workout – Page 2 – Sweat & Sparkle

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.

Survived!

Ta-da! Here I am! I survived Spinning class last night. It was close, though. I thought about shouting “Look over there!” and pointing to the front of the room while I stealthily sneaked out the back, but I wasn’t quite sure it would work. Plus, I had difficulty mustering up enough breath to yell, anyway.

Since tonight is going to be so busy, my plan today was to walk during my lunch break. But right at noon, a familiar fellow strolled into my office and invited me to lunch.

Before we bought our house a few years ago, my husband and I frequently met at home for lunch. I miss that so much! It’s not practical anymore, because by the time I got home now, I’d have to turn around and leave to be back at work on time. I adore our house and wouldn’t trade it for anything, but I really missing going home for lunch and spending time with him for just a little while.

Now it’s a rare treat to share lunch together, so I didn’t think twice about going to lunch with him. Walking can wait. Maybe I can walk a little longer or do a more vigorous tomorrow instead. It was more important to me today to join him and talk and touch base and pick on each other (of course) before getting back to a hectic day.

One of the things the Spinning instructor said last night was to learn grace. She said that instead of coming to class and berating ourselves, thinking things like, “My legs are so wobbly today. I am so weak!”, we should frame things with grace and think, “My legs are so tired today. It might not be my strongest workout today, but good for me for being here and working out anyway.”

I may not be heading out for endurance runs any time soon, but I bravely faced a Spinning class last night that I was, quite frankly, a bit nervous about going to. Little by little, I will get stronger and get back to my long-distance runs. For now, I need to take pride in the process, in building and blooming. I am far from where I want to be, but there’s no way to get there except bit by bit, day by day.

Seemed Like a Good Idea

Signing up for a Spinning class seemed like a really good idea last week. Now that it is the day of class…not so much. I’m sure that once class is done, I will be glad I did it, but for right now, I’m just dreading it.

For one, I am extremely tired. I could curl up on my desk at work and fall right to sleep. Second, my work schedule has prevented much working out beyond walking here and there, so Spinning class is way out of my current comfort zone.

The class is small, so finding an anonymous bike in the back is impossible. So if I collapse a lung, hyperventilate, pass out, or otherwise fall lifelessly from my bike, everyone is going to notice.

Since the class is small, I had to sign up ahead of time, so if I don’t go, I just took the spot of someone who wanted to be there. I can’t be that jerk. So I have to go.

If I’m not around tomorrow, you will know what happened to me. Maybe send some lovely flowers to my grieving family. But hey, at least a seat will have opened up in Spinning class!

Here We Go Again

Of course, the morning I have to get up extra early is the coldest morning of the season! It was so hard to slip out from the warm covers, my soft pillow, and my husband’s sleepy arms, but I had a work event bright and early, so I braved the cold morning…reluctantly. Very reluctantly!

By some miracle, I have no events, appointments, or obligations after work, so I get to head straight home and actually enjoy an evening with my husband and stepson. Number one on my agenda is to fit in a workout: any kind of workout, even just 10 minutes, just to move my body, sweat a little, and then enjoy a long, hot shower on a chilly evening. I can already hear a cozy blanket, the fireplace, and my husband’s lap calling my name.

We got some news recently that didn’t exactly surprise us. Psycho is playing her latest round of me-me-me drama, dragging the kids around yet again, and and it’s already taking its toll. All three kids’ grades have dropped over the past week or so. Two of them are getting serial Fs.

I already knew, just from seeing their grades, that the crazy had been dialed way up at their other home. And I already suspected the source: the same person who typically causes upheaval and stress in their lives, but wastes not even a precious second worrying about the impact on them, as long as she is getting what she wants.

I certainly hope the attention, the drama, the pity, and the handouts from her daddy make it worth it to her. Because it sure as hell isn’t worth it to the kids.

No one is exactly shocked that yet another person has decided his life would be better without Psycho in it. We are also not surprised that she has made no effort to protect the kids from her incessant lust for melodrama, and that every choice has been made for her maximal gain and the kids’ utmost detriment. Her priorities are loud and clear, and once again, the kids don’t even make her list.

My older stepson said he described his dad’s and my relationship as “solid” when he was telling a friend about us before meeting us for the first time. That meant a lot to me, and I am proud that he feels safe, secure, and stable in our home.

If the best someone can offer the kids is instability, stress, yelling, worthlessness, and total dependence on others, then perhaps she should spend more time reflecting on much-needed personal improvements, and less time obsessing over my husband and me. But that would be rational, sane, and empathetic to the kids, and I already know better than to expect that.

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