Muscle and Fitness Hers Forums - View topic - Back to it...

Anne-Marie · Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 6:55 pm Post subject:

hee hee lizzy! yeah... he was a dink then, but fortunately it passed. And actually, it was quite interesting as that was the first time he's really let me down. We haven't been married/together that long, (met online in March last year, got married this January) but we're both older (me especially! He's almost 5 yrs younger woot woot!) and I guess meeting online 'forced' us to connect more quickly on that intellectual/emotional level as we didn't have the in-person attraction "distracting" us lol!!! I sure waited for the right guy!!

Thanks for the encouragement too, as I was pretty frustrated with how hard that was. My knees were killing me, as I did cycle as hard as I could keeping in mind I knew it would be for hours. How could it be so far off the timing to get there!!! Even today I noticed my gait was off as I think my r. quad is still recovering! I enjoyed everything except for the not getting there. I was quite tired when we finally got home though. A 35 minute car ride... 5.5 hours on the bike. I would have like to at least matched my incredibly slow running speed while cycling, but no. Sigh.

Anyway, I am going to check out a couple of gyms in the next week or so, and hopefully make a decision and start lifting and maybe do a fitness class.... I actually found a women's gymnastics class, but it isn't too close and I have to double-check the price. But doesn't that sound like fun??

helenyeoman · Site Admin

Anne-Marie, you're my new HERO!!! Or should I say, HEROINE?!!! Completing 10ks, biking across Holland, gymnastics classes....what's next?!!! I love the way you LIVE!!!! You seem to derive so much PLEASURE from experiencing LIFE, and I think that's really what it's about!!!

CONGRATULATIONS on all of your achievements, and I look forward to you reaching your new goal....ahem....completing that bike journey. You should tell the hostel to go ahead and keep your money, but that when you actually DO make it to them, you will EXPECT a room to be waiting for you since you ALREADY paid for it, haha!!! Smile

Anne-Marie · Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 8:52 pm Post subject:

Thanks!!! Actually, they agreed to give me a free night... sometime in the next week. Thing is, I don't really want to spend the whole day cycling on Monday (which is the last day I have free before school starts up again) as the weather is predicted to be cold and rainy... and based on Wednesday's experience (sigh!) I would expect a 10+ hour day. I think it's too much and that I will just practice letting it go....

britbabe · Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 1:09 am Post subject:

Anne-Marie · Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 3:52 pm Post subject:

Hi all - so, time for measurements this month. Continuing to shrink in my waist but nowhere else... ooh well. And up a bit for weight/bodyfat, but I expected that as my eating has not been great and my activity lower. I plan to continue to improve my diet this month... and decide what to do for activity.

Activity for today - 20 minutes Hatha yoga.

Anne-Marie · Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 2:46 pm Post subject:

So, off for my run today. Now following the Learn to Run 10K Faster program. http://www2.canada.com/vancouversun/sunrun/pdf/run10kfasterprogram.pdf

I did the first one - 10 min jog, 3 min run, 2 min jog, 2 min run, 2 min jog, 1 min run, 2 min jog, 3 min run, 2 min jog, 2 min run, 2 min jog, 1 min run, 12 min jog... then I walked the last 1m30s home.

Before the run I pretty much decided not to go. It seemed long - 44 minutes, no walking! It got dark soooo early (we are back to normal time earlier than in North America) and I wasn't sure where to run. And it seemed too hard. But, I went anyway.

The warmup jog was easy, the first 3 min run was hard for the last minute or so, the rest of it was a challenge but doable. I am still surprising myself with what I can do!!

Nice stretch when I got in - Hank the Cat helped out with that. He likes to come by while I'm on the floor to coach me. Or possibly just for cuddles.

So, overall.... a great day!

britbabe · Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 1:05 am Post subject:

Good foir you hun...forcing yourself out there...!
This is when I believe the treadmill is a good thing - stick it on an incline of 2 or 3 and away you go (and it's never dark or too cold!!)

Have a good day!!

lizzyb · Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 3:34 pm Post subject:

Yeah way to go, pushing past the ol' mental blockades, lol!! Feels good just for doing it!
I was wondering how Hank was doing these days with his training.....I see, he's gone on to helping with the recovery phase of the workouts...alas some are helpers and some are doers, lol!!

Dunno about the treaddie, I've got one, and even though weather isn't an issue, my mind can be, lol!!

Anne-Marie · Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 5:03 pm Post subject:

I visited a gym today. Keep in mind euros are about 1.5 times the value of a dollar, and also that I have about 150 euros per month of 'spending' money.

This gym has a 35 euro signup fee, and 3 levels of membership.

1st level - minimum 1year commitment - 16 euros/month. Very basic. Great machines for cardio and weights, lots of free weights etc. I didn't see a Smith machine, but I forgot to check for it. Crappy change rooms, not even a bench, and 50 cents to use the only shower.

2nd level - can choose from monthly, 6 months, 1 or 2 year commitment. Based on a year membership, 40 euros to go as often as I like, 26 euros to go once per week. More great machins for cardio and weights, lots of free weights, very nice. Great change rooms, free showers, shampoo, sauna, lockers & fruit. Free classes.

