Sunday at the gym

TV #1 is playing Star Wars.
TV #2 is playing Thor.

A decision will need to be made.

Hunky superhero or an old-school superhero...

I was recently asked...

Friend:  "How did you lose 60 pounds?"

Me:  "Ten years ago I started reading ingredients."

Friend:  "What else?  Low-carbs?"

Me:  "Good heavens, NO WAAAAAY!!!!!  I love them."

Friend:  "Do you count calories?"

Me *laughing*  "Ain't nobody got time for THAT!!!!!"

I stopped eating refined sugar.

I sweeten things with pure maple syrup, honey OR Sugar in the Raw.

I do not eat gluten.

I try to hit the gym 4 times a week doing a piddly 30-minute cardio session each time.

I force myself to get 8 hours of sleep.

I take my body weight divided in half and consume THAT amount of water per day.

I try to have a smallish amount of dark chocolate every day.

I changed what I buy at the store.

It's been an amazing journey.

I am not striving for a "perfect" body weight. 

I strive for a healthy weight.

I strive to feel energized after I eat.  (That's a sign of getting glutened = the mini coma.  Don't believe me?  One time I ate the wrong communion bread and slept soundly for hours, the girl who does NOT nap.)

Happy health, blog-stalkers!!!!

My favorite green gym t-shirt

Almost four years ago, my gym peep walked away from the gym.  This left me  person-who-forced-me-to-do-weight-training-less.  Very sad.

So for these past 4 years, I was faithful to cardio but to weights it was more of an occasional blind date gone bad relationship.

I am happy to say my force-me-to-do-weights gym peep is back.  She's baaaaaaaaaack.....

We have been hitting the weight machines (because she gives me choice) and after a month, I am happy to say that I feel and see results.  Toning.  And best of all - WHEN I WEAR MY FAVORITE GYM T-SHIRT, THE SLEEVES ARE NOT TIGHT!!!!!!!!! 

Yeaaaaaah - my arms will be tone just in time for SWEATER WEATHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The machines

When I workout with my friend, we always do the "nice elipticals."

When I workout by myself, I choose the not-so-very-nice machines.  They are not as nice as the aforementioned ones because the latter have adjustable step length and intensity.  I refer this machine when I am by myself because I can pop-in my headphones and get to climbing/elipticalling. 

Tonight I was out of control...much like the one time I slammed down a white chocolate mocha at 2 p.m. and then went to the gym after work.  Daaaaanger-danger.  I mean it's all fun-n-games until I am workingout and nervous laughing.

Someone asked me why I workout.  The answer is 3-fold.
1. (A little Sunday school teachery)  The Lord has entrusted me /blessed me with this one body.  I need to care of this gift.

2. Working out helps me get rid of stress.

3. I dislike watching the news.  I watch the news during my gym time.  When it was the 2016 Election season, those debates got my blood pumping and since the machine was also getting my blood pumping, I figured it was win-win.

Working-out alone is the worst!!!

Before going inside the gym... It takes me 7 minutes of telling myself, "You need to go inside!  You drove across town!  You have cute gym clothes!  You will feel fabulous once you are done."

During my workout:  Sweating and trying to ignore the workout part while watching Fox News or Wheel of Fortune.  Thinking to myself, I must be done NOW!!!!...and it's been 57 seconds.

After working-out:  I FEEL FABULOUS!!!!!!!  I LOVE ENDORPHINS!!!!!!!  NOW I MUST EAT!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Sooo we were on a break...

The ab machine and I are giving our relationship another try.  You see, we were on a break for a bit, but I came back and asked for a second chance.

Turns out another branch of my gym has a new ab machine that is absolutely amazing!!!!  It's a chair. Not an electric chair but a chair and you line-up your elbows and arms and push down.

I will never have rockstar abs...and that's ok.  I just want them a smidge toned.

Twister obsession

Eight months my gym closed...which forced me to research and find a new gym.  I choose Anytime Fitness since I could sign-up through my insurance provider and be rewarded for faithful gym attendance.  Oh and did I mention that the Perryville Anytime Fitness had the Hallmark channel. 

Well...as of November 30th,  my Perryville location closed.  It is moving to edgevrook Shopping Center. 

In the meantime - I am going to the North Second Street location where I discovered the twister.  My beloved twister ab machine and I have been reunited.  Together again...this girl and her beloved ab machine.

