Sorry Katie

I decided last night that I just don't like Katie's kickboxing class. It's too hard and it's too aerobic-y. I have mentioned before how she does silly things like sirens, and surf-board steps, and step aerobics. Now I am getting pretty tired of it. She takes the word "kickboxing" loosely and is more concerned about the kicking than the boxing. I swear: we did 5 minutes of punching last night, MAX. Somebody needs to explain to her the point of the class. I miss the routines of Combat. Although Marika is still using the Combat music, she still takes liberties with the moves. Katie teaches a class a Sport Courts called TurboKick which she is confusing with this Goodyear kickboxing class. It's 40 minutes of continual music (no drink breaks) with these turbo boosts. A siren goes off every ten minutes or so, and during this two minute boost, we have intense activities such as jumping, running circles around the room, jumping lunges, sprints, etc... I just want to punch something; is that so much to ask? I can work my heart and lower body doing most aerobic activities in the gym (treadmill, elliptical, bike) but very little gets my heart beating while sculpting my arms. I suppose I will keep going. It's still burning tons of calories, and the fact that is so hard for me has to mean something for my cardio routine. I just don't like it. And as Jennifer said to me: If you don't even like it, you might as well be running!

Tonight I plan on getting to the gym during The Biggest Loser (I'm thinking the second half). Surprisingly (and this goes along with what Jen hates about her job) when I have a crazy busy day at work and hardly sit down, it's easier for me to get to the gym, than the days that I am bored and just sit around waiting for the customers. It's something about how my energy level is so high all day, or how energy breeds energy. It's probably some theory of physics. Either way, right before a holiday, customers go crazy. They fear library withdraw, so they get to the library in droves. Needless to say, I hardly say still today, and now I am looking forward to getting to the gym. Maybe it's more about stress relief than energy!

Cool Whip

I love Cool Whip Free. It has 15 calories per serving and I can sit and eat it like Ice Cream. Sure, I eat like 5 servings, but still that's only 75 calories. And this time of year it cost something like $1.00. I am going to take it to Thanksgiving dinner. You guys enjoy your pie, I will be enjoying the Cool Whip!

Working Out Well

Although I did very little today (I have checked out the first season of Ugly Betty and am now addicted to that) I did manage to make it to the gym for an hour and a half. I also ate very well, even though I met my mom for our traditional Sunday lunch. That hour and a half took me up to seven hours of workout time this week (two weeks in a row) which I am very proud of. Working out definitely puts me in a better mood, which is something I think we all need this time of year. The fact that it is getting colder makes me cranky. The fact that it is dark by the time I get off of work makes me tired. And exercise fixes all those things.

I am determined to have a good week, even with Thanksgiving looming near. I'm going to work out extra hard (I do have a four day weekend coming up) I am going to eat very healthfully all week, just so I can allow myself to indulge on Thursday. I will let myself eat potatoes and rolls, but I am not giving into pie. I don't even like pie. Why waste my calories. Give me a left-over-turkey-sandwich instead! My goal is to still lose a pound this week even with Thanksgiving smacking itself right in the middle of my week!

You Spin me Right Round Baby

This morning we attempted spinning class again. Going into today's workout I was determined to get a good (read: sweaty) workout in. So I promised myself that I would tighten the resistance until it was difficult. And it worked! I was sweating. I wasn't shirt-completely-soaked sweaty, but my forehead was damp. Besides, I don't really do shirt sweat anyway. I was breathing heavily several times during the session. And when it was all over and I got off the bike my legs were a tad shaky. We'll see if I am sore at all tomorrow. FYI: I went with another 15 punch card rather than actually join the Goodyear gym. I'll think about it again when the punches have run out.

I had eaten healthy all week and then yesterday and today, I feel like I ruined it all. I hate how a whole week can be ruined by one poor decision. I guess it's better than two bad decision and no good ones!

