Momentum

mo·men·tum Noun/mōˈmentəm/

1. The quantity of motion of a moving body, measured as a product of its mass and velocity.
2. The impetus gained by a moving object.

Working out with friends brings all kinds of joy and challenges that you may not be expecting. I like going to the gym with my friend Robyn for a lot of reasons. The biggest reason being I get to spend time with my friend and catch up.

Recently on the #fitblog chat one of the questions was what are we willing to give up in order to fit in fitness? My answer was that I give up a lot of social things in order to get my workouts in. Most of the time I can do both–I can bike to work or run at lunch to free up an evening here and there for plans with friends. Or I can switch my Rest Days so I can do fun things. It works. It was hard in the beginning of my weight loss journey because I wanted to go out with friends, go to Happy Hours, etc. but I didn’t want to give up my swims. I learned to make both work together. So it’s pretty great that I can work out WITH some of my friends. I get the best of both worlds: a good sweat and good girl time.

Another reason I like working out with Robyn is because she pushes me to challenge myself. She can lift heavier weights than me and she inspires me to try to lift more. I can easily get into a “comfort zone” where I do the same routine each time without increasing the weights and not even know it.

Recently we worked out. She challenged me to add some weight to the machines and I did–and it felt great. And she pointed out that I was doing one machine (for the back) too quickly. “Hold for a 4 count and do it slower,” she told me. I tried it and said it was much harder to do that. She laughed and said “It’s supposed to be!” And she was right. I was using my momentum to lift the weights because it was easier but that’s not efficient OR beneficial! I corrected my behavior immediately. It was a good reminder.

We also ran on treadmills side by side. It was a nice way to get in my run because we were chatting quietly to each other and I was able to ignore whatever aches and pains I was feeling. I felt fast and strong and enjoyed my run a million times more. When I was done I felt great!

Gym Stats:
Time: 1:41
Calories Burned: 654

It was great to see my friend while I got in my gym time. When I got home Michael and I made a different kind of dinner. I’d been craving polenta recently and decided to try something new.

I chopped up a shallot and Michael sauteed it in the skillet. I cooked the polenta in the microwave and then mixed in the shallots. I loved the extra flavor that the shallots gave to the polenta.

Next time I would use more shallots. Michael cooked us boneless pork chops with salt and pepper seasoning. It’s a simple meal and can be done fairly quickly.

The flavors went well together. I love how simple and hearty polenta is. I already have other ideas on how to prepare the polenta to add variety.

My day ended feeling content from good food, good girl time, a good workout and good playtime with Fat Kitty. I have to admit I’m kinda enjoying that the Fall weather is keeping me inside.

QUESTION: What challenges do you get from your friends? What are you willing to give up in order to fit in fitness?