So far, so good

I'm enjoying Stage 2 of NROL4W even though it takes a bit more time to complete each workout than the workouts in Stage 1 did.  I really enjoy the variety although for the first time, I got the sense that I would like to do more somehow.  Be more serious with lifting.  NROL4W is a great introduction to serious gym-style lifting but I'm keeping my eyes and ears open for the next step.  

Currently, I'm in money-saving mode although I would like to purchase some fitness gear soon.  I'm in need of new cross-trainers and running shoe.  I've said before that I'm seriously considering buying a pair of Vibram Five-Fingers but I'm a little hesitant.  I wish there were a way I could test drive them first.  :)  The Five-Fingers would be great because I could lift while wearing them and then go for a run without having to change footwear--anything that saves time is wonderful.  But for indoor stuff at home, I'd either need another pair of Five-Fingers or a pair of cross-trainers (I don't wear outside shoes in the house).  

I would also like a foam roller because it's a great recuperative tool for athletes.  Someone on JP Fitness posted this:

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Another thing I'd like to invest in are some Iron Woody bands.  Because I would like to be able to do a chin up by the end of the year, I know I have to do some focused work to get there.  I found this interesting way to do assisted chin-ups using the Iron Woody bands. (I would probably do this at home though because I wouldn't want folks looking at me like I was crazy in the gym.)   In the meanwhile, I do 2 sets of 10 inverted rows at the end of my workouts.  I could do negative chin-ups but I will have to do those later on in the NROL4W program and also, I do not feel like I have the time to hunt around the gym for the one and only bench high enough.  There's pull-up machine at the gym, yes, but everything I've read says that's a sub-par way to building up to pull-ups.  Kind of like how doing push-ups on your knees is not the best way to build up to a regular push-up (wall push-ups or push ups on a bar are considered superior).

Anyway, this week I haven't been to the gym because the hubby is away.  I'm looking forward to getting back there on Friday though.  I did get a chance to do a BodyRock TV workout (Fat Fighter Workout) yesterday and it was lots of fun as usual.  I totally love the idea of using nothing but your body to get a great workout.

I hate to be out of my rhythm but ce la vie sometimes.  

On the Treadmill

I think I will always prefer running outside.  I enjoy finding new paths to run and basically getting familiar with my surroundings in an intimate way.   You can only achieve that on foot.  But since I joined the gym, I have been making use of the treadmill (and the exercise bike but that's another post).  Initially I thought I would really hate the treadmill--you know, running (sometimes fast) but going nowhere.  It turns out that there are some really cool things about the treadmill.

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First of all, it allows me to run.  This winter has just been brutal and some days I can't go out for a run due to ice or other terrible conditions.  Some days I just don't want to deal with the cold (in another post, I'll give a rundown of my cold weather running gear).  It was a nice surprise to find out that whether I'm running outside or on the treadmill, I just really like to run.  And since I'm in the gym lifting weights three times a week anyway, I've been running more now than in the warmer months.  I finish lifting and then I run for 20-25 minutes--I don't have to carve out another special time to go for a run.  

Secondly, the treadmill keeps track of my stats:  how far I've run, how many calories I've burned, etc. and that's really cool.  While I use www.mapmyrun.com to tell me how many miles I cover on a given run, that's the only information I really know when I run outside (since I have not yet invested in a GPS/heart rate monitor watch).  It's interesting to know exactly when I hit 2 miles or to push myself to break 300 calories.  

I don't have any specific mileage goals but during the warmer months I would run about 6 or 7 miles for my long run and 2-3 for my short. Because of the treadmill, I can still keep my mileage up and also it encourages me to keep better track of my miles (I write everything down right on my NROL4W log sheets).  I had always struggled in terms of keeping a training log for my running and while jotting it down on my log sheets is not formal or systemized, I still have a better idea of what I'm doing and how to improve.  

Still, I cannot do a long run on the treadmill.  I get bored far too easily and then I get antsy.  So I've been doing intervals and I have to say, this is a really fun way to use the treadmill.  I enjoy trying different interval combinations.  Here's a site I found with lots of options.  Here is an example of something I've been doing recently which I call 1/2/3/4/recover.

One minute at effort level 1 (an easy pace--you can talk easily, maybe even sing)

One minute at effort level 2

One minute at effort level 3

One minute at effort level 4 (basically sprinting)

One minute to walk it off and almost completely recover

There are many ways to do intervals.  You could do hill intervals by changing the incline (which I haven't done yet but look forward to doing).  The combinations and possibilities seem to be endless.  

Basically, intervals keep it interesting for me.  And It doesn't take an hour--after about 20 minutes, I've worked up a sweat and I'm ready to go home and shower.   I just couldn't do an hour on the treadmill--the thought of it is even too much for me.  But intervals are a quick, effective and fun way to use the treadmill.  I may even continue to use it during the warmer months just because, like I said, I'm at the gym anyway.  

