Tortoises unite!



A picture of my fast traveling speed

This picture illustrates my running speed. Hopefully, my face isn't distorted in that much of a scaly grimace. And hopefully, my overall demeanor isn't this off putting. This guy a tortoise, of the famed tortoise and hare fable, represents the slow and steady approach I have to running. I told you recently I was ramping it up slowly. This is so true.

Monday I decided to stretch beyond the one-mile mark. I had a great weights session on Saturday. Then Sunday was a pork fest with eating at a family gathering. Monday was destined to offer me a budding dash of gusto!

I ran two miles straight. I realize this might seem laughable when I've previously participated in 5K's, 10K's and the half marathon. However, I am easing back in. I'm trying to enjoy it. I don't want to feel pressured to adhere to a schedule when I'm not in the mood or my knees are crying for mercy. Right, tortoise, are you with me? That's why he is my emblem. I managed to run two miles straight, probably the longest distance I have run since last year. I felt comfortable. I felt loose. Afterward, I felt accomplished and happy. That's the right attitude with which to leave the gym!

I could work on the leg press all day

I am thrilled when I can make it to the gym on the weekends. The mob has usually died down and there's a more relaxed feel about the place. I have come to realize that Monday is the busiest day at Planet Fitness. Each day that goes by brings fewer people in. I didn't have any big plans for my Saturday other than to get in a good workout before the family festivities on Sunday. I hadn't gone on Friday either so this was my chance to give my best effort and make the day count. I decided to skip cardio. I walked on the elliptical for a light workout, then decided to take advantage of the mostly empty circuit express area.

Users of the circuit express area are supposed to follow a certain pattern. There are 20 stations comprised of 10 weight machines and 10 steps. A light that turns green (for 60 seconds) and red (for 30 seconds) tells you how long to stay at a station and when to move and adjust. The idea is that you can complete the circuit in 30 minutes, hence the "express" portion of the area's name. If you adhere to the rules of this area, you're not supposed to sit at one machine and complete multiple sets. Nor are you supposed to skip machines. I try to be respectful of that when the area's crowded. However, on a weekend, when there aren't so many other people using the space, I'm a little lax on the rules.

Of the 10 weight machines, only three are for your legs. There is the traditional leg press, the seated hamstring curl and the knee extension. After going through the gauntlet of physical therapy when I had tendinitis, I learned how to do a few variations of exercises using only the leg press machine. Four years later I still love those exercises because I can feel them.

One variation is the common one that people use this machine for. You put both feet on the platform, about hip distance apart, squat down to an approximate 90-degree angle, and push up, using all the muscles in your legs. Most people can easily lift their entire body weight and more. A second variation is only using one leg, mimicking one-legged squats. Just like with two legs, you come all the way down and push all the way up. I am doing this one with a weight that's about 60 percent of my full body weight. The third variation is to push up from the platform with both legs but then only lower down with one leg. For this exercise, I use a weight that's about 72 percent of my body weight. You feel this one at the very bottom of your buns.

As you can tell, I'm the hog who would prefer to use this machine for multiple sets. However, I try to be respectful of other people in this are who use this machine for their circuits. On Saturday I did all of the above-mentioned exercises two times each and then I did all the upper body exercises for two times each. Each set is 60 seconds, the duration of the green light. In that time, I manage to do anywhere from 15-18 repetitions.

The amazing thing is that I was at the gym for only an hour and yet I still achieved a very satisfactory all-over body workout. That is what I consider success at the gym. By the time I was finished, it was 11:00 a.m. and I still had the rest of the day to accomplish a zillion other things! Of course friends stopped by, the sun was shining, the temperature was beautiful ... It was easy to throw down a beer in the middle of the afternoon. And after that, well, there weren't too many accomplishments on the agenda. However, it was a great day at the house with friends and dogs! Summer is in the air.

The giant ball

On Thursday the hubby and the pooch went to romp at the dog park. That left me with one of life's glorious jewels: free time after work to decide on whatever exercise I wanted. I thought about doing one of Jillian's hour-long DVD workouts, but figured I was better off going to the gym and continuing my streak. I started with 15 minutes on the elliptical at level 8, moving to level 10 in the last few minutes. Then I moved to the treadmill for 25 minutes. I did run one slow mile.

