Every so often. things just need to change. I'm not normally a big fan of changes because for me, most of the changes in my life have been really awful ones. A few have been wonderful, of course - like getting married, having my kids (for the most part. :D) But I'm not one who easily embraces change. Not usually, anyway.
So, we're going away in a few weeks and I was getting out some stuff to try on - clothes from last summer. We're going to visit family in Florida and while I understand it's been cold there (to them, that is. I laugh when I hear it's 50 degrees there and they're all bundled up like Eskimos,) it's still warmer than it is here. So I'm going to need the warm weather stuff I haven't worn since last summer.
Imagine my shock and horror when some things. Didn't. Fit.
I used to be such a gym rat. At one point, I was hitting the gym 7 days a week.
But that was then, this is now. Now, much as I do like to work out, I'm not nearly as diligent about it.
Which is why some things. Didn't. Fit.
**sigh**
So today is the day for change. I'm going back to the gym.
God help me.
I hope I'm not too sore tomorrow.
Showing posts with label Working Out. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Working Out. Show all posts
Friday, March 08, 2013
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
So far, So Good
Well, the good news that I haven't died yet. The gym is doing its best, but I'm still here. Mwahaha!
The bad news is that I hurt like you wouldn't believe. Holy carp, I really pissed off some muscle groups with my three months of sloth and they are getting their payback now.
Of course, it's not as bad as it was yesterday. Yesterday, just thinking hurt. And I managed to drag myself back to the gym this morning and do it all again (I think some of the machines actually laughed at me, but it was noisy because of the step aerobics class, so I can't be sure.) I've got to be nuts. Really.
The bad news is that I hurt like you wouldn't believe. Holy carp, I really pissed off some muscle groups with my three months of sloth and they are getting their payback now.
Of course, it's not as bad as it was yesterday. Yesterday, just thinking hurt. And I managed to drag myself back to the gym this morning and do it all again (I think some of the machines actually laughed at me, but it was noisy because of the step aerobics class, so I can't be sure.) I've got to be nuts. Really.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Keep Your Fingers Crossed
That I'll be able to get out of bed tomorrow.
Once upon a time, I hit the gym 7 days a week. I did cardio. I lifted weights. I was fit! I was also childless, which made hitting the gym 7 days a week easy.
Well, fast forward two kids later. Up until this past December, I managed to still get to the gym a few days a week. I get cranky if I can't exercise. Yes, I'm one of those crazy people who actually likes to work out. Last year, I discovered I like to run (I always thought runners were even more mental then the rest of us gym rats. But there you have it.) I was up to three miles every other day when I pulled a hip flexor muscle last spring. Do you know how much that frickin' hurts? It took months to heal. Months, I tells ya. By the time I could run without pain, it was nearly September and I had to start all over again. By Thanksgiving, I was hitting almost 2 miles per workout.
But then the craziness of the holidays caught up and for reasons I won't go into, I ended up running like a lunatic. Time was at a premium, so the gym was the first thing to get sacrificed. I didn't give up my membership - I've belonged to the same gym since 1998 and won't ever give it up voluntarily. Ever. But that time was used for other stuff.
Well, I decided it's time to carve out that time again. And so I went back today. Ran half a mile. Did an hour with the weights. I tried to make sure I didn't push too hard. But my legs are already tight and I think I won't be able to lift my arms over my head tomorrow. Oh well. I don't care. I'm just happy to be back in the gym again.
But keep your fingers crossed that I can get out of bed in the morning. I am 40, you know... :D
Once upon a time, I hit the gym 7 days a week. I did cardio. I lifted weights. I was fit! I was also childless, which made hitting the gym 7 days a week easy.
