Digging out

So, after I shared the link to the last post with my friends there was much discussion about crotch sweat which, really, just made me love my friends more. Who doesn’t want friends that can talk to  you about crotch sweat? Nobody, that’s who.

Tuesday I took my backpack to the gym as requested and I looked a lot like this:

He checked it all out and then he put 15 lbs in it and then I put it on and then off we went to do my warm ups on the treadmill with a nice high incline and then my shoulder warmups. All with the weighted down backpack.

At one point during me doing the shoulder warmups I was doing the motion called the cradle and he said I wasn’t rocking it properly and it sounded like he said robbing the cradle and then I was all “oh, I rob the cradle just fine!” and that was silly.

Then we proceeded to make me sweat a whole lot while I did lunges and squats and steps all with this backpack on my back. It was, actually, such a great idea and we’re going to do this from time to time.

So I did three sets of 20 with each leg of step up on the black level 2 step. With the backpack on.

Then I did three sets of 15 of me squat sitting on this large tire that other people flip over and over and over. I like that I get to use it to sit down. But squat sitting and standing while wearing 20lbs on your back over and over winds up being a big old woah.

Then I did two sets of walking lunges because I was doing them wrong and then we couldn’t really get me to do them totally right. We worked on that. The backpack was throwing off my form. He had me stand super close to the wall with my face really close to work on the proper way to squat for a lunge and it was ridiculous and I was all “hey, wall. how you doin’? and then asked how old the wall was and it was a laugh and then I managed to get a few lunges done properly and we’ll just keep working on that on the nights I bring in my pack.

Finally I get to take off the pack and I’m a sweaty mess and there’s sweat marks on the handles and oh lord this is all just sweaty.

But my workout was not done. Oh, no. With tired legs and shoulders I had to do three sets of 15 squat and presses with an 8lb weight. Oof.

And? I had to balance on the bosu ball and do three sets of 15 chest presses with the 8lb weight. Then finish that off with three sets of 15 crunches on the bosu ball.

I was exhausted! But it was good.

Wednesday I woke up and felt sore in places that one would feel sore in after backpacking so that was good.

One of my co-workers received two cases of blueberries from a client on Wednesday and he shared with most of the office. All day long you’d walk around the office and people would just be chowing down on blueberries. It was kind of adorable.

I did my water aerobics Wednesday night and swept the walls of the pool. Go me, right?

Thursday I reached the bottom of my slump and found myself crying at my desk for the most ridiculous reason ever. But that’s kinda what happens when one is in the down turn of an anxiety/depression cycle, yes? Yes. Let’s not dwell on that.

Thursday I went to the gym as scheduled and my friend, Liatt, was there. We chatted for a bit and then Tyler found me and then off I went to work out. Warm up on the treadmill. Warm up the shoulders.

Backing up a wee bit, I sent Tyler the hiking exercise article that Jeff had sent me and he reviewed it and said it was awesome and he texted me to tell me it was awesome and that he’d pulled some of them out for our Thursday session!

So, he pulls out the step and shows me what I’m going to be doing.

On the first one you stand on the step and then hold one foot over the edge and then squat down with the leg on the step until the heel of the dangly foot touches the ground and then back up. Repeat ten times for each leg. First set was without a weight, the second two sets was with an 8lb weight.

The next move was the elevated lunge. One leg is up on the step and the other one is back and you’re on the toes and then you lunge. The thighs, they burned! 3 sets of 10 on each leg. Two sets with the 8lbs weight. He could tell when the thighs would start to burn as I’d make a face.

Third move was the backwards step up. Which is really exactly what it sounds like. Stand with your back towards the step then step up and then back down. Three sets of ten on each leg, two sets with the 8lb weight.

Last move was the calf raises. I stood on the step with my heels hanging off and then I did three sets of fifteen calf raises.

After I did all of that I totally felt like I’d been hiking, not working out. It was that type of tired and sore. He wants me to do these moves at my house utilizing the ledge around the pool. Do these moves, then water aerobics. I can do that.

But the Thursday fun wasn’t over! Oh, no!

I had to do these quick step things. Straddle the step with your legs then step with one foot, then the other, then down, then down, and repeat. And when I get into the rhythm of it I find that my arms are doing a dancey jazzy motion. I don’t know, man. It helps. But people kept walking past and I felt like they were in my personal space and I lost my rhythm. My quick steps are not so quick, y’all. It’ll get better. I did two sets of twenty with each leg on that one.

Then he made me squat sit all the way down onto the step and then stand right back up. Holy shit balls. The first time I’d use my arms like some old man sitting in his recliner. The second set I tried to just do it without the dramatic flailing. It worked pretty good.

After that he said that we were going to have some fun but first he wanted to see me do a plank for as long as I could. I had no idea how long I could hold a plank. Seems I could hold one for 50 seconds and then another for 54. Go me! He showed me the proper position for my arms and that made all the difference in the world.

Now? Time for the fun!

Slam the 10lb medicine ball down five times then take off running to the other end of the track and back and then slam the medicine ball again five times and then run again! And I did it and I didn’t feel like dying! Wooooo!

Then we kinda talked about how shitty I’d been eating this week and I explained it was because I couldn’t drag my ass to the store and I made weird decisions when I did cook and blah blah I’ll do better.

Friday I did nothing in the form of exercise. I was tired and sore, man.

Today, however, I woke up and did my morning housey stuff then I went to the gym. All on my own. Without a session with Tyler. Just me and the gym. I walked on the treadmill for an hour at varying speeds and inclines for a bit over 3 miles.

When I stopped my legs were toast and my knees hurt. But dammit, I did it. I got some cardio in there and I suspect I’m going to make this part of my schedule.

Then I went to the store and stocked up on good, healthy foods.

I spent a good deal of time in the kitchen cleaning and cutting and storing food. But that’s good!

I also did one set of my water aerobics before determining that the morning session at the gym had just wiped me out for good. So I was in the pool maybe ten minutes.

I feel like my mood is stabilizing and I’m less all over the place. Which is good.

I’ve noticed that now that I have my glasses for use in front of the computer that I am not as tired as I used to be. I guess all of that eye strain was bad for me in lots of ways. Who knew?!

I’m really trying to be a healthier me here. In all the ways.