I was able to fit in my usual work-out (30 min. stairmaster, 30 minutes weight floor). I'm watching another true crime netflix doc: Evil Genius. I saw Taylor today in the locker room. I told her I'd missed her. I was indeed happy to see her. The thing with gym friends is you only see them when you happen to see them. I've thought about asking to exchange numbers with her but a little nervous to do so. She asked me a whole lot about myself today, and it was easy to talk to her. She told me she was not in a good mood and asked why I was always so happy. I said, "Because I take anti-depressants!" It's true in part, but I also said it for comedy's sake. I think she appreciated my self-disclosure and shared that she turns to alcohol and thinks she's in a bad mood due to a slight hangover. Gym bonding!

Yesterday was a brisk 3 mile walk with my dog which included a one mile long steep hill. It's my go-to "I don't have time for a bike ride" workout and my dog loves it too. While on that walk a guy was on the bike path we were using on these... not roller blades but maybe roller skis? With poles like cross country ski uses. Anyway, he whipped up and down the hill three times while we were walking it. Unbelievable. And we keep a quick pace because my dog is a 100 lb pit/lab who wants to walk at a running pace. I'll either do the same today or go for a bike ride. I can't remember who is supposed to cook dinner tonight so if it's me I'll need to factor that in to my play time.

Last night was my first Qigong class. Over an hour and it kicked my butt. I walked there and home, a little over ten mins each way. And then today I did a 15 min beginner's aerobic YouTube and OMG did that kick my ass too. But that's how it is in the beginning I guess.

I learned I am not strong enough yet to do a plank.

Today was loaded with gym gossip.

First, the exercise: 30 minutes on the stairmaster w/a six minute cooldown, and 30 minutes on the exercise floor (sit ups, weight lifting, stretching, etc.). I finished watching Hannah Gadsby: Nanette (a butch one woman show- watch it!- Netflix), then went back to Evil Genius.

I sat down on the couch in the locker room with Judith, who was blasting the the news on the T.V. as usual. She hogs the remote, and let's not forget she works remotely, so she lives at the gym. She was complaining to me about Agnes, an older British woman whom I adore. She said that Agnes was becoming increasing hostile to Judith because Agnes hates the T.V. She said that Agnes muttered, "Three hours, and so loud!" I didn't want to rain on Judith's bitch session, so I nodded along but thought to myself, "Go Agnes!"

Now here's where the gossip comes in! Judith said to me, "Jennifer, why are women and men expected to dress differently? I would never wear high heeled shoes. They are not functional. Just because someone's born a certain gender shouldn't mean they should have to look a certain way." I felt validated. I've ALWAYS sensed some gender or sexuality stuff vibing from Judith. But I doubted myself because she's frequently making annoying politically conservative comments, and she also spends a lot of time at church. I know these are stereotypes, yet still I told myself, "Get a clue, Jen. You are barking up the wrong tree." Finally she gave me a little of that edge that I'd sensed was percolating! It felt like a little victory.

The other gossip was about Taylor. I was walking to my favorite stairmaster, and suddenly I felt an arm jut out from an elliptical and grab my arm. "Jen!" It was Taylor, the petite, classically hot, straight house manager. She admonished me first: "I've been looking for you forever! I'd see your Minion backpack, your Hello Kitty shower shoes, your rainbow towel- you leave your shit everywhere! It was like a scavenger hunt! Then I finally heard you on the phone but you were in a bathroom stall having a loud phone conversation, and it went on forever so I gave up, and went to my elliptical!" Then, still using the elliptical but becoming more hushed, she shared, "Last night I had sex with a guy from the gym! And he's hot! I hope he calls me! I'm almost 35, I want a husband and kids! And the sex was great! I just was dying to tell you. I don't know why. Is this weird for me to be telling you?" Well, yeahhhhhh. I said, "It's cool, Taylor. We keep it real." Then I cringed inside because I sounded so stupid! Then she said, "Well, I don't want to keep you from your work-out, I just really wanted to tell you this happened." Oh my. No judgment.

Having this summer to work-out (and gossip) is feeling so good. I can feel myself getting stronger. I feel grateful for being a fat gym rat and also having the time to sleep in and let my muscles recover. I also feel grateful for friends in this thread. We are all in this together!

