I'm ready for a new gym...

No, I don't mean I want to change my membership. I like LA Fitness. It's cheap and has a lot to offer for it's price. I can't beat $10 (after the $20 reimbursement from Blue Cross) for a month of working out. What I am ready for is for LA to build another facility. They've been popping up all over the place around here but it seriously hasn't been enough. The gym is continually packed.

Today, Jill and I thought we'd take a break from Roseville, where we usually go, and head to St. Paul. We thought maybe it would be less crowded. After leaving work and forgetting we'd made this decision, and driving almost all the way to Roseville, I finally arrived at St. Paul. No parking. Go figure. It seemed less crowded inside.

We started our lower body workout only to find that there weren't many dumbbells up for grabs. That is unless we wanted to use ones that we could barely lift, let alone use in a lunge. We finally found some and got going on our workout. It was a quick lower body workout consisting of lunges, squats, and calf raises. We did three sets of each in a circuit style.

After lower body, we went upstairs for some cardio. ARGH! The St. Paul gym is terrible about having machines up and running. So, even though there seem to be empty machines, there aren't. They turn out to be broken. So, Jill found an open treadmill and did some walking and I found a bike. I found an open bike after trying a treadmill and different bike that were not in working order. Seriously people? C'mon! I noticed that the people around me were irritated too. One guy there with his buddy said, "You warm up, I'm going to go downstairs and tell them that all of their shit is broken." I agree. I ended up biking for 30 minutes in a hill workout. After the lower body strength training and this bike ride, I could barely walk down the stairs. Wobbly legs! It's kind of sad but I bike at a pretty high intensity level.

We'll hit up the Roseville gym tomorrow and hope that even though it's busier, their machines will actually be up and running. I'll see if I can get a good run in. I've had some pain in my lower legs and that's not cool so we'll see what happens. I hope it isn't anything big. Is it weird that I'm happy to get back on the treadmill? :)

Back in the pool

I'd forgotten how lovely it is to spend some good quality time with my TYR suit and goggles and my Speedo swim cap. Well, today it was a swim cap channeling Finding Nemo, a gift from my friend Gina. It even has a fin and tail that stick out of my head! I should post a picture...

Today, my day off, I met my old swimming (and Human Factors and Ergonomics) buddy, Gina, for a dip in the LA Fitness pool. We took a swim class at the U together and did many swimming workouts after. Gina was a swimmer in high school so she has significantly better technique and therefore speed. But, I can hold my own in the breast stroke.

We started with a 200 meter warm-up. Wow I am not in swimming shape. A 200 free should not be difficult but whew, it was. We then moved on to doing 10 100's. We alternated between freestyle, backstroke (blech) and breast stroke, every 100.  I must say it wasn't too bad. We made it through, despite having not been in the pool since at least August. I've gotta get more pool time in for cross training. It's so wonderful and so much less painful on the joints. The total was 1200 meters. 1600 is a mile so, next time we'll work on getting there.

After our workout, we had a nice lunch at Acapulco. I also haven't been there in a long time. Probably not since my 23rd birthday. Mmmmm...best queso dip ever.


UPDATE: My body is a little stiff today. I think it's time to spend more time in the water.

1 hour, not too shabby

Recently the gym has been full of your standard New Year's resolution folks. Annoying to say the least. It's quite irritating to show up to the gym and have no where to park, get inside and realize there are no cardio machines open. And mind you, I go to quite a large gym. It's really a good thing Jill and I lift first. Usually we can track down a couple of machines after we're done. 

Well, on Tuesday Jill and I completed the following bicep and back workout with a small amount of core:

Chin ups (assisted of course) - 3 sets of 15

Seated row - 3 sets of 17

Alternating hammer curls - 3 sets of 17

Closed grip lat pull downs - 3 sets of 17

Angled bicep curls - 3 sets of 17

Supermans - 3 sets of 20

Ab Machine crunches - 3 sets of 25

Torso rotation - 3 sets of 25

By the time we got done with the above, it was relatively late (around 7:00) so Jill headed home. I still wanted to get in a run and there happened to be an open treadmill. I set to do a quick 30 minutes, then when I got there decided to keep going. I got to 45, realized that if I quit then, I'd have to find a way to kill some time before I picked Erich up from work at 8:45. So, I kept running. I ended up running for a full 60 minutes. It felt amazing. I'm sure I didn't smell amazing after but I don't really care. 

This weekend is a long weekend and I'm pretty excited about it. I have tomorrow off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I'll be spending the morning in the pool for the first time in a long time. It's been so long that I don't remember the last time I swam laps. On the up side, I get to use my swim cap that looks like a fish. I'm pretty sure people are going to seriously laugh at me but, oh well. Gina is coming with me and it was a gift from her so I have to wear it. Kind of like pink bunny pajamas one might get from their great aunt for Christmas. Only an orange fish swim cap is way cooler than pink bunny pajamas.

