Soul Asylum

 

So, I’m a thirty-something girl who went through quite the angsty period in high school. We moved fairly far away in the middle of my Sophomore year, I bounced through about every clique in the school trying to find where I fit, and my mom gave birth to my only sibling about 2 months shy of my 16th birthday. Having strangers ask you questions about “your” baby when you’re still a 16 year old virgin petrified at the thought of any naked interaction with a boy? Yeah, that won’t scar you for life or anything. Anyway, that’s a long story to get to the barely related point that there’s probably going to be more than a couple of grunge references sprinkled over the blog. Whatever, a little Nirvana never killed anyone….right? 

The whole reason for the grunge reference today was that I took two AWESOME classes at my gym yesterday that ended with me singing “Misery” to myself and wishing the clock would speed up and deliver me from hell. First up was Renee’s always challenging Power CSI class over lunch. She formatted her class with 3/4 sets at 20 seconds each of cardio, then legs, arms, and core. Always keeps your heart rate pumping, always hits every area you want to target, always leaves me a little disgusting for the rest of the afternoon at work. Sorry, cubemates-gotta get my workouts in where they’re most challenging! 

Second class was a 60 minute boot camp. Jenni never ceases to scare me just by walking in the door. There are instructors who motivate you by being inspiring, by constantly changing it up, or in her case-by her own impressive guns. Girl is ripped and always makes me hope I’ll end up like her if I try hard enough. Her format went as follows: 

5 laps around the track/50 jump squats

4 laps/40 jump squats

all the way down to 1/10. We repeated that with wall sit bicep curls and then pushups. I looked at the chart on our track as I was crawling back in the gym, and by my count we ran just a few laps over 2 miles during this set. After those were all completed, we followed a similar format and did 5-30 second sprints, followed by 25 of an exercise, and then rode that all the way down to a solid minute of sprints and 25 shoulder presses and called it a day. I love workouts that make me ask myself at a given point in the class if I think I can finish. I always have a little doubt, and I always surprise myself and pull through. My legs were starting to get a little rubbery last night during the sprints and I managed to push through it and even speed up the last few go-rounds. 

As I was driving home last night after class, I still felt good enough that I considered going for a walk, but I was a gross mess and decided at the last minute to just call it a day and shower up. I do still have stitches in my tummy, and I haven’t exactly been easing back into the routine; I don’t do subtle or slow very well. Anyway, got home and walked into a wall of delicious smell courtesy of this bad boy: 

 

Roast with potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic! SO delicious. We cooked up the dregs of a bag of green beans to complete the meal and put on “The Nightmare Before Christmas” to get our Halloween on. Jeff was basically a 12 year old boy last night when he figured out he could do this: 

 

So we played through a few rounds of Donkey Kong, Tetris, etc that he’d been storing on a hard drive until I got too sleepy to sit up and headed to bed early. All those workouts made for one tired girl! I’m a lot less sore today than I thought I’d be, but today is a slightly easier day at the gym: run over lunch, yoga after work. I think our Halloween plan tonight is to ignore the whole darn thing and maybe make a homemade pizza. I tried to hand out candy the first year at this house and ended up with a giant bag of my favorite candy all to myself, as maybe 2 kids showed up! So I decided if I want candy, I’ll just get some for myself and cut out this “it’s for the kids” nonsense. Whatever you’re doing for Halloween, enjoy it! I leave you with some old photos of my dog Foster, when I used to think it was fun to torture him for Halloween: 

Feels Good to be Back!

