Gym Day...

So I got myself out of bed earlier than I absolutely had to (which is a big deal for me) and went to the gym this morning. As I was about one minute away, I realized I had left my mp3 player at home. Bummer. But I didn't dare go back for it (we live like 5 minutes away, or less) since I was on the clock with the hubs at home with the kiddos, one of which would need to be breastfeed in the not-to-distant future. So I went without, which wasn't as awful as I thought it'd be. I upped my laps around the track to 5, making my total distance 1 1/4 mile. I worked the weights today, even completing all my reps on the Fly - which is totally my Moby Dick. My arms are so super weak. Last time I tried those reps, they kicked my butt and I only did 5 sets of 5. But this morning I did the full 5 sets of 10. So perhaps part of it is just mental. I can still tell that my left arm is the one dragging behind, but I'm determined to get them more evened out. I am right-handed so I'm naturally stronger there. But I'd like to be a bit more balanced.

My next struggle is what to do about my membership. My month trial is about to end. This week, I think. Argh. I could get a membership where I'm at, but I bet it's not the cheapest. (They have a rock climbing, racquetball courts, tennis, classes, child care, swimming, etc.) Whereas, there's a gym across the street from us that's a 24-hour deal. No child care or classes I bet. But it'd be undoubtedly cheaper. And there's no contract involved. It's strictly month to month. Which my husband likes. I haven't done the research yet. I need to find out prices and whatnot. I do have a reasonable amount of personal money I can put towards a membership. I teach piano lessons and the money I bring in is for my personal use since our budget doesn't currently need it. We'll see. I have some research to do in the next few days, and then a decision to make. Either way, though, I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing. Since I'm working weights and running, I expect the weight won't come off quite the same it did last summer when I was just running. But I'm hoping this will be a better long-term fitness choice.

Working Out

So I feel like I'm semi-set in my current work-out. It feels nice to be a bit more sure about what I'm doing when I'm walking around the machines. Next week I'm going to bump up my runs to add another lap, which will move my total running from 1 mile to 1 1/4. Then after another week or two, I want to work out some different muscle groups, and get familiar with different machines. Once I set up a second weight-routine, I think I'll switch back and forth each week to keep things interesting. That's my current thought anyway.

In my reading, I learned a relevant tip to help me out in my work-outs. It's #7 on this list of work-out tips. There are lots of other good ones too. Check it out here.

Progress...

I had over a week off due to a family reunion. But now I'm back at it, and hoping to be even more motivated. I weighed myself this morning and have a solid goal. I've got 21.2 lbs to go. I'm also going to try and keep track of my weight-lifting a bit more so I can make goals and track progress.Then I'm going to try different machines and different muscle groups. I'm also going to start upping my time on the track. Right now I'm doing 2 half-mile sections. Next week I'll bump it up by one lap each time and it'll be 1 1/4 miles total. As long as I'm able to go to the gym regularly, I'll keep bumping up my distance regularly. I'm also going to have to try and make more of a committment to get myself there. With 3 kids at home, it's just hard. My hubs is so supportive, bless his heart. This morning I left, at his insistence, with 2 screaming kids. One ready for a nap, and the other screaming because I was leaving. But I'm hoping to make more of a committment, possibly even getting up earlier in the morning. We'll see. Either way, I'm excited. Now that I'm keeping track, I'll be able to see the progress I'm making.

Comfortable...

I was able to get to the gym again tonight. It was only my third trip, but I feel like I'm starting to get more comfortable with my routine. It didn't take too long after my last workout for the intense soreness in my arms to go away. Thankfully. I was able to complete all my reps at each machine. My last half mile around the track was quite a bit harder. My legs were getting really sore. I found out that they have a scale and anyone can use it, so I'm going to weigh myself next time. I didn't do it this time, since I didn't ask about it until the end of my workout and had already consumed over 4 cups of water. So I knew I wouldn't have been doing myself any favors there. But I'm going to check up on it my next visit to see if I'm making any progress. I'm still not able to get out very regularly. But that's life with a 2 month old. It's been very rainy too, so I've not been running locally. But I'm determined to keep on plugging along. I'm hoping that in the meantime, all my weight lifting will at least make it easier to carry around my baby. :)

Sore...

I hit up the gym again this afternoon. For the past few days my arms have been pretty darn sore. I have seriously wimpy arms. It felt pretty good to get back in there today. When it comes to the soreness I've been feeling, I figure I can stop working out and it can go away. But then I'll have dealt with it for nothing. And considering how often I'm carrying around my 13 lb. baby, I'm dealing with it a lot. Or I can keep lifting weights and make the pain do something for me in the long run. At least that's my optimistic plan, anyhow. I tried to keep track of how much I'm lifting so I can, eventually, see my progress. I think the gym has a scale too, so maybe I'll get the courage up to weigh myself next time I go, so I can tell if I've made any numeric progress yet. I hope so. But I know it'll come in time as long as I keep it up.

The Gym...

When I had my baby 2 months ago, I received a free 1 month membership to this pretty nice fitness center that's affiliated with the hospital in some way. I got it yesterday and went in tonight. It was pretty nice. I've read a lot of articles about how weight lifting is missing from most women's workouts. So I wanted to make sure I incorporate it whenever I can. For my workout tonight I ran half a mile, then did a bunch of weight lifting. I alternated between upper body and lower body. I was by myself, which always makes me a bit self-conscious. But I had my music on so I was able to retreat into my head a bit. I paid close attention to how the machines said they were to be used to make sure I did it properly. It felt pretty good. I finished my workout with another half mile, then came home. I don't know how often I'll be able to get over there to workout, but I look forward to adding this to my routine. At least for the next 30 days. :)