I love 'em. My grandaddy's favorite thing to make was hamburgers topped with fried onions. They were just the best gawdamn thing in the universe when I was a kid. I never got the hang of grits with gravy, but fried chicken, biscuits & gravy, and pork chops... mmm-MM those were good. He would often tell me that eating onions kept colds away, and I believed him. Still do, to an extent. Unfortunately, my grandaddy's cooking is probably what killed him. That, and my grandmother's toxic personality.
A couple of days ago I made an orientation appointment with the top trainer at Gold's. It was just an orientation, so I wasn't expecting much other than "these are the machines." "how much weight do you want to lose," and "this is our price list for training sessions." I didn't get any of that.
I got a pep talk, some discussion about my goals, some diet advice that I'm not entirely sure I'll take, and a one-month cardio plan. He said to me "I know you're stuck on cardio right now and it's not very productive for you. What you need is a challenge. Forget the programmes on the display for now and focus on your heart rate. Cardio is not helpful if it's not strengthening or conditioning your heart." I hadn't given it much thought, but he was right. I wasn't challenging myself adequately.
As for weight training he advised me to hold off until the month was up. One thing at a time, he said. To keep muscles awake, do simple body weight movements (push-ups, leg raises, crunches, etc) in sets of X. After the orientation he sent me a file full of stretch illustrations via email. I need to focus on those, too.
Today was the first day I tried my new cardio regimen. It was tougher than I thought it would be. I needed to maintain 70-75% of my MHR for five minutes at a time, something I couldn't easily do without running (I'm too heavy to run), meaning I relied on setting the treadmill to an incline at my regular brisk pace. It took about 45 minutes. I felt different afterward, and I don't mean "more tired!" I really hadn't been challenging myself, not even by my own definition of HIIT.
Stretch, a half-hearted attempt at calisthenics, and then a shower. I went to the grocery store and had a sandwich before attempting to shop. The stock boys flirted with me. The butcher flirted with me. A guy in the cereal aisle flirted with me. I must have been glowing, because I never get this much attention at the supermarket. It was kinda creepy.
Tonight I am going to abandon the internet and go into The Room. Garret has been fed, Grady is in his favorite spot in the closet, and I'm not in the mood for The Sims or watching TV. I hope I make something interesting in there. The Room has been calling me for a while.
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