A Different Day

I think the whole muscle confusion thing is working. After doing Jackie Warner's Xtreme Time Saver workout, I woke up on Thursday with a wicked charley horse in my calf. I tried to simultaneously not move and to reach back and massage my calf. Um, yeah, ouch.

Kind of ironic because my mother, who takes water aerobics, asked if I ever get sore. Guess I don't say much about being sore but, for as much as I exercise, I'm actually not sore a lot which I attribute to my yoga practice and the practice of soaking in about four cups of Epsom salt -- not daily but often.

I did P90X's Kenpo again and my muscles didn't seem to remember the moves from earlier in the week. I struggled but have to remember that a different days brings different energy.  

Last night, I would have paid (extra) for someone to massage my calves. They were so tight that I wanted to deflate them. I got out Cathe's Stretch Max and decided to do the segment with a resistance band and wondered, as I hog-tied myself, Who thinks up this stuff? The combo of stretching and salt bath worked because I was in better shape this morning. So, yeah, thanks to all of you who think of that stuff...

My coworker shared this Buzz Feed about work. Nice to know that the work experience is a universal one. In disbelief that this work week was a short one because it felt exceptionally long.

Hard To Sit Out

Googled " sore...should I...exercise." Surprised that I haven't settled on a definitive answer before now.

My quads and glutes are still sore from boxing class on Monday. You would think that the yoga class that I went to immediately after boxing and the yoga class that I went to yesterday would have helped alleviate the soreness but it didn't.

I took myself to BodyGo Row class and survived but when I saw Laurie write on the board, I groaned (inside) a little. Since I don't go to the regular CrossFit classes, I haven't been lifting weights and it takes me forever a minute or two or three... to get the coordination down.

Agenda:

Two minutes of rowing (damper at four)

10 Deadlifts (40 lbs?)

Two minutes of rowing (damper at six)

10 Hang Cleans (26 lbs, Laurie referred to these as Hand Cleans?)

Two minutes of rowing (damper at eight)

10 Catch Presses

Two minutes of rowing (damper at ten)

20 Swings

Rowing Drills

8 Deadlifts
8 Hang Cleans
8 Catch Presses
8 Swings

Ab Work

I didn't hit myself in the face with a kettlebell while doing catch presses so I'll count tonight as a success. Looking forward to reading while soaking in Epsom Salt. In all honesty, I don't think that I was completely amped to exercise and I was looking for an out when I Googled exercising while sore but it's hard for me to sit out...



Postscript: Tried to do a pull-up but, apparently, the bar at the CrossFit box is much higher than the one at the playground.

A Little Banged Up

So sore. Not only are the steps a challenge but getting in and out of my car presents its own set of challenges.

That chipper workout on Wednesday hit me in the lower half. I don't think my glutes or hamstrings have ever been this sore. Right knee is also tweaked. The good thing is that my neck (post-fall) feels much better. Hmmm, forgot about the right shoulder tweak...

And, yet, I still buy workout clothes. My second top in two weeks. Didn't know that bamboo was a naturally wicking material. Didn't know that it was so clingy either.

Too Much Going On for Burpees...


It's amazing how injuries morph. My little rope burn is not bad at all.



I somehow managed to get a bruise on my arm and I don't bruise easily. Also not sure where I got the bruise from. Maybe it came from hitting the floor while doing burpees?



Since I'm talking about scars, my bicycle injuries have healed nicely -- except for a little hyperpigmentation on the one arm. My dermatologist just told me to make sure that I keep sunscreen on it...

Finished reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It dragged in the beginning but the moment I read the description of Lisbeth Salander and read her first dialogue, I knew that I was going to like it.

"You know, if you just want an office serf you can get one from the temp agency. I can handle anything and anyone you want, and if you don't have any better use for me than sorting post, then you're an idiot." (40)

I so enjoyed reading it in 20 minute segments before work. Liked the relationship between Salander and Mikael Blomkvist. Little stuff like this scene moved me:

"Why did you turn around?" (Blomkvist)
No answer. He waited her out while they drank coffee. After ten minutes she said, reluctantly, "I like your company." (Salander) 506

Watched season one of Parenthood and really liked it. The Deep End of the Pool episode had me cracking up.



