Hip pain.

So I'm back at the gym. And for the longest time, way before I ever got serious about losing weight, I would go to the gym and "work out". Except, I never had a goal. I never had a plan. Now, after losing a bunch of weight, I'm on a mission to keep it off and maintain my loss. Plus, I still have that pesky little 20 lbs to lose.
The sun came out last week, and I felt alive again. Three days at the gym last week, and after I finish today, that will be another 3 days this week. I think I would have gone 4 days, but things came up, and I had to skip Wednesday.
In the past, I've not pushed myself much. But now, when I get on the treadmill, I visualize myself with long, lean legs. I really want to lengthen my muscles, and get those great legs back I used to have. Well, I thought they were great. And compared to what they look like now, those legs I had in my 20's were great!
So I get to the gym with a plan to walk/jog 30 minutes to an hour, and I usually do about 40 minutes before my tendonitis acts up.
On the inside of my right hip, along my pelvic bone there, I have some tendonitis. I can set the treadmill for 4.0 - 4.5, and I'm fine for awhile. It's when I set it higher, around 5.0 - 5.5 when I get into trouble. As that tendon heats up, the pain goes up. If I keep my pace right around 4 mph, I can go longer, but my goal is to get down to a 12 minute mile. I'm trying, but that pain is slowing me down. I can only tolerate so much, before I have to lower the speed, and let my hip cool off.
Here I had been worrying about my back causing me to go slower, or cut back on the walking. But so far, my back has been very nice about this jump back into exercise. It's my old lady joints that are fighting back.

"GYM" is not a four letter word.

Three times at the gym this week. This isn't as hard as I thought it would be, getting back into it. I love my tv over my head, where I can watch my Drew Carey to my heart's content. The first couple of days I did a mile, then two miles. Today I did 2.33 miles, in about 41 minutes. At two miles, I checked my time and it was at 35 minutes. So with my walking/jogging I am doing about an 18 minute mile, give or take. It'll get better. I'm walking the 5K on May 7th for the Race for the Cure. Bunna's mom and I are doing it together, and she's not a jogger, so I'll be happy to pace myself with her and get our 5K done at a leisurely pace. So far, my legs and back are holding up. I had an injury in my left ankle a couple years ago, and it acts up occasionally, but it's been behaving. My back is super great, and I can attribute that to the good work my new chiropractor did with me. I'm to a point now where I only go when I feel the need for an adjustment. And so far, so good. I haven't seen him in weeks, and I'm still feeling great. I think I can stick to the new 3 day a week gym routine. Honestly, I think it's because the weather is getting warmer that I even feel the slightest bit of motivation to leave the house in the morning. I totally get all cocoon-ed up when the weather is cold. My winter routine in the morning is to crawl out of bed, pull on my big, fluffy, pink robe, come downstairs for coffee, and "veg" out in front of the computer until it's time to do laundry or get ready for work. Today, I got done at the gym, and had the energy to come home and vacuum and dust the entire house. Then I still had breakfast, paid bills, and showered for work. All I can say is.......... YAY! for sunshine and warm, happy days!!

Gym time.

Gym. It's not a four-letter-word, but it's close. I used to be a fan, but I just can't feel the love like I used to. I think once I get in the habit of going again, the happy feelings will come back. The positive feelings I get once I'm there, working, and making a difference in my health and shape, come back after awhile. But yesterday, I got to the gym, and there was a sign up near the treadmill where I always start out. It said, "Don't touch the tv". Really? It's within reach, so I can easily change the channel, and if no one else is in the room, why can't I touch the tv? Seriously, I pay good money to be allowed to use the equipment, so why isn't the tv part of the perks? I don't expect to go and spend my 30-60 minutes on a treadmill watching a continuous loop of the news, or even worse, ESPN. I make a point of getting to the gym at the same time as the Price is Right comes on. I have a little schedule I've made up for myself, and I run during the commercials, and walk during the show. It works for me, and more importantly, it keeps my mind occupied. Walking for any length of time staring into a mirror, with nothing to think about besides how your waist wiggles when you take a step, is not how I want to spend my workout time in the morning. Drew Carey is much more fun to watch. And at the risk of getting my hand slapped by a Stepford-gym-employee, I'm going to touch that tv. I might even touch it twice.