The Journey Back - Days Four through Eight
Anyone who had followed my writings knows that there will come occasions when I disappear for a bit... maybe days, maybe years ... I wish I could be the kind of blogger who can sit down and write every day but sometimes the day gets away from me and, as I fall asleep, I think "oh I didn't write today." That is the last few days. Out of town guest. Starting back to work. Housework. All that jazz. But I kept notes on the process! So here's what has been up:
The fourth day was last Friday and I was completely cashed by the three days of training I had just done. Knowing that Hunter and/or Pat would want to train on the weekend, I chose to take Friday off from the gym. Knowing I wasn't going to the gym, I dieted hard - all proteins and vegetables. The thing is, these are not the most ideal proteins and vegetables for me -- turkey meatloaf (carbs from the oats, sodium from the spices, and a general heavy feeling) and root vegetables. These are the foods I had, though, and there is no such thing as wasted food at our house. So I ate those heavy proteins and vegetables over the next few days - and now they are gone. Yay!
The fifth day was Saturday and it was a work day - completely taken away from me and I didn't make it to the gym. The same thing happened to me on Day Six, Sunday. And then, on Day Seven, Monday, I found myself entertaining my out of towner again - and, bam, just like that, I had missed four days at the gym. This only goes to remind me of something that I had, already, known: don't take it for granted that you will get there. Instead, take it as a rule that if you DON'T (that is, if I don't) wake up and go to the gym, something will happen and I won't make it. That's why I have always tended toward at 6 am workout time - the rest of the world is asleep and less likely to stop me in my natural process of getting to the gym. If I wake up and go, it will be done and I will be happy. If I don't go, it will get taken away from me and I will be sad. It is a simple equation -- one I will focus on not forgetting again. It has, honestly, been a pattern with me over the years and you would think that, by now, I had learned my lesson - but I haven't. I actually love working out around 10 am or 2 pm or even 9pm; so I hope, against hope, that I might get to. The pure fact of the matter is, though, that the only way for me to make sure, MAKE sure, I get to the gym is to wake up, brush my teeth, dress and go.
The diet during those four days off wasn't that bad. It was mostly me polishing off turkey meatloaf, chicken meatballs, yams, rutabagas and other winter foods, to make room for the eggwhites, tilapia, broccoli and heirloom tomatoes I bought. Now, the winter food is gone!
Let the games begin.
Today is the eighth day. I went to the gym with both of my guys and we did chest, back and abs -- not super heavy weight for all three of us, due to shoulder issues; but lots of reps and hard focus on form. That took an hour; then I did 40 minutes of cardio on the cross trainer, stopping at 600 calories burned because that seems to be the place that I absolutely HAVE to get to. Once I am there, I feel like I have done some work. Were it 7am, I might have done 60 minutes; but, by now, it was close to 11am and there is a lot of work to do - so when it his 600 clories, I called it done. The music I used to get through it was the new cast recording of ANYTHING GOES (I'm a little taken by that cd right now).
I'm tired. I have to go to work in 2 hours. And I'm tired. But I can't complain or be sad or depressed because, whatever else happens to me today - I know I did it. I made it to the gym. I did something, just for me.
It is important to do at least one thing, every day, just for you.
That's what my workout is.
The fourth day was last Friday and I was completely cashed by the three days of training I had just done. Knowing that Hunter and/or Pat would want to train on the weekend, I chose to take Friday off from the gym. Knowing I wasn't going to the gym, I dieted hard - all proteins and vegetables. The thing is, these are not the most ideal proteins and vegetables for me -- turkey meatloaf (carbs from the oats, sodium from the spices, and a general heavy feeling) and root vegetables. These are the foods I had, though, and there is no such thing as wasted food at our house. So I ate those heavy proteins and vegetables over the next few days - and now they are gone. Yay!
The fifth day was Saturday and it was a work day - completely taken away from me and I didn't make it to the gym. The same thing happened to me on Day Six, Sunday. And then, on Day Seven, Monday, I found myself entertaining my out of towner again - and, bam, just like that, I had missed four days at the gym. This only goes to remind me of something that I had, already, known: don't take it for granted that you will get there. Instead, take it as a rule that if you DON'T (that is, if I don't) wake up and go to the gym, something will happen and I won't make it. That's why I have always tended toward at 6 am workout time - the rest of the world is asleep and less likely to stop me in my natural process of getting to the gym. If I wake up and go, it will be done and I will be happy. If I don't go, it will get taken away from me and I will be sad. It is a simple equation -- one I will focus on not forgetting again. It has, honestly, been a pattern with me over the years and you would think that, by now, I had learned my lesson - but I haven't. I actually love working out around 10 am or 2 pm or even 9pm; so I hope, against hope, that I might get to. The pure fact of the matter is, though, that the only way for me to make sure, MAKE sure, I get to the gym is to wake up, brush my teeth, dress and go.
The diet during those four days off wasn't that bad. It was mostly me polishing off turkey meatloaf, chicken meatballs, yams, rutabagas and other winter foods, to make room for the eggwhites, tilapia, broccoli and heirloom tomatoes I bought. Now, the winter food is gone!
Let the games begin.
Today is the eighth day. I went to the gym with both of my guys and we did chest, back and abs -- not super heavy weight for all three of us, due to shoulder issues; but lots of reps and hard focus on form. That took an hour; then I did 40 minutes of cardio on the cross trainer, stopping at 600 calories burned because that seems to be the place that I absolutely HAVE to get to. Once I am there, I feel like I have done some work. Were it 7am, I might have done 60 minutes; but, by now, it was close to 11am and there is a lot of work to do - so when it his 600 clories, I called it done. The music I used to get through it was the new cast recording of ANYTHING GOES (I'm a little taken by that cd right now).
I'm tired. I have to go to work in 2 hours. And I'm tired. But I can't complain or be sad or depressed because, whatever else happens to me today - I know I did it. I made it to the gym. I did something, just for me.
It is important to do at least one thing, every day, just for you.
That's what my workout is.
posted by StephenMosher at 1:20 PM
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