Where Does the Time Go?

My weekend started off well: with a good, aggressive swim Friday night and a well-deserved beer for dinner (or two). Michael was out Friday night so I made myself dinner from the pantry when I got home from the pool. I had a box of Peas Paneer (love the “instant” Indian food option) and Trader Joe’s Couscous. What I love most about couscous is that it takes 5 minutes to prepare. It’s the perfect quickie meal.

While I was slaving over my dinner, I sipped my beer and opened the mail.

Recently Amazon.com had a deal through Living Social (like Groupon). Unheard of! I snatched up the deal and ordered a book and two DVDs that I had been wishing were in my collection.

Dinner was ready in 10 minutes. Perfect timing because I was famished.

Friday night was pretty low-key but Saturday was spent racing around. I slept in, drank my Atkin’s Shake (150 calories) and then went to the gym.

I was happy to discover it wasn’t crowded. I’m not sure if the January Joiners are phasing out now or if the unusually sunny Saturday weather was deterring people but I took advantage of having my pick of ANY treadmill. 🙂

I wasn’t sure I was going to run when I arrived at the gym. Honestly I didn’t want to push it. I ran 3 miles on Thursday night–which is not normally the night I work out so I thought it might be too soon to try to run again on Saturday. I decided I’d walk on the treadmill and see how I felt. I felt great. So I ran. 3 miles down, with no annoying chicks on the machine next to me and I even got to watch part of “Legally Blonde” on the mini TV.

After my run I lifted weights. I definitely noticed that was a struggle. I’d lifted weights on Thursday night and I think it was too soon to go again. I noticed my arms shook more with this weight lifting session and my heart rate was MAXED the entire time I lifted.

Normally when I lift weights my heart rate peaks and then drops, then peaks again. This time it was pretty steady in the 158-169 range (high for me).

I was really glad that all the weight machines that I enjoy were free for me to use. My favorite machine by far is the Pec-Fly. I have no idea why I love that one so much but I always feel great after I do it.

I also love the tricep dip, shoulder press and the back machines (like the mid-row).

Something I noticed at the gym with a newbie who was doing the weight machines…a lot of these guys who aren’t “regulars” don’t do it right. Now I’m NO expert but I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to put the weight on MAX on the machine and then lift the weights twice and walk away. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t work that way…but again, I’m no expert.

I had a great workout and burned a ton of calories (which was good because I had dinner plans and wanted to indulge!). My parents had been vacationing at Seaside, Oregon and were coming over to my house to go out to lunch with Michael and I. I hurried home to shower and dress before they arrived. Michael had taken advantage of the nice warm sunny day and rode his bike outside for the first time in months.

Gym Stats:

Time: 1:30

Calories Burned: 725

My parents arrived and the four of us went to Laughing Planet Burrito for lunch. I got the bean and cheese burrito and a diet soda. I was famished after burning so many calories at the gym.

We all had a really nice visit and then they left to drive home to Seattle. Michael and I went downtown to check out the new bike shop that opened downtown. West-end Bikes. It was a cool looking store with lots of great stuff and in a nice location. The only problem? They were selling top of the line specialty bikes. I’m talking the “cheapest” bike was $6700. I’m not sure how that’s going to swing in Portland. Yes Portland is a huge cycling city BUT they have TONS of competition with cheaper bikes (REI, Bike Gallery, River City Bikes to name a few). Not only that, I think that the type of bikes that will appeal to Portlanders who commute to work are hybrids–not top of the line professional racing bikes. But maybe I’m wrong.

The West End Bikes did have a very cool bike made out of bamboo! Now that’s a “Green” bike!

The visit to the bike store was quick and then we headed over to the Convention Center for the Auto Show. Only in Portland will you find people riding their bikes to an Auto Show. 😉  When Michael suggested we go I think I rolled my eyes so far up my head that I went blind for a moment. Seriously? What a snorefest! But being a good girlfriend I said okay. And guess what? It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It was actually kinda fun seeing the different cars and sitting in them, poking at them, comparing them all in one place.

Michael currently drives a Volkswagon Toureg. A nice car. A nice car for outdoorsy type stuff (camping, road trips, etc). It’s also super expensive, you have to be rich to be able to maintain it (thank god he has a warranty!) and it’s a gas hog. His warranty is up this December so soon it will be time to trade it in for something. He was interested in the Nissan Murano, the Ford Explorer and the Subaru Outback (my favorite). I currently drive  Ford Focus and I love my little car. 🙂

After the car show we went home to decompress in front of the TV before our dinner reservations. We both needed a nap!

QUESTION: How did you spend your weekend? And how many calories do you burn in one gym session on average? And what kind of car do you drive?