Yeah, I'm gonna be feeling that tomorrow

Friday, July 31, 2009

I was on the leg press machine tonight (yeah, yeah, I know, squats are better, but I can't DO squats until I build up my quads and I can do that on the leg press), and just for the hell of it I decided to see if I could press 200 lb.

As it turns out, I could, for a a full 1 x 10 set. Of course, I was staggering after I got off the bloody thing, but it's nice to know that I can move that much weight. And in other delightful news, the Crimson Tide has actually made an on-time appearance for once, complete with surprisingly painful cramps! It's my Special Girl Time -- yay!

I'm not a well clown

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Thanks to some yokel who sneezed on Lyndon in WalMart and passed along some horrible inbred bug which he then inadvertantly passed on to me, I spent most of yesterday on the couch hurting all over, feeling rotten and trying to doze. As a result I was wide awake for a large chunk of last night, didn't get nearly enough sleep, and currently feel like I'm sleepwalking. Yay.

I also stayed within my caloric allowance, go me, but gained about .8 of a pound, which I figure is pretty much water thanks to the oncoming Crimson Tide and the fact that I was too achy to swim (well, hell, I was due a rest day in any case). Gosh, but being a girl is so much fun!

Phoo.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Lat pulldowns. Pullups (you use the lat bar and pretend you're trying to chin yourself on it). Upright rows. Arm curls. Shrugs. Seated rows. Something to work the rotator cuff because my right one is bothering me.

My hair is dripping with sweat. Everyone else was wearing pretty gym togs -- I was in old sweats and a badly worn and tattered t-shirt. And I got a couple of horrified looks from some sweet young things when I started grunting during the upright rows.

God, I love weightlifting. And I still have 133 calories or so to play with before I hit the hay. Vanilla yogurt, I do believe you're calling my name.

Oh, and since I started with the weights last week? Six pounds down. BOOyah.

Painkillers are our friends

Stretch walked up to my desk this morning and said in a conversational tone, "I was cursing your name last night."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I couldn't sit down -- my butt hurt from those lunges."

I commiserated, explaining how I staggered downstairs this morning at 5:30 AM to gulp some Tylenol and nap on the couch because my back was aching from Saturday's workout. "So, gym tonight at 9?"

"You bet."

Because achiness? Feh. We have iron to lift.

Did you know

Sunday, July 26, 2009

That you can use the diving board in a pool as an assisted dip machine if you can't quite use the one in the gym because it doesn't have enough weight to counteract, well, you?

And that if you can't do a full squat in the gym, you can get in a couple of sets of squats in the shallow end of the pool? Granted, you'll probably get some pool water up your nose as well, but you still get the workout.

And that even if you feel like crap because some yokel sneezed on your husband and passed along a bug that he inadvertently passed on to you, you still want to go swimming because you've seen a pleasing downward trend in the scale numbers (finally!!!).

Training with Stretch

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Stretch is a coworker whom I've inveigled into coming to the gym with me -- tonight was only her second night, and she promptly marched across the gym doing lunges with weights. I have never been so proud of my enabling powers. She did mention that her arms were a little achy from the first night, and that she probably wouldn't be able to walk on Monday and it would all be my fault. I told her she had a chair on wheels, and to get her bandmate to wheel her anywhere she needs to go.

Well, hey, it made sense to me.

In the meantime, I'm discovering that it's fun having a weightlifting buddy because you can moan and complain to someone as you work out. And in other positive news, I've just discovered that a Starbucks Grande Mocha Frappucino Light with no whipped cream is only 180 calories. Because every so often, a woman needs a cold, chocolatey, caffeinated treat after a long, hot day, dammit.

EUUURGHH!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

I love making that noise in the gym, I really do, which is why I usually go when it's deserted so people don't wonder where the camel in labor is. And since Wednesdays is usually Push Day (I do the three-day split workout from Stumptuous.com -- push, pull and legs), yesterday I got to do bench presses, tricep presses, shoulder presses, crunches, and I threw in a set of upright rows just because I felt like it. Still can't do deadlifts -- the knees just won't support my weight in a squat -- but those will come, those will come.

