1st Strength Training Class

This morning I went to my first strength training class at the Y. I guarantee it will not be my last.

Sara, one of the girls who works in Jason's lab, and I have been threatening to work out together for a few months now since we both belong to the Y. Our workout schedules are kind of opposite, though - in that I usually go early in the morning. She is not a morning person. Neither am I, really, but I have to be by necessity since I work a job with normal office-type hours.

Early this week I emailed Sara and asked if she was in for the Friday morning strength training class. She agreed.

But then last night Jason and I went to see the Indigo Girls in Newport, RI with Sara and her husband. It was a great show. We got back around 11. Then I woke up at 4:45 to drive a friend to the airport. I was seriously considering backing out, but I pulled myself out of bed again to make the 6:30 class (with a little encouragement from Jason who told me how proud he would be if I went).

Well, it kicked my butt. My legs and arms were a little shaky by the end. Tonight I'm trying really hard not to do anything that uses my pecs or my inner thighs.

It was really fun too. I definitely don't push myself hard enough when it's just me with the weight machines. In my opinion, classes are the way to go if you're looking for motivation. Between the instructor ordering you to do stuff and not wanting to look like an idiot in front of the other 15 people in the class, you get the job done.

So I think I'll make the class my regular Monday and Friday morning thing. It's an hour-long class, so that's about all I can squeeze in on those days, but the other days I'll do some cardio.

If I can walk when I wake up tomorrow morning, I'll do another day of C25K.

Now to just get my eating back on track. Half price cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory today! Yeah. Not helpful.

C25K - Again

Saturday morning I did Day 1 of Week 1 of Couch to 5K. Today my ankles HURT. I was hoping to run again tomorrow, but I may push it off to Wednesday to give my body a bit more time to recover. Maybe I'll do some elliptical tomorrow morning.

Sometimes I think about all of those very, very large people on The Biggest Loser and how much the trainers push them from day one. It's amazing that there aren't more stress fractures and heart attacks on that show. I ran for 8 bursts of 60 seconds in my slightly hilly neighborhood and was gasping by the end. And I have worked out a lot more recently and weigh anywhere from 100-300 pounds less than the average Biggest Loser contestant.

Saturday was muggy around here, so I was drenched by the end of my little excursion, but I kind of love that post-workout, super sweaty feeling. It makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something.

I loved checking out the new neighborhood a bit too. There are so many cute little houses and pretty gardens to look at as I walk/jog by. So far the new house is awesome and the new neighborhood adorable. I met a neighbor the other day who has lived there for 40 years. 4 - 0. That's amazing to me.

I planned to go to a strength training class at the Y this morning, but life got in the way. We're picking up my couch in Cambridge tonight* and I had to drop Jason off at the U-Haul place to get the van right when it opened. That plan didn't really work with the class schedule. There's another class on Friday morning and I'm determined to get there. With a C25K run (or two) in between.

Slowly but surely, I'm getting back into the exercise.

*I bought a couch several years ago that has spent the last few years being baby-sat by friends since there was no place for it in our old apartment. It's comfy and nice-looking so I didn't necessarily want to give it up. Now we have a living room with a big empty space in front of the window just perfect for my couch.

Mid-July Status Update

So far July has been full of lots of packing, unpacking, hauling things up and down stairs, and eating out. Although most of the manual labor has been done in hot (or at least warm) and muggy circumstances, I think the eating out is negating any calories burned. Also, there's a fantastic homemade ice cream place about 45 seconds from our new house, which is dangerous. We've been there twice. Need to ration ice cream trips.

My plan was to get back to the gym this morning, but I got to bed late. Drat! Tomorrow it is! The fact that I now have to drive to the gym is a bummer, but I do need to get there. Despite Jason calling me "pretty" and "sexy" all the time (hello, fantastic ego boosts!), I feel doughy and lethargic.

I did manage to make 2 homemade meals in our kitchen this past weekend. They were both crock pot meals, so I have leftovers for lunches this week. Now I just need to get to the store and stock up on eggs and Greek yogurts so I can stop buying my breakfasts every morning. In addition to not eating the most healthy stuff lately, my credit card bill is a little crazy this month. Eating out just costs more.

Here's looking to a more healthy second half of July!

New Month

I decided to start July off right. I walked to work and then went for a 40 minute walk at lunchtime.

Tonight is more packing. We're in the home stretch.