The fabled horrible storm promised to hit us like a monsoon this Friday turned out to be rain. Not a particularly heavy one. We are all very grateful as nobody wants flooding.
The AC has been fixed and the house is a balmy 70 degrees. 🙂 The doors will be delivered shortly, which means we will have to break down the pallet and haul 250 lb doors to the garage one at a time. Should be interesting. I can put all these mornings of lifting weights at the gym to a test.
I’m, apparently, one of those people who start feeling sore shortly after the workout and then continue to be sore for about 48 hours. I go to the gym three times a week, which means I am continuously sore. I’ve been going for about 2 months, and I don’t remember not being sore. I took Tylenol today before the workout.
Also, this seems very appropriate.
So far I have developed an ability to endless numbers of squats. Squats holding a weight. Squats holding a bar. Squats half-way. Squats and holds. More squats.
Have I mentioned squats? 🙂
I do enjoy getting stronger, but sometimes it’s really hard to make myself go.
Expecting Snow, Yay!!!, Rain and Freezing rain tonight boo! As for exercised, I did it once. It was the worst 30 seconds of my life.
Yep, I’ve been doing the same hitting the gym for a little over a month and I have learned to not expect any change until after three months. It’s annoying. But round is not my favorite shape, so I’ll keep at it. Our big rain was on Thursday, other than dumb drivers it wasn’t bad either since we really needed it here in California.
Who the heck is your trainer? And what’s up with all the squats? You will get tight quads, hamstrings and butt, but also get larger, bigger muscles in your quads and butt due to your particular body shape. You need long, lean, strong muscles. I have taught fitness for 35 years. It should be fun, not torture day after day.
And tylenol is not helping, you wont fell the pain and will do worse for your muscles.
Hey, where I’m from we call those particular large muscle “wushu butt” and it’s a badge of honor!
Taking magnesium supplements may well help with the post-workout pain issue. I call them my miracle pills.
I am mich the same as you with regard to the gym!!! My fiance (yes, I finally got a ring on it) keeps saying you can’t outrun a bad diet (not a judgement on you, related to me) now that i have changed my diet (and i am tired and sad all the time) the weight is falling off. It had been 2 years at the gym and in the least 8 weeks with adding the sad diet (all joy isn’t allowed) i have lost 10 pounds (i think that is the equivalent…..5kgs) not sure it is worth it….. good luck!!
Love the dna quote.had me laughing .thanks for the cheer.
I’m a full-time writer and I used to be a pro dancer, so I have a lot of thoughts about this. The problem with being a writer is that your life is pretty much purely sedentary until you go out into the world, at which point you go on stage and everyone is looking at you. One of my best friends is still a pro dancer and because dancers work their bodies so hard, they are very protective of being injured so there are very few machines/classes she will do. There is none of that jogging, rowing, climbing mountains stuff.
After much trial and error, this is what works for me. It is very hard to lose weight just by working out because indeed, muscle is heavier than fat and it is also HARD to burn enough calories to lose a lot of weight. But you still need to work out because of health and heart reasons and I find that when I first start working out again, I’ll gain some weight because of muscles but actually shrink in measurements. I did the gym thing for years and just couldn’t keep it up. I’d have writing deadlines and the whole system would blow up. I hate being outside too.
So I bought a very good Life Fitness elliptical cross trainer at home. I have the E1. It’s one of two machines that my dancer friend would use – the other one is the stationary bike. The Life Fitness has a very natural, comfortable stride and you won’t get injured. I put on great music, I put my iPad on it with a fun book, and I tell myself I only have to go for one minute. Yep, one minute every day. There’s a great book called Mini Habits by Stephen Guise. Overcoming that initial resistance is huge for me and once I’m on it, I’m often on it for 30 – 40 minutes but 1 minute is my daily minimum, and sometimes, it is only 1 minute. But this has radically changed my working out habits.