Have a good weekend. Hope you have time to get a good book in your hands or take care of burpees or something like that... :)

Off Your Knees or CrossFit Basic Training, Round 2

Five of us gathered in the lobby before class and we all had the same question: Are you sore?

Two of us were still sore post-yoga and Epsom Salt. Seeing that I was still walking down the stairs sideways, I had no idea how I was going to negotiate round two.

Instead of Leeny and Libbie, it's Leeny and Laurie running things for round two...

Warm-Up

30 seconds of stepping up on a rather industrial-size box

30 seconds of the Russian Step Up (one leg remaining on box while the other touches the ground then knee up)

30 seconds of jumping jacks

30 seconds of Russian Step Up with other leg

30 seconds of criss cross jumping jacks

30 seconds of mountain climbers

shoulder rotations...then super planks

plank jacks

We do pull-ups with human-size rubber bands and we practice on the rings which are not so friendly the second time around; rings dips are crazy.

How do you do a deadlift? Glad you asked. Make sure your shoestrings are under the bar, get the bar next to your shins, butt out, chest out, stare at the logo on the wall and, if you're me, Laurie's gonna correct your sorry form. My problem might have started with the lack of shoestrings.



During swings, I get more of Laurie's attention. I'm gonna get you a towel. She also gets me a 25 pound kettlebell because, apparently, I wildly swung the 20 pound one. She loops the towel through the kettlebell (a technique she uses with men) and I try to practice better form. I swing the 25 pounder and the momentum almost carries me back which prompts one of my classmates to mock cough and say Epsom Salt...

18...15...12...Time Priority

18 Swings

18 Push-Ups

18 Slams

15 Swings

15 Push-Ups

15 Slams

12 Swings

12 Push-Ups

12 Slams

Before we start on 18...15...12, we discuss logistics. A classmate wants to know if we get tired, can we switch to doing knee-style push-ups and Laurie quickly said:

I don't let people do them on their knees. If someone does push-ups on their knees, that means they've been doing it that way their whole life.

Apparently, Laurie wants to free your mind...

I decide to do push-ups on the bar that goes across the weight bench. Laurie corrects me on that one too. Later, she wants me to try doing a push-up with one of those human-size rubber bands attached to the pull-up bar and I actually like this method better.

I feel punch-drunk and I'm the last one to finish 18...15...12. I stagger but I manage not to do a push-up on my knees. Now, if I can just remember all that stuff about proper form...

The Plan

Patti: What’s the plan for tomorrow?

'Drea: First, LOL, I plan to take an Epsom Salt bath. My calves are so sore that I was walking down the steps sideways. I did a bit of yoga so they are feeling better. You know that I wanna climb though. So, if the Ep doesn't do the trick, I might just gut it out anyway...

Colleague One: What is going on with you?


Mother: Are your legs sore?


Colleague Two: Are you okay?

Colleague Three: What happened?

Me: Too much exercise.

Colleague Three: That has never happened to me.

Me: Maybe it will.

Colleague Three: It hasn't happened yet.

Colleague Four: I should take a picture of you.


Mother: Whatever exercise you did, don't do it anymore.


My sore calves and penguin-like walk are courtesy of Kate's Tuesday night special. About 15 minutes into class Kate asked us, in the middle of jumping jacks, how we were doing but no one answered because, well, we had already exerted a lot of energy. Our inability to respond resulted in more jumping jacks -- not to mention the lunges and planks that followed.

In the end, I should know better than to take a class from someone who wasn't alive in 1980 or 1985 or 1989.

Been to any painful exciting classes lately?

Walking On Eggshells

My friend that I work with had quite the laugh as I walked down the stairs as we headed to lunch. I was walking, as she said, on eggshells.

Monday: Rock Climbing
Tuesday: Cardio and Muscle Class (I told Kate that she does not know her own strength.)
Wednesday: Rock Climbing = eggshell walk


I went to get a massage because life is short I've been trying to maintain my exercise pace.

I tried someone new but, as luck would have it, a mere 30 minutes before the appointment, my soreness evaporated, poof. I was in complete disbelief...

