Work it, baby

[mamagotcha]

First of all, Happy Birthday (a day late) to lorraine_inwa, the best MIL I've ever had!

Secondly, I'm going to try to start an exercise branch of this journal. I'll put a filter on it, though, so I don't bore everyone to tears. Go ahead and comment if, for some inexplicable reason, you'd like to be on that filter.

So while I'm commenting a little bit on rawr_comm, I'm not quite yet feeling ready to post there. Lord knows why I'm dithering, but it just doesn't feel right and that's how it is. But I do see that some folks are getting benefit from posting their info, so we'll try it here.

So here's the sitch... Clay is home for a few hours on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, and we've made an arrangement with him: he watches Linc for an hour each of those days, and we pop for his Chipotle dinner and snacks while he runs his D&D game at the library on Thursday afternoons.

We're going to the gym at Bill's work. It's a good-sized facility, with locker rooms, lots of weight machines and free weights, a bunch of stair machines and treadmills, and a few recumbant bikes, along with a large dance floor area for classes (I've never seen a class going on in there, although I hear there is Zumba on T/F at 11am). There are several TVs around the machines, though they're usually not on when we get there. In fact, I'd say that the majority of the time we go, we're the only people there.

One difficulty is that Bill has to be there with me whenever I'm on the campus (they're VERY touchy about security, understandably in this stem-cell-skittish, bible-thumpin', anti-evolution region). So we've gotta get in there early enough that he's not starting work horribly late. Linc's been waking up around 8:30ish, then I rouse Clay 9ish, we eat and read the paper and get Linker dressed and fed, and try to be in the gym by 10.

The household scale has been funky for a while (low battery maybe?), so while I knew I was over 270, I wasn't sure by how much. The scale at Stowers on Wednesday (Jan. 31) said I was 287 (with shoes and clothes... I'll just keep weighing myself that way to stay consistent). Jeezus.

The thing I have to be most careful about is my right knee. If I screw that up again, then I really can't do much of anything until it's better. So I'm not going to do the stairs or bikes yet. I've decided just to spend most of the hour on a treadmill.

For some reason, they've replaced all their treadmills... only one of the original five are still there. What I like about the originals is that they have this place you can put your hands, and it reads your heart rate. When you start your session, you fill in your age and weight, and it calculates your target heart rate for you. There's a little graph that plots your HR, whether it's low or in the yellow ("weight loss"), orange ("cardio"), or red (too high) zones. I don't know why, but I really like seeing how my HR changes and trying to keep it at a particular level (mostly I'm aiming for about 140-149, the top of my orange zone).

I usually do the aerobic course, which is three gradual "peaks" of increased incline. Mostly my pace is around 2.5 and 3 (mph? I think so...). Not very fast, I know, but it's enough, combined with the inclines, to get the ol' ticker pumping to that CV zone, and that's what matters, right? Also, I feel much more safe and secure (less likely to stumble) at a slower pace. I imagine that as I get more agile, I'll feel more comfortable going faster.

I should also note that I might be a bit gunshy... at one point, I'd purchased a treadmill and twice had it stop dead while I was jogging on it, causing me to hurl myself forward and really bang myself up. I returned it for a full refund after the second time (even though I was much less than I am now, I guess I was just too huge for it), and it took a while to get my nerve up again. It seems that gym treadmills are much sturdier than the home ones, and I don't get the feeling that I'm too heavy for this one, but I still get a little hinky as the rate goes higher... so increasing the incline is going to be the way I get the workout for now.

I jotted down the specifics for the last few visits I had:

Monday, Jan. 21: First day, didn't record final numbers but I think I did about a mile.
Wednesday, Jan. 23: This was the broken iPod day. Best forgotten.
Friday, Jan. 25: 1.96 miles, 50 minutes, 365 calories burned
Monday, Jan. 28: 2.16 miles, 50 minutes, 378 calories burned
Wednesday, Jan. 31: 2.1 miles, 50 minutes, 141bpm average (didn't write the cals down)
Friday, Feb. 2: Clayton overslept, we didn't get to go to the gym, grrr. Gonna try to get in there today to make it up.

While I'm on the treadmill, Bill does a little bit of cardio on a stair machine and then does a circuit of the weight machines. When I'm done, we usually play table tennis for about 10-15 minutes.

