Workout schmerkout

Working out has become something I only dream about having time to do. Recently, I've had to change quite a few things in my life, and I haven't been able to really sit down and "work on me." But I'm determined to change that. That's really what this blog is about, anyway. Changing the things you don't like and making happen what you want to happen in your life.

As for my current situation, everything (or almost everything) has worked out and settled down for now, so I need to get on with doing what needs to be done: cleaning house. I usually do a deep cleaning in the Spring and Fall, and because I have recently found myself in the market for a new living space, I have had the great opportunity to de-clutter and organize my life. Getting rid of things I've kept for one reason or another has been hard, but worthwhile.

Being an artist is hard. Especially being the kind who loves working in many different mediums, like myself. I keep EVERYTHING, for no reason other than "I could use it later." When cleaning out my old room in my parent's house in preparation for the move, I was able to get rid of things I've kept from childhood. Some things I can reuse, such as buttons from the pants I "bedazzled" for my role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Others, such as the ball bearing from an old desk chair which was going to be used for who-knows-what, went into the proper receptacle. All day long, I was finding stuff in the most random places, and yelling "Why, why, WHY would I keep this?!" It's interesting to note that my parents, who only collect books, were chuckling to themselves the whole time. As if they knew that one day I would be doing this exact thing.

The great thing about cleaning out is that if you find something that you loved as a child that you thought had gone the way of lost socks, you have the pleasure of finding it all over again. It's like getting a new present. I am not yet ready to give away my remaining stuffed animals I received when I was in the hospital in 3rd grade, but I am getting to that point (I put them in the give-away pile, but then snatched them out.) I already gave away quite a few a few years back to my church's biannual garage sale, so at least that's something.

It's almost like you have to work yourself up to giving away prized childhood possessions. As if giving away something tangible will erase the intangibility of your youth, or the memories of the time. I'm not saying give everything away. But to grow, you have to leave some things behind.

So I tried again...

...And again, the bike got the best of me.

I'm beginning to think that the one flight climb to the editing suite every day doesn't constitute a real workout. I'm also thinking that any good return from that is negated by how much espresso I've been drinking lately...in large latte's, which in and of itself is a detriment to healthful living. BUT - it really helps when you need to stay up super late to meet a deadline.

Anyway...today was the first time 'back in the saddle' (per se) since the blasted 'boo-heiney loss.' It started off on a bad foot. No air in the tires, and the seat was too low. Luckily, I had a tire compressor in the truck (no pressure gauge though [fyi: when using one of these, pay close attention to the feel of the tire if you don't have a gauge because the gauge provided doesn't really work for bike tires]), so at least I could do a slap job of airing them up. I used an Allen Wrench to fix the seat (keep a small toolkit in your car for anything that might pop up), so after that, I was good to go!

Now, keep in mind, our heat indices in this region have been hovering around 100 degrees recently, so, like last time, I waited until after 6 to ride. The shadows were longer, the heat not quite so bad, so it was a good ride. I could have ridden all night, but alas, it was not to be...

If you know anything about me, you know that random things happen to me that cause injuries that should not be able to happen under the circumstances. I pulled a groin muscle. Now, I know what you're thinking: 'she didn't stretch, or her seat was too high, or something', but you'd be wrong. It was the best ride I've had in a long time. The only thing I can think happened was that I had to stop suddenly for traffic, and when I pulled my shoe out of the toe clips, it got stuck so I had to kind of wrench it out so I wouldn't fall over.

2.5 miles of fantastic riding, and all I got was a stupid pulled muscle.

If you saw me out riding and have another idea of what I did, please let me know. I need to fix my terrible form anyway.

Bikes are awesome...

...But they are a pain in the butt too. Good grief. I had to take a day off yesterday to do recuperate because I am such a marshmallow...or I should say, my boo-hiney is. So yesterday was my day off. Tonight was a workout day.

I probably sweat off 5 pounds today working, so it was (psychologically) easier to do crunches. It should be said that I love doing crunches. I am probably the only person in the world who is truthful when they say that. But the only ones that actually make me feel like I'm doing anything are the ones where you lie on your back and hold your shins parallel to the floor. They work so many muscles it's unbelievable. I feel like my muscles are the broccoli rubber bands stretched tight when I do them, but I feel so much better afterwards that it's worth it.

I did 150 tonight. I'm going to go curl up in a ball now.

How silly of me...

...to think that I could do any sort of workout in the Delta heat. Good grief.

I got off work this afternoon (at Mississippi Grounds...you should go if you are ever in the Delta. It's awesome), at 6pm. After drinking only water all day to stay hydrated, knowing that I would bake in the sun if I didn't, I leave to bike.

Now you should know that in recent years, my will to exercise has dwindled down to almost nothing. I could blame it on school, work, stress...any number of things, but the truth is that I've just been lazy. My impetus now is the fact that jeans I bought LAST summer no longer fit. I like food, all different kinds (except fried), so sue me.

Needless to say, I only rode 2 miles. I've lost my bike boo-hiney, so that's another thing that will hamper my progress in the beginning. The heat index was close to 100, so I know that I'll just have to ride either very early (not likely), or later in the evening, but it's so gonna happen. I refuse to waste my money on new jeans when I have a perfectly new pair just waiting for me. I will not enable myself.

You only get one life. Why waste it sitting on a couch?