More about Exercise

Sep 12, 2013

I'm pretty sure people on the RNY forum are sick to death of me talking about working out with Mark.  I've been posting a lot, primarily to help me work though some things in my head.  But enough is enough.  Time to take it to my blog.

I've exercised before, sometimes with success.  But working out with a trainer is a whole new ballgame.  Mark has me doing things I've never done before and is pushing me further than I've ever pushed myself.  I'm learning things as we go along, about fitness and myself.  It's fascinating.

On Tuesday of this week, we began trying something new--circuit training.  I wrote about the first session on the forum.  Mark pushed me a little too hard that night, I think.  My heartbeat was up over 170 (which, according to this, is dangerous, given my weight and age) and emotionally, I just felt battered.  It brought me to tears.

Last night's workout was far more comfortable.  We still did the circuit, but there weren't as many exercises strung one right after the other.  We did more what Mark referred to as "super sets," pairs of two with a break in between.  So I would do four sets of 20 press-ups followed by 20 medicine ball slams, and then we'd grab a drink of water before moving to the next set.  That felt more manageable.  I was still dripping sweat, but it didn't feel tortuous.

I asked Mark what his reasoning was by changing up what we've been doing.  He said he's trying to keep my heart rate elevated throughout the workout.  I'll burn more fat that way and the "burn" will continue for 24 to 48 hours after the workout ends.

He may be on to something.  As reported on the forum, I've lost three lbs. this week, which hadn't happened for about six or seven weeks.  When I woke up this morning, I'd noticed I'd dropped still another .4 lbs. overnight (when I record weight loss, I just round to the nearest pound--I don't have the patience to deal in decimals), so it's conceivable I could lose a fourth pound by tomorrow (my week runs Sunday through Saturday).  That would be amazing.  I'd like to be down to 155 (10 pounds away) by the time I go on vacation, which is four weeks from tomorrow.

In other news, I held a plank last night for 2 minutes, 11 seconds.

I rock. 

4 Comments