I skipped the gym this morning.

I didn't go to the gym this morning. Normally that means I skip a lot of other things, and go straight to work. This morning, I took the trash out, and attempted to do some light cleaning and organization in the garage before I headed out to work. I did, however, get to show Holly our new pet mouse, who has evaded capture so far. I just went straight to work after that.

The gym is now a 5 to 6 day a week thing for Holly and I. I haven't asked her how her checkup appointment with her bariatric surgeon went, but she was concerned with being a couple of pounds away from her personal goal. Sometimes I wonder if I should push her harder at the dinner table, or at the gym, but she's doing well. She takes some indulgences, sometimes out of convenience, sometimes out of guilty pleasure, but she looks great. For me, skipping the gym was more about time management. I've got a few things I need to get done outside of work, and getting to work earlier makes those possible.

Namely, our garage/rodent problem. The garage is a total sty. It isn't "nasty" but it is cluttered. Mostly, this is due to having stuff with no home. I have some cabinets on the wall, and they aren't completely full, but I need more cabinets, but that's an expenditure that keeps getting put off. We've got some free-standing shelving but I've been saving some of it for my sister-in-law and brother-in-law who probably need more help in their garage than we do. I think their time is up though. I've got lots of projects around the house that are half-done or unstarted, and I'm going to pick one this week and get it done. With the kids, that's hard, because they still require (and request) constant supervision. I might be able to get home today early enough to ask our sitter to hang out for a while while I try to orangize a few things, but that almost always ends up with my kids screaming and generally throwing a tantrum until I decide I'm tired of hearing it and come in (so I can listen to them scream until their mother gets home).

So, back to the gym. I've set some personal goals regarding gym activities. My main overall goal is weight loss. I'm supporting Holly in her gym membership requirement for her surgery, and that's all well and good. However, for me, I just need to be able to go a whole day without feeling like I got my butt kicked. In general, I'm trying to build muscle, so that I can burn fat while I sit around all day... because I'm lazy. So, I'm hitting the weights pretty hard, rotating muscle groups and trying to rest and not do weights once or twice a week. In addition, I'm doing cardio work *after* weights. I'm supposed to get 30 minutes in, but more often than not, I run out of time in the mornings I end up doing 15 or 20 minutes, and then running to the shower, so I can get to work in time.

I'm usually not late, but I try to get in by 7:30, so I can leave at 4:00, so I can get home, so that the sitter doesn't have to work a 12 hour day. I could come in later, and put more time into the workout, but I'm sure the real reason I don't just push to 30 minutes, is that I just can't do it. I love using the treadmill, as opposed to other cardio stuff, because I feel like I'm doing something, I'm barely coordinated enough for some of the stuff. Stair climbing is awful, and riding the bike just seems too easy.

However, if anyone remembers in high-school, where we had to run a mile. I couldn't ever run the whole thing. I hated that, and I think I just want to prove to myself that I'm not that fat, weak, kid anymore. There was actually one teacher who would run behind the class, and trip the kids who lagged behind. Sigh... So, I've set a goal of being able to run for a mile. The whole mile. No walking. That won't take 30 minutes, and I can go a whole mile now walking some of it. After that, I'll just try to sustain the run up to 30 minutes. For me, that's a goal I can live with, and work toward, and build from.

The mp3 player helps, but I really need to pick a few songs that I can consistently listen to and keep me moving. I'm open to suggestions. Generally, I just need something loud enough to block out the music that gets played in the Gym, fast enough to run in time to, and doesn't make me think to much. I'll probably blog about the songs I end up choosing, and I'll give credit for suggestions as well. For those who wonder, I'm currently using a 30 GB Zune. I need an arm-band/case for it, and I saw one on Amazone, but it's like 30 bucks... I guess I'll have to hold it in my hand until I can find a few bills on the ground or something. I'm certain that I should move to something flash-based, but I'm just not feeling like switching around right now. We'll see.

With the weights, I have the numbers memorized on the machines that I use, and I don't do free weights yet. My goal really should be to write down and chart my weights, and then improve them and also increase the number of sets. I'm doing 3 sets of 8 on most stuff, an then a set to exhaustion. I'd like to increase that to 4 sets by mid-year and 5 by the end of the year. I'll tackle weight increases as I can, and try to set a better goal once I start charting. I've considered bringing a pad and paper around, but I really think I'd rather use my Windows Mobile phone, and just get an application for it, and use it for music too... but the media player on it kind of sucks... and bluetooth stereo is cool, but I get drop-outs somewhat frequently. I might have to ask this other guy that uses bluetooth headsets what he does. His wife is a social worker, and we chatted briefly about having wives "in that line of work".

Speaking of chatting at the gym, and keeping motivated, and wrapping up blog posts. Here's a funny. We (my wife and I) have code names for people at the gym. It's fun, and keeps us at least interested enough to pay attention while we're there. There's Thelma and Louise, SuperGirl (Kara), Marky-Mark, Greg Brady, Barney Fife (The sherriff), and a host of others. That's my tip for those of you who can't find a reason other than the fact that you just need to exercise to be there. Come up with nick-names for the "regulars". It's almost harmless, and somewhat entertaining.