First Day - BOOM - In the Bag

Do you remember that my focus for March is Getting Into the Gym?  Well, I am doing it!

On Tuesday morning I ate a great breakfast and had a leisurely soak in the tub before I packed my bag and started getting ready to head to the gym.

I won a month-long membership in a giveaway a couple of weeks ago. On Monday I made an appointment with a saleswoman to get signed up at 11:15 am on Tuesday, and hoped it would allow me to get the paperwork and sales pitch out of the way, before changing into my workout gear and making it into the group exercise room to get set up to take part in the noon Body Pump class.

At about 10:15, as I was finishing up packing my bag,  I realized I should likely eat something before I left home. I ate breakfast at 8 o’clock and normally eat lunch at 12 o’clock… just about the time that Body Pump should be getting underway. I knew I could not wait till after it was done to eat.  So I put together one of my protein power bowls…   I use a variety of ingredients in these concoctions, depending on what I have in my cupboards, and what my taste buds are requesting… but always lots of protein, with some carbs and some fat.

Today’s protein power bowl consisted of:

• half banana, sliced
• 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
• dash of cinnamon
• 1 Tbs raisins
• 2 Tbs raw cashews
• 1/4 cup Amond Breeze, original

I just mixed it up and gobbled it down, hoping it would see me through the next couple of very active hours! So yummy!

The gym I joined  is only a 10 – 15 minute walk from our apartment. And I did plan to walk both to and from… but it was pouring down rain when I was getting ready to leave so The Captain kindly offered to drive me there. 

I arrived at the gym several minutes early for my 11:15 appointment. I was hoping that if I was early, that perhaps the sales rep I was meeting would be ready early too… but it was not to be. I told the gal who met me in the reception area that I was hoping to have this initial session/signup over with in time for me to change my clothing and hit the noon Body Pump class, so she suggested that I go change and then come back to the meeting… smart cookie, she.  And when I arrived back, after changing, I only had to wait a few minutes for my sales rep.

I gave her the certificate that I was awarded to verify the one month membership, and told her I likely wouldn’t be extending it at this time… that I was really there to participate in some group exercise classes. I didn’t think it was fair to let her go through her whole sales spiel at this point,  She was very gracious and didn’t push the sales pitch at all.

After we were done with the paperwork I had time to put in an easy mile on a treadmill, in order to compensate for the ride (not walk) to the gym, before I headed into the group exercise room to set up my equipment for Body Pump.

♫ ♪♪ ♫♪   Body Pump ♫  ♫♪ ♫

It was every bit as hard and as fun and as exhilarating as I remember it from last Spring when I attended a few sessions… It was a different female instructor, and she was good, but honestly not as fun as the one I really liked before.  Body Pump leaders need to be loud and energetic and motivating…. it takes a special person to do all the exercises and be able to shout ‘BOOM’ a lot and not be out of breath!  And I did notice that this gal really watched the group  members closely and made comments to various individuals throughout the class.  She was very attentive and I think she is gonna grow on me.

I finished up totally spent… endorphins RAGING. Sweat dripping. Arms and legs like jelly. Mind sorta numb.  I am sure I had a big happy grin on my face all the way through. I loved every agonizing minute of this class. Is it the music?  I was very glad I had the foresight to add a Nuun tablet to my water bottle when I filled it at home, because I chugged it down during class and I was dripping wet with sweat at the end.

After I put my equipment away I went back to the locker room and immediately peeled a banana and ate it as I changed into my street clothes.  Then I put on my jacket and got ready to leave…knowing I would shower at home later.  I thoroughly enjoyed my walk home and was pretty happy that it was not raining.

Once home I ate a big lunch salad and was glad to be sitting down for a while… 

During lunch, The Captain and discussed revising our own home workout schedule for the rest of the month.   I have decided that  a workout with him on Mondays and Wednesdays, with Body Pump in between on Tuesdays, is just not going to give me the rest my muscles obviously need….  Obviously?  Well, yes, you would say that if you had seen the push ups and split lunges I was hardly able to perform during class today, after doing them to failure yesterday morning at home. 

So first day in the bag… so excited about it…  and tomorrow it is Flow Yoga at noon.  The Captain and I have agreed to put of our next strength workout till Thursday morning. 

So my biggest question NOW is about this pre-workout SNACK that I need to have before I head off to the gym.  I think today’s snack was a bit of overkill but I am not sure what would be right.

I have breakfast around 8 or 8:30 and it is usually some eggs and fruit.  And I am working out at noon when I would normally eat my lunch… so how MUCH I need to eat at about 11 o’clock is the question… any advice or suggestions are most welcome.

What would you eat?  What DO you eat?