Pumping weights

Monday

After spending the entire weekend working, I felt able to make time for the gym today and went to a BodyPump class. I haven't done one since I tore my shoulder at the end of last year, and I have missed it -- it had become one of my favourites. I did it today with only the bar -- no weights on the ends -- very careful of my shoulders. It was a bit tricky, and my left shoulder doesn't have anywhere near full movement back yet, but I could feel the blood and qi flowing around the damaged areas renewing and healing them. I think, so long as I am careful, BodyPump will be really good for me.

I weighed myself first, back down to 79.8 kg after the water-retention horror of a few days ago. Not too bad, considering I didn't exercise much last week and had fast food twice -- pizza and fried chicken -- (with left-overs the next day's lunch both times, so does that count as four fast food meals? I guess it does).

I wore my heart-rate monitor. As expected, not much action there; BodyPump is not a cardio class. 49 mins (I didn't stay for the abdominal track), 92% in zone 0, 8% in zone 1. Average HR 92, peak HR 120. That one little peak was the lunge/squat track -- it was really hard work and my thighs are still hurting, I don't know if I will be able to walk tomorrow!

BodyPump is going to be a great addition to my schedule, and good variation from all the cardio classes.

One thing I forgot, when doing my forward planning for exercise, is that I can't do up my bra by myself (except for a front-fastening one not suitable for exercising in), my husband does it up for me in the mornings. This means that I can't have a shower after one class and then go to another class a few hours later -- if indeed I ever get the energy to do two classes in one day -- because I wouldn't be able to get a bra on for the second class. This effects two days, Tuesday and Friday, when I had hoped to eventually go to both 9.30 and 12.30 classes. My options are to not shower after the first one (Zumba both times) and then sit around in my own sweat for two hours, or do as I plan on other days -- one class and then a long walk. I think the latter option is better, and doing two classes in one day might not be realistic anyway. We'll see how I go when I start to ramp it up next week.

I'm thinking, as well, that I will definitely need one day off a week, and that will probably be Saturdays when the kids will soon have swimming lessons and Tim has a dance class already. General health and not injuring myself is even more important that weight loss, and my body needs regular rest days. But I am actually looking forward to being able to devote myself to exercise.