Icy Hot Bad Kitty: Episode 2 with For the Glow

Welcome to Episode 2 in a series about my 21 Day Workout! This is a little sidebar from my usual musings on acting and filmmaking, to bring an honest account of my experiences in one of the actor’s biggest responsibility – physical fitness. I hope to inspire you or at least, make you laugh! Catch up on Episode 1, here.

August 19 (Day 2)

I think this says it all, don’t you?

RIP Wonder Russell

I literally could not move after our Sunday session.

Later that day I had a little “a-ha” moment:

I realize now that I will never not shake, sweat, curse, grunt, and flail in my workouts as long as I’m pushing the edge. And that’s good.

— Wonder Russell (@bellawonder) August 19, 2012

If you’re not shaking, sweating, cursing, and grunting, you’re not working hard enough, regardless of your level.

August 20 (Day 3)

We invite the Spirit of Jessica Biel’s biceps into our workout:

Oh JB’s arms, we set our intention to be strong, not spindly; defined, not noodly; and to be more like the arms that would wrap around Justin Timberlake, rather than arms that would wrap around a trough of cookie dough. Amen.

We focused on arms today, and thank goodness because my booty is officially pooped. Ew. Can I even say that?

Pushups, plank, presses. Curls, raises, extensions. Jenn had me in the Bad Kitty weight gloves for the entire session which was…you guess it… AWESOME! Oh wait, that’s not what you guessed? Well think again, sucker! The spirit of Jessica Biel’s shoulders was in the air!

do i look more badass-y to you? i feel more badass-y! rowr!

By the way, the secret to accountability is to bring your trainer some of the homemade berry-peach cobbler your Mom made. That way you aren’t eating the whole thing yourself in bed with a spoon and and a romance movie (been there!), and now your trainer also knows how irresisitible (and how healthy, I mean, low sugar! whole wheat flour!) homemade cobbler really is, so you can’t be blamed for your actions.

I think instead of accountability I really mean accompliceability. Collusion. Bribery. Collaboration. TEAM COBBLER GOBBLER.

Today’s affirmation: You don’t learn to be brave by running from a fight.

August  21 (Day 4)

Well, maybe this was bound to happen. It’s my seventh day in a row working out intensely. My muscles just wouldn’t do it. First my left quadricep, then my right groin and hamstring sent shooting pains up my body that were more than a cramp, but less than an injury. We cooled down early, ending the session with lots of stretching. I felt like a loser.

Again Jenn admonished me to not talk badly to my body, otherwise it won’t repair itself. Apparently my body needs extra affirmation right now. So on the way to Whole Foods for magnesium, Arnica, and epsom salts, I compose a little love letter:

Dear Body, thank you for two legs, two arms, and a strong heart. I love the way you move. You are my vehicle that carries me on adventures. You are not my burden, you are my instrument.  Thank you for attempting everything I ask. I am glad we can change together. I’ll look out for you, and you look out for me.

That night, it’s all about the epsom salts and arnica. I massage it into my muscles and repeat, “I love my body, I’m thankful for my body.” Hey, whatever works!

August 22 (Day 5)

“If you train like an athlete, you have to recover like an athlete” says Jenn, and this makes me feel less discouraged. I feel like 21 days is a ticking time bomb, and I hate wasting even one precious day.

Today we do careful stretching of my sore quad, followed by a quick lower body workout. My homework? To get (and use) a heating pad, which I do later that day, like a little old lady at my desk.

old lady workout.

I can’t help feeling bummed. I want to be sprinting and grunting and swearing. I actually miss it. So I’m doing everything I can to get back soon and in the meantime, focusing on getting extra water, alkaline-forming foods, and rest to help my body repair.

Because I can’t count on my body to be burning cobbler-calories, I turn instead to my green smoothies. Spinach and bee pollen it is!

August 23 (Day 6)

Yesterday I took “recover like an athlete” to heart. I wore my heating pad. I remained delightfully menthol-scented. Sidebar: there’s almost no way you can massage Icy Hot into your inner thigh muscles without having unintended side effects. I mean, if I had a pole in my living room, I would have been swinging on it. 

I stretched my muscles in a hot epsom bath. I even engaged in some possibly awkward thigh massage at my desk. Like a boss. Like an athlete. This morning, I feel nearly 100% and I’m so grateful. Even on 6 hours of sleep, getting out of bed without sharp pains made me wiggle in happiness.

wiggle wiggle!

While my legs rest, it’s back to arms workout. Jenn introduced me to a series of pushups that have you lower, hover, raise halfway, lower again, hover, and then push all the way up. She calls them 1 1/2 pushups.

I call them poopy pushups, or poop-ups for short.

I’m not quite channeling Jessica Biel this morning – I’m channeling the 4 year old we saw, following her Dad around at the West Seattle track; she stick out her tongue, balled up her fist, and growled in her thoroughly furious baby voice, “Oh man, why do we keep having to go again and again!”

I feel ya sister.

I’m eating better, and I’m recovering. I leave you with this reminder to myself and to you.

yes you are!