Some Days You Just Need A Little TLC

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All hail Spider, my furry evil overlord.

All hail Spider, my furry evil overlord.

As predicted, today I feel worse. My muscles were very stiff getting out of bed. Maximum soreness hit as I was due for my second session with trainer John. He did a great job loosening me up. The workout felt good but I was exhausted. Afterward I only desired a warm comfy place to rest. My allergies kept me up last night, so with the muscle soreness, the workout and the lack of sleep, I just wanted to crawl back into bed.

Before I could head for my bed, I had a little visitor. Spider (my evil overlord cat) decided to jump into my lap in a rare moment of sweetness. He kneaded my lap, belly and chest, purring contently the entire time. He would nuzzle my chin, neck and give me soft little head butts. It was as if he knew I was hurting and wanted me to feel better. For 15 minutes I was in heaven.

Then little shit promptly bit my hand (braking the skin) and ran off. Well that woke me up and I ended up doing some gardening.

Perhaps that was really the evil overlord’s plan all the time.

Adding Strength Training To The Mix

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Image courtesy of artemisphoto/freedigitalphotos.net

Image courtesy of artemisphoto/ freedigitalphotos.net

Yesterday I had my first session with John, my new trainer.

Yep, I’m sore. Tomorrow will be worse. That’s expected.

So this morning I hopped out of bed (yes, hopped), put on my workout clothes and went on a 2.58-mile walk. Not expected.

I feel grrrreat!

I’ve used trainers before and it was always the same. Work me like a dog and for a week I’m in pain. Every single frickin’ session. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Not this time. Yea, I’m sore, but I can actually function. Woohoo!

My trainer told me up front that people (especially women) are more likely to quit their trainers because they get destroyed by their sessions. He’s right. I hated that I couldn’t do anything without pain. That includes curling up in a fetal position to feel sorry for myself.

Training became an excuse not to do my normal routines because I need to recover from my sessions. Oh, and injuries always followed. Yikes.

So my new trainer, John, wants to focus on getting form correct (reduces the chance of injuries), do a full muscle workout each session and push me so that I have some soreness, but not to the point where I have an excuse to stop doing anything else.

I really like what he told me – “This is long term. Don’t think about losing weight. The weight training, cardio and diet will help reshape your body.”

I also liked that he took the time to explain what each exercise does, the importance of form for the each lift, pull, squat, and what food adjustments I need to consider now that I’m adding strength training. My past trainers conversations would be along the lines of “Give me one more,” “Hold the position,” and my favorite, “You can do better than that.”

The session was terrific. I was sweaty, felt great and discovered I had muscles in places I didn’t know existed. I go back for more tomorrow.