Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night...

Sometimes people ask me how I can go to the gym and work at such a high intensity all the time. I tend to give them the blank "deer-in-the-headlight" look because it takes a moment for me to register what the question is. Then another moment for me to formulate a coherent answer other than "But this is how I work out." Because this truly is how I work out. I'm not adhering to any schedule or any pre-imposed routine. This is my routine. This makes me happy.

I do worry about a time when I won't be able to build muscle the way I can now. But for now, I'm taking advantage of perio-menopause, figuring that there's no better way to deal with crazy hormones that with intense vigorous exercise. With dropping estrogen levels (and I was never a girly-girl anyway), this is probably the best time to build muscle. Of course, if my body wasn't responding to the routine, I'd change it. I've done it before. You have to pay attention to yourself and then determine whether it's working or not. Then do something about it.

That's probably the hard part: doing something. I'm pleased to see a bunch of regulars today. New ones too. Women who've been shy about working out but have found the determination to say "the heck with it, I'm still gonna move some dumbells." I've been trying to be better at the small gesture of waving or smiling just to acknowledge them. I'm not always successful. B confronts me today and wants to know if I'm mad at her because I didn't talk to her yesterday. Naw, just never got an opportune moment. V ambushes me as I'm heading towards the front desk and I give a quick wave and side-step him. I hate being ambushed. Later, when I'm leaving, I see him reading the newspaper and sipping coffee. I call out Bye to him, but he doesn't hear me and I'm already late for a doctor's appointment. Just as well. I don't think I'm the only one who avoids chatting with him.

During my workout, I see Tall Pace U, Mr T-shirt and Fish Guy all chatting while spotting each other on the flat and inclined bench presses. Mr T-shirt wrestles a bench back from where I'm standing while yelling (because I'm completely plugged-in and can't hear him anyway), asking me if it's in my way. I give him a blank look and just move horizontally out of the way. I know he's desperate to make conversation, but I can't imagine what he'd say that'd be interesting. Maybe I'm being too harsh. But I don't want to be B, who spends hours at the gym, chatting. If you really want to chat with me, catch me as I'm leaving, when I'm done with my workout. And damn, you'd better have something interesting to say.

Today's Total Workout:
35 min hill #5 (just for variety) = 4.07 miles (my legs feel stiff and I'm breathing hard, but the sweat is running down my face, and I enjoy it!)
Seated Cable Rows: 12 @ 90 / 12 @ 105 / 3 x 10 @ 120 lbs (Amazing Stretch & Curly Cap are doing consecutive sets of Pull Ups, side-hopping Push Ups, then something else just out of my peripheral vision. They're pretty impressive and very intense. I like watching them without actually staring.)
Cage Stretch & Kicks (the right calf is much much looser today)
Lower Back Extension: 25 @ 90 lbs / 25 @ 97.5 lbs
Pull Ups: 12 / 12 / 10+2 (but for the last 2, I can barely get my face halfway to the bar and my right front shoulder twinges ominously)
Reverse Grip Bent-Over BB Rows: 15 @ 70 lbs / 6 x 15 @ 75 lbs (I see the two girls from last week at the squat rack and they're doing Bent Over BB Rows with an Olympic bar which is 45 lbs. They're much taller than me so they can balance the length of the bar much better than I can.)
Torso Twist: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs (oddly, the seat adjustment peg is horribly bent, as if some massive body plopped itself down on the station and bent the seat pin -- I shudder to imagine it)
Alternating DB Curls: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs (I'm going to have to up the weight on this)
Concentration Curls: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Ab Crunch Machine: 2 x 60 (feet up on stays) / 2 x 60 (feet flat on floor)
Reverse Grip BB Curls: 6 x 20 @ 40 lbs (just to see if I could do it and how bad would it feel, and I guess now that I've done it, there's no excuse to do 6 sets on a regular basis)
Mat Stretch

