Maintainers Moving In January!
 

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Off to the in-laws for our traditional southern New Years Day Hoppin'John and collards. Lots of salt, but sooo delicious! I weighed in at 152.5, not bad considering the eating that's been going on for two weeks. Over my original goal weight by 2.5 pounds. This year I want to get down to 143. That had better satisfy me. I am starting another exercise class on Saturdays. Zumba at 9, then StepAerobics at 10. Both are loads of fun.

I'd like to join in here please if that's ok?
The gym is closed for me today but hoping to get there tomorrow and Monday, then back to my normal routine come Wednesday.
January is hopefully going to be an opportunity for me to try some new classes including Zumba and Bodycombat, as well as going back to my old favourites Step and Bodytone. I'm also hoping to continue increasing my running distance on the treadmill to get to 10k in the next couple of months, and continue with my personal training sessions.

My gym was open today, so after helping my visiting mother pack up the van (including her cat in his carrier) & waving goodbye to her, I walked down the street to work out.

60 minutes elliptical, resistance at 8, half backward
45 minutes Pilates routine afterward

Brilliantly sunny day, and warm enough to not wear gloves. I watched the Rose Parade on the elliptical's TV screen. And afterward, me doing my Hundred and One-Leg Circles on a mat in a big square of sunlight on the waxed studio floor. Smelling chicken soup from one of the delis on the street, surprisingly open on New Year's Day, a lovely comforting smell. I'll make Kalyn's Hopping John soup today in honor of the holiday.

Happy New Year and Happy January!
I was working out today and wondering what I should set for a goal exercise wise. I think I am going to do several things but one will be to set a goal of 300 days of exercise. I figure that averages out to 25 days per month and will allow some leeway for illnesses, trips or injuries.

January 1: 60 minutes elliptical

Totals:
1 day
60 minutes

Just got back from the gym where I ended up doing 45mins cardio and then some ab work.
Had planned to try for a faster 5k time, but after my 10min warm up on the cross trainer I just couldn't get in a good groove running so gave up after 2.5k. Did some incline walking for 15mins instead then 10mins on the cardio wave using dumbells for arm exercises at the same time.

Sunday, January 2:

15 minutes rowing on the Concept 2, concentrating on form, as the college crew team member showed me this past Friday, so I'm not writing down any speed or distance metrics
60 minutes weights
45 minute spin class

When the gym opened at 7 AM, I was the first one there, but by the time I left, just before 10 AM, the place was humming & I saw lots of new faces.

The January rush has officially begun.

January 2: 43 minutes running on treadmill

Totals:
2 days
103 minutes

Really didn't want to go to the gym today, I hate it when my usual classes aren't on and my usual gym friends aren't there, just totally puts me off going.
SO, I got on my outside running gear for the first time since the end of Oct and went for a short run! Did probably about a 5min warm up walk, then ran for 30mins to the sport store I get my gear from, and bought myself a new top and jacket as the ones I was wearing are too big now! Bought a different colour to my normal black (nice bright turquoise blue) and in good quality climacool instead of the cheapest I could usually find. They are for hubby to wrap up for me for my birthday in a couple of weeks, so I'll have to have another outside run soon :lol:

Great work, LM! I'll be at the gymn tomorrow. See you there?

Hmmm, I like this running/shopping strategy!

Midwife - please tell me you're going to bed soon. You've been up for hours! (Yes, I love sleep. :))

Monday, January 3:

60 minutes elliptical, resistance at 8, including 30 minutes backward
60 minutes circuit training class


Feeling vaguely guilty because I signed up for 6 AM spin class today, my day off for New Year's, then overslept.

I didn't get the cardio machine I wanted, because there were people at the gym I hadn't seen before on the machines. And circuit training class was completely full.

January 3: 60 minutes body pump class (weight lifting)

I HATE the gym in January-- HATE!:devil::devil:
Could barely find a parking spot at 4:15.

Totals:
3 days
173 minutes

Gymn today and it was very sparsely populated. I'm not sure whether all the schools are back: that would affect the numbers of people. And some gymn-rats are abroad, I know.

