You. Better. Work.

Mad props if you can identify the song and artist. 🙂

I’ve been really focusing in this week on eating better and exercising.  More specifically, eating gluten free again and trying to develop an exercise routine that I can do when I’m feeling good and when I’m not feeling so good.

I’ve been to the gym every night this week (I know…I keep waiting for the walls of the YMCA to collapse inward at the shock).   Sunday afternoon, I did a good 45 minutes on the elliptical.  I continue to kick myself for not inventing and patenting the concept of mounting a television on a piece of workout equipment. 45 minutes of cardio FLIES when you have Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom in front of you.

Feeling motivated still on Monday but with a sore left ankle and knee, I decided to swim laps. Let me back up a bit to tell you that part of what I’ve struggled with is that I am super competitive and that I don’t consider a workout to be a workout if there is no burn.  Admittedly, I tried water aerobics several years ago on a whim with a friend.  It was called “aquacize”  and that title alone was a running joke for several weeks.  Because doesn’t the word “aquacize” have to be said with spirit fingers? 🙂  Anyways, tried the class and while I was surprisingly sore the next day, “aquacize” was not my cup of tea.

So on Monday, I just started swimming laps.  I forgot goggles so I grabbed a kickboard and swam two laps with breast stroke kick at a moderate pace.  Yawn. I swam two more.  Still no action in the burn department. No hot guys to look at like when I’m on the elliptical. And I was getting bored.

I don’t know when it hit me but I started thinking about elementary school swim team and the “drills” they had us do. (Note: are they really truly considered drills if you’re 9 years old?  Just curious.) From what I remember, they were really hard.

So, I began channeling my inner 9 year old swim team self.  I swam two more moderate speed laps with breast stroke kick.  And then I told myself I was going to do two freestyle kick laps but that I was going to kick as hard as I possibly could.

I was completely winded midway through that first lap.

YES! Although I probably should be upset that my 9 year old self could totally kick my 31 year old self’s ass…

I did a couple more laps, alternating between kicking as hard as I could and a moderate pace, and then I decided I was going to do pool ‘wind sprints’ using the different colors on the lane ropes.  Within just a few of these, I could feel my heart rate increase, could feel the burn in my legs, and could actually see improvement in how far I could swim without absolutely feeling like I was going to die.

When I got out of the water, I was tired but I didn’t hurt.  When I was sore the next day, it was muscular sore and not joint pain sore.

And now….I’m off to continue trying to kick off some of that Thanksgiving chub I indulged in.  And to continue trying to make up a whole workout that I can do continue to do no matter how I feel.