The gym scale reads 110.2 lbs and my home scale confirms a weight of 107.4 lbs. I'm good. What's not good is that my eye doctor says the eye drops are not controlling my glaucoma so he's sending me off to a glaucoma specialist. The options will probably include various forms of surgery. I'm not at all pleased. I've already had an iridotomy where a laser punches a hole in your iris to allow fluids to drain. It's been determined that I'm allergic to a variety of eye drops, but not the standard Xalatan®. However, that's not controlling my pressure as much as it should. According to my eye doctor, treatment involves dropping the eye pressure at least 30% of whatever the normal pressure is. So someone like me, who had fairly low pressure to begin with (18), needs to have pressure down in the 12-13 range. Sigh. As the late great Gilda Radner's Roseanne Rosannadanna said, "It's always something!"

 

Slacking Leads to Injury

I don't think that shoveling snow really counts as cardio or weight training exercise, no matter how breathless and sore and achy it makes you. My husband and I shoveled our walkway, driveway, and our cars out of Nor'easter Nemo, but we apparently had it good compared to those further east. We only got about a foot of snow, a lovely combo of small sandy grains and wet fluffy flakes.

But there was no school on Friday and I kick myself for not getting to the gym that morning, before the snow started falling. Truthfully, the roads weren't bad until much later in the day. But I slacked. And we didn't do anything on Sunday either other than take my son to his swim class and join some friends for an hour of sledding in the brilliant warm afternoon sun.

So today, I'm stiff and sore, from sleeping late (school on a 2-hr delay due to the icy roads this morning) and inactivity. All the Precors are fixed so I'm happy, but my 35 minutes only gets me 3.95 miles. I feel tired when I should be refreshed. I debate whether I should Push or Pull today because my last workout was a Push so I should be doing Back and Biceps. However, I'm lazy and I have a Monday routine. So Bench Pressing it is! There's a guy sitting at the station, with no weight on the bar. He's chatting on the phone so I motion to him to ask if he's done? "One more set" he says but continues to chat. Then, he does kick outs. I sneer to myself, No wonder he doesn't look like anything. Really, he's taking up the Smith station just to do ab kick outs? Loser. Okay, maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but I didn't actually say it, I just thought it.

The benching went well, but I notice halfway through that my right calf feels really tight. Benching heavy requires you to brace your body, back against the bench with feet flat on the floor. Some people arch their backs but that's not good form. B tends to pull her head up like a turtle trying to right itself, also bad form. If anything, it means you should lessen the weight. But I don't have those issues. I'm thinking it's the cardio warm up I did earlier. Sometimes I'm not moving balanced and it shows up later with soreness and stiffness. I'm doing everything I can to convince myself to go back to doing 45 minute cardio warm ups. I miss the sweaty breathlessness. I don't like feeling tired and achy. Plus, I think I got my period over the weekend, but these days, it's hard to tell because they were never much to begin with. Now they're even less.

I guess I don't understand what other people consider a normal exercise routine. The gym folk seem to concentrate on just one or two exercises, benching for instance. If they're doing more full-body routines, then they only seem to do a few sets. I don't see a lot of effort. And I don't see any results.There are exceptions of course. Like Amazing Stretch and his pal Curly Cap. But those guys seem to have a plan. Perhaps that's why CrossFit is so popular -- because there's a plan.

Today's Total Workout:
35 min cardio = 3.95 miles
Smith Bench Press: 12 @ bar (45 lbs) / 25 @ 95 lbs / 12 @ 115 lbs / 12 @ 135 lbs / 3 x 10 @ 145 lbs / 12 @ 125 lbs / 25 @ 105 lbs
Cage Stretch & Kicks (I stretch out my right calf as gently but thoroughly as I can)
Front & Lateral Raises with Rear Bent-Over Raises: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs (Rears @ 22.5 lbs)
Lateral  & Rear Raises: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs (Rear 3 x 15 @ 22.5 lbs)
One Arm DB Tricep Extensions: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs (these are starting to get too easy)
Torso Twist Machine: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Lower Ab Kick Outs: 100
Tricep Press Downs: 12/10/9 @ 50 lbs
Mat Stretch

