TGIF

Fridays have always been great. When I was working, it was great to have the days off with a good garden project to tackle. Now it is a good day to look back at the week and see where I am on things.
This is the 2nd day of Step 3 patch and I see no difference in the need to smoke. Rarely do I even think about smoking now. There are still places and situations that remind me but no real cravings. Sleep was much better last night which I think is due to the less nicotine in the system. To be honest, I was a bit concerned with the Step 3 as it really has little nicotine and I did not want to battle the withdrawal. 12 more days of these and I am nicotine free. I can now count down until Non-Smoker easier than count the days of not smoking.
My trainer, Kolby, got a promotion and and will now manage two of the area fitness centers. He will continue the Smoking Cessation class and do some of the exercise activities. I like him but some of the others are good too. So we will see how this works out.
Ten weeks of workouts make more than 50 sessions for me. This seems to be a milestone.
I am still surprised at the progress I have made with the strength training. When I compare now with the beginning point, it is better than I would have ever expected. The increase in the weight in each station continues to grow. I feel much stronger and after a shower almost see a difference.
I have looked at 2 different classes, the Express that I now do and a Body Pump that uses weights. Kolby suggested only one of them so that I could give it all in the one I did. This was easy to pick the Express. I can really handle this now, the plank, push-ups or crunches that once killed me are not nearly as hard as only a few weeks ago. I do push hard in each activity but my endurance has increased by tons. I will stay with this as it is good to be close to the head of a class for now.
The treadmill in the beginning was a hard ten minutes at a not so fast pace. Yesterday my speed was almost at jog pace. Time is about as long as I want to spend. Half hour sessions are not uncommon if I get distracted by a TV show. I also keep inching up the incline.
My gardening chores are suffering and in need of a lot of work. I hope that warmer days will get me cranked up in that area. I always get excited in the beginning of spring. Noticed daffs blooming and the red buds starting to show color. I am sure another freeze will sneak in and spank them. March is just around the corner.