Well, fast forward two kids later. Up until this past December, I managed to still get to the gym a few days a week. I get cranky if I can't exercise. Yes, I'm one of those crazy people who actually likes to work out. Last year, I discovered I like to run (I always thought runners were even more mental then the rest of us gym rats. But there you have it.) I was up to three miles every other day when I pulled a hip flexor muscle last spring. Do you know how much that frickin' hurts? It took months to heal. Months, I tells ya. By the time I could run without pain, it was nearly September and I had to start all over again. By Thanksgiving, I was hitting almost 2 miles per workout.
But then the craziness of the holidays caught up and for reasons I won't go into, I ended up running like a lunatic. Time was at a premium, so the gym was the first thing to get sacrificed. I didn't give up my membership - I've belonged to the same gym since 1998 and won't ever give it up voluntarily. Ever. But that time was used for other stuff.
Well, I decided it's time to carve out that time again. And so I went back today. Ran half a mile. Did an hour with the weights. I tried to make sure I didn't push too hard. But my legs are already tight and I think I won't be able to lift my arms over my head tomorrow. Oh well. I don't care. I'm just happy to be back in the gym again.
But keep your fingers crossed that I can get out of bed in the morning. I am 40, you know... :D
Friday, December 12, 2008
A (Hopefully) Humorous Rant
Whoa... posts two days in a row??? When did the planets align and does this mean the End of Days is here?
Well, the end of days thing depends on who you talk to and, as far as I know, the planets have not aligned. So all should be well.
No, this post came into being while I was at the gym yesterday. It's a women-only gym, which is why I chose it. I used to belong to Bally's (when it was Jack LaLanne and let me tell you, they closed my gym down and it took me literally YEARS to get them to cancel my membership - even though the nearest Jack LaLanne's was almost an hour from my house. By the time I succeeded, they owed me two thousand dollars in refunded dues. It was a nice victory, once I finally got it.) and I hated it because the guys there seemed to think that the only reason any women came there was to get hit on. They didn't quite seem to grasp that some of us actually wanted to **gasp** work out.
So, I joined this women's only gym and I love it. It's small and quiet, but with great machines and a good staff and no MuscleBob BuffPants doing his, 'How you doin'?' while I'm sweating my face off on the StairMaster.
Now, I like going to the gym because it's two hours to myself. I plug into my iPod and I'm in the zone and no one bothers me. That's how I like it.
But there was something I noticed today and it bugged me. And the more I thought about it, the more it bugged me even further.
So, I've been thinking about it and here it is, the 10 Commandments of Common Gym Courtesy (ranked in no particular order aside from the order in which I came up with them)
10. Thou shalt not gossip with friends by shouting over the music/instructor/tv -Really, if you need to catch up, go somewhere quiet - like the locker room. Don't make me have to blast my iPod to drown out the sound of your voice and really, no one else wants to know about your stomach flu, or your hemorrhoids or how bad your cramps are. Got that? No. One. Cares. And frankly, it's making some of us feel sick.
9. Thou shalt not use thy cell phone in the workout area - see Commandment No. 1 for the reasons. They're pretty much the same. Really - almost nothing is so important that it can't wait an hour, and if it is that important - what the hell are you doing in the gym anyway??
8. Thou shalt not wear spandex gym clothes if thou does not have the body for them - Mean, maybe, but true. Repeat after me - Just because it comes in my size, doesn't mean I should wear it. Yes, I applaud women (it's a women only gym, remember) who decide to try to exercise more, it takes a lot of guts to begin working out and I'm pretty impressed by your courage and determination. And lord knows, I need to lose a few pounds (which is exactly why I'm there, sweating my face off on the elliptical trainer 3-4 times a week.) That said, please, please, please save the spandex for when you reach your goal weight (as I'm confident you will do!)
7. Conversely, thou shalt not wear spandex if you are in better shape than me - I was feeling pretty good about myself when I left the house this morning. Then I saw Barbie at the gym. Damn. Where are the Oreos??
6. Thou shalt not leave the weight plates on the machines - You know, I have two kids. I spend a lot of time picking up after them. I do not want to pick up after you, gym rat whose name I don't even know. If you use a machine, take the freakin' weights off when you're finished. It's not that difficult and it's pretty damn aggravating when I have to take your weights off in order to put my weights on.
