Deep Breaths
I’m the kind of person that works well under pressure. The kind that as a student started huge research projects the weekend before their due dates, pulling adrenaline-fueled all nighters. The kind that thrives on challenges and too soon deadlines. Yet, there is a world of difference between the insane urgency that I’ve come to love and the everyday stress that sends me over the edge.
In my professional life, I’m always on top of things. I make stuff happen. I am a model of efficiency. But in my personal life? Here I sit in my room paralyzed while projects stack up around me. Appointment cards for the orthodontist spill out of my purse. Instructions from the vet litter my desk. Exercises I’ve never tried are posted on my bulletin board. Books I’ve started and forgotten pile on my shelves. Crumpled up drafts of blog posts are heaped in (and around) my wastepaper basket.
When’s the last time I called my sister? When’s the last time I went out with friends? When’s the last time I was able to breathe? Where the hell does my time go?
It shouldn’t be hard to focus my energy on a project. It shouldn’t be, but it is. The culprit, I suspect, is a fat manila folder on my printer. I’ve been avoiding that folder – for months now. Somehow in ignoring it, it has managed to become the center of attention. It is marked simply: WEDDING STUFF.
It’s amazing how fast you go from “Heh. The wedding is over a year away. We have plenty of time!” to “Oh shit. My first choice of photographer is already booked.” There are still so many decisions to be made – DJ, flowers, ceremony music, transportation, hairdresser, makeup, menus, invitations, cake, rings, favors, attendants . . . It’s overwhelming. For once, instead of jumping right in and checking off the boxes, I’m rendered incapable of doing anything at all.
I knew we should have eloped.
No Fitness Friday Post This Week
Too much on my mind.
Coming to a Garage Near You
Me (snuggling the cat): I love you, Dante. Even though you drink from the toilet and will probably infect us all with your parasites.
Him: That’s a great name for a punk rock band.
Me: What?
Him: Parasitic Cat.
Fitness Friday: Week 6
I know, it seems like I just posted one of these, yet here we are again at another Fitness Friday. (Ok, it’s Saturday. So sue me.)
So, it’s been an interesting week. First of all, due to the eight gaping holes in my mouth, I’ve been more or less on a soup and pudding diet since last Friday. It’s difficult to make great nutritional choices when the hardest food I’ve been able to eat is pasta. God I miss steak.
Then there was the issue of exercise. I couldn’t even do yoga, my favorite, because the oral surgeon told me no being upside down (unless I wanted to make my sockets bleed, which, no thank you). Plus I had no energy to work out anyway since I hadn’t been able to eat much. I’ve been weak and tired whenever I’m not actually drugged and/or asleep.
Oh, and note to self: Pencilin makes you feel pukey.
Drama aside, let’s see how the week went:
Goal #1: Per my fitness fanatic friend’s advice, I will attempt to figure out what kind of food my metabolism requires to function properly. She seems to think my love of carbs could be to blame for my sleepiness.
In progress. I’m slowly reading through a book on metabolic typing. I’m going to have to actually pay attention to how my body reacts to different foods to be able to accurately determine what’s right for me. All I know is that the “healthier” I have been trying to make my diet, the worse I seem to feel. The book says that’s not unusual because each person’s dietary needs are unique and personal to them. I’m hoping my metabolism functions best on ice cream and doughnuts, but I’m not going to get my hopes up.
Goal #2: I will attempt to snack on protein-rich foods after my workouts. Above mentioned friend also informed me that this is necessary to keep my muscles happy.
N/A. My muscles didn’t need any rebuilding this week. They have gotten plenty of protein anyway since yogurt doesn’t require chewing.
Goal #3: If needed, I will cut myself some slack on the exercising and healthy eating because I’ll probably feel like hell for at least part of the week and won’t be able to eat anything much harder than pudding for awhile. I will not take the week off, however.
Achieved, I guess. I went for long walks twice during the week (when it wasn’t raining). Mostly I was forced to give myself time to heal. And somehow I managed not to eat loads of crap.
And now, onto my new baby steps to a kick ass body:
1. I will begin noting how different types of foods affect my energy level, mood, etc in an effort to determine why “healthy eating” makes me tired as hell.
2. I will get my butt back to the gym this week. At least twice.
3. I will do planks for 60 consecutive seconds every day. With minimal grumbling.
So, yeah, nothing too exciting to report here. If you’d really like to be inspired, Iasa biked 30 miles for one of her goals. And Jewelz? Well, she’s shifted gears from exercise goals to doing the Dr. Natura Colonix program. Good luck with that, Jewelz. I think I’ll stick with push ups.
Now I’m going to go watch it rain some more and remember the days back when the sun used to shine and I actually had the motivation for this fitness stuff. **sigh**
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” ~ Lao-tzu
I’m on Drugs!*
Ten things I’ve found to be much more difficult to do while taking narcotics:
1. Sitting up (you know, without lolling your head all around)
2. Putting together coherent thoughts
3. Saying long words
4. Painting your fingernails/toenails
5. Geography
6. Handling ice cubes (those suckers are slippery)
7. Navigating stairs
8. Making intelligent choices
9. Spelling
10. Blogging**
* Something I may have randomly and dreamily announced to the Captain’s friends during a lull in conversation last weekend. Which suggests that if someone has passed out on the couch in a narcotics-induced slumber, maybe you shouldn’t wake them up and take them out to be charming and social.
** This post was totally written under the influence, but I think I did an awesome job. Mostly because I’m still conscious and know how to use spell check.