Monday:
After a really bad night I got up feeling tired and bleergy and not at all in the mood for exercise. And my gym voucher hadn't come through yet. But I got into my gym clothes anyway, determined to at least do some dance. Then I got a test message that they had sent my voucher and sure enough it was now in my inbox. So I could go to the gym after all. And can I say I am quite proud of myself that I was going to exercise even feeling how I felt, and even if I couldn't use the gym?
After I woke up a bit and my antihistamine kicked in I started to feel much better. I got the kids off to school, first day of term four. I wasn't planning on shopping today but we were out of fruit so I dropped into the shops on the way to the gym and got lots. I was kind of uncomfortable walking into the shops in my gym gear. A bit body-hugging. But it was the most convenient time in the day for me today, while I was out anyway but not sweaty yet, so I did it. And it was a cool rainy day so I didn't have to worry about the fruit going bad in the car.
Then onwards to the gym to fill in the paperwork and get my access pass, and work out how to use my access pass to open a locker, and go to the bathroom, and then back to my locker because I forgot to get out my iPhone for music, then looking for the equipment I wanted because it's all been moved since I was last there etc etc.
There is at least one class every day at 9:30 but I was too late for today's, and anyway it was a core and abs class which I am not ready for - may never be ready for! So the plan was to do 15 mins each on four different cardio machines. 5 mins easy, 5 mins hard, 5 mins moderate on each one. Resistance level 3 where relevant. I wanted to balance pushing myself with keeping my unfit body injury-free.
I started on the elliptical. I followed the plan, starting slow then pushing harder in the middle 5 mins. Felt quite tired by the end, the backs of my legs were burning. Then I moved on to the rowing machine. Elliptical and rowing are my two favourite cardio machines. I think the rower is good for my dodgy shoulders, it uses the muscles without twisting the joints. Got through that ok, with sweat dripping off my chin. Definitely a workout.
Then a stationary bike. I can't use spin bikes because they push my weight forward onto my injured shoulders (apparently this isn't supposed to happen but I have no core strength to support myself and stop it happening). Recumbent bikes are ok, but today I got onto a non-recumbent one that had me sitting very upright not leaning forward so it was ideal for me. Still very hard. I was fatigued by this stage and didn't really attempt to increase intensity in the middle. I just slogged through.
Finally the treadmill. I walked briskly for 5 mins then did two short jogging intervals in the middle. And on the second one my shins started to hurt. This is after not running for at least a year (so they were well rested from any previous damage) and as warmed up as it was possible for me to be. So it seems no matter what I do, I am going to get shin pain when running. I've tried numerous times over the past few years on various surfaces. I just have to accept that (at this weight, at least), as much as I would like to be a runner, I can't do it without damaging my body and causing a lot of pain. It's ok, there are lots of other things I can do. It's just one thing. I probably won't bother with the treadmill at all, unless I use it for a quick warm up or cool down. The elliptical is more fun and no impact.
I felt pretty wiped out after an hour of exercise. And hungry! And sore. Ow, my legs. It's nice to feel good-sore and know you've worked hard. I wonder how I'll feel tomorrow morning after I've stiffened up!
My plan is to go to the gym 4 or 5 days a week. I don't have the car on Wednesdays so can't go then, and I don't think I'll go Sundays. But I could go on Saturday morning while my kids have their swimming lesson there. I'll see how I feel come Saturday.
I had a banana when I got home but was still hungry so ate a big lunch even though it wasn't yet noon. I thought that was a better idea than snacking more before lunch. Then I had a short nap in front of the TV. Then finally got down to some writing. And a big afternoon tea. I basically had my whole day's calories before I even got to dinner. I hope the hunger is just a temporary reaction to exercise, I don't want to eat more extra calories than I burn off! And I assume it won't always exhaust me for the rest of the day. "They" say that exercise give you more energy!? My poor body is not used to exercise. This is all a bit of a shock to the system. I don't think I overdid it at all, I think I did just the right amount.
A good start.
Showing posts with label rowing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rowing. Show all posts
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Rowing milestone
More Wednesday:
I went back to the gym this afternoon and got back on the rowing machine while the kids were doing their Gecko class. (I've decided they are going to keep doing Gecko for the moment, at least for the rest of this term while the weather is often too cold to play outside -- although today was lovely, almost Spring.) I felt like maybe today was the day to get that 5 km in the 30 mins.
