Simulpost, saef. Thanks for explaining.

Walked round a Roman and mediaeval walled town today. It's not enough. I keep finding myself in ridiculous time crunches. Then I remind myself that the physio exercises mean I'll be able to run again.

Monday, July 25:

55 minutes arc trainer, resistance at nine, hill intervals
60 minutes circuit training class


Class was sparsely attended tonight, with about half as many as usually show up. A lot of people must be away on vacation.

July 25: 60 minutes Body Pump class

Totals:
21 days
1556 minutes

July 26:
7.1 mile 30 min bike ride (13.5mph, hilly)

July 26: 60 minutes Boot Camp class

Totals:
22 days
1616 minutes

Tuesday, July 26:

9:46 rowing 2,000 meters on Concept 2 as warmup
60 minutes arms & shoulders routine
60 minutes spin class with weights


When I got out of spin class around 8 PM, it was dark outside. I was taken aback. This isn't supposed to happen till late August. We are still having those long daylights hours. Well, it turned out that it was pouring outside. I knew before stepping outside, because on the TV screen near the cardio machines, the Yankees game was getting rained out. This restored my faith a heliocentric universe.

Wednesday, July 27:

45 minute spin class, with weights
30 minutes P90X Ab Ripper X

I'm bored with my Pilates ab routine, so I tried rolling out my yoga mat on my living room floor, setting down one of my laptops on the floor & doing the P90X Ab Ripper X routine. It's like mutated Pilates. But it's kind of fun to have Tony Horton running his motormouth in the background, joking & correcting & encouraging. Had he failed in the fitness industry, he could've had a career as a country auctioneer, holding stuff up to sell, joking, talking really fast, entertaining everyone.

Yes! I am cleared to run. So today the DB took me out for a first go (for a few years). We did walk/run for about 10 minutes along a cycle path, walked a lot more and then ambled back along a stream. He mucked about (falling through rotten logs, fording deep bits) and I lay on a bench and did physio exercises. The sound of all the insects humming was terrific. The ravens were close overhead, calling and playing. And we saw three other people. And a dog. Bliss.

I was ravenous when I got in and then had a good burst of energy. Thank goodness. I've missed 'proper' exercise.

Saef, I've been doing ab routines off youtube from Pop Pilates. She's got a couple good 10-minute ab workouts if you want to look them up.

July 27:
30 mins pilates broken into:
- 10 min leg/thigh/butt workout
- 10 min ab workout
- 10 min back workout

July 27: no. energy. tired..... didn't sleep last night (again) before I heard about MIL. I forced myself to the gym but couldn't do much.

40 minutes elliptical

Totals:
23 days
1656 minutes

Thank you, Jessica, for the Pop Pilates referral, because those workouts look intriguing. I need a new Wednesday morning routine. (That's the day I do Pilates on my own, outside of class.)

July 28:

45 minutes elliptical, resistance at eight, random intervals
60 minutes Pilates class


My mat was between two very slender women in Pilates class tonight. One of them could not keep up with the class. I could, but I've got more junk in the trunk than she does. That was a source of wonder to me. So I posed a philosophical question to myself: Would I rather look thinner, or be more fit?

And I'm still struggling with that one.

July 28: 90 minutes Bikram Yoga. I was confused and thought it was Friday all day so I missed my normal Thursday workout-- hip hop. Oops!

Totals:
24 days
1746 minutes

Thursday - another run with the DB, through woodland as light was fading.

I'm squirming in discomfort today. It's my rest day. Yes, I'm taking one, as I swore that I would.

And I hate it.

I didn't like the scale reading this morning, though it was better than last week. I don't know what to make of the scale. I need other instruments. No, I'm not in denial. One thing I know is that my new upper body routine has given me much more definition in my arms & shoulders & back, that this has happened over the past two months and that this has coincided with a slight weight gain, enough to send me back to the 5-10-lb thread. (Except on the weeks when I resolve to do this, it tends to drop by three pounds.)

Anyway, that scale reading makes me want to go to the gym. But I made myself stay home this morning. I'll try to stay home tonight.

Ugh. It's ridiculous how difficult this is. When other people have the opposite problem & are seeking motivation for going, this seems like a problem that ought not to be mentioned here, but rather in another type of forum.

Well done, saef. I'd prescribe reading a book in the bath, if asked.