Do I smell?

This is probably the most embarrassing confession I have ever shared. It's not gross. It's not disgusting. But I'm sure it'll get a giggle or a laugh (I hope) from you.

First of all, our bodies do the weirdest things. Some are hard to explain, but we're all organic and we expose to our bodies will have some sort of affect on way or another.

It may have been the food I ate the night before, or perhaps it was the leftovers that did me in.

Allow me to backtrack a bit. After certain meals, I like to store leftovers in Glad containers and place them in the freezer. Many times, these leftovers are from meals we had weeks or even months before.

I decided to take one of the containers out of the freezer for lunch on Friday. To me, it's a mystery meal, until it thaws to reveal the content. This particular lunch, the leftovers was spaghetti, but the spaghetti had a interesting taste to it. Perhaps it was left too long in the freezer. Regardless, I finished my meal.

I went to the gym, about four hours later. This is where the story gets a little funny.

So, I got to the gym. I started on the circuit weights, then made my way up to the treadmill. Around that time, I started to feel my stomach ache a bit. Something was wrong, but that didn't stop me from continuing my workout.

I got on the treadmill and started to run. At this point, I felt my body working on getting rid of whatever it had inside and didn't like.

It wasn't farting. I didn't feel gassy. But something was up. Perhaps something that is just un-explainable. 

I slowed from seven miles per hour to four miles per hour to assess the situation. That's when I smelled a stench.

"Is it me or is it the conveyor belt?" I wondered to myself.

I didn't feel anything. I didn't fart. It must be the conveyor belt. I moved to another treadmill, hoping that the smell would disappear.

It didn't.

It followed.

Of course, I thought, "Dude, who smells bad? It must be that guy over there."

Then it slowly dawned on me that perhaps that smell was coming from me, myself, and I.

I stopped. Again, assessed my situation, and decided that perhaps... oh, yes indeed, I'm permeating that disgusting smell, but how?

After noticing more people around me at the gym, I slowly collected my stuff and made myself to the exit.

The smell continued to follow me. It followed into my car. It even followed me to my son's day camp. And finally, it followed me to the house.

I couldn't let this awful stench continue--my wife was coming home within the next few minutes. I stripped out of my clothes and jumped in the shower.

I showered off that disgusting smell and came out feeling much more refreshed.

Perhaps I was emitting silent tiny sulfuric farts.

My Workout Playlist

I can't workout without music. I've tried. It's hard.

I've found myself getting to the gym and deciding that I wasn't going because I forgot either my phone or earphones.

So, what's my playlist?

Well, I rely on Pandora for my playlist, and I've put together a pretty good mix that keeps me entertained while breaking a sweat.


MY WORKOUT PLAYLIST includes:

Afrojack - Take Over Control (Extended)

Alexandra Stan - Mr. Saxobeat

Araabmuzik - I Remember

Avicii - Levels

Avicii - Fade Into Darkness (Vocal Radio Mix)

Bad Boy Bill - Do What U Like

Calvin Harris - Feel So Close (Benny Benassi Remix)

Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding - I Need Your Love

Calvin Harris - You Used to Hold Me

The Cardigans - Erase/Rewind

Deadmau5 - Not Exactly

Deadmau5 - Alone With You

Deadmau5 - Everything Before

Deadmau5 - The 16th Hour

Deadmau5 - Faxing Berlin

Deadmau5 - Moar Ghosts 'n' Stuff

Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina - Stereo Love

Ercola & Heikki L - Deep At Night (Adam K & Soha Remix)

Goodwill & Hook N Sling - Take You Higher

The Ian Carey Project - Get Shaky

Ivan Gough - In My Mind (Axwell Mix)

Kaskade - Be Still

Kaskade - 4 AM (Adam K & Soha Mix)

Kaskade feat. Martina from Dragonette - Fire in Your New Shoes (Sultan & Ned Shepard Electric Daisy Remix)

Kaskade - Move For Me

M83 - Midnight City

Martin Solveig & Dragonette - Hello

Martin Solveig - Racer 21

Skrillex - Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites (The Juggernaut Remix)

Skrillex - Reptile's Theme

Skrillex - Bangarang

Swedish House Mafia - One

Swedish House Mafia - Save the World (Radio Mix)

The Return

It's been while since my last "Confessions of a Gym Dweeb" blog entry.