 

Pretty sure I had that look on my face all throughout class yesterday. That’s right, I’m back to the gym! Taught my first class back since all the health mess yesterday, and it went great. A couple of twinges on my stitches, but nothing that slowed me down. As a matter of fact, at one point an attendee suggested I take it easier on myself after surgery. Not a chance! I felt so good when we were done that if I’d had my headphones, I’d have hopped on an elliptical after class and kept going. But I had two dogs at home crossing their legs until I could get home and let them out, so I headed out afterwards. Did let the boys out and then take a nice 2+ mile walk after that though. In the rain. Yep, I’m not addicted to endorphins or anything…

First day back at work went well yesterday also! Got some good issues resolved, helped some clients, all in a days work. Had a lot of pain when I wasn’t tethered to my heating pad, but that’s to be expected. Also managed to clear up our budget a bit and find some places I can temporarily cut back on spending so we can make some things with our new motorcycle a little less stressful. Both of us completely forgot when we went to sign papers that tax would be due, as would new insurance, my car insurance, and Christmas. Fitting in the new payment is easy, taking care of all the extras in a month, not so much. But I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve and I think everything will work out fine. Here’s a photo of Jeff’s new ride in case you’re a motorcycle fan: 

 

Last night, we also had a chance to make one of our favorite easy dinners: Sesame Chicken. It’s a really simple recipe, and it takes adaptations really well. We always add some onions and peppers to it so we can get our veggies-and have some leftovers for the next day! Here’s the recipe: 

Sesame Chicken
Servings: 5
Serving Size: 1/5 recipe (about 6 oz chicken)
Nutritional Info: 180.1 calories, 6.5g of fat, 2.1g carbohydrates, .4g dietary fiber, 28.2g of protein

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp whole wheat flour flour
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp black sesame seeds (you can also use all regular)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the chicken stock, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, soy sauce, and white vinegar together. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, toss the chicken with salt, pepper, and flour.
4. In a large pan (make sure it’s oven safe) heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken in one layer. Cook for three minutes on one side until seared and then flip and cook for another three minutes on the other side.
5. Turn off the heat and pour the chicken stock mixture over the chicken, stirring to combine.
6. Place the entire pan in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Then toss the chicken with sesame seeds and serve.

That photo’s a stock photo-I was too hungry when we got done cooking around 9 to take a picture, had to dive right in! I know tonight, we have a roast all ready to go in the crock pot all day for dinner tonight. Love coming home to the smell of a roast-reminds me of one of my favorite dinners as a kid. Yes, I was a 10 year old kid who loved my meat and taters. Leads me to a few questions for the day: 

What was your favorite meal as a kid? 

Do you have a go-to meal to make when you’re just stumped for ideas? 

What’s your favorite workout class to make you feel like you got a great workout? 

Going to try to get back to some double workouts today so I can get my muscle tone back from being on the shelf the past few weeks. Have a great Wednesday! 

Feels Like Starting Over

Another surgery in the books! This weekend I had my 8th laser laparoscopy for my endometriosis. We checked in at the surgical hospital around 8:00 Friday morning, and after lots of fidgety waiting, I got taken back around 10. Surgery was brief but went well-my doctor told Jeff there was lots of endometriosis and adhesions around my right ovary and along my uterus. We got me out of recovery and home around 12-1 in the afternoon. I don’t remember much at the surgery center except trying really, really hard to focus on the nurse giving me the discharge instructions. I was very sleepy and worried she wouldn’t let me go home if I didn’t stay awake!

I won’t lie, this surgery day hit pretty hard. I was sleepy and napping most of the day. I couldn’t hold any food down and got sick quite a few times. I finally, miserably, got into bed for good around 7 but couldn’t fall asleep until around 10. Saturday was better, but I was still pretty headachey and dizzy most of the day. I did manage to hold down some food and attend a friend’s Halloween party for a while, although my costume got downgraded from “Cha Cha from Grease” to “Outpatient”. Sunday was basically spent pushing my limits and then resting from it-got a lot of housework done, took a couple of good walks, and ran some errands.

