Okay, first a little update to my "poor me" blog from last week. Seriously, as soon as I finished writing that blog and had really committed to making things happen for myself, I started talking to 3 guys on eHarmony. Weird, but you know some people say that coincidence is God winking at you. So I'm feeling much better!
Last week my gym was closed for a couple of days due to getting new cardio equipment. This kind of left me in a pickle (I love that saying) because I already run before dawn, and I didn't really want to just add more running. The truth is that I really need to get more strength training into my routine. I am an absolute cardio addict. The thing is, at the gym I'm often pressed for time so I tend to just automatically head to the cardio machines for the greater calorie burn. And yes, I do know all the stuff about how strength training gives you a longer calorie burn, but old habits die hard. So I tried to use my apartment gym, but it just wasn't happening for me. I literally went for like 10 seconds on the elliptical and just couldn't deal with how crappy it was. So that left this fitness trail at my apartment. It consists of 10 "fitness stations" that go around a 1 mile circle throughout my apartment complex. I have lived here for 7 years, run by all the fitness stations every day for the past year or so, and never tried it out. Unfortunately, many of the stations turned out to consist of elaborate stretches, which wasn't really doing it for me, so I modified many of the stations. After that first day, I was drenched in sweat and totally hooked. I haven't done an entertaining minute-by-minute recap of my thoughts during a workout for a while, so here's my workout for Sunday (a.k.a. the day I really should have worked out earlier because it was insanely hot):
1130: Walk outside and am immediately slammed in the face by crazy humidity and heat. Hey, at least I'll get an even better tan. Although not my legs...they will just stay white like always :(
1131: Walk up to the first station and see that it's a stupid stretch. Lay down and do 3 sets of 15 sit-ups. Also am vaguely aware that I am right by the pond with alligator in it and hope that he is sleeping. Am much more aware that my butt is facing the street and hope that no one drives by.
1136: Run to the station 2. Take a wrong turn somehow and end up circling another pond. Oh well, more calories burned. More stretches! How many can you possibly need to do?!? I do 3 sets of 15 side leg raises on each side instead. Reflect on the fact that I am giving the apartment in front of me quite a show.
1141: Run to station 3. Jumping jacks. No problem.
1145: Station 4. More stretches, so I guess it will be burpees instead. Why am I purposely putting myself through this torture?!? I hate burpees. They are the devil in exercise form.
1150: Station 5. Stretches again, so I do this weird ab exercise from the gym that reminds of me a crab for some reason. Feel something bite my arm (days later, I see that it was a fire ant. Guess I got lucky not to get more bites!)
1154: Run to station 6. Unknowingly splash through puddle hidden in grass. Am momentarily distracted by mud on my pretty shoes, but then move on. This one is actually for sit-ups and there is a narrow wooden bench to do them on. As soon as I start on that bench, I lament my newfound lack of padding in my posterior. My tailbone is taking a beating...ouch!
1200: Run through a pretty wooded area to station 7. Blessed shade! Push-ups...my poor arms. For some reason, they got all fancy and instead of just doing push-ups on the ground like normal, they added a metal bar to hold low to the ground. Metal bar touching hands+hot day=problem. Although on the plus side, I did unintentionally add a level of difficulty to the push-ups by only holding on the bar with the tips of my fingers because it was so hot.
1205: Run to station 8. Pull-ups...haha, yeah right. Pull-ups were always my downfall in the Presidential Fitness Test in elementary school. Modified pull-up, okay I'll give it a try. I'm supposed to leap and hold myself above the bar for 15 seconds. Or in my case, leap and hold myself above the bar for less than a second. Fail. Okay, they have another modified reverse pull-up for weenies like me. Hold the bar underhanded and lean as far back as possible, then pull yourself up to the bar. Got to work on that arm strength!
1209: Run to station 9, the balance beam. Going forward is no problem, but then I'm supposed to go backwards. That would again not pose much of a challenge if it was straight, but the beam is shaped like a Z. It's tricky.
1206: Run to the last station...more stretches. I do leg raises instead.
1211: Like I could give up cardio completely. Time for a 3 mile run!
1225: Feel...like...I'm...gonna...hurl. I am not used to running this late in the day. The heat is killing me.
1240: Start fantasizing about water. Almost home.
1247: Home! Well, slower than normal, but I had done a full workout right before. Guzzle 20 million gallons of water.
I've kept up this workout (albeit earlier in the day) and it's really broken me out of my fitness rut. Plus, I don't feel guilty because I'm getting strength training AND cardio in...a win-win!
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