2013 Brought Winter With It

from homegymcentral.com

It was 6°F when I took the dog out this morning. Good thing I refilled the bird feeder last night. I like seeing the chickadees, titmouse, nuthatch, cardinals and other assorted songbirds flitting from between the privet hedges. The rhododendron's not looking so good though, its leaves all uncharacteristically shriveled against the snowy backdrop.

Again, I warm up the car and drive my son to the bus stop and then off to the gym. I'm happy to see that my favorite Precor has been fixed and I hop on for 45 minutes of me debating with myself whether I should've done 35 instead because there's a slight chance we'll be going to kickboxing later tonight. Damn! I'm tired already and I haven't even finished warming up!

My husband actually got up at 5:30 this morning and went out to our unheated garage to work out. He likes the elliptical, and just bought himself an Olympic bar (45 lbs). I'm not sure what he's doing with it since we don't have an Olympic bench (just a Bowflex) but we do have assorted cast iron plates, and I know he's been eying a great adjustable lifting cage (see above). It doesn't have the tract of a Smith machine but adjustable stays for benching or squatting or whatever. I think he's determined to get into better shape. I'm really glad, but I can't show too much enthusiasm, because men always want to think it was their idea, not the wife's.

Today's Total Workout:
45 min hill #6 = 5.04 miles
Smith Bench Press (reps): 12 @ bar / 4 x 25 @ 95 lbs (I know I should up the weight but I'm lazy)
Cage Strech & Kicks
Lateral DB Raises superset with Seated Inclinded DB Presses (front shoulder): 4 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Lateral DB Raises superset with Front DB Raises (these seem easy now!): 2 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Rear Seated Inclined DB Raises: 6 x 15 @ 20 lbs
One-Arm Tricep DB Extension: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Torso Twist: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Ab Curl Machine: 2 x 50 (upper) / 2 x 50 (lower)
Tricep EZ Bar French Press: 4 x 25 @ 15 lbs (because I don't want to go heavy today and I don't trust my dizzy spells not to really mess with my head if I do Decline Presses)
Mat Stretch

French Press

I see B briefly as she runs out the door because she has a contractor installing closet organizers. Other regulars greet each other with Happy New Year. I even see R but he appears to be grimacing so I just wave at him and move on. I'm still feeling vaguely dizzy in the mornings, most noticeable when I'm doing sit ups. I still think it's sinuses but my son's pediatrician scared me into making an appt with my own doctor next week.

I do have a genetic disposition towards high blood pressure (gee, thanks mom and grandma!) and even though I exercise and eat fairly healthy, I've had intermittent borderline high blood pressure. My second cousin (on my mom's side) died from a brain aneurysm exacerbated by uncontrolled high blood pressure and she was only 48 years old. My grandmother's oldest sister also died of the same thing (as far as I can tell) so better safe than dead!

The scale reads 107.6 lbs and I'm pleasantly surprised. By the time I get home from all my errands, I just have time to bring out my home scale and get a reading. It tells me 104.8 lbs and I compare the readings with those I took exactly 2 weeks ago (Dec. 20). They're virtually identical. I feel relieved. The only way I've dropped 4 lbs in 4 days is because it's water weight!

Web surfing, I did find an interesting article from a few months ago entitled Why Women Can't Do Pull Ups. I've attached a link to it (I haven't figured out how to embed the article to save you the trouble of logging into the NYT online). Or try pasting this into your browser: http://nyti.ms/TOkQh9 

I CAN do pull ups. Finally! (I wasn't always able to do them. I have distinct childhood memories of failing miserably at push ups, sit ups and pull ups.) But the article did mention that shorter people with lower body fat are better able to accomplish this task. Apparently shorter people are stronger! Finally, an advantage to being child-size!

A New Year but Not a New Body

It was so cold this morning that I drove my son to the bus stop instead of us walking down the hill. I think 13°F is too cold for children to stand at the bus stop although I did take the dog for his walk this morning. Which meant I got to the gym early and all the Precors were vacant. Unfortunately, my favorite machine #3 kept reading Key Depressed no matter how often I rebooted it, so I used machine #1. It's a bit harder to pedal, but at least it doesn't thump like you fell into a pothole every other step.

