Hectic Wednesday

It's Wednesday and that means I only have the morning to myself, since the boys are all home from noon onwards. It sometimes feels like a huge sacrifice to devote nearly all that time to getting to the gym, doing my workout, getting home, showering (and shaving!!), and then just having enough time to get a warm lunch on the table. But then again, sometimes it feels like the best thing I could be doing with my time. Because when I get back and have that weary feeling in my legs and arms, I feel like I have accomplished a lot already and anything else is a bonus!

Today was the last day of the first half of the Matt Roberts Beach Body program I've been doing. Everything went well, I like to push my limits on the last day I do a program workout, so I increased my speed on the treadmill and ended up doing 4.1 km in 26 min. I also increased the weights on the resistance exercises, even though that meant I could not complete all the reps for a few of them. I was just dripping sweat and out of breath the whole time, even on the weights.

I took a look at the book this afternoon to see what I will be doing the next four weeks - before I hit the beach in San Diego! Umm...it looks pretty tough, especially the Wednesday workout. The intervals are increased in time, the resistance exercises are increased in reps, and there are new ones added in. The book says the Wednesday workout should take 70 minutes, start to finish, but I know I normally take a bit longer than it says in the book - so that means my Wednesday mornings are going to be even tighter. I may just have to swap days and put one of the shorter workouts (only 55 minutes!) on Wednesday.

Aside from that, I feel excited to change things up. I already wrote my gym days in my agenda, so I don't accidentally schedule something and have to poop out or reschedule. So far, everything fits...even on Wednesdays!

Doh!

So...I am at the gym this morning, going about my Monday workout (short bursts of cardio interspersed with resistance exercises) and I sit down on a bench, in front of this big mirror, to do triceps extensions. And I suddenly realize that I only shaved one armpit!!! One is smooth, one is looking kinda, well ... furry!

My pre-menopausal brain fuzz was literally visible in the gym mirror. Help!

Indian Summer

We have been having the most beautiful Indian Summer these past few days, and even though it is very chilly in the morning, by mid afternoon it warms up to a very pleasant temp and the bright sunshine is so pretty filtered through the changing colors on the trees.

I felt like it had been a long time since I had done my neighborhood route, which includes a lot of hills, which we don't get at the lake. So that's what we did this morning, enjoying the fall flowers, pumpkins, horses in their paddock, the fields, the fall colors...it was a pretty run.

Hope everyone has a peaceful and happy Sunday!

Confession

I did not run yesterday. I was talking to my dad Tuesday evening and telling him about how my osteopath "fixed" my hip, and he said I might want to give the readjusted muscle some time to heal or rest or cool down before subjecting it to the one thing that I know for sure makes it hurt. Since Dad is an expert on chronic pain, having dealt with it himself for many years (he was finally forced to give up golf because of it), his words of wisdom made sense to me. So yesterday I walked Felix to school, I biked to the store and back, I baked muffins and made soup, but I did not run. And my hip still feels really good. No pain. Bliss.

Here is some food for thought from a fascinating book I have been reading, from a chapter devoted to the importance of muscle for women:

A woman's need of muscle is practical...by owning muscle you can keep the bone you have from departing, for muscle yanks on bone, and the mechanical action goads the bone to turn over, to be replenished, rather than to stagnate and gradually dissolve...Even a bit of fat can be accommodated on a sturdy frame. The dangers of body fat are exaggerated. Fat ipso facto is not a bad thing. The problem for most overweight people is that the extra fat makes movement harder and more unpleasant, and so they tend not to exercise, and muscles must be moved to remain engaged. But if a chubby woman remains active, she may prove surprisingly strong. Overweight people not only have more fat than the slender, they often have comparatively more muscle. When you gain weight because you're overeating, you put on
three quarters of that weight as fat but one quarter as muscle. Fat people are so cowed into self-loathing that they don't realize the potential they carry. If they choose to exercise their submerged muscle on a regular basis, they'll be able to beat the sprat out of any thin ones who call them pigs.*

More power to the "surprisingly strong active chubby woman" (me)!

* Angier, Natalie. Woman: An intimate geography (1999), p. 293. Thanks to Cassandra for suggesting this read!

Taking Care

Yesterday was my cardio-resistance interval workout, and as usual, my right hip started aching after I finished the workout and was still aching when I got up today. I have had this hip pain for a long time, remember back in May when my doctor told me I probably had bursitis? I have just been living with this chronic pain ever since the first half marathon training program, sometimes taking anti-inflammatories, but mostly just hobbling around after runs or workouts.

One of the consequences of this has been that I cut way back on the distances I run, since the longer the run the more annoying the pain afterwards, or so it seems.

Today I had my bi-annual visit to my osteopath. I have been seeing her for several years now, ever since she was able to radically improve severe problems I had with my neck and shoulders. I go twice a year for a "tune up"! So today I was telling her about the supposed bursitis and she set to work on my hips, lower spine and tailbone. She must have done something to get the kinks out because since I left her office, I have been pain free! Boy, I wish I would have mentioned it to her sooner. In any case, I am very grateful and curious if there will be a difference after my next workout, tomorrow, which includes a 26 minute interval run.