Friday night gym work-out tonight (the usual: 30 minute stairmaster and 30 minute weight floor). It was pleasantly empty. They played the song Raspberry Beret which was appreciated. I watched a show from a Netflix series called "Dark Tourist"- in this one the journalist visited Japan and spent time in radioactive areas, a forest where people commit suicide, and a ghost town. I'm planning to selectively watch more episodes based on topics. This one was good.

4
 

Got lost in the woods and did over 10000 steps.by 11am. Feels.good to be back in my element.

Also.did and will do.housework

I did a Saturday night work-out. NYC was on the brink of a thunderstorm so that combination left me a nice and quiet gym! I did 30 min. stairmaster and 30 min weight floor. I watched more of the Dark Tourist on Netflix.

Judith was there and another gym regular named Miriam, an elderly, heavyset woman who is very opinionated. I like her! She started a petition in the locker room at one point that the locker room music was getting too loud and cool. Today she tortured Judith, and I loved it. The three of us were sitting in the couch/t.v. area of the locker room, and Miriam said to Judith, "You voted for Trump, didn't you?!" She said it in a very accusatory, angry tone. Judith looked nervous and said, "I didn't vote for anyone. I didn't vote." Needless to say that did not go over well with Miriam.

Miriam told me that Judith pestered her enough to get her to get off her exercise equipment and go to one of the gym parties one night earlier this week. Miriam said it was on the roof of the gym and was quite beautiful. It made me think, "Maybe I SHOULD accompany Judith to one of these gym parties." :vigil:

I went to a beach party today, so I ended up closing the gym at night. I only had time for cardio, no stretching. I did 35 minutes on the stairmaster.

It was only Judith, Miriam, and me there when I first went in the locker room. When I came back after working out, it was only Judith and me. She said, "It's good to have company." I said that I felt the same way. I had just been watching another Netflix episode of Dark Tourist, which had a segment on Jeffrey Dahmer, and I wondered, "Are Judith and I similar to Jeffrey Dahmer?" We just want... some company :|.

Yesterday I did my 15 minute cardio session on YouTube for beginners. I also did ten minutes practice of Qigong. Today was supposed to be a rest day because I'm sore but I've been cleaning for the past couple hours.

For those who don't know Qigong is a practice designed to release blocked chi through moving many different parts of the body at once. It's great for balance and for strength. It's similar to Tai Chi but not as martial arts based.

Another late night work out tonight. I did 35 minutes on the stair master, with a 3 minute cool-down, and then 25 minutes on the gym floor (weight lifting, ab exercises, stretching). I watched "Bad Trips Abroad" (a doc series on Netflix) which is pretty good (It's about when tragedies happen on vacations.).

I ran into Max, the daughter of the "Perfect Mother-Daughter" set. She was super nice as always.

I spent tons of time (which I subtract from my work-out) watching people exercising on the weight floor. I love to see all the different ways we can move our body in healthy ways. It reminds me of the joy I had learning sign language. There are just an endless number of ways the body can move. It feels magical to me.

Took the dogs for.a hike this morning. AND gave blood at the same time...to.the hungry varmints buzzing around lol

I did my usual workout- 30 minutes stairmaster and 30 minutes on the weight floor. It felt really divine. I wish I could think of a way to maintain this when work starts. It's too early to go in the morning but if I did the evening that would mean leaving work on time. Hmm...

I have a Netflix watch list, and I forced myself to try out shows that had been lingering:

Baby Ballroom (delete- no drama)
Cheer Squad (See Above)
Jackass 3.5 (Did I really put this on my list- delete)
Living on One Dollar a Day (yawn, delete)

They'd been lingering for a reason.

I chatted with the perfect mother and daughter set who were having salads in the locker room with Judith in the couch area with the t.v.

I also chatted with Miriam. She is elderly and when I first met her I asked if she was retired. Hardly! She directs cabarets and teaches, and a documentary is being made about her. The documentary is about a musical theater class she teaches for elderly people with conditions such as Parkinson's Disease. She said they've been filming for a year and a half, and she just hopes she's still alive when it comes out. I assured her that she would be.

I got a lecture from my husbutch when I got home that couples' time is being cut into by my late night gym forays. I agreed. That means I'll have to stop procrastinating during the day so that I can get home earlier. Oh, boy!

