Protein Shakes

I am a renewed believer in the power of a protein shake. Mike made up a shake for me yesterday. He's far more patient than I and took the time to stir it until it was smooth and creamy. Not quite mmm-mmm good but much better than anything I came up with.

By evening I was no longer wincing with every movement. Today, I had another shake and there's a minor ache but it's still much improved. No more Advil!

Summary:
Saturday - 20 minutes on the strider followed by lunges (20) and squats (10).
Sunday - 20 minutes on the eliptical on interval mode.

30 Minutes on the Glider

After strength training yesterday I wasn't quite up to the spinning class again so I hit the glider for 30 minutes followed by the stretching machine to help limber up my oh so sore muscles.

My surprise for the day? Michael got up with me and he did his exercise DVD while I was at the gym! It was a wonderful treat :-)

Ouch

I fell out of bed this morning at 5:30 for a 6:00 Power Flex class. Big plastic blue balls, weights, mats, push-ups, crunches, squats, lunges and presses. One hour later all I can say is, "ouch" and it's a great class! The other participants were very supportive.

New Respect for Spinning

Well I have completed my first spinning class...whew! You go up hills, you go down hills, you jump, you coast and you sweat...ALOT.

This was both an exercise for my physical muscles and my emotional ones. I don't like being behind, I like to excel. As the only first timer in this class I had to be okay with a step behind, taking it easier.

I choked up a few times and caught the "loser" thoughts running through my mind. I did my best to stop them and replace them with "winner" thoughts such as "It takes courage and you're here". The tears would abate, thank goodness the lights were dim, as the instructor came over to check on me.

My right calf cramped up for the last 15 minutes so I need to find a better electrolyte balance. The instructor recommended half Gatorade, half water. We'll give it a shot.

Spectacular Failure

Well, I guess if you're going to fail, you might as well do it spectacularly. It just leaves more room for improvement, right?

That's what I'm telling myself anyway. I just met with my personal trainer, Michelle and completed a fitness evaluation. "Well Below Average" sums it up. What a way to start the morning, eh?

Anyway, I post this so that you can help keep me on track. Tonight I'm going for a spinning orientation class and my plan is to follow it with the group classes each morning, capped with a post so that you can help keep me accountable.

I don't EVER want to fail this test again :-) I have a follow-up evaluation in a month, I'm not going to post my scores, I must spare some dignity, but I'll let you know my improvement percentage.

Summer Fun

Would you believe it's been in the 80's the past few days? The grass is growing, the lilacs are blooming and the cala lilies are growing tall.

Today, I pulled up to a stoplight and next to me was a powder blue PT Cruiser convertible. Two men sat in front and two women in the back, fully decked out it summer clothing, snowy white hair tossed by the breeze. I looked over and the driver gave me a great big smile and tipped his hat while the ladies waved before zipping off at the green light.