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I dragged my butt to the gym today for the first time since, oh, March.  I came prepared - Sami down for her nap this afternoon, I had time to dig out my heart rate monitor and strap, charge up my iPod, and find the manual for my HRM (ha, I had used it very basically to get real-time checks on my heart rate, but it can do so much more.   Today I learned to program it with my basic vital stats, so that it can guide me mathematically, and I am going to learn how to use the workout information it records to track my fitness progress.

Of course, having programmed my weight, height and resting heart rate into the thing helped it to recommend a range for me, but that didn’t make me stay in it.  I hopped on a treadmill and was shocked at how much easier it is to run without the extra 38 pounds.  I can run now at 5.3 mph at approximately the same effort I felt at 4.8 a few months ago.  And this with minimal hard cardio work, just moderate and frequent daily activity.

I found my experience quite encouraging.  Also encouraging:  my heart rate monitor said I burned way more calories than the treadmill thought I had.  I attribute this in part to the HRM knowing my weight, height and age and the treadmill NOT knowing these things, but I just think the HRM’s algorithm is probably more sophisticated.  This was heartening however.  I’ll be interested to see the discrepancy on an elliptical, as I always feel that the calories burned estimate on an elliptical is disproportionately high.

Anyway.

I was so encouraged that I did an upper and lower body weight circuit.  I was surprised to learn that I haven’t lost much strength over the last two years (the last time I really knew what I could move, I was working with a trainer who really pushed me, so my recollection is those numbers.)

In sum, I hope to be visiting the gym more often in the future.  I came home feeling really awesome (and both exhausted and energetic!)

Tags: day in the life, fitness //