Smith machine Squats

I didn't make my 8 mile quota either. But I did get warm and sweaty, and the Smith Squats felt pretty good. But the Dead Lifts still feel awful (I'll be so embarrassed when I actually do throw up on my feet) and I only did 4 sets before wandering off to the Cage Stretch area. Eventually I made my way back to do Seated Leg Curls, and Leg Extensions. The latter are starting to feel easy and the former feel harder. Not sure why.

The Dead Lift I don't do

The Mat stretch felt good today but it's unnerving to look up and see MrPJPants sitting across the gym staring. Bleah! I avoid him like the proverbial plague. I think he's creepy although I'm sure B would say that he's just a nice old man. That's what she says about all the old and middle-age guys. All the other guys she says "Oh that nice looking fellow". And I'm always saying "What nice looking fellow?" because none of them seem particularly nice looking to me. Maybe I'm just picky.

The gym's not horribly crowded but people sign up every January and for a few weeks the gym'll be really packed with all those New Year resolutions. Then by March, everything settles down, most new people disappear, and perhaps there are some new regular people.

Today's Total Workout:
35 min hill #6 = 3.86 miles (bleah) + 35 min intervals #7 = 4.02 Grand Total = 7.88 miles
Smith Squats: 12 @ bar / 6 x 12 @ 95 lbs
Smith Dead Lifts (bar up to chest, not hips): 12 @ bar / 4 x 12 @ 95 lbs
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups (because all the leg machines are occupied): 150
Lower Ab Kick Outs (bleah, MrPJP is sitting in front of me but I ignore him & everyone else): 125
Seated Leg Extensions: 6 x 15 @ 60 lbs (I don't want to up the weight on this!)
Seated Leg Curls: 3 x 15 @ 90 lbs
Mat Stretch

Bob's New Year Beef Wellington

The scale reads 108.4 lbs and I'm pleasantly surprised because yesterday we visited friends, drank red wine, ate boiled shrimp with cocktail sauce, scallops wrapped in bacon, and a wonderful Beef Wellington with sides of roasted potatoes and brussel sprouts, followed by fudge brownies and coffee. I've never had Beef Wellington before, but this was absolutely delicious!

My head still swims intermittently with mild vertigo but it doesn't feel as awful as yesterday. I've been swigging orange juice with zinc tablets in an attempt to fight off my presumed sinus infection. I hope it works because I'm getting tired of waiting for my head to settle while I do twisting sit ups or other bouncy exercises. I won't lie to you: my body hurts all over, and not just after I work out, but when I wake up in the morning as well. But I've become so used to it that I find it reassuring in an odd muscle-head way. Yep, must'a been a good workout because damn I'm sore today. But not so sore that I can't work out again tomorrow.

Happy New Year!

from healthylivingislife.tumblr.com

Well, the gym's open today from 7 am to 6 pm. I was happy that it was relatively empty when I got there although I couldn't get on my favorite elliptical, so I hopped on the 2nd best. Fighting my urge to slack, I punched in 45 minutes and challenged myself to hill #5 which is a bit steeper than hill #6. I wasn't sure I was going to make it. I felt really out of shape, and every time my head bounced, I got a wave of vertigo. But I did finish, and logged in 5.04 miles, which made me relatively happy.

I found this image (above) on a blog site I wandered into and found it amusing enough to steal and post here. My legs don't often hurt, but I confess that most days my glutes are sore. Sore when I walk, sore when I sit, sore when I lay down. But it doesn't stop me because if anything, working out warms me up and gets my muscles limber enough to NOT feel sore. At least for a few hours. Until I cool down.

