Procrastination Takes Many Forms

Another early Autumn morning even though it's not quite mid-September. If I'm wearing a fleece hoodie over my sweatshirt, it's Autumn. Never mind the fallen yellowing leaves. Winter is coming. I still wear my capris leggings to the gym but I've swapped my ratty all-cotton hoodie for the new fluffy synthetic one. It's bigger and softer, but the pockets are shallower and I have to be mindful of losing my phone.

I get to the gym a little late because it takes me a while to get into gear once I put my son on the school bus. I need to tape my hands and make sure I've actually put clean clothes in my gym bag. Today is HIIT cardio and whacking the Nexersys, my favorite thing to do. HIIT cardio always sucks. I don't even know why I do it. It's not as if I'm getting better at it. Maybe my expectations are too high. A quick stretch at the Cage and then 15 rounds smacking the machine. Again, a few of the rounds are vexing because the machine doesn't register the Lead Dig (left side, mid-body) for certain combos. When I'm done, I'm drenched, but by no means tired. That's kind of odd.

I decide to explore the system a little more and punch in 3 rounds for the Striking Program but quickly realize that it's all but useless because you can't hear anything the video instructor is saying over the din of the gym. Cancel that. Okay, how about 3 rounds Sparring. I used to do this program on the other machine last year. After the first of 3 rounds I cancel this program too because although the machine registers all my blows, it's not registering any of my "blocks". A "block" just means you tap the pad of the side of the avatar when it's fist lights up "blue" so you're effectively blocking your opponent's punch.

The avatar is green and gradually turns yellow, then orange, then red when you land successive blows. My avatar is bright red from all my combination punches, jabs and kicks, but says I've not blocked any blows. Worse, the machine beeps at me when I tap the left side and says I'm punching too hard and in danger of breaking the equipment. Can't win here, so I exit the program and complain to the gal at the front desk. Apparently it's happened to her too, but she thought it was just her. "I'll get P to reset the machine," she tells me. I toy with the idea of logging onto the other machine, but realize that I really should just get my other 10 minutes of cardio out of the way. Although I can't quite get the same top speeds as earlier, I'm surprised that I can actually get over 250 SPMs. For a few seconds at least.

I'm just procrastinating. I have things to do at home. Like pulling all the vines off my hedges and trimming back the growth that's suddenly made our driveway look like a tunnel.Yep, fun things. The gym scale is still broken and as I'm showering I realize that I'm starving hungry. Bleah.

Tuesday Workout

Elliptical Training

N/A

Calorie :   84 CAL
Distance: 0.8 mile
Duration : 00:10:00

Elliptical Training

N/A

Calorie :   85 CAL
Distance: 0.81 mile
Duration : 00:10:00

Nexersys 15 rounds Beginner Follow Me Avatar (60 min)
  Accuracy 97% / Strikes 99% / Average Power 139%


photo for actual stats

Day Four: In Spite of Myself

I really wasn't expecting rain much less the thunderstorms that rolled into our area yesterday evening. But it certainly made today much more temperate. My son and I hit the gym around 10ish and there are a few boys my son's age in the Child Care room. My left hip has been intermittently painful all morning. Must've slept on it funny. Normally this sort of transient pain passes after walking the dog, but not today. I find myself wincing as I try not to limp to the Cardio platform. I even consider not doing my warm up, but that's really not who I am. I'm the one who says, Well, let's see if pedaling on the elliptical will fix this. Maybe pedaling faster?

Going faster is better. I don't get the speed (228 Strides Per Minutes) I normally do for the 4 minutes of Tabata, but I'm happy to be able to do it at all. I'm still having intermittent pain depending on how I stand while I do a light stretch at the Cage. But I don't have any problems whatsoever at the Nexersys. I did modify my workout so that I stayed with 15 rounds Beginner Level. The Intermediate Level contains sweeps and knee-ups, both movements I'm not entirely sure are hip-friendly.

I see a few regulars but I'm not the type to greet anyone while I'm working out. There is a a middle-aged, shaggy-haired guy who has been staring at me for some months now. Today he walks so close behind me that I accidentally bump into him. Automatically, I say "Sorry" but again, I'm not the type to make conversation, or even eye contact. I figure eventually he'll lose interest and fade away into the background.

