(no subject)
Ohhhhh my arms. I may or may not be completely unable to move tomorrow.
Why? Because my lazy butt was finally brave enough to try weight lifting at the gym tonight (With the encouragement of Jess and April - thank goodness for having some friends at the gym for once! It's 85 million times better than going by myself.) We had gone together so that they could check out my usual Zumba class and then maybe do some other stuff too. Jess didn't make it very far into Zumba because it was too much impact on her injured knee but April and I stuck it out for about 45 minutes of the 80 minute class before going to join Jess for some weight lifting. I have to say, those machines are the most intimidating thing at the gym for me. I'm totally unafraid to try out a new class, to swim a zillion laps, hell, even to run around the tiny track. But the weight machines? No way. Not by myself. Though now I think I might be able to do them on my own next time I go back. Assuming, of course, that I can ever move my arms again. I swear, on the way home from the gym, I could feel the resistance in the steering wheel. Yeah. I am so doomed. But in the good way.
I'm excited for new fitness things this year. Besides the weight lifting, I bought a kettlebell DVD and have Jess's old 10LB kettlebell on more or less permanent loan until I can move up to a heavier weight. I decided I really need to add some strength training, since I'm doing cardio roughly 3-4 times a week and yoga once. I wish there was more yoga in there, but I just am out of time to do it. So the kettlebell is for at home, which is good because I just can't do the 5am gym thing. I tried and it's not good for me. I do way better with a 7am workout on my late work days (Tuesday and Wednesday) and an evening workout on Monday. So this way I can do stuff at home on Fridays for sure and maybe Wednesdays too.
But the thing I'm really excited about for this year - barefoot running! I have been wanting to try it out since I read Born To Run last year. I've read more about it since then and finally decided that a good thing to do with some of my Christmas money would be to buy a pair of Vibram Five Fingers, so I did! I got the KSOs and I am totally in love with them already. Basically, they're 3.5mm performance rubber soles attached to a breathable, flexible mesh upper. So you protect the bottoms of your feet from rocks and glass while running, but you are basically running barefoot. I've heard there's an adjustment period for them, but I feel completely at ease with them on. Not awkward at all. And running in them feels like the most natural motion in the world. I'd already been trying to train myself to run on the front half of my foot instead of being lazy and landing on my heel (which is so bad for your knees), which I think helped. And maybe my feet are stronger barefoot than most people's from yoga or something. I don't know what it was exactly. But the shoes feel awesome, and I can't wait to up my running distance in them and see if it solves some of my knee issues.
It's pretty awesome to have new fitness stuff to get excited about. :D
Why? Because my lazy butt was finally brave enough to try weight lifting at the gym tonight (With the encouragement of Jess and April - thank goodness for having some friends at the gym for once! It's 85 million times better than going by myself.) We had gone together so that they could check out my usual Zumba class and then maybe do some other stuff too. Jess didn't make it very far into Zumba because it was too much impact on her injured knee but April and I stuck it out for about 45 minutes of the 80 minute class before going to join Jess for some weight lifting. I have to say, those machines are the most intimidating thing at the gym for me. I'm totally unafraid to try out a new class, to swim a zillion laps, hell, even to run around the tiny track. But the weight machines? No way. Not by myself. Though now I think I might be able to do them on my own next time I go back. Assuming, of course, that I can ever move my arms again. I swear, on the way home from the gym, I could feel the resistance in the steering wheel. Yeah. I am so doomed. But in the good way.
I'm excited for new fitness things this year. Besides the weight lifting, I bought a kettlebell DVD and have Jess's old 10LB kettlebell on more or less permanent loan until I can move up to a heavier weight. I decided I really need to add some strength training, since I'm doing cardio roughly 3-4 times a week and yoga once. I wish there was more yoga in there, but I just am out of time to do it. So the kettlebell is for at home, which is good because I just can't do the 5am gym thing. I tried and it's not good for me. I do way better with a 7am workout on my late work days (Tuesday and Wednesday) and an evening workout on Monday. So this way I can do stuff at home on Fridays for sure and maybe Wednesdays too.
But the thing I'm really excited about for this year - barefoot running! I have been wanting to try it out since I read Born To Run last year. I've read more about it since then and finally decided that a good thing to do with some of my Christmas money would be to buy a pair of Vibram Five Fingers, so I did! I got the KSOs and I am totally in love with them already. Basically, they're 3.5mm performance rubber soles attached to a breathable, flexible mesh upper. So you protect the bottoms of your feet from rocks and glass while running, but you are basically running barefoot. I've heard there's an adjustment period for them, but I feel completely at ease with them on. Not awkward at all. And running in them feels like the most natural motion in the world. I'd already been trying to train myself to run on the front half of my foot instead of being lazy and landing on my heel (which is so bad for your knees), which I think helped. And maybe my feet are stronger barefoot than most people's from yoga or something. I don't know what it was exactly. But the shoes feel awesome, and I can't wait to up my running distance in them and see if it solves some of my knee issues.
It's pretty awesome to have new fitness stuff to get excited about. :D