New therapist: Is the pressure firm enough?

Me (verbally): Roger that.

Me (internal train of thought): If she is capable of a firmer touch, I can't handle the truth.

Therapist: Relax your head.

Me (another train of thought): So frustrated that I couldn't relax my head or breathe deeply for that matter. I felt like I was literally fighting for control of my head but was powerless to surrender.

I think I was so tense because I didn't know what to expect since, of course, everyone has their own way of doing things. In addition, for someone stubborn and who insists on doing most things for herself, letting someone else takeover is hard. In addition, as the friend mentioned above would say, I'm too serious.

Newbie told me that she doesn't talk a lot during massages which is always fine with me because I don't talk during massages either and I'm not talkative in general. In fact, I could easily go to an isolated place and be a recluse meditate.

So, this new therapist is cool and has an eclectic massage style. While other therapists proudly note that they've worked for Cirque du Soleil, she's like Cirque du Soleil; there's the main stage and, then, you're liable to catch someone climbing a suspended ladder in your peripheral vision. What I really mean is that I recognize excellence when I see it.

At the end of the massage, she thanked me. Are you kidding? I should have been the first one to press the gratitude button but she beat me to it. I think I'm gonna stick with this one and not because she said thanks but because of the way she said thanks, because I felt profoundly taken care of, the pressure was perfect and the hour felt long. In addition, I got extremely good vibes from her. Reason enough don't you think?

If you get massages, do you have a hard time relaxing at first? Do you have a hard time relaxing in general?

I'm out -- gonna attempt to get in touch with my frivolous side.

Quote of the Day: Not all therapy is relaxing, but all relaxation is therapy....Paul Ingraham

Inhale To Recharge

I overdid it in the last five days. My body is sore and my intuition was to do yoga.

I broke out my Basic Yoga Workout for Dummies DVD which I've done a few times. I've never gone to a yoga class so I feel like I don't know what I'm doing at times. Despite that, I opted to do the intermediate level since I've done the beginner level several times.

The intermediate level is twenty minutes long as opposed to hour-long at the beginner's level. I forgot to, like, deliberately breathe at times but I hung in there. I liked the point in the DVD when Sara Ivanhoe says:

Inhale to recharge.
Exhale to relax.

After Basic Yoga..., I also did the stretch portion of 10 Minute Solution: Tone Trouble Zones! What can I say? My body feels taut.

I know my body doesn't look like this during downward facing dog. Also, is your body supposed to shake when you do that pose?



This woman's symmetry is amazing.

Boot Camp: The Aftermath

I was planning on going swimming this morning until I woke up and tried to sit upright and found that my upper body (pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi and teres major or something like that) was on fire with soreness. I immediately nixed the swimming plans.

When I sneezed today, I felt it my abs and braced myself since I usually sneeze in threes. When I laughed, you guessed it; I felt it all in my abs.

When I raised my arms to dress myself, ouch.

Looking over my shoulder while parking caused a whole new awareness of my mid-section.

The treadmill was my friend today.

I guess Tracy didn't lie when she said that she was dishing out a whole body workout.

Month-End Review, January

That's my $2 dollar calendar that I picked up at Whole Foods. The calendar and a reusable tote bag are probably the cheapest items that you can score at WF.

Those red X marks represent days that I exercised. I got the red X idea from a fitness magazine. It's a visual reminder of how much or how little I've exercised and it's a technique that I like to use. Half an X means that I didn't feel like I had an optimum workout.

In looking at the calendar, I should have allowed for a few more days for rest, particularly in the last two weeks of January when I was exercising nonstop. I really didn't feel like my regimen was severe except for the days after rock climbing when I would swim. Rock climbing found me experiencing some deep soreness but not enough to take ibuprofen.

According to my entries in The Daily Plate, I consumed approximately 67,000 calories and burned about 10,576 calories in the month of January.

I swam sixteen days out of thirty one. Surprise, surprise; it means I'm not taking full advantage of my fitness club membership. My contract with the club is up in three months and I'll have to make a decision about continuing my membership or joining another facility that has more amenities.