I started strongly. The first five minutes I dealt with the usual little niggles; back feeling a bit stiff, knee giving a twinge. The second five minutes were hard, my muscles were protesting at the fast pace. I was on track though. The middle ten minutes, the middle third, was the worst; I had already worked so hard yet I still had such a long way to go! I was feeling at that point that I might not be able to keep up the pace, I was getting tired. I was dripping sweat, my bra was rubbing under my arm, my shoulder muscles were complaining ... and whenever I closed my eyes for a few moments to focus I unconsciously slowed down and had to go a bit faster for a while to compensate. But when I got to around the 25 minute mark I realised I was going to do it. I was still on pace, and I could do another five minutes. Five minutes is nothing. I tried to speed up at the end but had nothing left, I just kept pulling at the same steady pace I'd been maintaining pretty much the whole row. And I got to 5 km with 15 seconds to spare. I used those final seconds to slow right down, aware of my heart pounding and sweat pouring off me. At 30 minutes, I had gone 5.03 km.
I think I've been rowing for about a month, which seems about the right amount of time for me to work towards a specific goal. I have earned another charm! Yay! Finally!
After my gym session this morning I was thinking about how 30 mins of moderate intensity exercise was really quite pleasant. After this afternoon's session I can say that 30 mins of high intensity exercise is very unpleasant. I didn't enjoy it at all. My sense of achievement was more "thank God that is over". I had been pretty keen on rowing, now I have no immediate plans to do more. I might take a little break from it and do something else, and when I get back on the rowing machine I think I will put up the resistance but go more slowly and/or for a lesser time. I know that I don't have to enjoy something for it to be good for me, but it sure helps with motivation. That row was damn hard, and not fun.
Since writing this morning about spending more time exercising while work is slow, I won a job that I had quoted for last week. So I'm going to have less time again for a few weeks. Lucky I have Gecko in the afternoons to mind the kids while I work out!
Hmm, if not rowing, what am I going to do at the gym during that half hour? I did like the cross-trainer this morning.
I went back to the gym this afternoon and got back on the rowing machine while the kids were doing their Gecko class. (I've decided they are going to keep doing Gecko for the moment, at least for the rest of this term while the weather is often too cold to play outside -- although today was lovely, almost Spring.) I felt like maybe today was the day to get that 5 km in the 30 mins.
I started strongly. The first five minutes I dealt with the usual little niggles; back feeling a bit stiff, knee giving a twinge. The second five minutes were hard, my muscles were protesting at the fast pace. I was on track though. The middle ten minutes, the middle third, was the worst; I had already worked so hard yet I still had such a long way to go! I was feeling at that point that I might not be able to keep up the pace, I was getting tired. I was dripping sweat, my bra was rubbing under my arm, my shoulder muscles were complaining ... and whenever I closed my eyes for a few moments to focus I unconsciously slowed down and had to go a bit faster for a while to compensate. But when I got to around the 25 minute mark I realised I was going to do it. I was still on pace, and I could do another five minutes. Five minutes is nothing. I tried to speed up at the end but had nothing left, I just kept pulling at the same steady pace I'd been maintaining pretty much the whole row. And I got to 5 km with 15 seconds to spare. I used those final seconds to slow right down, aware of my heart pounding and sweat pouring off me. At 30 minutes, I had gone 5.03 km.
I think I've been rowing for about a month, which seems about the right amount of time for me to work towards a specific goal. I have earned another charm! Yay! Finally!
After my gym session this morning I was thinking about how 30 mins of moderate intensity exercise was really quite pleasant. After this afternoon's session I can say that 30 mins of high intensity exercise is very unpleasant. I didn't enjoy it at all. My sense of achievement was more "thank God that is over". I had been pretty keen on rowing, now I have no immediate plans to do more. I might take a little break from it and do something else, and when I get back on the rowing machine I think I will put up the resistance but go more slowly and/or for a lesser time. I know that I don't have to enjoy something for it to be good for me, but it sure helps with motivation. That row was damn hard, and not fun.
Since writing this morning about spending more time exercising while work is slow, I won a job that I had quoted for last week. So I'm going to have less time again for a few weeks. Lucky I have Gecko in the afternoons to mind the kids while I work out!
Hmm, if not rowing, what am I going to do at the gym during that half hour? I did like the cross-trainer this morning.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Rowing races
I continued my rowing machine adventures this afternoon. My favourite two machines used to be one behind the other, beside windows overlooking the pool. But today the back one had been moved up to beside the other. The pool-view machine was taken, and I figured the second one was still better than the pair downstairs behind the treamills.