You see...I hate the "Electric Chair" style ab machine.  It was nicknamed not at all fondly by Ruthie.  The Electric Chair is evil disguised as a piece of gym equipment.  Trust us (Ruthie and me and there are others too).

It has been 8 long months since my abs have been twistin'...and let me just say, my abs are a-hurtin' today.

Why I did not go get ice cream...

It has been one of those days.
A day worthy of ice cream.
A day worthy of a trip to Lake Geneva.
A day worthy of an iced mocha.

Sooooo why didn't I indulge???  Thirty minutes in to my intense cardio workout, I began to enjoy the endorphin rush...and then something kicked in.  A voice said, "You do NOT need ice cream tonight!!!" 

The voice won.

In lieu of ice cream, I bought Fuji apples and a new jar of peanut butter.  Mmmmmm...apples and peanut butter.   It is like ice cream but different...

Birthday Weekend

My birthday began when I punched-out from work on Friday evening.  Oh happy day!!!  I drove myself to the gym and had an amazing work-out.  Left there and picked-up a frozen pizza and an Enjoy Life dark chocolate candy bar.  {It's my birthday, do not judge me!}  It had been ages since I splurged and both of these delightful treats.  Mmmmmm...I heart food.

While the pizza baked, I determined that Friday evening was an excellent evening to watch You've Got Mail.  I was sentimental about my birthday weekend and I needed the sappiness of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan's on-screen charisma to begin my weekend o'shenanigans.

On Saturday, Celia woke-me-up at 5:20 a.m.  I do love this feline 99.5% of the time.  The 0.5% happens to be Saturday and Sunday mornings when she meows to wake-me-up loooong before my alarm chime.

I decided that I would feel better if I got up.  Made some coffee and after a cup, I determined that surely no one in their right mind would be at my gym at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning.  I managed to do some laundry and clean up my apartment so that pushed my gym adventure back 'til 7. 

When I got to the gym - sure enough no one was there.  I started out with some cardio and told myself, "When you are done with cardio, you WILL do weights, Angie Good."  {I don't like doing weights by myself.  I've been working-out by myself for about a month.  I've done weights thrice.  THRICE!!!!  Thrice in a month.  That's not good.} 

I discovered that my new gym has a machine similar to my old gym - which I absolutely adored and have missed.  Did this elliptical - for not very long - there's no t.v.  Could I not exercise (pun intended) some self-control and work-out without a t.v. playing some sappy Hallmark movie or Fox News...apparently not. 

Finished the elliptical and did some rowing.  Still working on increasing my time...and thinking I should issue an addenda to my former "I want to row across Lake Geneva by the end of this summer" and change it to the end of A summer.  Maybe 2016.  *sighs*

After ellipticaling (it's a word) - I jumped on the treadmill.  DO YOU SEE HOW I WILL DO A BUNCH OF CARDIO TO AVOID WEIGHTS????  A sensible gym-loving gal, as yours truly, should've stopped doing cardio and went to the weights.  I was not sensible.

Where was I?  Oh yes, on the treadmill now.  While walking away, I had pulled out a headphone and noticed that Elvis Presley was singing "Burnin' Love."  {I like the version that The Rock sings in the Disney movie Game Plan.  I believe it's at the very end during the credits.}  Still assuming no one was with me at the gym...let me pause here and say:  my new gym has a totally different layout than my old gym.  The cardio machines face the window but there's a weird half - maybe even a quarter wall that separates the weights from the cardio machines.  Apparently I was totally in to the Hallmark movie playing, I didn't notice anyone had entered the gym.  Yes, Mom, I could've been abducted...although the gym has promised me that they have an amazing video surveillance.  Rest assured, all is well.  Anyway - I started singing along with Elvis.  Not loud...or so I thought. 

Out of the corner of my eye (Thank you, Jesus, for peripheral vision!!!), I saw movement and stopped my one-gal concert.  I turned and made eye contact with my audience.  He smiled.  I smiled which was more of a OH-there-is-someone-else-at-the-gym-with-me nervous upward turning of my lips and I may have nervous laughed.  At this point - the concert stopped.  I finished my treadmill workout and left the gym.  No weights.  There was no point in hanging-around seeing if my audience would request an encore.

Left the concert - ummmm...the gym and came home to finish up some Saturday-ish chores before getting ready to head to Trudy's.

Arrived at Trudy's a smidge before 2 p.m. and visited with Trudy, Lori, and Sara.  We had such a lovely time.  People started arriving shortly thereafter.