Seated cable rows also gave me vertigo every time I pulled back on the handles. It was very distracting and I didn't feel very satisfied. Luckily, Cage Stretch & Kicks felt relatively normal, except when I bent down to put my head to my shin. Eventually the vertigo went away, and by the time I did my Mat stretch, it was all gone. I'm suspecting latent sinus infection even though I don't really have any symptoms except for this. I'm also suspecting a genetic component as my brother suffers from Meniere's (extreme vertigo associated with his extreme chemical and scent sensitivity) which he controls with an antihistamine. Both my parents also suffered from lifelong sinus problems. Gee thanks mom & dad! But of course, genetics also explains my small muscular stature, great eyesight (and glaucoma), alligator skin (and oddly youthful hair and skin), so I really can't complain too much.

from goldenmuscle.com

My New Year's resolution (because we've all made them out of habit) is to do Pull Ups whenever possible, in place of Lat(isimus dorsi) Pull Downs. Except that I do them with my legs held straight out in front of me to utilize abdominals. I've seen R do them this way and figure what the heck. I like a challenge. And all the sites I've visited say Pull Ups are better than the Pull Down machine so I'm willing to give it a go.

I'm pleasantly surprised that I can do pull ups at the Smith machine by draping my hands over the bar at the top rung (yes, I'm standing on my tiptoes). Then I just pull myself up. There's a little stress on my forearms (I wear my elbow braces religiously) but it isn't as painful as doing the pull ups with a neutral grip at the Cage. I'm not familiar enough with forearm physiology to know why, just that I can't use a neutral grip (hands facing each other) without pain. Pain like that is to be avoided instead of muscling through. Pain means damage, which is best avoided.

Yes, I find all these illustrations by googling images for the exercise I want to illustrate. A lot of times I wander into other blogs or websites and find useful information. I can't even imagine life without the internet... or actually I can. I remember when I was a kid, how difficult it was to get information. You'd have to go to the library, if it was open, and maybe they had the book you were looking for, or maybe not. It was mostly an exercise in frustration.

Today's Total Workout:
45 min cardio = 5.04 miles
Seated Cable Rows: 12 @ 90 / 12 @ 105 / 3 x 10 @ 120 lbs (I have to start eating breakfast again because I think not eating oatmeal with my coffee is having an adverse effect on my workout)
Lower Back Extension: 2 x 25 @ 90 lbs
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Smith Rack Pull Ups: 12 (I had to rest to get the last 2 reps) / 10 / 8
Reverse Grip Barbell Rows: 15 @ 65 / 6 x 15 @ 70 lbs (I think I'm going to add 5 lbs next time)
DB curls: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Concentration Curls: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Torso Twists: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Reverse Grip Barbell Curls: 3 x 20 @ 40 lbs (maybe I should add another set to this because I don't want to up the weight just yet)
Mat Stretch

I have the mat to myself and that makes me happy. I've seen a few regulars today and we all mouth each other Happy New Year without unplugging our headphones or stopping what we're doing. I also see R but we never cross paths and I don't want to interrupt my workout just to say Hi. The scale reads 110.6 lbs and I'm okay with that.

Once I get home, I check my calendar and see that next week looks ripe for the menstrual cycle. Feels about right because my lower abdomen definitely seems bloated (my pants seem a tad snug). I guess better to have it than not. And I confess that knowing that I'm of the age where these hormonal changes occur makes me work harder because I want to take advantage of the dipping estrogen cycles by building muscle and burning body fat. I think it's working.

New Year's Eve Workout

I should've known from the crowded parking lot what kind of day it would be. The gym was miserably full even though I made a point of trying to arrive at my normal time. The supermarket promises to be worse as everyone gets ready for the New Year celebration tonight. (We'll be eating leftovers and going to bed early. I guess this is what happens once you have kids.) I did get on my favorite elliptical, but because I had waaay too many things planned for today, only put in 35 minutes, managing a decent 4.04 miles. I saw B, and Mo as well, and we all exchanged holiday greetings.

from pumpjunkies.com

Working each body part only once last week doesn't really work for me. I realized this today (again) as I bench my standard 3 sets at 145 lbs, feeling weak and puny. I do manage to finish strong, knocking out 25 reps at 95 lbs. Perhaps I just wasn't warmed up enough. I do feel stronger later in the workout and under normal circumstances, I'd also do sets on the Decline Bench.