The older guy next to me was doing about my speed but we weren't synchronised and I found that vaguely uncomfortable, like trying to dance out of time with music. I tried to ignore him. He soon got off, anyway. I started my row with lots of little niggles that made me think I might stop sooner than 30 mins; my lower back ached almost at once, then a knee felt a bit sore, then one foot ... but after a while I felt better so I just kept going. I was rowing at a decent pace for me, between 30 and 33 spins per minute.
Then another guy got onto the machine next to me and instantly set off on a cracking pace. I sped up to match, I almost couldn't help it. 38 spins per minute, far above my comfort zone! I couldn't keep it up for long, though, I had to drop back to my usual pace. I felt a bit silly trying to keep up, but I kept surreptitiously glacing over at his screen wishing I could go that fast. Then he stopped! He was only doing a 5 min sprint. So maybe he couldn't go that fast for 30 mins either.
That little effort to keep up with him had used up most of my energy stores and the rest of the row was a real struggle. I wanted to sprint at the end but just didn't have anything left. Nevertheless, in my 30 mins I went 4.74 km -- 0.5 km further than last time! A huge improvement. So maybe that little race, which the other guy probably wasn't even aware of, helped me. Or maybe not, without that I would have sprinted at the end instead of in the middle, and I was going at a better pace than previously for the whole row. Anyway, I feel like I am getting close to my goal of 5 km.
photo by CircaSassy
Thursday, August 16, 2012
To Gecko or not to Gecko?
Thursday:
I felt a bit sluggish on the rower today, I assume due to my slight cold (feeling a lot better today already), but I still beat my previous best distance. 4.24 km in 30 mins today.
The kids are starting to get a bit resistant to going to Gecko fitness, although they loved it at first. We get home from school then have afternoon tea and change and go straight out again, three days a week. They don't get much time just to play. Or do their chores or homework. They already do gymnastics and violin lessons. Also, there are a couple of very disruptive little girls in the Gecko class who fight with each other and chew gum & eat lollies the whole time (while exercising!) and don't do as they are told. My kids find that a bit hard to deal with. I was going to cancel today but the gym gave me a number to call and now I am reconsidering. It has its downsides, but it is good exercise. And it gets me to the gym even when I don't want to go. I will think about it some more.
I've been carefully moderating my carbohydrate intake and testing my blood glucose levels and they have been excellent all day. Whatever "impaired glucose tolerance" I have is clearly controllable with diet and exercise. And should be reversable.
I felt a bit sluggish on the rower today, I assume due to my slight cold (feeling a lot better today already), but I still beat my previous best distance. 4.24 km in 30 mins today.
The kids are starting to get a bit resistant to going to Gecko fitness, although they loved it at first. We get home from school then have afternoon tea and change and go straight out again, three days a week. They don't get much time just to play. Or do their chores or homework. They already do gymnastics and violin lessons. Also, there are a couple of very disruptive little girls in the Gecko class who fight with each other and chew gum & eat lollies the whole time (while exercising!) and don't do as they are told. My kids find that a bit hard to deal with. I was going to cancel today but the gym gave me a number to call and now I am reconsidering. It has its downsides, but it is good exercise. And it gets me to the gym even when I don't want to go. I will think about it some more.
I've been carefully moderating my carbohydrate intake and testing my blood glucose levels and they have been excellent all day. Whatever "impaired glucose tolerance" I have is clearly controllable with diet and exercise. And should be reversable.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Starting to panic just a little bit
Monday:
I have nearly finished day two of carbo loading for my glucose tolerance test on Wednesday. I am starting to get quite worried about what the result will be. I had my old testing kit from when I had gestational diabetes, so I've done a few blood tests at different times of day, both before and after I started the carb loading. At first I thought the results were ok, mostly. A bit high one hour after eating; but that is ok, right, because they generally tell you to test two hours after eating when your blood sugars have stabilised a bit. Now I'm not sure if it is ok or not.
Worse, I also now think that what I was reading as "acceptable" was actually only "acceptable for a diabetic". Not "normal". I've read a lot of web-sites (yes, yes, a very dangerous thing to do. Damn you, easily accessable internet!) and I've found all the information a bit confusing. They generally only give a fasting figure for non-diabetics (mine is ok) but don't talk much about what it should be later in the day.
