Categories: uncategorized
Date: 27 November 2008 14:06:58
Today was the fourth of my five training sessions at the gym, a chance to talk to one of the trainers and get some advice on how I could vary the things I do, etc. So there was no backing out today!
First he showed me how to vary the routine on the exercise bike so that instead of seeing how fast I can complete 1000km, I now get to have a go at it varying the intensity at which I work, a bit more like real bike riding. An easy bit, a hard bit, an easy bit, a hard bit, an easy bit, a very hard bit etc. It was actually more fun that way so I was quite pleased.
Because the programme was slightly different, though, the machine annoyingly asked me to type in my age and weight. The instructor said I was not allowed to lie about my age. (Actually I did so unwittingly, it was hours after before I realised I am actually a year older than I thought I was!) Then it wanted to know how heavy I was.
"I don't know!"
"But didn't we weigh you when you first signed up for the five-week course, three weeks ago?"
"Yes, but I had my eyes closed tight!"
He guessed and just put in a random number. To be honest I think he erred on the side of caution and rather underestimated, but I wasn't going to tell HIM that!
Then, after I'd sweated and slaved away on the bike, he decided to introduce me to the cross-trainer. My word! Five minutes on that thing on a relatively gentle setting was torture. Again I had to put in my age (again, a year younger than I actually am) and weight. The instructor guessed at random again, but this time accidentally put that I was 5kg less than he'd put in on the bike. Mind you, I reckon I'd worked hard enough on the bike to justify losing 5kg! If the bike had been harder work than usual, this was utter torture! How my legs managed five whole minutes of this unfamiliar movement I shall never know. It felt like running uphill on a surface of cauliflower. The machine kept informing me that my heart was beating dangerously fast, but the instructor reassured me that it was lying! I sort of enjoyed it in a masochistic kind of way - and at least I didn't suffer as much as on the rowing machine (probably because it took me a whole minute less!) - but it was tough, and I was rather put out to discover that it informed me I'd lost ten whole calories less than I had on the bike, not even a natural yogurt's worth!
When I moaned about it...mentioned it to the instructor he explained that it was because he had put my weight as lower so the inbuilt calculator had worked the calorie count out as lower, the penny suddenly dropped. The heavier I am, the more calories I work off for the same amount of exercise. So really, to get my money's worth, I should be eating more cake rather than trying to lose weight! :D
Having said that, I'll tell you one thing that is guaranteed to improve my time on the treadmill. I did the treadmill last and I bet my instructor will be impressed when he sees I knocked a whole minute off my time, having done the kilometre at just short of a jog rather than a gentle amble. I wonder whether I should tell him my motivation. Well, you see, having replaced all the liquid I'd sweated (sorry, perspired, no sorry, "glowed") off by having a bottle full of water while exercising as recommended, and being a year older than I thought I was, and having had two children (they say my method of having children doesn't count as an excuse, but I don't believe them), well, within two minutes of getting on the treadmill I discovered there really was somewhere else I needed to be. And quick!