Zen and the Art of Snow Removal

I haven't made it to the gym for the past two days, courtesy of Mother Nature and Nor'easter Pax. But I'll count hours of snow shoveling as a combo cardio, strength and endurance workout. Because we still have snow from the last two storms, Maximus and Nika, I couldn't just shovel willy-nilly and let the snow fall where it may. No, paths through the snow to the car, the dog poop bucket and oil fill line had to be reconstructed. The walkway snow is now piled higher than the Weber coal grills on the lawn. The snow is waist-high in most places, drifts are higher and deeper.

The driveway presents it's own logistical problems. Hedges and shrubs impede rapid snow removal. I resort to carrying shovels of snow back down the walkway in order to heave the load past the bird feeders. Eventually the snow there towers over the small tarped woodpile and I look for another place to deposit the burden. My son and I discuss the differences between catapults and trebuchets. My son informs me trebuchets require string or rope. Apparently I'm catapulting my snow as I fling it over my shoulder, hoping to crest the peak of our driveway mounds.

When we're done, I realize that our road has yet to be plowed. It's a tertiary, last on the priority list. We drive down to the secondary road which is pristine blacktop. It's too late to get to the gym since child care is only available until 1 pm, so we go to the library, then have lunch, and then, since it's Valentine's Day, drive down the road to get a half dozen Valentine donuts. Just because. 

Estimates vary widely but snow shoveling appears to burn as much as 10 calories a minute. Using an online calculator, I get a calorie burn of only 303 for 1 hour work. So that's about 900+ calories for 3 hours yesterday. (And again this morning.) No wonder I woke up hungry last night.

I'm planning to go back to lifting weights next week. If I can get to the gym. Otherwise shoveling seems to be adequate exercise. Happy Valentine's Day.

Week Three Day Three!

I know it's Monday but I still have two more workouts to do on this Shred Program. Not that I'm getting anything close to shredded. If anything, culinary indulgences have made a mess of my diet plan and I might be just where I started. Sigh.

Today's cardio in 50 minutes

I decide to do Program A today and Program B tomorrow, save Wednesday for boxing and see what happens when the storm hits Thursday. I still hate doing the 20 minutes of HIIT as it's written but I figure it's only one more week so WTH. I'd like it to feel easier but it doesn't and when 20 minutes is over, I'm gasping for air like a fish and wondering if this is what drowning feels like. I use the yoga blocks when I bench my 20 reps at 95 lbs. It doesn't feel too bad, but I don't get to finish my workout properly because by the time I get to my 4th and final set, all the benches are in use and I resort to doing a set of push ups instead. Nothing but nothing feels easier so I don't up any of my weights. Even the 10 minutes of cardio between sets two and three feels hard. I log my mileage in order to gauge whether it's just how I feel (totally subjective and arbitrary), or whether I'm actually making progress, judged by an increase in mileage. I think my mileage is actually better today than last week!

Again, I like how my arms look when I'm curling the 40 lb BB but I can't snap a photo of it. When I'm finally done, I put my hoodie back on and go for 20 minutes of LISS, averaging about 100 Strides Per Minute. Then a quick Cage Stretch, a partial Mat Stretch with 25 Dive Bomber Push Ups and a 60 second plank and I'm done! Yay! The gym scale reads 114.6 lbs. Not yay. Water mostly. My face is puffy and a bit blotchy. Lately, I've felt my cheeks get pink and flushed suddenly for no reason. Perhaps this is a Hot Flash? Nothing a good long shower won't alleviate. Tomorrow I'll finish Program B and reward myself on Wednesday with boxing the Nexersys. Today I actually saw two large women at the boxing stations, tentatively smacking the machines. Yay! It's always good to see people using the equipment, just not when I want to use it.

When I get home, I have a phone message from the oil company telling me they're delivering oil on Wednesday. They tend to deliver sooner than I need it, so I trudge outside to the back of the house, shovel out the storm cellar doors that lead to the basement and check the fuel gauge. I got half a tank so really I can postpone this delivery for another week or two. Then I realize that there's no path to the oil fill line so I trudge to the front of the house and shovel out another path from the driveway. By the time I'm done, I'm all hot and sweaty again. Sigh. Now I need a nap.

Week Three Day Three (A) Program
20 min elliptical: 1 min walk / 1 min run = 1.69 miles
This done as a circuit twice without rest
20 reps Bench Press @ 95 lbs
20 reps each arm One-Arm DB Rows @ 35 lbs
20 reps DB Military Press @ 15 lbs (each arm)
20 reps BB Curl @ 40 lbs
20 reps each arm DB Kick Backs @ 20 lbs
10 min elliptical: 5 min walk / 5 min run = 0.82 miles
This done as a circuit twice without rest
20 reps Bench Press @ 95 lbs / last set couldn't get on Bench so did 20 push ups
20 reps each arm One-Arm DB Rows @ 35 lbs
20 reps DB Military Press @ 15 lbs (each arm)
20 reps BB Curl @ 40 lbs
20 reps each arm DB Kick Backs @ 20 lbs
20 min elliptical LISS = 1.27 miles
Cage Stretch
Mat Stretch with 25 Dive Bomber Push Ups (regular leg stance) and 60-second plank