The day after the train collision

8/13/13

I should have started this post earlier in the day.
I woke up this morning amazed at the fact that I had parts and pieces to my body that I didn't know about.  I mean 50+ years and I'm still discovering muscles I never knew I had.  They never hurt before so they were ignored...

The day after strength training is like the day after a train collision.  Did I mention that train collided with me?  yes, I was aching in places way up, way down, way god knows where.  I couldn't stand straight, I could not move my neck, and I was so sore, so tight, and so in pain.  My friends tell me "oh that's good, that's good pain"  are they crazy? what good is there in pain?  I wonder if they collided with a train before.

Needless to say there was no excersise today, even if I wanted to I couldn't.  I had visions of going to the gym, doing some slow elliptical (as you're suppose to switch from weights to cardio) and perhaps some laps in the pool then pretty much park myself in the hot tub, but none of that happened.  My living room couch happened instead.  All day long...

I am optimistic, NOT, that tomorrow will find me doing some cardio, some swimming and some hot tubing.

Cynthia

What just happened?

8/12/13

Woke up today not feeling so great. 
I felt obligated to go to the gym however considering membership, guilt, expectations and all... 

My friend told me about a "pre-workout" powder that she recommended.  It gives  you energy to get through a workout, has vitamins, etc...  I had gotten a sample from my local GNC store.  I drink my green apple flavored mix, which tasted real good and off I go.  

Today was strength training day.  I was concerned that I would hate the burn, would hate the exertion, would have a hard time figuring out the machines, all the excuses that would keep me away from the gym, yet I went with the high hopes that the powder mix would work for me.  

I warmed up and began with the circuit training; upper body, lower body, and all muscle strengthening exercises.  I watched other people before me found the machines easy to use.  I was pretty sure that a degree in physics was not required to make any adjustments.  I am now feeling gooooood.  I am feeling motivated, I am happy to be here, I have energy, I don't want to finish, I want to do more.   
WHAT'S GOING ON???  OMG I'm on drugs.  

I finish my routine, cool down on the treadmill and leave the gym all smiles.  

Today was a good workout day, today is going to be a great day.  

Cynthia 

There's hope

8/9/13

Got to go today, can't skip or I'll lose motivation. 
On to the elliptical beast.  

The gym is not too busy at 3pm in the afternoon, more machines are open and less people to notice you struggling.  I keep forgetting to bring earphones so I can hear what's playing on TV, so I stare at the screen trying to lip read, I quickly figure out it's golf because I'm sharp that way.  

Five minutes into my moment of "I hate sweating" a lady takes the machine next to me, I can't help but stare at her as she provided much visual entertainment.  She was small on top with a very pronounced bottom, I mean emphasis on the pronounced bottom (she was of the African/American persuasion).  She moved so slow as if dragging herself, she wore black sparkling Tom's which were not the first things I noticed.  Without being obvious I attempted to steal more looks; that lady was entertainment all on her own.  She wore a flower printed shower cap, no she was not old, she was a young lady.  She had eyelash strips fit to land an aircraft carrier; thick, long and faker than a three dollar bill.  She had acrylic nails 2 inches long decorated with bling and bows.  She kept my discreet attention for approximately seven minutes.  Thank God for her, otherwise I might have gotten off the elliptical sooner out of sheer boredom.  

Back to my business.  Got to get the maximum out of it for the least time; I crank up the crossramp to max (20) and the incline to about 7 and pedal away for 20 minutes.  Hard, serious, uninterrupted pedaling.  

Cooled off in the pool, and here's goes another day with another workout out of the way.  

Cynthia 

Already?

8/8/13

I planned my day around going to the gym in the afternoon. 
I scheduled my clients so that I'm finished by 3pm, and go to the gym. 
I washed my workout clothes so they're clean for when I go to the gym in the afternoon. 
I packed my bathing suit so that I can do laps in the pool at the gym that afternoon.  

Come the afternoon, I had no energy left.  
NONE
I imagined myself on the elliptical and the thought alone wore me out. 
I imagined myself on the treadmill and that was not comforting at all.  
I imagined myself in the pool, well that was rather horrifying. 

No gym yesterday.  
Instead I ate Mexican food and had a margarita.  

Cynthia 

Got to keep it interesting

8/7/13

After the Zumba fiasco thought it safer to stick to machines.  The safety of the sidebars provided reassurance should at any time I lose balance and fall flat on my butt (I suppose it would bounce me back up).  So on to the elliptical I go challenging myself to crossramp (incline) of 20, that's the max.  You see, the higher the crossramp the higher the angle of the pedals which means it works different muscles groups like the upper thighs, hips and buttock.  (here we go with the buttock again) after 5 minutes of high incline, I go back down for a minute, then up again just to keep me busy playing with the buttons on the control board.  

