In the gym

[Monique]

My husband plays on two leagues - game times this year seem to be 10:40 and 11:00. Luckily, I sleep well, and usually don't even hear him come in.

My husband actually propsed after one of those games -

"Hey, are you awake? Are you awake?"
Me, grumpy: "Well, I am now!"
Him: "Do you wanna get married?"
Me: "Sure! Can I go back to sleep now?"

 

[ScotsSkier]

My husband plays on two leagues - game times this year seem to be 10:40 and 11:00. Luckily, I sleep well, and usually don't even hear him come in.

Hmmm, you sure you know what time he comes in.....

 

[Jenny]

Hmmm, you sure you know what time he comes in.....

Nope. But I trust . . .

 

[Jenny]

My husband actually propsed after one of those games -

"Hey, are you awake? Are you awake?"
Me, grumpy: "Well, I am now!"
Him: "Do you wanna get married?"
Me: "Sure! Can I go back to sleep now?"

That's as romantic as my husband's proposal was. Mom had found a diamond that we had set. When we picked it up from the store he said "Well, you might as well put this on."

 

[Monique]

Cheaters gonna cheat. Tracking their comings and goings can't prevent it. Might as well trust and get a good night's sleep.

 

[Jenny]

Cheaters gonna cheat. Tracking their comings and goings can't prevent it. Might as well trust and get a good night's sleep.

At that hour, I'd rather sleep anyway.

 

[SkiNurse]

As much as I dislike going to the gym, it's kinda an evil necessity. I have found that to keep in decent shape, I need a combination of cardio/strength/endurance/flexibility training. It was great when I could afford a trainer. I did keep all the workouts. I live 10 miles from the nearest gym and usually, try to go on my way home from work. It helps to shake off the shift's events AND I do sleep better. 9/10 on my days off, I am able to exercise outdoors...where I really want to be.

 

[garylk]

I’ve been going to the gym 2 or 3 times a week for 30+ years. Early on, it helped me maintain a level of athleticism that compensated for my lack of skill in a variety of sports; although still somewhat the case, these days it’s more about preventing some aches and pains, and keeping others from being any worse than they already are.

My feelings about going to the gym are summed up by the following anecdote: A man is banging his head against a brick wall. When asked if it hurts, he responds that indeed, it does. So why is he doing it? “Because it feels so good when I stop”.

 

[Fuller]

I have a local YMCA that has everything I need including a 25 yard pool. I find that on a weekly basis 2 or 3 miles in the pool, 130 miles riding with the bike club, some weight training and 2 or 3 sessions on the Concept 2 rowing machine keep me in good shape for most activities. I tend to keep doing things where I can quantify my performance so for me the rowing machine is the best device in the gym. It doesn't lie to you and you can rate yourself with other devotees on a world wide basis via their website.

I'm slowly getting back to competitive shape after my heart attack in July and it's reassuring to know that I'm almost back to my baseline in most activities. Nowadays my motivation is to see if I can actually improve my pre July numbers.

 

[Monique]

I did my rehab exercises yesterday after 3 weeks off (coinciding precisely with the moment when I was cleared to ski). Skiing four groomers in a day doesn't do much for my fitness. OMG everything below the waist is on fire. I'm walking like an old lady.

 

[mdf]

There were about twice as many people in the gym today as usual. I wonder why?

 

[Mendieta]

There were about twice as many people in the gym today as usual. I wonder why?

I know, it normalizes within a month. Every single year. Remarkable!

 

[scott43]

I did my rehab exercises yesterday after 3 weeks off (coinciding precisely with the moment when I was cleared to ski). Skiing four groomers in a day doesn't do much for my fitness. OMG everything below the waist is on fire. I'm walking like an old lady.

