When the Body Knows Better

I don't actually realize how sore my body is until I go walk the dog up the hill. That my upper arms and back are a bit stiff is no surprise, but even my glutes seem tight. Again, I get to the gym late enough to miss the morning crowd. The lunch rush hasn't started yet either, probably because the weather is downright dreary with a cold rain and temps in the mid 50s. I'm barely two minutes into my 30 minute cross-trainer session when the power goes out. I keep pedaling because I can even if the display has gone dark. That's not the case with the treadmills though. After a minute, the lights start to flicker back on. The TVs need to re-initialize. I punch in 25 minutes and continue to pedal through the 5 minute cool down. Well, at least my mileage will be plus 6.

I'm really tired today, which is awful because today is Cardio Day. I haven't done a full 60 minutes of cardio all week and I'm not sure I'm going to survive today. I'm hungry already, and that annoys me. I've already had coffee with cream and sugar, and a fruity Greek-style yogurt with my Optic Nerve vitamins, and B-12 and D. I knock out my hammer grip pull ups and then knee-ins. I'm no longer tempted to do more than 50 push ups at a stretch, especially since I need to do crunches and planks. But I'm not ready to face Intervals yet, so I kill time by parking myself on a flat bench and doing my shoulder exercises with the 3 and 5 lb baby bells.

Okay, now I'm ready. But not really. I really just want to quit at 20 minutes but I punch in 30 anyway. Then I tell myself that I can take a break at the 15 minute mark and jog the minute I'm suppose to be going all out. But I don't. In fact, even though I tell myself I can just coast at 200 SPM because I'm so godawful tired and my legs feel like logs, I don't. I still hit 230 to 250 SPMs for the full minute. I do concede that I'm not always able to keep my speed between 160 and 170 during the second minute, and I need to work up to the jogging pace of 120 during the two minutes of OFF time. But I finish, and I actually feel better than when I got up this morning. Endorphins kicking in? Wouldn't've happened if I had listened to the little voice in my head. Instead, I let my body decide what it could handle, and it turns out that it can handle more than I think. Then, I knock out 20 wide hammer grip pull ups and then I'm done. Soooo done.

Some mornings I'm on auto pilot because my head feel disassociated, like I'm on antihistamines. But I'm not. Didn't have any beer last night. Even used the neti pot this morning to clear my sinuses, and heard that internal bubbling whistle when there's water in the eustachian tube. Maybe I just need more sleep?

I'm reading about a new term (to me): dysthymia, aka persistent depressive disorder. The medical industry now wants to treat us all with medication because that alarming feeling of doom isn't due to the state of the world. It's a mental disorder. Seriously? Yes, a lot of us suffer from anxiety and there's a lot of wrong ways to deal with that, mostly self-medicating with alcohol and opiates or synthetics. It's pervasive, not just in our American society, but across the world. I've always said that exercise was my drug of choice. Still is. Because I'm a very anxious person. Blame it on my childhood, or genetics or my mom who suffered from agoraphobia, PTSD, OCD and numerous other undiagnosed ailments. Or maybe it's just the creative temperament that runs in my mother's side of the family?

Tomorrow I plan to do leftovers. Or, if the Smith is free, Flat Bench and RDLs... I can dream. Inexplicably, the gym scale reads 107.8 lbs, a full two pounds lighter than yesterday. That's so weird.

Thursday
6.41 + miles

30 min x-trainer (+power outtage)
Calories 141
Miles 3.77+
Average Heart Rate 119

HGPU 30
Knee-Ins 50
Push Ups 50
Crunches 3 x 50
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s

T, Y & I Raises
3lbs x 15
5lbs x 15

30 min elliptical
Intervals
Calories 300
Miles 2.64
Average Heart Rate 145

WHGPU 20