It Must be the Shoes

I finally allowed myself to get new gym shoes. I got them on a great sale (buy one get one half, plus free shipping, plus 20% off coupon) which makes me like them even more. At first I wasn't sure if they were good enough. I have had this shoe-lust for so long that I was having trouble settling on just one pair. But I really like grey and black shoes, and they have to be Nikes and those restrictions are hard to come by. So I wore them around the house (and work) for a week or so before I decided. But last night I took them for a trial run. And everything was so much easier. I could jump higher, kick harder, run faster, and lunge deeper than ever before. It must be the shoes! I mean it, it was a great workout. There was even a time when Marika pointed to me and said I was doing something right (not to brag or anything).

I've got four hours done for the week, plus about 30 minutes of dog-walking which I did Tuesday evening while I was dog-sitting. It's gotten too cold to be out running with the dog. My lungs don't do cold-weather running. And alas, the dog cannot go to the gym with me.

Last night I used up the last of my 15 punches at Goodyear. Now I have come to a point where I have to decide if I will join for good (maybe just six-months) or buy another punch card. I suppose I might as well use Gold's for all my cardio needs at least until February when my membership is over there. I really do like Goodyear and the classes are great. I'm going to try a Zumba class in the next few weeks with Erin (and Lisa?) and I think we agreed to do a Yoga class. On top of that I am pretty sure that we're scheduled for an 8:15 Spinning class on Saturday morning. While all those classes are well and good, they generally cost me $2-$4 per session. So if I am going to be taking 5-7 classes a week, maybe I should just join. Decisions, decisions!

What I Learned from Jillian

As many of you know I am a big fan of the reality show The Biggest Loser. Often I make myself get to the gym to watch it because I can't get channel six at home. However, it's a two hour program and I can't spend that much time walking on a treadmill. But now that I have my own digital-tv-converter-box I have been able to tune in each week from the comfort of my couch. What I love about it is that it's motivating. I love the trainers and often wish I had someone who inspired and pushed me like they do. Both trainers, Bob and Jillian, have their own method of getting results. For example, Bob expects greatness my loving and believing in you for who you are, and in return people hate to let Bob down. People just love to hate Jillian. She is a bitch, often bringing people to tears, but she gets results with the tough love she uses. People are usually scared to let Jillian down. And whereas I love Bob (although I believe that he's gay) and wish he would be my friend, I see that what Jillian does works too. This is what she taught me last night: She was trying to get Michelle to run faster and longer than she had ever run before. And as usual Michelle was crying about how she couldn't go on any more. Now don't you think for one minute that I don't understand the need to give up when you're running. And in the middle of yelling things at her, Jillian screamed "You can tell me you choose not to, but you cannot tell me you can't."

Seven Hours

I worked from 11-8 today, and although it was pretty slow, that takes just as much out of me as a busy work day. Erin stopped in the library around 6:00 and I told her my goal to get to the gym after work. It was my goal, but even I knew it might not happen. But then Erin agreed to meet me there. So I absolutely HAD to go. It was excellent. When 8:00 rolled around I wanted to do anything but go to the gym. Well, not anything, I wanted to go home and eat dinner and lay on my couch. But knowing I had to meet her got me there with no problem. We worked out 30 minutes on the AMT machine -- I am trying to get my calves as sore as that first time I used it. It sure makes me winded. Then we walked hills for another 30 minutes. It just flew by. Erin only has 14 more days until her membership at Gold's is over. We'd better take full advantage of that! The fact that I made it to the gym this evening means I achieved my seven hours of working out this week. I haven't done that since sometime this summer.... August? I am really proud of myself! And I am so thankful to Erin, who got me to the gym, and made me happy to stay!

Scale Woes

Scales are finicky things. And now that Jen has dug out her old scale, has been greatly disappointed by its readings and has now gone to buy a new one at Target, I feel it is time to rant about the dear old scale. What better way to explain my feelings than in a pros/cons list. I mean, if it worked for Ross and Rachel, it can work for me and my scale!

Cons:
- The scale is not an exact reading of calories in/calories out as the experts claim weight to be.
- The scale does not take into account those bulging quad muscles I have developed.
- The scale does not take my feelings into consideration on days that my water-weight might have increased.
- When I am doing everything right (working out, eating healthy) and the scale increases a few pounds, I am discouraged.

Pros:
-When I am doing everything right (working out, eating healthy) and the scale decreases a few pounds, I am very happy, and encouraged to keep doing it.