This is my theory on getting back to running. I have to start slowly. This is in reference to days a week that I do it, pace at which I run, and distance that I cover. Unfortunately too many times, I have charged at a plan with overzealous gusto only to get burned when my knee starts throbbing after the third day. Or my spine. Or my other knee. You get the idea. Some people are born runners. I was born to ramp it up modestly. Nice to know that at 34, I've learned how to do a few things better. So far I have run exactly one mile about four different times. One time I even added on a half-mile. I know I'm not breaking any records. What's important is incremental advances where I can feel satisfied with my progress and how my body is responding. So far, all systems go.

After that I took myself to the top floor of the gym to alternate 30 seconds of free weights, squats, ball exercises, and ab work until I started to feel fatigued. This wasn't my most impressive workout of the month, but I'm glad I went. That is the big secret. Something is always better than nothing.

Ahhh Jillian, the respect I have for you is deep

I rarely buy magazines. And when I say rarely, I mean just about never. It's true that I usually feel worse about myself after flipping through the glossy images. My skin isn't that clear. My hair's not silky and wavy. My boobs aren't that big. I can't afford those $500 shoes. Yeah, it's a poor-me party waiting to start within those pages, so I usually don't even let myself get suckered in. Then don't even get me started on those ads! 5 Products You Have To Try! All Your Gym Essentials In One Bag! Gag me. These aren't tried and true products that have been tested to the extreme and that now shine on their own merits. It's pure product placement propaganda. I like to think I'm too objective and skeptical to fall for a $25 miracle cream. However, you stare at the "real life" testimonial long enough and begin to believe you can experience the same miracle. *swoosh* That's the sound of your checking account drying up as you meekly try and convince yourself that this item's gonna be the real deal. At 34 am I really this jaded?

Yep, I'm jaded. I'm also human and not immune to advertising. Splash Jillian's face on a carton of ice cream and I'd probably have to have that too. So, there I was at Meijer plunking down $5 on this glossy flipbook that usually I abhor. Now I want to try her workout plan. Oh! The! Joy! There's also a workout plan in there from Bob on the Biggest Loser too. And there's a full four-page spread on new abs moves. Okay, I'm running after the carrot with my tongue hanging out the side of my mouth. Sure you need fancy home equipment that I don't have. But hey, I'm inspired. Isn't that what these mags are supposed to do to us anyways? Pishaw, you think it's the mag inspiring me? It's totally Jillian.

Let's begin

It's time to start updating this blog on a consistent basis. I've been exercising regularly and that gives me most of my inspiration. As any one who knows me knows by now, I fall in and out of love with workout methods all the time. One month I love Bikram yoga. The next month I'm pumped about bootcamp. This variety is a tremendous way to keep myself excited about my workouts. However, it does get old and it makes me wonder: What do I really enjoy? I think I'm starting to realize that I am one of those people who happens to love going to the gym.

There's a saying in accounting that you can't improve what you can't measure. This is true for many other areas. In the gym, there are so many numbers. I love numbers! I love keeping track of my accomplishments and this is a tangible way to do that. I love striving to increase the number of pounds I can lift, the number of reps that I can do. I love challenging myself to increase my pace on the treadmill, or my level on the elliptical, or the time spent pushing myself to exhaustion. I am in touch with my inner nerd. I think if I can harness the enjoyment of numbers and put a strategy into my plan, I could accomplish so much.

I have said continually that the hardest part is getting out of bed, getting out of the house, changing into my workout clothes, strapping the leash on my dog, etc. The hardest part isn't staying at the gym, it's geting there. In the past two weeks, I have reunited with the gym and it's like the sappy, lame story of the excitement you feel when you see an old friend. (I said this was sappy and lame, didn't I?) I'm remembering the 2-up/1-down squats I did on the leg press while in physical therapy. I loved what those exercises did for my buns. I'm remembering to switch up the sets of cardio and weights like I've done in bootcamps so that my heart rate never slows down. I'm remembering how excited I felt to increase my pace while running on the treadmill.

It's so satisfying to know that every single day I can go into that gym and I can give a little bit more effort than I did the previous time. And that satisfaction begets a positive cycle where I want to go back and trump myself again. I think I will start to use this blog to track my progress and to chart a forward direction for continual, constant self-improvement!