I saw B and R's cars in the lot when I got here this morning but I don't say Hi. B always seems to be chatting with someone. R is at the opposite end of the gym. Mo waves her fingers in front of my face to say Hi when I'm doing Tricep Press Downs because she knows I'm so focused that she can walk right by me and I'm oblivious. I refocus momentarily, smile and wave back. Someone waves to me from across the gym and I have to look twice because I don't know who it is right away. It's HJ, the father of one of my son's former classmates from daycare several years ago. I wave back and wonder how his daughter is doing. I recall him frantically trying to get to work while bringing her to daycare, still wrapped in her blanket and jammies, and a bag of Skittles for breakfast. I'm hoping she's grown into a somewhat more pleasant child but I don't ask.

During my Mat Stretch I notice my left hamstring seems unusually tight, perhaps compensating for the tight right calf. I'm usually more limber, even after a weekend. I'm not at all happy, so I'm reconsidering upping my cardio back to 45 minutes. Of course, I've also noticed that my hip measurements are a tad bigger (33-26-33.5). I'm hoping that's from the squats and dead lifts. Not that my butt seems any less saggy. The gym scale reads 111.6 lbs and I'm not surprised, not with the double helping of turkey meatballs and pasta yesterday. Tonight I'm making cod with garlic and butter, over rice with sauteed spinach. And of course, I'm having dessert.

Making the Best of Whatever...

I should've known it was going to be "that kind of day" when I discovered the 2 out of 4 Precors weren't working properly. And the other two were occupied. By sweaty old men who never wipe down the machines. So I trudged off to the LifeFitness ellipticals, and of course, only 1 out of 3 working machines was available. It was the one no one wants to use. There are so many Sorry! Out of Order signs on the elliptical equipment that it's beginning to resemble a Used Equipment Warehouse.

I hate the LifeFitness machine. Even at the lowest setting, I'm slogging through mud which puts a lot of pressure on my ankles and knees. All my joints, in fact. I can feel the balls of my feet slipping against my trainers (blisters!) and it's hard to keep my heels flat against the peddles. I get warm and a little sweaty, but I don't even care how many miles I've done or not done because it's not relevant. I just hope the Precors are fixed the next time I come.

Then later, as I'm pulling a magnetic 2.5 lb disc off a 20 lb dumbbell, I catch my pinky finger and thoroughly bruise it. It's purple and swollen, and very sensitive to pressure so typing is a bit trying. It's also a lesson in how many things we use our pinkies for but take for granted, like tying shoelaces. But especially, pressing the Right Shift Key or any of the punctuations keys. Bleah.

Today's Total Workout:
LifeFitness cardio 30 min
Smith Machine Bench Press: 12 @ bar / 25 @ 95 lbs / 12 @ 115 lbs / 12 @ 135 lbs / 3 x 10 @ 145 lbs / 12 @ 125 lbs / 25 @ 105 lbs (I feel fairly satisfied with this routine for now)
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Front & Lateral DB Raises & Rear Inclined Seated Raises: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs (22.5 lbs for Rear)
Yep, this is where I crunch my pinkie but it doesn't stop me from working out.
Lateral & Rear Inclined Seated Raises: 3 x 12 (15 for Rear) @ 20 lbs (22.5 lbs for Rear)
DB Tricep Extensions: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Lower Ab Kick Outs: 100
Tricep Press Downs: 12/10/8 @ 50 lbs followed immediately by 10 @ 40 lbs / 12 @ 30 lbs (known as a burnout set going to failure, and I figure I hadn't done these in a long time so what the heck)
Torso Twist: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Mat Stretch

Mr T-shirt is at the Seated Cable Rows just perpendicular to the Tricep Press Down station, and I can tell that he's a bit disconcerted, even though I'm not looking directly at him. He's the type of guy who needs to chat and there's no one to chat with. I also notice a new face in the gym, someone who is troubling because he's completely covered in a hoodie and sweats. What's troubling is that he moves from station to station but never actually sits at any one. He has a very nervous, furtive vibe and I don't trust him at all. It's as if he's just checking out the place. People in hoodies usually take them off eventually. He doesn't. He doesn't even work out.