I haven't been keeping very comprehensive records yet, just a few tests here and there, but for my own records here is what I have so far (btw for Americans multiply everything by 18 to get mg/dL):
Fri 10 Aug
3.50 pm (more than two hours after a high-carb lunch) -- 6.7 mmol/L
5.00 pm (one hour after 35g carbs) -- 10.2, this is very high
6.00 pm (two hours after 35g carbs) -- 5.5
Sat 11 Aug
7.30 am (fasting) -- 4.3 mmol/L, this is normal
2.00 pm (after very high-lunch, about 60g) -- 8.4
3.00 pm (two hours after lunch) -- 6.5
Mon 13 Aug
3.20 pm (more than two hours after super-high-carb lunch, about 100g) -- 7.6 mmol/L
5.30 pm (two hours after low-carb afternoon tea* and half an hour exercise) -- 4.7
8.30 pm (two hours after pasta for dinner) -- 7.4
* I ate some of my afternoon-tea carbs at lunch, so afternoon tea was just strawberries; I probably shouldn't have done it that way.
So. If normal non-diabetic blood sugar is supposed to be 4--6 mmol/L all the time, then I am stuffed. Definitely diabetic. If it is allowed to go up to 7.8 two hours after eating and never get above 10, then I only need be a tiny bit worried. Still need to take action for my health, but not an immediate problem. If it is allowed to go up to 7.8 two hours after eating and the one hour after eating mark doesn't matter at all, then I am just fine and dandy.
I've been feeling bloated and a bit headachy and a bit sick today. I though it was all the carbs, but this evening I have a bit of a sore throat, so maybe I'm just sick. Aiden has a runny nose.
At the gym today I did my first 30 min row. I didn't go fast, just steadily, and got to 4.22 km. I didn't really have any problems rowing for that long so maybe the carbo loading is good for something.
I have nearly finished day two of carbo loading for my glucose tolerance test on Wednesday. I am starting to get quite worried about what the result will be. I had my old testing kit from when I had gestational diabetes, so I've done a few blood tests at different times of day, both before and after I started the carb loading. At first I thought the results were ok, mostly. A bit high one hour after eating; but that is ok, right, because they generally tell you to test two hours after eating when your blood sugars have stabilised a bit. Now I'm not sure if it is ok or not.
Worse, I also now think that what I was reading as "acceptable" was actually only "acceptable for a diabetic". Not "normal". I've read a lot of web-sites (yes, yes, a very dangerous thing to do. Damn you, easily accessable internet!) and I've found all the information a bit confusing. They generally only give a fasting figure for non-diabetics (mine is ok) but don't talk much about what it should be later in the day.
I haven't been keeping very comprehensive records yet, just a few tests here and there, but for my own records here is what I have so far (btw for Americans multiply everything by 18 to get mg/dL):
Fri 10 Aug
3.50 pm (more than two hours after a high-carb lunch) -- 6.7 mmol/L
5.00 pm (one hour after 35g carbs) -- 10.2, this is very high
6.00 pm (two hours after 35g carbs) -- 5.5
Sat 11 Aug
7.30 am (fasting) -- 4.3 mmol/L, this is normal
2.00 pm (after very high-lunch, about 60g) -- 8.4
3.00 pm (two hours after lunch) -- 6.5
Mon 13 Aug
3.20 pm (more than two hours after super-high-carb lunch, about 100g) -- 7.6 mmol/L
5.30 pm (two hours after low-carb afternoon tea* and half an hour exercise) -- 4.7
8.30 pm (two hours after pasta for dinner) -- 7.4
* I ate some of my afternoon-tea carbs at lunch, so afternoon tea was just strawberries; I probably shouldn't have done it that way.
So. If normal non-diabetic blood sugar is supposed to be 4--6 mmol/L all the time, then I am stuffed. Definitely diabetic. If it is allowed to go up to 7.8 two hours after eating and never get above 10, then I only need be a tiny bit worried. Still need to take action for my health, but not an immediate problem. If it is allowed to go up to 7.8 two hours after eating and the one hour after eating mark doesn't matter at all, then I am just fine and dandy.
I've been feeling bloated and a bit headachy and a bit sick today. I though it was all the carbs, but this evening I have a bit of a sore throat, so maybe I'm just sick. Aiden has a runny nose.
At the gym today I did my first 30 min row. I didn't go fast, just steadily, and got to 4.22 km. I didn't really have any problems rowing for that long so maybe the carbo loading is good for something.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Long and faster
Monday:
Today I did 24 mins on the rowing machine again, but with the much improved distance of 3.56 km. I may not be losing any weight (yesterday I was back up to 78.5 kg) but my body seems to be liking my relaxed approach to exercise -- my rowing is improving by leaps and bounds.
