Here's the thing about Danny...

So tonight I was back to my first cardio-allowable workout. It felt good to get back on the elliptical, as much as I hate that machine. I have to admit, I gained 8 pounds total since my surgery, 10 days ago. That is unacceptable. I want better for myself. That being said, I am aware of all the excuses I could use - you know, the "they put an IV of fluids in you" and "you're taking a medication that makes you retain fluids" - the list goes on and on. While all that is true, I also have to "woman-up" and take responsibility for the unwise choices I made while I was laid up. I knew I could not do cardio. I knew it. I also knew that I should have eaten clean. Probably wouldn't have gained 8 pounds. Instead, I indulged on the 4th of July (I did fine until the darn banana pudding and brownies, haha) and then I had a "Woe is Me" weekend. I ate whatever I wanted. So, on Saturday...I ate pizza and breadsticks. Truthfully, it stunk. It was not even good. I even made the comment that I can't believe I used to eat this stuff on an almost-daily basis! Then, on Sunday...I had a cheeseburger from Wendy's and a Frosty in the Waffle Cone. I don't know why. It tasted good, but it surely wasn't worth the 1,000 calories I had to burn off!

So, here's the thing about Danny. He has this way of pulling what you don't want to tell him out of you. It was like - he asked how my eating was, and it was like it all just spilled out. Every sinful detail. I promised him that I would "break up" with Chick-fil-a, and Wendy's and pizza. Then, he proceeded to whoop my tail for a loooooooooong workout. Actually, it was two workouts.

For small group training, he did a circuit...many things which I could not do due to leg and some due to weight I still am. So, he gave me a modified circuit. (1) Two minutes on the elliptical, level 7; (2) 25 pound snatches - five on each side (that is harder than it sounds); (3) draw the alphabet in CAPITAL letters with a ten pound plate; (4) 200 punches into the mitts. We went through this circuit three times total. I was drained. Who on God's green earth comes up with writing alphabets in capital letters while holding a weight plate? Don't believe me? Try it - it's harder than it looks and sounds. I had already done an arm workout when mom was with me. (Yahoo! She joined the gym tonight!)

Then, it was time for round three....personal training session. Yep, you guessed it...more elliptical intervals. This time, three minutes at level 8...then squat curl press (since I can't squat officially yet, I sat in a folding chair) with 15 pound weights. Ten reps...each time. I lost count of the number of times we did this, but Danny says about 5. When I tell you my arms feel like lead, I am not kidding. While that was a very hard workout, it was a good one. It's the one that will leave a "good kind of sore" for a couple days.

Personally, I don't know if this is retribution for Danny's birthday...see, last week, he had to complete a scavenger hunt around the gym, and complete a short interval of each exercise in order to gain the next clue. At the end, he was given a card with a Texas Roadhouse gift card. Now, let me just say...the workout wasn't super hard...but it was not easy, either. There may have been some burpees, ellipticals, treadmill running, rowing, etc. involved. So, I think part of tonight was payback for that...part of it was payback for the weekend I had...and part of it was just Danny pushing me like normal.

So truthfully, while I think Danny is a horrible person tonight, because I'm so sore I cannot see straight, I know in the long run I will appreciate it. He pushes me beyond what I think I am capable of, and makes me do more...all the time.