Burn, Baby, Burn

I've begun the "burn" phase of my training which means more reps when it comes to weights and a focus on cardio to "shrink wrap" the muscles that we worked so hard during the "build" phase. It also means dieting of a sort - something I've never really done before. I wasn't sure exactly how to change my diet but as my trainer explains it, it's about cutting corners where I can - so, instead of using non-fat yogurt in my morning fruit protein shake, I substitute water. When I have burger, skip the bun and much of the condiments, etc. Skimping on calories where I can is easier for me to conceptualize then actually dieting. I wouldn't know where to start.

Back to the workouts. I've been walking like I'm a 100 years old the last couple days because my quads and glutes are so sore. Monday night's session was all about squats and lunges and as K said, I've flooded my muscles with lactic acid, and they haven't seen fit to forgive me for that.


To alleviate the tenderness, I decided to take a nice long epsom salt soak tonight. Now, I don't know about you, but I always feel a bit nauseous after a soak and for a long while after my bath, I'm sweating. So, a quick google of "epsom salt baths and nausea" yielded the following diagnosis: I've been overdosing on magnesium sulfate. According to this article, you're supposed to gradually increase the times and amount of epsom salt to avoid symptoms such as nausea, weakness, dizziness, headache and exhaustion.

It says novices should start at 1/4 cup per bath and slowly increase this amount to four cups over time. The time you spent in the bath should also increase gradually beginning with five minutes and working up to no more than 30 minutes. Now, this latter part seems dumb and wasteful to me. If I'm going to go through the trouble of filling my tub full of hot water I'm not going to spend just 5 minutes in it. What's the fun in that? I'll just suck it up and deal with the nausea and sweats.