Today I smile

 It's Monday, so why am I happy and smiling? I know that each Monday is another week closer to retirement, so I smile. The boss called out sick today and the other two managers are out, so I have the office to myself so I smile. I also had a really good weekend. The Texans won. That made me smile.

I also reflected back on what I wrote in my last post about looking for excuses to not go to the gym and workout. I needed to get motivated. So I researched how I should be working out and to what level to be fit enough to succeed at trekking the Inca trail. Basically an hour on the stair master or a combination of it and the treadmill at 15% incline. Okay I can do this. I have fourteen months or so before I go to Peru. 

So on Saturday I head up to the gym at my usual time of 12:30 pm. I pull into the parking lot and it has way more cars there than normal. I go in and all the treadmills are all in use as are the stair masters. Damn you January and your fitness resolutions! So my only option was the stationary bike while I waited for a treadmill. After about twenty minutes one became available so I nabbed it. Since I wasn't going to get on the stair master I knew I needed to complete an hour on the treadmill and aim to do thirty minutes straight at 15%. I did it plus a few minutes more. I felt great! By the time I finished the gym had cleared out a bit, so I may head in a bit later next Saturday. But I am also thinking that people showed up later that day as the morning had been quite cold and they probably just didn't want to get out until after it had warmed up a bit. 

On Sundays I am always at the gym when they open the doors at 1:00 pm. I hopped on the stair master first and did 700 steps and then on to the treadmill for an hour with forty minutes at 15%. I had debated going a bit longer but I don't want to overdo it too much too quick. The gym started to fill by 1:30, but it was never as bad as it was on Saturday.  I spoke to one of the staff about how busy it is on weeknights. I had tried in the past going after work but there were too many people and too many kids running around. It just left me stressed. She said that of course right now it being January it is much busier but it does start to quiet down after 7:30 pm. So I am thinking I may try to add a Wednesday night workout and plan on being there about 7:45 - 8:45pm. I can get home from work, have a light dinner, watch one episode of whatever I am streaming, then head over, complete my workout, come home, shower and then go straight to bed. All I can do is see if it will work out for me. I hope that for the next month I can concentrate on the treadmill on Wednesdays and then after my Big Bend hiking trip I'll start getting serious on the stair master again. 

So my goal before I go to Peru is to after retirement go to the gym every day. Then at least twice a week do an hour on the stair master followed by an hour on the treadmill (15%) . If I can get to that level, The Inca trail will be a walk in the park! LOL!

So today I smile because I am motivated!