What Ratio Is Your Butt On?
With my 11 day break finally here, I thought I would catch up on sleep and take a stab at eliminating the bags and dark circles appearing under my eyes. Well, it sounded like a plan but 7 days into MY time and this is how it's gone:
Day 1: Up at 6 am to make it to auto appointment, then to gym, then 12 stops before finally heading home. Took 45 minutes to unload the vehicle (no elevator and there are 3 flights of stairs) and put everything away and living in SoFlo means spending a LOT of time in traffic, all the extra little things that take more time than I plan for so that by the time I finish unpacking, doing laundry, cleaning and cooking, the first day off is gone. And no extra sleep time yet...and it didn't feel like a day off!
Day 2: Jury duty! Hurray! Something else to get up early for! And I forgot to get gas. I was literally on fumes. The courthouse is in my neighborhood (3.8 miles away) but it still took 32 minutes to get there (rush hour in Ft. Lauderdale) and of course, I managed to get lost! Lost! I don't have GPS and even though I googled before I left, I was TIRED and actually felt disoriented but finally made it. Spent 6 hours there, mostly trying to keep my eyes open, and got passed over for selection. That made me ecstatic! I have too many things to do to add jury duty and I do apologize if I am offending anyone by saying that. I had to stop for gas and almost fell asleep at the pump dreaming about the little nap I was going to take as soon as I got home. But wait - what is this on the doorstep? Oh, 501C3 papers needing immediate attention! Now that's a real workout - try and stay awake while attending to that. Needless to say, there went the rest of day 2...
Day 3: Up early and to the gym, had a manicure at 10 am with the best nail guy so I couldn't miss. I know there are those looking for my girlie weaknesses - manicures for me are a waste of time but he knows how to heal my chemically abused (jewelry cleaners) hands. Then...I went home, did some cooking and went to bed! Granted, by then it was 9:30 pm but I hadn't been to bed that early since...the last time my mommy told me to? Which was forever ago.
Day 4: Up at 6 am. Crap! I was trying to sleep in. I told myself last night "Sleep in, no work, no appointments, no gym - sleep in. It's okay! You've earned it!" Alas, my body was still on the work clock and I just tossed around so decided to get up and be productive. Answered email, went through snail mail, paid bills, did some social media for 3 1/2 hours for FiftyFierce.com and The Square Project (my soon to be legit 501C3) and it was already 5:45! I was so tired, I just couldn't focus anymore so filled the bath tub and soaked for 1 1/2 hours. Ah, that put me to sleep....
Day 5: Up at 6:17 but fully energized! Yeehaw, feeling totally fab and ready to hit the gym. Problem is, felt so rested and fired up to work out, I overdid it and cracked a rib during plate-loaded leg press with 420 lbs! Oh dang, that hurt...stopped at Starbucks to take advantage of hi-speed wifi but only lasted about 2 hours before I became nauseous from the pain. Wearing a very secure sports bra is a good thing but when the rib you crack is directly under it? Not so good...The only thing that felt better was to be free-boobing it though this did not make the nausea go away...I couldn't breathe without feeling pain. Did I go to the doctor? No insurance. Besides, there isn't anything they could do for a cracked rib and they'd just tell me to rest. LOL...I can't do that even when conditions are perfect!
Day 6: Up at 7:27. Now that's better! Too bad I didn't fall asleep until sometime after 1:30 am! Can't remember the last time I got 8 hours of sleep. I went to the gym (yes, I do have a cracked rib...) and did 65 minutes on the Eliptical, a few sets of abs (I grimaced a few times during these) and then the rest of the day doing physical work on The Square Project. Started sneezing and coughing and felt a cold coming on...
Day 7: Up at 5:00. Had the alarm set for 6:15 but I guess you see the pattern by now. No rest for the weary. I was so excited about 11 days off, thinking of all the blogging I'd get done among a trazillion other things on my list of to-do's, yet here is the end of the first week and hello first blog! I feel like I need a week just to recover from 10 days of trade show, the place I feel getting older the most. Not so much from the standing on concrete for a minimum of 10 hours (there will be 110+ hours racked up during a show, almost the equivalent of 3 weeks of work time, just to put it in perspective) but answering the same questions over and over. I guess that's what burnout is. I know that people will ask these questions, so I am prepared and even answer gracefully but my mind is just so, well - bored. Some days I talk so much, I am hoarse and so mentally drained, it's a real workout to find the energy to go kick my butt in the gym. But that day is NOT today (even though I had to have a pep talk with myself) and while yes, the rib is still hurting and I have a low-grade cold going on, it's not as bad as it was and I managed to get in a great workout. Besides, I am a horrible patient, can't stand to be doted over and feel so incredibly vulnerable when ailing that I have to be near death to complain. And finally, here I am.
I never wanted this blog to be a condensed version of my training and diet though today's almost feels like that to me. There is a point, a moral to today's blog, so to speak. I was asked about the phrase 'You get strong in the gym - you get lean in the kitchen' mentioned in the last blog (Is There Something Lurking in Your House?) and what it meant. You will find varying ratios on the gym/kitchen concept depending on who you ask with nutritionists giving a higher percentage to the role diet plays (Exercise is only 10%, the rest is diet.) while a personal trainer would most assuredly answer in reverse (Exercise is 90%). So what does it mean? Pretty obv, me thinks. It means you can have great workouts but crappy diet habits and unless you have someone to follow you around and smack the stupid (as in food you KNOW you should not eat) out of your hand every time you're about to put it in your mouth, which do you think will have the most profound affect on you? It doesn't literally mean 'the kitchen' but literally means your attitude. When you feel good and everything goes right, it's easy to stay on point. Life doesn't give many of those although with the right attitude, everything can be made tons better! Controlling where you let your mind go is the essence of being 'in the kitchen' and stepping out requires fortitude my friend because marketers, and your own emotions, are always watching for you. What percentage is diet and exercise to me? How about 100% dedication to diet and training? Without that kind of passion for your goals, what results do you expect?
