Just Do It
Sometimes, I just don't want to work out.
Yeah, I know. Hard to believe. <snicker> I'm the one always singing the praises of exercise in general, and weight training in particular.
But tonight, I just didn't want to go. To the gym, that is. I had a slew of "reasons." I wanted to spend time at home with hubby, for once. I wanted to watch TV. It was too cold out. Too windy. Too dark. It wasn't my favorite gym. They don't have the machines I really like.
Whine, whine, whine.
Well, I made myself do it anyway. I asked hubby if it was OK if I didn't fix any dinner, and he said he was fine with grazing. So I heated me some greens and made some cheese 'n toast, then headed on out.
Once I got there, I changed and hit the elliptical trainer. Hmmm . . . my right knee is clicking again. Too much. It doesn't hurt, but I'm afraid that at some point, it will.
I'll tape it next time, and see if that helps any. Argh. This sure wasn't helping my mood any.
The music (iPod) got me going after a while. I have a mix mainly classic rock and disco, with some 90s and 00s thrown in, and a sprinkling of 60s. I don't have a particular mix; I just play it on shuffle and skip over songs that I'm not in the mood for. By the time 30 minutes had passed, I was feeling marginally better, and my knee was behaving itself. I moved on to weights.
It finally hit me, right in the middle of assisted pull-ups . . . I was actually enjoying myself. I think it was when I realized that I was developing considerable control over my "negative" pull-up sets. I did two sets of 6 reps, focusing on eccentric contraction only. Each time, I lowered myself very slowly, fully in control.* "Wow," I thought, "I'm actually getting somewhere . . . maybe I'll really be able to do an unassisted pull-up sometime within the next century."
Stay tuned.
So I'm home now, typing this entry, with difficulty . . . one of the hallmarks of a good workout is quivery muscles. I just finished a protein shake, and am popping some frozen grapes. No regrets, baby.
You never regret a workout. You may be glad it's over, but regret it? Naah.
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If you're a woman interested in weight training, look here first -- this site rocks:
stumptuous.com . . . women's weight training
Also of interest:
Dr. Peeke's Body for Life for Women
www.exrx.net -- weight training
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*Believe me . . . the first time I tried this, I dropped like a rock. Negative reps work because you can lower more weight than you can lift . . . and the act of lowering builds strength for lifting.
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