Sigh... Long Catch Up/Explanation Post

Blog readers, if there are any of you left, I have to apologize for the delay in posts. It's partially because I have been traveling and busy, but also because with the exception of Friday, there has been no exercise-related reason to post. Hmmm...let's go chronologically. Last post was Friday, May 2oth.

Saturday, May 21st: Amanda F.'s wedding shower! It was so wonderful! I brought cupcakes that HCL made (yes, my big, bad personal trainer has a bakery business on the side--I love this about her.) I ate a pistachio one. And a vanilla. :( Bad food day.

Sunday, May 22nd - Tuesday, May 24th: New York City!!!! Yes, my work business trips are *rough*, but someone has got to do it. I mean *someone* has to stay on Times Square and take in a show, right? In this case, two someones. Awesome Holly Holly and I had a blast! And learned a lot too. :) No exercising occurred (except all of our city girl walking) despite the fact I crammed all of my workout stuff into my bag. At the very least, carrying it the mile from Penn Station to our hotel was something. :)

Wednesday, May 25th: I gave myself the day off to catch back up to life. Ate unhealthily too. This shouldn't have happened. Lesson learned.

Thursday, May 26th: Back on track. Nothing to report. No workout, but healthy eating.

Friday, May 27th: Cardio and eating on track. I did 45 minutes on the elliptical varying the crossramp every 5 minutes. I went from 10 to 15 to 20 to 15 to 10 to 15 etc... Stats:

Calories: 502.5
Time: 45:00
Strides: 6355
Distance: 3.58 miles

Saturday, May 28th - Monday, May 30th: A whole lot of nothing. Little good food choices. No exercise. Monday, I actually woke up at 10:00am and watched Sex and the City reruns on E! from 10:30 am to 6:00 pm. I am not sure if I *needed* the rest or if my lack of healthy exercise/eating is making me more tired. My allergies have been bothering me. I think all of these things factor in.

Tuesday, May 31st: Healthy eating. Liz session. Back on Track Erin (BOTE) returns??? Perhaps. Liz was ready with questions: Why haven't I heard from you since May 18th? What happened? Do you know the only thing I have written down for your workout so far? Weigh in. I appreciate her attention to detail. I was very worried that she would yell at me or fire me as a client. She did neither (which I appreciate--I didn't need those things). She told me we were going to weigh in (I was up 4 pounds in two weeks...no big surprise there). Then she was going to kick my a$$ with a full body workout. And she did. In a good way. :) We have 6 more sessions booked so I think this is a good thing. My Aunt joined the gym so I earned a free session. This helps me have some closer together in the next few weeks without breaking the bank anymore. Thanks, Aunt Rachel!!!

Here's the workout today (each section was done consecutively without a break each set):

Power Squats: 140 lbs/20 reps, 230/20, 230/20
DB Sumo Squats: 30 lb DB/20 reps, 30/20, 30/20
Bench Jumps: Body Weight/10 jumps each side, BW/10, BW/10

Lat Pull Downs: 60 lbs/15 reps, 60/12, 50/15
Seated Row: 50 lbs/15 reps, 50/15, 50/15
Burpees: Body Weight/10 reps, BW/10, BW/10

SL Reverse Lunges: Body Weight/12 reps, 7.5 lb DBs/12
Push-Ups: Body Weight/12 reps, BW/12
DB Shoulder Press: 12.5 lb DBs/15 reps, 15/15

I will be sore tomorrow for sure. I am already sore. But in good way.

Also, I confided in Liz that I baked cookies on Saturday and ate them all between then and Monday night. She told me to take the Nestle chocolate chip cookie recipe and calculate a bunch of info off of it for the whole batch. Here is is:

Calories: 6600
Fat: 420g
Saturated Fat: 210g
Cholesterol: 900mg
Sodium: 5100mg
Carbs: 840g
Sugars: 600g

In my defense, that is for 60 cookies. My batch was about 30, so cut that in half..over 3 days...still AWFUL, but not *as* awful??? :D

