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I had a nice workout this morning--the advantage of freelancing is that while the client may care how many hours I work, they're as happy with, say 1-9 p.m. as with 9-5 (Or with 9-1 and 4-8.), so I can go when the gym isn't crowded.
On my way out, I was glancing at a display table that had "refer a friend" forms, some random gym-branded stuff like visors and water bottles, and forms to sign up for one's free introductory trainer session. I stopped long enough that an eager employee, holding two balloons, came over and asked if I'd had my free training session. I said that I had, "I've been here a while," and he said "well, have another" and had me fill out the form. I suspect they'll find me easy to match: I'm asking for a non-busy time, any day except Saturday, and don't care about the gender of the trainer.
My feeling is that I don't need a trainer session, but I wouldn't mind someone giving me some help on things to improve my balance, and checking how I'm using some of the equipment, notably that lower back device I've just started using.
I try not to proselytize for exercise--you've heard it all before, after all--but if anyone wants a free week at the New York Sports Club, let me know. (I don't think the offer is transferrable to the Boston, Philly, or DC parts of the company, but it might be--my membership gets me into the Boston branches.) What they have varies from one branch to another, but in addition to cardio and weights, there are an assortment of classes, and a few of the branches have pools.
After working out, I went to my usual Chinese restaurant, and got into a pleasant chat with another woman at the table. (If you're there alone, they seat you at a big round table with other single diners; conversation is optional and occasional, and I can and do just focus on my food or a book sometimes.) I had ordered soup as well as my usual sweet ginger duck over rice, and after saying I liked their egg drop soup, I said something like "good food and all the tea I can drink, what more does a person need?" and she said "the afternoon off." So I wound up talking about the advantages of freelancing (as above), and then about the delights of the New York Public Library. By the time she left, she had decided to go up there and register for one of their research "access" cards.
Then I came home and have been happily researching away, in between wrestling with a recalcitrant fax machine (for a different client) and dealing with a lapful of pointy cat.
Gym details:
I didn't focus as much on the exercises and how they felt as I wanted--I kept getting distracted thinking about work, food, transit, and other perfectly harmless quotidian topics.
Cardio, 26 minutes, top heart rate 148
Chest press, 70 pounds, 12, 8
Leg press, 300 pounds, 3 sets of 12 (my knees will never love this, but it wasn't bad the way it had been last time I tried it)
Calf raises using the leg press machine, 100 pounds, 2 sets of 15
Tricep pulldown, 50 pounds, 15, 11; 45 pounds, 15
Wrist curls, 35 pounds, 3 sets of 15
Calf machine, 75 pounds, 15, 11; 70 pounds, 13
Lower back exercise, 2 sets of 10
I tried crunches, which hurt enough that I stopped after three. I'm not sure if that's from doing them right after the lower back thing--by the end of that, I wanted to just rest, which led to lying down on the mat, and thence to crunches.
Yoga tree, 4 sets of {3 on each leg}
Adjustable row, 80 pounds, 15; 70 pounds, 2 sets of 16 (I could have stayed at 80, but the form is easier at 70)
Hip adduction, 110 pounds, 13, 11
Hip abduction, 75 pounds, 2 sets of 13
Back arch with physio ball, 15--my back and abs were fine, but that was as much as my calves wanted to support.
Bicep curl, 25-pound bar, 25, 16--stopped because my left wrist hurt. Stupid old bone injury.
Lateral raise, 5 pounds left hand, 2 pounds right, 3 sets of 15.
Stretches
On my way out, I was glancing at a display table that had "refer a friend" forms, some random gym-branded stuff like visors and water bottles, and forms to sign up for one's free introductory trainer session. I stopped long enough that an eager employee, holding two balloons, came over and asked if I'd had my free training session. I said that I had, "I've been here a while," and he said "well, have another" and had me fill out the form. I suspect they'll find me easy to match: I'm asking for a non-busy time, any day except Saturday, and don't care about the gender of the trainer.
My feeling is that I don't need a trainer session, but I wouldn't mind someone giving me some help on things to improve my balance, and checking how I'm using some of the equipment, notably that lower back device I've just started using.
I try not to proselytize for exercise--you've heard it all before, after all--but if anyone wants a free week at the New York Sports Club, let me know. (I don't think the offer is transferrable to the Boston, Philly, or DC parts of the company, but it might be--my membership gets me into the Boston branches.) What they have varies from one branch to another, but in addition to cardio and weights, there are an assortment of classes, and a few of the branches have pools.
After working out, I went to my usual Chinese restaurant, and got into a pleasant chat with another woman at the table. (If you're there alone, they seat you at a big round table with other single diners; conversation is optional and occasional, and I can and do just focus on my food or a book sometimes.) I had ordered soup as well as my usual sweet ginger duck over rice, and after saying I liked their egg drop soup, I said something like "good food and all the tea I can drink, what more does a person need?" and she said "the afternoon off." So I wound up talking about the advantages of freelancing (as above), and then about the delights of the New York Public Library. By the time she left, she had decided to go up there and register for one of their research "access" cards.
Then I came home and have been happily researching away, in between wrestling with a recalcitrant fax machine (for a different client) and dealing with a lapful of pointy cat.
Gym details:
I didn't focus as much on the exercises and how they felt as I wanted--I kept getting distracted thinking about work, food, transit, and other perfectly harmless quotidian topics.
Cardio, 26 minutes, top heart rate 148
Chest press, 70 pounds, 12, 8
Leg press, 300 pounds, 3 sets of 12 (my knees will never love this, but it wasn't bad the way it had been last time I tried it)
Calf raises using the leg press machine, 100 pounds, 2 sets of 15
Tricep pulldown, 50 pounds, 15, 11; 45 pounds, 15
Wrist curls, 35 pounds, 3 sets of 15
Calf machine, 75 pounds, 15, 11; 70 pounds, 13
Lower back exercise, 2 sets of 10
I tried crunches, which hurt enough that I stopped after three. I'm not sure if that's from doing them right after the lower back thing--by the end of that, I wanted to just rest, which led to lying down on the mat, and thence to crunches.
Yoga tree, 4 sets of {3 on each leg}
Adjustable row, 80 pounds, 15; 70 pounds, 2 sets of 16 (I could have stayed at 80, but the form is easier at 70)
Hip adduction, 110 pounds, 13, 11
Hip abduction, 75 pounds, 2 sets of 13
Back arch with physio ball, 15--my back and abs were fine, but that was as much as my calves wanted to support.
Bicep curl, 25-pound bar, 25, 16--stopped because my left wrist hurt. Stupid old bone injury.
Lateral raise, 5 pounds left hand, 2 pounds right, 3 sets of 15.
Stretches