Monday Funday?

Today while running, knowing I would be on the treadmill for a total of 45 minutes, I got to thinking about how I was going to reward myself for a good run. Knowing that we would be heading to Buffalo Wild Wings for our weekly Monday night trivia hosted by Loose Gravel Productions, I thought maybe I'd get some wings. But, I got home and took a shower. 35 minutes of pure bliss. That's right, I was in the shower for 35 minutes and it was AWESOME! That in itself was the best reward.

I really deserved that shower too after today's debacle. I headed to the gym after dropping Erich off at home. Upon pulling into the parking lot I realized that Monday's are the worst gym days ever. I'm not talking in terms of the actual workout. I'm talking about how many people are invading the place. It's really bad when there are absolutely no parking spots and people are circling like sharks looking for someone to pull out. Upon seeing this, I realized that inside, there would be a feeding frenzy for the treadmills. I promptly called Jill and told her the predicament and we decided to head to a different location. After sitting in traffic for an extra 15 minutes (not bad by Minneapolis standards in the snow) we made it to the New Brighton LA Fitness. It was the same situation, however Jill found an elliptical, and I found my oh so beloved treadmill.

I do think I'm kind of an oddity for a couple of reasons. I don't really mind running on a treadmill. Joint pain aside, it doesn't seem that terrible. Now, I definitely prefer running outside but the entertainment presented to me by looking down over a gym full of people trying in vain to keep New Years resolutions is just too good. I'm also entertained by the big men whose biceps are so big they can barely put their hands down at their sides. I also watch the people who have no idea what they're doing on a weight machine, although I tend to take pity on them and it takes great will power for me to not stop what I'm doing and tell them how to properly do an exercise. It would be nice since it would keep them from injury right?

The other reason I am somewhat of an oddity is that when running, even on a treadmill, I don't find a need for headphones and to listen to music. I find that more than anything, it really messes up my stride and my timing. Plus I am a sweat machine when I run. Even my ears get sweaty and it's uncomfortable to have anything in them when they're so...drippy... I like to listen to the rhythmic, "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh" of the treadmill next to me, and the guy on the bike behind me who sounds like he's doing a strenuous activity that is not riding a bike...I'll let you infer what you want from that. There's also the slight clang of weights and machines below me that adds to the symphony of the gym. I don't know why but I really like it. Without music, I find that I'm able to have great "me time" in my head. I think about lots of things and I even pump myself up a lot. During my run tonight I said to myself, "You can do it Whit. What are you made of?" and without thinking I answered, "Sugar and spice and everything nice. And a whole lot of muscle just for good measure." Then I realized how strange of an exchange that was inside my head, and got to thinking about why I would even think that to myself. Before I knew it, 2 minutes of my run were gone. Poof. I probably wouldn't have had those thoughts had I been listening to some bumpin' tunes, and those 2 minutes wouldn't have flown by.

All in all, today's 45 minute run was great. I went just over 4 miles. Quite slow but I'll take it for a Monday evening. I'm not ashamed to be pokey. After all, a wise reptile once told me, "Slow and steady wins the race."

Whoa! Sooooo long!

December 22 was my last post? Really? Hmmm... sorry faithful readers...if you exist.

Since Christmas I've had some pretty good work outs lately. Last week I did a KILLER lower body. Now, when I say killer, it's pretty serious because I consider my lower body to be ridiculously strong (leg press roughly 200 lbs) and not much gets me sore. I created this workout and it looked great on paper but felt a little less than great the next couple of days. However, after it was all said and done, I'd do it again. Feel free to use it if you're feeling really motivated.

Part 1: Rotate between walking lunges and squats. Complete the circuit 3 times.
25 walking lunges w/10 lb dumbbells in each hand for a total of 20 extra pounds besides body weight
20 squats holding a 10 lb dumbbell

Part 2: Rotate between hip adduction (toward your body) and hip abduction (away from your body) Complete the circuit 3 times
20 reps on hip adduction machine
20 reps on hip abduction machine

Part 3: Calf press - Use the leg press machine but only put the toes on the board so when pushing, only the calves do the work.
20 reps, 3 sets, 50 lbs
* I should have increased this weight because it was easy and it was the only part of me below my waist that didn't hurt the next day, though that might have been a good thing.

Part 4: Run 45 minutes
Turns out I didn't run the whole time due to the above strength training taking it all out of me. I could only eke out about 25 minutes of running.

Part 5: Wall sit for 30 seconds, repeat 3 times.
*I usually do 1 minute at a time, but that was possible on this day.

