Arms and Abs...

I did so many arms and abs last night that I came home and I couldn't even blog about it! Mr. Muscles and I worked out my arms to failure!  I did some 5 pound stuff over my head, some 10 pound stuff over my head and then like 100 tricep things.  I don't know the names of the exercises...but I don't need to. :) Then, after he'd sufficiently tortured me enough, he had me do 500 crunches.  No, that's not a typo...500 crunches. 

I was so sore last night that I went to bed with my ponytail still in my hair because it hurt too much to lift my arms up to pull it out! 

So this morning I got up and went to the gym again.  That's right...Mr. Muscles was the last person I saw last night and the first person I saw this morning!  We did a bunch of arms again today.  Different from yesterday, but the same muscles.  Luckily there weren't any more crunches.  We did what he likes to call power lifting.  It's lifting at a fast pace so my heart rate goes up, which is good since I can't do any cardio yet.  But it also means way more reps of any one exercise then I would ever want to do! 

I feel pretty good.  The burn when I'm lifting my arms up to talk on the phone or tuck my hair behind my ears is a nice reminder that I'm actually doing something worthwhile.  Of course, I would love to have instant results, I know that this is a loooong process.  So I'm hopeful that each day is worthwhile.  I'm also hopeful that I'm losing weight.  I haven't gotten on the scale again, no matter how many times I've wanted to.  But I definitely know I'm building some serious muscle mass. 

And since I can't go an entire blog post about my knee, I will say that it is feeling much better.  I'm wearing this brace all day long and the stability it gives me is such a nice comfort.  It also stops me from bending it to 90 degrees, so I don't have the popping or the pain.  So that's nice too.  I'm hopeful that next week I'll be able to get back on the elliptical!  And if it feels as good as I want it to, I'm going to get the injection in my other knee because that one takes the brunt of this body.  Then maybe I'll be close to "pain free".  As close as I'll get until the weight starts coming off. 

Until then, I'll just remind myself of two things each day.  1.  Weight loss does not offer instant gratification like a one hour episode of The Biggest Loser does.  2.  I am going to Hawaii in September.  That second one is what sends me to the gym every night. :)