Born Again Gym Rat: Let's Dance...

Friday, January 15, 2016

Let's Dance...

I've been reading a lot about David Bowie since he passed away last Sunday. All artists want to be remembered for their work, but there's always more. Most of the obituaries list his influence on music and fashion, but I wanted to know if he was genuinely a nice person. And apparently, he was. A genuinely proper and loving husband, father, benefactor, patron. Seeing him as a whole person has the peculiarly contradictory effect of mitigating our loss, while giving us more to grieve.

Today I get to the gym later than I planned to. I hadn't planned on being awake at 2 am, puking up slivers of dried seaweed. I can't predict what foods will get caught in my hiatal hernia although it's usually vegetable in nature. At least it wasn't the searing back spasms I'm used to. Instead, it felt as if I'd been sleeping on a large rock. A rock inside my back, inside my rib cage. It takes me 30 minutes to make things right and settle back into sleep. The alarm purrs too soon and I hit the snooze. But it's not the snooze and I wake, luckily, 30 minutes later, having dreamt of faces and places. I am refreshed and my back doesn't hurt. Still, I'm cautious. Later, at the end of my workout, I hesitate, wondering if I should do pull ups, remembering how painful it was just a few months ago.

Today, I put on a new workout top purchased on a whim at Kmart. It's a Jillian Michael® sweat vest on sale for $10. I've been looking for a muscle sweatshirt in my size for a long time, but they don't make those things for boys or small women. I don't like the gaping sides because I'm self-conscious of me poking over my bra. I'm not the type to work out in just my bra top either. Even though I wear a XS or Sm tank, my sports bras are XLs because I can't breathe otherwise. Totally not a fan of compression-wear. I put a grey Gap® tank over my bra and under the vest. It matches perfectly. With black sport pants and trainers, I feel taller and slimmer. I'm such a badass!

JM vest: note armholes

I'm finally learning to ignore the phantom strikes that flicker on the Intermediate screen after a particularly powerful Sweep or Cross. I lose points when the screen goes blank (4th Intermediate) for a full second (it seems longer) and I miss the combination. When I ignore the "flash" at the Advance level, the Accuracy score drops so I know that I have to hit every strike. Some rounds are easier than others. There's at least one round (3rd Adv) where I have to pause while the machine flashes commands at light-speed. Once I recognize a combination, I start punching and kicking again.

When I'm in sync with my music and the program, I'm literally bobbing back and forth with each strike. Thrust and parry. It feels fantastic, like a choreographed dance number. I'll have to adjust my music again and pull out the slower pieces to make this more consistent. Let's dance!

The vest does its job of keeping my headphone wires tucked away. (I've already accidentally yanked off an earpiece because the wires, drooping from my head down the front of my tank, have gotten caught in a glove.) It also keeps me warm, and it looks good. Both Step Mills are in use when I'm finally ready to do some LISS. I get on the Precor elliptical and punch in 15 minutes Program #3. A quick stretch at the Cage, and then I wonder if I dare try pull ups today. My stomach doesn't hurt. Go for it! I do my 15 with slightly bent elbows, drop to a full hang and get my last five. It feels real good!

Total side note: saw in a coupon flyer that Rubbermaid is now selling a mixer bottle with a blender ball inside. It's not a wire ball like the BlenderBottle®, which, by the way, works great. Competition is the sincerest form of flattery. Don't know how well the Rubbermaid version works, but you can probably find it in the supermarket.

Friday Workout