I pace and bob between sets, keeping myself focused on the next movement I have to do. I see a few other regulars wandering through the gym, like PJ Pants and ZZ. Thankfully they're a respectably safe distance away from me so I'm not concerned, but I always like to know where everyone is. It's probably a product of my early NYC childhood, in the dark days of the 60s and 70s when crime ran rampant.

The gym scale reads 109 (and my home scale reads 106.2 which is just about the same as yesterday) so I'm good. The Apple strikes up a conversation with me and another lady in the locker room about working out. She's been taking a BodyPump Class and she's upset that the scale hasn't budged but her legs, butt and arms are bigger. Now she can't fit into her dainty dresses anymore. I mention that she might want to get a body fat scale just to see where she is. She's also concerned that she'll develop muscles like a man. I try not to laugh. I assure her that it'll never ever happen.

I push a lot more weight, and I certainly don't look like a man (although I'm horribly envious of a certain back right because it's the most beautiful back I've ever seen). A gamin perhaps but that's probably because of my haircut, and the unisex clothes I tend to favor (so much more comfortable!) so that'd be understandable. It doesn't bother me. I still wear purple eye pencil and glossy lipstick. You just have to make the best with what you've got, genetics and otherwise...

Wednesday is My Least Favorite Day...

Lately, Wednesday is my least favorite day to go to the gym. I love Leg Day but I can always move Leg Day to Thursdays. It's Wednesdays that I hate, and not because it's Prince Spaghetti Day (okay, I'm dating myself by referencing that commercial). I'm a big pasta fan, even planning to make a turkey bolognese sauce tonight for dinner. I hate Wednesdays because the gym suddenly seems to fill up with completely clueless, full-of-themselves, high schoolers. I don't mind the girls so much. I'm not 100% sure but they seem to be staring a lot, at me. They don't say anything, they don't titter or giggle. They just stare. It's a bit odd. The boys, on the other hand, drape themselves over equipment they have no idea how to use. I guess I should give them credit for being at the gym, but really, they just annoy me.

Today's Total Workout:
35 min hill = 3.85 miles + 35 min intervals = 3.92 miles Grand Total 7.77 miles
(It's not my best by far and I blame it on myself for having to bribe, er, indulge my son with KFC original recipe fried chicken last night. I should've known from the saltiness that it was rife with MSG, and later I developed a MSG headache and didn't sleep well. During cardio, I develop a stitch just below my ribcage on the right side and I wonder if it's my gall bladder complaining about last night's poor dietary choice.)
Cage Stretch
Smith Squats: 12 @ bar / 6 x 12 @ 95 lbs (I wear shorts on Leg Day because I really need to see where my knees are in alignment with my feet and shoulders, and I'm constantly adjusting my stance)
Dead Lifts: 12 @ bar / 6 x 12 @ 95 lbs (these actually don't feel so bad these days)
Thrusters: 12 @ bar / 3 x 12 @ 55 lbs (my knees are not at all happy doing this exercise, and it takes my breath away far worse than Dead Lifts)
  How to Do Thrusters for Strength Training Exercise —powered by eHow.com
Pistol Squats: 6 each leg (I have to concentrate really hard on stabilizing my ankle and knee when I do this movement)
Seated Leg Curl: 6 x 12 @ 90 lbs (I've been babying myself by only doing 3 sets in the past)
Torso Twist: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Seated Leg Extensions: 6 x 12 @ 60 lbs
Mat Stretch: By this time I'm tired and I just want to do my routine. I probably shouldn't've cursed out the newbie wandering all over all three mats but really, if someone's obviously working out on one of the mats, you do not tromp all over it like you're a brain dead zombie. I saw the look of shock on his face and the trainer (who was working out on his own time) who's his buddy. Really, the trainer should know better as well. Like I said, if I was going to pull back on working out, it'd be on Wednesdays when all the morons come out to play.

