Workin' it out

Workin' it out at the gym to fit my underwear.... is the second line in the song Pork and Beans by Weezer. Somehow I came across this song and I like working out to it, and just listening to it LOUD whenever I can. I love that line, and it will now be the subtitle of this blog!

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I worked out with Tom, my personal trainer for the first time on Tuesday and that went fine. An hour is short, especially when I get there late, but he knows to expect me at 8:07 and not 8 because I'm getting the kids on the bus at 8:02. But anyways. He has a list of something in the neighborhood of 60 different exercises he's going to show me. We went through several Tuesday morning.

It was HILARIOUS to me to do sqats on the BOSU thing, (pictured) I was SO wobbly it was just comical to me, and with Tom's help, I used two fingertips to help maintain my balance on that thing while doing squats. Tom had intended for me to be holding onto dumbbells on this, but I very much needed my hands for balance. I repeated this exercise by myself on Friday and I was better. I used a wall to help maintain balance but at the end of my sets of 15 I would do the last 3-4 of them with no balance aid. Yay me!

Overall my work out with Tom seemed mild, and not particularly grueling. I realize that the point of these sessions is to learn new exercises, not exactly to get in an entire workout. So, when I went back on Friday, I did 3 sets of all of the exercises (whereas with Tom I only did 2).

He also re-programmed my Heart Rate Monitor (HRM). I had had the high and low settings to beep at me, and I had them set where I considered a good workout to be, I think I had low at 120 and high at 160. Ughhhhhhhhhhh...... Tom set low to 70, and high to 140 and he admonished me "don't go above 140" ughhhhhh.... my first cardio under 140 felt entirely lame and boring. Yuck. But I'm going to follow what he says to do, I'm paying him for this advise, I might as well follow it. Another consideration is he does in fact know more than I do, and I will trust in what he tells me. Obviously what I'm doing hasn't exactly worked.

So overall this week I did cardio 2 times for 50 minutes each, and 2 strength training workouts. I plan to go back tomorrow and Monday and that will make 4 days in a row.

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I have a deal with myself regarding food. If I go another week with no junk food, I can treat myself to this place by my school, Hot Kabob.... I'm totally going through a Greek/Middle Eastern phase with food lately. I've been packing a lunch to take to school, as my M-F class lets out at 12:10. I'm doing good and making good choices. I can probably lose 10 pounds just NOT eating junk food.

New things comin' my way

Well, I did it. I went to the dentist to have my permanent crown "installed", I opted not to be numbed for that as there was only 2 times it would hurt some for a moment. Having part of your face be numb is only fun when you're under the age of 15. But it hurt like they promised and was a bit achy as I left. I almost talked myself into going home as I left there. But I told myself I could just go for a relatively easy simple walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes. Instead though....

I worked good and hard on the elliptical trainer for 42 minutes! I'm so proud of me. And while I was there I asked about personal training, personal training to complement my goal of climbing Mt. Rainer summer '09. I had seen a trainer there before that I had seen in the paper a few years ago, he, in his late 50's did a Grand Canyon hike rim-to-rim. I spoke with him some as I worked out and at length afterwards!!

And I'm gonna work out with a personal trainer once a week for the next 5 weeks!!!
He'll get me going in the right direction, layout a plan for me to follow and I will make it happen. Once I get a good base established I will probably switch to every other week - where I will get a new workout to follow and of course he'll do his job and make sure I'm doing things the right way.

This will be good, very good! He also leads a hiking group on Saturdays! I REALLY want to get in with that. I should start checking out hiking boots, and maybe take myself on some walks through Percy Warner Park. I could probably get up there by 845 on weekdays, and I'd have about 2 hours before I would need to leave for class which, depending on where I park, would be 15-18 minutes away. This could be a very very good idea!! Tom really stressed that to climb Mt. Rainer I will really need to put on the hiking miles. I wonder how far 2 hours twice a week will get me during the week? and then I could do a bigger/longer hike on the weekends. Hmmmmmmm....

Excuses

Ughhhhhhhhhhhh.... last week I swear, I must have had a virus. I had gone to the gym Monday and Tuesday and worked out good and hard (but not toooo hard). I was a tad sore on Tuesday from the strength training workout on Monday, so I simply did cardio. Wednesday I was REALLY sore, and Thursday I really felt like my muscles were being attacked by my own body. I was tired and my appetite was a little bit off too. I'm certain I had a virus - a friend on Facebook commented that when he had Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever earlier this summer, it started off the exact same way for him. (Yes, I was whining on my status updates on Facebook). So... long story short, I've been taking it easy. With fast food to accompany that "taking it easy".

$@%#^@^*^#%$@%^$^#$@$!!!!!!

I turn to junk food/fast food way too much. I feel like I need a total brain transplant. Maybe I should find a mental health professional to freakin' set me right! I don't know. Stressful times are right around the corner (school, 17 credit hours for me, starts in 6 days)... I will HAVE TO pack a lunch for myself everyday I go to school (M-F) because the one class I have everyday gets out at 12:15. I'm even thinking about having a snack late in the morning. They say that several small meals throughout the day is better than a few large meals. So we'll see, and it's good that I'm already thinking about this.

