Nameless starts strength

[namelesswonder]

I went to Orange Theory Fitness this morning and I liked it! I definitely feel like I got a good workout. I had to walk on the treadmill (doctor said no running on inclines), but power walking was still sufficient to get my heart rate up! I'm having a smoothie now (spinach, two bananas, almond milk, hemp protein powder) and then will shower and hydrate.

 

I'm hoping that as we get past the initial classes, it will start to feel a little more like a community rather than "random strangers working out together". I had a lot of questions, but it was way too busy for me to ask anything or keep my thoughts in order. I did get some free swag though! I needed a new water bottle anyway and the small towel will be handy for those workouts. I don't know what the "ideal" graph is supposed to look like after the workout.

 

 

I go again Thursday. I may or may not go to Gold's before then. Not rushing anything, I need to see how my body feels tomorrow.

[namelesswonder]

oof I'm still sore from OTF on Saturday!

 

My lower back has been swinging pretty wildly between feeling pretty good and feeling pretty badly lately. I haven't been doing my PT exercises on days that it feels really bad. I have also started having some random spots of burning pain in my legs. It just happens for a second. I tried Googling it and found some results about nerve pain due to compression. Ggreeeaaatt. Thanks lower back!

 

I think I'll get a chiropractor appointment scheduled soon.

 

My diet hasn't been great lately. I'm still struggling to stick to gluten-free. I think the biggest issue is that I'm still undereating by anywhere from 300-500 calories. That's a lot when I probably shouldn't be eating at a deficit.

[SevenofSeven]

Sorry that your back is so sore. Bit of a concern about hot spots in your legs. I hope you can get it sorted soon.

[namelesswonder]

I feel fully recovered today. I could've scheduled a class today, but the time wasn't great. I wasn't sure I'd be able to get there in traffic after work.

 

I'm researching Creatine. Wondering if it'd be worth trying for faster recovery. Maybe not just yet.

[namelesswonder]

 

I felt like I really struggled through the workout yesterday evening, but I ended up pushing really hard and it was a great workout. I think I didn't eat enough earlier in the day. I ate plenty after the class! It's thanks to CrossFit that I know how hard I can go. One of the people at the front desk commented as I was leaving that she saw how hard I was pushing and congratulated me . My back feels okay today. I wore a corset yesterday morning and that helped a lot.

 

My next class is scheduled for next Wednesday. Next Thursday is the opening night party. They said there will be food and prizes and I'm thinking of going right after work. I hate socializing though so I hope I can find someone to chat with or I won't end up staying long.

 

Yesterday AM I stepped on the scale because I felt like I looked a little different. I lost 5#. I would still rather not weigh myself at all and should get rid of the scale. I really just want my clothes to fit more comfortably.

[namelesswonder]

I went to Gold's yesterday and did 20 min on the elliptical and then some back extensions. I'm sure that doesn't amount to anything, but I wanted to make sure I went and I did.

 

I need to work on getting over my anxiety of being seen working out. There are so many weight-related exercises I want to do, but I don't want to be seen. Once you're actually working out, nobody really cares what anybody else is doing, but I sure as hell do people-watch while I'm resting or doing cardio. So I know other people do too.

[namelesswonder]

I didn't go to Orange Theory Fitness last night. I had an awful day and just wanted to eat ice cream for dinner. I did and it was great. Unfortunately, my evening was still pretty rough. I'm feeling really worn out. I feel guilty for not working out.

 

My psychiatrist agrees that I must have sleep apnea, but I have to wait to see my primary care doc to get the referral for a sleep study. Just a couple more weeks.

 

Tonight is the OTF opening night party. I kind of want to go to see if I can get some free stuff, but my social anxiety is making me want to skip it.

 

Maybe I will try going to Gold's again tonight. Maybe I can go to OTF for a class Sunday morning. Saturday is going to be a Harry Potter & donuts day with my husband.

[namelesswonder]

Went to Gold's on Friday. My back hurt so I didn't do a lot, just got my heart rate up on an elliptical.

 

I went to OTF this morning. Then I cleaned the tub after buzzing my head. My shoulders would like a nap haha

 

I ate a ton of donuts and a calzone yesterday. Worth it!

