I did it! I was up at 4 AM. I headed downstairs and had a bowl of cereal for breakfast (since I was only planning a cardio workout this morning). I then sat down to read more of Beyond Band of Brothers. At about 4:55, I headed across the street to the gym. There were two other people there when I got there, but the cardio machines were wide open. I did a 40 minute cardio workout on the elliptical machine (while watching the pilot episode of Greatest American Hero, which I downloaded from iTunes yesterday). I kept the pace relatively easy since I don’t want to strain myself. My right knee got a little sore, but felt much better by the time I was done.
After the cardio workout, I did one full group of arm/ab exercises: 3 sets each of bicep curls, leg lifts, and bench pushups. The entire workout took just over an hour. By the time I left the gym at 6 AM, it was significantly more full, so 5 AM is a good time to get there. I got back to the house, packed my lunch, showered, and now I’m all set to get started on the day.
And so it shall go. I’m also working to change my diet in order to help with the conditioning. I’m cutting out a lot of sugars and getting more low-fat for fat-free food items. I’m cutting down to 1 can of caffeine-free Coke per day, and I’m trying to add a lot more fruits and vegetables to my diet. All of this is in an effort to get back into the kind of shape I was in during the spring of 2007, and to lose the "sympathy belly" I’ve developed along with Kelly’s pregnancy.
Since there has been a significant gap since my last consistent workout routine, I’ve decided to start the workout count over so today’s workout was workout #1. The plan is to do full workouts 6 days a week. Cardio plus one group of strength training on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays will be 3-4 groups of strength training (arms/shoulders, chest/back, and lower body, depending on the day). Sundays will be light–just abs. I’m also mixing abs exercises into each of the 6 other days. Previously, I made Sunday my "free-day" when it came to eating. I’m planning on being a little more strict this time around, avoiding sugary and fatty foods whenever possible.
As of 7 AM, I’m feeling pretty good. We’ll see how the day goes and see how tired I feel around 8 PM this evening.