Mirrors

My in-laws rented a condo in South Austin for the month of December. This is great because it allows my eight-year old boy to spend time with his grandparents. And it's semi-convenient for me to pick him up from their condo after work. This proved so last week when my wife was on business travel.

I've been going to the gym for the past two years. I've made it a habit to workout at least three times a week.

Mondays and Tuesdays are a must. I can skip Wednesday, if I know I will make it to the gym Thursday and or Friday. The weekends are left for my body to relax.

I decided to try my gym's location in south Austin, since my son spent the afternoon with my in-laws at their condo.

To be honest, I was a bit nervous about visiting a different gym location. I visited their website and even Google mapped the location.

I walked into the gym and approached the front desk covered with young attractive athletic girls--my gym location doesn't have this eye candy.

After scanning my card with the barcode reader, one of the girls greeted me.  Like a geek I responded, "I go to the one north, so..." She looked over to the computer and turned again to me and said, "You're good." Sweet.

Before beginning my workout, I looked around the perimeter and notice the indoor running track. Inside the running track were the circuit machines. On the right hand side of the gym, were the ellipticals, treadmills, and rowing machines. To the left, were the stair-steppers and stationary bikes. Oh, and there are mirrors on every wall--remember that.

Naturally, I first went to the circuit machines I was familiar with; however, I found myself struggling to lift pounds that I normally do easily at my gym. Whereas, I can shoulder press 70 lbs. easily at my regular gym, I had to lower the weight to 50 lbs. at this gym--yes, I'm wimpy and yes, my mom can shoulder press 80 lbs.

After doing the circuit machines, I decided to do my five minutes of rowing. I sat down on one of the three rowing machines and began to row. The machines face towards the indoor track, which is being used.

As I was rowing, I noticed a Vietnamese guy that resembled a friend of mine. I looked at him wondering if I knew him or not. I was gazing without meaning to. Then I noticed him looking towards the wall. The wall which is covered with mirrors. He could see me looking at him. Ugh!

Soon after continuing my rowing I noticed an attractive brunette. My glance turned to gaze and again I was caught. Ugh!

"Two minutes left and I can move to another machine," I thought to myself.

The Vietnamese guy passed again and I purposely focused on my shoes. The brunette came around my field of vision and I attempted to focus on my shoes but was unsuccessful. Duh!

My five minutes were complete and I was thankful to move to another machine--one that I can blend in with other people and--more importantly--won't give away my gazes.

Food Cravings

I spend about 45 minutes at the gym, now. After working out, I usually drink a small glass of coconut water; then, a few minutes later, I enjoy a light beer.

My wife normally prepares a great healthy meal, but sometimes I find myself searching around the pantry for something salty or sweet after dinner.

Yes, it defeats the whole purpose of visiting the gym, right? Not necessarily. It's all about moderation and what is being consumed.

Firstly, I don't reach for anything that has MSG or anything that contains too many by-products. Peanuts, sunflower seeds, and bread with honey are usually my choice in snacks.

Recently, I came across an article by Austin fitness expert, Tim Valderrama, that discussed the difference between physical hunger and emotional hunger. Natually, physical hunger is when a person feels lightheaded and week. Emotional hunger, as Valderrama explains, is when "eaters will not wait for their bodies to get hungry or allow their stomachs to process the signal for hunger."

I'm sometimes an emotional eater.

Interestingly, he cites research where Drs. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz connected the type of food cravings to moods (see below). In other words, there's a reason why I scavenge for snacks.

IF YOU CRAVE...

tough foods, like meat, or hard and crunchy foods, you could be feeling angry.

sugars, you could be feeling depressed.

soft and sweet foods, like ice cream, you could be feeling anxious.

salty foods, you could be stressed.

bulky, fill-you-up foods, like crackers and pasta, you could be feeling lonely and sexually frustrated.

anything and everything, you could be feeling jealous.

So, according to this research, I am anxious and stressed and sexually frustrated. That's almost accurate.

Accepting the problem exists is the first step to control emotional eating, and Valderrama lists eight tips to control this, which I've listed some below along with my comments in red.

• "Try to relax through yoga or walking outdoors." - Taking a stroll around the neighborhood instead of snacking in front of the TV does have health benefits--emotionally and physically. Going to the gym also helps refocus your emotions.
• "Do any activities that bring you happiness and pleasure." - Find a hobby that will distract you from snacking, such as blogging--wink wink.

• "When you get the urge to eat when you're not hungry, find a comfort food that's healthy instead of junk food." - This is one we practice at our home. You won't find Fritos or Cheetos in the pantry. We usually have granola bars, nuts, and honey. Opt for fruits too.

You can read the complete article HERE.

Source: http://www.getnside.com/atx/magazine/medical/current/articles/2805-Tips_from_the_Trainer/

Preggo Creeper

Yes, I went there.

Where exactly?

How about staring at a pregnant belly, while working out at the gym.

Okay, so in the past I had noticed a pregnant lady lifting weights at the gym. To be honest, this concerned me a bit. I was a bit uncomfortable.