5. Keep thy distance in any aerobics class - I'm not the most coordinated person in the room, so I try to take classes where I don't run the risk of pissing someone off by smacking into them, or throwing off the class (or talking into my cell phone - there are people who do this and you know who you are.) Just be careful. And courteous.
4. Keep thy chit-chat to a minimum during any class - It's hard enough to hear the instructor (damn her in her spandex!) without struggling to hear her over your lame-ass gossip. And again, the TMI?? Keep it to yourself or run the risk of a beat-down with a step-class step.
3. Thou shalt not hog ALL the weights at once - If your routine includes 10lb, 15lb, 20lb, and 25lb weights - there is no need to hoard them all around your bench. Not only does it clutter the area and make it dangerous to walk around, but if you take weights you aren't going to use for the next 20-30 minutes, it's just kind of greedy. I promise you, I will be done with them by the time you need them.
2. Thou shalt not cross between the body in motion and the mirror - Sometimes it's vanity (wow, are these my arms?) but mostly, if you see someone on a bench, doing curls and watching in the mirror, it's that person making sure they're using correct form so they don't get hurt. You'd be amazed how easy it is to hurt a shoulder or your back because you twisted or bent just a little bit weirdly. Not to mention, it can be distracting, which can also be dangerous.
1. Thou shalt wipe down any and all benches thou has used in thy routine - Honestly, do you know how disgusting it is to leave behind a sweaty piece of equipment? The gym is littered (and I mean, literally littered with spray bottles of cleaner and rags - you can't walk 2 feet without falling over one.) It takes about 10 seconds to spray and wipe down a bench or machine. Would you want to sit or lay back in someone else's sweat? EWWWWW!! So take the time and wipe the machine and stop being so lazy. This is the most important of the gym courtesies and you'd be amazed at how many people can't be bothered. Ick.
There you have it, the 10 Commandments of Gym Courtesy.
That is all. You may return to your regularly scheduled life.
Well, the end of days thing depends on who you talk to and, as far as I know, the planets have not aligned. So all should be well.
No, this post came into being while I was at the gym yesterday. It's a women-only gym, which is why I chose it. I used to belong to Bally's (when it was Jack LaLanne and let me tell you, they closed my gym down and it took me literally YEARS to get them to cancel my membership - even though the nearest Jack LaLanne's was almost an hour from my house. By the time I succeeded, they owed me two thousand dollars in refunded dues. It was a nice victory, once I finally got it.) and I hated it because the guys there seemed to think that the only reason any women came there was to get hit on. They didn't quite seem to grasp that some of us actually wanted to **gasp** work out.
So, I joined this women's only gym and I love it. It's small and quiet, but with great machines and a good staff and no MuscleBob BuffPants doing his, 'How you doin'?' while I'm sweating my face off on the StairMaster.
Now, I like going to the gym because it's two hours to myself. I plug into my iPod and I'm in the zone and no one bothers me. That's how I like it.
But there was something I noticed today and it bugged me. And the more I thought about it, the more it bugged me even further.
So, I've been thinking about it and here it is, the 10 Commandments of Common Gym Courtesy (ranked in no particular order aside from the order in which I came up with them)
10. Thou shalt not gossip with friends by shouting over the music/instructor/tv -Really, if you need to catch up, go somewhere quiet - like the locker room. Don't make me have to blast my iPod to drown out the sound of your voice and really, no one else wants to know about your stomach flu, or your hemorrhoids or how bad your cramps are. Got that? No. One. Cares. And frankly, it's making some of us feel sick.
9. Thou shalt not use thy cell phone in the workout area - see Commandment No. 1 for the reasons. They're pretty much the same. Really - almost nothing is so important that it can't wait an hour, and if it is that important - what the hell are you doing in the gym anyway??