Tricep Press Down from womenshealth.com

Dumbbell (DB) exercises for deltoids and triceps are routine. I do abs just because I haven't done anything all weekend except eat, drink and sleep. My moment of truth comes when I do my final exercise: tricep press downs and I manage to do nearly perfect sets at 50 lbs. Yay!

The mats are all taken by "high schoolers" lounging as they struggle with leg lifts and planks, so I move into the hallway with a portable mat. It's thicker and spongier than the regular mats which means I tend to bounce off them when I push up too hard from a kneeling position into standing. I can't wait until school starts and all these guys are gone. Really. I don't begrudge them for working out, just for working out where and when I am.

Today's Total Workout:
35 min #6 hill = 4.04 miles
Cage Stretch & Kicks (because the Smith is busy)
Smith Bench Press: 12 @ bar / 12 @ 95 / 3 x 10 @ 145 lbs / 12 @ 125 / 12 @ 105 / 25 @ 95 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: about 100 (I'm getting vertigo from the movement and suspect my sinuses aren't as healthy as I thought)
DB Lateral Raises: 6 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Rear Inclined Seated DB Raises: 6 x 15 @ 20 lbs
One-Arm DB Extensions: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Torso Twists: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: about 100 (this time I don't get vertigo)
Lower Ab Kick Outs: about 100
Tricep Press Downs: 12/12/11 @ 50 lbs (I can only use the V-bar handle doing this otherwise there's too much stress on my wrists)
Mat Stretch

The scale reads a whopping 111.4 lbs and my pants feel a bit snug about the abdomen and hips. Yep, it's coming.... In spite of the holiday, the gym will be open tomorrow for all those who want to get a jump on their New Year Resolutions, and for those of us who are just too compulsive to stay away. Good. I need to get back into my routine because I don't like feeling weak and bloated although I may keep my cardio down to just 30 minutes. I'm worried that I'll wear myself out and pick up some of the nasty bugs going around. Blech! I've been meaning to get a flu shot but haven't gotten around to that either.

Tomorrow's Back and Biceps. Yay! Tomorrow we'll also be visiting friends who've been promising to make Beef Wellington. Last we were at their house, we were treated to homemade spicy beef jerky and sausage lasagne. Hmmm. Maybe I should keep cardio at 45 min after all.

Post-Holiday Leg Day

Well, the snow and ice kept me from making it to the gym yesterday. In truth, I did little except shovel some heavy wet slush off my car and out of my driveway, and refill the bird feeder with black oil sunflower seeds. So today I had to make it up. Sorta.

I got to the gym late, naturally, and decided that I hadn't really done Legs this week so Leg Day it was. I did pretty good considering I didn't do anything yesterday, totaling 8.37 miles divided between 35 minutes of gentle hill #6 and 35 minutes of intervals #7. Then I did squats, high rep bench presses (because I hadn't benched since Monday), a few pathetic pull ups, stiff-legged deadlifts (which made me feel like puking on my feet again), some more pathetic pull ups, and finally I was off to do Cage Stretches and Kicks. Afterwards, a few sets of Seated Leg Curls, then Leg Extensions (yes, I upped the weight today), some ab crunches and finally a Mat Stretch.

The scale, reading 109.4 lbs, tells me that I'm getting my period. Well, that and the deep lower abdominal twinges, i.e., cramps I feel sporadically. It probably didn't help that we went out to eat last night because I had a hankering for some Bolognese sauce and the local Pasquales Trattoria serves an excellent one over tagliatelle. They also had a wonderful aromatic lobster & butternut squash soup, with strands of lobster meat in nearly every spoonful. Warning: a cup of soup arrives in a large soup bowl. I can't imagine what ordering a bowl of soup would bring!

