Pumping Iron

As devoted readers will remember, I made a New Year's resolution to work out more, which seems kind of vaguely formed and half-assed compared to some of my friends very concrete resolutions to lose x pounds in y months. Well, after hopping on the scale at the gym after my first day of working out about a month ago, I decided that I definitely need to be little more concrete in my goals. So I've since upped the ante and vowed to lose 10 pounds by the end of March. I've managed to make it to the gym on campus four days out of each of the past couple weeks since then. I haven't regularly worked out in a couple years, and I've figured out (or remembered) a couple important lessons about having a workout regimen.

1) It's good to have a plan.
My first day in the weight room, I meandered around the different machines, but didn't really have any objectives. At one point I finished a set on a machine that resembled a bench press and decided I wanted to find the machine where you bring your forearms together across the front of your chest. (I'm sure it has a name, but I'm too lazy to look it up.) I sat down at a slightly different machine, and realized it wasn't the one I was looking for but was virtually identical to the one I'd just used. Unfortunately, I noticed a woman looking at me just as I sat down, so I had to do one set on this new machine to save face. I’m sure she was impressed.

2) It's important to have an excuse to work out
I quickly get burned out and bored with working out , so I'm kind of glad I've gotten a little pudgy. At least it'll keep me motivated to keep going to the gym in the mornings. Also, I've started playing a pick-up game of basketball every week with friends. For the record, I suck at basketball, and I tend to be a liability for whatever team I'm on. Luckily, it's a very relaxed group, and everyone's just there to have fun while getting a workout. The time goes by a lot more quickly than on a Stairmaster or some other such infernal device.

3) Don't overdo it.
I have a horrible habit of always wanting to lift weights (or bike, or run) as if I were still in the shape that I was in when I rowed crew my freshman year in college. Inevitably this leads to pain followed by regret followed quickly by burnout and self pity. (Ok, maybe not the last one.) One day after doing a couple ambitious sets on my calves, I had a strange pain in the top of my right calf that wasn't quite the same pain as a muscle that was just a little too tight. Luckily it went away after a couple days, but I've been a little leary of the Calfercizer since then. I apparently didn't learn my lesson, though, because I almost booted after an overzealous workout on the erg (rowing machine) on Monday. Anne assured me that I probably wouldn't have been the first to throw up in the gym, but it still would've been embarassing.

I've actually been enjoying getting up a little early and getting in a quick workout before I start my day, and I'm hoping I can stay motivated and keep going. I've been steadily dropping pounds, if not quite at the pace I'd hoped. Luckily, a week at a conference where I only left the hotel once (which came the week after a gluttonous Super Bowl party), didn't seem to set me back too much. Which is good because we've got a lot of leftover beer (I blame -- or credit -- the deliciousness of Anne's Dark and Stormies).