Carpe Diem

As we were leaving to run this morning, I grabbed my phone and saw there was a message from a very dear friend of mine, someone I've known for 20 years. The message said her brother died suddenly yesterday at the age of 45, from a heart attack. I am so sad for her and all her family, especially her brother's wife and little daughter. My heart goes out to them - please keep them in your prayers today.

I couldn't stop thinking of them as we ran around the lake...it is a beautiful day today, the sun was shining and the air felt good on my arms...I was thinking how fortunate I was to be there, breathing and moving. How we must not take anything for granted, and how we so often do. My friend's loss reminds me how fragile life is and that we must make the most of every day.

Zumba

Well, I didn't make the mistake this time of doing heavy lower body weights right before this class! I got in to the gym at 9 and did a circuit of upper body weights before Zumba started at 9:30. As always the class was quite full (but not as full as the classes in the evening, from what I hear). I always worry about bumping into someone! What a workout! The room is pretty cold, but by the first song I am sweating like crazy, and by the end, I feel like I have worked really hard. I also felt today like I am finally starting to get the hang of the steps.

I have to say, the feeling I have after the class reminds me of how I felt when I was taking Tai-chi: you are so focused on remembering the routine or following the steps, that you don't have time to think about anything else (like, what am I going to make for dinner, what do I have to pick up at the store, what time do I have to take the kids to piano, what are we doing this weekend, etc, etc, etc). To me it is like a kind of active meditation, and my mind feels like it took a little vacation for an hour!

Back to Normal

So it's back to normal schedule this week, which means today is the day I try to get lots of stuff done around the house. It has been a bit strange not to be going to the gym nearly every day, Tuesdays and Thursdays feel like a "vacation" in an odd way! I have that "sea of time" feeling, which is actually not true, because the day still flies by.

Yesterday I went to the gym for my Wednesday workout, which is actually quite rigorous. I was just dripping sweat through the whole thing. It starts with a 26 minute interval workout on the treadmill, in which I cranked out 3.8 km, then I do seven resistance exercises with high reps, repeat those, and then do 10 minutes of intervals on the elliptical, to finish with some ab exercises. Phew. I felt tired the rest of the day, and I didn't even bike over to the gym (took the car because I had an errand to run just after - Wednesday is a tricky day because the kids are out of school at noon).

I am looking forward to Zumba tomorrow, I missed it last week because I was busy getting everything ready for my friend's visit.

Blast from the Past

I had a wild and wonderful weekend, which is why you haven't heard from me since last week. My high school friend Rebecca took time out of a business trip to London, to come to Belgium for the weekend to see me. We hadn't seen each other in 22 years! Can you believe it?

I was excited and nervous as I waited for her train to pull in at the station, and all of a sudden I saw her further down, we recognized each other immediately, ran over and both of us said at the same time: "You look exactly the same!" It was the start of what would turn out to be the funnest weekend I've had in a long time, non-stop talking and laughing (my voice is still hoarse). We had a lot of catching up to do, but it felt like I had just seen her last week.

We spent all day Saturday showing her Leuven, making sure she got some chocolates and even more important, waffles - two kinds of Belgian waffles! The warm ones that are gooey and filled with hunks of sugar (Liege waffles) and the light and airy ones topped with whipped cream and powdered sugar (Brussels waffles). Mmmmmmm!

It was so wonderful to see her! What a let down on Monday morning, and of course, after all the chocolate and waffles comes the day of reckoning - back to the gym it was even though I didn't feel like it at all. But I did feel better to have gotten it done, and now it's back to a normal week. Bah!

Busy Wednesday

Just a quick post as I have a busy day ahead - have to start getting lunch ready for when the boys come home and then we have their activities and homework this afternoon.

Went for my Matt Roberts workout to the gym. My friend S had emailed that she would be there, too, so I got on the treadmill for the first portion of the workout, keeping my eye out for her. The first part is a 24 minute cardio interval, switching every two minutes between 70% mhr and 80% mhr. Since I never use a heart rate monitor, I always go by perceived exertion and the numbers on the treadmill! So I kept alternating between 9 km/hr and 9.5 km/hr , and the last interval I kicked it up to 10 km/hr. I ended up doing 3.8 km total and was dripping with sweat. S came in and waved when I was about 2/3 done, so when I finished I went to find her. We decided to have a drink at the bar first and catch up on how things had been going since we last saw each other.

The second portion of the workout is seven resistance exercises, which I had to do one set of each (high reps again) and then repeat them all. They were: chest press, leg curl, one arm raise, lunges, lateral raises, leg press, and triceps overheads. The lunges killed so I cut back to just 12 reps, with no weight. But all the other exercises went fine.

The third part of the workout was another 10 minutes of cardio, again with intervals. I was starting to get short on time, so I decided to bike home - which takes about 10 minutes and has hills to make it hard - and finish the last portion of the workout, abs, at home. They were: reverse curls, basic curls, plank and side plank. Uh, finally I was done.