Spending a couple hours with my lovely friends took my mind off of the number and was the most charming way to spend a Saturday afternoon.  We ate food.  I opened presents.  We gabbed and laughed and gabbed some more.

My friend Sara (and crew) had contacted several friends and asked them create scrapbook pages for me...writing about fun memories, sharing pictures, basically documenting our fun adventures.  It was such a special gift to receive.  Soo much time and love and energy went in to making this wonderful book.  I have since read through it thrice and I have every intention of going through it again this very evening.

I'm so blessed with encouraging, generous (with their time and resources), and loving friends.  They took time from their busy lives and set that aside to come and have some coffee and a cupcake and to shower me with love.  My cup runneth over...only figuratively.  No one wants to spill their coffee.  :)

"Climb Faster!"

At my old gym, the elliptical would say "Climb Faster!" should you decide to slow down and/or stop climbing.  Personally I felt the machine was shouting and quite judgmental...


At my new gym, I decided to try out the Fat Burning session on the run-elliptical and when it checked my heart rate, the new machine said, "Slow down to reduce your heart rate."  Now - that's what I'm talkin' about.  I felt like it was saying, "Easy does it, fabulous!  You are already amazing!" 

I do not run with scissors. {Those last 2 words were not necessary.}

I don't run.  I don't like running.  I have never liked running.  In high school, I was forced to run a mile.  Worst 12 minutes of my high school career...and trust me, there were other traumatizing situations that I endured...but the mile, the forced running, was #1 on my list of things I hope I forget about high school. 


Last week I was forced to join another gym as my beloved Charter Fitness locked the doors and ended our 5-1/2 year relationship.  I didn't even get to say "goodbye" to my beloved elliptical machine.  We had been through soo much together...the losing of 60 pounds, the hours & hours of calorie burning...  It was all gone with the click of a lock and a sign that said, "We're closed."  The least they could've done was apologize and let me sneak in to say farewell, friend.  {Sigh.} 


My new gym, Anytime Fitness, has ellipticals but they are different than the ones at Charter.  The Anytime ones make ellipticaling (pretty sure it's a word) more like running.  Please re-read the first sentence of my post.


I decided to give these new machines a chance...and you know what I discovered.  *Whispers in awe* I actually like the run-elliptical-ing.  Total shocker!  I KNOW!  Now don't get me wrong - you are not going to see me out on the bike path running 5 miles in hopes of preparing for a 5K.  I will be the friend who will stand at the finish line with flowers and some dark chocolates.  Boundaries, people. 


I'm more shocked that I enjoy the run-elliptical than anything else.  It's fun.  I like that the new gym has televisions at almost every cardio machine.  It makes watching Hallmark an up-close experience.

I did it!!!

After 6 days of denial...in that my gym was really and truly closed, I accepted the closing of my beloved center for physical fitness and I joined another gym.  Actually I joined the fitness program through my company's insurance so I have several options!

There are several things...

...that I enjoy shopping for.  Spring skirts, sandals, boots, hair accessories, birthday presents, groceries, etc.  

I need to go "shopping" for a new gym...and too be honest, I am just not in the mood to shop for a new facility.  I'm really stuck shopping for a new gym as my gym closed as of Tuesday, April 14th.  

I don't know if I want to go with one of the two gyms that are on my way home...  If I choose Anytime Fitness, I won't have a work-out partner...but I will have flexibility and be able to use any of their nationwide and International facilities.  If I choose Planet Fitness, I can get the premium membership and occasionally workout with Rhonda...  
 
I really don't know what to do.   My preference would be that my little gym would re-open and I can return to life as I knew it before Tuesday...(sigh)...  I don't see that happening so I had best get gym shopping and pick one soon!!!

Xena

Tonight at the gym, these guys in the back weight area were shouting, “YOU’RE A WARRIOR!  A WARRIOR!  A WARRIOR!”

Xena…DUH!  I know!!!

Oh how I am going to miss her...

My friend Leah has this beautiful gift of extending grace.  I am so blessed with a couple dear friends who are grace-extensions.  What gifts!  What wonderful examples!

During a time of waiting, the Lord sent Leah and her mom to Hobby Lobby to have our paths cross.  To share with me a burden.  To offer a hug when I needed one almost as much as I needed my next breath.

She is the best gym work-out partner.  One time she forced me to use the weights in the "guys' area" which typically makes me nervous.  I am pretty sure I could hurt myself.