And that's enough to keep weighing myself every day!

Happy Birthday Brandy

Today is my friend Brandy's 29th birthday. And therefore her 29th birthday party. We are having a Champagne Extravaganza. Everyone is bringing a different bottle of champagne and that way we will be able to taste a whole bunch of different things. I am sure there is going to be lots of tasty things to eat.

For this reason alone, I made sure that I got to the gym this afternoon (I had the day off because I work the weekend). I still am not feeling well. My head is congested and my neck is tired from holding my head up. I haven't been sleeping very well lately, and therefore I am lacking energy. Still, I made it to the gym. It was easier because I knew that Erin was waiting for me. We did 30 minutes walking hills and 30 minutes on the AMT machine. It is quite a workout -- nice.

For Brandy's birthday, Jennifer and I bought her a 15-punch card to Goodyear fitness. So now she will be able to join us for classes. She will be excited about taking bodypower and maybe even kickboxing. But I bet I can talk her in to trying other things like Zumba and Cardio Blast. Yeah, more gym friends!

Hit Me with your Best Shot

I think that I have gotten pretty good at kickboxing, if I do say so myself! Most of the time I have really good form (sometimes better than the instructor). I am able to last the entire 45 minutes, although I am panting and sweating profusely. I have mastered the kicks, and the direction your knee and foot is supposed to go during each of them. I understand the muscle groups being affected with each punch. And the better you are at kickboxing the more efficient the workout. I now know what muscle group to squeeze, which angle to punch, what should be tired and what should have a lot left in it.

On top of all of that, I have begun to concentrate more on form than weights in body power class. Marika has always been a big proponent of lower weights/better form. She even goes as far as encouraging lifters to go light on muscles like triceps and biceps. And although I am reluctant to not increase my weights, I find I can get a better workout if I tighten my triceps every time I lift them. They are always sore. Even if they aren't fatigued at the end of the song. I really concentrate on squeezing my elbows together, as if there was a ball in between my arms. So I am happy with the lower weight but larger results. And remember, I am target-training my upper body for the next 43 weeks!

Thank a Vet for My Workout

Sometimes it's nice to be a city employee and get random days off like today. Obviously it is Veteran's Day, but it's not really a holiday I have off to celebrate. There are no family obligations, there are no festivals I must attend. So instead it was just a nice day that I got to sleep in and stay warm inside as the rainy weather went on around me. And although I am appreciative of those veterans who have given their time and lives to save ours, I am also thankful for the extra day off from work.

I had meant to start my running program today, but I was too sore to make myself run. I got to the gym telling myself I wouldn't have to run until Friday. Sometimes I dread running and sometimes I like the challenge it presents. I figure I shouldn't have to do it unless I am enjoying it. I'm not exactly sure why I am sore today. It could have been the one hundred roundhouse kicks we did last night. It could have been the extra squats we did in kickboxing right before we did all those squats in power class. It could have been the fact that I took last Wednesday off from the gym, so I hadn't been to class in a week. No to mention the fact that I hadn't worked out at all since last Monday. (Wow, I took a whole week off?) Or the fact that I am still getting back to good from the cold I developed this weekend. Either way, I was tired and weak and at least I made it to the gym. I used the elliptical machine for 30 minutes and then walked uphills for 30 minutes. It was hot in the gym. I could feel the heat blasting onto me from the vent. I wish the place I worked could be that warm. I am most excited by the fact that I can just sit at home and relax this evening, because I already have my workout done.

A Kick in the Pants

It was horribly dreary, rainy day, but I managed to drag myself out of the house and get some things done. I ran some errands, did some shopping and made it to the gym for two hours! I took both kickboxing and body power. I have mentioned before how I absolutly hate having Monday's off from work. I mean, I was going to work out two hours this evening anyway, the only thing extra I do on Mondays then is sit around and wait for class to start. But I shouldn't complain; remember when I didn't have classes? I would rather waste some time than not have anything to wait for.

