This is the time of year that can be the most challenging when it comes to finding the motivation to exercise.
It’s cold. It’s dreary. Your bike is in the river.
(That’s not my bike, but you get what I’m saying.)
Here’s a little ditty that has nothing to do with bike riding, unless you like to ride for exercise in the winter. Then this can have everything to do with bike riding.
If wearing your Vibrams on the treadmill at the gym doesn’t get you any looks, taking a picture of yourself wearing your Vibrams on the treadmill at gym should totally take care of that.
I actually don’t know if anyone gave me the stink eye on this particular day while donning my favorite pink toe shoes. I do know that I was fully prepared to say “but look at how stinkin’ cute they are!!” if someone called me a freak or a did that thing where you hold your pointer finger near your temple and swirl it around a bit.
Last night I got to thinking about how much I enjoyed my treadmill run earlier that morning. It was actually really nice and I got a great run in without freezing my face off in the bitter cold wind and snow. This is slightly amusingly to me because I use to detest the dreadmill and felt like it was more of a torture device than a piece of workout equipment.
I think it might be possible that the treadmill is starting to grow on me.
Today felt like an overnight oats kind of morning. Except I didn’t make overnight oats last night. Good thing “Overnight Oats” is just a trick of a name and it could more accurately be called “Just a Few Hours Oats”.
Into a bowl at 6 AM: 1/2 a mashed banana, 1/2 c of rolled oats, 1 Tbsp of almond butter, 1 Tbsp ground flax, a tsp of unsweetened cocoa powder and 1/2 c of chocolate almond milk.
And a single chocolate chip because I’m rowdy like that.
I was off dark and early to the gym this morning. I was |this close| to driving there, when at the last minute I put my keys back and just ran there in the dark instead. It takes me 5 minutes to get there by car considering the time it takes to give the car a minute to warm up, park and walk into the building. Might as well just spend the 8 minutes running there and get my body warmed up instead.
For my work out this morning I planned to hit the machines at the gym. I was surprised to find that the temperature was only in the mid 40’s, so at the last minute I decided to warm up by jogging the mile to the gym instead of driving.
Exactly 8 minutes and 19 seconds later I was at the gym to hit the elliptical for 20 minutes and then spent 15 very sweaty minutes on the stair climber. Why do you get so incredibly sweaty on that machine? Tell me! Someone tell me why!
Today’s day of calorie counting began with a freezing bike ride to the gym. Well, actually it was 33 degrees so I guess it wasn’t exactly freezing. I’m such an exaggerator sometimes.
30 minutes on the treadmill with some speed work intervals (4 two minute sets at 9.3) thrown in to keep things interesting – a total of about 4 miles. I noted today what the calorie total said and it was about 450.
Treadmill dues paid, followed by a Very Cold (but this time welcome!) ride home for my first calories of the day.
Dark, dark, DARK. The mornings are so dark! Come on daylight savings time – Mama’s ready to set the clocks back!
On my bike first thing this morning to ride – in the dark yet again – to the gym to pay my respects to the treadmill. I even dug out my reflective vest to wear on the way there today too.
Flash photography: Friend or Foe?
Foe. Definitely foe.
If I’m going to run on the treadmill and be a rat on the wheel for 30 minutes, I feel like I have no choice but to run sprint intervals to keep things interesting.
Today’s work out was my favorite ride-the-bike-to-the-gym, 10 minutes on the elliptical, 10 minutes on the stair climber, 10 minutes on the indoor track doing speed work, ride the long way home and wonder how on earth a 45 minute work out went by so quickly.
In honor of Z-Man turning the big 3-2 today, I whipped us up a big glass of birthday beet juice. You know you want beet juice for your birthday breakfast – don’t try to deny it!
I don’t have any romaine and given I want to save my red leaf lettuce for something like oh… say… salad, I rocked out with these beautiful beet greens instead.
Thanks to a surprisingly warm morning, I rode my bike to the gym today.
5 minutes ride there + 10 minute elliptical + 30 minute treadmill + 14 minute long-way ride home = an hour work out that only felt like 40 minutes. That’s just the way I like it.
Juice that is the same color as my counter top is the way I like it too. Aren’t hidden pictures fun?
Zak made juice while I was at the gym and was waiting for me to return. I haven’t made juice in a few days and I guess he had to take matters into his own hands. Oh good! Make me some too while you’re at it!
More Mama’s Weeds