The gym scale reads 108.8 lbs but I'm not concerned. I had a good workout. (By the time I get home, my own scale reads 106.2 lbs and I'm appeased.) I see B and she tells me that she's off tomorrow and not sure she'll be here Friday because of the storm. Storm? Oh yeah, Nor'easter Nemo and predictions of 16+" of snow for our area! I guess I'd better do my errands today and tomorrow then since it's very likely that I'll be spending Friday shoveling, and shoveling some more.

I'm So Damn Intimidating ;-)

I'm only intimidating at the gym because otherwise I'm just a small Asian woman lugging a big tote bag and sometimes an 8-year old boy by the hand. At the gym I'm a goddess! I realized that the other day when I motioned to a young woman (doing bicep curls with those plastic beauty bells) to see if she was using the bench next to her. She could barely gesture but her face showed sheer wide-eyed terror. I guess I won't be seeing her in the free weight area any time soon. Too bad!

Fat Back?

It's Tuesday. Back and Biceps! I decide that I can't deal with fruit this morning and toss half a plastic spoon of raw sugar into my breakfast oatmeal. My cardio starts off well but at the 20 minute mark I begin to worry that I won't have the stamina to keep up my 200 SPM (strides per minute) pace. I'm barely sweating but warm enough to keep a decent 195 SPM throughout the cool down and surprise myself with 4.09 miles. Maybe today won't suck as much as I feared.

Thickness!

I see B several times throughout my workout. She's moaning and groaning about how bad her work outs are these days. By the end of my workout I don't even see her as she goes to leave because my head isn't focused on her negativity. I have enough awareness to know what regulars are in the gym today, but it's the rare person who draws me out of my own routine. I have a much better workout when I'm not distracted with inane chatter (who doesn't!?) but I know that a lot of folks just can't seem to work out unless it's a big social event. Good grief.

Today's Total Workout:
35 min cardio = 4.09 miles
Seated Cable Rows: 12 @ 90 / 12 @ 105 / 3 x 10 @ 120 lbs
Lower Back Extensions: 2 x 25 @ 90 lbs (I can't find the 7.5 lb weight so I stick with 90 lbs even though it seems a bit too easy, and going to 105 would pop me right out of the seat)
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Pull Ups at the Smith Rack: 12 / 10+2 / 6+2 (Legs out perpendicular in the beginning but once I have to catch my breath, then I just cross them below me. And wow, that last set really sucked!)
Bent Over Reverse Grip BB Rows (I stack the discs in a pyramid shape on the ends of the barbell and they seem to stay put in that formation): 15 @ 70 lbs / 6 x 15 @ 75 lbs

The hair HAS to go!

Between sets, I pace within the space I've set up in, vaguely aware that the Spin Class has just let out and a few of the older women are staring as they chat in the doorway of the Spin Room. Hhmmm. I'm just going to assume that they're staring at me because I don't really see anyone else in my general direction. Amazing Stretch & Curly Cap have moved their loaded barbells (for dead lifts and clean & jerk) further down to give me a bit more room, but it's done very nonchalantly, and none of us actually ever makes eye-contact, or even acknowledges each other's existence. I do it when I find myself in a position to un-crowd someone. It's just respectful, and good gym etiquette.
Torso Twists: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Alternating Seated DB Curls: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Concentration Curls: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Flat Bench Sit Ups: 125 (I counted)
Lower Ab Kick Outs: 100 (I can feel an abrasion developing during the last 20 reps)
Reverse Grip BB Curls (they're getting too easy so it's either add more sets or add more weight and I don't feel like going back to the front desk for a pair of 2.5 lb magnetic discs to make this 45 lbs because I don't think I can handle 50 lbs): 4 x 20 @ 40 lbs
Afterwards, I strip off my elbow braces and grips, grab my towel and gloves and eye the stretch-out mat area. I need a bit of room for the splits but afterwards I'm perfectly happy with half a mat.
Mat Stretch (Amazing Stretch & Curly Cap are on the mat but graciously move over so that I can use one of the mats. Toward the end of my routine there are 3 more people on the mats. Too crowded for me! I wonder if M is deaf because he seems to speak really loudly, as if to overcome my iPod, but he's not talking to me so I don't know why he'd be speaking so loudly.)