Every so many months (10 weeks) I get a target gift card from my health insurance. I get it because every week I log my workouts onto their website. It's some motivational technique to get people working out. And although you can easily just lie about it, I don't. So it's a nice bonus when my $25 comes in the mail. I try to spend that money then on workout things. So today I bought myself a new pair of yoga/workout pants. I am in a constant battle with workout pants. They are either too short, too tight, too loose, too high-wasted, too thigh showing, or too expensive. But I might have found a great pair today. They were perfectly tight without a drawstring, slimming, and so long that I almost step on them! All that for $17.99. And my health insurance paid for them.

A Big N-O

I had high hopes of going to the gym today, but I never made it. I haven't felt well the last two days. Today I just needed to sleep in and take a nap and rest up. So my three big days of working out is starting out slim. But I have high hopes for the next few days. For now I am going to take some Ny-Quil and sleep for like 12 hours. Tomorrow I am going to try harder: workout my required amount and log the food I eat (which I haven't done for the last month). Now it's time for sleep.

Great Genes

Today was my sixth day in a row of working. And my fifth day in a row of NOT working out. Sometimes you just need a break. Finally I have three days off in a row, and I am going to use them to their full extent. I plan to workout everyday, including two hours on Monday, which will include those classes that I will go to even if I have to go by myself. Unfortunately I woke up with a sore throat this morning, so I am willing it to go away so that I can carry on with my great three days off.

Tonight I am going out for dinner and drinks with some friends. But I plan on getting up early tomorrow morning so that I can hit the gym. I have a big family lunch/brunch for my Grandma's 86th birthday. I love my Grandma. Not only was she an independent woman, who owned her own business and had her own life, before she met my grandfather, fell in love and had a family. Now she is a feisty old lady who hasn't worked out a day in her life and is famous for her pies. But she is 86 years old and in great shape and living a full life. She travels, she lives on her own, and she walks to the grocery store when it's not too cold. I am lucky to have her in my life, both as a role model and a great contributor to my gene pool. I hope to live well into my nineties, so I better take care of myself now. That's gonna start tomorrow.

The Number 44

Yesterday morning when I went to vote, I stood in line with Jennifer (another perk of being neighbors). When the voter registrar (remember when I was one of those in high school??!!) checked me in I was number 44. "Oh," I said "that's not a very lucky number!" You know, if I was number 6 (my favor-ist number) I would have been really happy. Or 106 or 16 or 1680 or 160, or even 207 (another very symbolic number to me). But I was only 44. I didn't think anything about it until Obama was elected president last night and the announcer said, Barack Obama will be the forty-fourth president of the United States of America. Forty-fourth??? That's me! I did it! I was 44th too!

I woke up this morning not feeling very well. I think I was dehydrated (I hardly drank any water yesterday and had a few celebratory drinks). I had also eaten several chips at my Barack the Vote party and the combination of salt and no water left me feeling ill. I still planned on going to the gym; I packed my bag and everything. But I haven't seen Jennifer all week and I feel like I don't do anything fun anymore; and I feel like my whole life revolves around the gym; and I am so sick and tired of going to the gym alone, even though that should be very natural for me. So I decided to skip the gym and go to dinner with Jennifer instead. You know, don't burn any calories, eat them instead! But later I have to go visit my mom for a while, so I will take the dog for a long walk, or maybe even a run. I don't have my IPod with me though, so that could get old fast!

Anyway, here's to a better world (from here on out), a better president (next year) and a better me (next week!).

Almost Like My Birthday

This post has absolutely nothing to do with working out, because I didn't workout today. I had intended on going after work so I could start my poll watching there. But instead I was invited to a Barack the Vote Party (I named it that; only I would be cool enough to have a party called that, but even if I did nobody would come, so I didn't.)

I woke up this morning with the sun. By the time my alarm clock went off at 7:00 I was wide awake. I jumped out of bed and got ready as fast as possible. It was as good as my birthday. Today I change the world! I even straighten my hair. Just for Barack. I met Jennifer at the polling place at 8:10. I had to figure out which line to stand in, which was a little much for me that early in the morning, but after that I was golden. The whole process took about 40 minutes. But it was well worth it.

