Friday Night Light

I think my body was telling me something on Thursday when I fell asleep on the bus and missed my stop for the gym: I crashed that night. I mean, I was exhausted. For the first time in weeks, I slept through the night.

Instead, I went to the gym yesterday. Yes, I spent my Friday night working out. Karen was getting over a cold, but she accompanied me so she could serve as my trainer/cheerleader.

When I first arrived, I wasn't really in the mood to exercise. I mean, it was Friday and there were a million other places I wanted to be: the movies, out with friends, outside since it was such a gorgeous day. But as soon as I stepped onto the elliptical and got going, I felt energized and was determined to have a good workout. I did -- my best yet. I did 10 minutes on the elliptical, alternating between a crossramp of 10 and 13. I then did 15 on the bike, and though the stupid thing still won't register me as going fast enough, I could sense a difference. Yes, I pedal slowly, but there's a lot less lag on my left leg (say that ten times fast...). Even Karen noticed and was like, "Look how much better you're moving than a couple of weeks ago." After, I did the treadmill and completed my goal of doing 7 minutes, at an incline of 3, maxing out at 2.2 mph. So overall, I did 32 minutes and really pushed myself throughout!

Once I was finished, we decided to go to one of our favorite neighborhood joints, Tu Casa. I was too lazy to change back into my work clothes (gross, I know, but deal), so Karen helped me out by spraying her Kim Kardashian perfume on me. So we arrived at the place with me smelling like sweat and skank, but happily, they had an outdoor table available. I ordered roasted chicken with rice and treated myself to a glass of mango juice. A live band was playing salsa music and it felt really good to be outside, eating healthy food after a decent workout.

Today I'm feeling the effects of it as I'm kind of stiff and sore, but I'm determined to get outside. Jon and I just made plans to see a movie this evening, so I'll get a little walking in later. Meantime, I've been using the Weight Watchers food journal so I can keep better track of my portions.

Karen and I then have more "gym dates" scheduled for next Mon-Wed. I'm going to stay where I am for a while, between 30-35 minutes, but I hope to soon be on my way to a 40-minute workout.