I see R briefly but he's frowning and red in the face from all the exertion of pushing dumbbells that each weigh more than I do. I tell his brother that I just came over to say Hi and I don't want to bother him. He looks a bit spacey but says Hi, and then I'm gone.The only regulars I don't see are ZZ (thank goodness because he seems a tad creepy) and PJ Pants (definitely creepy but probably harmless). Some of the old men are either snow birds, or sick. I hope they're just in Florida, because as creepy as they seem, they're probably okay people and no one deserves to be sick with the flu. And no, I never did get a flu shot. Flu season's almost over and I'm hoping to get away unscathed. I am taking a 50 mg zinc tablet and a couple of fish oil pills every day with orange juice as a sort of preventative.

The scale reads 109.8 lbs which is reasonable. I spend a long time in the shower with my new exfoliating bath mitt from the Body Shop. It works so much better than any loofah I've ever tried. But it's hard to scrub your own back, especially when you have limited shoulder mobility from old exercise injuries.

The new haircut

I didn't bring my extra towel or else I'd've spent time in the sauna as well, but I do have a mission afterwards. I'm almost out of Ensure® High Protein drinks and I trek off to the CVS to redeem a bunch of coupons so that I can restock my vanilla shake supply. The drinks break down to $2.02 a bottle which is about the price for a cup of coffee.

Tomorrow's Leg Day, and I'm all excited. I'm not really sure why except that it feels wonderful, and like R, I get a huge "good feeling" from strenuous exercise. R once told me that a lot of his clients need to be cajoled into doing what they should be doing because they don't get that great endorphin rush. I shook my head and told him there must be something wrong with them because I can't imagine that. Exercise is my drug! But then again, I'm a confessed Born Again Gym Rat junkie.

Deep In Your Heart, You Know...

Well, we had a rather busy weekend that culminated in the SuperBowl last night. I admit that the Calvin Klein commercial certainly caught my full attention because it's rare to see such a beautiful half-naked man up close and personal. Even if it was a commercial for underwear. The power failure of the Super Dome meant that the game ran even longer than past years, and although it was a nail-biter with feats of athletic glory (the 108 yard touch down, for example), it ended late and we were all weary this morning.

I discovered a frozen bag of summer blueberries in the freezer (don't ask me which summer) which I've decided to include in my oatmeal breakfast. Since I'm not quite sure how much water they contain, I'm guessing when I mix together the 1/4 cup dry quick oats, dash of salt, 1/4 cup frozen blueberries and oh, maybe a 1/4 cup water. Nuke covered with wax paper in an over-sized bowl for 3-4 minutes, and voilá, piping hot fruity oatmeal. No artificial color, flavorings, preservatives, sweetners. It's pretty good if you eat it before it congeals to the consistency of wallpaper paste.

I also saw a truly entertaining video regarding Breast Cancer (yes, that's what I wrote) which I'll share right here:


Today's Total Workout:
35 minutes = 3.99 miles
Smith Bench Press (I decided to press max weight today but I wanted to make sure I was adequately warmed up beforehand so I cut back my reps while upping the weights): 12 reps @ bar / 25 @ 95 lbs / 12 @ 115 / 12 @ 135 / 11, 9, 10 @ 145 lbs / 12 @ 125 lbs / 25 reps @ 105 lbs
Lateral Delt DB Raises (super set with Rear Inclined Seated Raises): 6 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Rear Inclined Seated DB Raises: 6 x 15 @ 22.5 lbs (there's a couple of cute boys here today and I watch them, without looking directly at them, between my sets; cute boys who are probably 30 years my junior but I catch them glancing over in my direction every now and then. Yes, we all need incentives and take our entertainment where we can!)
One-Arm Tricep DB Extensions: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Torso Twist: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125 (I counted)
Lower Ab Kick Outs: 100 (I counted. 100 is as much as I can do without developing an abrasion.)
French Press: 4 x 15 @ 30 lbs
Mat Stretch (My splits are getting much better and that makes me happy. I have a fairly extensive stretch routine that I do every day that I come to the gym, but I wonder if there are things I should change. It's like a dance routine since I move to my cardio mix beat but of course, I'm the only one who can hear it and other than my silent lip-synching to myself, no one really knows what the heck I'm doing. Just as well.)

