Routine...

I have made a decision. Earth shattering news, I know, but I have made one. My tax return is being invested in my health and I will be buying some personal training sessions. I've talked with Justin (whom I can now officially call my trainer) and settled on sixteen half-hour sessions. Holy crap what am I getting in to?

Ever since Fit Andrew joined the gym, we tend to go at the same time. It's nice to have extra motivation in the form of a buddy, even if we do nothing together while at the gym. When we enter tonight, Skinny Matt is in the office. I stop in and chat for few minutes because I haven't seen him in weeks and we fondly reminisce about when I first joined.

When I enter the cardio room, Grant is wrapping up a training session with Justin. I pop over, say hi, and then get up on the elliptical. Believe it or not (but believe it, because I'm telling you) there is quite a degree of variance between elliptical machines. The machines I usually use are both occupied so I have to make do with this new one. This machine has my arms moving similarly to jogging, with alternating arm and leg swings (left with right; natural movement, basically). I don't know what's going on but I am overcome with a wave of motivation and I kick it into high gear. Quite possibly it's listening to Imagine Dragons that has me ferociously ellipting (yes, I'm still trying to figure it out) away. Grant joins me near the halfway point of my fifteen minutes and we chat. By the end of my fifteen minutes, I've gone a full mile. This usually takes me twenty minutes.

Grant decides he'll join me for a swim, which is a wonderful way to end the workout. I stick mostly to freestyle, really digging the new pair of goggles I bought yesterday. At the conclusion of the swim, we head to the steam room. Honestly, this has become my favorite post-workout ritual. Yes, steam rooms are weird and you should still be careful when searching for images of a steam room, but they are also amazingly relaxing. And Grant brags about how long he can stay in the steam room. I can only manage five minutes before I need to leave, but he's convinced he can stay for ten or fifteen. We discover that he can't.

Upstairs, the amazing Carla makes us some delicious protein shakes. This isn't something I get often, but it's pleasantly cold and tastes really good with the frozen fruit. Makes for a good meal replacement. The problem is, I tend to be a guzzler and drink it way too fast. 

Keep an eye out for my first personal training post. It'll hopefully be up in a week. And with it will come my pre-training measurements with a promise of post-training updated measurements! And probably photos. And everyone should check out the Imagine Dragons album. It's pretty awesome.

Band-Aid...

Ladies and gentlemen, I am amazing. Today after work, I go home and spend a little bit of time watching TV and have a little dinner before I meet my friend Grant at the gym. I know I still have my calf injury, but I'm determined to not let it slow my progress. I spend most of my time after work stretching and massaging my calf anyway, so I don't expect there to be a problem.

Taylor is at the front desk when I come in. So she and I chat for a bit before Grant shows up. She asks if I'm going to a class tonight and I say no because of my injury and whatnot. But she tells me I should still go because the classes are for all fitness levels. Thanks, Taylor, but I've already got a plan for tonight and a spontaneous class doesn't fit in. Plus, I have to be home in time to watch the season premiere of Happy Endings.

Grant FINALLY shows up and we head downstairs to do some cardio. He opts of a treadmill, I choose a bike. I would have done an elliptical, but everything was taken and I didn't feel like throwing my weight around (both in the sense of actual size and the fact that I am the most important member of the gym) and forcing someone off of their machine. Plus, I haven't done the bike in a while and my calf prefers it when I'm sitting.

After just over 15 minutes on the bike (I decided to go for 3 miles because I was so close) I head to the weight room. I do a couple of arm and back and chest exercises. Grant meanders in after his time on the treadmill and we briefly comment on all the mirrors and the tendency people have to ogle themselves. People need to stop doing that. It makes me want to kick them.

Off to the pool where I do a couple of laps of each. Justin pops in and asks if I did the foam rollers he recommended for my calf. I said I was planning on doing it after and he said I was supposed to do it before and after. Whoops. He also calls me out for the band-aid I have placed at the top of my lane. It fell off and I didn't feel like getting out of the pool simply to throw it away. I can do that when I'm done swimming.

Grant and I head for the steam room, which I'm strangely looking forward to, simply because I'm convinced it will fix my muscle issue. I set the timer for about five minutes. It is definitely easier to stay in the steam room when someone is there to talk with you. I get distracted and hardly focus on the fact that I am slowly dying of oxygen deprivation. 

About a minute before our time is up, 2 other gentlemen come in to the steam room. Two or even three people is okay in the steam room. Four makes me feel a little claustrophobic. Plus one of the guys says, "You guys weren't in the pool for very long." No. We weren't. But who are you, anyway? Not everyone can swim two miles after working out on both a bike and on weights. Shut your mouth.

On my way out of the gym, I have Fun Taylor make me a smoothie and tell her she has to watch Happy Endings. We're practically best friends already.