avatar program
  Accuracy 90% / Strikes 99% / Average Power 141%

Nexersys 9 rounds Intermediate Follow Me Avatar program
  Accuracy 83% / Strikes 100% / Average Power 123%

20 min Matrix Step Mill = 1064 steps

Mat Stretch with 2x12 DBPUs, 60-second plank, splits, upper and lower back stretches

photos to show actual stats: