Happiest When I'm Moving

I had a cup of Irish Black Breakfast tea in the early evening so I could be alert for a committee Troop meeting last night. Since the half-life of caffeine is approximately 5-6 hours (meaning that your body will process only half of your intake after 5-6 hours) I was wide awake when I should've been sleeping. Lately, I've been drinking a cup of French press coffee in the morning. That's about 107 mg of caffeine right there. Instant coffee, like Cafe Bustelo Instant Espresso, contains 14 mg per ounce, which translates to 112 mg in a standard coffee mug. But honestly, instant coffee, even ones as good as Bustelo or Medaglia D'Oro, doesn't seem to have the same buzz to it.

The recommended daily limit to caffeine intake is 300 mg. A cup of regular coffee can contain anywhere from 80 to 130 mg whereas tea, even strong black tea, only contains 40 mg. Still, it was enough to keep me tired and restless well past midnight. Apparently, I'm not only sodium-sensitive but caffeine-sensitive as well. According to my Sleep Cycle app, I spent 6 hours and 20 minutes in bed, but only slept for 5 hours and 42 minutes. Ugh. Well, at least I slept. What I don't understand is how the app determines that I slept the same amount the night before but achieved lesser quality sleep (67% vs 76%). My husband will swear that the app is just randomly assigning values. He might be right.

Eventually, I'll get used to early mornings. I like that the gym isn't very crowded. This is going to be horrible once winter and daylight savings coincide so that we're all waking in the middle of the night. Friday is my cardio routine day. I don't even pretend to lift any weights, but I do a lot more pull-ups. I've also finally replaced pushups with a single 60-second plank at the end of the Core routine. I might move it to the beginning though when I'm less likely to quiver through it due to fatigue.

I do a set of T, Y & I Raises with 5 lb DBs. I used to do two sets of this in my warmup before whacking the Nexersys kickboxing machine. The exercise itself isn't hard, but as I'm lying face down on the bench, I worry about whether my head is above my heart. Glaucoma patients are told not to let their heads drop below their hearts because that increases IOP (intraocular pressure). Some patients don't even put their socks on anymore unless they can use a grab-it stick so as to keep their heads elevated. Keeping my head up puts a lot of strain on my neck and I'm still worried about my IOPs. Ugh. Not doing those anymore.

In total, I do 75 minutes of heart-pounding cardio, three sets of pull-ups, some ab work, stretching and a few rounds of seated leg curls. I'm tired when I start, even stifling a yawn during crunches, but oddly and happily energetic when I finish. Maybe even annoyingly so. It's a combination of the body's endorphins kicking in, a revved-up metabolism, and increased blood flow, i.e., there's more oxygen getting to the brain. In the 2014 Fast Company article "What Happens to Our Brains When We Exercise And How It Makes Us Happier," Leo Widrich succinctly explains the function and importance of the BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) protein and the impact of endorphins in our bodies.

Those of us who are gym rats know that the quote (from a student paper at Bryn Mawr College) Widrich ends his article with is all too true: "The release of endorphins has an addictive effect, and more exercise is needed to achieve the level of euphoria over time."--MK McGovern. The only solace is that it's good for you. The adage that "20 minutes of daily exercise is all you really need to reap long-term health benefits" is also true, but your happiness levels will be at their highest if you're just coming off the couch. Gym rats have to work so much harder.


Cardio Friday

30 min elliptical + 5cd
Program 1
Miles 2.89
Calories 323
HR 155-196 (91)

Cage Stretch
HGPU 20

Crunches 60/60
Leg horizontal scissors 60
Bicycles 60
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Elbow Plank 60s

T, Y & I Raises
5lbs x 15 reps

20 Step Mill
Level 3
Calories 112
Total steps 708
Floors 44
HR 135

HGPU 20

15 Elliptical + 5 cd
Program 2
Calories 183
Miles 1.64
HR 156-180 (134)

2:1 Seated Leg Curls
15lbs x 12
30 x 12 x 3

HGPU 20

Mat Stretch