I'm afraid I did very little else today; watched the Olympic highlights and did the grocery shopping. I have a new, very short, editing job to do. I read it through today and will edit tomorrow. I like to think about things a bit. Let concepts and problems percolate. For instance, I've realised that this author really needs to think about who his audience is so he doesn't alienate the very people he is trying to convince.
Today I did 24 mins on the rowing machine again, but with the much improved distance of 3.56 km. I may not be losing any weight (yesterday I was back up to 78.5 kg) but my body seems to be liking my relaxed approach to exercise -- my rowing is improving by leaps and bounds.
I'm afraid I did very little else today; watched the Olympic highlights and did the grocery shopping. I have a new, very short, editing job to do. I read it through today and will edit tomorrow. I like to think about things a bit. Let concepts and problems percolate. For instance, I've realised that this author really needs to think about who his audience is so he doesn't alienate the very people he is trying to convince.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Long and slow
Sunday:
On Thursday I did a longer slower row, 24 mins -- twice as long as usual -- but only about 3/4 of my best speed. A little over 3 km.
Today I went to a writing workshop where I nutted out the details of a novel I want to write. I already have a WIP (work in progress) but I have agonised over it so long and written so little that I have decided to set it aside for a while and start a new project. I will come back to that one later.
So much Olympics to watch!
On Thursday I did a longer slower row, 24 mins -- twice as long as usual -- but only about 3/4 of my best speed. A little over 3 km.
Today I went to a writing workshop where I nutted out the details of a novel I want to write. I already have a WIP (work in progress) but I have agonised over it so long and written so little that I have decided to set it aside for a while and start a new project. I will come back to that one later.
So much Olympics to watch!
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Personal Best
Wednesday:
A PB on the rowing machine today -- 2.035 km in my 12 mins! Yay, I did it! I had to go a bit harder right from the beginning, and I was buggered by the end. Did it though.
Then I got on the treadmill and watched the Olympics.
A PB on the rowing machine today -- 2.035 km in my 12 mins! Yay, I did it! I had to go a bit harder right from the beginning, and I was buggered by the end. Did it though.
Then I got on the treadmill and watched the Olympics.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Rowing like an Olympian
I did BodyPump yesterday and increased my weight for the squats and the back track. Then in the afternoon during Club Gecko I got on the rowing machine again. I realised just as we got to the gym that I could watch the Olympic highlights on the 4pm repeat show if I walked on the treadmill, but after a brief struggle with myself I rowed first -- where I couldn't plug into TV sound and I couldn't see the TV on the Olympic channel except on the back stretch of my row if I leaned back a bit. I did 12 minutes again and improved my distance to 1.97 km (so close to my goal of 2 km! I really sprinted at the end) before jumping on the treadmill for a slow 15 min walk and some Olympic viewing.
Australians have been doing really well in the rowing so there has been a lot of coverage, and this morning I did some research. By coincidence, all races are 2 km; about the same distance I am doing at the moment. I had no idea that was the case, and I've even been a bit frustrated that they never announce before a race how long it will be; it is easier to get excited when you know the finish line is coming up. But they are all a standard 2000 meters these days.
The single women's sculls, the most comparable to me on my machine, were being won in a bit under 8 mins. The losers go over that, of course. I am going to call it 8 mins for convenience; that is a speed of 15 kmph. It takes me 12 mins to go (very close to) the same distance at my speed of (nearly) 10 kmph. I am 2/3 the speed of an Olympian! I think that is awesome! Especially considering I have only been doing this for a week. There are not many sports I could claim to be 2/3 as good as an Olympian. If I moved to a country with no history of rowing maybe I could make the team, like that swimmer a couple of Olympics ago who could barely swim the whole distance and came in a couple of minutes after the rest of the competitors.
Oh, and I heard a commentator say that the rowers (in this case I think it was 4 men) were doing 35 strokes per minute, which is the same as I do on the machine when I am sprinting. So I have that at Olympic standard too. Sort of. For about 30 seconds.
Of course I have no idea, despite my attempts at research, how a rowing machine compares to being in a real boat. I have the resistance set to 5 out of 10, but I read that the drag on a real boat is proportional to your weight so I don't know what 5 out of 10 means in real terms.
Anyway, all this so cool.
No gym today, as Tim has the car; and also my dad is visiting.
photo by Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games
Thursday, July 26, 2012
More rowing
All muscle soreness was gone today and so was most of the uncontrollable hunger. I was pretty tired from all the exercise and a couple of unsettled nights where the kids kept waking up, but at least I wasn't eating all day! Well ... not quite all day.