I did well and I'm rather pleased with myself. I haven't been there since 24th November and yet I kept up with myself on the treadmill and I stretched beautifully. I liked the way I looked in the mirrors too. (You'll remember that I haven't been in an exercise-free zone but it's been a different zone or 'other planet', as I sometimes call it.)

I hope you're all doing well too.

Tuesday, January 4:

15 minutes rowing on the Concept 2, again trying to concentrate on form, though a new guy who just joined the gym got on the machine right after me & seemed to do a far better job. I thought about approaching him for pointers, too, but was pressed for time.
60 minutes weights
45 minute spin class, entirely full, with the familiar faces all back & some new ones. The instructor worked us at double time all through, no breaks.

Tues Jan 4: 35 min on bike trainer. HR averaged in the upper 140's.

Finally got my butt to the gym yesterday after my mini exercise slump

Tuesday January 4:

55mins Bootcamp

Shock of all shocks....only 3 persons turned up for class! THREE! I would be pleased if the trend continues but that is wishful thinking. I am almost sure it will be packed later.

Wednesday, January 5:

30 minutes private Pilates session with the Pilates instructor, using the Reformer machine
45 minute spin class

If I ever develop a female incontinence problem, it's going to be during spin class when we're doing jumps. It's hard on a woman who's spent a day at work overconsuming black coffee.

Realised I haven't posted here since the 3rd, so better update!

Tue 4 Jan - Tried new 45min Bodycombat class and although it's going to take some getting used to, I really enjoyed it and it was definitely a good workout. Think this is going to be my new Tue workout.

Wed 5 Jan - Did 10mins on cross trainer to warm up, then tried new 45min Zumba class. During the warm up I was sure I was going to HATE it, but once I stopped feeling quite so self conscious about my two left feet and just went with the great music I quite enjoyed it. Another good workout and will give it a couple more weeks before I decide whether it's a keeper or not.

Thur 6 Jan - Really didn't feel like going in the gym today but ended up having a great workout. Did speed intervals on each machine, 10mins cross trainer, 30mins treadmill, 10mins cardio wave and 10mins stationary bike, plus a few arm and ab exercises.

Really hoping the scale is going to start co-operating again after these few workouts as it should have given my body a shake up.

Spent an hour and a half moving wood this morning. Just finished and it started to rain, so that was good timing.

Jan 5:
- 5 min warmup stationary bike
- three sets of bench presses (13 @ 30#, 4 @ 35#, 5 @ 30#)
- 3x5s hang
- planks + side planks
- leg lifts, all sides, 3x12 each
- 5 min stretching

January 4: none (I worked two jobs and then we went out to celebrate dd's birthday so there was literally no time)

January 5: 60 minutes UJAM class (dance class combo of zumba, hip hop)

Totals:
4 days
233 minutes

Thursday, January 6:

45 minutes arc trainer, intervals, resistance at 9
60 minutes Pilates class

She worked our glutes in Pilates tonight. We were on all fours kicking up over our backs & then in different directions. I'm going to be interestingly sore tomorrow.

January 6: 61 minutes elliptical (was going for 60 but had to watch the end of Big Bang Theory-- love that show!)

Totals:
5 days
294 minutes

Friday, January 7:

60 minutes elliptical, intervals, half going backward, resistance at 8, just about 6.25 miles

Usually, I also do weights, but I overslept & also decided that I really shouldn't be lifting with my shoulder out of whack.

And I started getting cramps in my glutes & hip flexors on the elliptical today, surely due to Pilates the night before. But walking down the street felt amazing, as if I had an incredible range of motion where my thigh inserts into my body. Hard to explain, but I felt smaller & more flexible in that area.

Fri 7 Jan - 60min PT session with my trainer. Today felt really hard for some reason. Trainer said it was a bit harder than previous weeks, but still. My legs felt like jelly at one point and when I tried to do a couple of sprints it hurt below my kneecaps so he told me to quit running straight away. Not sure whether it was something I did earlier in the session or a result of my interval workout yesterday, but they feel ok again now although I am stiffening up a bit like I usually do after a workout with him.
I should be going to step class tomorrow first thing but he suggested I give it a miss and have a couple of days rest and I've pushed myself hard this week. Think I will set the alarm and see how I feel in the morning, and also how the weather is (we've had a lot more snow here today).

