feeling stronger 6/17/06

It has been about a month since the school finished and maybe three weeks since I started 8 reps 4 sets routine. I am using more weight in some exercises. Of course, I can't compare it with when I was doing 12 reps, but I have increased weight on some and am entertaining the idea for some more. I am using 12.5 lb. DB for all shoulder exercises and leg press weight is increasing, too. I hope it is not just an imagination, but I look a little more athletic. I feel like my ab fat decreased a tiny bit. I have a little over a month to lead the life I am leading. There may be a result that is visible???

catch-up, another rest 6/16/06

Oops, it is already after 5pm. After Sears' training, I had to take a nap. Last night, I didn't keep the air conditioning low enough and I couldn't get back to sleep for quite some time. By the time I am half-humanly awake, I had a lot of catch up for my business. It has taken me more than a couple of hours (which is good $$) and now it is time to go food shopping and that is just about the end of the day. Because I didn't walk the dog yesterday, I have to do so tonight. Today must be the worst day in terms of exercising. My pedometer reads UNDER 2,000 steps. Grrr. With Wal-Mart shopping and walking the dog, should bring it up, right?

rest day 6/15/06

Readers who know me in person could probably agree, but one way to describe me is "intense". This gets in everywhere including in the exercise routines. Sometimes it is hard to find a rest day from weight training when I am on the roll. Today, I didn't even get to go take a walk with the dog in the morning because Sears has this training at 7am. It was actually nice getting up early, beating the traffic and moving around when it is not too hot. Actually as I mentioned in the entry a couple of days ago, I don't complain as much as I used to about the heat these days. This time of the year last year is a week from my (first) last day at Sears and the next weekend equivalent is when I made the first visit to Dallas to find a place to live and a health club to join. At that point, I thought I could survive Dallas heat just fine. Anyway, because of the early morning training and all, I decided not to try to go to the gym today. My plan now as of 11am is to work on my business a little bit and then get to school. After a meeting, I hope to go to Ko Mart in Irving to get some goodies including that delicious edamame. By the time I come home, I think the day will be done, just walking the dog. I have a feeling I wouldn't make it to 10,000 steps today and cardio exercise actually doesn't need a rest day. But it is OK to have a complete rest day from exercising, right? Then I will be refreshed and do more when I am back, right? Right?

8th straight day 6/14/06

Because I got three-day off being in Houston last week, I worked straight four days the rest of work week (Sunday-Saturday). Then I started this work week with four consecutive days. Today was the eighth straight day at work! Pedometer reading has been impressive. Starting today going backwards, 18,600 steps, 10,100 steps, 8,700 steps (oops), 11,400 steps, 18,700 steps, 16,900 steps, 16,300 steps and finally 16,200 steps in the last 7 days. I have been to the gym, too, so I should be burning enough calories. However I haven't weighed myself for a while. Partly because I go in the morning and I don't go in the steam bath as I would do in the evening. Tomorrow and Friday were supposed to be days off, but there is this company-wide training. 7-10am for two days! Then I am scheduled Saturday and you guessed it, the new work week will start on Sunday. I can't anticipate how many days this consecutive at work will go on. Grrr.

getting used to heat? 6/13/06

Human beings can adjust things, I guess. Not only the routines, such as walking the dog first thing in the morning at 7am and also maybe the body itself. I thought my strategies to endure TX summer heat was to hop from one air conditioned place to another, but I don't think I am going crazy trying to keep the condo crispy cold like when I first moved last August. (Or maybe I should wait until August to say this...) Yesterday the store actually felt too cold to me. Maybe I was feeling something wrong, but keeping the thermostat about 80 degrees is not much of a big deal. I guess if I don't do the cooking or cleaning. As long as I do stationary things, such as watching TV and working on the computer, the air conditioning doesn't need to be full blast all the time. However I do appreciate the gym keeps is really cold. I still sweat after maybe 3 minutes on cardio and then sweat through the weight training session.

Cici's pizza 6/12/06

I don't know what is wrong with me, but I have been rather low energy today. I got up, walked the dog and went to the gym and did chest/shoulders/tricep routines. Maybe because I had a nice long bath yesterday and slept with (although not too cold) air conditioning? Or simply the heavy monthly business? Or excitement of doing Men's on Sunday before Father's Day? Or simply working non-stop for the sixth day? (By the way, this non-stop will continue for a while since they have this training and I end up going on the days off this week. I have to do laundry frequently because I only have three sets of dress code.) Retail business IS rough. Anyway being alone is a bad thing when you don't feel too well and can't do much. The housework doesn't get done. My plan was to clean the house this morning and didn't get done because of the mid-day shift. Normally I do not eat out, especially for dinner, but just couldn't motivate myself to cook 麻ぼう豆腐 (I can't even remember kanji... low brain function, too, I guess.) FoodTV was showing all kinds of food, but my brain decided to pick on pizza. I searched for locations for Cici's pizza and sure enough, it is right on Beltline at Josey. I passed a couple of taquerias, including my own (because the name is Plaza del Sol) and landed on Cici's. The dog is asking for the second walk, which I would normally do as a routine, but not today. I am ready to clean myself up, change and maybe start the washing machine and catch up with the novela that I haven't seen for quite some time. I have been closing all along. Hopefully, all that carbohydrate will give me energy and get myself going tomorrow. Now I think about it, boy was I cranky at work. I was grabbing Rashundra and complaining how things are not done right. I also did one of those mad maneuvers of straightening up big boys' Levi jeans. I miss Albuquerque store...

too much folding, not enough walk 6/11/06

Sunday is a short day at Sears and it closes at 7pm. This allows me to close the store, yet take the evening portion of walk with Pepper. Today I felt better than yesterday and I got myself up at 6am, walked and went to the gym. I had still plenty of time to get to work and I did my evening portion of the walk. I was working in Men's and it was busy today. There were 2-3 cashiers constantly and I could feel the difference from quiet upstairs. One thing about Men's is that there are most folding stuff. When it is doing well, people mess things up and therefore there is a lot of folding required. I remember I used to allocate about four hours a night after my lunch hour for just folding. Today was pretty close to that. So I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw my pedometer showed less than 10,000 steps after 6.5 hours shift at work. With two long walks, I made it over 10,000. Maybe I will try for Women's next time, then I get to walk more. Even with air conditioning, it feels humid. Time to take a bath.