One final thing. I am currently in a weird sort of funk. I am unmotivated, but not like when I have been unmotivated in the past. I am discouraged, but not down-hearted. I am really having a difficult time putting my finger on where I am. I am positive and still want to reach my goals of health and general fitness/strength, but cannot seem to connect the neurons to go to the gym (although I think I may be back there mentally now...). It like the happiest workout funk I've ever been in. Usually when I get here I am all mopey and over-dramatic. I am not sure if this is a good thing or not. Liz and I talked a lot this session (while I was taking much needed rests!) about this. When I talked to Devon about switching to Liz he thought it was a very good idea because she can relate to my struggles in ways he never could. I thought he was giving me a line, but today I really saw how wise that man is. Liz was speaking about her own struggles--some of which form this past Saturday!--and I could relate to them all. And they weren't lame, I ate two pieces of bread instead of one, struggles. They were real issues with cheating, motivation, body image, etc... I think the conversation was really beneficial. I also told her how I am discouraged that my fitness isn't where it was in April/May 2010 when I was 17.2% body fat, running long distances (fairly quickly), and benching 135 pounds. The worst part is that I KNOW hard work will get me back there but I am discouraged that I lost that (even if it was for a really good reason!). Liz could completely relate due to her competing in figure competitions. You get your body to an unhealthy level of fitness that is unsustainable. When you cannot sustain it, you are perfectly healthy but don't feel like you are. Anyways, I'm rambling. Long story long, I think this professional relationship will be good for me. :)

Penance

Yesterday I went to NJ and so was gone from super early to fairly late. I did not exercise--which I knew I wouldn't--but I also didn't eat the greatest.

As penance today, I tried the "fun" step-mill intervals that Liz suggested. She says that she does 4 minutes easy and 1 minute hard intervals. I asked if she meant levels 4 or 5 for easy and 7 or 8 for hard. She laughed and said more like 10 or 11 for hard. Yikes!

I went for 40 minutes, doing intervals for the first 30 then cooled down for the last 10 minutes. The breakdown:

4 minutes, level 4
1 minute, level 10
4 minutes, level 5
1 minute, level 11
4 minutes, level 4
1 minute, level 11
4 minutes, level 4
1 minute, level 11
4 minutes, level 4
1 minute, level 11
4 minutes, level 4
1 minute, level 11
10 minutes, level 4

I was talking to Devon during the final 10 minutes or so and so completely forgot to write down stats! Oops! :)

On a completely different front, I had a really great day at work today! Excited for a fun weekend--especially Amanda F.'s Bridal Shower!!!! And then NYC!!!

Legs and Elliptical

Today I lifted and did cardio because I will have no time to do anything gym-related tomorrow.

I started with legs (all 15-rep sets):

GLUTES
BB Deadlifts: 85 lbs, 95 lbs, 115 lbs
Cable Pull-Throughs: 35 lbs, 45 lbs, 55 lbs

HAMS
Standing Leg Curls: 20 lbs, 25 lbs, 30 lbs (each leg)
Seated Leg Curls: 75 lbs, 90 lbs, 105 lbs

QUADS
45° Leg Press: 180 lbs, 270 lbs, 360 lbs
Seated Leg Extensions: 60 lbs, 70 lbs, 80 lbs

CALVES
Seated Calf Raises: 25 lbs, 35 lbs, 45 lbs
45° Leg Press Calf Raises: 90 lbs, 180 lbs, 270 lbs

When I finished this, I hopped on the elliptical for 20 minutes. I started with a resistance of 5 and a crossramp of 10. After 3 minutes, I raised the crossramp to 15 and then after another 3 minutes, I raised it to 20. In another 3 minutes, I went back down to 15, but raised the resistance to 8. The lowered the resistance back to 10 and then back to 15 in 3 minute intervals. I added a two minute cool down at the end. The Stats:

Calories Burned: 228.3
Strides: 2790
Distance: 1.63 miles
Time: 20:00

While I was on the elliptical, match-my-sweat-band-to-my-outfit guy got on a nearby elliptical. (Note: he has stopped wearing the sweatband--maybe my mocking got back to him!?!!?) He walked around the front of the ellipticals and shot me a hello smile. Clearly he wants me. Clearly. Take a number, man formerly known as match-my-sweat-band-to-my-outfit guy. Take. A. Number. ;)

"Umm...No"

Today was a session with Liz. Since we did legs last week, I asked if we could do chest/arms this session and back/shoulders the next so I can see what they are like "Liz-style." She agreed. Here is what we did:

CHEST
DB Bench Press: 30 lb DBs, 15 reps; 35 lb DBs, 12 reps; 40 lb DBs, 8 reps
Incline DB Fly: 20 lb DBs, 15 reps; 25 lb DBs, 12 reps; 25 lb DBs, 12 reps
Bench Push-Ups: Umm...no

