Workout Session 5 – Rainy Friday Uggh!

Friday morning at the end of long, tiring work week – uggh! A rainy Friday morning at the end of a long, tiring work week – double uggh!  A rainy Friday morning at the end of a long, tiring work week with a scheduled 7 a.m. appointment with a personal trainer – %#!@&*#*$&$^$%&^!!

That pretty well sums up my thoughts this morning as I tried to summon up something from within – courage, willpower, determination – to talk myself out of canceling the appointment. This was my fifth session and I am trying to push through what my trainer Stetson Browning says is a tough but crucial two week stretch.

“Stay with me for two weeks and I promise it will get easier,” he has told me repeatedly.

Always an early riser the time wasn’t the issue – the fact that I am dog tired after a grueling week is where the rub came for me. I can’t stress how much I wanted to stay in my jammies and play hookey. It was the first morning that I have felt that way, where I seriously didn’t think I had it in me.

When I started this six-month venture (or perhaps I should say ad-venture) my goal was to go from May 1 to November 1, which is my 60^th birthday, to see how much weight I could lose, how much I could improve my physical fitness and overall health during that six month stretch.

I decided to write about it for two reasons, one to highlight the great work that Stetson Browning does with all his clients regardless of age, body size, physical ability or gender in his work as a personal trainer. I also knew that writing about it and posting those column on my website (franklincounty-news.com) and on Facebook would provide a measure of accountability for me. The thought of that accountability prodded me forward this morning.

So, with the good little dude sitting on my right shoulder telling me to push on and that bad little guy on my left shoulder telling me to go back to bed, I trudged off shortly before 6 a.m. It was not a pretty site, think of these words, beat up, beat down, worn out. Nonetheless, I still trudged off.

With my appointment at 7 o’clock I arrived in time to get in about a 45 minute walk on the treadmill before I started and it’s quite remarkable, but 15-20 minutes into my walk I started feeling better.

As far at the workout, it was legs primarily with some upper body. And I have to admit that while the work and the pace are the same it was a little easier for me today. Even the dreaded ‘plank exercise’ that I despise – get down in a pushup position and then put your forearms on the floor and hold yourself up – was a little easier today. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s still brutal and I still hate it with every fiber of my being … but it was easier.

Another positive about this morning involved my food diary that I have been keeping. I turned my weekly total in last Wednesday and today Stetson told me I am not eating enough and that there is too much of a gap with no food between meals . I need to eat more, he said, which will help speed my metabolism up.

‘Huh … not eating enough.??’ Well, certainly that’s the first time I have ever, ever been told that.

So, after a rocky and questionable start to the day it ended on a positive note and I am thrilled that I fought through the Friday morning funk and didn’t cancel.

After my next session on Monday I will be through that initial two-week stretch that I have heard so much about. I plan to get started this weekend on that new ‘more food’ part of this regimen. Now there’s something I’ll be good at for sure.

Have a great weekend and thanks for reading!