Set your alarm earlier

What are the most common excuses for not taking the early morning class? Well, first and most obvious, the classes happen to be that early, and it’s cold out—very, very cold and dark. Second, we think our bodies aren’t trained to function optimally at those hours. Third, it’s quite easy to hit snooze, roll over, curl our bodies into the warm blankets, and tell ourselves we’ll hit the gym or the studio later in the day.

However, we also know that our most lofty goals get sidelined when life’s other plans come sweeping up behind us. Kids get sick. Our boss keeps us late at the office. We have to get groceries because there’s no food for dinner. Subsequently, our vision of making it to the later class becomes the reality of sitting on the couch, watching TV. Then we might overeat. Then we might berate ourselves for not working out. Then we scrutinize ourselves with a more negative focus.

Research suggests that people who work out early in the day are more likely to stay consistent with a program. What’s also fascinating is that people who work out earlier in the day seem to burn calories more efficiently. This theory was investigated in Belgium. Researchers recruited three groups of physically fit and active men. They fed them a similar diet that was composed of 50 percent fat, and contained 30 percent more calories than their average diets. One group didn’t exercise at all. (You can easily imagine what happened to their waistlines.) The other two groups exercised strenuously under supervision four times a week. The difference in the groups was that one ate a carbohydrate-rich breakfast before exercising and also drank sports drinks during their sessions. The other group started on an empty stomach, only drank water throughout the workout, and then ate breakfast afterward. This breakfast was also high in carbohydrates and about the same amount of calories.

This study took place over the course of six weeks. The men who chowed down on the fattening foods and didn’t exercise at all gained about six pounds each. The men who ate the rich breakfasts before working out gained about three pounds each. It was the members of the third group who didn’t gain any weight. The researchers believe exercising in a fasted state allows the body to burn fat more efficiently. These results are illuminating but they do leave some questions open. First, your performance will probably improve with some type of carbohydrates before working out, so is no fuel realistic? Second, how would these results compare if the participants were women or if the exercise wasn’t that strenuous? The answer to this last question is my favorite line from this article:

according to Leonie Heilbronn, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Adelaide in Australia, who has extensively studied the effects of high-fat diets and wrote a commentary about the Belgian study, “I would predict low intensity is better than nothing.”

An old adage that remains true: more exercise is better than some, and some is better than none at all. So, chew on this information next time you’re plotting your upcoming fitness regimen. We’re all facing holiday parties, extra sweets in the office kitchen, and more baked goods around the house. How fantastic would you feel if you began your day with a sweaty workout? It might be rough when the alarm squawks and the sky is still dark, but your feelings of being a champ will last all day long. Go get ‘em tiger!

Spring is coming

This is a good time of year to check in with your work out goals. Perhaps, you didn’t exercise as much as you said you would at the start of the year. Maybe you said you’d cut down the desserts after Christmas but somehow they keep showing up on your plate. Or, if you’re like me, you think about your pale, unshaved legs and just can’t imagine that you’ll be baring more skin in the recent future. You will though. Spring is inevitable, and summer is close on its heels.

Let’s keep in mind that working out isn’t solely about vanity. We love when our legs look toned as they peak from under a skirt. It’s confidence boosting when we slip on that halter top and feel happy about our triceps. But the big picture to focus on is health. It’s quality of life. It’s being able to keep up with your kids. Walking two flights of stairs when you’re 60. Being able to tie your shoes without having to sit on a bench.

Fitbarre is a terrific way to work on your muscle toning and your flexibility. Planks tone your abs so you feel sassy in a two-piece bathing suit. They also help whittle your middle. Research says that excess belly fat can contribute to more health problems for women, even when they are of normal weight. This is something to consider when you’re cursing the next plank moves as your shoulders and stomach muscles are shuddering. We exercise because we need to. We want to push the idea of an early death as far away as possible. This is your life. Claim it with fierce determination. Sure, looking good in a bikini is a wonderful achievement, but nothing beats the immeasurable value of a body that functions like a well-oiled machine. If spring break is your motivation, that’s a great start. But stick with it!

If you’ve been putting off a class lately, come tonight. If you only made it once last week, aim for two classes this week. If you want to change up your routine, sign up for a month of bootcamp. If you’re wondering what boot camp is all about, stay tuned for the next post. I’ll be talking with Bev. She is a fitness dynamo and she’s got some great ideas to keep you healthy and keep you moving!