Today I did 60 minutes on the Arc Trainer (similar to elliptical), Interval program. I watched Dr. Oz and his tai chi expert talk about and demo tai chi. Here is some of what I learned:
1) Tai chi is super popular in China, and if you go outside in the morning everyone's doin' it.
2) Tai chi massages the inner organs.
3) Tai chi has been clinically proven to boost the immune system.
Pretty cool. Here a little handy dandy summary of tai chi:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tai-chi/SA00087
After that I did a half hour of yoga, stretching, abs, and weight lifting, while looking up and watching CNN now and then on the T.V. Sometimes it's impossible to get away from televisions at gyms!
Kelt, your plan sounds great to me. I love outdoor swimming! There is nothing more fun to me. It's a hundred times nicer than indoors for those of us who love the sun and outdoors! That was such a smart idea to separate the gym and the pool. Great call. I also travel a long distance to my gym, even though there is a gym every block in my own neighborhood. It's completely worth it to me, after having tried out just about every gym and pool in NYC.
Daktari, I usually always rally during a work-out unless I am getting a cold. Usually even if I'm tired from lack of sleep, the gym pumps energy into me, particularly by lifting weights. Sometimes I go to the gym on several nights of not enough sleep and can't really enjoy the work-out the way I normally would. I call that (in my head) a "struggle" work-out, and I say to myself, "Maybe this awful feeling will remind you to prioritize your sleep next time." It's the boot camp coach in my head
. However, it's extremely rare that I am too tired for a long work-out unless I can relate it back to lack of sleep or am getting sick. When it happens without either of these factors (maybe once or twice a year), I just listen to my body and go home!