3rd level - similar to 2nd level but - 50 euros per month (or 33 to go once per week), and a trainer to work with you every 6 weeks on your program, access to pool, squash courts, sunbed.

I think once per week is ridiculous. They had a little questionnaire about goals, and since one of mine is to meet people, it would make sense to look for something with group classes. Also, my longterm goal of being able to do a 2 minute fitness routine would require me to do more flexible-type cardio, like dance aerobics... However, 40 euros/month is practically 1/3 of my monthly spending. That's a chunk! Also, I think - based on my lack of cycling speed as reported last week - that this place is 25-30 minutes cycling away. Which is too far as I would not go out in the dark and cold and rain for 30 minutes each way to workout. I am too.... well, whatever it is, at least I know it about myself!

I'm hoping to check out 3 other places this week. 2 are fairly close, but I think they are pricey. (or at least, not any cheaper!) The 3rd is I hope 10-15 minute away but cheaper... I could do that I think!

Anne-Marie · Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2009 3:13 am Post subject:

First day back at school after the break... and having slept in a lot and being someone who gets anxious at night, well, I was up and wide awake long into the night. I actually got up and did Hatha yoga in the hallway for 20 minutes to try to wind myself down. It helped, but I was still up for another hour or so, and woke up frequently. However, I feel ok this morning.... we'll see how I feel later on!

Very Happy

have a great day!

Sophie · Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2009 8:16 am Post subject:

It's so hard to find a good gym that's affordable and close. I think I visited over 5 gyms before I found one that was affordable as well as close enough. Mine doesn't have classes or anything and is mostly a personal training studio. It works for me though.

Keep looking!!

Anne-Marie · Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2009 4:02 pm Post subject:

Pretty good day - Biked back and forth to school - 1 hour, walked my post route - 1.5 hours. Biked to check out another gym - 20 minutes. Forgot to bring my morning snack so had a not-so-great snack halfway home when I passed a store.... and thus had lunch a bit late. Then when I came home from work I had a healthy snack but an hour later I felt hungry and tired, so we had dinner early. Now (2ish hours after dinner) I am hungry again.

Gym #2: Not really a gym, more a health centre. In my experience I would describe it as halfway between a gym and a rehab centre. The premise is that you join a group. The group moves from one machine to another. (9 resistance, 3 cardio machines). The group works out together at the same time every week - so you always have the same people around. There is also always a staff member around. Your own program is on a card that you slot into each machine, and that programs the machine with your specific workout. Every 10-20 weeks your program is updated. The program 'learns' a bit with you and increases the weights a bit as you go along, but not much. You will always have a machine to go to because the groups are fixed with how many people. The same is true for the only 'fitness' classes they have, Pilates.

Price: outrageous!!! 65 euros/month to go 2xweek and do Pilates 1x, or 35 euros to go 1x per week. If that didn't make up my mind, then my self-awareness (lol) did... I am always late for things and life seems to get in the way of my plans al the time, so I would suck at keeping a fixed appointment like this!!! Plus, no free weights whatsoever... that plus no dance/aerobics classes...

lizzyb · Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 12:09 pm Post subject:

Sounds like a really different type of fitness centre....how hi-tech!! But yeah, I have to agree......free weights are VERY important when strength training.....as you are not just working the intended muscles but you are also working all those stabilizer muscles that help execute the move....in a machine, it simply isolates the intended muscle group and does not recruit much if any of the stabilizers.....making you more susceptable to injury in the long run. A nice mix of the two is a better way to go.......and it would be great to have alot of different choices for cardio too, as that aspect can get really dull if you are only doing one form of cardio....the body will adapt, and your metabolism resets, fat loss stalls....need to be able to change things up!!

Anne-Marie · Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 3:45 pm Post subject:

So, gym #3 last night....

This one is about 10 minutes away. As in, 10 minutes from leaving my sofa to standing in the changeroom!! It's pretty cool, instead of issuing you a membership card they just use fingerprint technology to let you in and through the checkpoints!

It is quite big, has lots and lots of machines, free weights and so on. They don't have serious body-building equipment, so I won't be able to bench press more than twice my own weight (ummm, that's ok!!) They do have a Smith machine, and thee or four rooms so that several fitness classes run at the same time. For some reason they keep the lights a bit low for my liking - but I do like things very bright! It's similar to the first gym, great facilities and extras... slightly pricier - 50 euros/month for what I want instead of 40, but significantly closer. Although the price is more than I want to pay, they have a special deal where I can join for four months at 40 euros/month, and use all the special things like the tennis courts and squash courts (which would otherwise be 65 euros/month) and then if I choose to join after that the 45 euro signup fee would be waived. I am giving it a test day on Monday and then I'll decide.... but so far this one is looking the best. I was going to check out the Gold's tonight but I seem to be coming down with something - so is J - so I'll be hitting the sack early rather than venturing out. I should be able to check it out tomorrow or over the weekend though. Then I'll have all the info I want for a decision!

Sophie · Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 4:51 pm Post subject:

The 3rd one definitely sounds like the best one so far. I hope you're not getting sick and are just run down. Either way, get some rest.