Uh... what was my last entry? Oh yeah, it was about changing my gym time from after work to middle-of-the day. I changed my schedule mainly because my work load piles up between January and April.

Now that my work load has somewhat returned to "normal," I'm able to return to my old routine.

Since my last visit to my gym, I did notice a change. For example, mildew was growing on the air ducts. It has since been removed. The air ducts look brand new. The machines were also switched around, probably due to the cleaning. New paint also covers the walls.

The same dedicated people are there. The guys look the same. The girls are more toned. There are also new faces--new customers who are starting from scratch. I remember those days.

Although, I love my gym, I do miss escaping during the day to the uptown gym; the staff are friendly, and the gym is practically empty between 10 and noon.

Changing my workout routine

Since my days are busy during this time of year, I decided to switch my workout schedule from after work to during the day. For me this was easy especially since my gym has several locations in the Austin area which are open to all their clients.

But getting familiarized to a new gym's layout is a bit challenging. For example, the cardio machines at my old gym are located on the second floor. At the gym next to my work, the cardio machines are located in the center of the gym.

Also, I have noticed that the equipment, which are similar to those I use at my old gym, feel different. Perhaps they are calibrated differently. Maybe there's wear and tear on the weight machines. Regardless, the 110 lbs I chest press feel heavier. Yes, I struggle at 110 lbs, but it's way better than what I started with (20 lbs) two years ago.

I decided that since work for me tends to slow down between 10AM and 11AM, I would take that hour to visit the gym and get in a 30 to 40 minute workout.

Who works out at 10AM in the morning?

The people I've seen are usually older retired couples. There's a hippie couple that I've seen the past few times--she wears birkenstocks while on the elliptical. There's also an aerobic class for seniors on Friday mornings.

As it gets closer to 11 o'clock, the attractive ladies start showing up. These ladies are different from the ones that I see at my old gym. A lot of the girls at my gym are professional women or moms who are getting back into fitness. The ladies I see at this gym look like they come here daily because they have too.

What's the best time to workout?

According to a recent study at Appalachian State University people who workout in the morning have better night sleeps.  Other researchers from the University of California Los Angeles, who studied mice's circadian rhythms, which affects the body's internal clock, suggest exercising midday may be more beneficial. Regardless of the time of day you decide to workout, the key thing is to make it a part of your routine.

The cool thing about going to the gym mid-morning, for me, is that the gym is practically empty. I'm able to try new equipment without waiting or feeling intimidated.

When you do workout?


Sources: http://www.news.appstate.edu/2011/06/13/early-morning-exercise/; http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/what-s-best-time-exercise; http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/whats-the-best-time-to-exercise; http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/12/why-afternoon-may-be-the-best-time-to-exercise/; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22988135

Control Prying

It's nothing new. My eyes tend to wonder off and people watch while working out. I notice the regulars. I can predict what time they arrive at the gym, and I know who's with whom. I try to control my prying, really.

A few weeks ago, while at the gym, I started my routine on the rowing machine, which faces the Smith Machine where a muscular short guy wearing a cap that ran low over his eyes was doing squats.

I rowed. He did squats. But when he finished, he so happened to turn towards my direction. And although I wasn't looking at him, my sight focused on him when I noticed he turn towards me. I quickly switched my attention to TVs behind him.

Yet, similar to the Preggo Creeper incident, it just so happened that this guy was either working out on a machine next to mine or in front of me. Since his capwas low, it was hard to determine whether our eyes did actually meet. Regardless, when it did seem as if they did, I would quickly find the TVs or look away.

There's obviously a reason why the gym have multiple TVs, and it's not just to keep clients informed of the world in sports and news. I think it gives clients something to focus on when working out and avoid situations similar to what I sometimes find myself getting into.

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/