"Should a pregnant woman be placing this much stress to her body?" I thought to myself.

Well, during this particular time, as I slowly opened my eyes from having them shut as I struggled to curl 50 pounds, my focus happened to be on the pregnant lady's belly. My focus quickly turned away towards the TV screens to my far left after my stare was caught by this mom-to-be.

It got worse.

While I moved on to another circuit machine, she happened to move to the machine in front of me. So my focus was again on her belly--all creeper-like. I moved on and attempted to keep my distance from her before she reported me.

After confessing my experience to the wife before she receives any call from the gym, I searched the web for answers to my concerns.

According to several website, weight training throughout all three trimesters can be beneficial for a mom-to-be. Weight training can help in labor duration and speedy recovery after delivery.

Pregnancy Fitness lists several exercises pregnant women should consider such as bicep exercise to increase upper body strength, kegel exercise that strengths the pelvic floor, and leg lifts and squats to work out the lower body.

Finally, Bodybuilding.com offers exercise routine programs for moms-to-be to use, which includes weights, cardio, and yoga.

So, there you go. It's okay for a pregnant woman to be at the gym.

Sources: http://www.livestrong.com/article/451998-weight-training-exercises-for-pregnant-women/; http://www.davedraper.com/hugo-training-while-pregnant.html; http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/keeping-fit/options-for-everyone-strength-and-toning.aspx; http://babyfit.sparkpeople.com/articles.asp?id=759; http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wotw24.htm

Get back into fitness

It's been a while since I've blogged about going to the gym. I still go. Unfortunately, the summer limited my gym-activity. Plus, my infected tooth limited how much I can lift and press and how long I could do cardio.

So, how does one get back into fitness? This is a question performance coach Jill Sharp and personal trainer Margaret Polser addressed in an article I came across in the Summer/Fall issue of Moxie.

1. Change your routine
2. Download some new tunes
3. Find a partner
4. Change the scenery or get a new workout DVD
5. Set a goal
6. Get a personal trainer

You can read the complete article and list HERE.

Source: "Put the Fun Back in Fitness," Moxie Magazine, Summer/Fall 2012, Pg. 12

Over the threshold, finally

Last year, I made the decision that I would improve my health by going to the gym. I made a routine and now it's a habit.

I started off focusing on cardio; I was doing about forty-five minutes on the elliptical and treadmill.

As I got a little more comfortable with my surroundings, I began to explore the circuit weights. I started lifting 10 lbs. Yes, 10 pounds. I had no upper body strength and this concerned me.

I was having difficulty lifting my 50 lbs son. I didn't like that. This shouldn't be a problem. I should be able to lift him up.

Then I started thinking. I've never lifted my wife up. Tradition has it that a man carries his wife over the threshold after getting married and or moving into a home.  We walked through it. Not romantic at all.

Slowly, I increased the weights in the machines. Now I can lift 70 to 90 lbs on the circuit weights.

But more importantly, on April 7, 2012, after nine years of getting married and moving into our home, I lifted my wife and carried her over the threshold.

Focus. Stride. Focus. Stride...

If you're like me, you notice the same people at the around the same time at your gym. They, like you, have made it a habit to go to the gym, and because of this you might feel a little more comfortable with your surroundings and the people working out next to you. Right?

A couple months go, I decided to increase the weights on the circuit equipment. Doing so tired me quickly after the first 15 minutes, but I didn't realize it until I was eight minutes doing cardio on the strider.

I usually start my 15 minutes on the elliptical strider on an incline and resistance of 8 and 25, respectively, and slowly decrease it based on my stamina.

I got on the elliptical strider and began to, well, stride.

I then noticed the redhead girl, who I see at the gym every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, getting on the strider next to me. She quickly meets my speed, and we're both striding along; probably on different paths, because mine soon got a bit bumpy.

When I stride, I usually keep my eyes occupied by people watching and glancing at the various TVs. That day, my eyes decided to focus on the TV in front of me.

Stride. Focus. Stride. Focus. Stride. Focus. Tilting back. Stride. Tilting back more. Oh sh*t!

I quickly grabbed the handles and struggled to regain my stride.

I turned to the redhead to see if she noticed my folly, but she continued to look forward. I turned to the other side to see if all was cool.  No one seemed to have noticed--come on, it was quite obvious. Or was it?  I mean, I'd understand if I were to have fallen--that would have gotten the attention from a lot of people.

I regained my step and continued to stride.

Spotting a Sasquatch at the Gym

I think I might have found Sasquatch, and he works out at my gym. Really. I sketched what I remember seeing. So, if you are looking for him, this is what he looks like.

Since encountering this huge hairy ape-like creature, I have since avoided dressing in the men's locker room. It was terrifying when I walked into the locker room and caught the awful sight of this beast bending over to pick up his shoes. I think the other fella that walked in with me was just as scared.

To this day, the vision is still haunting.

So if you are a Bigfoot hunter, and have been unsuccessful in your search, go to your nearest gym and more than likely, you'll find him there.