I did my usual at the gym today (30 stairmaster; 30 weight floor). My ability to go up in weight is increasing, and my stamina on the stairmaster. That is a good feeling. After watching about five seconds of various Netflix, I settled on the Trump documentary which seems good so far.

I saw the perfect mother and daughter today. The daughter was on a treadmill. I smiled and waved at her but she didn't see me. Good. Better on the work-out floor not to interact. Then I saw the mother in the locker room. She was telling another regular that she was looking for a studio apartment for herself because the perfect daughter was going off to school. The gym member with whom she was speaking about this said, "I know of a studio that's renting for 4,000." The perfect mother said, "I'm already interested in one I found that's 3,200." They talked about what a good deal that was. Only in NYC :blink:

On the weights floor, a trainer smiled at me and said, "You can do it," or something like that. Just imagine something you might see on a Nike advertisement. I didn't realize he was speaking to me. I was in a kind of zombie mode because I'd just finished an intense stairmaster workout and was getting ready to lift weights. He repeated it a second time. Again, I didn't realize he was speaking to me (He was with another client stretching them on a table, so why would I think he was speaking to me.). However, the third time he said it, I looked up at him and saw that smile and that he was speaking to me. "You can do it," he said, "I see it in your eyes." A little creepy :mohawk:. Possibly a little fatphobic :hamactor:. Or maybe just nice :vigil:. I smiled back. I don't really care what it meant, as long as people are being friendly to me- whatever. I just appreciate it :bunchflowers:.

An hour and fifteen of Qigong. It's really getting my legs, back, and feet. I had to sit down a couple times for a few minutes just to rest and get feeling back in everything LOL. I'm not used to being on my feet for over an hour straight and I'm also fat and out of shape so even just the standing there is difficult and when you add in the movements it's very difficult for me. But the teacher is very chill and tells us to use the 70% principle and always do 70% of what we're capable of, not more, and not to push your boundaries too hard. So that's cool. I'm enjoying the class.

I got a ride to and from because it was raining so no extra walking today.

I had a late night work-out at the gym today. I tend to procrastinate. But who cares. It's the summer.

I did 37 minutes on the Matrix stair climber because my favorite, the classic Stair Masters, were both in use. It's good to sometimes be pushed out of my comfort zone. Last time I was on the Matrix I just could not grasp how to work the technology for what I wanted. This time I did pretty well. I was next to an African American fellow who engaged me in conversation while we were stair climbing. I figured, why not. It was not a strenuous conversation. He said, "These stair climbers are the best work-out. Sweat starts pouring in minutes." The conversation continued with us saying kind of the same thing. It was all we had the energy for I think :blink:.

Then I did 30 minutes on the weight floor.

In the locker room I chatted with an older, white woman named Gayle who spends so long blow-drying her hair to perfection. She is a t.v. producer and worked on the Ricki Lake show way back. I also spoke with Hillary, a young gal who is friendly with the perfect mother and daughter. She sometimes does double morning/evening work-outs. Go Hill!

Happy weekend, exercisers! :)

Me too. Every once in a while I'll be still so wired at night that I do pound out a workout at 11pm to get the energy out but usually it just pumps me up more and I'd be like a squirrel on Jolt all night long.

Well, when I say late night, the latest I'm finishing is 9 pm. And it's the summer so I can go to bed late, since I work on a school year schedule.

Today I did 30 minutes on the stairmaster, and 30 minutes on the weight floor. I'm still doing the "Levels 5,4,3,2,1" x 2 min. x 3 repetitions" pattern. I've made it harder by now not leaning my arms on the stairmaster for "2,1." It's given the work-out an added challenge, and I could not avoid leaning by the third set. I also have been doing some backward walking. The back of the stairmaster (the two good ones) face a mirror so that helps. I was glad to get the classic stairmaster today and not the Matrix. Being on the Matrix is like the Wild West. I can get a good work-out but it's like I'm on a run away horse- I can't do patterns, I can barely keep it from bucking me off.