The other part of the losing weight thing is the diet. I can’t diet. It makes me too depressed and I love my family and kids and I love having great food together. But if you don’t diet, even with working out, you won’t lose the weight. So like someone else wrote, intermittent fasting really works for me. The basic principle is that you are completely free for some period of time and then you make up for it on another day or another period of time. So for example, you could have a feast day and then 2-3 fast days a week, non-consecutive, where you eat about 500 calories per day. Another version, which I’m doing now, is on most days to restrict the times in which you eat – basically, I skip a meal a day although I eat a lot during the other meals. Not every day but usually my work days when I’m mostly alone. Works great. I’m often feeling guilty after eating tons anyway so it’s good to make it up.
The other thing is, there is no weight loss without hunger. That’s just the truth. If you eat whenever you feel hunger, there will be no weight loss. But there doesn’t need to be constant hunger, just hunger sometimes on some days, which tells you that your body is burning the fat stores off and making you healthier. The rest of the time, you can totally eat when you feel hungry. And during the hungry moments you need to endure, you can daydream about the awesome pasta you’ll eat in the morning. Going to bed early at those moments helps.
One last silly thing which helped me – I tell myself, “I get to relax on the elliptical” instead of “have to”. Makes me less resistant. And the machine is right in my lovely, warm house, so my resistance is much less. One minute. I also have my sneakers right there, my headphones, a Sonos box, a fan, etc. – all of those tiny things that can derail my workout, I ease in advance.
I feel much more relaxed when I’m exercising, I’m healthier and less stressed, I have more energy and I lose weight when I combine it with intermittent fasting. And IF is really flexible, so right now, there are more feast days and fewer fast ones, but that’s okay, that all fits in the system. In the long run, it works like a charm. Good luck!
I’m doing OMAD- one meal a day very day and alternate it with fasting days (randomly, so my body doesn’t pick up on a pattern). I don’t count calories on my one meal, but limit myself to one course on one plate, half veg/half meat, so realistically it can’t be more than 1500 calories max.
Still waiting for any weight loss… But I will say this, it is easy to do. I really don’t suffer from hunger as much as I thought I would.
I’ve just started a month long challenge, and while the encouragement from other participants online is great, it doesn’t help the sore muscles much. (I modify everything to avoid injury) To offset the soreness I take magnesium at night, and rub a magnesium oil over the sore spots. (If you have a cut or rash it burns like hellfire-be careful if you decide to try it.)
My goal is gaining strength, so I go slow to avoid injuries. I’m glad you’re able to get to the gym. It’s nice to work out with equipment you don’t have to cart around. (I use free weights and resistance bands–can’t get to a gym)
Hope the doors go in without problems, and life evens out. Hang in there.
As someone with limited mobility I have had problems with finding a long term solution for exercise. I have managed to both lose weight and keep going with chair based exercise. The stretching before and after is vital so that I don’t increase my pain levels. I find that other people’s support helps, as does not weighing myself!
Good luck with finding something that suits you long term.
lmao @ your snippet from Jamie. I too have been battling genetics for about 20 years. Combatting the memory I have of my plump, soft, sweet smelling grandmother and the amazon that is espoused now. I wonder how my grandchildren will dissolve into my hugs, the way I used to with her. That being said, my NEW doctor, gave me the name of several personal trainers who balance nutrition/training…. and are ok with being hated from time to time. Good luck to us all
Thank you so much for this posting! Many of your postings, which make me laugh, get me going in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings.
Glad the bad storm turned out not so bad. Been freezing and snowing here in the north since October. Went from summer straight into winter. Be careful with those doors!
I didn’t start losing weight until I cut carbs. Going to the gym meant gaining muscle under my fat, making me look even bigger than I was. I worked out all of one spring/summer a few years ago, gained 20 pounds and went up a size. It was so depressing. Last year I started tracking carbs and cut them to under 50 grams most days with a few under 100 days thrown in. Lost ten pounds and two sizes without doing a bit of exercise. Then I cut caffeine. Who knew drinking coffee could impede losing weight? This summer I started swimming in cold lake water, helped even more. And I mean lazy swimming. No top lap times for me lol. Mostly I do body weight exercises, since I can do those anywhere. I can’t stand going to a gym, the ones where I live are so gross. Next year I hope to get my attic finished, and then I can get a new set up in there, maybe get some kettle bells.
