Operation Gym Coup: Week One & Two Review

June has been flying by and I'm already two weeks into my goal of becoming one of my gym's Biggest Users. I meant to get an update out after the first week, but preparing for the MS 150 last weekend got in the way so I'm combining weeks one and two. I have to admit I was a little apprehensive about this goal just because I've had so little motivation lately; I wasn't sure I could get myself to the gym almost every. HOWEVER, it's been going great! It actually feels soooo good to be going regularly again. I'm surprised at how much I missed it without even knowing.

It's so interesting how your perspective of "the gym" is shaped. When you think of the gym, you probably have a completely different picture in mind than I do. For example, sometimes I wonder what it would be like to go to the gym every morning before work. Would I see the same people? Would I be frustrated by how busy it is or enjoy the community feel? Would the morning light coming through the windows make me somehow feel differently or change my motivation? Would the knowledge that after I'm done working out, I have to go to work alter how long I want to work out since it always seems like I want to do something as soon as I don't have time? So many things subtly impact our attitude about working out and the environments in which we exercise.

I like working out at night. Always have. There are all kinds of reasons to not work out at night but I just prefer it. It feels so good at the end of the day to just go and get your blood pumping and endorphins flowing. It helps me let go of everything from during the day. So when I think of the gym, I picture a quiet place where there are only a few people who are finishing out their day by powering through a workout. The sky is dark and you can see your reflection in the window. The equipment is all neat and clean and the storage cubbies are mostly empty. It's such a relaxing place to get into your own thoughts and drives. It's just you pushing you.

Plus, the entertainment is way better at night. One of the things that has come to be a motivator for me is being able to watch specific shows at the gym. I love Anytime Fitness because a lot of their gyms are equipped with machines that have their own personal TVs with headphone jacks. We don't have TV or cable at home (just movies and Netflix streaming) so sometimes the biggest reason I drag myself to the gym is to see What Not to Wear or the new episode of Law and Order. It's like a treat. It also helps me endure a longer workout because sometimes I really want to see the end of whatever I'm watching. There are a lot of benefits to working out without distractions and focusing on your body, but listening to music or watching something can be really effective too. I don't usually plan ahead to go just for a specific show unless it's something I really like, but here's an example of what a week's schedule might include if I did:

Monday - Pawn Stars @ 9:00 PM on the History Channel

Tuedsay - Wing it!

Wednesday - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit @ 9:00 PM on NBC

Thursday- The Daily Show with John Stewart & the Colbert Report @ 10:00 PM on Comedy Central

Friday - Say Yes to the Dress @ 9:00 PM on TLC or Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution on ABC

...not the best TV has to offer but almost anything is better than nothing. Ok. That's not true. A couple nights ago I would turn to a channel, wait for the commercial to be over to see what was actually on, discover it was something stupid, turn to the next channel, wait for more commercials and so on...the second half of my workout I watched more commercials than I did any actual show. No wonder I don't miss TV. And I still haven't gotten into watching sports while I workout. I see all kinds of people watching sports at the gym and I just don't get it. This is mostly because I HATE watching sports on TV to begin with, but what I haven't figured out is whether they watch sports because that is their program of choice and they would watch it even if they were not at the gym, or if they watch it because watching other people being physically active is motivating them to work harder on the treadmill. Can someone enlighten me on this? Nothing's worse to me than when I gotta "share" a TV with some guy who has it on basketball. Enough about TV, eh? 

Down to business. How do you think I did the first week? Take a guess. From June 1st to June 8th how many times did I go to the gym? 

Here are some pictures of my cats to give you time to make your guess. 

 

Analie misses Brandon almost as much as I do.

They look for his truck to drive up (or at the birds). 

Ana watches TV to pass the time.

Derby dreams of Stud petting her.

Ok. Do you have you guess?

If you guessed THREE...

you were so wrong. And thanks for the lack of confidence. Sheesh.

If you guess SEVEN...

you were also wrong, but I appreciate your support!!

I went SIX times. Yay!

Here's a screen shot from my profile on Anytime Health so you know it's true. 

I was feeling pretty good after the first week. My plans for the second week got a little interrupted by the MS 150, but, hey, I rode 150 miles in two days! So I think I'm still on track. If you want to see how I got involved with the MS 150, check out this page. I didn't work out the Thursday or Friday before the weekend of the ride. I intended to Thursday but there was so much to get done and the day just got away from me and Friday I knew ahead of time was going to be a non-gym day. I'm eager to post about my experience with the MS 150 this year but for the purpose of this review I'll just say that it was a fabulous 75 miles on Saturday and a PAINFUL 75 miles on Sunday.

I actually made it back into the gym right away on Monday. I was pretty sore and a little stiff still so I went early enough in the evening to walk the 15-20 minutes to the gym instead of driving and spent my time there just stretching and doing some upper body weights. I also swiped my card an extra time to count one of the days that I rode last weekend and I'll swipe an extra time again to count the second day. I am totally giving myself "gym" credit for those two days. Total time on the bike was 5 hours on the first day and 6 hours on the second day...just a tad more than I usually spend in the gym on a normal day. Ha!

This week has gotten off to a slow start. Since Monday I haven't been to the gym. Two days off in a row doesn't seem to bad but I get kick it up a notch to achieve my goal. It's not really that I don't want to go to the gym...although I think the long weekend zapped some of my energy. It's scrapbooking. Yep. Scrapbooking is thwarting my goal. I decided that I want to make a scrapbook for biking and the MS 150 so I got a bunch of supplies and once I get going I just don't want to stop. It's hard when I'm all settled in in the evening working on a project to get changed and go out to the gym. But tonight I gottta go. I'm gonna be out of town again this weekend so I really can't afford to take any more days off just because I don't feel like it. Wish me luck because I'm starting to feel a little discouraged. I'm still confident that I will achieve my goal but I'm just dragging a little. Stud and I haven't had a decent conversation in what feels like forever and I'm so ready for him to be home.

Here's a glimpse at probably the most relaxing part of last weekend: all of the tents set up as the sun went down on the first day...