There are a lot of regulars here today including B who complains that she's losing all her hard-earned muscle because she can't do any upper body exercises. She wants to cut down on her cardio but I remind her that the only reason she does cardio (at least that's what she told me) is to lower her cholesterol levels so that she doesn't need to take medication. She's going for physical therapy which she's highly skeptical will do anything for her. I tend to agree with her. Unless it's therapy prescribed for athletes, most of these exercises are for truly sedentary people. However, I was pretty enthusiastic about her appointment for a deep tissue massage. Hurts like hell, but damn, it feels so good when it's over. (Like that old joke: "Beat me, whip me because it feels so good when you stop!")

I overhear the Apple speaking with one of the nice lady trainers at the gym. She's complaining about not being able to drink 64 ounces of water (8 eight-ounce cups) because she'll have to pee all the time, and she just doesn't like water that much, and if she drinks too much, she'll feel too bloated to exercise. I just kept my mouth shut. I know she's trying but I feel as if she's really not understanding what she really needs to do if she's trying to change her body (ie, lose weight).

The scale reads 111.4 and I'm not surprised because I had a double helping of pulled pork with baked beans for dinner and then mint chocolate chip ice cream for dessert. By the time I get to my annual OB/GYN appointment and get on the scale, it reads 106 lbs but I think that scale is light. Just to be sure, because I'm such a compulsive person, when I get home I check my weight, which reads 108.0 lbs. That seems correct, given that I've sucked down and probably mostly peed out my entire 1.5 liters of water (3.3 lbs).

I got my hair cut yesterday and feel much better about how I look. As much as everyone tells me how "cute" my hair looks longer, I know deep in my heart that I look much much better, even younger, with a shorter cut. The longer hair dragged my face down. I also think it emphasized the faint laugh lines I'm developing. So with my new abbreviated hair, the emphasis is back on my face, and eyes. Hair should frame your face and bring out your best features. Hair, in itself, shouldn't be your best feature. Unless you're a Veela (yes, a Harry Potter reference).

I think people get stuck on what they think should look good regardless of whether it actually looks good or not. I can always tell when the hair cut works because suddenly, in the mirror, my face seems to "pop" out of my hair. It's hard to explain but you know it's true when you see it. It's the same with clothes (hence the popularity of that show What Not To Wear on TLC).

I also think people get stuck in exercise routines without actually understanding what they're doing or why they're doing it. But that requires a commitment to one's own body that many people seem to disregard. They want the cosmetics to make things seems a certain way, without actually doing the actual work of changing because that might be 1) too hard 2) too much time 3) scary. Scary? People seem to be afraid of fulfilling their potential, of really seeing how hard they can push. I'm not really sure why. But deep in your heart, you know what you're capable of.

TGIF! Yay!

As it turns out, I went to kickboxing with my husband last night and had a great time. I skipped the running and jumping-jacks to spare my knees but did all the other warm ups such as squat-kicks, push ups and sit ups. Of course, wailing on the heavy bag is the only real reason to go to kickboxing, and while I can't move the bag across the room the way my husband can when he punches or kicks, I did manage to get the bag to shake. My punches and jabs are definitely stronger. I think it's all the shoulder work I'm doing. Or maybe the bench pressing. It's odd to think that the only chest work I do is benching. No cables, no dumbbells.

I confess, I haven't been to kickboxing in several months! The instructor likes to give a lot of different kicking, punching and jabbing combinations. The last routine involved whacking the bag with two punches then dropping to do two sit ups, doing as many as possible while alternating with your partner, in two minutes. I was actually surprised at how quickly I was able to pop up from the bent-knee sit ups, but of course, my husband and I are playfully competitive with each other, and that adds a lot of incentive. (I think I can out-push-up him. I can definitely out-pull-up him. But of course, he's a lot bigger, and he spends a lot of time doing not fun things, like working for a living.)

