Boost an Ego
On Sunday, my trainer put me on one of those slant boards with a medicine ball and tortured me. I did three sets of three different ab exercises and they were all intense. I had watched people on those slant boards many times and never tried, figuring it was pointless.
When I returned to karate for the whole two weeks I was able back in October, we did sit-ups as part of the warm-ups. I could barely do ten whereas before, 50 was no problem. It was a stark reminder of how out of it I was. I had done nothing but work on my legs after the surgery and my abs had totally suffered because of it.
Since I joined the gym in October though, I've made abs part of my work-out every single time. I started with crunches on the mat, did some pilates plank things and then found an ab machine I loved. My trainer would often walk by me while I was on it and he would just smile a bit. I was using almost half the stack last week so he couldn't have been smiling because I was a weakling. I had no idea why until Sunday.
Hanging upside down, I was told to "explode" up with the medicine ball over my head, drop half way back down and then come back up again. It was torture. Another thing he had me do was even worse. Holding the ball with both hands at my waist, I had to lean back half way and twist from side to side until he told me to stop. At one point, my brain was saying "keep going" but my abs had enough and I went flying upside down once again. My trainer pushed me back up and said we were going to start from scratch. This time I did it.
When I was finished, he asked me how I thought that workout compared to sitting on the ab machine. "There is no comparison," I told him. He laughed. Now I know what that smile was for.
They say you can't notice a difference in one day, but I swear I did. Mr. BBM sees it too. Today I went to the gym and made my way to the slant board. I worked it hard just like on Sunday. I was a sweaty mess when I was done. Afterwards, I went nearby to the treadmills and walked a bit. I had noticed this one big guy watching me on the slant board and I noticed him walk over to it when I was done. He grabbed a medicine ball, reclined like I did and tried to sit up. Nothing.
He tried again. Nothing. He just couldn't do it.
He dropped the ball and tried to do it without. He did exactly three, not all the way up, and with a sideways lean. He wasn't in bad shape. I don't like to see anyone not succeed, but I have to tell you, it made me feel like I was soaring. It was a fantastic way to end my workout. Progress is a wonderful thing.
***Check out The BBM Review for the latest MA book review of "Me, Chi and Bruce Lee" by Brian Preston. Good stuff!
The Weekend in Review
Mr. BBM's office party was quite fun on Friday night. I was able to meet many of his co-workers and by the time the evening rolled around, I was actually able to lift my arms a bit. Instead of dancing, I made up new lyrics to some songs. Take "The Twist" for example. . . "Come on baby, let's tear an ACL. . . Come on BAH BEE, let's tear an ACL."
I know, ACL humor is hysterical. You're welcome.
Saturday, I spent the entire day cooking and preparing for the annual Pitt party. I adopted the theme of July at Christmas (a play on Christmas in July) and prepared BBQ Jerk chicken, hot dogs for the kids, and had friends bring pasta salad and crab dip. We also did a late night tortilla chip and dip and Buffalo bites snack while we were playing "Apples to Apples," a hysterical game that always gets big laughs. It's also super fun playing with people who've had a few drinks.
Today, I spent an hour and a half preparing breakfast for the friends who stayed over because Mr. BBM was a bit "incapacitated." I'm not the breakfast chef, but it all turned out o.k. Later, I met my trainer at the gym where he worked me to the point of complete exhaustion. I still managed to go kick around the pool for a couple laps afterward with a good friend though.
Basically I can barely lift my fingers after the workout I had, and am now going to prop my book up on my lap and try to figure out a way to turn the pages without lifting my arms. Also, drinking a ton of water (thanks for that advice, my dedicated reader-we'll see how it turns out tomorrow).
Tricep Trauma
Future dialogue at Mr. BBM's office party tonight.
". . . I'd like you to meet my wife. . . "
(BBM tries in vain to lift arm to shake hands.)
". . . she's a descendant of the T-Rex, obviously."
Obviously.
Off to the gym to try to do some damage to the legs today. Think Mr. BBM will carry me around tonight?
Makes Me Want to Shave
The music is loud, and the machines are filled with people of all ages and fitness levels. The trainers circulate throughout the room. The pool is full of women getting "aqua fit," and the classrooms are loaded with sweaty people, stepping up, stepping down, moving to the music. Unlike many who go to socialize, I am there to recover, to build strength so that I can return to karate.
I know my routine and I stick to it. I push myself, even when there's no one watching, even when there's no trainer there telling me to "finish strong." Music from my headphones drowns out those around me as I move methodically from one machine to another and finally to the mats for ab exercises.
I've heard before that it takes 40 days to create and keep a new habit. I think for me, it's a bit less time. I am going to the gym at least twice a week and I am loving it. Sure, I wake up and try to make excuses; but I always make myself go. Not only is my knee feeling better, but it's me time. I love me some me time. I put my headphones on and I have a good hour of music and no whining (unless you count my own ocassionally ).
The other night, I was talking to Mr. BBM about how much I'm enjoying working out on a regular basis again. Everyone always says that you feel better about yourself when you go to the gym and I am finding out that it is true.
"Look at me. I'm doing my nails. When I took a shower earlier, I actually shaved my legs. I even tweezed my eyebrows" I said to Mr. BBM.
He burst out laughing. He may think it's funny, but it's amazing how something as simple as hitting the gym a couple times a week can have such a positive effect. Although I'm crashing on the couch, pretty much nightly, when I am awake I have more energy.
Yesterday, I hung 19 pictures on the walls. I even used a drill to install curtain hold-backs. I'm not watching TV except for a mere handful of shows and I'm loving all the time I seem to have now that I'm avoiding the so-so shows that before just occupied my time.
Of course, some days I'm too sore to lift my arms above my head which would make hanging curtains and pictures difficult. Overall though, the benefits have been fantastic. This year, I may actually have the beach body I want. Funny that when I joined the gym, this was the furthest thing from my mind. I'm considering it a fringe benefit of making a healthy decision that will hopefully get me back to where I want to be. . . on the dojo floor.
Fitness Pays Off
Every year, Mr. BBM makes suggestions to the girls about what they "want" for Christmas. The year the Wii came out, he started talking about it immediately after pre-orders were taken which meant that I spent weeks driving around searching until I got lucky just a few days before Christmas.
This year, he started talking up Wii Fit. I've watched the demo. It is a really cool game and it would be good for all of us. I mean, have you seen the balancing exercises? It would be great for my knee. So, we started the search this weekend and came up empty.
The sales person at Gamestop basically told us we were SOL. I searched the internet and all I could find were bundles with junk we don't need. I swore I wouldn't do this searching for the big favorite toy thing ever again, but here I was doing it.
After watching the Steelers game and The Unit last night, I went to bed really late. I usually hit the gym on Monday mornings but I wasn't feeling it today. I talked to Mr. BBM though and he told me to just go. So I did. I found some new exercises to do for my legs and busted my butt on the stationary bike too. I spent an hour and then picked up Lil C from the Kid Zone and drove to the store. There just so happened to be a Gamestop right next door so I thought I'd just inquire about the availability of Wii Fit. After all, since I looked sweaty and tired, I figured someone might feel sorry for me and hold one back.
It wasn't necessary. Behind the girl were stacked a bunch of new delivery boxes. "I know this is a stupid question, but do you have any of the Wii Fit games in stock?"
She turned around, slit open a box and handed one to me. No bundle, no inflated price, just like that.
Suffice it to say that I am thrilled as I'm sure Big I will be on Christmas morning. And this year relatives, we'll be doing yoga after dinner. Just warning you now.
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