It was another frustrating excursion to Fancy But Too Crowded Gym last night. It was making me wonder if my raised blood pressure was worth the workout, but I stuck with it.
This time: Arms and Abs.
Since all the treadmills (and bikes) were occupied I started with weight lifting.
I broke up the Upper Body with lots of Ab work:
I was feeling frustrated that I couldn’t get my heart rate up with the weight lifting. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to increase all the weight amounts yet. Maybe that would have helped? I spent some time alternating with the Row Machine and the Medicine Ball/Russian Twist. That spiked my heart rate nicely.
I spent about 40 minutes doing my Upper Body weights. I included a few exercises on the FreeMotion machines for my arms (not included above).
Finally some treadmills opened up. I snagged one to work on my running program. Half way through–once again–I bumped the emergency cord and the treadmill stopped and reset. GAWD!
Despite the reset, I had a good run and gradually increased the speed to 4.5! Yay for progress! Sometimes the thing I need to correct my grouchy mood is some upbeat music and a run!
Gym Stats:
Time: 1:23
Calories Burned: 531
Activities: Upper Body/Abs, Running
Sarah left me a wonderful comment yesterday:
“I just want to send you a quick thank you
I read your blog every single day and the comment about “mostly walkers” on the treadmill hurt my feelings. *I* walk on the treadmill for 20 minutes every morning after 20 on the elliptical and 20 on the exercise bike. I’m just now at 197-198 lbs. and still feeling pretty self-conscious at the gym.
And do you know what happened?
I went to the gym the next morning and said SCREW walking. I’m going to run. And I did! And I have every day since then (4.5 mph 6-8 minute stretches, but it counts!) and I feel like I’m on top of the world- AND I’m not embarrassed anymore!
So thank you for kicking my butt in the right direction and helping me annoy a lot less people at the gym”
At first I was a little sad that I made someone feel bad! That was never my intention but reading her comment about how my faux pas inspired her to try running is AWESOME! I am so glad she turned it into a positive and pushed herself.
Originally when I made the comment I was referring to the strollers on the treadmills…the ones reading a paperback book while they strolled on the treadmill not breaking a sweat. THAT really bugs me. The fast walkers and the people really trying to get a workout are not the ones I was annoyed with. And again, everyone’s fitness level is different and unique–I’m not judging someone who might be “slower” than me. It’s just the reading… 😉
It was a rainy, ugly night and I dashed through puddles to get to my car (a mile away of course). I immediately ate my Raisin Bran car snacks. When I walked in the door at home, I saw a fantastic feast waiting for me!
Munchies:
Michael had picked up some fresh French bread and was making spaghetti.
I grated some fresh Parmesan cheese to go on top.
He buttered the French bread and put garlic powder on it, then grilled it in the skillet for a moment. It was crunch and delicious.
He mixed whole wheat pasta and regular pasta and it was a good combo.
He steamed the broccoli and added that to the spaghetti.
Dinner was fantastic. It always is when Michael cooks!
That brings me to another correction I wanted to make:
Beth said: “Aww thats so cute that he made you breakfast – I love it!”
That’s not entirely correct. Michael is definitely the Chef of our family. He loves cooking and he’s really good at it. He’s interested in food science and his strength is the skillet. My strength is more in prepping the food for him to cook. 😉
My cooking strength is mainly in baking. Baking cookies, cakes, treats or casseroles. Anything that involves the oven or the crockpot I can do. I think we work well together in the kitchen by playing off each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
Not only is he a great cook, he serenades Fat Kitty and me:
My own personal Poison concert. 😉
Michael surprised me after dinner with this:
Cheesecake!
Key Lime Cheesecake to be exact. We split it and it was amazing. Tart, soft, creamy…perfect. Perfect end to a great meal.
QUESTION: Who does most of the cooking in your house? Has someone’s insensitive comment ever inspired you to push yourself harder?
Becca
I do most of the cooking, but Patrick is a much better cook! He does a killer lasagne. Yum.