Monday, I woke up pretty rested and feeling much more like my old self. I kept the day off because we’re going to drive up to Omaha and sign papers on Jeff’s new motorcycle today. Still a bit nervous taking on this big new financial investment, but it’s something he’s really wanted for a while now and I’m excited we can swing it for him. And today, I’m really feeling excitement to become a new version of myself. I feel like my fitness, while not completely lost, has been reset. Maybe it’s time to take different classes, although the base disciplines of running, biking, and weight lifting will always play a part. I want to include more yoga and pilates and see what that does for my body. I want to do things for my body because they make me stronger or faster or healthier, and not simply as a blind panic to burn as many calories as possible. I’m trying to drink more water and make slightly smarter food choices. Not saying I’m going to cut out caffeine or never eat dessert, but I’m going to try and make the choices that will fuel my journey the best.

Have a great Monday! Photos of the new bike next time!

Comfort Food

Tomorrow’s the day! Headed in for my 8th laser laporoscopy for endometriosis at 8:45 AM. It’s a later arrival time than I’m used to-not quite sure what to make of that. I can’t seem to sleep much past 7-730 no matter how much I’d like to anymore, and I’m one of those strange people who inevitably wakes up starving. Even if I ate a big dinner and went immediately to bed, it’s all gone by morning and I’m looking for the next food source. Since I can’t eat or drink anything from 5:45 AM until surgery time (and I won’t be waking up THAT early), there’s a slight chance Jeff may have to put up with a cranky, uncaffeinated girl until they take me away to the OR. I’m thinking that Jeff will be able to sleep until it’s time to leave, and I may get up early and run a few errands. Loads to be done around the house and the last few things to get my name changed still need attended to. 

I plan on spending the rest of the weekend with the best Nurses a girl could have: Duncan & Foster. I don’t know if this is the case for everyone, or if my dogs are just weird, but they know when I’m sick. They really know when I’ve just had surgery-they’ve been with me for almost all of them. I think I’ll be spending the afternoon on our couch in the nice, dark basement so I suspect Duncan will be on the close side of the coffee table and Foster will stand guard on the far side. Add in Jeff helping take care of whatever I need that requires opposable thumbs and I’ll be a pampered girl! 

When you’re sick, what kind of food do you crave? My tastes vary pretty widely depending on what phase I’m currently in. I have always wondered why it is we all either want soup or think our sick friend should want soup. Is there really any health benefit to it, or is it the warm comfort the broth provides? I’m not taking any risks, so I think I’ll send Jeff for some pho when I’m able to eat again tomorrow. I’ve also been dreaming about breakfast pastries since our trek across Europe. Seriously, I got used to croissants, scones, and espresso in our brief stay there. That’s why Jeff and I got an espresso machine with all the credit card rewards dollars we earned from the wedding the second we got home. I also can’t help but worry-friends and family have some pretty major events planned this weekend and I’m sad I’m going to miss them. I also know myself well enough to know that there’s a chance I’m going to try and convince myself I’m well enough to go even when I’m not. Hopefully I’ll be smart enough to listen to my body, but anyone who knows me is aware of my stubborn streak. 

See you all on the other side of surgery; have a great weekend! 

Weekend Warrior

Good Morning! Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. I’m still working through listening to my body and not putting it through unnecessary risks. My surgery is scheduled for this Friday, and although it’s a minor operation it still puts me in bed for most of the weekend. I’ve had endometriosis for over 10 years now, and never has it hit me this hard, this suddenly. Just amazing what toll being stressed out takes on your body and how it manifests. 

Friday night, I kept things low key and went to a dinner party with some friends. Carrie, Troy and the gang made sure I was laying on the couch with my heating pad and a samosa all night long. They put on a fabulous Indian spread with homemade paneer, chicken tikka, muligatawny soup, and naan. It was a great night, Jeff and I plan on returning the favor with an Italian spread soon. We really like the idea of a rotating Friday night FAC. whether it’s full dinner or just beers and a board game. We all enjoy celebrating the arrival of the weekend, but we’re also at the age where celebrating it at a bar is getting less fun. Much better to get all us girls in our comfy pants and hang out somewhere we can all hear each other talk. 

