Week 2
January 17, 2016
Day 8
Exercise: Run
Time: 1 hour
Distance: 4.5 miles
Lesson of the day: Don't go running on super busy roads. It's stressful, and it takes away any enjoyment you might actually get from running. Also, if you are someone who gets enjoyment from running you're already miles ahead of me (I hate myself for that pun, but I'm leaving it there).
Day 9
Exercise: Swim
Time: 1 hour
Distance: 50 laps
Did you guys know that chlorine dries out your skin? Like, really badly. Normally I rinse off in the showers after I swim, but there was an excessive amount of naked old men in the locker room today (sidenote: this is becoming one of my biggest personal fears), so I bailed. Anyway, I didn't shower until tonight, and now my flesh feels like it's on fire. But why sleep, when you could roll around in your bed trying to scratch places on your back that are physically impossible to scratch???? So fun.
Tip of the day: Don't fear the wrinkles. Shower after you swim.
Day 10
Exercise: Bike
Time: 2 hours
Distance: 22 miles
The weather has been terrible recently, so I've been forced to stick to the bike at they gym. It's pretty lame, but I at least get to watch day time TV. Today, I watched the Golf Channel, which made me wish that I was in Hawaii playing golf. I watched an episode of Friends, which made me wish I knew Jennifer Aniston. And I watched an episode of New Girl because I cannot help but laugh at that show.
The nice thing about the gym bike is that the seat is MUCH more comfortable, and I have to say that I am extremely grateful for the extra cushion. Also, I almost fell over when I got off the bike after 2 hours, which was great because I was hoping to leave my pride in the gym anyway. I have to say that an upside of going to a gym with a lot of elderly people is that there is no one to impress, yet the very real downside is...well, the locker room.
Tip of the day: If you ride a bike in the gym for a long time, pretend to stretch for a few seconds after you get off and make sure your legs are ready to walk when you are.
Day 11
Exercise: Swim
Time: 1 hour
Distance: 50 laps
I spent most of my time swimming today and counting the amount of strokes it takes me to get from one end of the pool to the other, which while it may seem like a mind-numbing task, I greatly enjoyed the exercise. I'm in the pool for an hour and there is nothing to do but let my mind wander, so I set myself to the task of making each lap in the pool identical to the previous one. I'm not sure if this is a good practice or not, but it gave me a goal as I began every single lap. Not only that, but the hour in the pool went by faster today than it has any other day.
I think there is something to the idea of setting a goal and working to reach it that makes the mind and body work more effectively. I don't really know how to expand on that idea just yet, but it's something I'll be thinking about for a while. What I learned today is that if I give myself a goal, no matter how insignificant that goal may be, I enjoy the exercise more, and I receive increased determination when I fail to reach that goal and joy when I succeed.
Day 12
Exercise: Bike
Time: 1 hour
Distance: 13 miles
Today was a big day. I learned that the bike machines in the gym have internet access, so I got on youtube and watched Office bloopers for an hour. Best. Workout. Ever.
Does laughing while you exercise have any health benefits? I felt dumb because people around me would look at me whenever I laughed out loud (which I did often because it's The Office), but I did not care in the slightest. I usually hate being on the bike in the gym, but today was a blast.
Things I Googled today: laughing while exercising (turns out I was right)
Day 13
Exercise: Run
Time: 1 hour
Distance: 4.5 miles
I lost feeling in my fingers about 30 minutes into this run, which was quite unnerving (puns for dayyyyyys). I fought through it though because I'm a warrior, and I'm not going to let some cold weather slow me down. However, it did literally slow me down, as today was the slowest run I've had so far, which is kind of discouraging.
Anyway, I'm sitting here holding a warm cup of tea as I alternate the hands I'm using to type this, so once I get all of the feeling back in my hands I'll start thinking about improving my next run.
Day 14
OFF :)
Let praises ring.