Week 6

I have learned that no matter how old I get to be, my klutziness will continue to persist. After twisting my ankle a few weeks ago while playing volleyball, I was finally getting to a point where I felt like I didn't have to wear my ankle brace as often.

Then Wednesday I slipped on some melted snow in the gym and fell. This caused my ankle to flare up a bit, I landed on my knee, which is scraped and slightly swollen, and twisted my back.

I am a walking disaster!

So I've been going to the gym, but I've just been walking until I get back to 100%. It's frustrating though, because I have always been a klutz, but I just figured eventually I would outgrow it. I'm staring down 30's arrival, and I'm still injuring myself in stupid ways!

When I was a kid, I was in the ER so often due to stupid injuries that I had my own Emergency Room Fast Pass type of card. The first time my parents gave it to the nurse for one of my trips, she was surprised, because usually the hospital only gives those to old people!

Here's an example of how my life has gone: I once took a nose dive out of our pop-up trailer as I was walking out the door, because my shorts got caught on the door handle. I completely destroyed the door handle, my shorts, and my pride!

Yet to this point, the only thing I've ever broken has been a toe. I've gotten strains and sprains, but luckily that's about as bad as it's gotten.

Last night after I finished my homework, I started putting together my vanity that I picked up last weekend. It's been pretty easy to put together (despite the instructions looking like something from Ikea),

but I ran into a couple of snags as I was putting it all up. Like, the company doesn't send enough washers (I'm short two, even though they package the exact amount shown in the list of items. Just when you look at the directions, it calls for two more than what is sent) and I snapped a screw in half while screwing two pieces together by hand.

So I had to pick up a drill this morning (It's small, and it's pink!) (I'm such a girl), which is charging now so that I can put a new screw in to finish putting everything together.The only thing I have left to put together is the mirror stand and the mirror. I can't do anything more until I finish screwing the two pieces together in the mirror stand.

I'll post some updated photos once the vanity is completely done. It's bright yellow, which I LOVE!

Week 5

Saturday, I was up again at 4, made it to the gym. Then went back to my apartment and finished up some work before heading down to my parents' house. I was finally giving the grey berry back to dad and getting Reba (my car!) back. It has been so nice being able to drive my own car again!!

Sunday, I definitely overslept and didn't make it downstairs at my parents' house to get on the treadmill there. I had intended to, but I woke up at about 7:45 and I had to get around and get ready for church. That afternoon my mom and I went to a benefit dinner for a teacher that I worked with while subbing a few years ago. We got to see a lot of old friends, and even visited for a bit with my fourth grade teacher.

Monday, I accidentally overslept this morning, so I didn't make it to the gym. This is what is going to be the downfall of my workouts... sleep! I did stop at Meijer today to pick up the vanity that I ordered online. I figure I'll count getting that sucker up three flights of stairs as my exercise today. It weighs at least 40 pounds, then when you throw in packaging, I probably carried a good 45 pounds of awkward up the stairs. I had to laugh when the clerk asked me if I wanted help getting it into my car. Puh-leeze. I had to haul it up to my apartment by myself! Getting it into my car was the easiest part!

I have to admit, I didn't really get a lot of workouts in this week. Grades were due on Friday, and I wound up being up late almost every night trying to get those finished up. I always tell myself every quarter that I'm not going to allow myself to wind up in that position, yet it winds up happening every time!

I'm currently watching the Superbowl. Not really sure why Denver is "playing". This game is ridiculous! At least the Broncos finally wound up with 8 on the board!

Not a whole lot to post this week, but I promise next week I'll be more exciting!

Week 4

Saturday, Sunday, and Monday I didn't make it to the gym. I had planned on going Monday, but that injury during the volleyball game kept me crippled up. I finally managed to get out of my apartment and picked up an ankle brace. My ankle almost instantly felt better once I had some stabilization!

Tuesday, I managed to get up and get moving. I made it to the gym... I realized that 4 AM still sucks. I had my dad's car, "the grey berry", as mine started messing up last Friday. Not to mention, his doesn't have automatic start, which means that 4 degrees felt REALLY cold when including wind chill!

