March 30th, 2011 | Posted by acidicice

On Sunday I wasn’t feeling well. I had a sore throat and horrible headache. I decided on Sunday night if I didn’t feel better by the next morning that I would stay home and go to the doctor. I was not going to be a hero. I’ve tried that before and nobody benefits. Luckily when I woke up on Monday morning the sore throat felt better, it didn’t hurt to swallow anymore and the headache was less invasive.

I decided since I was feeling well enough to go to work I would not stay out of gym. It was time for my 40 minute cardio session. I usually do my first 20 minutes on the elliptical (the Orbitrek machine) and have succeeded in keeping it on level 7 the entire time. About 7 or 8 minutes into it I felt like I was punishing myself beyond belief. I STRUGGLED. After 14 minutes or so I turned it down to level 6 because I didn’t see myself making it through the entire 20 minutes. I was huffing and puffing and felt like getting off. The music pumping through my iPod which usually motivates me and causes me to step faster as the beat increases didn’t help me at all. Rudi came to stand next to me and urged and encouraged me to finish my 20 minutes (bless him). I did, but decided then and there that I was rather going to do weight training for the rest of my time there. I just couldn’t do another MINUTE of cardio.

I had a flu injection last week Wednesday and I think these symptoms are from that vaccine working it’s way out of my system. Apparently it’s not a good idea to go to gym when you are sick as it is bad for your heart, but I didn’t feel *that* sick. I actually felt better than I did on Sunday. I took the day off gym yesterday, which I would have done anyway. I was feeling congested yesterday and am still feeling that way this morning. I took an antihistamine and used some Illiadin this morning which has made me feel okay, but we are going to gym again tonight. Weight training is on the cards. Maybe 5 – 10 minutes of cardio just to warm up and get the heart rate going.

Nothing frustrates me more than exercise becoming HARDER after doing it for a while. This has been the case for me before and a reason for me to quit. Isn’t exercise supposed to become easier? As it becomes easier you push yourself harder and challenge yourself to do better. Why is it that a workout on the same level was easier and made me feel good a few days ago, but now it feels like I’m suffering through it? I know that I have hormones and stuff to consider (apparently this is a factor), but SHEESH. I want to get fitter and healthier and do better all the time. I don’t want to struggle. I am willing to work for it and make the effort, but I don’t expect it to push back at me and throw my efforts in my face. Wow. I sound sulky. Perhaps I am.

So I’ll be going to gym tonight and hoping it will be better. I’ve only had one really good endorphin rush since going to gym and I wonder how I can push myself to that level again. Any advice? I’m not doing anything differently to what I did that day, sometimes I do more. Will also be going to gym on Friday evening and Yoga on Saturday morning. I really hope that it starts feeling good again really fast, before I lose heart.