I'm having a good time whacking and kicking the machine, until the very last round when the machine glitches at the first combo and drops my score from 100% to 50% because the entire screen lights up as if every sensor was being activated. I make all my combos but it's not enough to recover my accuracy score. Bummer. But I know it's the machine, not me.

When I'm done, I get back on the elliptical for 10 minutes and do my 5 min of Tabata. Now I feel good and my hip doesn't bother me so I can get my speed up to 258 SPMs. However, once I'm back in the locker room, I'm back to cautiously stepping with the ball of my foot. Bummer. I'm hoping everything will settle down in a few hours. Or at least by tomorrow.

Thursday Workout 

10 min elliptical = 3 min steady state + 4 min Tabata + 3 min steady state = 0.79 miles

light Cage Stretch

Nexersys 15 rounds Beginner Follow Me Avatar program
  Accuracy 95% / Strikes 100% / Average Power 138%

10 min elliptical = 2 min steady state + 5 min Tabata + 3 min steady state = 0.81 miles

photo for actual stats:

End of Summer Blues

Yesterday's Selfie

I'm just logging my workout now at 11:30 pm because it's been one long long day starting with taking my son to the gym this morning and discovering not very many kids in the Child Care Room. Every one seems to take vacation right before school starts and I can't blame them. My son is hoping that the new Nintendo 3DS my husband ordered via Amazon Prime will be waiting for us when we return to the house so he' perfectly willing to do errands with me after the gym.

Ten minutes of cardio which includes 4 minutes of Tabata gets me a little warm, but not enough to perspire. I'm well into round 5 of 12 at the Beginner Level Follow Me program before I feel sweaty. The machine is still glitchy, especially in the Intermediate Level when the machine flashes so many different target spots that I'm not sure whether I should hit them or not. I've taken to wrapping tape over knuckles of both hands before using the cloth wraps. It makes it a bit difficult to stuff my hands into my gloves, but I manage and my hands don't look bruised when I'm done. Three rounds of Intermediate Level is enough for today since I want to finish with 10 more minutes of cardio (and 5 Tabata).

The TV on the recumbent bike just diagonally in front of my elliptical has a synchronization issue and I swear to myself that it's going to give me epilepsy. It's hard not to be affected by the erratic pulsing light flashing in my peripheral vision as I keep track of my time and speed. I'd like to turn the TV off but then I'd have to start over on my cardio and I really don't have the time. I do seem to move slower in the locker room when I'm changing to shower. Maybe it's true that things take longer after a workout because your brain is actually experiencing a time lag of sorts.

My son is surrounded by very small children when I retrieve him from the Child Care Room. We need to buy groceries and school supplies before heading off to Connecticut for a play date with his best friend. They've barely seen each other all summer since they go to different schools and different summer camps. Tomorrow will be my son's last day at camp, and in a way, I think he's relieved. He says he just wants to sleep in for a bit and this weekend seems perfect for that although we are planning to hit the Renaissance Faire again on Sunday. Tomorrow is also Back and Triceps Day. Yaaay! I'll have my son in tow all next week and for half the following week. I'm ready to adjust my workout again. Maybe a version of the Shred Program...

Thursday Double Cardio Workout

10 min elliptical = 3 min steady state + 4 min Tabata + 3 min steady state = 0.81 miles

Cage Stretch

Nexersys Kickboxing 12 rounds Beginner Level
  Accuracy 97% / Strikes 99% / Average Power 135%
3 rounds Intermediate Level
  Accuracy 84% / Strikes 99% / Average Power 96%

10 min elliptical = 3 min steady state + 5 min Tabata + 3 min steady state = 0.8 miles

Photos posted for actual stats:

Cardio Friday

I wasn't sure how I felt about doing cardio three days in a row but there's no way to know until it's done. So I did it. I got on my favorite Precor and punched in the standard 30 minutes, program Interval 7. Except for my right front outer ankle (peroneus brevis?), things felt pretty good. I'm guessing my bout on the LifeFitness elliptical on Thursday put too much stress on that joint. It doesn't hurt so I go for round two on the Precor and punch in Interval 8. I'm dragging a little but still manage to make my quotas and I'm very happy.