This past summer when I said goodbye to my sweet thirteen year old feline, it was Leah and her mom who met at Meg's Daily Grind and let me be sad about putting to sleep my beloved (and at times naughty) pet.

While in Ukraine, I received a beautiful gift of being on the other end of the phone and oftentimes computer to send and receive messages which allowed me to pray specifically and at the same time share in my life's journey.

Leah let me advance my simple knitting skills by "making" me buy circular knitting needles. 

Leah showed me mercy and love.  She has allowed me to be.  The good (no pun intended), the bad and the ugly.

So as I hugged her goodbye to go begin her New York life, I thanked the Lord for the gift of her friendship.  It is not just one thing...it's a million things.

Why I am at the gym on a Friday night...

For too many years, I would lament the beginning of spring and summer.  Spring and summer mean warmer temps and that means eventually having to bear your arms. 

I am at the gym tonight because eventually (eeeeventually) it's  going to warm up.  And one day, in the not too distant future, I am going to want to wear a cute sleeveless dress...and you know what?  I don't want to pull the dress from my closet and wish I would've went to the gym more in the winter.

So...spring-like weather...HURRY UP!!!  (Snap! Snap! Snap!)

We're baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!!

After our 90-minute work-out...
Rhonda:  "We came.  We conquered."  (Smallish pause.)  "Wait! Weren't  there 3???"

Me:  "Yes.  We came.  We SAW.  We conquered.  I have missed you terribly."

I remember WHY.....

We have a Wellness Club at work.  Quarterly, we select a goal to meet.  If we meet said goal, we are rewarded.  It's delightful.  Not only do we feel fab from working out, but we also get a special treat.

Yours truly opted for 45 hours of cardio last quarter and fell 3 hours short.  Sooo this quarter, feeling the need to redeem myself, I chose 45 hours of cardio again. 

The quarter cut-off is this Saturday. 

I realized that as of last Sunday, I had 42 hours and 7 days to complete the dreadful 180 minutes still remaining. 

Sunday afternoon before evening church:  60 minutes cardio
Monday night:  45 minutes
Tuesday: 60 minutes

Tonight I am beat....  I now remember why I don't do 60 minutes of cardio anymore.

Sixty minutes was the old "ridiculous gym girl."  The new and more relaxed me gives 30 - 45 minutes to cardio four nights per week.  And let me tell you...that's totally enough.

For the next quarter, I put a big fat "X" next to 30 hours of cardio.  This next quarter contains Thanksgiving and I know myself.  I heart fall and should my friends want to have an impromptu meet-up at the apple orchard (HINT!!! HINT!!!), I wouldn't want to have to say "no" for the love of cardio.

Accomplished

I am feeling quite accomplished.

1. Worked all day {Technically 8 a.m. - 12 'noon was a defensive driving course - required by work.}  The class was informative.  After said class, I went to the office where I answered the phones and WOW-ed the masses with my typing and/or organizational skills.

2. Went to the gym...even though I felt like not going to the gym.  I am more of a social work-out kind-of girl.  No one was going with me.  However I knew if I skipped, I would feel guilty about skipping. 

3.  Got groceries.  Before I went in to Woodman's, I had a little chat with myself.  "You, Angie Good, will exercise self-control.  You will not buy extra items not on your list. Yes, you are feeling hungry but that does not give you permission to buy extra stuff."  Worked like a charm.

4.  Hauled in 6 paper bags full of groceries and a 20-pound container or litter and a giant bottle of laundry soap.

5.  Moved everything out of the kitchen, laundry area, and bathroom.  I, then, swept and mopped.  Boy - did it need it....and that's not to say I live in filth lest you are concerned.  I just swept and vacuumed for the past two weekends and didn't clean-clean.  No worries...tonight my bathtub/shower listens like the first snowfall.  It's sparkly clean.  {Sigh.}

6.  Painted my toenails.  Which I am still technically paint-ing them.  I just thought I would blog in between coats of "Sugar & Spice."

I am super excited about getting all these things done tonight.  It means I can enjoy the remainder of my looooooooooooong weekend without feeling like I have to hurry home to clean.

If I was any cooler, I would be a superhero...and then I would need to sew a cape.

Confession

Every Sunday the backseat of my car is clean and spotless...and by Saturday, it looks like my gym bag got into a fight with my gym clothes.  My gym clothes always appear victorious!!!