Today's been a downer kind of day. Just feeling sad, tired, overwhelmed, and underwhelmed. This time of year is tough to begin with, but this mess with my car and then some of the songs that have been on the radio today have really gotten to me.

Wednesday: I lucked out, no meeting this morning. But I was up too late last night, so I slept in a little bit today. Didn't make it to the gym. Still driving dad's car. I don't know how he drives that thing in the winter, it's awful! I feel like I'm in an over sized roller skate on ice!

Thursday: we didn't have a meeting again this morning, so I did manage to make it to the gym. I have discovered that you can learn a lot about people when you're at the gym. For example, I happened to over hear one time a woman talking about how she set up her best friend and her boyfriend at the time to hook up and cheat on her so that she had a "reason" to break up with her boyfriend. What?! Who does that? Although, she did forgive her best friend, so it's all good.

The things you learn...

Week 3

So I'm looking at how this is going to work out now that I'm in the full swing of work and school. Instead of attempting to do this daily, or keeping track of it daily, it will probably be best as a weekly update. This way, I'm not falling behind, and I'm still keeping myself on track with workouts and blogs.

This past week, I made my workout on Monday & Tuesday. Nothing too special to report with that. Wednesdays and Thursdays are going to be my rest days, as I have meetings at 7 a.m. and it's too much rushing around trying to get work outs in and be at work on time for the meetings. I tried that last week, and wound up running in the door at work at about 6:29. I hate that.

Yesterday I hit my workout again. In the afternoon we had a staff vs. student volleyball game. I played, and had a great time. Unfortunately we lost to the kids two games to one. There were a couple of staff members who were playing with the kids and helping them out, because they were just standing there and watching the ball go by them! (Clearly, we need to teach our kids how to play volleyball....)

I wound up injuring myself during the first game. I dove for the ball (stupidly, I might add, as I didn't have knee pads - mistake #1), and wound up twisting my ankle pretty badly in the process. Instead of taking myself out of the game and propping it up for a little bit, I played through the pain (stupidly, again - mistake #2). I'm not even sure how I twisted my ankle, but I am still limping around!

Didn't make it to the gym this morning. Between being up late working on homework for school and my ankle, there was no way I was going to be there at 4. I thought maybe when I woke up a bit later that I could today, but my ankle is still pretty sore, so I'm going to rest and let it heal up before I get really going on it again.

Nothing like getting injured this early in training for the 5k. But I guess maybe I would rather get injured earlier as opposed to closer to the run, where I have less time to recuperate and get back on track.

Yesterday while driving home from work my traction control light came on along with a message telling me that it needed to be serviced. I called the garage that I normally take my car to, they told me that it probably wouldn't be a big deal and how to fix it. That was great, because they could have charged me an arm, leg, and my future first born, but they didn't.

Well, it looks like I'll be parting with one arm, leg, and my future first born after all. The light kicked on again today as I was driving to a birthday party, and a third time as I was driving home.

Money is overrated anyway...

Week 2, Days 2, 3, & 4

So as I get into the work and school mode, I unfortunately won't be able to post daily like I did last week. I love it, but I take so much work home that has to be done. Combine that with homework almost daily for grad school and I don't get much time to myself to do what I want!

Take for example my guitar. I've had it for years, and I just don't get to practice it like I wish I could. I would love to really be able to practice it and get good at playing it, but I usually don't have an hour a day minimum just to sit down and practice.

Maybe I should start getting up at 3 AM so I can practice my guitar for an hour every day... HA.

I didn't make it to my workout on Friday, I woke up at 4 with a major headache. So I decided to forgo the workout to take care of my headache before it got any worse. We had professional development, so I was able to go in a bit later. It was nice getting to sleep in a bit longer than I normally do!

Saturday I did make it to my workout. I got 40 minutes in on the treadmill, running 6. Did get some weights in as well. Nothing too eventful there, it felt so warm compared to the frigid temps we had last week, I was tempted to wear shorts!

