Up early, headed to gym in a few. Last Tuesday was my first weights class and it was lower body. The squats DESTROYED my quads and I have not run since then. Technically they were good to go by Saturday, but it actually took that many days. Was totally not prepared for that! Looking forward to a quick run this morning and weights class tomorrow. Should be lower body again since Thursday was upper. Really looking forward to it!
Had my first ‘Women on Weights’ class at my local YMCA! It was awesome. I tried to run afterwards but my legs would not cooperate. I am incredibly sore today, especially my quads from the squats. I feel very accomplished though, and this is just what I was looking for. Next class is tomorrow!
This morning was my second morning going to the gym before work. yesterday I did a .3 mile warmup on the elliptical and then a 2 mile hills run on the treadmill. This morning I did the 2 mile hills run again and then used weights for 15 minutes or so.
I also signed up for a weights class starting next Tuesday. It will be 8 - 1 hour sessions, 2 times a week. The course “teaches proper form and fundamentals while providing an excellent workout.” I am really psyched about it and will also start incorporating swimming for my cross training on the same nights as the weights class. It seems like it would be the perfect cool down from the weights.
(Source: fitisafeministissue.wordpress.com)
I have been going to gyms for the past 16 years and I have never felt overly self-conscious at them no matter what my weight was. I know that this is not the case for a lot of people and that a lot of people have to overcome fear to go to the gym and use the equipment and share the locker rooms.
For anyone who is nervous at the gym I can at least say that speaking for myself I rarely notice anyone else when I am working out. When I do it will either be purely aesthetic appreciation for someones strength while they are doing something I am incapable of doing (like pull-ups) or it will be to feel incredibly proud of someone who is clearly overcoming obstacles to be there at the gym. This can really apply to anyone who doesn’t blend in as the average gym member at whatever gym I am at.
When I see individuals who are heavier than the majority of those they are sharing equipment with, those who are much older, the occasional unsure teenagers that are there alone, or individuals with obvious disabilities that are not being held back, I do notice these people in passing and I would be lying if I said I didn’t. I never notice their body types or judge where they are at in their journey. I have no idea what their goals are. But the same strength that brought them to the gym, gives me strength. We all have our battles, some are just more obvious than others.
Never am I “bothered” by anyone of any body type or skill at the gym. I am never disgusted. I never notice anyone else paying notice to others. Never do I think less of someone or hear others voicing any feelings like this. If anything, I think more of every person I see there.
Don’t fear the gym. When you are there, everyone else there is working on themselves just like you are working on yourself.
(via fitness-to-live)
30 Day Running Challenge, Day 26: The only day in the challenge where I’m going to ask you to run: go run a mile as fast as you can and tell us about it!
Ugh. 12:19.
I WILL get to 10:00.
Later this morning I will be heading to the gym after taking 13 days off. I didn’t take a “break” from being healthy, I just gave my body a break from the fitness regime I had been working in. Although I do not foresee myself taking a break of quite so long again, my body definitely needed it and I lost 2 lbs. in that time. I am looking forward to a good long session at the gym this morning and plan on starting with some strength routines and then going on an easy pace run of 4 miles or more.
I am glad that I now know I can take a break and still want to return. I am also glad to know that I was able to (relatively) easily stick to my 1400 calorie a day diet even when not being active. I listed to my body, gave it what it needed, and now it is time to get back out there an wreck some PR’s!
Headed to the gym after work today and I am really looking forward to it. I am so glad that working out and running have become something I look forward to rather than something I have to make myself do. It took nearly 2 years for what was a chore to become a routine part of life, but I am glad I stuck with it until it did.
Bite Me, Treadmill
This mornings run at the gym felt like torture. The training schedule has a 3 mile run Tuesday-Thursday and a 5 mile run on Saturday. I completed my 3 miles on the treadmill on Tuesday and my 3 miles outside yesterday but this morning my legs were like lead. My calves have been pretty sore for a few weeks now from all of the pace work have been doing and couple that with the kind of sleep you get when people are trying to blow their hands off with fireworks until all hours and I was a mess this morning.
Can I Do Any Real Distance on a Treadmill?
I will find out today. I will be going to the gym a bit later this morning to try and do a good, solid, long distance workout and maybe some strength training. This will be my first time attempting anything more than 3 miles or 1 hour on the treadmill. It’s not that I “can’t” it’s that it is boring! I am hoping that with the right focus on my speed, pace, etc. I will not have the time to get bored by my surroundings.
Tropical Storms Really Disrupte Gym Workouts
Last week I took my rest day on Friday and then I was really busy on Saturday. As a result, I just walked on Saturday and figured I would do my long run on Sunday. Unfortunately I do not have cable and tend to ignore local news for days at a time. And I live in central, coastal Florida. So, I woke up on Sunday and figured I would go t the gym when the rain stopped and then it never did. Luckily my mom knows I am clueless and called to say, “You do know that is a tropical storm, right?” Oh.
If you think you don’t have time durning the week for a full body workout, I suggest you buy one of these. Took me 2.5 hours yesterday and 2 hours today to finish my lawn, but I burned double the amount of calories I would have at the gym spending the same amount of time.
The Gym-Life Balance
This is my second week since joining the gym and the second week that I will only be getting there 5 days instead of my planned 7. I am trying to tell myself this is okay. I have been having some trouble getting into a healthy routine with getting enough sleep before going in the morning. Since I go when the gym opens at 5 AM and then head straight to work after I have only been averaging about 6 hours of sleep which is, undoubtedly, not enough for my body.
