Working Out is Hard To Do!

I have gotten back into my regular workout schedule, though it hasn't been easy. Evidently, taking a week off for vacation (though really it's more like three, since I didn't do much in the couple weeks leading up to my vacation either) has turned me into a wuss again. I was slightly stiff and sore after BodyCombat on Monday, and then I totally overdid it in BodyPump on Tuesday by increasing my weight for the squat track to a large and two smalls. That's the heaviest weight I've ever done, and I don't know what possessed me to attempt it after such a long break. My legs have been sore since then, almost as sore as they were after my first BodyPump class. Then I met Karrie at the gym Wednesday morning for a good cardio workout. And tonight I went to BodyPump again. It was tough because I'm still sore from Tuesday, but I didn't want to back off too much, so I just did a large and one small for the squats and increased to a large on the back track. I know I was doing the back track with a large at some point before I left, but it certainly wasn't easy tonight. By the end of the class, my legs were pretty wobbly. All in all, though, I'm glad to be back, and I'm hopeful that I'll be able to get back to where I was before vacation quickly (including dropping those four pounds!).

Something that one of the instructors from Group Power in Washington mentioned was that when doing biceps, you should keep a grip on the bar with all your fingers. When you release the bar, you lose tension in the bicep and therefore you're not really working as much. I had been doing this because Mary the instructor does this all the time. But the past couple times I've really focused on not doing it. I had gone up in the bicep track on Tuesday to a medium, and tonight I just did two smalls, and it definitely felt almost easy--emphasis on almost.

I also think I've solved the problem with my shoulder. It had been popping on the chest track and, though it wasn't really hurting yet, I know it was headed that way. But I discovered that if I keep my hands just slightly closer together (another tip from the Group Power instructor) and don't let my arms go any lower than brushing the mat on my bench, my shoulder doesn't pop. This means that I have a shorter range of motion and it's more of a challenge because I can't rest the bar on my chest for a little break. But I have been able to increase my weight back up to a medium for this track. So this means that I've probably been doing this exercise wrong all these months, and now I'm finally doing it correctly.

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I seriously need to start paying more attention to the weather forecast. This afternoon was lovely, and when I got home at one point, I left the window down in my truck so it wouldn't be so hot when I drove to the gym tonight. Well, I convinced Alana to go to BodyPump tonight with me, so she drove instead. Since it was still sunny, I didn't think to put my window up. But in the hour that we were in BodyPump there was a huge rainstorm, and my truck seat got soaking wet, for the second time in a week. Yep. I left my window down Saturday night, and it got a thorough soaking in the deluge on Sunday morning. So I suppose the real lesson is this should be: never leave your car windows down!

Anyway. I will leave you with a couple pictures of the fun I had with my nephew this morning. He loves to come play with the hose at Auntie's house and he soaked me pretty good this morning, my whole backside was wet. He's just so darn adorable though, I can't even get mad.

Look at that innocent face. He'd never do anything naughty!

He loves these "poppers"!

An important summer skill: learning to drink from the hose!

Open Mouth, Insert Foot

For once, it wasn't me! I am the queen of those kinds of gaffes, forever saying just the wrong thing. However, I'm rarely on the receiving end and I find that position most uncomfortable. Especially since this one's a doozy! Read on.

The other day at work, one of our regular, normally aloof, patrons suddenly became rather chatty and as I was going about my work behind the desk, said this to me: "So is this your first?" I was stunned and stopped and stared, wondering if he could possibly be talking to me, and he continued, "Do you know if you're having a boy or girl?" I was so shocked, I could hardly stammer out that I was in fact not expecting anything. He was embarrassed and apologized, but that pretty effectively ruined my afternoon. Isn't this supposed to be one of the first things that people learn never, EVER to say?

And to make matters worse, I turned to my co-worker, who overheard all this and was as baffled as I was, and I sort of muttered in a bewildered, wounded way, "Do I really look pregnant?" and she did the unthinkable--she actually looked me up and down and said, "I think it's the jeans. Those lower waistbands change the way things look." I realize she was trying to be helpful, but this reminds me of that Friends episode where Chandler is schooled in the unspoken rules of relationships by Ross and Rachel after he offends Janice by giving her the once-over before answering that no, she doesn't look fat. The appropriate response is always "NO, of course not," regardless of the truth and you never, EVER look. I especially figured a fellow woman would know this. Fortunately, all my friends have since responded in the proscribed manner, and I'm beginning to believe them.

This little incident took place on Tuesday, and I've been rather down since then. Rather than having a motivational effect on my work-out ethic, I went sort of the opposite direction. But today I made it back to BodyPump and I ellipticized for twenty minutes after that. I decided that I am finally going to lose that ten pounds I always tell myself I'm going to lose. I'm going to watch what I eat and work out a lot more regularly. I have never been very good about dieting, but I've prepared some healthful menus for this coming week. And I plan to stick to it. In fact, I'm practicing this right now, while I'm writing this, because I'm craving a bowl of mint-chip ice cream that's downstairs in my freezer, but I am exercising my willpower by not going down to get it.

P.S. I wasn't going to post this story because it's rather embarrassing, but motivation is motivation, regardless of where it comes from, right? And what good is an embarrassing story if you can't let other people laugh at you?