[namelesswonder]

My DOMS usually doesn't kick in until the afternoon on the day after a workout... but I feel pretty confident in saying that I feel good today. I'm trying to decide what day to sign up for my next OTF class! My membership will cover 8 classes per month (about 2 per week). My goal right now is 2 classes plus going to Gold's once per week. Since I'm going away on Friday (indoor water park!), I just want to get in one more OTF class.

 

They have morning classes and I like working out in the morning (I feel pretty energized for the rest of the day). The 5:15 AM class would be too early of a wake-up. I'd get home by 6:30 and have too much time before work (8 AM). But the 6:30 AM class would be cutting it close... I'd have to shower & eat and go into work later than I prefer. I guess I'll try the early class at least once. My husband gets up at 5 AM on Tues & Thurs, so I could wake up just a bit early and try an early class this week.

 

If the morning classes don't work out, I guess I'll stick with 5:45 PM. I get home, have time to change, and head back out after feeding the cats. Traffic hasn't been too bad around that time. 7 PM is way too late, I wouldn't be able to eat dinner until after.

[namelesswonder]

I went to OTF yesterday morning. I did not kick my ass as much as usual, but I did well according to my heart rate monitor's results. My shoulders were crunching during the front dumbbell raises, I need to do that PT more.

 

I signed up for another class Tuesday PM. I'm going to try to go to Gold's on Thursday or Friday night.

[namelesswonder]

OTF was another good class. Very shoulder & wrist intensive though. I feel like my body composition is changing a little.

 

I might skip Gold's this week if my wrists or shoulders aren't feeling 100%. I'm going away this weekend so I probably won't workout.

 

I'm thinking about switching to the unlimited OTF plan and dropping the Gold's membership. I do want to focus on strength at some point, but maybe just doing OTF right now would work better for my schedule & getting my endurance up. I'd really like to bike to work this summer.

[namelesswonder]

I upgraded my OTF membership today before my class. So I'll be aiming for 3x weekly. For their 6 week challenge, you have to go a minimum of three times a week and the person that loses the highest body fat % wins. That seems like a skewed contest to me because I might lose a sufficient amount, but it's only, say 5%, whereas someone else has a lot more to lose and loses 10%. I'm not capable of losing that amount, so I could never win. Anyway, doesn't matter because I didn't sign up.

 

The challenge requirements tell me, however, that this should be sufficient to shed some body fat. I've already noticed some changes after about 5 classes! Good to know my body remembers how to do stuff .

 

Today, I changed things up a little. I started on the treadmill instead of rower/weights. I also attempted to jog instead of just doing power walking (with incline, when they want you to push harder or go all out), but only did that for one of the intervals. It hurt my shins. I'll have to keep working towards that! 

 

My gray workout leggings fit today so my legs have definitely slimmed down a little!

 

I'm signed up for Tuesday PM and Friday AM (5:15 AM) this week.

 

Snow in the forecast for tomorrow. Not sure I'll be able to make it to my annual check-up

[namelesswonder]

My annual check-up got cancelled and rescheduled for the end of the month. I scheduled a separate appointment to talk about the sleep stuff next week. I'll talk about allergy treatment at my annual.

 

My workout on Sunday was good, but I should have modified one of the exercises more. I can't lie on my back and raise/lower my legs from the floor without pain. My lower back is too mobile and my core is too weak. I'm not scheduled for another workout until Sunday AM, I wanted plenty of time to recover.

[namelesswonder]

Gold's Gym won't let me cancel my contract. Apparently I signed up for 12 months and there's no way out. I have my account "frozen" for now and might have to do that indefinitely. What a pain.

[namelesswonder]

The workout today was a partner workout. I really dislike partner workouts. I much prefer to just compete against myself. With a partner, I feel so stressed about not making them wait because I'm going too slowly. My partner was nice though and she seemed okay with how long I took at some of the stations/sets.

 

I was tired all day. Probably because I've been eating a lot of sugar lately and I went to bed too late.

 

Next workout scheduled for Wednesday PM. I want to see how I feel with 2 days in between each workout.

[namelesswonder]

Wow, I really liked the new instructor last night! She was so motivating and it was nice to hear comments like, "Great form!" I was a bit rough on my lower back during the workout though. I should still try to do my PT exercises on days between exercise.