I inherited a 1-gig iPod shuffle from Cordell, and I've been loading up podcasts to listen to. I've also got some techno music on there, but mostly I like the podcasts (so far it's been This American Life and Savage Love). I have found that I really, really HATE television (mostly the ads, but the morning TV programs - Judge Judy, The View, Tyra Banks, soaps - just drive me bonkers). But I also get bored out of my skull just trotting along in silence. So podcasts are going to be it for now.

Food: I'm not doing anything terribly drastic at the moment food-wise. I figure just getting the gym habit engrained in us all is enough of a challenge for the moment. I did take Michael Pollan's NYT magazine article ("Unhappy Meals") to heart and really upped our leafy green intake this week. I'm also following Neil Gaiman's advice and upping my grapefruit intake (mostly whole, but some juice now and again, too).

I'd like to add some more stretching and get back to doing yoga again (maybe on T/Th mornings?).

I guess that's the whole thing for right now. Thanks for reading, if you stuck with it. Comment if you want more, otherwise you needn't suffer again.

Comments

[laurenhat.livejournal.com]

I'd be happy to be on your exercise filter.

I think starting out at that pace on the treadmill and focusing on heart rate sounds like a great idea. I focused on heart rate for a while too, and that helped me get a good feel for how much I should be doing. I'm impressed at you for getting back on the treadmill after it threw you -- that sounds really scary! I hope you feel more relaxed after a while on the (hopefully more reliable) gym machines.

I'm listening to Savage Love and This American Life podcasts too. :)

[mamagotcha.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I just figured out that the new TALs were free, so now I'm not getting dinged for the old ones. Downside... stuck with one per week and no choice in subjects. Ah, well, good thing there's so many other yummy things to choose from! I even found several KNITTING podcasts. What'll they think of next?

And great job on the 6-miles... wow! that's a LONG way!

[lunacow]

I'm curious about the knitting podcasts. Are they any good? What do they talk about? Knitting seems like such a visual/tactile thing that I'm having a hard time imagining audio content, but I'm intrigued.

[mamagotcha.livejournal.com]

So far, I've only managed to listen to the inaugural podcast, but it was sorta funny... it was on Halloween, so she told a scary knitting story (when good yarn goes bad!) and had some music. I'm wondering if it's more a music-to-knit-to thing... we'll see. This one is called Cast On, and it's through iTunes, if you wanna check it out...

[sarafoop.livejournal.com]

I'd like to be on your filter too. :)

[qaqaq.livejournal.com]

I'd like to keep reading your exercise comments as well.

I can't even imagine how scary it would be to have a treadmill throw you forward like that! That would have put me off exercise for some time.

And I totally hear you about not changing exercise and food habits all at once. That was the thing that was finally the final straw with my first personal trainer; I tried to explain to him that I couldn't change everything at once or I'd go crazy, and he still kept being Mr. Food Nazi, so I had to let him go.

[jedusor.livejournal.com]

I'd like to read your exercise posts, if you feel comfortable letting me do so :)

[mh75.livejournal.com]

I would love to be on your filter, if you'll have me.

Can you read and treadmill at the same time? I can't, but some people like it.

You should be proud of last week - it was great that you increased you distance on subsequent days instead of decreasing (which would be easy given that you may have been sore from day one).

Is there a trainer available? If not, and you'd like, i can describe some exercises (non weight-bearing) that may help stabilize your knee.

Oh, and i hear that one difference between afordable and not-so-affordable treadmills is just in robustness. Ones designed for home use usually wear out quickly and are prone to things like instability. If i were going to buy one i'd probably have to spring for a bad-ass one. I hope the gym at Stowers has the bad-ass kind and that you find them to be useful and safe.

[mamagotcha.livejournal.com]

I've tried to read, but things get all misty and funky (with the glasses and such... I *am* getting a new pair next week sometime, though, so maybe the new ones will work better).

I haven't been sore, really... I feel, well, worked? But I'm trying not to push things into soreness right now. If I start the yoga again, perhaps that will come up. But really, just walking, I'm not using anything I don't use all the time anyway.

No trainer. Suggest away!

The treadmill I got was recommended by Consumer Reports, and I have to say the customer service was great... the next day, they had a repair guy out there. The second time it happened, they offered to replace it, but I decided the universe was trying to tell me something and I took them up on having them take it back. I'm sure it was something funky in the unit, but whatever it was, I was done with it!

Stowers' 'mills have so far been rock solid. Thankfully!

[lunacow]

I'm so pleased that you and Bill and Clay have worked it out so that you and Bill can get gym time. It should help a lot to have this schedule, and to go together (even if it's kind of inconvenient that you have to go together). Great work on the first week!