I chatted with Miriam today. I googled her yesterday and saw the preview of the documentary they are doing on her musical theater class for elderly folks. She just impresses me more and more. I also saw Judith who called out from the couch by the television, "Jenny, you are late!" Actually arriving at 4pm was earlier than usual. Anyway...

one hour on the treadmill and its showing on the scale :)

5mi...creating my reality
 

5mi run a bit later in the morning
as I daydreamed on my future
new wife, home, garden...strangely
exciting time it is...the eclipse and
full moon with endings and beginnings
...much gratitude.
Sundays is usually my long run
day, 10mi, but my body wanted 5mi
so 5 it was!

This past week walked with my talkie
friend 4.5mi every other day...she
is an incredibly interesting woman
and have been enjoying our walking
different roads all new to me in the
area.

keep on keepin' friends, Greco

I walked around for a couple hours downtown looking at sidewalk sales.

You know what the most relaxing part of my exercise routine is? Writing on this thread (f).

Yesterday I did 45 minutes on the stairmaster and then had to zip off to a wedding in Jersey.

Today I did 42 minutes on the stairmaster and 35 minutes on the weight floor. Slight variation on the pattern I've been doing on the stairmaster:

Level, 5,4, and 3- full lean, Level 2 and 1 -- 30 second lean, 30 not lean, and back and forth (each level for 2 minutes, with a sequence of 4 sets).

The gym sent out a survey. I told them they were great but also critiqued. I told them giving us one guest pass for year is annoying when guest passes are 35 dollars each! I mean, for Christ's sake! They surprisingly wrote me back (that's the surprising part) and told me that they disagree with me but in good faith will give me two passes! That's like 70 bucks! I just went ahead and thanked them! I also told them to please keep those two Stair Masters because the Matrix is a pain in the a**. They did not respond to that.

I ran into the size 0 house manager, Taylor, and she shared with me loads of drama as usual! She said that the guy from the gym who she slept with the first night she went out with him never called her back, so she texted him recently. She showed me the text she wrote to him, "Obviously you are not interested in me, but maybe we can jog together sometime." He wrote back, "Sorry, I've just been busy lately, do want to see you soon" or something like that. She was like, "Should I wait a few days to write back? OMG, straight girls!

Then she broke down in tears and told me that she's sleeping with her billionaire boss, the one whose home she manages. She said she's in love with him. She's 35, and he's 65. She said he's a womanizer (her exact word!) but that she's okay with that. She said that he said, "I think we need to disconnect. I'm doing some inner work on myself right now." Oh, Taylor, oh dear sweet naive Taylor, when will you get a clue? The pain of being stereotypically gorgeous. I just comforted her. I told her everything will be okay, because I'm sure it will.

Today I did 42 minutes on the stairmaster, integrating all my leaning and not leaning, very excited about small progress. Mid-way through my anti-Trump Netflix original ended! They seem to only have Season 1 out, so I was caught off-guard, assuming that Season 2 would also be out, but, nope, I was left hanging! Since I'm working out so intensely having to find something new to watch while in the midst of a work-out makes the work-out ten times harder and is just plain annoying. It puts me into an almost comical tizzy, as I push buttons like a maniac. I settled on a documentary by a POC about White Supremacy which is okay so far, certainly disturbing and angering.

Then I did 30 minutes of a floor work-out, minus arms because I went up in weights yesterday and could still feel it. I added in some leg balance exercises that I used to do and definitely saw how off my balance was without doing them regularly. This is standing on one foot and balancing in different poses. I used to be so good at this and would even get comments from fellow gym goers. Well, in any case, it was a perfect thing to go back to with aching arm muscles.

Peace out, exercisers!

I did my 15 min cardio for beginners workout. Still feels hard to my beginner self.

Has had anyone here had the problem with being ravenously hungry ALL the time after starting exercising? I'm tracking my eating as well so I know I'm eating enough but I'm so hungry!

Thanks, Gemme!! I am hoping it will even out. I restrained myself from pigging out last night so that was good.

Today I walked 20 mins to my hair dresser's and will walk 20 mins back.

one hour on the treadmill it was so hard to get motivated but i did it :)

Today I did 42 minutes on the Stairmaster. When I am on the Stairmaster my face and eyes look like Jack Nicholson in the Shining. Just saying. I'm watching a so-so Hulu doc about a murderous couple. They killed her parents. Wish it was a tad more interesting.