So that was my most recent lower body workout. It took a while to recover so it's a good thing I worked a lot of evenings this week. Despite my work schedule, Jill and I did get in a good tricep, chest, and shoulder workout in on Monday. Here's that one:

Part 1: Triceps, chest, shoulder circuit. Repeat 3 times
17 bench dips
17 decline pushups/regular pushups
17 lying rear delt raises (I should probably post a piture of this sometime because it's hard to explain)

Part 2: Triceps, chest, shoulder cirucut. Repeat 3 times
17 dumbbell tricep extension
17 lying chest flies
17 standing front delt raises

Part 3: Run 30 minutes

For the record, I'm not quite to a point where I can do decline pushups. They are harder than they look. We just did regular pushups and whoa are those hard after doing bench dips!

I'm trying to add more variety to our workouts. It's getting a little better. Yesterday Jill couldn't come to the gym so instead of doing strength without her, I skipped it and biked for 30 minutes. Kind of lame but better than nothing. I did do it at a level 12 and kept it over 100 RPMs for a good majority of the workout so that's not too shabby.

In the future look forward to my advice on strength training and cardio training and how to succeed in each as well as both in one day. It's quite insightful and pretty surprising for most people. I find the information to be highly fascinating and useful.

Snow Storms = Worthless

I get it, I live in Minnesota. To many, that supposedly means that I am unable to complain or vent about the massive amounts of snow we've had lately. We've had a particularly large amount in December. In fact, there have been more weekends of snow than of no snow. Right now, all of you who say, "You live in Minnesota. It snows. Get over it" or, "Get used to it," are receiving evil death stares from me. I will not get over it, nor will I get used to it. How does one really get "used to" cold and wet chunks falling out of the sky? Plus, it's typically not a gentle fall. The cold, wet chunks are generally accompanied by 30 mph winds. Stellar. Thanks, Minnesota.

Here is a pretty extensive list of why winter is awful. Maybe for fun I'll include a list of why it's nice. That list is guaranteed to be shorter.

1. Snow - It's pretty self explanatory really. It makes travel unbearable. Traveling down the block has been treacherous. To all those people mentioned above who say, "You live in Minnesota, get used to it." I say, "You live in Minnesota. It snows. Learn how to drive in it." Now, I fully understand the freakout factor of 4 inches of snow for drivers from anywhere below the Mason-Dixon line. I do not however, understand it for people living in Minnesota. I also understand slow cautionary speeds. What I do not understand is the idea that suddenly rules of the road do not exist when it's snowing. I'm talking to you in the Land Rover who turned left in front of me, as I was in the left turn lane and you were in the right lane. Did you see the red light at which I was stopped? I'm also talking to you in the white sports car, parked in an accessible spot when you have neither an accessible license plate, nor parking tag. By the way, not only did you park that way, you parked crooked, making it difficult for people with an accessible vehicle to open a ramp, or even simply get out of their car. I hope Target towed your sorry butt. If you forgot your hang tag at home, I apologize for the rant, except for the crooked parking. Even though you can't see the lines on the ground, you can tell that you're not perpendicular to the curb or parallel to the car next to you.

2. Cold - Miserable. Plain and simple. Some people try to tell me it's equally miserable in the summer when it's 95 degrees out with 80% humidity. It may be "uncomfortable" however, last time I checked it doesn't physically hurt to breathe like it does when it's 10 below zero.

3. Darkness - Though I thouroughly enjoy darkness when I'm sleeping, I do not enjoy leaving for work when the sun is barely up and returning when it is most definitely down.

4. Impedes Exercising - There are a lot of excuses for not exercising. Cold weather and snow don't help. I can't run outside due to my lungs feeling like they're being stabbed every time I take a breath. It's difficult to get to the gym because it takes me an hour to get there in snowy traffic. Then, once there, I most likely will not find a parking space due to mountains of snow taking up the spots. I do not care to park in another parking lot, or down the street due to having to walk in the cold. Refer to number 2. I also do not care to put my life in danger in order to get to the gym. In conjunction with this, winter brings holidays, holidays bring overeating, overeating brings new year resolutions of weight loss, new year resolutions bring an over crowded gym. I've got serious business to attend to on that treadmill/stair stepper/ bike/leg press/bench press. If you're not going to be here by March, you shouldn't be here now. You're wasting both of our time.

5. Sickness - Closed quarters and people are germ magnets.

For all that is wrong with winter, here is what is good

1. Christmas!!! Best. Holiday. Ever. But, let it be known that the birth of Jesus more than likely took place in the spring.

2. Working for the Gophers - Now most don't associate work with pleasure, but this part time job pretty much rocks. It's easy and the people I work with are great. I make extra money to sit in a ticket office and spend time with fun people. This job only happens Sept-May, which often equates to Minnesota winter. It's fairly perfect since I'd probably rather enjoy my summer than worry about shifts with the Gophs.