Oh, by the way, intervals that I control (because some of the treadmills have preset interval programs) are made possible by the Gymboss interval timer, one of the best fitness purchases I have ever made.  

Moving on to Stage 2 of NROL4W

Technically speaking, I finished Stage 1 of the NROL4W on Wednesday.  There are some special exercises I could add on to the end of Stage 1 just to gauge my progress but these seem to be optional (at least many folks choose to skip them).  However, I'm not quite ready to move on to Stage 2.  

The fact of the matter is that I feel like I really have to sit down, read and do some research about how to properly perform the exercises in Stage 2.  However, I just feel like I have so much going on!  So, I'm hemming-and-hawing about doing the work and therefore about starting Stage 2. 

So what I've decided is to do workouts A and B once more (I did workout A this morning and I'll do workout B on Monday) and then I'll do Special Workout A on Wednesday and Special Workout B on Friday.  The following week, I'm going out of town so I will give myself a break from lifting and really exercise in general.  I definitely need the break and it'll also give me time to read about the exercises that I'll be doing in Stage 2.  I'll jump into Stage 2 on Monday, February 28.

I really wish I could recommend NROL4W flat out without reservations.  But I think if I were to tell anyone to this program, I would follow up with a recommendation that they also join JP Fitness Forums and read, read, read.  There's so much information on there that the beginner would just not know--not even from reading the book cover to cover.  I honestly feel like a lot was left out and you do have to do a lot of legwork to get the details.  I also don't think, and I'm speaking as a person with a degree in English, that it is a well-written book.  Every week or so, a newbie comes on the forums completely and utterly confused about the formats of the workouts.  The convoluted way in which the workouts are laid out is initially the reason why I hesitated to do the program.  I'm not new to lifting weights but I am new to the gym and so I felt doubly intimidated by the whole thing (no idea what I was doing in the gym and only a slight grasp on how to go about the workout).  I'm so grateful for the JP Fitness Forums but I kind of wish the book was more thorough and, basically, more plainly laid out.  It really should be very straightforward even if it adds a bit more thickness to the book.  

But I'm enjoying the program nonetheless.  Really liking it.  I feel like it's a great segue into serious weight lifting.    

I had a protein shake after today's lifting session.  [I will blog about what's in that in the near future (as well as my trepidation about protein shakes).]  I also took my iron supplement (Floradix Floravital Iron and Herbs) something that I often neglect to do.  I was feeling quite run down, sleepy and tired so I thought why not.  I'm always trying to remember to take it before a meal but I always forget.  So I just took it and it has made all the difference today.

What's Most Important?

I went to a Bikram yoga class today which I thoroughly enjoyed, as usual.  Towards the end of the class, the teacher asked a question that Bikram himself usually asks:  what is most important to you?  

My immediate, gut level response was "my body".  And what I meant by that was the strength and health of my body--not some superficial "look" but a substantive, long lasting well-being.  

Then my intellect took over and I changed my response to "my boys," meaning my sons.  

The teacher left a long pause for us to think over things and then said, "Your family? You car? Your job?  WRONG!  The health of your body because without that, you can't be of use to anyone or anything."  

My gut level response was right!  And I know it's true.  But society has conditioned mothers to believe that everything else takes precedence and is so much more important than taking care of themselves.  

I fall into that line of thinking from time to time.  I feel like I'm stealing time and attention from my kids when I go out for a run or hit the gym or go to a yoga class.  But that's simply not true.  

I'm grateful for the reminder today.  One more reason to love Bikram yoga.  

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The Stability Ball

I'm always looking for enjoyable ways to work my core/abdominal/back muscles.  

I refuse to do crunches and sit-ups anymore and the popular thinking has changed anyway: there are far better exercises than these for a firm, strong midsection.  For months, I subjected myself to the Ab Ripper X routine (part of P90X) and while I did get much stronger, I hated doing it.  

I had heard about the benefits of using a stability ball for core work but I hesitated to purchase a ball.  Already, I had lots of fitness equipment littering my small living room but I decided to get one to break up the monotony.  I first tried it using Amy Dixon's ball workout in Women's Health Total Workout in Ten.  I was thrilled with how challenging and fun it was!  So I borrowed Quick Fix Stability Ball workout from the library and I really liked that too.  (I actually need to purchase that one).  I knew the stability ball was for me.  

Imagine how thrilled I was to learn that the stability ball features in each exercise of the New Rules of Lifting for Women.  [When checking out the gym, I had to make sure they had ample supplies of stability balls (they did although the inflation of said balls is iffy).]  At the end of each workout in stage one of NROLFW (there's 2) is a stability ball exercise.  For workout A, it's prone jackknife.  For workout B, it's crunches on the ball (which are nowhere as bad as crunches on the floor but still not a favorite).  