After a brief Cage Stretch, I wrap my hands and set my gear down under the Nexersys Station. Twelve rounds later and I'm thoroughly drenched. I get a bit vexed with the machine when it tells me that I'm punching or kicking too hard and then doesn't register the blow, lowering my accuracy score. When I look at the review screen, my accuracy runs the gamut between 62 and 100% depending on the combinations called for by the program avatar.

Looking softer is
not what I want

I feel the need for a quick stretch though and do an abbreviated Mat Stretch, skipping the Dive Bomber Push Ups and plank because my shoulders are tired and I don't want to land on my face. The gym scale reads 111.4 lbs post workout, and 109.6 lb when I get home. What's weirder is that my home scale reads 108.4 this morning when I get up. Still, what really worries me is the trend I've noticed in my body composition: more body fat, less muscle. I've really got to make that appointment for an annual and get my blood work done. And then I need a plan to deal with this.

Friday Cardio Workout
35 min Interval 7 = 4.41 miles + 35 min Interval 8 = 4.22 miles 
Grand Total = 8.63 miles  Yay!
Cage Stretch
Nexersys Boxing Station: 12 rounds Follow Me Avatar, beginner female
  Accuracy 81%  /  Strikes 105%  /  Avg Power 125% 

photos posted for actual stats:

Is 50 the new 30?

Today is Friday but the week isn't over. Our weekend is already booked and I'm tired just thinking about it. My glutes and hamstrings are a little more sore than usual but it's not painful so I'm going to assume that Leg Day was a success. Yay! Today is Double Cardio Boxing Day. Yay! I get to the gym at my usual time and the parking lot is crowded, the locker room is crowded, the entire gym is crowded. But my Precor is free! Yay! The only thing that really bothers me during my cardio sessions are my hands, and sometimes my toes. Because I never seem to find a good spot to position my hands, the thumbs and adjacent flesh tends to get sore. I also realize that I have to consciously press my shoulders (traps) down because they're pulled tight due to the height of the handle on elliptical. I'm short and my elbows are raised in order to place my hands on the rail. I make my quota for both sessions and the only thing I can complain about is the tingling in my toes, but walking around sorts that out. I tally up my mileage and I've made over nine miles! Wow, that's so great! Yes, I'm floating on a cloud today.

I'm at the Cage about to stretch when someone starts talking to me so I pull out one earpiece. Sweat is running off my nose and I'm still wrapped in my tattered hoodie but at least I'm not raining in the Cage. It's the guy from a few weeks ago. But it's not the Slav. Wow, he looks a lot like the Slav, but he's shorter and younger. He asks if I want to spar him and I demur, not quite knowing what to say. He's got a vague New York - Jersey accent, maybe urban Italian. He mentions how his soccer coach would have to stretch his hamstrings and when he sees me he's jealous. His coach was female, which I find interesting, but I don't offer that I played rugby in younger days.

"My name is ______" and he proffers a hand. Reluctantly, I shake hands (got my lifting gloves on) and tell him my name. He gets it wrong at first because it's not a typical name but I correct him. Not sure why, since I doubt I'll ever speak to him again. "Are you into martial arts?" he asks, and I say "No, not really. I just do this for fun." He's trying to process this odd piece of information and then asks brightly, "So how old are you?" I look at him and say, "Older than you think." Perhaps he's intrigued because he responds with, "I'm 39." And I have to smile a little when I say, "Uh, I've got a few years on you." No need to completely freak him out. Still, he shrinks back a bit. It wasn't what he expected and he loses his composure. "Well, you look really great," he says, beating a hasty retreat. I shake my head a bit, finish my stretch and kicks, strip off my hoodie and proceed to wrap my hands.

I go 7 rounds on the Nexersys Avatar Follow Me, and an additional 3 rounds on Sparring. My power is really good this week so that makes me really happy. My accuracy is improving as well. The young man who was boxing here last week shows up at the adjacent station. He goes fewer rounds. When I finish the Mat Stretch, I see him lifting weights. I'm not sure I'd ever do boxing before weights but then again, I'm constantly sounding the Warning You Are Punching Too Hard buzzer.

