Tag Archives: Early Mornings

Morning Workout

Thoughts On Life,

I made it to the gym this morning, and after my brief conversation with the man with the seeing eye dog who checks us in, and was on the elliptical trainer by 5:15 am. I ran (ellipticalled?) 4.12 miles in 30 minutes. I realize this is not very fast. However I am pleased with it. When I started 10 minutes was painful and had me puffing. I can actually go for longer than the 30 minutes now but that is all the time I have before work.

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I tried to take a picture of the display on the elliptical trainer with my time and distance at the end of my workout. Turns out that I am not coordinated enough to keep moving and take a photo at the same time. And the display goes blank if you aren’t moving. So no picture for you! I did get a photo of the clock at the end of my workout to prove that I was actually there that early.

I used to read or listen to books on tape while I worked out. I discovered that if I listen to a workout mix on my phone, I can move faster and it seems to hurt less, so that is what I have been doing lately. Only on the elliptical or exercise bike, as I have discovered that I am also apparently not coordinated enough to listen to music while I am using the Nautilus equipment. I end up getting the cords from the earbuds wrapped around the handles of the equipment and they come flying out of my ears at a high rate of speed.

You might wonder what the mature (read OLD!) exerciser listens to at the gym for their workout mix. Or you might not, but here is mine anyway. These are downloaded on my Freegal App.

  1. All Summer Long-Kid Rock
  2. Fight Song-Rachel Platten
  3. House of the Rising Sun-Waylon Jennings
  4. If I Could Fly-One Direction
  5. It’s A Great Day To Be Alive-Travis Tritt
  6. Love Hurts-Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris
  7. Respect-Aretha Franklin
  8. Save Me, San Francisco-Train (I always run faster when this comes on!)
  9. Stand By You-Rachel Platten
  10. You Shook Me All Night Long-AC/DC

So this is what gets me through my workout. And this is what I look like by the end of my workout, pre-shower.

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This is what I look like by the time I get to work. Still with wet hair but slightly better and ready for coffee.

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Thanks for sharing my morning.

Early Mornings

Thoughts On Life, ,

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This is the time I arrive at work in the mornings now. That is a.m. as you can probably tell because it is very dark. We were given the option of working 4 x 10 hour days. The catch is we must start at 5:30 a.m. if we want to do it. We are fortunate to get a 30 day trial first to see if we like it before committing to the new schedule.

I am surprised to say that I love it. I get up at 4:30 a.m. and as before my schedule involves mostly me taking care of the animals and a few minutes getting myself ready. Then I go outside into the dark. And surprisingly, the magic begins. First I see the stars. And then in the peaceful solitude I begin to hear the birds. As I get in the car and drive down the road, the peace continues. I am one of only a handful of cars that is on the road. No more cursing the school bus that pulled out in front of me or the driver that thinks he should go 20 mph below the posted speed limit. And I can still hear the birds. Not many other morning noises to mask them at this hour. I am alone with my thoughts. I find joy in this. I no longer turn the radio on in the morning. I am free to ponder life’s challenges and figure out ways to save the world. I’ll let you know how that goes.

Coffee

As it is so early, this is how much coffee I take with me to work now. But hey, I need some caffeine for energy if I am going to save the world! Maybe I’ll just start off with a less lofty goal and change the world. I’ll have to work my way up to saving it.