Slow Motion Machine

All 8s and 0s on the elliptical today

There's a dusting of snow on the windshield when I go out to warm up the car. Salt lines on the road worry me about the weather to come. Luckily, I have nothing planned for the weekend. The hubs is away for most of this month because his projects have hit a critical point and requires constant hand-holding. The television hasn't been on for a few days now, as my son has had too much homework and I'm busy learning new skills online. If the hubs were home, the TV would be the first thing he'd turn on as soon as he walked in the door. I don't know why. I like the quiet. But I still miss the dog.

It turns out my broken Bluetooth earbuds have an 18-month warranty. I contacted the manufacturer through Amazon and asked if they'd replace these since I've only had them since August. That's not even 6 months of use. They agreed. I'm happy, but know that these new ones (whenever they arrive) will probably fail in a few months too. Meanwhile, I make do with my old discontinued Sony wired earbuds. When Sony upgraded the model, the ear hanger piece was changed to a harder plastic and became very uncomfortable. I bought up the few remaining older items on sale at Kmart when I saw them. The uneven wires can be annoying, so I thread them under my tank behind my back, and clip my iPod to my sport pants pocket. There's no easy way to adjust the volume without unclipping the iPod, so I change my playlist to nothing but Billy Idol songs. At least those are at a consistent volume, unlike my Workout Playlist. Even with an "equalizer," music from different sources play at different loudness, which is really distracting.

In theory, my kickboxing workout should only take 90 minutes, including warm ups. However, I'm entering the gym around 8:15 and leaving at 11:30. How is this happening? The Lost Time continues to baffle me, even as I take into account 20 minutes for changing and showering. That rounds up to about 2 hours. I'm still missing another 60 minutes... Ugh.

Taping my hands is probably 10 minutes. Time between the Beginner set and the Intermediate set probably another 10 minutes. Unwrapping my hands and doing a quick stretch is at least 15 minutes. So there's another 35 minutes... It all adds up so quickly!

The Beginner rounds were fun and I only got a Hitting Too Hard warning once, and that was my first blow, a body strike. I didn't start to bust a sweat until round 3. I don't feel tired or winded so I optimistically tap in 7 rounds Intermediate. Never mind that it's been some weeks since I last did this type of exercise. Immediately, I feel my lungs start to burn. But that changes depending on what routine the machine throws at me. Round 1 might be hard, but rounds 2 and 3 are easier. I blank the screen twice for no apparent reason, and get a Hitting Too Hard warning again. For no apparent reason other than the force of one blow kicked back and triggered a different sensor. The broken sensors are still broken. The other machine is still inoperable. But I'm fairly spent after 14 rounds are done and that's a good feeling.

I see regulars pass by in my peripheral vision. I'm mainly focused straight ahead so I don't miss any of the strike cues on the avatar. People are plodding along doing cardio, but no one appears sweaty. I guess I'm old fashion. I seem to be always sweaty, and thirsty. I drink nearly my entire bottle of water. I think my cold is better though as I'm not sniffling as much. I'm pretty sure it's the crushed raw garlic I'm eating a few times a week. I've discovered that Muscle Milk, my 3rd favorite brand of RTD protein (after Ensure and Fair Life), has come out with a new flavor: Coffee House. It's on sale and actually quite tasty. I'm pleased because the local grocery stopped carrying the supremely expensive Ensure Mocha flavor Max Protein. Now they only stock Milk Chocolate, and I'm not a fan. (I'd actually drink vanilla over chocolate so maybe it's just me?)

I'm trying to move past my comfort zone socially, so I've been forcing myself to consider going out solo at night to events that interest me. Last month it was the gym Holiday Party, where I had a glass of wine and a few hours of conversation. Tomorrow night it will be a jazz dance lesson at the elementary school, followed by a few hours of dancing. I tried to get my son to come with me, but he thought it would be weird to dance with his mother. I told him it'd be a good opportunity for him to learn a few dance steps, as girls love boys who dance. That probably embarrassed him. With my luck, I'll probably wind up dancing with a 70 year old widower. Or, I can just dance by myself. Because yes, I'm that weird kid at the school dance who didn't care if no one was on the dance floor.

Another Winter Thursday

10 min elliptical
Calories 88.8
Miles 0.80
HR 149-184 (84)

T, Y & I Raises
5lbs x 15 x 2

Mid Band Pulls 15
High Band Pulls 15
Cage Stretch

Nexersys Follow Me
Beginner 7r
Intermediate 7r (OMG!)

Stretch