The guys at my gym are just completely baffled. It's okay. I'm having a good time so that's all that matters. The gym scale reads 110.6 lbs. I seem to be getting denser, but at least there aren't any galaxies orbiting nearby.

Friday Workout:
35 min Interval 7 = 4.54 miles + 35 min Interval 8 = 4.52 miles  Grand Total = 9.06 miles Wahoooo!

Cage Stretch, etc

Nexersys Avatar Follow Me, 7 rounds Beginner Female
 75% accuracy / 96% strikes / 129% avg power
Recommendation says that I'm outpacing and over powering my level so I should add rounds.
Dang, it only goes to 10 rounds.

Nexersys Avatar Sparring, 3 rounds Beginner Female
 185% strikes / 96% avg power / 931 points
Recommendation to go at least 5 rounds before progressing to the next level.

Mat Stretch (really hate that 20 second plank), etc

photos posted for stats:

I like to end my final rounds very strong.

I'm learning how to pace myself so I'm not completely spent by the last round.

This is my best point score to date.

Use It or Lose It Friday

I admit that I haven't been this sore in a long time. It's not debilitating soreness. It doesn't even really hurt. It's more a vague, nagging reminder that some muscles hadn't been worked to their fullest potential in quite a long time. I knew it would catch up with me eventually after going just about the entire year without much discomfort other than tendinitis in various joints, and a stiff lower back that briefly aggravated a touch of sciatica. Upper back, traps (didn't even work them but I suspect Upright Rows and Rear Delt work), mid-back, lower glutes (gluteus medialis), leg biceps. Yep, all a tad sore.

Which meant that Double Cardio today was going to be Oh So Much Fun. I was hoping not to embarrass myself when I punched in Interval 7. I got breathless and sweaty halfway into it and again considered only doing one session because I had workmen coming to the house around noon. But part of my brain is on auto-pilot and I hate giving in to my own weaknesses. So I punched in Interval 8 for Session Two. And ten minutes into it, I realize that the discomfort I'm feeling is hunger. I'm a bit bewildered. I swapped out raisins for the 1/4 cup of frozen blueberries I normally nuke with my oatmeal, but I figure that'd just give me more fuel, not less. I can't wait until Session Two is over so I can gulp some water and quench the hunger pangs. However, by the time I'm done, hunger has subsided and I feel great. Thoroughly drenched like a cat in a well, but happy.

I'm moving fairly quickly and I keep glancing up at the clock to make sure I'm on track. I hate having to reschedule plumbers. We've been without a working bathroom sink for some weeks now and I'm getting tired of brushing my teeth in the kitchen. I don't skimp on my stretches and do both Cage and Mat Stretch before running back to the locker room to dump my hoodie, wrap my hand and put on those bubble gum pink gloves. I even skip band-aids and hope that I won't regret that decision later.

When I get to the Follow Me Avatar, I realize that I've forgotten how to do the combination Jab-Cross properly and my Accuracy is abysmal. Ugh! Use it or lose it. I figure part of it out by Round Two, but not enough to get my scores up. Oh well. My punching is good although I feel my right knuckle sting every time I land a blow. Once I remember the Jab-Cross combination, I rain blows on the Nexersys pads as if I'm using a speed bag. I've always been too short to use the speed bags that've been available at various gyms throughout the years. This is fun!

I never totally dried off after cardio so by the time I'm done with 3 rounds of Sparring, I'm drenched again, hair plastered to my head and sweat pouring off my face. I haven't seen D all week, nor do I see the tall, thin girl today. There are regulars in the free weight area. I know because they registered briefly in my brain while I was doing Mat Stretch, but I get so focused on doing my routine correctly that mostly I don't see anyone. My score is up and I'm happy, although I must've been tiring because my power's down a bit. But still, it was a great workout! The gym scale reads 107.6 lbs. What's with that now?!

Friday Workout:
35 min Interval 7 = 4.54 miles + 35 min Interval 8 = 4.40 miles  Grand Total = 8.94 miles Wahoo!
Cage Stretch
Mat Stretch
Nexersys Avatar Follow Me 3 rounds (strikes and power good, accuracy needs work)
Nexersys Avatar Sparring 3 rounds (908 points! most so far)

photos with stat details:

Follow Me 3 rounds

Sparring 3 rounds

Sparring recommendation