Today's Total Workout:
35 min hill = 4.0 miles + 35 min intervals = 4.37 miles Grand Total = 8.37 miles
Smith Squats: 12 @ bar / 6 x 12 @ 95 lbs
Smith Bench Press: 4 x 25 @ 95 lbs (I don't even warm up with the bar today)
Pull Ups: 6 pathetic ones
Smith Dead Lifts: 12 @ bar / 4 x 12 @ 95 lbs
Pull Ups: 6 more pathetic ones
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Seated Leg Curls: 3 x 15 @ 90 lbs
Seated Leg Extensions: 6 x 15 @ 60 lbs
Mat Stretch

The Post-Holiday Workout

I got to the gym even later than I did Monday. First I had to clean the dishes in the sink so that I could get coffee started. Then I had to feed and walk the dog. Then my son woke up and he never has enough sense to put socks or a sweater on, but at least he asked for breakfast. Chocolate Lucky Charms. And milk. Then I made myself oatmeal (put 1/2 cup water in a large bowl with 1/4 cup quick oats, dash of salt and some freeze-dried diced bananas, cover with wax paper and nuke for 3 minutes) to eat with my coffee while I defrosted the car and refilled the bird feeder. Then my husband woke up. Then I got myself dressed in my gym gear, packed my bags and finally, I was off!

Today's Total Workout:
45 min = 4.98 miles (I started sweating at 20 minutes but by 30 minutes, I'm having trouble keeping my pace up past 190 strides per minute)

Seated Cable Rows: 12 @ 90 lbs / 12 @ 105 / 3 x 10 @ 120 lbs
(B comes over to chat for a few minutes and I completely lose my momentum)
Lower Back Extensions: 2 x 25 @ 90 lbs
(I was feeling awfully lazy today)
Cage Stretch & Kicks
Lat Pull Downs: 12 @ 90 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 105 lbs (the gym is so crowded today that I never get a chance to consider doing pull ups at the Smith machine)
Bent-Over Barbell Rows: 15 @ 65 / 6 x 15 @ 70 lbs
(well, at least my biceps look good doing this)
Alternating DB Hammer Curls: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Concentration Curls: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: about 125
Lower Ab Kick Outs: about 100 (I put a moleskin over my bruise but by this movement, I'm not sure where that protective cushion is so I limit my count to 100)
Reverse Grip Barbell Curls: 3 x 20 @ 40 lbs (this actually feels easier as much as I grimace)
Mat Stretch

I sucked down my 1.5 liters of water before I'm done and wonder if the sporadic dizziness I've experienced all morning are actually just a symptom of dehydration. Or another sinus infection. By the time I'm showered and changed, I no longer get the passing waves of vertigo so it must be dehydration. I saw B briefly. She and I both agree that the holidays wreak havoc with our carefully scheduled routines. When I don't come to the gym, I'm never sure if I've drunk enough water, or gotten enough protein and other nutrients.

The scale reads 109.0 lbs and that's okay. Yesterday was Christmas and while we didn't feast, we did eat wonderful things like pork and cabbage dumplings, sauteed pea shoots, brisket, spinach and egg noodles, and Chinese tamales (zongzi) which are delicious bundles of short-grained rice bundled with meats, peanuts, chestnuts or maybe just Chinese sausage, all wrapped in bamboo leaves and boiled. I like to swirl a bit of spicy Sriracha sauce on them.

I was going to purchase tickets next door for an afternoon showing of The Hobbit in 3D but the weather forecast is ominous with a winter storm watch. Instead I run quick errands to the supermarket, drugstore and tailor before finally making it home. So I can do laundry, clear out the kitchen sink and finally make use of two bags of not-quite-stale bread.

My bread pudding with raisins

I've never made bread pudding before but the recipe appears simple (i.e., foolproof). I toss in a 1/4 tsp of cardamom just for fun. That aroma always reminds me of my grandmother. Then I notice that there are several bananas that are quite past spotty. I guess I'll be making banana bread as well. My grandmother's recipe, of course.