Then I did 30 minutes of floor exercises and weights. I had a biopsy on a dark spot on my arm (yearly skin/body check) which Im not concerned about- don't think it will be anything, but I think it makes weight lifting a little sketchy with my arm for certain motions, so I'm just listening to my body, as they say. I tried a new weight exercise which is a score for me because I so often do the same routine. It always feels good when I finally try something new. And it worked!

There's a trainer who I think is after me, like wants me to be her bitch, her client, I mean. Her name is Janet, and I do like that's she's older (maybe late fifties). Also, she doesn't wear make-up and isn't all fashionable. She's not butch. I keep a friendly relationship with her but also set a bit of a wall because I believe she wants $$$. Today she plopped down beside me when I was doing my floor stretching, and I was like, "Holy shit." I didn't want to close my eyes (a way to give the message to others at the gym that I don't want to talk). Closing my eyes seemed too cold given that she literally threw herself down beside me. At the same time, I never want to be interrupted when I'm on the weight floor. I was like a deer in the headlights. She said, "You have good mobility." I said, "Thanks," and then went back to exercising. She took the hint. She is really the only trainer who is not young and fabulous, so I do exchange warm greetings with her. But, yo, give me my space when I am working out!

Today I did 42 minutes on the stairmaster (not easily!- more on that to follow) and 30 minutes on the weight floor.

Before I went to the gym, I'd gone out with a friend to a vegan restaurant and had a kale salad and a cup of gazpacho. Sounds healthy, but I think the gazpacho had a lot of salt in it. I thought that as I had it. Then on the stairmaster, I think that salt really got to me. I was sweating much more than usual and really having to push through the workout. Afterwards I had a ton of water and an energy bar before going to the weight floor. It's interesting how gym workouts can really let you know how you are doing inside your body. I've always been struck by that.

I spent a lot of time talking to the perfect mother (of the perfect mother and daughter). She told me that her son has struggled or struggles with drug addiction. I'm not sure if she told me that because I told her I call her the perfect mother. Sheesh, I really need to keep my mouth shut. We had a very meaningful conversation. We had a girly, giggly way of talking about the most serious of topics and afterwards, Judith summoned me over to the couch by the television and said, "You two were laughing so much. What were you laughing about? Let me in on it." Awk-ward. "Just life," I said. More and more I think Judith is totally on the spectrum and just doesn't get the intricacies of social interaction at all. I think she is envious of my ability to connect with others and really most people's ability to easily connect with others. I was leaving at 8pm, and she said, "You are leaving early! What will you be doing?" 8pm is not early. For Judith, the gym is her place to avoid loneliness. In certain ways, it is mine too. It will be hard to go back to work in the fall. I like it in the locker room.

I did my usual 42 minutes on the stairmaster and 30 minutes on the weight floor. Luckily I felt great today. I had been concerned about feeling off yesterday, so probably it was too much salt in the soup where I had lunch. Today I was easily about to do 4 sets of Levels 5 down to 1 (2 minutes for each level) on the stair master. That felt great. I'm watching a Hulu doc series (originally on A&E) where ex scientologist Leah Remini talks to people who have left scientology.

The gym was fairly empty since it was a Friday evening in the summer. I chatted with Taylor. She's still thinking about the guy from the gym who she went out with once and slept with, and how she's interested, but doesn't know if he is, because he hasn't gone out with her again. Duh. She texted him last night "after two drinks." I'm not sure what that said but she showed me his response because she wanted to get my feedback on what it meant. It was a really interesting text, kind of funny. Here's what it said:

"Taylor, I promise I do want to see you again. I'm just really busy training for the New York Marathon in December. I get up between 4 and 5 in the morning to train, then go to work, then get back home at 6:30, then have 1.5 or so hours to have dinner and do tasks, and then I am in bed between 8 and 9. Also, I'm not yet over my two ex-girlfriends, so I'm not ready for a relationship. When I see you, though, it won't be weird. We are good."

Omg. She took that as him being interested and was really upset when I said that it "could be" that he is trying to set the tone for things being cool between them. Who wants to have an enemy at the gym, especially when people know each other. Come on, Taylor, wake up.

Taylor also shared with me that she fasts 16-20 hours a day. She is a total size zero. She said that works very well for her. 20 hours a day!