Saturday morning, I woke up feeling pretty OK. Drank some coffee to get me going and headed over to Lynette’s for our hike date. We had DELICIOUS breakfast sandwiches at Stauffer’s cafe first to fuel our journey. Those things are HUGE! Seriously, Lynette had sausage and I had bacon-they look a little like this: 

Kept me going until about 6 at night! Anyway, we hopped in the car and headed down to Indian Caves, one of our favorite places to hike. We grabbed a trail map when we checked in at the guard shack, but promptly forgot it once we got to our trail head. We did pretty well for a while, but ended up hopelessly lost. Made a bad call on which trail to take that led us to a meadow loop, followed by a long trek to the road and then 3 miles back to the car. Ended up going 10 miles and all of it was gorgeous! Great fall colors, nice weather, good company. Really glad I was able to make it. We got home and I cleaned up for date night with the hubby. I’ll let him tell the story of our dinner (fillyourbellywithgoodness.wordpress.com) but it was delicious. Popped up to a local tavern to say hi to some friends and then home to bed! 

Sunday was an interesting day. Woke up feeling pretty OK so I cleaned house and ran some errands. About halfway through my pain started kicking in but I soldiered through and got all our groceries for the week. Came home and had to power myself down and take a bit of a nap while the advil and heating pad did their thing. Got up and was a bit dizzy and sore but I’m just so sick of sitting around that I decided to go for a bike ride anyway. Wasn’t my fastest, didn’t feel the best, and basically felt like I was kneeing myself in a swollen ovary every pedal stroke for the last 2 miles but I was still glad I went. Downside was I had to stay home from a training session at the YMCA, but I needed that ride. Anyway, Jeff made chili and I baked a lemonade chiffon cake with Raspberry filling for our weekly dinner Monday night. Watched some TV and were lazy bums while I laid under the heating pad and called it a Sunday! 

Got a few new pieces of clothing yesterday to wear to work today-I’m all about being comfy these days. Got these leggings: 

 

 

And this sweater to go with them: 

Looks put together, feels like I’m in jammies. Win/win! 

Tonight, we have lady beer night to catch up with Sarah about her wedding and honeymoon, and then it’s Family Dinner with the gang. Lasagne, garlic bread, salad, and my cake. Going to be a great night! 

A Cursed Race

Good Morning! I planned on writing a nice long post yesterday to detail my race wrap up from Market to Market over the weekend. That’s been pushed to the side because of another, more pressing topic. 

When I was 23, my doctor and I were looking into some extreme lower abdominal pain I was experiencing. We eliminated a lot of different possibilities until we did an exploratory surgery and discovered I have endometriosis. Pretty severe endometriosis. What the heck is that? Well, in layman’s terms, it means that the tissue that grows in your uterus and that normally gets shed every month grows other places too. It also bleeds and sheds wherever it is, leading to lots of pain. In addition, I’m prone to cysts and adhesions within my uterus and ovaries. Basically, I have lots of terrible lady plumbing. Anyway, the only way to manage these disorders is by pain management (being tough until you need meds) and routine laparoscopic surgery to remove the excess tissue. And I’ve done that. 7 times, if I’m counting right. Around this time of year, things start getting rough and I try to push through until the new deductible year starts on my insurance so I can make the best of my health care dollars. It’s a tough decision, and it’s rough on my husband to watch me writhe in pain for the entire Fall season until I break down and schedule the operation, but that’s the “best” way to handle things for me.

Well, that’s not the way it’s going to work out this year. After 2 days of going home from work early in pretty terrible pain, I called my doctor’s office and they asked to schedule an ultrasound. I don’t know what you know about ultrasounds, but they’re totally gross. There’s a “wand” they use-and actually put a condom on. It’s laughable and terrible all at once. Anyway, early this morning they got the machine fired up, got everything in order, and started taking photos. Usually, with a diagnostic procedure such as this, they can’t tell you anything and defer to the doctor who’s going to call you back. This time, I got a little more feedback and she pointed out the adhesions on my right ovary and uterus. The tech closed the appointment with “I’d get your calendar ready, it looks like they’ll be scheduling surgery again”. So I have that to look forward to.

