six degrees of torture

Today was the first day of Sun Rise Power Class at the College gym. We started work an hour late to go. So much for sun-rise!

It was torture, surrounded by torture and finished with torture. And muscular skinny people. Envision a room full of perky Jillian's.

I went thinking I could do half the stuff. I did maybe a third. It was hard and I am unfit. I couldn't even do a jumping jack. A jumping jack for Pete's sake. I did them all the time as a kid.

The first part of the workout was arms, with weights. I used 2 pounds. I could do the arms, or the feet, but putting the two together didn't work.

The next section popped back and forth between standing and on the mat. By the time I got down, or got up, they had often moved to something else. I am not agile. When I was in sync, I did three half pushups. I stayed on my knees, not my toes.

Now if I was still doing my Fat Butt exercises I could have maybe done more, but probably not. So you are in a plank, on your hands and toes, and you start kicking out to the left and the right without killing yourself or someone else. Then there was another called the grasshopper. Again you were on you toes and hands, and you rolled up and down somehow. I still haven't figured out how. At one point I just laid on the mat. I wanted to cry.  But I didn't.

My new goal, to be able to get to half by the end of the six weeks. Maybe practice getting up and down. That would increase my productivity.

I think the lame squats I did killed my knees. Dang they hurt. Maybe gym day will be Aleve day.

My favorite part of the workout was the walk to and from the gym and climbing all the stairs. But I need to get out of my comfort zone. And I paid the $20. So every Weds I will be tortured. I think I need to get some bike shorts to wear.

This is part of the motivational email Karen, the leader sent us. The graphic above was in that letter too.  Enjoy.

•When you exercise early in the morning, it "jump starts" your metabolism and keeps it elevated for hours, sometimes up to 24 hours!  That means you're burning more calories all day long just because you exercised in the morning!
•Exercise first thing in the morning is really the only way to assure that something else won't crowd exercise out of your schedule. When your days get hectic, exercise usually takes a back seat!
•For many people, that appointed time every morning becomes something they look forward to.   It's time they've set aside to do something good for themselves - to take care of their body.
•When you exercise in the morning you'll be ENERGIZED for the day!