Short workout

I had a short workout today; it's a busy morning, and this was all I could get done before my shower. I did carry 3 lb weights in each hand for most of the walk, and I was at a 6% incline most of the time. According to my heart rate monitor I burned 95 calories (interesting that it matches the treadmill) and spent 10:18 in the "zone". My average heart rate was 131 and my max was 144 during the 15:40 that I had the monitor on.

10 Minutes

Today is our oldest child's birthday. She is our only daughter, and she is turning 14!

Also, today, my baby spent several hours happy - while I did lots of useful things - followed by spending several hours fussy and just wanting to be held, and waking up every 5 minutes if he wasn't held. I choose to spend the time taking care of him, because that is what I want to do more than other things.

However, I also wanted to work out, and with our daughter's birthday, there wasn't enough time to go to the gym like I had been hoping. In fact, there wasn't even time for 20 minutes on the treadmill. So, instead, I spent 10 minutes doing core exercises. I extended each leg 10-20 times in each direction while tethered to the door gym; I then stood on each foot for one minute. This currently makes my calves and shins burn, so I'm sure it is still effective exercise for me, even though as I progress again it probably won't be. After that I did 3 sets of 20 sit-ups on the exercise ball, and then I did a one minute plank! I can't do full body length again yet, but I was able to do it on my knees. This is especially significant, because it is solid evidence that my left knee is indeed getting better, since when I tried this 9 days ago, I collapsed in a shot of pain from that left knee when I tried to do a plank. Some days I think I should change this blog to "I'm the Tortoise" because small, slow steps are definitely what I'm all about.

Now for a quick shower and trip to the store for ingredients for dinner, before my 14-year-old gets out of school!

Evening Stroll

I can hardly believe I went a whole week without working out! And yesterday, it's not like I worked hard, but at lest I got out of the house and walked a bit, albeit late at night.

Distance: 1.61 mi

Moving time: 42:19

Average moving speed: 2.28 mi/hr

Max speed: 2.77 mi/hr

Also, I got the thank you notes I had written delivered, so I was very happy to get that done. :)

Free Weight Workout

The days seem to blend one into another right now. I am tired, but trying to work out anyway, but between my back, my knee, and my baby, it feels like the world is conspiring against me getting stronger.

The day before yesterday I went to the gym and met with my personal trainer again. We worked on biceps, triceps, and deltoids; here is what she had me do:

single arm side preacher curl (12 reps @ 8 lbs, 10 reps @ 8 lbs, 8 reps @ 10 lbs)

cable curl w/ straight bar (12 reps @ 30 lbs, 10 reps @ 40 lbs, 8 reps @ 50 lbs)

seated hammer curl (12 reps @ 8 lbs, 10 reps @ 10 lbs, 8 reps @ ? lbs)

tricep cable pulldown w rope (12 reps @ 40 lbs, 10 reps @ 40 lbs, 8 reps @ 50 lbs)

seated overhead press (use 1 hand weight - hold weight on ends) (12 reps @ 8 lbs, 10 reps @ 10 lbs, 8 reps @ 10 lbs - increase next time)

raise side / raise front - 8 reps @ 5 lbs, 3 sets - 2 feet first set, then standing on L foot, then standing on R foot for other 2 sets

seated shoulder press w/ rotation - 12 reps @ 5 lbs, 10 reps @ 5 lbs, 8 reps @ 5 lbs - gradually increase to 8 & 10 lb weights

Now that I'm not staying home absolutely all the time with my baby, life feels crazy busy. Yesterday my middle child turned 11! I'm not working out as well or as much as I'd like to be; instead it feels like I'm hanging on for dear life! But I am hanging on, because I know this time will fly quickly and then I'll have my time to myself again all too soon.

Back to the Gym!

