October 7, 2010

Drunk Gym

What’s the easiest way to motivate yourself to lift weights? Two words: drunk gym!

Last night I went to dinner with my colleagues and enjoyed a glass of Malbec and a mojito with my meal – delicious. However, not only did I miss my alarm and therefore miss my morning workout, but I also broke the dieting rule of “pick two of the deadly three” (bread, drink, dessert) and indulged in all of them, so I desperately needed to get a workout in. After dinner, I made the responsible choice to skip the post-bar festivities and instead head back to my hotel.

However, when I got back home, I had a choice to make: elliptical or bed? I mulled it over in my mind, and decided what the heck, might as well get a (tipsy) workout in. Besides, it was 9:55pm, and Top Chef: Just Desserts would be on at 10pm. I could watch that live, reading on the commercials, and then have one less thing on my DVR once I got home.

Unfortunately, I didn’t account for the fact that the hotel gym TVs don’t get Bravo – too bad! Instead of being able to combine TV with reading, I opted for an intense 45 minutes on the stationary bike – not a bad workout for someone with a few cocktails in her.

When I finished, though, I didn’t quite feel the need to go to bed just yet. Besides, I still had a bit of motivation in me from my revelation about muscle loss being the reason I’m getting fat. I decided to give weights a try, mollifying myself with the idea that with the Hartford Marathon on Saturday morning, what I really ought to do was a very short and light legs/glutes workout that would be a start on the strength training front but not have any impact on Saturday’s race. Sometimes promising yourself a short workout is just what you need to get it in!

Glancing around the gym, I noticed that I was the only one in there (at 10:45pm), which only sweetened the deal. I seized the opportunity to set my phone on an angled weight bench, sans headphones, and just turn the speaker up loud enough that I could watch my favorite TV shows while I lifted. Perfect! I did some squats and leg lifts for about 10 minutes before calling it quits, but they were ten sweaty and intense minutes – a good start to my new weight training regiment.

This morning when I woke up, I continued my “more than just cardio” plan, sneaking in an 8 Minute Abs video after my usual elliptical time. Yes, I know arms/chest/back are really the best for a true “weight lifting” workout, but my schedule whenever I do weights before a marathon goes like this: my legs I will need the most, so I stop working those three days before. Next, my stomach muscles can get sore from marathons anyway (does anyone else have this problem? I don’t know why it happens but sometimes my abs really get a workout!), so I stop those two days before. The day before the marathon, I like to get an arms workout in, since those being sore will affect my run the least. Therefore, today is abs day. (I also like that “abs day” means only 10 minutes of work).

Now let’s just see if I can suck it up tomorrow for an arms/chest/back day, to include rowing, weight machines, pushups, and dumbbells. On the plus side, I will be back at my home gym, which makes a circuit easier (since I know the machines well). However, I have a breakfast meeting at 7:30am, a bus to Hartford at 12:15pm, and a bunch of work to do in between. Should I get up early? Should I try to squeeze in a midday workout (and perhaps fail)? We’ll see…

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