Day Five – I Think My Heart is Going to Explode! (Sun., Mar 8th)

My first Sunday had only one 2-hour workout planned but I knew it was gonna be a doozie. Dingaling fell asleep on the sofa though and thus didn’t get a great night’s sleep, so I didn’t start the day quite right. And one thing I’ve learned….eat the meals and have the shake as scheduled, dingaling! I’ve found that if I haven’t had a meal or shake as scheduled, then I have less energy for the workout or even just for doing laundry or anything around the apartment.

Anyway, after a relaxing morning…in which I relaxed too long! – I walked to the gym for 10am…but I had a massive cramp in my upper butt…I mean, the left gluteus maximum, or maybe it was the gluteus medius (don’t be impressed, I had to look up the second one ;-) so as soon as I arrived I dropped to the mat to stretch it out. Amber had us get ready for her circuit with a cardio warmup. There were 13 of us (ladies only today – GIRL POWER!) so Amber set up 13 different exercises (mostly on machines) on which we would rotate, but we would do 2 minutes of cardio on a steep incline (evil!) in between each exercise. We were assigned in order according to our abilities, so of course I was at the end – but that doesn’t bother me…I’m just explaining how we were positioned. After our cardio warmup we went to our designated stations and did the prescribed exercise for 2 minutes. So….it was 2 minutes at a station, and 2 minutes on the cardio (i.e., treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, etc). Every other station or so, before we returned to a cardio machine, Amber would have us do another drill in place – like squats, jumps, side bends. It was a good all-around workout. I think all parts of our bodies were worked, or if not, certainly most of the muscle groups were. I like the legwork best – as long as it’s on machines. I sure don’t like it when it’s at the beach in the sand! Anyway, my heart rate kept going higher and higher. According to my first weigh-in, oxygen-intake, and BMI analysis, I shouldn’t exceed 139 bpm for maintained cardio rate. Well, it was hanging out at 145 most of the time, and then at the last cardio it spiked to 182. Yikes! This really scares me. I’m not fearful of getting injured, but I am terrified of having a heart attack! I mean…I’ve been sitting on my big arse for 4 years with not one second of exercise, and suddenly in 5 days I’ve done more than I have ever done since 2005 (I used to workout at Curves in Hamilton, Bermuda). So I can just imagine that I’m going to do some strenuous exercise and take a break and then BOOM there I go. Well that would just suck, wouldn’t it? I haven’t done my trip through Europe and Asia yet! Anyway, I let Amber know that my heart rate had gone so high. Thankfully it was the last cardio so I slowed my pace; my heart monitor watch was indicating “STOP.” OK…so next we go for some stretches, and I’m still concerned. A few minutes into the stretching I check the monitor again and now it’s over TWO HUNDRED! Good Lord! WTH?! The weird thing is it didn’t feel like my heart was racing; other than tired from the workout I felt OK. Amber checked my pulse directly and it didn’t seem to really be that high, so I’m hoping it was just a fluke with the monitor. So after the stretching (and the self-obligatory splits) we all gathered in the lounge area for a fabulous fruit basket which Jeni’s Mom had sent (thanks, Jeni!), I had a shake and lots of water, and just plain rested. I wanted to be sure my heart wasn’t doing anything crazy. It got back down to 100 (still high for resting rate) but I wanted to get home as soon as possible so that I could just rest.

But first I had to go to the bookstore! There are several retail shops nearby so I really don’t need a car at all. Every day I pass a Toyota dealership and I keep eyeing the Rav 4s….I’ve wanted one of those since they came out several years ago ;-) There are lots of temptations along the way….Starbucks, McDonald’s, restaurants, Panera Bread, etc….but I’m too tired to cheat! No, truthfully, I don’t want to ruin any good work that I’ve done so far. Anyway, before heading back to the apartment from the bookstore, I rested again, then went home, had my meal (yum….turkey lasagna with broccoli; delicious!), and rested. I have another heart rate monitor…this thing you wear on your finger, like a ring. After literally doing nothing but resting for an hour or so my heart rate was down to 77. My goal is to get that resting heart rate lower, of course. Later my dear friend John pointed out that my monitor might have picked up the rates on someone else’s monitor if it was close enough to her…that’s a good point! So I’m a little less worried…but only a teeny bit!

Today was a gorgeous day in MDR…beautiful blue sky and cool temperatures (still too cool for me!). But it makes for a nice walk. Sadly I was too tired to sit on the complex’s sundeck to enjoy the beautiful day. I will get there on another Sunday. I hope it warms up soon! Now it’s on to my final meal of the day (even though I’m not really hungry) and finally unpacking the last of my luggage…but more is coming this week (Hello my little TiVo, I’ve missed you)! Tomorrow starts early with yoga, then my first bike ride (out here, silly, first ride ever!). At the end of the day it looks like I have a 1-on-1 with Schuyler, a trainer with whom I’ve not worked yet. I bet he’s tough, too! It’s OK…I can take it!

Hope y’all had a good weekend despite losing an hour of sleep and have an even better week ahead.