I had a doctor appointment today to get a prescription repeat, and in the waiting room I was reading a women's health magazine. They suggested eating protein at afternoon tea time to get you through the afternoon. Try 100g of almonds, they said. Really? 100g of nuts as a little snack? I calculate that to be 600 calories, about half the daily allowance of a woman watching her calorie intake. The magazine was a few months old, I wonder if anyone had ever pointed out the mistake, and if they had bothered to correct it in a later issue.
The doctor took my blood pressure (good, as always) and put me on the scales -- 78 kg, the same as this morning at home. He wasn't my usual doctor so talked about my family history a bit; and because my dad is now borderline diabetic and I had gestational diabetes during my second pregnancy, he wants me to have a test every two years. I had one a couple of years after Aiden was born but he is 5 1/2 now. So I need to organise that. I don't think I have any symptoms, but I am in a high risk category. When I did the test when pregnant (you fast and then drink a bottle of high-sugar liquid) I reacted very strongly and had to lie down through most of the two hour monitoring period -- and I had diabetes. The next time I did the test, when I was back to normal, I felt fine the whole time. So I might know the result before the doctors do.
I took the kids to Gecko in the afternoon but -- oh horror -- both the good rowing machines were taken! There are two on the upper floor, next to windows overlooking the pool. They are also closest to where the kids are having their exercise class so I would be more easily found if needed. There are two more downstairs with exciting views of the sweaty behinds of people on the treadmills. So I got on a treadmill for 5 minutes and happily one of the upstairs rowing machines was free by then. I had planned to do 21 mins again and try for a better distance than yesterday, so I went out hard. And was exhausted within minutes. Whether it was rowing fatigue, general tiredness, or just that I was pushing myself harder, I don't know. But I only made it to 12 minutes; 1.93 km which I think is a bit better than last time. I finished off with a cooldown on the treadmill. Overall, today was unintentionally a bit of a rest day for my body.
photo by Shelby PDX. I remembered!
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Personal Trainers
Wednesday:
I was really sore yesterday afternoon, especially the fronts of my thighs; lowering myself into a sitting position was a challenge and walking down a slope quite painful. But this morning most of the pain & stiffness was gone and I was back at BodyPump. I managed to get there in time, despite some parking issues, and again got throught the class ok except for the lunges -- although I did a little better there today. When I really think about it, my "ok" includes various compromises due to my old shoulder injury; for instance I do push-ups on the wall instead of the floor and my bar has no weights on it for the chest presses. I can't rest a bar on my shoulders because my arms don't twist back far enough for me to support it, so I hold a plate pressed to my chest instead. I do what I can and modify what I can't. On Monday the instuctor said "good variation" to me 3 or 4 times during the class.
Today the (different) instructor was demonstrating the clean & press move and said "everybody's favourite" and I think she was being sarcastic. But it really is my favourite move!
I spent the rest of the school day editing and finished the current job. Always nice to email one off.
I was ravenously hungry again all day and failed to make great choices. I was really tired too, understandable perhaps after four gym sessions in three days. After the kids got home I was weak-willed and gave Jasmine the option of whether we should go to Club Gecko or not, she wanted to go so it was back to the gym. I got straight on to the rowing machine. I decided to go for a longer row rather than push for more speed, so I ended up doing 21 minutes (I am working on increments of 3 minutes because my goal of 5 km in 30 mins means 500 m every 3 minutes -- it's just easier to work out how I'm going). It's the longest row I've ever done but yesterday I looked at a you-tube video of rowing technique and I think it helped. I was pretty comfortable until my trapezius muscles started to hurt. If I'd been going at my goal speed I would have gone 3.5 km in 21 mins but I only made 2.89 km which is way under. I'll get there, I'm only starting this challenge!
I've been noticing a few personal trainers around the gym, but none of them make me think I really need one. There is a cute young guy who sometimes brings his client to a treadmill near mine when I am cooling down, and I feel very unimpressive at my slow walk. I've been working really hard before this, honest! My least favourite pt is an older, very attractive and fit woman. I've seen her chat in a very friendly way with her various clients, stand around while they exercise, check her phone ... she sets up the machines for them with the right weights but I've never seen much in the way of motivation or encouragement or pushing them. Maybe she does stuff I haven't seen, but it looks like a waste of money to me.