Anything to keep me entertained is welcomed at this time.  My eyes are fixated on the "time lapsed" counter and the higher it goes up the longer I've been enduring torture.  The higher it goes up and the sooner I can get off.  The goal here is to get off as fast as you get on.  NOT... 

However 15 minutes of maximum incline which had brought my heart rate to 153 was all I could take before I would drown in my own private pool of sweat.  

What a better way to cool off than a slow walk on the treadmill.  I find the only available treadmill between 2 runners on each side of me.  The one to my left is watching anime on his Ipad, oblivious of his surroundings that's good for me as I like to be ignored.  The one on my right is an older Hispanic gentleman who was quite concerned with my workout progress and could not stop looking at my control board.  I take a look at his and see that he's on medium incline and a speed of 4 and had been on the machine for 44 minutes.  Way to go Cynthia,  you managed to feel like a turtle among cheetas.  I step it up a bit, ha I'll show him,  I push the incline up to the max which is 20.  It takes one minute for me to huff and puff and wish he would get off already.  I up my speed to 2, yes 2 is fast enough for me, and I go at it for 3 minutes.  Oh lord, this is boring, tiring, need stimulation here,  I play with the buttons up and down.  High incline/slow speed, low incline/increase speed.  Entertaining to say the least, up and down passed the time until I burned 100 calories in 20 minutes.  What??? just 100 calories? I can breathe 100 calories.  

There's always tomorrow...   

Cynthia 

It's only day 3

8/6/2013
A bus ran over me, spared just enough range of motion for me to write this. 

Thought I'd change it up a bit and attend a zumba class.  Need I say more????  
So I enter the class at the time in which it started and everyone is already there in form and in place; way to go for enthusiasm.  No warm up, no introductions, no exceptions, they all start hopping and jerking and flaling their arms in the air.  Wait, what's going on? whoa! I can't keep up already.  Ricki Martin in the background singing Ole, Ole, Ole and I'm standing wondering exactly how ridiculous do I really look right now.  

No one in the class over the age of 29, already all slender and clearly in shape.  I hide myself in the very back hoping to remain incognito for the duration of this humiliation session.  Is it my imagination that they're all looking at me?  am I imagining all this unwanted attention? Oh it's my neon fushia lipstick which is drawing quite the looks.  Yes, it's my impeccable lipstick which was so beautifully applied with much precision that was glowing in the room.  Hey I had that going for me at the moment.  

Ok, enough self admiration.  OMG  how much longer can I endure of this, I can't breathe.  On to the next song which was rap, wait how do you dance to rap oh my gosh!  The instructor's movements are becoming x rated and I'm supposed to keep up with that? I'll just dance in place thank you.  My knees can't take that much abuse, my fat self needs more space on the floor, these shoes are not conducive to pivoting around on one foot.  Oh dear! how long have I been at this? 

14 miserable minutes pass and stars are circling around my eyes, drenched in sweat I dance in place. 'Cmon Cynthia, I tell myself, you owe this to your supporters.  By the grace of God I endure 5 more minutes and determined as ever I gracefully leave the room, faster than I entered.  

Whew! Zumba my butt! well yes my butt was quite the hit shaking and moving up and down like a beach ball.  

Cynthia 

Day 2 of official torture at the gym

Still motivated I made it to the gym today at 2:30 this afternoon. 

I headed towards the elliptical machines,  I felt a sort of familiarity with them and thus was not intimidated.   Hit the "quick start" button and off I go pedaling away.  I endured 15 minutes of this on crossramp 17 (have no idea what that means) I felt good still, but decided in my mind that I was tired.  
So off to the treadmill I go for a much deserved cooling off period.  At this rate, I'll be on warm up mode for the entire duration, but hey, I'm there at the gym and that's huge.  I shared a not so special 10 minute time with the treadmill on speed of 3, couldn't not use the incline mode for some reason, but I wanted to (doesn't that count).  

Feeling guilty that perhaps 25 minutes was not much to brag about, I wobble over to the stairmaster. What ambition! What grandiose notion that I could do the stairmaster; and that's when the real torture began... 5 minutes later, not just by choice but sheer physical salvation, I get off the stairmaster drenched with my beloved sweat, weak knees and the inability to stabilize myself on 2 legs.  

There! I worked out today for 30 minutes.  Hardly justifies a trip to the gym, but after all it's only day 2.  

To be continued if I'm alive tomorrow.  

Cynthia