Honestly, at this point, I wish they’d just do a hysterectomy. I’m sitting here, feeling terrible, and knowing this relief I will get will be temporary. In another 10-12 months, I’ll be in the exact same place. I’m 35, and this is the age that birth defect risks start getting scary, that ability to conceive for a normal person starts going down. And I’m not normal. I have to have so much scar tissue in there that nothing could implant without the fight of its life. And Jeff and I aren’t ready to have kids. There’s so much more of the world we want to see. So many places to go, things to do together, and time to spend as a couple. And we’re both fully aware that by the time we’d be ready to have babies, the odds would be against us. I’ve seen many friends go through so much pain, sadness, and stress fighting fertility issues. And that’s not for us. If we do decide we’d like to become parents, we both agree that we’d adopt. There are so many kids out there who need good homes that we wouldn’t feel right fighting nature to have a biological child.

So why do we keep fighting biology and trying to make my reproductive organs “normal”? Wouldn’t it be easier to just take everything out and send me on my way? The fact of the matter is that so many doctors are concerned about taking that opportunity away from a woman, even when it’s their best option to live pain free. I’ll be bringing that up to my doctor, but I think 40 is the earliest they’ll consider full hysterectomy. But bottom line, I will be having at least another laser laparoscopy in the next month. And what bugs me most about it? Having to cut back on working out and possibly miss out on some social events we have planned. Yep, I’m stubborn.

OK, back to the race. Last year, I ran the Market to Market relay in a team of 8 people. The nature of this race is actually super hard on your body-runners have anywhere from 6-14 miles to run in 2-4 segments. What that means is you go run 3, 4, 5 miles as fast as you can, pass off the baton, stuff yourself in a vehicle and get to the next checkpoint. So by default you’re either working your muscles by running or cramping them up by sitting in the car. Last year by the end, we were all having issues that kind of stemmed back to our IT bands. This year, pretty similar. Both years I ran within .5 miles of the same distance-around 12 miles. I have been having a real struggle with my running lately-not sure what triggered it. But running the distances I used to run with no problems, now is a mental tug of war. I want to walk. I want to walk badly. I think it started when training for the half ironman and realizing that realistically, there was a good chance that with the time of day I’d reach the run, the temperatures predicted for the day, and the fact that they advertised that we’d have NO shade on the race course that I’d have to walk a portion of it. So I started allowing myself to walk a bit during my training runs, which I did at the height of sun, hottest part of our Nebraska days to acclimate. And then I started doing morning runs where inevitably I’d have to stop and use a restroom about 4 miles in to an 8 mile run. After the half ironman, I just was DONE with my regular, twice a day workouts and cut running almost completely. But I got a few good runs in before this particular race, so I was hopeful. And I managed to run every step of my 12 miles. That was no accomplishment to those on my team-they ran 2-3 minutes per mile faster than I did, and one is going on to run a 100 mile race this weekend. But it was a moral victory to me, and at a point while running on a bridge across the Platte River, that I really got my mojo back. I felt my legs moving, my lungs expanding, the sun hitting my face and the gorgeous scenery you can’t get any other way, and I realized THIS is why I run. And make no bones about it, I’m a runner.

I can’t wait to get back out there and run some more. It may have to wait, because the situation with my right ovary makes even walking feel really awkward, so I’d imagine any amount of bouncing around would be agony. But I’ll say this: I’m not doing Market to Market next year. Last year, 3 days after the race, I had to have my appendix removed. This year, it was the ultrasound and surgery scheduled. Probably not related to the race, but that thing is bad karma for me! I’m going to focus more on running because I want to, and not because I want to pay someone to acknowledge I ran. I’ve joined running clubs, bicycling clubs, and done more races over the last 2 years than I ever dreamed I’d participate in. And when do I feel best? When I exercise on my own. When I get out there and then decide how far  I want to go. I’ll still do a token half marathon next year, and I’d like to gather a few ladies and do a group century ride, but I think my days of competing for competing’s sake are over. I have nothing to prove to anyone but myself. And I don’t need a medal to tell me what’s in my head, my heart, or even my legs. All I need is that little twinge you get that tells you “I ran”.

