March 2020 – Sweat & Sparkle

1.6 Down

Monday already? Hmmm. I had a really good weekend. It started off with a pretty good weigh-in, not quite 2 pounds (my goal for the week), but I lost 1.6. Close enough to celebrate, with the acknowledgement that I need to tighten up some things this week.

I spent most of Saturday afternoon in the yard, sweating and nearly passing out, but I got a lot done. My husband came outside to help, then my stepson wandered out for a bit. I suppose my neighbors are getting bored with this social-distance/stay-at-home thing, because almost the entire street was outside, puttering around. We were calling out to each other from our yards, waving, joking around. (For the record, our yard is still the best-looking one on the street!)

I figured 5+ hours of manual labor was enough of a workout for Saturday, but on Sunday, I suited up and did a weight training DVD that I have only done once, quite some time ago, and forgot how hard it is. I struggled through it and got it done. I’m not sore yet, but I am sure I will be.

This is going to be a busy week. I have several meetings scheduled, some brief time in the office (locked in my office with disinfectant wipes), and a pretty big project I need to finish by Friday.

My goals this week: lose 2 pounds, drink more water, drink less soda, at least 15 minutes of exercise each day, and get more consistent with logging my food.

Almost the Weekend

I am so glad it’s Friday! I went into my office today to water my plants (and talk to them and assure them I have not abandoned them) and to pick up some things I need at home. It was odd, being the only one there, my light the only one glowing in the row of dark offices.

I didn’t stay long, but not because I was creeped out by the empty office. Nope, I didn’t stay long because my office is not far from my favorite garden center, so naturally, on the way home, I had to stop there, right?

My mother has said many times that I missed my calling, and I do believe she is right. I feel so at peace and in my element when I am surrounded by plants. I picked up a new houseplant for our dining room, then filled a tray with plants for an outdoor hanging basket and the flower beds.

My area now has a curfew, as well as a stay-at-home order, but many businesses are still open on limited hours. Everyone has to stay 6 feet away from each other, and the cashiers were only accepting debit or credit cards, with the machines placed several feet away on small tables. Normally, I can spend quite a bit of time wandering around the garden center, arranging and rearranging flower beds in my head, but today I grabbed what I needed and headed home to wash my hands. Languid daydreaming will have to wait for another day.

I’m looking forward to this weekend. First, I am hoping for a good weigh-in. I have worked out every day this week, even though my work schedule has not lightened up at all. (I am semi-jealous of all the people complaining about being bored at home with nothing to do. What does that feel like? I am stuck in overdrive, even in the middle of a global pandemic!)

That’s why I am excited about this weekend. I have been asked to work, but I likely will not. I need time to myself, time to unwind, time to focus on me and my sidekick (my husband). I have plants lined up in the front yard, waiting for my attention tomorrow. On Sunday I want to relax, do my nails (which will desperately need some attention after all the yard work), maybe a face mask, tune out the world, hang out with my husband and my stepson, and just be happy.

A friend of mine posted this today on Facebook, and I laughed way too hard at it:

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The first thing I thought of was how grateful my husband must be that he was never quarantined with that miserable termagant. Then my second thought was, well, the kids are trapped with her, so it’s not so funny anymore, is it? As always, I will worry about them until I see them again and know for sure that they are safe.

Toilet Paper Whisperer

My personal assistant is stretched out languidly on the desk, wrapped neatly around my keyboard, lazily reaching up with one paw to half-heartedly bat at my pen, but mostly battling the urge to doze off. When we eventually go back to the office, I am going to miss my cat working with me. Maybe I will just have to take him with me.

So far, working from home has agreed with me. No commute to work, plus freedom during the day, means I have finally fallen back into a regular workout routine. Closed restaurants and reluctance to go to the grocery store (or any store, or anywhere with people) means no eating out and snacking less.

The result at Saturday’s weigh-in? A loss of 1.5 pounds. I am happy with a loss, but I feel like I can do better than that. I told my husband, “This week my goal is two pounds.”

My husband is the best person to be locked in and self-isolating with. He is the toilet paper and hand sanitizer whisperer. He’s been able to round up whatever we need, even when I have visited half a dozen stores and couldn’t find it. Maybe he has covert links to the black market or something. Whatever it is, I sure appreciate his mad skills.

Over the weekend, my husband gave me a big smile and sweetly said, “There’s no one else I would rather go through a pandemic with.” I laughed and told him he should get a job with Hallmark…that is, if the suspected black market toilet paper thing doesn’t work out!

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No More Gym

After work yesterday, I headed to the gym, kind of surprised they were still open when I got there. I had my choice of almost any machine in the gym, since only about two other brave souls were there. Usually at that time, the gym is packed, and it’s hard to even find a parking space. I enjoyed the solitude and convenience of not fighting the typical after-work crowd.

It wasn’t meant to last, though. Alas, today I received a notification that my gym is temporarily closed. Good thing I have a pretty large collection of workout DVDs, plus a bunch of workouts bookmarked online.

I have to work late tonight, so I took a long lunch and did a 30-minute Leslie Sansone walking workout, after walking my stepson’s dog. Hey! I just remembered that I forgot to put a star on the calendar for working out today. I bought a pack of stickers just for that. It was oddly rewarding to be able to put a sticker on each day for working out, so I wanted to get back to that. (Yes, I’m one of those people who eagerly waits for my sticker after voting, too.)

Back to work. My cat is sternly supervising me, opening one eye sleepily every now and then to make sure he is getting adequate ear scratches and belly rubs.

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Be Different

A week ago, I was bragging about barely surviving Spinning class. Today, I am working from home, watching incredulously as people mindlessly hoard toilet paper and wrestle each other to the ground for hand sanitizer.

Here’s my thing: why weren’t people washing their hands, disinfecting, and cleaning before now? Why does it take the impending doom of a malevolent virus to nudge people to do things they should have been doing all along? I see people tearing stores apart to sniff out the last bottle of Clorox wipes or hand soap, and I really have to wonder, why weren’t you already using those? Cleaning products and hand soap should not be foreign objects in your home, people. Now go wash your hands.

At first I was very resistant to working from home. All my files are at work, and I didn’t want to drag a bunch of crap home. And, admittedly, I am not a fan of change unless I am the one orchestrating it. But so far it’s been kind of nice. I can sleep in a lot later, since my commute has been reduced to walking across the house, and a later alarm means more snuggle time with my husband (and my jealous cat).

It also means I have zero excuses this week. I can work out during lunch, before work, or at random times during the work day. Who’s going to stop me, the work-at-home Gestapo?

Yesterday I walked my stepson’s dog 327 times. Okay, maybe it was only two or three times, but it felt like a lot. Today I will do a real workout, though, you know, actually follow along to a certified instructor on a DVD, or hit the gym, if it’s open.

It’s sad to me to see so many people hell-bent on making an already bad situation even worse. It’s not bad enough there’s a virus to contend with. People have to make it worse with drama, panic buying, hoarding, selfishness, instead of showing any concern or compassion for the people around them, sharing this planet. This happens with every crisis, from hurricanes to illnesses. True colors come out loud and clear, and more often than not, they are far from pretty.

So be different. Be better. If you have extra hand soap, offer some to your neighbor. Check in with elderly friends, relatives, and neighbors. Don’t buy more than you need. Leave some for others who also need it. If you have more than enough, share.

Be informed, be logical, be prepared, be safe, and be a good person.