Unfortunately, my right outer thigh is KILLING me. I don't know what I did to it, but I am kind of worried. I don't think I have ever had anything hurt this sharply after a workout. Sore, yes, but real painful like this, no. So I put some Oxyflex cream on it after my shower and I think I will take some Vitamin I (as Alexandra in Canada calls ibuprofen!) after lunch and see if that helps.

Sweaty Monday Morning

We've got a couple of nice days coming up this week and the sky was beautiful as I headed to the gym this morning. I did have to wear a fleece and a jacket over my sleeveless running top, funny to think just a few weeks ago I was biking at the same time in the morning with just the top. How quickly the temperature can change.

Today was my first "real" workout on my new program. It starts out with a 5 minute cardio warm-up, then 3 minutes at 80% mhr - I did this on the treadmill, starting out by running at 8.5 km/hr and then bumping it up to 9.5.

Then I had to go and do four resistance exercises: chest press, lunges, lat pulldown, and leg curls. Just one set each, but high reps - 16.

Then it was back to cardio for 4 minutes at 85% mhr - I did the bike and I was sweating like crazy.

Then, four more resistance exercises: this time it was push ups, leg press, single arm row, and power lunges. Again one set of 16 reps each. I am just dripping with sweat as I move from exercise to exercise.

From there, another 5 minutes of cardio at 85% - the elliptical this time. My heart rate was pretty high already, I didn't have to push it that much to get it up in the right range.

Finally one more foursome of resistance exercises: triceps overhead, leg curls, reverse flye, and finally squats. From there I went back to the treadmill for my final cardio interval of 5 minutes. I put the incline up a little and set the pace to 10 km/hr. I felt like I normally feel towards the end of a HIIT run - really warmed up, really sweaty and just at the brink of not quite being able to finish unless you really give it your all.

Finally - done running! And last but not least three ab exercises, for each one set of 20 reps. And then stretch. Oh yeah - and then bike home. I almost forgot about that dang hill I have to get up - ugh!

I felt like I got a great workout, although more for the lower body than for the upper body. We'll see how Wednesday goes.

Easy like Sunday morning

Oh man, my legs were still killing me yesterday (Saturday) and to make matters worse, my back, neck and chest were sore too. I almost felt like I was coming down with something, I kept having that where you alternate between being chilly and then being hot and clammy. Of course that could just be the combination of hypothyroidism (cold) with perimenopause (hot) - I swear half the time I just don't know WHAT the deal is anymore! So after we got back from piano lessons and Felix's badminton training, I decided to have a quiet Saturday afternoon, took some painkillers and settled in with a book and a cup of tea. But I felt like a little old lady all day, shuffling here and there.

This morning I still felt bad, but decided some exercise would probably help me feel better, but I did not feel like running outside in the chilly wind, so I went to the gym and did 40 minutes on the elliptical, which I figured would be a bit gentler than a run. It actually did make me feel a lot better and I am looking forward to getting back to the gym tomorrow for a full Matt Roberts workout - without a Zumba class first!

Have a great Sunday everyone!

My legs are killing me!

I was not sure what it was going to be like, doing a Zumba class and then following it up with a full body resistance work out...

The Zumba class was very intense. Lots of high intensity stomping, lunging, and all those dance steps (mambo, chacha, etc) - I couldn't believe how much I was sweating. But it's fun, the music is great and the class flies by, mostly because I have to really concentrate to keep up with the moves. Our teacher finishes the class with a segment of ab work and then a cool down. By then I felt I had got a pretty good workout in - but I still had weights to do!

I worked through the Matt Roberts program, alternating upper body with lower body moves, but I could really feel the Zumba in my legs, and by the end, they were shot. I still had to make a detour to the library to pick up a book, and then home on my bike... oh, help! Just one more bike journey to go today, to pick up Felix at school - I hope I can make it. I'll make sure to leave in time so I don't have to go too fast. Did I mention that it's raining?

A Fresh Start

September always feels like a fresh start - the boys headed back to school on Tuesday, their sports activities started up again, and we are back into our normal routine (well, almost!) I have had almost a week of "active rest" and have not been to the gym. Time for a fresh fitness start as well, then!

Since I will be heading to the California beach later this fall, I decided to follow the Matt Roberts "Beach Body program" from his book "Fitness for Life Manual". This program always seemed like a tough one to me, but now, having done Body for Life, it doesn't look so daunting anymore! It consists of three workouts a week, all including cardio intervals and weights, always alternating an upper body exercise with one for the lower body. He calls this peripheral heart action training and the idea is that this works the heart harder as it has to pump blood to muscles at both ends of the body. You also don't have to rest between the different exercises, which keeps your heart rate up throughout the workout.

I am going to go to Zumba class once a week and I am also going to keep running, the longer run on Sundays and then one short run during the week. I really want to run the Corrida again this year!

I'm going to give it a go and hope to further improve my fitness, strength, weight and well being!