Gym Report, Week 2

Click HERE for a recap of my first week with my new gym membership.  Read below about my second week...

So this week was a little more mixed up with regards to the gym, but I still feel like I'm doing pretty well considering this is a new habit I'm trying to form.

On Monday, H came with me to the gym after my therapy appointment.  It was his special night with me and he'd been wanting to give the equipment there a try.

For thirty minutes, both of us used the elliptical machine for 30 minutes.  I feel like I did better this time and went nearly two miles distance-wise, while my first attempt had only been about 1.5 miles.  H had a little trouble since this was his first time on it.  He didn't realize that every time he paused his motion to get a drink or take some extra breathers, his time paused as well.  So his 30 minutes lasted about seven minutes longer than mine and he couldn't understand why.  Overall, he did great.

From there, we went over to some of the strength training equipment.  I demonstrated each machine we used and then helped him learn how to find out which muscles he'd be working out (so that when he did more stuff on his own, he didn't overwork himself by using the same muscles too repetitiously).  I showed him where to find directions on the machines and how to change the settings for his height and to a better amount of starting-out weight.

We ended up doing several upper body exercises and then he asked if we could do a couple abdominal workouts.  Mind you, this is H.  He typically avoids exercise as much as possible.  Maybe that's changing his mind about it now that he's 13.  I don't know.  But the whole situation was kind of surreal.

Together it was a good time.  I was disappointed to find out that since he is only a guest at that gym, he may not use the Hydromassage.  I'd talked it up big time to him and explained to the person at the front desk that our daughter had used it with me the previous week.  Something tells me the rules are flexible depending on the guest.  I bring our 13-year-old son and the guy at the front desk says no.  But if I bring our pretty, 17-year-old daughter, the guy at the front desk sets her up with massage bed number one.

This is our world, folks.


As planned, I did not go to the gym on Tuesday.


On Wednesday, C and I had the opportunity to go together to the gym.  Going together with C is mostly just about the ride over.  He is not a social exerciser.  I do my cardio workout first and then do strength training typically (it's just what I prefer).  He likes to do his strength training first and then finish up with 20-30 minutes of cardio.  Even when our cardio overlaps, he picks an elliptical machine far down the line from where I'm situated so I don't try to talk his ear off.

We do a lot of stuff actually together, so his solo act at the gym doesn't really bother me.  What matters is that we encourage each other to keep up this new habit we're forming.

On this day, I did my 30 minutes on the elliptical and then C said he'd be ready to go in seven more minutes.  So I didn't get any strength training in because I opted to get a Hydromassage (since I didn't get one on Monday).

H had come with C and I to the gym on this day as well and he pretty much did the solo-thing like his dad.  I saw him on a treadmill for awhile and then he apparently headed over to try out some of the strength-building stuff on his own.

Boys definitely like to try new stuff without their mothers telling them how to do everything (and out lifting them on the weights because she's been strengthened by years of hauling kids around in her arms).  I get it.


So Thursday, I think I mentioned in another post, I skipped Holy Yoga.  I love my Holy Yoga class and even bought my own yoga mat today at Marshall's because I plan to keep it up for a long time.  But I did not feel well at all that evening and doing extensive stretching all night didn't seem very beneficial.  Maybe it would have been, but I didn't bother to take the chance.


Then by Friday, we'd already decided to go to Arizona for the weekend, so with packing for our trip and getting the house pulled together before we departed, I ran out of time to go to the gym.  I was bummed.  But sometimes, that's life.


Over the weekend, I had the privilege and pleasure of getting to do some hiking in the White Tank Mountains Regional Park.  A huge and beautiful piece of land with a lot of interesting trails and features.  The sign said it was a one mile trail, but I never know if that means altogether or one-way.  It seemed like that was one way -- especially since there was no loop and we just retraced our steps back.  Going, the trail was all uphill and returning, it was downhill (thank Jesus for that natural law: what goes up, must come down).  It took us a good hour-and-a-half with four teenagers, three adults and five kids.  It seemed like at least two miles in total.  Maybe more.

And do I get points for it being quite warm?


So overall, I feel like this week's workouts were a success.  I know I'm setting the bar fairly low here in the beginning, but to me, if I'm getting out and moving my bod more than a couple times in a week, I'm doing much better than I was.  No sense in getting down on myself because I haven't yet lived up to my high expectations of going to the gym four days a week and Holy Yoga one night a week.  If I make it too rigid, I'll never follow-through.  I know me.

Did you have any creative or fun ways to get extra exercise this week that you normally wouldn't (i.e., for me, this was my hike!)?  Share about them in the comments.