BICEPS
Machine Curl with Hold: 40 lbs, 15 reps; 55 lbs, 12 reps; 55 lbs, 12 reps
SA Concentration Curls: 15 lbs, 15 reps; 20 lbs, 15 reps; 20 lbs, 12 reps

TRICEPS
Overhead Cable Press: "3", 15 reps; "3", 12 reps
SA Reverse Grip Pressdown: "1", 15 reps; "1.25" 15 reps
**I have no idea what these numbers translate to in weight...**

So, the chest sets really spent my chest muscles and so when I went to do the push-ups, it was pitiful. I did one, then Liz stopped me and made me do one on the floor. Then wrote "Umm...no" on my workout sheet , laughed and showed me she wrote that. And we moved onto biceps. :)

Also, when I was doing triceps and she was demonstrating the Reverse Grip Pressdowns, I said: "Oh! It's like an anti-bicep-curl!" (You use the cable and set it up above your head, face it and reverse grip the handle and pull it down so your arm is extended straight down by your side. Only your forearm should move during the exercise.) And she gave me the Liz look--you know, the one where she is clearly judging me--and said: "Nooooo, it's like a reverse grip pressdown." And I said: "Noooo, it *is* a reverse grip pressdown. It's *like* an anti-bicep-curl." Liz just moved on to ignoring me and make me push my body to physical pain. :)

I also informed Liz today that if she wants to see good form, she needs to lower the weights. She chose compromised form in favor of heavier weights. :(

Noticeable Improvement!

Today's Monday which means GRADUAL BUILD DAY!! :) I still don't like it. But I still like what it does for me--theoretically. :)

I did 3.0 mph again and had a two minute cool down. The stats:

Calories Burned: 404
Time: 42:00
Distance: 2.07

This is the same gradual build workout that I did last week. This is my third gradual build workout since I've been back from surgery. The first time I tried for 3.0 mph the whole time but had to hold on and had to drop it down to 2.5 mph. :( Last week I was able to do 3.0 mph the entire time without holding onto the treadmill once, but it was rough! Around 10.0% incline I was huffing and puffing. It was a long 20 minutes doing 5 minutes each of 10.0%, 12.0%, 14.0% and 9.0% inclines.

So, here's the good news: this week did not get super rough until the 14.0% incline and the 9.0% 'cool down' incline was fine! That's a very noticeable improvement!!! Dare I say that my stamina is rebuilding?!?! :D

Next weeks gradual build will be at 3.2 mph. :) I will get back to 3.5 mph soon enough!

Oh-High-Oh!

This weekend I went to OHIO!!!! I went home with Holly to cheer her, a bunch of her family and Justin on in the Cleveland Half Marathon!

The Runners:



The Cheerers:


The runners did an amazing job and the cheerers were pretty awesome, too...if I do say so myself. And I do. :) Holly and Carol totally rocked it and Carol PR-ed!!! Justin ran his first half ever and came *very* close to my PR...but came up exactly two minutes short. ;) Holly's mom came in super fast and placed 8th in her age group!!! AWESOME! I ended up walking over 5 miles between 0630 and 1100. There was also a lot of clapping, yelling and the occasional ecstatic jumping bout--it's not my first time. ;)

Also, I have now officially met every member of Holly and her husband's immediate families. This fact pleases me greatly--I'm a big Holly fan. :)

But I am jumping ahead here!!! On Friday, I ran with Amy at 5:30 am because I knew I was leaving for Ohio midday and wouldn't have time to cardio. We ran/walked for about 25 minutes.

On Saturday, Holly's mom and dad got me into their gym (for free!!!) and so I did my first "Back & Shoulders" set. Here's what I put together...

LATS:
Lat Pulldowns: 60 lbs, 15 reps, 3 sets
Lying DB Pullovers: 15 lb DB, 15 reps, 2 sets; 20 lb DB, 15 reps
Close Grip Lat Pulldown: 60 lbs, 15 reps, 3 sets

RHOM/REAR DELTS:
Seated Cable Row: 60 lbs, 15 reps, 3 sets
Bent-Over DB Flyes: 15 lb DBs, 15 reps, 3 sets

DELT PRESSES:
Seated Arnold Press: 10 lb DBs, 15 reps, 3 sets
Standing Military Press: OB, 15 reps; 12 reps, 2 sets