January 7: 44 minutes elliptical

Totals:
6 days
338 minutes

No exercise for me today :(
Set the alarm for this morning but the front of my thighs and my upper arms are just so sore from my PT session yesterday I knew it would be a bad idea to go to step class.
Sunday is my scheduled rest day each week so I'm hoping I'll be back to normal by Monday when I will start another 5 days of hard workouts.

Saturday, January 8:

45 minute spin class
60 minute Pilates class

And an NSV: The gym's manager is the spin instructor on Saturday mornings. She told me that she'd seen me on the elliptical in a nearby mirror on the previous morning, and that my abs are really looking good. (I had on an usually tight workout shirt yesterday -- the one that I NEVER wear on low self-esteem days or days when the scale shows I'm up slightly.) That was really great to hear, because I'd had my suspicions that my upper stomach has in recent weeks been flattening out to meet my lower stomach a little bit more seamlessly, instead of still displaying a slight overhanging "balcony" at the waist. But there was no way to confirm. (I have an overactive imagination sometimes.) So now today, changing clothes after my gym session, I'm getting in some serious narcissistic mirror time, to confirm it's true.

My God, if this trend continues, I will have abs.

Abs.

Holy s&%$#t.

Sunday, January 9:

15 minutes rowing on the Concept 2, again paying attention to form, but going faster than in the last few sessions
60 minutes of weights, as my shoulder felt pretty good
45 minute spin class, once again in Tricia's House of Pain, as she's back from the holidays. The class was completely full & three people were new.

Saturday: 15 mins on treadmill; 25 mins yoga & stretching.
Sunday: 2.5 hrs moving & stacking wood.


Have decided to go for every other day. That means I don't injure myself (an always close to surface possibility) and I manage to have concerted periods of work (complicated waves of work/rest of life make this hard).

January 8: 70 minutes boot camp

January 9: 60 minutes brisk walk

Totals: 8 days
468 minutes

Mon 10 January

60min Bodytone class
45min Step class

Sun Jan 9: pool time!
- 250 warmup (6:01)
- 4x25 fingertip drag drill (3:19)
- 4x50's, 15s RI (1:01, 1:05, 1:05, 1:06)
- 200 kicking (7:01)
- 2x100's, 30s RI (2:03, 2:14)
- 50 cooldown (1:21)
- 20 laps total, 29:04

Mon Jan 10: UBWO
- few minutes waving my arms around to warm up
- 3 sets of bench presses, 30# for the first two, 25# for the last, reps between 5-12
- 3x10 shoulder press w/2x8# dumbbells
- 3x10 prone tricep kickback w/2x8# dumbbells
- 3x10 YTWL w/2x3# dumbbells
- 3x10 incline rows w/2x15# dumbbells
- 3x10 bicep curls w/2x5# dumbbells (I stupidly put the 8's back in the group fitness room and someone went in to start doing a DVD and I didn't want to disturb them to get the 8's back)
- 3x10 lat pull-down, 50#, 55#, 50#

Jessica - I love this post. From the obscurely technical

to the randomly basic

And you just keep moving! Hurray! :dancer:

LOL Silver, that's how I feel when I read people's rowing machine workouts!

(And in case you were wondering, I did 4 lengths of the pool -- 25 yards each -- doing a stroke where I let my fingertips drag on top of the water to help keep my elbow up, and it took a total of 3 minutes 19 seconds.)

So you were practising keeping your elbow up? Why's that? Form or speed or something else?

Monday, January 10:

60 minutes arc trainer, resistance at 9
60 minutes circuit training class, completely full, with some waitlisted

Sadly, there was no arm-waving. But ... I did bend over with my hands on my knees & my back flattened, which involves sticking my butt up in the air & then I hung down fully, touching the floor -- alternating between the two moves, to stretch my lower back after using the arc trainer.

January 10: 60 minutes body pump class (weight lifting)

Totals: 9 days
528 minutes