 

Lets Play Footsie

Feet. Feet are gross. Feet get you where you need to be. But they are also the single part of your body that shows their wear the most, if you ask me. When Jeff and I got married, he referenced still loving me despite my icky runner’s feet. And he’s right. My poor feet are calloused, blistered, and I’m pretty good at dropping stuff on them so hard I actually bruise the tops of my feet.

The other day I did the unthinkable, and added a new layer of yuck to those things at the end of my shins. Wednesday was a really busy day for me. Work, straight to boot camp at the gym, quick clean up there and then on to a bachelorette party. Well, in the whirling dervish that is my morning routine (I HATE getting up early and pretty much allow as little time as possible to get out the door), I forgot my socks. Didn’t realize it until I got to the gym, and then I had a choice: skip boot camp and lose the best workout of my week, or shove those sneakers on and go without. I chose to go without socks and trudged on up to the gym.

That boot camp was brutal. It would have been tough even with socks, but my “handicap” added an element of danger. We had to run 1 lap around our track, do one set of stairs, and then 50 of a given exercise (burpees, squats, triceps…). Then up the ladder until it was 5 laps, 5 stairs, 50 exercises, and back down to 1. The laps around the track were obviously the worst-I could feel the blisters forming on my feet, but I made it through. Honestly, the worst part of this whole thing was the next day. I’m not afraid to admit, I got my shoes out the next day for an elliptical workout and about choked myself. SO, tough cardio workout without socks=stinky, stinky shoes for the foreseeable future. Dang!

My feet aren’t getting a break this weekend-it’s market to market! http://www.markettomarketrelay.com/ This race is a fun relay from Omaha to Lincoln, broken down into 20 segments. Teams of 6-8 take turns running their parts of the 78 mile course. My tally for the day will be 12.3 miles over 3 segments and the quarter mile finish all teams run together. There’s costumes, themes, and lots of tired people at the end of the day. I was reading another blog about how that runner totally skips the end of race party and just wants to go home at the end of a long day of running, and I’m totally the same way. Kristina and I drove all the way home from our half ironman immediately afterwards-getting to my own bed just sounds like the best thing ever. So my plan for Saturday is run, home, chinese, soapy tv. Sunday is the first episode of the new walking dead, and we’re having our best pals Jen & Alan over to watch. I may have to squeeze in some lunch and pedicures with my friend Lisa too-we’ve been craving some sandwiches at a fantastic restaurant here in Lincoln (Wilderness Ridge). My poor feet will definitely deserve some love before being “put away” for the winter. 🙂

How do you keep your feet from looking like they’ve been battered? Do you pedicure over the winter or just do basic maintenance?

The Slowest Kid at the Olympics

I’ve been thinking a lot about why it is that I have a bit of an inadequacy complex. My weight is completely healthy, I wear the same size I have for years (granted, pants fit differently within the spectrum of my happy weight), and I’m what most people I know would consider an athlete. I think what starts the train of thought is that when I was unhealthy or at my largest, I was surrounded by similar people. My ex and I ate highly processed food, I went to the gym a few times a week, and thought I was doing great. Then I went through a breakup, looked at my habits, and completely revamped everything. Ate more salad, fruits, and whole foods. Focused my training efforts at the gym. Looked into completing my first triathlon. And then things got confusing. 

