Born Again Gym Rat: Not Quite There Yet

Saturday, November 14, 2015

Not Quite There Yet

I'm a true believer in the old adage "Use it or lose it." It seems to be increasingly important as we age because we don't recover what we lose through inactivity. The best plan, of course, is not to lose "it" in the first place. Define "It" as strength, mobility, hand-eye coordination and endurance. It's what makes old age bearable as we decline. And we are declining. All the experts tell us this. Slowing metabolism and increasing body fat after the age of 30, with the accompanying ailments those things bring, like diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Some people go quietly into their senescence. Others prefer to kick and scream.

I decided to use my body's hormonal changes to my advantage in the gym. Women stop producing estrogen in their 50s and it can make life difficult. Personally, I don't think my body was ever suffused with tons of that hormone anyway, so change has come easier for me. I figure, let me build as much muscle as I can, while I can. The same goes for flexibility and endurance. Use it or lose it.

There's something very satisfying about the process of taping and wrapping my hands before I whack the kickboxing machine. You could call it a ritual. Today is my 2nd time this week so I expect that muscle fatigue will slow me down. There's one round that totally flummoxes me, but that's not unusual. It's the round where combinations come at lightning speed but don't make any sense, so it's a flaw in the program. My theory is supported by the strike score at the end of the round, showing me landing more blows than called for. But overall, I actually do better today than I did on Tuesday. Perhaps it was taking Wednesday off? My shoulders are a teensy bit sore, but only if I think hard about it. Otherwise, I feel fine.

I can't stay away from the Step Mill but I cut back to 10 minutes. I never get around to GHRs on the Lat Pull Down machine because today is unusually busy for a Friday and there's always someone at the station. I do manage a few crunches. Egads, I'm out of practice on these! I'd add sit ups back into the routine but I'll wait until the gym replaces the cracked vinyl covering the sit up board. I'm sensitive enough for that alone to give me a big scab on my tailbone.

I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak, with this lingering cough. Usually I'll suffer from bone-numbing fatigue while I'm recovering from a cold. So far I haven't but that doesn't mean it won't happen. The cough is better, although it did wake me up last night. Not productive though, so it's a bit frustrating to cough up what feels like dust.

Friday's Workout