Melinda Musil dot Com

Posts Tagged ‘swimming’

I am probably going to switch back to swimming next week. Or maybe I’ll go to a class, or lift weights, or some kind of variety. It feels a bit like a cop-out, but I’m plateauing a bit and getting really discouraged.

Yesterday I was able to put in a fairly strenuous workout, but it REALLY drained me. Today I began my workout, and I had just started when I realized that I just couldn’t do it. I still put in a pretty tough workout, but not as tough as yesterday. I just felt very weak, and VERY discouraged. Lots of questioning what I was doing!

So I’m gonna add variety. This is pretty important to me, and besides it’s healthy, so I really do not want to burn out. I’ve done that before. This time I want to be stronger!

It’s nothing like apidexin diet pills, but I ran intervals for 30 minutes at the gym today. It was a push- I ran 4.5mph and walked 3-3.5mph, which was not terribly speedy but the changing pace was quite hard on my legs. They still feel a bit jello-ish. But it was good for me to sweat for awhile. Hopefully I will be able to continue working at this pace so I can tone up my legs. It’s a bit tougher than swimming (for me), probably because it works the legs a LOT more than swimming. But it’s good to keep working. Maybe I’ll train for a race. That would be fun.

I am bored. Boredboredboredboredbored.

Today was a pleasant day. Quiet. I woke up, got some work done, made lunch, got more work done.

At 3:00 I had an appointment at the gym for an “orientation” (something they should have given me when I first signed up). So I dutifully showed up and waited for my appointment with “Ben”. I had no idea what to expect, so looking like a newbie, I was wearing flip-flops. Turns out an “orientation” is when they discuss your fitness goals and make you work out on several weight-lifting machines- not ideal for flip flops. Oh, and of course at the end they try to convince you to pay hundreds of dollars for a physical trainer. But I do have a good excuse- I thought the orientation would be short, and then I would go for a swim (thus flip flops).

I never did get to the pool. Swimming is an arm sport, so I wasn’t surprised that my arms were reasonably strong. But I was VERY surprised by how weak my legs proved to be. I was a little embarrassed every time my legs started shaking (you know, after 15 or 20 reps of something that worked my leg muscles). I was also surprised by my lack of balance. I’ve never had good balance, especially not since my car accident, but I thought all this swimming I’ve done would have helped more.

Anyway, lessons learned from this: No way on earth I’m going to pay for their personal trainer! First of all, I think their prices are outrageous (roughly $60-$90 per 45-minute session). But second, having a personal trainer counting my reps and telling me where to go and what to do- it feels too much like high school PE class. For one thing, he said that if you pay for personal training, they take your measurements and weigh you every time you come in to “track your progress”- no way I want some personal trainer to know what I weigh! Especially if it’s a male like the one I worked with today! Then to have them standing over you and counting- well, no way! I can exercise on my own, and lift weights on my own. The majority of their “weights” are weight machines, so you don’t need someone spotting you, and besides the gym is fairly busy and it would be pretty much impossible to drop a large weight on yourself without someone noticing you.

So I never made it into the pool, but that’s okay. I still had a good workout. I think that I need to start including some weight training or other non-pool activities (like the treadmill or exercise bike). It will be challenging because I don’t enjoy lifting weights the way I enjoy swimming. But, hopefully if I get in and lift weights semi-regularly, I’ll start seeing results- that is what makes it easier to CONTINUE semi-regularly!

Swimming regularly has been great for me, even if it has
changed many things in my life. For example, it has
totally changed my hair care routine. Before swimming, I
NEVER used conditioner- just shampoo, and fairly cheap
shampoo at that, on a regular basis. Now I condition almost
daily. I still don’t use expensive shampoo (definitely not
one of those pricy hair growth shampoos) but it is nice
shampoo. Admittedly, I still struggle with damaged hair,
but not too bad, and I’m not terribly picky about my hair
anyway.

I have to say, this just might be the best theme I have ever used on this website. I have designed my own themes and I have modified existing themes, but this theme just rocks.

Of course, I LOVE swimming and have been in the pool more than ever lately- making this theme all that more awesome!

I just have to link to this awesome site that includes dozens of workouts for swimming and building up your strength.

http://ruthkazez.com/swimming.html

I’m so glad for it, because swimming can get VERY boring if I don’t add a little variety.  I am glad though to see my muscles building and getting stronger and so forth.

In fact, that site includes a lot of information for training for a triathlon or endurance swim.  Sometimes I think about training for that- for a triathlon or marathon or even just a 5k.  It would be a lot of work, but it would be soooo rewarding if I actually managed to do that.  But for now I’ll continue to just think about it!

I was thinking today about getting back into the pool again.  I’ve noticed lately that I’m feeling stressed again, and swimming regularly really helps me to relax and not feel so stressed or frustrated with everything.  Plus, of course I could stand to lose a few pounds, and exercise is one of the best ways to do that.  If only we knew how to lose belly fat specifically, because that is where I tend to carry extra pounds.  But oh well- I will still take whatever I can get!

So, I was doing really good swimming earlier this summer but in the mad painting frenzy of late, I’ve fallen out of habit.  I need to get back into it though- it’s healthy and quite frankly I do feel stronger when I swim.  I also tend to (slowly, of course) lose weight when I swim, which of course I like!  But it comes off very slowly- if only there was some kind of weight loss pills that actually worked!

I am proud to report that I am, once again, swimming on a daily basis.

I am starting to get “into” it again, which is kind of a relief for me- at the beginning of the summer, I was really rebelling at making myself swim every day.  But my job is very sedentary and I need to exercise somehow.  I’m too cheap to buy even the best weight loss supplement, and besides I like to imagine myself with really strong muscles.  So it’s off to the pool I go!

This is a teensy bit embarrassing but I’m also proud to report that I’ve begun swimming without any nose plugs.  I got into a habit of using them when I was very young and deathly afraid of water (how times change! now I love water!), so I’m having to teach myself all over again how to swim without them.  I’m doing quite well, if I do say so myself, although I still can’t do a flip turn without them!

I miss getting in the pool.  I’ve only been away a few days and I miss it!  Swimming is like aquatic therapy for me!

I’ve actually thought about this.  Swimming would be much easier if I had my own pool, but those dinky backyard pools are not that good for laps or exercise.  If I had my own house (and an unlimited source of money!), I would install a swim spa or a rehab pools, like the kind that creates a current (so you swim against the current, and you are essentially “swimming in place”).

In fact, if I had my own pool, I could just set a stereo on the pool deck and play music as loud as I want (well, at least until I disturb the neighbors!).  That would really help pass the time!