I have mentioned my love of Barack before. And I hate to drone on about it. I mean, I'm not gonna change any one's vote with my blog. But I am going to help bring about change. I believe in Obama; I believe that he will make the United States a better place. I believe that he will get us out of this crisis: the war, the depression, the hatred. I think that I will see a bigger tax break if I vote for him and that children will get a better education. But what I love about him the most is his belief in the system; his ability to motivate people; and his belief in us as a nation. I believe that he can win this election. I mean, it is almost like my birthday, and it's all I am asking for!

Vandals at the Gym

There is a patron that has been coming to the library for some time now. In fact I have known him since he was in elementary school at Belmont, and I worked at the library there (nine years ago). We will call him Mickey R. (creative eh?) Now, he is twenty years old and a meth-head. Last year some time he was so high and causing so much trouble at the library that I was scared for my life. I actually thought to myself: today I am going to die. He will come back with a gun and shoot me. Generally I am not scared of our patrons, I just think they're annoying, or stupid or crazy, or annoying. He was banned for six months and eventually ended up in jail for a while. Recently he has been back and causing more trouble. Just last month he was kicked out for cussing loudly across the library, and on his way he threatened Erin. That got him another six-month banning from the library. That didn't stop him from being in front of the library yesterday morning when I unlocked the doors. He didn't come in though. Instead he went to a car in the parking lot, got in, and did what I could only guess was a drug deal. Needless to say: this boy is trouble. Imagine my horror then when today, I read an article about my new gym: Goodyear fitness. Last evening at 6:30 (while I was just getting ready to do squats). A young man was caught setting fire in the bathroom. The same young man was previously banned from the gym for using a shower to flood the men's locker room and lighting a cigar in the sauna. That man is Mickey R. and not only has be stirred up trouble at my place of employment, he has infiltrated my gym. Good news though: at 7:00pm last night, as he was racing around the liquor store where my friend Steph works, probably high on meth, 4 cops charged in with their guns pointed and threw him to the floor. Then they arrested him. Guess he won't be bothering me at work or the gym anytime soon!

A Hard Day's Work

I was planning on going to the gym today, but I ended up running out of time. I went over to my mom's house after lunch and she needed some help cleaning out her basement. She's finishing her basement this week (putting up walls and drywall and such) and needed to get everything removed from the area. We devised a system where I brought boxes from the basement, and up the stairs. Then she took them from the top of the stairs and put them into her garage. My mother has a lot of boxes in her basement. So this project took over three hours (with several breaks). I must have gone up and down those stairs at least 100 times. So I figure two good hours of lifting boxes up the stairs and running back down was plenty of a workout for me today. Worked my legs, worked my arms, and I even sweated some.

I need to turn over a new leaf when it comes to eating. I have been very bad lately with eating out and eating candy and not counting calories. Obviously I have proven to myself that I can eat lots of junk if I keep working out, and maintain my weight. But I still need to lose those last pounds before I can be happy maintaining. I was hoping that if I just worked on working out lots the weight would work itself off. But that's not happening. So I really need to get somewhere before Christmas comes and nobody loses weight. Anyway, I need to go back to writing down my calories. I am also going to start over on my 10-week running plan. After a few failed runs and a few missed workouts, I might as well start again. Now ten weeks leads right up to my birthday. That's a good goal point.

Spin Span Spun

This morning I tried my first spinning class. Well, my first spin class in at least five years. It was easy. So either, I am in a lot better shape than I was five years ago when I first tried the class at Gold's, or I wasn't trying hard enough. I wasn't sweating at all (which is generally how I measure a good workout) but it was pretty cold in the room with several fans running. A few times I found myself out of breath (but only twice in the 45 minute class). And I think that my legs hurt once too. But mostly my wrists, feet, and ass hurt from the bike and the odd positions we had to be in. I definitely will try it again -- you have to try something at least three times to form a real opinion of it. The next time I will try to increase my resistance and workout harder.

I spent the afternoon looking for wedding dresses with Jen. And even though that was quite a workout, it didn't burn as many calories as the La Paz lunch we had. At least I am so full that I will hardly be eating dinner if I eat anything at all. But tomorrow I hope to get in a good run. I need something besides kickboxing that gets me sweating during the week.