Have I mentioned how much I love weightlifting? I don't know if it's linked to my naturally violent tendencies or I just like grunting a lot, but this really is one of my all-time favorite exercises. And one of the few nice things about being a broad broad is that nobody expects you to be delicate and feminine, so I've never had anyone make stupid comments like "Oh, you're lifting too heavy," or "You just want to tone" or "the pretty pink dumbbells are in the corner over there."

Thank you, no, I'll stay over here with the nice black free weights. I did pick up a 35 lb dumbbell last night just to see if I could curl it -- um, no. But in a couple of months? Heh, heh, heh...

60 laps

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Admittedly, I was somewhat limp by the time I got out of the pool, but still. And just to show that aerobics does bubkes, absolutely no movement on the scale this morning. But I go and lift weights tonight, so you can bet your bippy that there will be downward movement tomorrow morning.

The downside of being 3/4 Eastern European

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

I can do aerobic exercises until the cows come home, and while it does lovely things for my heart it does absolutely bubkes for my butt (well, it probably does good things for my butt, as well, but at an absolutely glacial pace).

I lift weights, however, and suddenly I step on the scale and I'm down two pounds. This is what happens when you come from a people who bred their women to be able to pull a plow in case they had to eat the ox during the winter. Now if I can just keep it up, I'll be a happy camper.

The stamina is definitely picking up

Monday, July 20, 2009

Just had an absolutely splendid weekend in LA, saw an incomparable show, hung out with new friends, and I didn't feel lightheaded or need to lie down once. Go me!

Also, 53 laps, and some of them are now a standard crawl.

51 laps

Saturday, July 11, 2009

I'm just sayin'. Although the new goggles I picked up at Academy Sports helped a lot.

And now, I must go shower, then collapse.

Okay, there's a reason why you need a rest day

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Because if you swim 6 days a week and you get your tubby body up to 45 laps, your muscles are gonna, well, hurt.

Of course, now that I've gotten into the habit of swimming I actially felt kind of guilty that I didn't get into the pool yesterday. However, when I got on the scale this morning and discovered that I'd lost .8 of a pound anyway (most likely water weight from inflammation of sore muscles, but whatever), I decided it was a good thing nonetheless.

One thing that IS frustrating me about the scales, however -- I can see the changes in my arms and legs, and even my tummy is starting to shrink the tiniest bit, which is all good. But scale-wise I've lost almost nothing, which is somewhat frustrating. I don't know if I'm replacing fat with muscles (I'm more used to doing that when I lift weights, but I suppose I would increase muscle mass somewhat with swimming), and I'm not complaining about the physical changes. I would just like to see a downward shift in that magic number, as well. If nothing else, my feet would appreciate it.

I'm gonna live!

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Yesterday the doorbell rang -- it was my neighbor from down the street, who had received the blood test results from my doc (this is normal for my neighborhood -- we routinely get other people's mail, and I just redeliver it). Slightly nervous, I opened the envelope and read the results.

Ta da! No diabetes, no cancer, no infections or any kind, no liver or kidney problems, heart's in good shape, and I just need to work on my bad cholesterol which is slightly elevated (watching fats and weightlifting will fix that, and my good cholesterol is at a nice level). Dr. Allen added a note saying that the labs were all good, asking how I was feeling, and offering to prescribe a diuretic if I felt I needed it (we have a very good working relationship, and he knows I won't ask for something unless I feel it's necessary).

I need to let him know what happened now that I'm on the name brand Synthroid. Who knew that something as simple as dumping a generic would have such a massive effect? Phoo.

Also, I'm now up to 40 laps. Go me!

35 laps -- go me!

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

And the Triffid is now sporting one rather odd tuft but is otherwise completely trimmed back. Now I have to work on the bush next to it (I have no idea what it's called -- it has very long grassy green leaves with yellow stripes and sprouts tall bushy sticks by mid-summer) and get that culled back.

Still no word on the blood tests. Dunno if that's good or bad. I do know that it's been a week since I started taking the name brand Synthroid and all of a sudden I'm getting work done around the house, I'm swimming every night, I'm gardening out back and making sure the lawn is watered, I cleaned the patio area so that we can barbeque on Friday, and I plan on spending this weekend getting the bedroom and master bath whipped into shape. Two weeks ago I was lucky if I could haul my ass upstairs to record a podcast. You can't tell me that generic Synthroid and the name brand stuff are bioequivalent.