I’m an athlete, but by no means am I a superstar. I can run a half marathon, do an adventure race, or even a half ironman triathlon. But I probably won’t be the fastest person there. And in my past life, that would have been good enough. But as you compete in more and more races, you’re around like minded people. You make friends. You get impressed and inspired by their achievements. And then you instinctively do a comparison and come up short. I know some pretty accomplished bicyclists. My former hairstylist was a fitness model. I have another friend who instinctively excels at every sport she tries. And if you compare yourself to those people, as I’m really prone to doing, you’re going to feel not good enough. Does that mean my accomplishments don’t mean as much as theirs? Not to the people that love me, and they shouldn’t mean less to me either. But it’s easy to lose sight of your own victories when you’re celebrating someone’s actual, total victory. 

So how do you adjust your self-talk to remind yourself that your only race is against yourself? It takes a lot of retraining and conscious thought. It takes your own personal mantra. And it takes a good, hard look at your goals, desires, and means or motives to achieving them. And when in doubt, just remember: 

 

This Fine Day

What a difference a day makes! Yesterday, I was a big ole whiner. Little Miss Complainey pants. I had some stuff to deal with, and I think it would be erroneous to say it’s all changed but I think I’m on the right path. I’ve got an important meeting scheduled to discuss the direction my career is headed in here at work with a member of management I trust. I got word that I may be getting another class added to my schedule at the YMCA-and it’s my favorite one! I guess everything’s coming up Millhouse. 

Today is one of my double days at the gym. I’m trying to make an effort to cut down on this as I know it’s not super healthy, at least not mentally, but when your lunch hour leaves you about 30 minutes to work out (and I do, nearly every work day), sometimes you still need a little more after work to feel like you’ve done what you need to do. So for lunch, I took a Kettlebell Cardio class, and tonight I’ll teach my SIC class. We do spin for the first 30  minutes and then finish with 20 minutes of Kettlebells. It’s a bit less intense version of the class I used to take-2 tracks on the bike, 1 track kettlebells, repeated about 4-5 times. It was a great way to maintain a high heartrate while lifting and always left me sweaty and exhausted. Our agenda for tonight is as follows: 

 

 

Also, scored these sweet leggings on ebay, Excited to spend as much time in stretch pants this winter as possible. SO glad this is currently fashionably acceptable-I don’t know what I’ll do when we go back to awful, uncomfortable pants and shorter shirts! 

 

After class, Jeff and I are roasting some vegetables (zucchini,eggplant, sweet potato, red peppers) and grilling some chicken for dinner. Low key, high taste, just how we like it! Tomorrow’s another day. While every day isn’t spectacular, there’s some spectacular in every day. Some days it’s easier to remember that than others, but it’s true every day. 

Longest Short Week EVER!

 

That’s a photo of me and my dogs (well, one’s more of a blur in the background than anything else but they’re both there). We got back from our honeymoon Monday night and I don’t think I’d ever seen Foster that excited in his life. He’s stayed a little extra clingy this week, and who can blame him? Guy loves his mama. 

This work week was super short, only 3 days, but it feels like it’s been a lifetime. I’ve made some career decisions and intentions, I’ve partnered with a friend to make strides in my wellness platform, and we’ve gotten together with some great friends. And I am TIRED! We were supposed to FAC with some friends tonight, but I don’t know that I even have the energy to do that. Laying around the house with that dog and some takeout just sounds entirely more appealing. We’ll be having people over Sunday afternoon/evening to look at some photos from our trip and hang out, and I’ve got some house cleaning to do to prepare. We were gone for 11 days; you’d be amazed what dog hair can accumulate in that time! I’m also kind of nerdily excited to organize the house a bit. We have shower gifts we haven’t quite found a place for, and there’s a never ending struggle to find storage in the kitchen. It always seems like we could configure things better-what’s most used never seems to be in a convenient location. 

I’m also excited to get back to teaching at the YMCA. Tomorrow is my Power Pump class, and I’ve got a fun workout planned. We’re focusing on timing-how quickly or slowly you lift the weights, so it’s a lot of basic moves and a ton of reps. Putting together the soundtrack now-it’s going to be a 90’s dance party. 🙂 

Here’s hoping your weekend is excellent!