This evening I’d like to discuss addictions.

For our first example, we’ll use me and my new-found addiction to heavy lifting. This covers “The Good” and “The Bad.” (And you may even file this under “The Funny.”)

I have one of these heavy buggers! 🙂

Back in early February I knew I was going to need some upper body strength for the upcoming Hog Wild Extreme Mud Run. My friend, She Who Shall Not Be Named was telling me about a book she’d picked up called “The New Rules of Lifting for Women” and I was interested immediately. Of course, readers of this blog know that I ended up starting my lifting program with the StrongLifts 5×5 program. I started my lifts at 20 pounds – squats, bench presses, deadlifts, overhead presses, and barbell rows – all at a starting weight of 20 measly pounds, which was kind of a big deal to me.

Since then, I’ve purchased an Oly bar and plates to add to the rack/bench set that we picked up in mid-February. I can happily say that my stats are as follows:
Squats – 95 lbs.
Bench Press – 60 lbs.
Rows – 70 lbs. with a recent deload to 55 lbs. (form IS important)
Overhead Press – 50 lbs.
Deadlift – 115 lbs., deloaded to 95 due to injury.

Given that I hate to miss a lift, I probably over-did it more than a little bit.

About a week ago, I noticed a “catch” in my lower back. It was a dull ache that seemed to start in my tailbone, and would occasionally radiate down my left leg. Not cool.

I deloaded on rows, skipped a deadlift last week, and pressed on. My workout Saturday was amazing! Annnnnd I had the added bonus of feeling it yesterday…all down my leg and into my back. Turns out that it’s NOT my back, but some screwed up muscle in my BUTT that’s all knotted up. WTH? Who pulls a muscle in their ASS??? That said, I picked up a foam roller earlier tonight. In certain circles it’s also known as a pain inducing device and feels uber good when you stop. *shrug*

Now onto “The Bad” and “The Funny.”

Y’all remember the blog I wrote about the bubble gum addiction that She Who Shall Not Be Named was suffering? Well, we all thought that she had kicked it. We were wrong.

Damn you, Double Bubble, and all your sweet, chewy GAS INDUCING goodness…

She’s been a little more careful about her chewing habits, but I got a call from her this afternoon. “She Who” has been having some gallbladder and other issues, and she’s had to pretty much cut out a lot of the food items she adores: tomatoes, onions, caffeine, dark soda products, etc. She’s actually held up really well, all things considered. Or so we thought. Apparently the freaking bubble gum has been keeping her sane. (I thought she seemed too happy for a person that had her favorite foods and bevies axed…)

Turns out, she had a lot of pain this past weekend. So she turned to her friend, the gum. The more she hurt, the more she chewed. The more she chewed, the more she hurt. After some Googling this afternoon, she learned that chewing gum creates air that, in some circumstances, creates painful gas. That’s when she called and ‘fessed up that she’d been chewing like a fiend, but was going to have to quit. I talked with her, in hopes of putting a positive spin on things.

The first thing she said was that she would save about $50 a month in gum expenses. I mentioned calories. Seems that a serving of her favorite is about 50 calories. One of those long bricks of gum contains about 600 calories. She was aghast! She figured she was consuming an exorbitant amount of calories just from BUBBLE GUM!

The only thing I could think to tell her is that she was becoming blog fodder for the Type A Workaholic!

So addictions, while they CAN have an up-side? Most usually do not. These are the days that I wish I was her dentist…

Until Next Time…