03 December 2008

No Pain, No Gain

photo of Koko's scratches on the couchDue to the craziness of the Thanksgiving week, I had to refrain from doing my regular exercises. Instead, I spent my time cleaning from the tops of the cabinets to the floor under the oven. I even spent some time vacuuming the dust from the air intake under the refrigerator. Needless to say, I had little time to workout.

So on Monday, after missing almost a week, I began the ominous task of beginning anew. (I really like the way that sounds...beginning anew). Anyway, I began my workout and right away it felt as if I had been gone for a month, rather than only a few days; it was harder to do the same number of repetitions and sets that I usually did. It was harder, but I labored on and completed my torture. On Tuesday, stiff and sore, I worked a different set of muscles, with the same result...stiff and sore.

Nevertheless, I mounted my Total Gym and worked through the initial pain and continued my workout. When it comes to exercising, I am a believer in the adage, "no pain, no gain." But I feel that I should define what I mean by "pain". The pain I am referring to is the general soreness and aches you get when you work a muscle; as opposed to the sharp pain you may feel when you actually hurt a muscle. Believe me, I can tell the difference. When I first began to exercise my legs, I went a little overboard and actually felt sharp, stabbing pain in my thigh muscles. Even I knew what I had done and I let those muscles completely heal, before I resumed exercising them (at a reduced level).

By next week, I should be back at my former level. This means that I need to be looking at either increasing my workouts or finding a new series of exercises to perform. Since I am not a movie star with access to a personal trainer, I will most likely start experimenting and find out what works the best.

Yes, that is Koko surveying his handiwork on our sofa.

11 comments:

  1. Mom says that she's trying to get back in shape....we don't understand that since we're ALWAYS in shape!

    Sniffie and the Florida Furkids

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  2. don't worry...while you were cleaning the stove, vacuuming and all that, you were getting in a good one! Many calories burned cleaning and doing household chores. I posted the breakdown of the different chores some months ago, if you'd like to check it out:
    http://thefitnessdiva.blogspot.com/2008/09/fitness-before-technology_18.html

    Good luck with the workouts! :)

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  3. Koko is such a talented artist! Speaking of which... I need to workout too! Maybe you just need to do better stretching or cardiovascular exercises before working out. Well, take care working out!

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  4. Gandalf and Grayson: Yes, he works out every day. It's stored just in front of his cat tree, so he uses it to jump down onto the floor:)

    Furkidsmom: You need to come and become Koko's personal trainer, because he is on a diet too:)

    The Fitness Diva: Thanks for that, I was feeling guilty about not working out. I checked your site and I want to thank you for the information:)

    Waffle: I have been very lax with regards to stretching, so I know I need to start doing that again.

    Karen Zemek, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry": Thank you, I'll pass that along to him:-)

    Mandy Harvey: Yeah, we had a discussion about his scratching.

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  5. Oh yeah, I forgot we're supposed to begin anew after Thanksgiving! I better get to working out! By the way, Koko's claws are in great shape - and he's so cute!

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  6. BeadedTail: I know, I need to lose the weight I gained at Thanksgiving, so I won't feel guilty about gaining it at Christmas. Koko's claws get a great workout:)

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  7. Lux: Yes, he is very happy with himself. I like your new profile picture:)

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  8. Gandalf and Grayson25 December, 2010 15:38

    Koko, you've been working out on your Total Gym, too, eh?

    Edited to remove dead link. Comment originally published on...


    04 December, 2008 03:17

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