ANTERIOR DELTS:
Cable Upright Row: 20 lbs, 15 reps, 3 sets
DB Front Raises: 5 lb DBs, 15 reps, 3 sets

MEDIAL DELTS:
DB Side Raises: 5 lb DBs, 15 reps, 3 sets

POSTERIOR DELTS:
Rear Delt Flyes: 40 lbs, 15 reps, 3 sets

I was given the following guidance:

Back: 2-3 lats, 1-2 middle
Shoulders: 1 press, then 1-2 for each head of the delt (anterior, lateral, posterior)

From that (and my Devon database), I put that workout together. I think I did well on my first Chest & Arms and Back & Shoulders workouts, but have yet to hear back from Liz... Probably will on Tuesday.

On a food note, Holly was in charge of helping me make good choices while away. I really think she was WONDERFUL and that I did very well. She took me grocery shopping to stock up on good foods, helped me pick the better choice at restaurants and acted as a sound board to approve/suggest alternatives for my food ideas as I had them. I hope my hard work shows in the weigh-in on Tuesday, but either way it is very important for me to have positive eating experiences like this while away from my daily routine. Thanks, Holly. You are awesome awesome. ;)

That's enough ramblin' for me.

Chest & Arms

Today was my first "Chest & Arms" day. Liz gave me the guidelines:

Chest: 2 press and 1 fly
Arms: 2-3 of each (biceps and triceps)

So, I put the following together:

CHEST
Superset:
Incline DB Press: 25 lb DBs, 15 reps, 3 sets
Push-Ups: BW, 12 reps, 3 sets

Flat DB Flyes: 15 lb DBs, 15 reps, 3 sets

ARMS
Seated DB Hammer Curls: 10 lb DBs, 15 reps, 3 sets

Lying Skullcrushers: 20 lb BB, 15 reps, 3 sets

Superset:
Cable Bar Bicep Curls: 17.5 lbs, 15 reps, 3 sets
Cable Bar Triceps Pushdowns: 17.5 lbs, 15 reps, 3 sets

Seated Machine Biceps Curls: 30 lbs, 15 reps, 3 sets

Seated Machine Triceps Press: 75 lbs, 15 reps, 3 sets

I am eager to see if Liz thinks this is fine or if it stinks. I don't really know how you mess up her basic instructions, but maybe there are tips to make it better. I kept the weights on the lighter side for a few reasons:

1) It's the first arms lifting I've done since my vaser lipo. I wanna ease the back in.
2) The push-ups really hurt my core. I am not sure if it is the DOMS from the core work with Liz on Tuesday or just pain from my tummy tuck surgery site being worked again, but my core HURTS! And the push-ups really aggravated it--so I toned back to only 12.
3) I am really out of lifting shape and some of the weights were challenging--like the 25 lb dumbbell chest press. It was harder than I wanted it to be!!!

Gradual Build "Fun"

Today was a cardio day. Since I ran on Monday, I decided to do the gradual build today. I think I am going to try to do the following regularly:

Monday: Gradual Build
Tuesday: Lift (either by myself or with Liz -- every other week)
Wednesday: Step-Mill
Thursday: Lift
Friday: Run
Saturday or Sunday: Lift

I plan on breaking my lifting in three body regions: lower body (hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes and abdominals), back/shoulders (lats, rear delts/rhomboids, obliques, delts, posterior delts, anterior delts, traps and medial delts) and chest/arms (chest, biceps, triceps). Also, I may move my cardio around if my friends want to start up running weekly again (hint, hint: Meagan and Amy).

So back to today. I did the gradual build workout which is 40 minutes on the treadmill. You start at a 2.0% incline and increase the incline every 5 minutes until you finish the 14.0% interval and then you drop it to 9.0% for the last 5 minutes. I was doing it at 3.5 mph the whole time but am doing 3.0 mph to ease back into it and my stamina rebuilds. I added a three minute cool down today. Here are my stats:

Time: 43:00
Calories Burned: 412
Distance: 2.09 miles

To take a step back, the point of gradual build is to increase your body's efficiency to burn fat at a lower heart rate. Supposedly, doing this regularly will make it easier for you to burn fat. Sounds like a good plan to me!

After I worked out, I went to the seamstress to drop off my dress for Amanda F.'s wedding! She tells me it's 2 sizes too big and it only needs to be taken in on the sides due to the style. Only $20! WIN! I liked trying the dress on better when she was pulling it tight in the right places. Made me feel pretty. :) Excited for the big day!!!!