I have been adding one more exercise on the ball to the end of each workout because I definitely want to work my core.  After two children, I have diastasis recti and there's plenty of work to do strengthen my core muscles.  To Workout A, I've been adding sets of plank on the ball (basically I just hold the plank position with my arms resting on the ball for 60-90 seconds).   To add even more challenge to Workout A, I will try doing a prone jacknife/tuck combination:


I plan to continue to do the plank on the ball.  

To Workout B, I've been adding 10 to 12 rep sets of swiss ball back extension although this video says you're not supposed to do it on days you do heavy squats.  I will look for a static core exercise to do instead (so I'm not doing the back extension, although I really like that move).  There are lots and lots of static on the ball exercises in the New Rules of Lifting for Abs (which I had to buy after destroying the library's copy--it's just as well, I would probably have bought it anyway after finishing up NROL4W).  Or, I may try side crunches on the ball since there are no warnings against doing this on heavy lifting days.  

My hope is to somehow incorporate this fun way of doing core work into some other part of my day (maybe before dinner).  This way I can get in those exercise I'm not supposed to do on heavy lifting days (like the back extension).  I want it to be a regular feature of my day.  All I really need is 10 minutes . . . but then again, I've been wanting to do 10 minutes of yoga daily and I'm still not getting it in.  

Actually, this is a good goal to work toward in 2011 . . . 20 minutes of yoga/core work/stretching outside of my morning workout time.  

It's All About the Shoes!

I've talked about how important shoes are to the sport you are playing.  It's essential equipment.

Well, it didn't even occur to me that there would be an appropriate shoe for lifting.  Apparently there is.

I'm really not the position to put out any money.  I just recently had to have my wedding ring re-sized and I will soon need to renew my gym membership.  I went all over today trying to find a good solution but it seems that I will have to fork over at least $40 for some Converse All-Stars (Chuck Taylors).  I spent the afternoon dragging the kids all over town trying to find an inexpensive options.  Apparently, Target carries One-Stars which are almost the same as All-Stars but $20 cheaper.  I saw them on the Target website but I couldn't find them in the store.  I then tried two other stores in the complex (T.J. Maxx and Famous Footwear).  Famous Footwear had a pair for $25 but they had all kinds of bright pink designs on them.  I would have taken them because of the price but they only had one register (despite having three workers in the store and only two customers) and a woman was doing a return and taking forever with her questions (that the cashier had answered already) and my son had to use the bathroom.  Since he's 5 and I had no change of clothes for him, I put the shoes down.  I wasn't thrilled with the color anyway and thought I might do okay close to home.  So we headed into town but the prices were just the same: about $40 for a pair so I couldn't buy them. Trudging through snow and freezing rain to find shoes for lifting . . . not my idea of fun.

Anyway, my sneakers (cross-trainers and running shoes) are on their last legs.  This means that I am looking at almost $200 after just six months.  (((sigh)))  I'm making them work by wearing my orthotics constantly.  But I have to be honest, I'm getting really annoyed at having to switch those things between shoes.  I get to the gym, take off my winter boots, take out the orthotic, put it in my sneaker.  And then do the reverse when it's time to go home.  Too fussy!

I'm really intrigued by the Vibram Five Fingers not just because it's all the rage right now but because they would be appropriate for running, lifting and aerobics.  And they are less than $90.  From an economic standpoint, that's great.  But I still do not want to put out $90 right now.  It seems I will have to just suck it up.  My only thing is that I'm a little nervous about them being a waste of money.  I am flat-footed and have found that the orthotics really help eliminate fatigue and ankle  pain.  I feel it's a little risk that I'm taking sinking money into these shoes.  I hope it pays off.

Callouses

Winter is brutal on my skin.  I haven't been as diligent with the cod liver oil as I could be but even when I am consistent with it, my skin is dry, ashy and cracks (though not as severely).  Especially the skin on my hands.  This is terrible especially since I also lift weights.  

I'd been reading about how it's better to lift weights without gloves because wearing gloves doesn't allow you to work on your grip strength.  But the calluses I get without gloves are serious.  Very serious.  

I mean, I'm not hung up about the look of them but the feel and sound of them?  I know I'm sensitive to the texture and sound of certain things and when I hear my hand and feelthe skin catching when running it over a piece of fabric?  It's a sensory thing that drives me batty.  

I'm going to gingerly try a pumice stone on the callouses while in the shower and see what happens.  I asked on the fitness forum I'm on what other ladies do for this kind of thing and the answers were less than helpful (along the lines of "I wear my callouses with pride!).  One person said they did use the PedEgg (which is useless on my feet but might work on my hands--where the heck is it???).  

Anyway, not a lot going on right now.  I really need winter to be over.  I've tried to be noble about it.  I've tried to stay in the moment.  But I'm totally through with winter.