Hurtful comments seem to knock me flat – I’m quite guilty of believing my worst press.
Sarah
I feel like a total celebrity.
Thank you (again) for making me take a big leap into a bigger world. I’m a runner!
kalin
i do almost all the cooking! i love cooking, my husband loves eating what i cook, and he does the dishes.
if he didn’t help with cleanup i’d be far less happy about cooking all the time…
Becky
I do most of the cooking, but my husband is an amazing baker! He made two pecan pies last night!
As for comments that push someone harder: I told one of my best friends that I wanted to run a 10K and she laughed at me and said there would be no way I could do it. Needless to say, it pushed me to try that much harder and I was so happy when I finished it (without walking)! I’m not sure I would’ve pushed myself that hard if she hadn’t been so convinced I couldn’t.
Lisa Eirene
That’s great! Good for you!!
Sasha
My husband is a professional chef and has been for the past 14 years, so when he cooks at home it’s always a treat. I’m usually the self-designated prep cook for him but since he doesn’t bake (“I”m not a pastry chef, damnit!” he says), I do all the baking. I love to bake. 🙂 We have a great time cooking together and we’ve done more of it in the past year as we’ve both been losing weight.
I don’t think I’ve ever been hurt by anyone’s comments, I have such a thick skin. Sometimes I’ll take what someone says as a challenge, but that’s good for me.
Lisa Eirene
That sounds like Michael and I. I love prepping and cooking with him!
Kristina @ spabettie
that is GREAT that she is running.
I recall having a slight twinge about that walkers comment also. when I was in pt post knee surgery, I was told to walk, but I was still in pain so had to walk slowly. I couldn’t stand to be outside in my normal running places, so I would go to the pt office and walk on the mill with a magazine (to take my mind off the fact that I HAD to go slow). someone actually came up to me and told me to get off, they “needed to run”. he felt bad when I started to cry, obviously. we ended up having a conversation about it and things were okay (he let me walk!)… but you never know what someone is walking slowly for… and, it’s still exercise 🙂
I do most of the cooking, and sometimes Jason will cook WITH me, which I LOVE, it’s so fun… and sometimes Jason cooks (mostly on fitblog nights, because that is usually when I am finishing up dinner prep!) 😉
XO Happy Thursday. I’ve been thinking of sushi since last night!!
Lisa Eirene
I was in the same boat too! I could only walk on the treadmill. I can’t believe that guy told you to get off the treadmill! How rude!!! I’m glad it worked out and he apologized. 🙁
MY problem is with those people reading! UGH! That’s not a work out. I will stand firm on that opinion.
You must get sushi at Masu and let me know. 😉
Katie
I definitely am extremely lucky – my fiance cooks dinner every night (I make lunches for us to take to work though). If I had to cook dinner, we’d probably only eat at around 21:00 – I tend to get home from my run / gym / squash rather late at night, and it is wonderful to get home to dinner being almost ready (there’s usually just enough time for me to hit the shower before it’s ready!). I’m definitely not letting this treasure go!
I also can’t stand it when people are cycling/stepping/walking while reading a book/magazine – if you can hold a magazine without ruining it with sweat, you’re not working hard enough 😉
Lisa Eirene
Thank you! I agree. It also annoys me when people chat on cellphones walking on the treadmill. That’s DEFINITELY not a workout!
Beth @ Beth's Journey to Thin
We split cooking pretty evenly, especially since I eat at home a lot more than he does, but we go 50-50 most of the time when it comes to meals we split.
I like to walk on the treadmill and do get annoyed if people are walking slow and go over the 30 minute time limit, but I try to remind myself to be happy they are working out and be happy that I can use the treadmill, the elliptical or the bike.
Merinda
hey, I’ve been known to read on the treadmill or bike, but at least I was moving.
I cook. Hubby cleans a bit and bakes and does breakfast.
Becca
Merinda – so glad to hear that. Talking on the phone in the gym is rude. Reading is nobody’s business but the person who is reading. People need to be a heck of a lot less judgemental.