Christmas Eve isn't Actually a Holiday

 I got up a bit late today but still made it to the gym in order to alleviate my guilty conscience for all the "holiday partying" and "merrymaking" over the weekend. I'll admit that yesterday I woke up with a hangover and I haven't had one of those in at least 15 years! My husband suspects it's because I'm not much of a drinker and the volatile mix of RumChata and root beer vodka just overwhelmed my system. Personally, I like a nice fruity chilled sangria (without all the odd chunks of fruit in it because it is NOT fruit salad). Or a gin and tonic. I'll take a gin and tonic any day. As long as I'm not working out the next day.

The gym isn't horribly crowded but 3 out of 4 Precors are occupied. I get to the last machine and the screen is blank so I kick the plug in the floor, next to the On/Off switch and the screen magically activates. The fellow on the adjoining machine looks a bit stunned, as if the idea hadn't occurred to him. There are a lot of very timid people in the gym. It doesn't bother me. What bothers me is doing 45 minutes of hill #6 and only logging in 4.93 miles. I feel warm but not as sweaty as I'd like. My glutes are also a bit sore and stiff.

I bench heavy today after doing 2 warm up sets. But first I have to walk all over the free weight area looking for two pairs of 10 lb plates to add to the bar. I suppose I could just add another 25 lb plate to each side, because it still totals 145 lbs, but I like being able to pull the 10s off individually after each set so I can then bench 125 lbs and then 105 lbs. It still amazes me that I can barely get a 12-rep set at 105 lbs, but then I drop to 95 lbs and knock out 25 reps. It's only a 10 lb difference. But it feels enormous. I note all the teenage guys in the free weight area. It's crowded but I ignore them. They seem to hover as I work out. That is until I do sets at 145 lbs. Suddenly they're self-conscious. And gone. I'm amused. Maybe I AM intimidating! Yeah, all 5 feet and 110 lbs, soaking wet. Yeah, right.

Today's Total Workout:
45 min cardio = 4.93 miles
Smith Bench Press: 12 @ bar / 12 @ 95 / 3 x 10 @ 145 lbs / 12 @ 125 / 12 @ 105 / 25 @ 95 lbs
Cage Stretch & Kicks

from stansgym.com

Lateral Dumbbell Raises: 6 x 12 @ 20 lbs (I need a photo of me doing these! I can see striated delts and pecs and it looks so cool)
Seated Rear Inclined Dumbbell Raises: 6 x 15 @ 20lbs (I'd really like to know what my back looks like when I'm doing these but I can only imagine)
One-Arm Tricep Extensions: 3 x 12 @ 20 lbs (my small hands and wrists preclude me from ever upping the weight on this movement)
Torso Twist Machine: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs (I do these because a fellow has beaten me to the Sit Up bench and I want to stay warmed up)
Flat Bench Sit Ups: about 125
Lower Ab Kick Outs: about 100 (I start to feel a rug burn and stop before there's blood)
Tricep Press Downs: 12/11/10 @ 50 lbs (this is definitely an intimidating workout because I'm pushing nearly half my body weight, and I'm barely tall enough to reach the handles on my tip-toes -- this freaks guys out)
Mat Stretch

from stansgym.com

I see Mo in my peripheral vision because one can't help but notice a 6 foot tall woman with long white hair, wearing candycane-striped Hello Kitty clothes. Then she's gone. On the next bench over, K nodds Hi to me. She never looks very happy but she says she's doing okay. There are very few regulars here today. Probably getting ready with last minute shopping, cleaning, cooking, wrapping, traveling. Whatever.

The gym scale reads a whopping 109.8 lbs but I'm feeling a little pre-menstrual. It's the end of the month so the timing seems right. I have a ton of last-minute errands to do after I leave the gym, and I don't have time to check my weight at home. Today, my son got a letter in the mail from Santa and he's quite thrilled (we mail letters to Santa every year, addressed to Santa's Workshop, North Pole --  the Post Office has a special protocol for that, and sends out a Santa letter to each child). Tomorrow is Christmas so he has promised us he's going to bed early tonight. Tomorrow is Christmas -- one of the few days the gym is actually closed. Thankgoodness!