Ouchy

[jethrien]

Moved up a level on the exercise video. I have to wonder--how on earth did someone come up with some of this stuff? Sadistic, that's what they are. Chuckro may have been slightly alarmed by my vehement cursing at the TV and the world in general yesterday. I managed a little better this morning. (What's keeping me going is that I remember this stage from the last level, when I was incredulous that anyone could do more than two or three of some of these exercises in a row. They were still really freaking hard when I decided to move up a level, but I could get through the entire set at least. So I think after a couple weeks I should be doing ok on this level, too.)

The weird thing is that the strength training on Level 1 was really hard, but the cardio and abs I could handle. The Level 2 strength training is about the same level of difficulty, it feels; maybe even a little easier on average. But the cardio and abs work are so much harder. I really do want to die near the end. It just seems so restful.

Everything hurts right now.

Comments

[firynze.livejournal.com]

It sounds like they might be balancing out the difficulty of the different stages? Like, strength is easier this time, but cardio/abs harder?

[jethrien.livejournal.com]

Entirely possible. Also, it could be that I came into this with reasonably strong legs/abs/cardiovascular system and my arms and back sucked. So the weightlifting was really hard while the cardio and abs work were closer to what I was already capable of. Now that I've put in a couple months of concentrated upper body work, I'm a little more in balance. So the relative balance of the routine seems off, when really it's just that I'm finally getting a real challenge on the cardio and abs. (On Level 1, cardio actually felt like a rest from the strength training. I mean, I was breathing hard, but it was nowhere near the level of strain.)

[firynze.livejournal.com]

That rest might've been just what you needed while doing the workout, though. Keep you from collapsing in a heap!

...ugh, this makes me look forward even less to trying to get back in shape. But it has to be done!

[jethrien.livejournal.com]

I know. It really sucks remembering "I used to be able to do this", and it's really not fun working back up. I think the only reason I've been able to stick to this routine is that I'm embarrassed not to get up when Chuckro does, and I'm still half asleep and so my rationalization abilities are hampered. The next thing I know, I'm already two exercises in, and then I feel stupid for stopping once I've started. And (barring the couple days of pain when I increase the difficulty) I feel so good after I'm done. And I'm starting to develop visible muscles where I didn't used to have any, and it makes me so ridiculously proud of myself. Maybe it's the geek girl, hated-gym thing, but now I feel so incredibly triumphant to be moderately fit.

(Whenever I start to get too puffed up, I remember that my not-so-little brother, who's in the Army, can still pick me up under one arm and our mother up under the other and carry us around the house. But it's part of his job to be in peak physical condition, he devotes an enormous amount of energy to maintaining it, and he's got testosterone on his side. So I don't feel too bad about it.)

[firynze.livejournal.com]

That's what I'm dreading most about starting to really try to be active again - I remember what I used to be able to do, and I can do so much less now, and it's FRUSTRATING. And painful!

The "getting up and doing it" before you're able to rationalize anything is a great tool, though. I wonder how I can figure out how to harness that to get to the pool in the early morning.

[jethrien.livejournal.com]

I've also found that announcing intentions helps. If Chuckro knows I meant to exercise today, I feel really embarrassed if I don't actually do it.

[firynze.livejournal.com]

The problem is, I don't have anyone in-house other than Cody to keep me honest, and Cody would just tell me to sit and eat some seeds and stare at the wall. ;-)