Sunday when I took my kids to the gym and I was showing my oldest around the circuit training equipment: She was on the shoulder press machine and decided that the weight wasn’t correct. Rather then make her get up, I bent down and changed the weight for her. I then turned to look at her as I was standing, and being the lithe and graceful creature that I am… whacked my head on the handle of the machine. I didn’t hit that hard but I hit right on the outside part of the ridge of my eyebrow. It swelled up immediately into a really nice knot and hurt the rest of the day anytime I made expansive facial expressions.

Yesterday it was still swollen and had turned lightly purple. Eye is pretty deep set so it looked more like a shadow or like I had worn makeup. But today… Oh today it’s a LOVELY shade of purple. I’ve already noticed people staring and the girl that has the desk next to mine said “Oh what did you do to your eye!”

I told her the truth, I hit myself while weight lifting. And just to prove what a workout nut (and klutz) I’m known as… she believed me.

Yesterday ended just fine. I ate all my food as planned and then came home and had a clean dinner. I need to enter all my food and see how I did - I suspect I was a little low in calories because I only had five meals before falling into bed exausted at 8:45.

I really had a problem dragging my butt out of bed this morning but I did it. I kept reminding myself that it would 'only hurt for a little while'. Unfortunatly I stayed groggy the entire time. I hit the abs with three rounds of a four excercise SS then did back extensions. After that I jumped on the treadmill with the plans of doing a 20 min HIIT. I was tired. NOT just sleepy but lead legged no energy TIRED. I pushed through the first interval cursing myself the entire time. I kept wanting to knock the speed down but talked myself out of it. Interval #2 was another fight. I kept expecting the lethergy to fade away, but it didn't. I was huffing at the end of my second interval. Still I didn't let myself quit. I started on the third. I was using every trick I could think of to keep myself into it. First I ran away from the icky fat thighs I could see reflected back at me in the mirror. Then I was running toward the nice lean thighs I could see when I visulized my goals. Minute after minute clicked off and I finally made it through the third interval. I knew I only had one more to go but even that wasn't helping by now. I was doing active recovery and leaning on the handrails panting. My minute of recovery clicked by and I bumped the treadmill up to the next speed. I kept pushing and pushing... Now what was supposed to be a level 7 was feeling like a level 10. But I didn't want to quit I wanted to finish to feel like I gave it my all! About 30 seconds in I had to jump off the tread. I stood there gasping for a few moments and then got back on... I managed about 10 seconds before I had to slow the treadmill down to 'cool down' speed. I had nothing left. I made myself finish 1.5 miles even if I was only going the 'cool down' speed. I pushed - but still felt bad not to finish. After that I spent 15 minutes stretching. I'm still trying to rehab a bad hip and I would like to get back to being able to do a front split. Amazingly I'm not all that far away.

On a positve note - I got three compliments yesterday.

1) I had missplaced my gym membership card on Sunday and the guy at the front desk was looking for it for me. He found it and brought it to me while I was preparing to do front squats. I had just loaded the bar with fourty pounds and had lifted it onto my chest as he approached. I looked over and his eyes got really big and he said..."Wow, strong lady! I like that!" I kind of like impressing the guy who works at the gym, even if he is a 'little' creepy ;)

2) After the guy walked away I happened to overhear one of the guys working out nearby say to his workout buddy, "...Yeah, but I bet she could kick your a$$" My fiance says that about me all the time.. lol (I assumened they were talking about me since I was the only female in the room - and they were looking my way)

3) As I was walking to the ferry after work I got whistled at. And not only whistled at but 'hollered' at. It's been a long time since I've had 'nice legs!' shouted at me. It was kind of nice. And it feels great to know that slowly but surely... I'm getting 'it' back ;)

Oh and one last thing... I picked a new magazine yesterday and my fiance and I were looking at it together. He happend to point to one of the girls and said..."Now she's a 'big girl'" That's when I realized that these magazines need to show these fitness girls with someone 'average' once in a while so that we can keep things in perspective. yeah, with all her muscles etc the girl did look 'big' (and not in a negative way) But (as I explained to him) she probably has a 25" (or even smaller) waist... Hello that's smaller then ONE of my thighs! kind of puts a new spin on things...