I was really sore yesterday afternoon, especially the fronts of my thighs; lowering myself into a sitting position was a challenge and walking down a slope quite painful. But this morning most of the pain & stiffness was gone and I was back at BodyPump. I managed to get there in time, despite some parking issues, and again got throught the class ok except for the lunges -- although I did a little better there today. When I really think about it, my "ok" includes various compromises due to my old shoulder injury; for instance I do push-ups on the wall instead of the floor and my bar has no weights on it for the chest presses. I can't rest a bar on my shoulders because my arms don't twist back far enough for me to support it, so I hold a plate pressed to my chest instead. I do what I can and modify what I can't. On Monday the instuctor said "good variation" to me 3 or 4 times during the class.
Today the (different) instructor was demonstrating the clean & press move and said "everybody's favourite" and I think she was being sarcastic. But it really is my favourite move!
I spent the rest of the school day editing and finished the current job. Always nice to email one off.
I was ravenously hungry again all day and failed to make great choices. I was really tired too, understandable perhaps after four gym sessions in three days. After the kids got home I was weak-willed and gave Jasmine the option of whether we should go to Club Gecko or not, she wanted to go so it was back to the gym. I got straight on to the rowing machine. I decided to go for a longer row rather than push for more speed, so I ended up doing 21 minutes (I am working on increments of 3 minutes because my goal of 5 km in 30 mins means 500 m every 3 minutes -- it's just easier to work out how I'm going). It's the longest row I've ever done but yesterday I looked at a you-tube video of rowing technique and I think it helped. I was pretty comfortable until my trapezius muscles started to hurt. If I'd been going at my goal speed I would have gone 3.5 km in 21 mins but I only made 2.89 km which is way under. I'll get there, I'm only starting this challenge!
I've been noticing a few personal trainers around the gym, but none of them make me think I really need one. There is a cute young guy who sometimes brings his client to a treadmill near mine when I am cooling down, and I feel very unimpressive at my slow walk. I've been working really hard before this, honest! My least favourite pt is an older, very attractive and fit woman. I've seen her chat in a very friendly way with her various clients, stand around while they exercise, check her phone ... she sets up the machines for them with the right weights but I've never seen much in the way of motivation or encouragement or pushing them. Maybe she does stuff I haven't seen, but it looks like a waste of money to me.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Rowing
Tuesday:
Yesterday I went to BodyPump. Since I hadn't done it for about six months I used light weights and it was a decent challenge without being too painful. I thought I had plenty of time to get there but when I came out of the changeroom they were half-way through the warm-up, this happened again today and I've realised that I used to drive the kids to school then go straight to the gym; now I walk the kids to school, walk home, then drive to the gym, so obviously that is going to take a lot longer. It is do-able but I am going to have to hussle. Anyway; I was able to do all the moves except the lunges, and only the shoulder track gave my shoulders any problems so that was great.
I was hungry after the gym but had to do the shopping on the way home. I foolishly didn't buy myself an immediate snack, and by the time I got home it was lunchtime and I was ravenous, leading to poor food choices. I just shoved everything I could get my hands on into my cake-hole.
In the afternoon I took the kids back to the gym for their Club Gecko class and I got on the rowing machine. I did 15 minutes, which I think might be the longest I've ever done on the rower. I went 2.11 km and decided my target will be to do 5 km in 30 minutes, meaning I'll need to speed up a bit as well increasing my stamina. I finished up with a short stroll on the treadmill. Including walking the kids to school, that was over 2 hours of exercise. Awsome.
On the other hand, I ate nearly a whole bag of crispy m&ms.
This morning I was a little stiff and sore but not too bad. Mainly my thighs, from the squats in BodyPump I think. I went to Zumba, but was reminded why I don't like it any more. It was the same instructor that I've always had, and she is completely opposite my preferences in which dances we do. She goes for the hiphop and the heavy angry African rhythms, I like the Latin and the Bollywood. She puts sexy wriggles in otherwise really aggressive moves. To me, sexy doesn't go with "I hate you and I will kill you if you come any closer". I stuck it out for half an hour, telling myself that vigorous movement was good regardless of whether I was enjoying it or not, but then I gave up and left the class. I went back to the rowing machine. I guess that is my new exercise-love! I was absolutely dying to get back on that rower.
I thought today I would try to increase my speed and do 2.5 km in 15 minutes. After 4 minutes I was wrecked! I had to slow down a little for a while, but then managed to speed up again. I changed my target to 2 km in 12 minutes and promised myself I could stop after that time. I struggled to keep up the requisite speed but sprinted for the last 30 seconds and eventually went 1.91 km in the 12 mins, pretty close. Not a bad start. I cooled down on the treadmill.