Legs!

Today I had a session with Liz. She asked me ahead of time if I wanted to focus on the lower body or do a fully body workout. I told her to surprise me. She chose lower body. Much to my delight, I am not in sever pain. I definitely feel like I worked them hard. And I was very challenged through the session. And I am intimately aware of DOMS and am fully expect it to come in the morning. BUT! I can walk fine tonight. Let's celebrate the small things shall we. :)

Note on the lifting below: the exercises were done in sets of three. That means I did all three exercises and then rested. No rests in between. In Liz's mind this means no wiping your face with a sweat towel even if sweat is dripping from forehead to chin in several different streams until after the third exercise. I did each set of three, three times. Follow that? Good. :)

Here's what we did (and by "we" I mean "me"):

Walking Lunges: 3 sets, 25 reps, 17.5 lb DBs
Burpee with Stand: 3 sets, 10 reps, 17.5 lb DBs
Reverse Crunches: 3 sets, 15 reps, BW

Hack Squats (knees/feet together): 3 sets, 20 reps, 90lbs, 140 lbs, 180 lbs
Split Jumps: 3 sets, 8 reps each leg, BW
Sit-Ups: 3 sets, 12 reps, BW

Sumo Power Squats: 3 sets, 20 reps, 90 lbs, 140 lbs, 180 lbs
Box Jump: 3 sets, 10 reps, BW
Seated Twists: 3 sets, 15 reps, 10 lbs

Mildly funny story: So, this workout exhausted me! Not to the point I couldn't do it, but I was slightly winded for the duration of the session. 'Slightly winded' doesn't sound too bad, but when it is constant and you are lifting, it's rough. Liz told me to do Box Jumps. This is when you leap--both feet at once--from the ground onto a box. She used the same box from last week's box squats. You all read about how incredibly low those box squats were and how they destroyed me. I mean, it's only like a foot tall. But I looked at that box, I evaluated my level of fatigue and then I was gripped with fear. I was convinced that I would attempt to jump that high and crash into it...or fall off of it...? Not sure. Just didn't think it would end pretty or pain-free. She talked me into trying and it was fine. Challenging, but fine. At one point, the fear came back and I panicked, which resulted in a false start. Liz thought it was hilarious. Perhaps you do too...

Another mildly funny story: I went to refill my water bottle during a break. Since I pay by the hour I tried to rush across the gym to the water fountain and back. I must have been heading full speed toward it because this man saw me coming and stepped out of the way. I smiled and thanked him and asked if I looked like I *really* needed the water. He laughed and said I looked fine. Then said I looked really good. Then it was awkward and I walked away--with a full water bottle. :)

Morning Run

This weekend I didn't really have a chance to workout between all of my traveling, so I went for a run this morning. I am normally anti-morning workout, but I have plans all night after work and did not want to go 3 days without having done cardio or lifted at all. I was disappointed that I walk/ran on Friday (although I recognize it takes time to build back up), so I set out to run as much of 30 minutes as I could--and I ran it all! It was slow, to be sure, but it was running! I went 2.34 miles in 30 minutes. So that makes 12:49 minutes/mile. A little slower than my 8:41 min/mi 5K PR last May, my 9:48 min/mi 10K PR last March and my 9:50 min/min half marathon PR, but I am still happy and feel I can get back there someday, or at least close to there! (You like how I threw all my PRs in for you to see again???) ;)

Also, I decided to fly home and surprise my mom for Mother's Day! It was really great to be home. Because I waited for cheap last minute flights, I ended up driving to Philadelphia and flying from there into Manchester. I immediately headed over to see the last inning of my niece's softball game and, perhaps more importantly, the post-game relay race. My niece's team won both events. :) We went to ice cream then popped by my other two nieces' place for cousin/auntie time then I headed off to surprise mom!!! She was very sick, but I think we still had fun! We watched movies and played games. Then I headed back home!

I am very happy with my diet this trip. I packed an apple and pear for Saturday and ate those between meals. I think my meals were well balanced and portion controlled--I even skipped getting any ice cream! On Sunday, I made similar good choices. And here's the big one, for those who know me and NH, I did not stop at ONE of the kajillion Dunkin Donuts! I actually went the wrong way to get on the highway from my mom's because I think EVERY time I've left her house I've gone to Dunkin Donuts before getting on the highway! It was habit. :) I think in the past I thought--well, I'd like to be home controlling all of my food choices, but I can't, so...I might as well get pasta, or a bulky bread-like sandwich with fries, or...fill in the blank with any food choice that you want at that time. I didn't do that this time and I hope it pays off in the weigh in!