8. Thou shalt not wear spandex gym clothes if thou does not have the body for them - Mean, maybe, but true. Repeat after me - Just because it comes in my size, doesn't mean I should wear it. Yes, I applaud women (it's a women only gym, remember) who decide to try to exercise more, it takes a lot of guts to begin working out and I'm pretty impressed by your courage and determination. And lord knows, I need to lose a few pounds (which is exactly why I'm there, sweating my face off on the elliptical trainer 3-4 times a week.) That said, please, please, please save the spandex for when you reach your goal weight (as I'm confident you will do!)
7. Conversely, thou shalt not wear spandex if you are in better shape than me - I was feeling pretty good about myself when I left the house this morning. Then I saw Barbie at the gym. Damn. Where are the Oreos??
6. Thou shalt not leave the weight plates on the machines - You know, I have two kids. I spend a lot of time picking up after them. I do not want to pick up after you, gym rat whose name I don't even know. If you use a machine, take the freakin' weights off when you're finished. It's not that difficult and it's pretty damn aggravating when I have to take your weights off in order to put my weights on.
5. Keep thy distance in any aerobics class - I'm not the most coordinated person in the room, so I try to take classes where I don't run the risk of pissing someone off by smacking into them, or throwing off the class (or talking into my cell phone - there are people who do this and you know who you are.) Just be careful. And courteous.
4. Keep thy chit-chat to a minimum during any class - It's hard enough to hear the instructor (damn her in her spandex!) without struggling to hear her over your lame-ass gossip. And again, the TMI?? Keep it to yourself or run the risk of a beat-down with a step-class step.
3. Thou shalt not hog ALL the weights at once - If your routine includes 10lb, 15lb, 20lb, and 25lb weights - there is no need to hoard them all around your bench. Not only does it clutter the area and make it dangerous to walk around, but if you take weights you aren't going to use for the next 20-30 minutes, it's just kind of greedy. I promise you, I will be done with them by the time you need them.
2. Thou shalt not cross between the body in motion and the mirror - Sometimes it's vanity (wow, are these my arms?) but mostly, if you see someone on a bench, doing curls and watching in the mirror, it's that person making sure they're using correct form so they don't get hurt. You'd be amazed how easy it is to hurt a shoulder or your back because you twisted or bent just a little bit weirdly. Not to mention, it can be distracting, which can also be dangerous.
1. Thou shalt wipe down any and all benches thou has used in thy routine - Honestly, do you know how disgusting it is to leave behind a sweaty piece of equipment? The gym is littered (and I mean, literally littered with spray bottles of cleaner and rags - you can't walk 2 feet without falling over one.) It takes about 10 seconds to spray and wipe down a bench or machine. Would you want to sit or lay back in someone else's sweat? EWWWWW!! So take the time and wipe the machine and stop being so lazy. This is the most important of the gym courtesies and you'd be amazed at how many people can't be bothered. Ick.
There you have it, the 10 Commandments of Gym Courtesy.
That is all. You may return to your regularly scheduled life.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Spoke Too Soon
Remember how I said I went back to the gym and I didn't overdo anything because I was smart and all that?
Yeah.
Um... I lied.
I thought I was being smart (the operative word there being smart.) I thought I wasn't going to be too sore.
I was WRONG!
Oh.
My.
God.
Yesterday I hurt sooooo much it wasn't funny. My arms and shoulders weren't too bad (I guess from lifting the Boy), but my legs...
oh the humanity
Walking from the kitchen table to the fridge was excruciating. And you should have seen me trying to sit. Oy. I'd get about halfway down and then have to just plunk, drop down wherever I wanted to sit.
Getting in and out of the car? Sheer torture.
What the #$%&%^*@ was I thinking??? Who does this to themselves? Ugh. And all I could think about was, "And I gotta go back to the gym again." Oh noes!
But that was yesterday.
