Monday's Exercise-Morning Energy

Because my son was having a friend over in the afternoon, I exercised in the morning. Child watch doesn't open until nine, so I didn't go as early as i would've liked, but beggars can't be choosers and all that.

We got there at 9:30 (anyone who has a three-year-old will understand why we didn't get there at the designated time), and the place was packed. Apparently this is exercise prime time. I usually get there after three. One day there was only one person on the machines. Three is the time to go if you want to be sure to get a machine with a working headphone plug-in. At nine-thirty you're lucky to get a machine at all.

I didn't do my ten-minute warm-up. Instead I went right to the machines for my arms. I did 20 sets of 50 pounds. Had it been 3:00, I would've done less. But at nine-thirty, I was rearing to go. I hadn't used up my energy cleaning the house or scolding the kids. I'd eaten a high carb breakfast (Cheerios...my morning staple). The cofee was kicking in.

Morning might be a better time to get a work-out done. At least for me.

I ended up spending about a half-hour or more on weights-arms only today, incorporating a new machine to my routine. It was a row machine. I felt the muscles in my back pinch and remembered, too late, that I have a bad back and should be taking it slow. (I was intelligent enough to start off with a low weight.) Hopefully I won't be sore tomorrow.

Here's the amazing part of my visit, though. I am a people-watcher, and I love to observe the people working out. Today I saw a woman in fantastic shape...her arms were much leaner and more sculpted than my own. She wore pants, so I couldn't tell if her legs were toned as well. But overall she appeared very lean and fit. From behind, if you didn't notice her hair-do, you would have thought she was thirty, thirty-five years old. It was only once you saw her face that you realized she was much older. Maybe mid-sixties to seventy, if I had to guess.

Some guy there struck up a conversation with her. Like he was hitting on her. She mentioned her husband, so the chit-chat was cut short, but all I could think of was Man! This is how I want to look when I'm seventy.

In all, I burned over 750 calories. I made it up eating chocolate while writing this. But it's worth it.