Ran to the Running Expo!

Amy and I went to Frederick today to go to the Frederick Running Festival Health and Fitness Expo! Sure, we aren't *actually* participating in the expo by *running* the half marathon tomorrow. Or my cheering it on. We just went to the expo for fun. :) Naturally, we went for a run beforehand in lovely downtown Frederick. It was lovely. We went for ~30 minutes total but walked a bit of it.

At the expo we got free stuff!!!! And we both purchased The Stick. I'm excited to see how it is long term. It was great there--Amy talked the cute sales guy into "giving me a demo." I enjoyed it. :)

The Verdict. Drum Roll Please...

AWFUL!

Yes, friends! You were all correct. I could barely walk today. It was like a hobble...or a stagger...or a "pimp walk" (WARNING: if you watch too long the rap song has curse words, but the "thug" little boy teaching the interwebs how to pimp walk was too good not to post). Actually, it was more of the "pimp limp"--the second demo in the instructional video clip. :) In any case, OW! Also, my chest muscles hurt but only up where they hit my arm.

To be fair, I think I would've felt this way if I conquered the Step-Mill yesterday (and I did conquer it!) or not. This was inevitable. I should have just embraced it.

Today I put together a lifting plan. I made it somewhat easy because it's only lifting day 2 and I am in a world of DOMS pain. Having said that, it was challenging. Here it is:

Squat Press: 180 lbs, 15 reps; 270 lbs, 15 reps; 360 lbs, 15 reps
Seated Leg Curls: 70 lbs, 15 reps; 80 lbs, 15 reps; 90 lbs, 15 reps
Seated Row (the machine, not the cable): 40 lbs, 15 reps, 3 sets
Pec Decks: 40 lbs, 15 reps; 50 lbs, 15 reps; 60 lbs, 15 reps
Standing DB Shoulder Press: 15 lbs DBs, 15 reps, 3 sets (only 12 reps 3rd set)

I was going to do some reverse grip lat pulldowns but the TWO lat pulldowns were taken the WHOLE time I was lifting. One freed up after the shoulder work, but my arms were mush then so I skipped it.

Brilliant or Awful: You Decide.

Hello New Blog World! I know this is the first post and you may be reading this having no idea where this is all coming from as I'm writing like you know me and all about me. If you'd like to catch up, check out my last blog, Anything You Can Lose, I Can Lose Better. It chronicled two years of my life where I lost 91 pounds, ran a bunch of races, got a tummy tuck and arm lipo, recovered and was an open book about the funny times, the hard times and the successful times.

Now to today. I went to the gym after work and, as expected, could barely walk all day due to the box squats yesterday. So, I had an idea. It could be brilliant, it could be awful--only time will tell. I thought, my legs hurt. They hurt when I sit. They hurt when I stand. They hurt when I walk. They hurt when I go upstairs. They hurt when I go downstairs. They just hurt. Muscle pain hurt--nothing like something is wrong. Right, so I am thinking, they hurt. It's DOMS at its finest. What's the best way to overcome DOMS??? Working that muscle. So I did the Step-Mill (for those who don't know, it's the treadmill of staircases). For 50 minutes. My thought process is that tomorrow it will be so confused at what to feel. My legs will think: It's been 2 days, we should hurt baaaaaaaad. But we worked yesterday!!!! We shouldn't hurt baaaaaaaaad until tomorrow. WHAT DO WE DO?!?! And not hurt at all. That's the plan, folks. We shall see.

Now for my stat for today:

Total Time: 50:00
Miles: 2.90
Calories Burned: 423.3
Total Floors Climbed: 139
Average Steps Per Minute: 44

I tried to ease into it. I decided I would go for between 30-50 minutes and I would start at level 3 and see how I felt. I pushed myself and am glad I did! I won't get back to where I was pre-surgery unless I push myself back there (in moderation, of course). I did the following breakdown:

10 min @ level 3
5 min @ level 4
5 min @ level 5
5 min @ level 4
5 min @ level 3
5 min @ level 4
5 min @ level 5
5 min @ level 4
5 min @ level 3

I am pleased with those breakdowns! After working out, I met Kimberly for dinner and made healthy food choices! And of course had great conversation!!!