Short list of positives huh?

Now, all of this ranting and raving aside, the month of December, despite it's snow, has been pretty fruitful with workouts. Jill and I have been fairly faithful in our trips to the gym. We've been pretty good at doing a strength workout and a cardio workout in one trip to the gym. This means we're getting optimal results from our efforts. Don't forget, combining strength and cardio in one trip to the gym burns significantly more calories than doing just one or the other. It has to do with stored energy usage but I won't go into that now. Mental note for a future post. Always remember to do your strength training first. It provides the maximum usage of stored energy. It's most efficient, and your less likely to fatigue during your strength training portion. This means one will get the most out of a bout of strength training.

Jill and I switch between 3 strenth training rotations. This isn't the only way to train, but for us it's most effective. Since we aren't looking to build significant amounts of muscle (gross) we trade up muscle groups each day. Here's what we do:

Day 1: Triceps, chest and shoulders - This includes most things that require a "pushing" motion away from the body. Pushups are a good example of this. We also do a lot of skullcrushers (sounds awesome right?) and chest presses/flies.
Day 2: Biceps and back - This includes a "pulling" motion towards your body. Pull ups with a closed grip are a good bicep and back workout, as are standard bicep curls and rowing motions.
Day 3: Lower body/legs - Both of us have pretty strong legs so we can crank this out pretty quickly, with minimal amounts of soreness so we don't break it up into 2 days. This reminds me that we havn't done our glutes for a while. Mental note for next week. :)

You may be wondering about abdominals and core muscles. Well, as it turns out, those muscles are some of the fastest to recover so one can work on them daily. Usually Jill doesn't want to hear that.

I like to be sure we have a lot of variety in our workouts so we've been keeping a log. We also log our weights so we can see progress and adjust if need be. Variety is key to not getting bored. Boredom often leads to quitting.

Everything seems to be paying off because I am seeing some definite results in our bodies. Both of us are significantly stronger. My arms haven't been this shapely since I worked at the warehouse. Mostly because I never cared to work out my upper body. Jill no longer groans when I mention most exercises. She suggests doing wall sits. That has been a groaner in the past. She even runs without me telling her to! I'm happy to hear that she's at a point where she gets bored with simply walking on the treadmill. A two minute run then two minute walk, repeated multiple times, is a great step for someone who is not a runner by nature.

On a marathon note: It seems that registration through my office has been delayed a bit. I'll now be able to register by the end of January. I'm excited to get started on fundraising. Real training commences in April. Wahoo!

I will not be at the gym until Monday due to going to South Dakota for Christmas. I will try to get in a workout at the Heber's. Erich's mom said I could use the treadmill so that is FANTASTIC! Now, let's see if I actually do it. Thanksgiving was not so productive. I shall report back later.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Cookies, long runs, and Afghani pizza

Since Thanksgiving I've been getting into the Christmas spirit. This is pretty normal for me. To start, I tuned the car radio to the 24/7 Christmas music stations both on XM and regular radio. It annoys Erich to no end but I allow him to change it if we're in the car together. On Saturday I decorated the apartment including putting up the tree. Sunday brought about cookie baking with Jenna!!! We made peanut butter kisses, ginger snaps, shortbread, frosted sugar cookies, monster cookies, peppermint bark, peanut clusters, pretzel hugs and rocky road fudge. Woo hoo! I brought a lot of the cookies to work today so I wouldn't have to eat them all, however I just ended up eating them at work. :) Christmas baking is awesome.

The excessive amounts of Christmas treats must have been great fuel for my run today. I did 45 minutes of running and it felt really good. I had great form, got into a groove quickly and stayed there. I can't wait to make 60 minutes! When I was done I had a serious runners high and was ridiculously sweaty! Grotesquely sweaty actually. So sweaty that I felt really bad sitting in Crescent Moon waiting for my pizza to be done.

This leads me to the Afghani pizza portion of my post. I've been given a recommendation from two people to visit Crescent Moon which is just down the street from my apartment. It's an Afghani restaurant and I really like Middle Eastern foods. Hence my love for Holy Land which is coincidentally down the street as well. My supervisor told me to try the house special, Afghani pizza, spicy. It was one of the best recommendations I've ever received. Holy wow. We decided to finally give it a try as a celebration for Erich getting a new job (more later) and it turned out to be a great celebration for my tongue as well. If in Minneapolis and craving a different kind of pizza, definitely check out Crescent Moon on Central and 23rd in Nordeast.

As I mentioned above, Erich got a new job. On December 20, he'll be starting with the Timberwolves. He's going to be doing box office operations. We're looking forward to the change and to Erich having his summers back. Also, we can now carpool to work!

On to be unproductive and finish my evening with many episodes of The Big Bang Theory. Thanks Meredith.