Taking NSAIDs can inhibit muscle gain. Try epsom salt baths or magnesium oil sprays. Magnesium is essential for muscle repair, and most people don’t get enough through their diet. Also helps your sleep.
Good luck!
Glad to hear that there wasn’t a flood and that the doors are coming!
I and people I know use magnesium to alleviate soreness, whether as an epsom salt bath or as magnesium oil. Just passing that along in case you find it helpful. 🙂
The DNA comment had me laughing out loud, I can relate so much. My DNA still thinks that I’m a Dutch farm wife. “Sturdy” is what my Dad says. Thanks Dad.
I Will out last those murderous … huffn puffers
Ahhh thank you for that
You’ve done it! Congratulations, it is hard to do a squat. To balance, maintain stance, lower, raise, & repeat for sets! You attacked what you wanted to change the most AND have trained that beast to your command.
Time to move to your next Target. If you stick with 3X a week squats drop to 1 day and your new spot is 2 day.
My beasts are arm shoulders & back (2) inner thighs (1)
I stopped the squat routine, they are the size & shape. Exercising thighswith leg lifts keeps & tones. Alternate days M W F. for exercise, the other days l walk, on 1 of those days l try to walk same distance in half the time.
I really like my half time days! don’t know why l get a rush from walking (correctly, body centered, breathing right) & knocking even 2 minutes off my time☺
Exercise for me, is about tone. I like to be firm (not hard). My house to favorite market (rndtp) 1 and a quarter mile reusable shopping bags (10lbs ea) Walk home back straight shoulder back centered over hips, full step heel toe hips over ankle. When l feel cocky a couple of arm lifts. When l get home ? ?
Enjoy your commitment to you
Thank you, Ilona Andrews for the chuckle. I had to deal with Mother yesterday so I was totally stressed out when I got home last night to my dependants who were convinced they had been abandoned since I had left 12 hours before. No Innkeeper segment to read aloud to pup so puppy was really sure he was abandoned. So we started the edge series today. Smile.
I am in the 10 to 16 inch snow accumulation for tonight, tomorrow and Monday. Glad to know storm was okay there. It will be interesting to see how Mr I Might Melt because it is raining deals with snow. Remember this is pup who willingly jumps in pond, creek, mud…. tows you thru pea soup dense fog …..but refuses to leave porch if it is raining. My sib who asked me to train the pup gets upset when i wonder about him being from a puppy mill. Then there is the small matter of 3 months is now over 6. So i just regard that as a neurosis.
That is what I told myself when he cleared all the nearby fuel pumps at the gas station this week while I was inside dealing with attendant. You know, that pump on the other side of building is better and that’s why all those cars are over there and these 7 pumps are empty. Also that was someone else’s car horn blowing while i was in building. Grin.
Thanks for ha ha. I personally use magnesium for sore muscles. Tylenol and Ibuprofen are not helpful for me. Gym time is important for good health be it go to gym or workout at home. For me interval training works best because I am the farmers daughter and why I got stuck with the energetic maniac puppy (I have lots of acres and I am rural rural). He enjoys your work as do i.
I laughed so hard. I feel like an european peasant myself, only difference is I have to motivate myself to start exercising after a 3 year hiatus…. not really looking forward to it but it’s just one of those things that needs to be done.
Good luck with the soreness and the weights from a (soon to be) fellow sufferer.
It was Friday. Now it’s Saturday. Suffering from Innkeeper withdrawal.
Try increasing your protein, especially after your workout. Protein helps your muscles recover and heal. The soreness does mean you’re progressively loading though and that means you’re building every time. As you build, you’ll change your body composition to having less fat and your muscles burn more calories all day. Losing 125 pounds took me a few years and at times was very frustrating. Exercise is tots awesome but it’s the damn foods that really bring the loss in. Why foods? Why?! I love cake. It’s my favorite food. The eating was a struggle. Yay for you keeping on it. Make that gym your B.