I'm happy to say that today is a whole 'nother story. The pain has dulled to a teensy, eensy, tiny little twinge. Whew. The worst of it is over. And I'm looking forward to another session on the rack - er - another workout. Probably tomorrow, since we're going to my mom's for dinner tonight (yesterday was my birthday, today we're doing the family-thing), so I won't have time today. But I'll be there tomorrow.
God help me.
Yeah.
Um... I lied.
I thought I was being smart (the operative word there being smart.) I thought I wasn't going to be too sore.
I was WRONG!
Oh.
My.
God.
Yesterday I hurt sooooo much it wasn't funny. My arms and shoulders weren't too bad (I guess from lifting the Boy), but my legs...
oh the humanity
Walking from the kitchen table to the fridge was excruciating. And you should have seen me trying to sit. Oy. I'd get about halfway down and then have to just plunk, drop down wherever I wanted to sit.
Getting in and out of the car? Sheer torture.
What the #$%&%^*@ was I thinking??? Who does this to themselves? Ugh. And all I could think about was, "And I gotta go back to the gym again." Oh noes!
But that was yesterday.
I'm happy to say that today is a whole 'nother story. The pain has dulled to a teensy, eensy, tiny little twinge. Whew. The worst of it is over. And I'm looking forward to another session on the rack - er - another workout. Probably tomorrow, since we're going to my mom's for dinner tonight (yesterday was my birthday, today we're doing the family-thing), so I won't have time today. But I'll be there tomorrow.
God help me.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
So Far... So Good...
So, last June, for the umpteenth time, I quit smoking. I'm happy to say that I haven't smoked since June (yay!) but that's not what the post title is referencing.
Now, most people know that weight gain is one of the side-effects (so to speak) when you quit smoking. Yep - and it creeps up gradually, which is the worst part of it. If it just kind of ~BAM~ happened, I think that might be better. But no. Instead, little by little, your clothes shrink (okay, they don't shrink, you grow. But that's neither here nor there, right?)
Ahem
Anyway, over the summer, it wasn't such a big deal. I was swimming almost every day (yay!) so I was getting exercise.
Yeah, well, we had to close the pool, so there went my exercise.
And then it happened...
Okay, I'm not huge, so that's a good thing, but my jeans were getting a wee bit tight, so it was time to take stock and accept that which I could no longer deny.
damn it.
But, I still have my gym membership (now, in the days before my wonderful little blog, I was in great shape - working out 4 -5 days a week. And it was good! Then my son was born and here we are... not so good....)
So it's time to hit the gym.
Again.
Oy.
Now, I'm one of those crazies who actually likes working out. I love having two hours to myself, plugged into the iPod, and not having to listen to "Mooooommmm!!!! The Boy is looking at me weird!" (mind you, the Girl doesn't call him 'The Boy', she uses his name... most of the time)
or
"Mooooommmmmmyyyyy! Mooooooooooommmmmmmmyyy!" That's the Boy. The mommy is usually followed by a long, intensely garbled string of what I am sure are words to him, but gibberish to me.
So, I cherish my alone time at the gym.
But it's been a while. And no, I won't say how long a while, let's just leave it at I had to really search for my workout stuff, mmkay?
So, when my husband gets home from work, I hurry him into the shower so I can head to the gym. I'm pumped. I'm looking forward to getting out of the house and doing something for me. He knows this and humors me by showering in record time. Yay!
It's been a while since I'd last been there (did I mention that already? Oh well) and they've got some new equipment in. Yay! New toys to try!
Did you ever notice how those weight machines strongly resemble medieval torture devices? You want to get information from someone, strap 'em into one of those stomach-busting machines. They'll be singing in about thirty seconds...
But I digress.
My routine came back relatively quickly. And this time, I was smart. I knew I had to get out of bed this morning (how nice would it have been to just sleep, though.... ah.....), so I went easy on myself. Two sets. Twelve reps. Not too much weight. Oh, and I had to be careful that I went easy on the sore knee. Nothing high impact for the knees. Good, I hate doing those leg press machines anyway. One time, someone actually got stuck in one of the leg press machines. Swear to God, I am not making that up. The gym people had to call the Rescue Squad to free this woman. I don't ever want the Rescue Squad to have to extricate me from one of those machines. Talk about embarrassing! I often wondered if that was why I never saw that woman in the gym again...