 

I find that I spend a lot of time in the orange zone, about half as much in green (that's lower heart rate than orange), and even less in red (that's higher heart rate than orange). Green and Orange should be about balanced. I would have to ease off my effort a lot, which I could, but they're always tell us to push for orange in the higher effort parts of the class. I think that as my body gets used to this, it'll recover faster and go back down to Green during the lower intensity parts. I've only been doing this 2x weekly for about a month.

 

Next class is scheduled for Sunday AM.

[namelesswonder]

I missed my last workout due to a cold, but I'm going back tomorrow after work. I'm planning on taking it a bit easier, as I'm still pretty tired today.

[namelesswonder]

I didn't push too hard in the workout last night, but it felt okay. So much arm work! I'm expecting to be sore later. I did try jogging during one of the intervals and I think I'll try to do that twice in my next workout.

[namelesswonder]

I didn't feel great during this workout either, lots of drainage still going on from the cold! I worked hard though and I jogged a couple of times. I'll keep trying to work a few jogging intervals in as long as I feel up for it.

 

In a couple of weeks, I have 3 weekly classes scheduled so I'll be trying 3x weekly starting then.

[namelesswonder]

I had a really good workout last night. I'm not signing up for the 6 week weight loss challenge because there's no way I would win. I don't have enough body fat % to lose. $2500 would be great to pay off my remaining student loans though! I'm going to do the challenge on my own rather than pay the $25 to participate formally. I just need to go to workouts at least 3x a week for 6 weeks. I think it starts on Sunday.

 

I scheduled 3x weekly workouts for the next 4 weeks. I'll schedule more later. I'm excited! My schedule is looking like Mondays (PM), Wednesdays (PM), Saturdays (AM) right now.

[namelesswonder]

My Sunday workout felt great! I'm a bit sore today, which is always kind of rewarding. Unfortunately, I've been playing too much Skyrim and my wrists are bugging me. No Skyrim until they recover completely!

 

Next workouts are Wednesday and Saturday.

[namelesswonder]

Another good workout! I used the stationary bike instead of the rowing machine. My wrists are slowly getting better with heavy use of wrist braces. I might get some wrist wraps.

 

I think I am going to get my gait analyzed soon and buy some running shoes. I always get shin pain when I try to run

[namelesswonder]

I bought some New Balance shoes. They scanned my footprints . They were very comfortable when I did a little running during my workout this evening.

 

I have increased my power walking speed to 3.8 mph from 3.5 mph. I did my "all out" runs (a few for only 30 sec) at 7 mph. It felt good to fly on no incline after power walking up "hills"! My carpal tunnel is still pretty bothersome. I'm trying some kinesio tape and it's somewhat pain relieving.

[namelesswonder]

I went to a new chiropractor today to try this Graston Technique business.  It's uncomfortable during the process, but feels like that "good pain" of a massage. I'm going twice a week for two weeks to try and speed things up. My wrists are feeling better. I keep pushing my limits and can play Oblivion for about 15 min :p. Somehow it's less stressful for my hands than Skyrim.

 

I'm also investigating ergonomic keyboards. Microsoft looks like they have a good one, though it's not a cheap chance to take. I also don't know if it would fit in my current keyboard tray at home. I should get a new desk this summer.

 

Workout tonight!

[namelesswonder]

I overworked my wrists on Tuesday's workout so I cancelled the workout for tonight to get some extra rest. My wrists are feeling a lot better. I'm doing ice dipping in the evening: over the course of two hours, I dunk my arms up to my elbows in a bucket of ice water and hold for 10 sec. Going every 12 minutes gets this done 10 times. By the end, nothing hurts and that's a nice way to feel at bedtime. I think I'll keep doing this for a few more days and see if there's any cumulative benefit.

 

I'm wearing some heavy duty wrist braces at night and as needed. Last night, my right wrist hurt while wearing it, so I took it off and my wrist felt better. I think that's a good sign. I have another chiropractor appt tomorrow and a workout scheduled for 7:45 AM Saturday. I'll reassess tomorrow evening and decide if I'm going then. I could probably ask to modify any problematic exercises, it's just that Tuesday's was SO arm/wrist intensive that I didn't feel like there were reasonable replacements.

 

Part of me is thinking "If I dress warmly enough, I could try going for a run tonight" but I'm pretty sure I won't follow through. I don't have a good way to carry my phone during a workout.