Ahhh, another easy keeper! Personally, I really have to watch the sugar and carbs. While I worked and walked around four hours every night I dropped 15 to 20 pounds down a full pants size.(I called that job my getting paid to exercise program.) When I stood and cashiered those hours I gained it back. I am a stress eater, all my hobbies are sedentary, and job issues do not help at all. I’ve got some exercise DVDs to use if I can ever get the player hooked up to this Roku tv. Who knew I’d need an IT degree to exercise at home! I know it will come off again, I just need to get out and move. Now that I’m home during the day I can get out and walk. Maybe I’ll borrow the neighbors dog and do something useful at the same time. She broke both legs the last of July and is still non-weight bearing. I’ll keep my nuisance problems!
When I worked out regularly, I was never not sore. Everyone said it would get better eventually, and even after two years, I was always in pain. You are literally the only other person who has mentioned the same experience.
Catching up on my reading here. 1. Happy to know your new rings are on the way. Didn’t locate the originals yet, but don’t worry, they will surprise you one day. 2. 250 pound doors? Did you buy solid steel? 3. Squats are not good for your knees. My knees no longer squat because they seem to lock and crawling at my age is just bad. 4. Plump is ok, our peasantry background will keep us in good stead when all the skinny, in shape people are taken by aliens. Those probes don’t care for plump. 5. Unicorn Lane is ever changing, beauty or dregs, your view can change the moment you walk around a pile of bones. Just watch all around, one day it will spit peach trees at everyone. Merry Christmas
You know, when I saw that photo from a few weeks ago (it had the new floor photo too), I looked the girl (?) (and yes, my brain identified it just like that, girl, age unknown, correct term later), I wondered if that was you or your daughter.
Then I didn’t say anything because.. commenting on weight and body has so much scope for cutting a person to the quick. And it had looked like you had really looked (tightened? toned? What is it called when your scale may not change but you look dramatically more svelte and sleek?) different.
I started the gym a couple months ago too. I’m always sore. I hate sundays because I won’t work out (gym closed), and so on monday, I’m stiff AND sore, and I’m not motivated enough to do some stretches at home. It’s a struggle. My husband says that it gets better. I frankly don’t believe him, even though I think that he’s being honest (aka, it won’t get better for *me*. I have to work through about 30 years of no-work, after all). Indian women balloon after marriage. I gained 40% of my original weight. I’ve written off weight LOSS as a lost cause, but some motivation is the hope that maybe I can do something about all the fat tires. But the bulk of the motivation comes from my slightly higher energy levels and slightly more chirpy mood (and it’s SAD season), the fact that my gym is expensive and I am by god going to get my money’s worth, and that the people whom I have this class with (the whole gym is just a bunch of bootcamp classes, so there is no solo-gyming) will ask me what went wrong if I go missing.
All of which is a long-winded story to say: you’re not alone. Hang in there, Ilona!
Losing weight is really about the calories we consume. Exercise helps balance that # out, basically, plus it’s great for fitness.
I love strength workouts so much! And even if you don’t lose weight via the scale #, I bet you’re body recomping and losing the inches – so don’t get discouraged. I mean, when it comes down to it, inches matter more than the number on the scale. 😀
As for soreness, that’s odd that after 2 months you’re still experiencing major DOMS. If you’re still looking for suggestions, here are 4:
1 – Have you tried adding in yoga on off days? I love Yoga by Adrienne and it’s free on youtube so double bonus there.
2 – Foam rolling helps a lot. Once you get the hang of the basic ones, you could try out the ones with the bumps.
3 – Doing a few bodyweight exercises that are similar to the workout you just did (i.e. bodyweight squats) can get blood flowing in those areas and help your muscles heal a bit faster.
And last 4 – Creatine. Usually touted for promoting improvements in lifting, it is also suggested for decreasing DOMS (which from my own personal experience – works). You can do unflavored and add it in with a protein shake or flavored if you want to take it separately. I tend towards fruit punch flavors myself 😀
Yes. DNA me too. Ketogenic diet, fasting twice a week, Atkins. I lose a couple lbs. but that’s it. I have watched Michael Moseley on PBS. I guess sprints are the way to go but the bone spur in my heel makes that problematic.
If you are tired of the gym look into a vibration exercise machine. My mom has one and it is has great health benefits. Only takes ten minutes too.