I'm glad you're being careful of your knee. But biking is worse for it than walking? I have a cousin who busted up her knee permanently, and she can bike a lot more easily than she can walk. However, I suppose it just depends on what sort of knee injury you have.

And of course I want to be on your exercise filter!

[mamagotcha.livejournal.com]

Yep, biking seems to make it feel "full" and creaky... I suspect once I lose some of this weight, it will be better, but anything that I have to push while it's bent just doesn't work right now.

I've been told it's likely a bit of torn cartilage, but there's no way to know more unless I do more studies with it, and I'm not really up for that right now. it's working with the walking, and I'm sort of feeling like if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

[ennienyc.livejournal.com]

I don't exercise at all, but I don't mind reading about it. Maybe one day...

[hahathor.livejournal.com]

I'd love to be on your filter, if that works for you.

If your gym has the slide-y stepper machines, I find those to be a lot easier on the knees than the straight up-and-down steppers. Be good to yourself; you deserve kindness from everyone, including you.

[mamagotcha.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the kind words.

I tried the elliptical today (is that what you meant by slidy steppers?) for five minutes, and I never felt like it was working. It kept feeling like a short stride... I just wanted about three more inches of "walk" space, and it felt very strange to have these short incomplete-feeling steps. I didn't see any way to adjust that, but I didn't mess with it very much... my time was pretty limited today, so I just went back to the treadmill.

But there's another one in there, too (someone else was on it today), and I'll take some time next visit to really look at it and see what the possible adjustments are and whether it works.

[rightkindofme.livejournal.com]

You don't know me, but exercise and weight have been a battle for most of my life. At this point my weight is fairly low (for me) but exercise is a nightmare. When I get on the elliptical at the gym (I have been told they are the easiest for the knees) my heartrate immidiately jumps to 165ish. I am trying to get a handle on this because if I am in this crappy of shape while I am still young I am in trouble in a few more years.

My long wided way of saying, I would be happy to keep reading. You might not feel comfortable with me doing so though and I understand.

[mamagotcha.livejournal.com]

Sure, you can play too!

I'm not sure the elliptical is gonna work for me (see comment above this) but I'll give it another try or two and see what happens. It wasn't particularly hard on the knee, at least.

Good luck on your exercise journey, too!

[zdamiana.livejournal.com]

I'd like to be on your exercise filter.

Good luck with the new exercise program. It is probably really good that you and Bill are doing it together. Having an exercise buddy really helps most people stick to it.

As far as the knee, I'm surprised that it feels better on the treadmill than on a stationairy bike. It seems like a less weight-bearing exercise would be better for it. I suppose it might depend on the type of injury you have, though. In any case, a consultation with a Physical Therapist, Personal Trainer, Doctor, or all three would probably be well worth it, if you haven't already done it.

[mamagotcha.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

Our doc isn't on our insurance plan, and it's a pretty expensive visit out of pocket. If I run up against something that keeps me from even doing the basic walking, then I'll be calling her... but as long as I'm inching along with some sort of result (or at least, no pain), I'm gonna keep on it.

The injury is possibly some torn cartilage... I did have it looked at in Davis, and the next level of investigation and treatment involved needles and surgery and all sorts of icky stuff. Right now, it's working OK... if I get to the point where it's interfering with the basic stuff, then I'll have it checked out again.

[lorraine-inwa.livejournal.com]

Back at you for those kind words dear DIL. good luck with the knees and exercise. put me on the list. I like the description of shopping on the perimeter of the grocery store you had in Moody foody

[mamagotcha.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I wish it was original but it's not (though I have no idea where it came from).

Are you thinking of a springtime visit again? We'd love to have you!

[hosterman.livejournal.com]

I'd like to be on your filter too please. =) And if you're interested there's a book I found that I like a lot called Pain Free, by Pete Egoscue (I think). It has different exercises/stretches/yoga-type postures that help work out injuries in different parts of the body. That one I checked out from the library. The one that I own is Pain Free for Women. Highly recommend it once your knee is feeling better.

Congrats on working out!

[mamagotcha.livejournal.com]

Hmm... I'll keep that book in mind. Being pain-free is a good thing!

I'm pretty convinced, though, that a lot of my pain (which isn't much, admittedly... I'm pretty lucky) is just plain being too fat, and wear-n-tear on the joints. Lose the damned weight, and I think a lot of the problem will eliminate itself.