I'm going to the dentist tomorrow at 9am... I'm thinking about going there with my gym clothes on, and going for a workout straight from the dentist. Again, we'll see.

Sunday at the Y

Well, things worked out just as I wanted them to today. I got the Y after it opened, had a good workout, then met Chris and the kids and then went swimming with the kids for a few hours.

Today I was on the elliptical trainer for 35 minutes. With two 1.5 minute higher intensity intervals. It all felt good. I will definitely need new music for next time.

I used the stair climber machine for the first time!!! WOOOO-HOOOOOO!! I am just so totally excited about climbing Mt. Ranier I can barely stand it. I'm reading more and more about the physical condition they expect you to be in, the best you've ever in your life been in, and I am so there!!! I am going to do this. The rewards are going to be the most awesome thing - I can't wait. There's a lot of climbing in the mean time to do, ha!

I'm starting slow of course... I first aimed for 2 minutes on the stairclimber, but I knew I had a bit more in me so I went for 3 minutes. My heart rate went up to 176 while doing this third minute. Oh boy!! I figure if I can do 3 minutes everyday this week, I'll be good. Next week maybe I can jump this up to 4 or even 5 minutes. We'll see. I can see myself next spring on the stairs with a heavy backpack on. Woo-weeeeeeee! This will be FUN!!! I love a good challenge.

I'm also thinking more about the marathon, I really think it will be a good complement to mountain climbing training. I just gotta worry about time... and hey, guess what? I have time to figure out how much time I'll have! hahahah! I should realize by the end of September how my schedule feels.

Yup, I anticipated this

There's a bit of soreness today from yesterdays strength training. Its not major, but it is a bit painful and uncomfortable. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the most painful, I'd say this was about a 5, not really painful (6-7) or excruciating (8-9) or out of this world (10).

I'm figuring out a plan I can do some cardio this afternoon. Maybe get to the Y when it opens at 1pm, and then have Chris bring the kids to me at 2 or so, I could work out, shower and change into my swim suit and then hang with the kids at the pool for a few hours. I'll have to ask him about that.

New Goals

I'm seriously considering new goals... yes, I still want to lose weight, but I've always thought it better to have a goal that wasn't simply a number.

I want to climb Mt. Rainier next summer. I'll already be out in Seattle that summer, I expect, for my 20th high school reunion, grandma and grandpa can watch the kids, Chris isn't ruling out that he would do this also. I've taken a look at one outfit that guides people up there, and its a four day expedition (for some reason I thought this was 2 days). What I would have to do is get into excellent shape... and ha! I just don't know much more beyond that. Get in great shape, strong legs, have a pair of hiking boots and spend serious hours walking with a heavy backpack.

And also... another goal I'm considering is to attempt another Marathon. I attempted the Country Music Marathon in 2006 (I got to 18.6 miles)... I think that if I continue working out hard, in a few months I would be in good shape to start training for the marathon with the Galloway group when they start up in late October or early November. I think this would be a very complimentary goal for the Mt. Rainier goal.

For both of these though, I gotta worry about my feet. My Plantar Fascia actually flared up 2 weeks ago for no apparent reason. I should start talking to serious shoe people now. I've had shit luck talking to podiatrists... this bullshit of starting off conservatively DID NOT HELP ME and really damaged their credibility to me. grrrrrrr.....

But in the next week or so, I will firm up the Mt. Rainier goal and by the end of September we'll see how a potential marathon looks. I will have a very full schedule when my school starts up again. I WILL HAVE TO GET UP EARLY TO EXERCISE OR RUN. I will have to. HAVE TO. So, we'll see if I can do it. Dammit - yes, I can do this. How badly do I want to do this? I really do. Doing a marathon and climbing Mt. Rainier can be my big adventures for 2009.

A life without big adventures just isn't worth living.

Back in the Saddle Again

Whee!!! After weeks of NO working out, and dwindling energy... I finally got myself back in the gym. I did a solid thirty minutes of cardio on the elliptical trainer and then I did a simple strength training workout (just 2 different exercises for each major muscle group, 2 sets of each, 10-12 reps). We'll see how I feel in the morning. There may be some soreness, but I really wouldn't expect much.

I otherwise have my head filled with positive thoughts about these efforts. I'm totally imagining myself working out 5-6 times a week and doing strength training 2-3 times a week. I CAN STILL LOSE THIRTY POUNDS BY THE END OF THE YEAR!!! I will look and feel great, and I will have a damned good time doing it.

I love my new mp3 player. Having fun music to listen to really made a difference. It was fun. I just gotta figure out the sweaty ear problem with earbuds... #$%#^#$^@!!! my left ear was so sweaty, the earbud wouldn't stay in! What the hell?