I just got up after sitting still for a while and my thighs are so stiff and sore I can hardly walk! Maybe it is the rowing more than the squats? Or both.
I forgot to mention something about the snow trip that seemed important at the time, the hired ski pants were hard to wriggle on over my hips but fit just fine when I was standing, but I found on the drive to the snow that they were very uncomfortable when I was sitting down. They cut into my waist, and a three hour drive in that kind of discomfort is no joke. It was such a relief to get out of the car and stand up. I thought they would be ok once we were there, but of course tobogganing involves sitting down too -- and even leaning forward a bit so it was worse. I tried wrigging them below my belly but of course my hips aren't any narrower than my waist so it just moved the pain. After a while I was hitching them up then pulling them down again every few minutes, and standing around instead of sitting on the rocks or tobogganing. Eventually I just couldn't stand it any longer and went back to the car to change my clothes before the rest of my family were ready to go. Such joy to get those horrible pants off! It was pretty cold in jeans but I didn't care.
If my stomach wasn't so big I wouldn't have had that problem. I'm still working on it.
Yesterday I went to BodyPump. Since I hadn't done it for about six months I used light weights and it was a decent challenge without being too painful. I thought I had plenty of time to get there but when I came out of the changeroom they were half-way through the warm-up, this happened again today and I've realised that I used to drive the kids to school then go straight to the gym; now I walk the kids to school, walk home, then drive to the gym, so obviously that is going to take a lot longer. It is do-able but I am going to have to hussle. Anyway; I was able to do all the moves except the lunges, and only the shoulder track gave my shoulders any problems so that was great.
I was hungry after the gym but had to do the shopping on the way home. I foolishly didn't buy myself an immediate snack, and by the time I got home it was lunchtime and I was ravenous, leading to poor food choices. I just shoved everything I could get my hands on into my cake-hole.
In the afternoon I took the kids back to the gym for their Club Gecko class and I got on the rowing machine. I did 15 minutes, which I think might be the longest I've ever done on the rower. I went 2.11 km and decided my target will be to do 5 km in 30 minutes, meaning I'll need to speed up a bit as well increasing my stamina. I finished up with a short stroll on the treadmill. Including walking the kids to school, that was over 2 hours of exercise. Awsome.
On the other hand, I ate nearly a whole bag of crispy m&ms.
This morning I was a little stiff and sore but not too bad. Mainly my thighs, from the squats in BodyPump I think. I went to Zumba, but was reminded why I don't like it any more. It was the same instructor that I've always had, and she is completely opposite my preferences in which dances we do. She goes for the hiphop and the heavy angry African rhythms, I like the Latin and the Bollywood. She puts sexy wriggles in otherwise really aggressive moves. To me, sexy doesn't go with "I hate you and I will kill you if you come any closer". I stuck it out for half an hour, telling myself that vigorous movement was good regardless of whether I was enjoying it or not, but then I gave up and left the class. I went back to the rowing machine. I guess that is my new exercise-love! I was absolutely dying to get back on that rower.
I thought today I would try to increase my speed and do 2.5 km in 15 minutes. After 4 minutes I was wrecked! I had to slow down a little for a while, but then managed to speed up again. I changed my target to 2 km in 12 minutes and promised myself I could stop after that time. I struggled to keep up the requisite speed but sprinted for the last 30 seconds and eventually went 1.91 km in the 12 mins, pretty close. Not a bad start. I cooled down on the treadmill.
I just got up after sitting still for a while and my thighs are so stiff and sore I can hardly walk! Maybe it is the rowing more than the squats? Or both.
I forgot to mention something about the snow trip that seemed important at the time, the hired ski pants were hard to wriggle on over my hips but fit just fine when I was standing, but I found on the drive to the snow that they were very uncomfortable when I was sitting down. They cut into my waist, and a three hour drive in that kind of discomfort is no joke. It was such a relief to get out of the car and stand up. I thought they would be ok once we were there, but of course tobogganing involves sitting down too -- and even leaning forward a bit so it was worse. I tried wrigging them below my belly but of course my hips aren't any narrower than my waist so it just moved the pain. After a while I was hitching them up then pulling them down again every few minutes, and standing around instead of sitting on the rocks or tobogganing. Eventually I just couldn't stand it any longer and went back to the car to change my clothes before the rest of my family were ready to go. Such joy to get those horrible pants off! It was pretty cold in jeans but I didn't care.
If my stomach wasn't so big I wouldn't have had that problem. I'm still working on it.
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