Thursday, November 10, 2005

i am taking working out to new extremes

I used to go to our local fitness center 5 or 6 days a week to work out. When Goose was born that interupted my schedule for a bit, but then I managed to get back to the gym 3 or 4 days a week. When Turkey was born everything was shot and I haven't been able to get on a consistant schedule.

The problem is that our community center in order to save money now closes at 9 o'clock instead of 10. It is during the 8 o'clock hour that we put our boys to bed. Sometimes right at 8 - I get to go to the gym and mostly around 8:30 - when it is not worth my effort.

Without a consistant schedule, my motivation isn't the highest for going every once in a while. When I go 4 or 5 times a week it is easier for me to keep going. I can see results, get in shape and feel healthy.

Some have suggested going to 24 hour fitness. That would solve all my problems, but my community center is dirt cheap and I don't want to give it up. We have a family membership for $35 dollars a month. Our community center has two gyms, raquetball courts (my dad and I will play occassionally), the weight rooms, indoor pools with slides. I enjoy taking the kids to the pool and think that would be fun growing up swimming all year round.

Realizing the need for me to stay fit, I am doing the unthinkable this week. I am getting up at 6 am and working out until 7. I am going to try to do that at least 3 mornings a week and then try to go sometime on Saturday.

This is hard for me. I would much rather work out at 11 pm than 6am. I am a night owl and once the kids are in bed, I have my crazy little projects that I like to work on. Now I will have to cut that time short.

So far it has worked out this week. I did doze off during a luncheon and I am getting really tired at night now. My body must be working through the transition. The real test will be next week after having back to normal weekend.

12 comments:

Doc said...

Research shows that people who exercise in the morning tend to stick with their exercise routine better than people who try to exercise at some other time during the day. Maybe it is something to do with a personality that has enough will power to get out of bed earlier than absolutely necessary?

MsMayhem said...

k- new tat shots on my blog....

dwhitey said...

I have found that a whip cracking over my head works wonders in the area of working out (I picture the White Witch of Narnia and Edmund running before her). I started going to Dog Days again this summer after around 15 years off. I had to reintroduce myself to Red Dog. I was able to go 6-8 times over the course of around 2 months and I was becoming chiseled like the rock I knew I could be. Jda would quote a line from Naploen Dynamite in which the goofy uncle says, "Back in '82 I could throw a pigskin a quarter mile!" (Now what about the layer on top of the rock). Well, blown to poo, as they stopped dog days for a few weeks, and I haven't been back since. One of the motivations to go to Dog Days was also a small pond just a stones throw away from the stadium where we work out. I just happened to have my fishing rod with me and snagged onto a decent bass (around 2+ lbs) one day after working out. Shanart felt as though I was cheating doing both, since I was leaving her with the chittlins for longer, but I was back by 7:15 (most nights). I did however start running this week again. I huffed and puffed like the wolf at the three pigs. I took Mr. C out one day in his stroller and boy that hurt. Once I get past the first few days, it seems to be quite a bit easier. It is sad to say from working out 4-6 hours a day, to having it be a rare occasion. I miss my chiseled look, I want it back. I guess I will eat less steak tonight on my date to Longhorns with Shanart.

f o r r e s t said...

As we get older, the chiseled body is more difficult to attain and the food tastes better. What to do?

When you talk about the old days I get an image of you skateboarding in neon shorts and a huge mullet. You were cut!

shakedust said...

Sounds like you have problems attaining the level of mediocrity like me. :)

f o r r e s t said...

Doc- it has got to be the personality of the early birds. I do not have the atitude of "let's jump out of bed and start the new day." My attitude comes in the evening - "let's see how long we can make this day last."

GoldenSunrise said...

Impressive. I heard that it's not good to work-out close to when you go to bed.

shakedust said...

Forrest, that is my philosophy as well. As if you didn't know.

Anonymous said...

It is much easier to do the early bird thingy if you got some iron-chewing sergeant who yells at you things like "you knuckle-dragging, Cro-Magnon-like-missing-link, who let you slip back into the gene pool? Now pick up the pace!" That and the mind games really help whip your body into shape. Do not recommend in your thirties, but anything can work.

windarkwingod said...

It seems with working out there always seems to be the dilemma of finding the time to do it. On one of my jobs I used to go upstairs in an unused room and do 25 pushups every chance I got. Pretty soon you get paranoid about who might walk in on you, and the task of narrating an awkward excuse became my focus of concern...
All the fat went into my brain. Blah

roamingwriter said...

I love the idea of getting the workout over with for the day. When I had a different schedule I used to do it first thing in the am - that was at 7am though! I hate to exercise so it's just something that has to happen. I too am not a early bird, so it's just torture to think of getting up early to do it, but major kudos for you for giving it a go. There is the satisfaction of it being done - and I didn't really wake up in my brain til it was half over anyway!

Doc said...

I just went skiing today at Brundage Mountain in McCall, Idaho. Because it was a two hour drive away, I had to get up early (on a weekend no less) to make a decent day of it. However, today was one of the few times when I woke up before my alarm and actually felt awake. I guess it helps if there is something to get up for! The first (or any) day of skiing tends to do this for me.