Today I made my workout again. Time on the treadmill, skipped the weights today. I wound up going out this afternoon to attempt to bust up some of the ice around my car in the parking lot. It is so horrendously thick, I couldn't get much up. I did manage to chip at the top of it, and that gave me a little bit of a grip, so hopefully I don't wind up falling on it tomorrow.

All I have to say is if I fall again, I'm going to be ticked. I wound up falling on the ice outside my apartment the Friday before Christmas and it messed up my wrist. This past week I felt like I was finally able to take off the wrist brace that I wore for about 2 weeks!

Week 2, Day 1

Today was the first day since I've started this that I've actually had to go to work after my workout in the morning.

Last night I slept in my work out clothes. I would have gotten out of here a bit faster if I hadn't gone back to sleep for a few minutes after my alarms went off.

It was a dangerous game I was playing this morning.

Because we had a staff meeting today, I wound up only being able to get in 30 minutes on the treadmill instead of my usual 40. But, I did run 6 minutes and minutes 3-4 were at a higher speed.

Now, onto something that's been on my mind today...

Hashtag workouts.

You know what I'm talking about. If you have a twitter account, or instagram, or facebook, or any other number of social media accounts you know what the hashtag is.

If you work out and you have some sort of social media account, you my friend, are probably guilty of participating in a hashtag workout.

I too am guilty of this ever popular crime. I've shared a couple of hashtag workouts via my instagram account. But my hashtag workouts have been fairly toned down compared to some that I tend to see. One that seems to be gaining popularity is the #Beastmode workout.

WHAT??!!

I'm not sure in what universe a #beastmode workout is a good thing. If you are in "beastmode" I don't think that I want to be working out any where near you. It sounds slightly terrifying. I mean, if you're in "beastmode" are you going to try and rip my face off? The last thing I need is to be working out near someone on bath salts who feels like beastmode contains an acceptable level of adrenaline and endorphins.

I push myself in my workouts, but for me my hashtag workouts are more like, #TryingNotToKeelOverAndDie or #IThinkImStartingToSeeTheLight. Perhaps even #MyLegsFeelLikeJello #IDontKnowIfBillCosbyMeantThatInTheJelloCommercials #ImPrettySureIHaveLostMyDamnMind.

Hashtag.

Week 1, Day 7

I survived!

My first week down, many more to go. :)

My alarm went off at 4 and I jumped out of bed. After three days of not getting out to Snap because of the weather, I COULD NOT get myself moving quickly! Part of that was because I discovered the last time that I went out there that working out on an empty stomach was an almost sure way to lead to passing out. I didn't actually pass out, but it was closer than I was comfortable with!

So I popped a Special K breakfast sandwich in the microwave, and sat and ate that for a few minutes. The sausage, egg, & cheese is crazy good. Although, I take the cheese off, because it's cheddar, but other than that, it actually tastes better than those greasy, calorie-laden sandwiches that you get from a drive-thru. Plus, doing it this way, it prevents me from getting a large pop, which is my go-to drink in the mornings when I stop to get breakfast.

If I learned nothing else today, it's that I need to sleep in my clothes for the gym so that I can get out of here more quickly. I do NOT move fast in the morning, I have a proven history on that one!

Today I finally took my Christmas tree down. I took the ornaments off the other day (with the exception of the one I accidentally found while taking my lights off last night!). I loaded up the tree and storage tote of lights and ornaments to put into my storage unit. Got to the unit, and my lock is frozen. Solid.

I'm not happy about this.

So I went back to my apartment, grabbed my lock de-icer that I have never actually used until this point, and headed back to my storage unit. Clearly, my lock de-icer is only meant for car locks, as it did NOTHING for my padlock on my storage unit. It wouldn't even fit into the lock. So that was a wasted trip. Since I finally got my tree and decorations down and out of my apartment, I was NOT hauling them back up the stairs to my apartment to try later. So currently my car has room for exactly one person, because I have a Christmas tree in the back and a box full of decorations riding shotgun.

Tomorrow's a new day, hopefully there's not a Grinch around tonight or tomorrow who feels the need to steal all of my Christmas items!