My shoulders were sore this morning, but I never let that stop me from working out. I believe that exercise is the best cure for soreness, and I refrain from ibuprofen and other NSAIDs because I've read that they can impede muscle recuperation. It's a Pull Day: Back & Biceps, and of course, Abs. Still, I get on the elliptical and wonder if I'll make it past 3.5 miles today. 15 minutes into the course, I rev up to 286 spm. That makes me really happy, and I maintain the 190-215 spm for the rest of the time, logging 4.02 miles. My new blue hoodie is also shedding all over my gym clothes, but I've happily discovered that the Boys L hoodie has differently cut pockets so tissues actually stay in them (they were being jogged out of the Womens S shallower hoodie pockets).

Today's Total Workout:
35 min cardio = 4.02 min
Seated Cable Rows: 12 @ 90 lbs / 12 @ 105 lbs / 3 x 10 @ 120 (I see V enter the gym right before my last set and my immediate reaction is "Oh Crap, let me get out of here before he sees me and tries to start another inane conversation", which ruins the momentum of my last set)
Lower Back Extensions: 25 @ 90 lbs / 25 @ 97.5 lbs
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Pull Ups: 12 / 10+2 / 8 (For the first two sets I keep my legs straight out in front of me, but the last set really sucks the wind out of me and I just cross my feet underneath)
Bent Over Reverse Grip BB Rows: 15 @ 65 lbs / 15 @ 70 lbs / 4 x 15 @ 75 lbs (the magnetic discs start to slip when I put the bar down and I wonder what else I can do instead. Then ZZ shows up and plops himself in the overhead rack right next to me. Sigh. Well, at least he's not in my way.)
Alternating DB Curls: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs (Tall Pace U is seated next bench over. He's looking really old these days and I wonder how that happens to people, but it's not like I can ask.)
DB Concentration Curls: 2 x 12 @ 20 lbs
I do Abs in order to allow my arms time to recover before doing the killer forearm exercise.
Torso Twist Machine: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Up: 100
Lower Ab Kick Out: 100
Reverse Grip Barbell Curl: 3 x 20 @ 40 lbs (By the 15th rep of each set, I've got my eyes closed and I'm grimacing but I refuse to grunt. Noise is just uncalled for. However, when I look around between sets, usually while I'm pacing or "walking it off", I see that the surrounding middle-age men seem intimidated. It's amusing!)
Mat Stretch (Sometimes I think guys talk really loud just to get my attention, but all I do is turn the volume up on my iPod. Mr T-shirt seems very boisterous and M, as nice as he is, seems unnaturally loud on the mat while chatting with some old whiskered guy. I need to finish what I'm doing and I'm fairly oblivious to everyone else.)

The gym scale needs a new battery so I have to wait until I get home to read 104.4 lbs. That feels about right. There are a lot of regulars at the gym today, including the lady who once asked me how to get a flat stomach. I had to refrain from telling her she needed to lose about 20 lbs first (she's got that problematic apple-shape physique) because no amount of kick outs or sit ups are going to fix that profile. She also needs to learn a bit of gym etiquette, like not crowding people who are exercising.

I'm glad to see that she's extending herself beyond her class by doing some free weights but I think she'd benefit from having a personal trainer to push her. (I, on the other hand, am my own worse drill sergeant.) She's the one I overheard saying that she's back at the gym now that she's not sore anymore. Soreness is good. It means you've actually worked your muscles. It shouldn't cripple you, but honestly, women have much higher pain thresholds than men (as macho as they like to think themselves).

I don't offer any advice or pointers to people at the gym because 1) I'm not an employee of Gold's Gym; 2) I'm not paying that close attention to what people are doing because I'm doing my own thing 3) I'm not a personal trainer so I could be giving Bad or Wrong advice. I just know what works for me, and what I've read. Still, thankgod it's Friday and I can be a slug tomorrow and Sunday! Yay!