Days 209 & 210: Foam Rolling Enemy

Day 209:  Yesterday I went to checkout Powerhouse Gym to see if I could finally commit to a gym membership.  It’s exactly T minus 100 days until the wedding and my bridal guns could use a consistent weight lifting routine.  I ran for 30 minutes on the treadmill and then did 15 minutes on a machine called the Summit Trainer.  Has anyone heard of this?  I thought it was an elliptical machine when I got on, but my strangely moving body did not want to quickly get off and embarrass my less than knowledgeable gym-rat self.  The machine was a hybrid between a stair-stepper, elliptical and the devil.  I sweat more during those 15 minutes than I have in a hot yoga class.  There was a pool underneath me and the elevated machine made me feel as though all the regular gym goers were laughing at my man-made lake.

After I collected my wits off the floor, I headed over to the free-weight area and lifted for thirty minutes (still sweating through everything I had on).  Finally, I finished up with some foam rolling and abdominal action in an empty workout room in the back of the gym.  The ab workout was nothing special.  The foam roller, was a different story.  If you do not know what a foam roller is, then I highly recommend asking a trainer at your gym to show you how to use it.  Here http://www.strengthcoach.com/public/1303.cfm

It’s primary use is to use your body-weight to massage out any pain in tender/sore muscles.  My orthopedic surgeon brother recommended I start using one on a regular basis (again).  I have not used one in almost three years and OH.MY.GOSH did it hurt.  I winced in pain as I slowly rolled the foam down my IT band on the left leg and then the right leg.  Holy cow.  I don’t get why it helps just yet, but I’ll keep you updated on the progress of my IT band if I continue to use it.

Day 210:  Today Mike and I rode our bikes to REI to gawk at the expensive camping gear and then biked our happy selves back home.  The 45 minute ride was enough to make me sweat there and back while spending some much-needed time with my man.

Days 143-145: Back On The Bike

Day 143:  On Friday evening I got off of work and headed straight to Core Power Yoga for a good ol’ fashioned kick my butt, sweat buckets, yoga session.  And that it did.  By the end of the class I had done four crows, five headstands and barely had enough energy in me to wash the sweat out of my hair afterwards.  The sickness is completely gone and the sweaty Betsy is back.  Hallelujah!

Day 144:  On Saturday morning I wanted to have a lazy morning with my fiance more than anything in the world, so we did; and it included coffee, coffee talk and lots of laughing.  Ahh, the blissfulness of young love.

Unfortunately the young love keeps me by his side more than it makes me want to run to the gym.  Since I chose our morning together, I had to find a way to workin my sweat sesh.  I had to work the next eight hours of the day and decided to go for a run on my break.  It was a balmy 32 degrees and I ran for 25 minutes in whatever direction the sun was shining.  Although it wasn’t ideal, it did make me realize that a run during a work day is way better than a cup of coffee or gummy bears to give me a jolt.

Day 145: Today was 65, sunny and everything that a person coming out of winter dreams of.  Mike and I strapped on our biking shoes and hopped on our bikes.  We rode our bikes along the Cherry Creek Trail to REI to stock up on biking goods, then up to the highlands to say hello to a friend and then back home.  We went about hour and I decided that no matter how short my rides are from here on out, I will ALWAYS wear padded shorts.  I swear that they are a better invention than the bike.  I think that my bruised bum and thighs would strongly agree to that too!