I traditionally trash physio because it hasn't worked for me in the past. HOWEVER... In the spirit of the New Year, I'm going to confess that I went for physio for my trashed hip this summer in anticipation of hockey season and I have to say, it has done a terrific job of helping my hip problems. I have pain still, but I've been able to balance muscles and eliminated my nagging lower back pain that resulted from the muscle imbalance. I also have very little lingering pain after playing hockey. It's not "fixed", probably won't ever be, but it has made a big difference. Get the right physio and they can do a decent job. So I apologize to all physios for bad-mouthing them for the last 10 years!!!

 

[Dwight]

 

[Monique]

I traditionally trash physio because it hasn't worked for me in the past. HOWEVER... In the spirit of the New Year, I'm going to confess that I went for physio for my trashed hip this summer in anticipation of hockey season and I have to say, it has done a terrific job of helping my hip problems. I have pain still, but I've been able to balance muscles and eliminated my nagging lower back pain that resulted from the muscle imbalance. I also have very little lingering pain after playing hockey. It's not "fixed", probably won't ever be, but it has made a big difference. Get the right physio and they can do a decent job. So I apologize to all physios for bad-mouthing them for the last 10 years!!!

What's a physio? Is that a physical therapist? OMG, yes, a physical therapist can do a great job, not just a decent job. Same for personal trainers, although I'm guessing there are more great therapists than great trainers.

The exercises I was doing are all the squats, all the lunges, and all the single-leg hamstring and quad burners of the world, all assigned by the trainer from my PT office who I see every week ... and my posterior chain is on fire. As it should be.

 

[coskigirl]

What's a physio? Is that a physical therapist? OMG, yes, a physical therapist can do a great job, not just a decent job. Same for personal trainers, although I'm guessing there are more great therapists than great trainers.

The exercises I was doing are all the squats, all the lunges, and all the single-leg hamstring and quad burners of the world, all assigned by the trainer from my PT office who I see every week ... and my posterior chain is on fire. As it should be.

Canucks tend to use the term physiotherapy for the same thing that Americans call physical therapy.

 

[Jed Peters]

For me I have to be in some kind of group exercise to keep me accountable. And for me, that's crossfit. It's fun, it's varied, it focuses on normal functional human movements, and it's quick. In and out in an hour. For me I really have to stay on a schedule, and do it religiously.

I think whatever one chooses to do--consistency in going is the key.

 

[John Webb]

There were about twice as many people in the gym today as usual. I wonder why?

Ate and drank too much over the recent holidays, lol Wait a month and exercise machines they got for presents will
start showing up in the thrift stores !

 

[Fuller]

Hey, I just rowed a personal best on the Concept 2 rowing machine, 20:39.6 for a 5k. I guess my ticker is doing it's job! There's a ranking website for obsessive people like me and I'm happy to report I'm #65 out of 188 in my age/weight class. I'm starting to get more serious about doing better. Turns out that there's a right way and a wrong way to row and lot's of people to argue with which is which. It also turns out I have a technique issue to fix as well as building my strength and stamina. Lots of room to improve if I want to.

Here in FL the summertime demands that you spend time in the gym to get out of the heat. I used to play outdoor hoops in July at 2:00 in the afternoon but now I'm looking for the AC. In any case I highly recommend the C2 machine for general indoor fitness.. Easy on the knees and gives you a lot of strength in the core and quads.

 

[Monique]

I tried a route at the climbing gym last weekend. My knee isn't ready for that kind of variable movement yet.

Then I decided to do some deadlifts with a real bar (as opposed to kettlebell deadlifts I'd been doing at PT). I haven't done anything but ski in a couple of months, honestly. So I warmed up to 145 lb pretty easily. Did a few sets of those, then decided to go up to 165. Apparently, my right leg had Opinions about this. The moment I started to lift, my whole right leg just took a step back without my intent. It was crazy. I dropped the bar (that's why you do those things on a mat, after all). I guess it's nice to get a really clear signal from my right leg that it's definitely still letting my left leg compensate?

I'm definitely strong enough to do 165 without breaking a sweat ... you know, *if* my right leg participates.