Endorphins

I actually love working out. Maybe not so much while I'm working out, but I really do enjoy it. JA and I went to the gym on Friday night and got on the elliptical. I seriously thought that I was going to keel over and die after two minutes and my mind was racing for gasps of breath and longing for an inhaler I haven't used in almost a decade.

Really, I think it was all mental. It wasn't that my body or I couldn't do it. It was the mental part of the body rejecting what I could do and the desire that maybe I would enjoy it and benefit. Maybe I had to do it to not look like such a wimp for JA. Just using different muscles that I haven't used in a while, takes a bit of getting use to.

After the elliptical, I ventured out to try out some weight machines while JA headed over to her daily standby, the treadmill. I for one can't stand the treadmill. It's too hard on my knee that doesn't have any cartilage as it is after two surgeries. I found a manual rowing machine to be pretty challenging, one I'll definitely use again. Most of the machines seemed geared toward taller people (males) as doing triceps and biceps just didn't work right with my arms, so I left the machines and went to do the free weights instead.

Using a seated squat machine I found it difficult to understand the weight conversion. JA was going to ask questions about other programs and I asked her to inquire about the plate conversion. The guy told her that the weight amounts were on the machine...nice...yeah one, two, three, etc. NOT. I initially thought that they were 10 pounds a piece, but seeing that my legs are pretty strong I knew that it had to be more. The kid came over and then realized what I had wanted to know, which he didn't know how much they weighed either. Apparently, I'm the only one that bothered to ask.

When I got home, I was still gearing to go. I contemplated working out longer at home and did my best to talk myself out of it so that I could actually walk in the morning and want to go back to the gym.

This morning I went to a cardio kick boxing class. Yeah, that kicked my @#$. I managed to take some skin off my right middle knuckle with my punching. I did make it through the entire class, although I would have bet money I wouldn't. The class description said that you would lose 800 calories in an hour, that would be the instructor. He was all intensity. I think I might have lost...80!

After the class I decided to do some leg machines. The first one I went on, I couldn't reach it, so I decided to adjust the foot rollers...only to drop them directly on the ground. At least I found it funny! Then I hoarded the cleaner since I thought I was the only one using it. Of course once I took it, two others wanted it. So in a nice flirty way, the guy that borrowed it brought it back and sprayed me. Nice...

My body is sore, but nothing too terrible. I could feel it in my arms, from all the boxing, while I was driving. I love the endorphins from working out. I hope that I continue to have energy, drive, desire and time to keep going consistently!