I think of a billion things every morning on my run. By the time I sit down to write a blog (which I have honestly been too busy the past few weeks to do so) I always come to the conclusion that sometimes what I "want" to say, best be left unsaid.
I know blogs are mainly for talking about what you do each day, (am I correct?), and therefore they are brief writings, but my life is beautifully redundant.
I have finally got my mother up on my Thoroughbred, Magnum, and she rides absolutely great. Not too bad for a 67 year old woman who was in total agony two months ago from hip pain. We ride at least three days a week. Oh yea, and she has ridden my Percheron, Tank, who is HUUUUGE. I just got him from one of my dearest friends ever. His girlfriend is an excellent trainer and I know that is why his personality is craaazy. I have never fallen this deeply for a horse. This dude has me COMPLETELY wrapped around his finger. I have not been on his back without laughing. He has a personality like my Pit bulls, but 1000 times larger in size.
That being said above, my mother has been training 3 days a week, circuit style. She goes through every single machine, with the weight set only heavy enough to do 20 reps, feeling a fatique by the 17th rep. She goes through every machine twice. Now every week or two, I add a new free weight exercise. Last week I started her doing seated squats on the Smith machine.
So, today, at the gym she says she most likely won't be able to do the squats because she was really hurting in her legs. I just told her to do as many as she can, and guess what? She did 20 reps! Her muscles were just sore from the previous workout.
I am pretty sure that that "pain" that my mother was referring to is why a lot of first time people get discouraged from the gym, especially if some dumb ass "personal trainer" stacks some serious poundage on without checking the tolerance level of thier client. I see it happen all the time in gyms. But even if you are using a light weight, with proper and safe form, you should feel a little muscular pain a day or two later, especially first timers. So don't let that distract you. Trust me, go back to the gym and a few sets later, you will feel great.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this writing from Kahlil Gibran. Yes, "him again". I can't get enough of his words, and fortunately, there are a lot of them.
THE SHADOW
Upon a June day the grass said to the shadow of an elm tree, "You move to the right and left over-often, and you disturb my peace."
And the shadow answered and said, "Not I, not I. Look skyward. There is a tree that moves in the wind to the east and to the west, between the sun and the earth."
And the grass looked up, and for the first time beheld the tree. And it said in its heart, "Why, behold, there is a larger grass than myself."
And the grass was silent.............