Ahem
So, like I said, I try to make sure I don't really shred my muscles - they were shocked enough, I'm sure.
Long story short, I came home, showered, and relaxed. But waaay back in the back of my mind, there was this little echo -
"I hope I don't hurt too badly tomorrow."
And, I'm happy to say that no, I don't hurt too badly today. My shoulders are a little tired, my legs are a little tired, but other than that, I'm feeling pretty good. And, get this, I'm going to go back again.
Yep.
So far, so good...
Now, most people know that weight gain is one of the side-effects (so to speak) when you quit smoking. Yep - and it creeps up gradually, which is the worst part of it. If it just kind of ~BAM~ happened, I think that might be better. But no. Instead, little by little, your clothes shrink (okay, they don't shrink, you grow. But that's neither here nor there, right?)
Ahem
Anyway, over the summer, it wasn't such a big deal. I was swimming almost every day (yay!) so I was getting exercise.
Yeah, well, we had to close the pool, so there went my exercise.
And then it happened...
Okay, I'm not huge, so that's a good thing, but my jeans were getting a wee bit tight, so it was time to take stock and accept that which I could no longer deny.
damn it.
But, I still have my gym membership (now, in the days before my wonderful little blog, I was in great shape - working out 4 -5 days a week. And it was good! Then my son was born and here we are... not so good....)
So it's time to hit the gym.
Again.
Oy.
Now, I'm one of those crazies who actually likes working out. I love having two hours to myself, plugged into the iPod, and not having to listen to "Mooooommmm!!!! The Boy is looking at me weird!" (mind you, the Girl doesn't call him 'The Boy', she uses his name... most of the time)
or
"Mooooommmmmmyyyyy! Mooooooooooommmmmmmmyyy!" That's the Boy. The mommy is usually followed by a long, intensely garbled string of what I am sure are words to him, but gibberish to me.
So, I cherish my alone time at the gym.
But it's been a while. And no, I won't say how long a while, let's just leave it at I had to really search for my workout stuff, mmkay?
So, when my husband gets home from work, I hurry him into the shower so I can head to the gym. I'm pumped. I'm looking forward to getting out of the house and doing something for me. He knows this and humors me by showering in record time. Yay!
It's been a while since I'd last been there (did I mention that already? Oh well) and they've got some new equipment in. Yay! New toys to try!
Did you ever notice how those weight machines strongly resemble medieval torture devices? You want to get information from someone, strap 'em into one of those stomach-busting machines. They'll be singing in about thirty seconds...
But I digress.
My routine came back relatively quickly. And this time, I was smart. I knew I had to get out of bed this morning (how nice would it have been to just sleep, though.... ah.....), so I went easy on myself. Two sets. Twelve reps. Not too much weight. Oh, and I had to be careful that I went easy on the sore knee. Nothing high impact for the knees. Good, I hate doing those leg press machines anyway. One time, someone actually got stuck in one of the leg press machines. Swear to God, I am not making that up. The gym people had to call the Rescue Squad to free this woman. I don't ever want the Rescue Squad to have to extricate me from one of those machines. Talk about embarrassing! I often wondered if that was why I never saw that woman in the gym again...
Ahem
So, like I said, I try to make sure I don't really shred my muscles - they were shocked enough, I'm sure.
Long story short, I came home, showered, and relaxed. But waaay back in the back of my mind, there was this little echo -
"I hope I don't hurt too badly tomorrow."
And, I'm happy to say that no, I don't hurt too badly today. My shoulders are a little tired, my legs are a little tired, but other than that, I'm feeling pretty good. And, get this, I'm going to go back again.
Yep.
So far, so good...
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