So, Saturday night I was doing some laundry, and I was carrying a basket upstairs - and instead of carrying it all the way, I knelt on a step and pushed it up onto the landing before turning around to head back downstairs. As I knelt, I felt a burning, tearing pain in my left knee. Most of the time, I absolutely and completely forget that I hurt it, because it isn't painful at all! Except for in those moments when I once again kneel, and then it is definitely painful. This morning, I forgot about it again and knelt down toward my baby, and when the pain hit me it literally knocked me to the ground. (With my back still sore, it took me a few minutes to get up as well!) Thus, I decided it would be best to go to the doctor this afternoon. They took x-rays to confirm that nothing is broken - I should get the results tomorrow - and I am also supposed to ice it for 15 minutes, 4x/day and take 400 mg of ibuprofin, 4x/day. If the x-ray looks normal and it isn't getting at least a little better in a week, then we'll probably do an MRI to make sure nothing is damaged that won't eventually figure itself out.

On a happier note, our gym membership is active again! Before 9 am, and again between 11 am and 5 pm, kids are allowed upstairs on the track. So, Monday morning (yesterday), I took my two boys to the gym and the 10 yr old walked the 2 month old around the track in the stroller while I lifted weights. I think it's been at least 6 months since I lifted weights, and I have been SORE! It felt great, though, and I'm really glad to be back at it! Hopefully this knee thing won't slow me down too much....

So, here is a list of what I did:

couple minutes of walking around the track to warm up

Chest Press - 12 reps at 40 lbs, 10 reps at 45 lbs, 8 reps at 50 lbs

Pectoral machine - 12 reps at 40 lbs, 10 reps @ 45 lbs, 8 reps at 50 lbs

Low Row - 12 @ 75 lbs, 10 @ 80 lbs, & 8 @ 85 lbs

Lat Pulldown - 12 at 60 lbs, 10 @ 60 lbs, & 8 @ 70 lbs

Single Arm Row w/ kettlebell - 12 @ 10 lbs, then 10 @ 15 lbs & 8 @ 15 lbs

Straight arm pushdown - 3 sets of 10, all @ 30 lbs

Ab crunch on ball - 3 sets of 20

plank hold - about 2 seconds, before I quit because of knee pain (I can't quite do a full length one yet, as I am just coming back to it after this break)

BOSU balance - 1 min on each foot, 1 min on each knee, & 1 min on both feet together (oddly, being on my left knee didn't bother me for this one)

I forgot to stretch out afterward, which I'm sure has made my soreness worse, and my back has burned quite a bit since doing this - but it hasn't refused me service, for which I am grateful. I am hoping that by pushing it at the gym for a couple weeks, while still being extra careful on the stairs and carrying the baby, will get me in shape enough that I can carry the baby on the stairs without hesitation or pain once again. I'll keep you posted on how that goes!

Museum Stroll

Until tonight, I hadn't sat down to a computer in about 4 or 5 days. However, I was still exercising!

My 10 yr old (who will be 11 later this week) is out of school for 3 weeks, so part of the time I've been doing stuff with him, and part of the time he's been helping with the baby so I could get stuff done using 2 hands at the same time.

Friday night last week we went to Ogden to visit some friends there, and on the way home on Saturday afternoon, we stopped at the airplane museum near Hill Airforce Base. I knew I wouldn't get home in time to exercise that evening, so I turned on MyTracks and tried to reach a mile of walking around the museum. Instead I made it 1.35 miles! Here are the details:

1.35 miles

1.04 mi/hr average speed

total time 1:17:56

moving time 1:01:06 (we were in a museum after all)

max speed 2.30 mi/hr

All this I did while holding a baby or pushing him in a stroller. (My husband and older kids offered to take him several times, but I wanted them to be able to focus on the museum.) My husband used to fly planes in Civil Air Patrol. He never got his license, but he still knows a great deal about planes and it's really fun to go through a place like that with him. I also learned that it's a lot more fun to go through it with a 13 yr old and a 10 yr old (and a 2 month old) than it was the last time we went through it, with a 4 yr old and a 1 yr old!

Best of all, half way through the museum when my baby needed to eat, I asked to borrow a chair and was offered a private room! I don't mind nursing in public, but I also don't cover up and therefore I really don't mind nursing in private either. I felt that I was treated exceptionally well as a nursing mom, and I really appreciated it.