Tiger blood!!

First week of January

 I RAN twice? about 4-5 miles.

A very low energy week. We came back from NY weekend Monday, LA left again Weds for MO, I started the TMJD NSAID and muscle relaxant Tuesday. The rest of the week (it's now next Tuesday) I was low energy. Low motivation. No strength workouts. Running was a struggle or a no-go.

I did stay home Saturday and Sunday, and started another Kon Mari declutter. 276 items including lots of clothes, most of my shoes, some kitchenware, a real killing of paperwork from the office (which was hard to count by the way), old cheap artwork markers (I counted as 1, not per marker). That leaves me feeling GREAT, but it doesn't address the real problem of the basement and the garage. Most of the garage is not mine, so I'm going to have to just turn a blind eye. I have only a few gear drawers in the bedroom and the pile of towels  - then the inner house is done. 

I finished my stained glass/rectangular pot commission! But I need to make a butterfly to go with it. I made 7 of them with my "new" pattern, didn't like the pattern, stubbornly made them anyway (the glass was cut a few weeks ago), got them done and didn't like them. I decided to salvage what I could and move on and when I started that I realized the copper tape I'd used didn't adhere to the glass and the butterflies pretty much melted apart. Ugh, but I'm happier to find that NOW and not after they've been sold. 

I finished the watercolor tiger, he's not as smug as the model in the book but he looks great. Michaels store gave me a $5 voucher and with it I purchased the 0000 brush for 4.99 that I needed for the tiger. 

Last night after phone call I pulled out new tape, tested it on one of the new butterflies I cut Sunday night, and this morning all is good. I can finish the next 7 butterflies and list them for sale!

And at this, I'm adding "stained glass" and "watercolor" as tags for the blog. I'm realizing that my training blog, all gung-ho and full of miles, needs to change with me. 

End of December summary

Not much time for it now, but I'm here to say that during the holiday travel to Nashville and in the time leading up to it I did maintain the goal 5 times per week exercise, rested on weekends, and kept to a 95%+ Whole30. I successfully did a long travel spanning two weekends without getting very sick at all! I held to my routines, getting up early for exercise, skipping restaurant meals if I was unsure of the foods, and to bed early with a few exceptions.

In Nashville, I did daily (all 5 days!) elliptical and walking, or running, and always some strength session. It set my momentum for the day, and gave me that private time I needed.

I'm also more in the habit of daily art again, after stopping when Sugar died. 

My time with family was refreshing and reminded me of what's really important. And it's hard seeing the changes that happen there that I miss out on. My parents and my niblings are getting older! 

And LA and I are seriously ready to move from AA, if needed. Looking at STL and Chicago. And kinda on Nashville.

We did visit the dog in Nashville, tentatively named Opry (The Grand Ole Opry, haha) but nothing solid decided yet. I'm still stuck on my Sugar. 

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We spend the New Year's Holiday in Chicago, also a honeymoon of sorts, I'd planned to take the weekend off of running, lifting, anything. There was a lot of sitting in a car unfortunately and the only walk was to a foggy lighthouse on Jan 2nd in Benton Harbor. 

It felt good, and Tuesday morning on the 3rd I was back at the gym. Separate post. 

I'll be back for the Year End post. 

95 days, the next 100 days: Do something today that your Future Self will thank you for.

Monday ELLIPTICAL 20 mins and STRENGTH push day
Tuesday RUN 2 miles solo

Wednesday ELLIPTICAL 30 mins and STRENGTH pull day

Thursday RUN 3 miles solo

Monday: it's day 95 and this Saturday is 100 days! WOO-HOO I'm awesome! Today's gym push day didn't show progress, maybe because I did the same workout just last Wednesday and a pull workout just Saturday. Did I need more rest? Is that just an excuse? And WHY am I doing the SAME workout?! Vary it!

I'm setting goals starting today for the next 100 days, which will end March 23rd, 2023. I can also just forward project into 109 days for March 31st, more even-ish.

Some are phased goals. Some are available now. All will have metrics and/or define parameters. Some will have outs and exceptions. All are long-term and long-desired. All are for me and FutureBee. 

1. From now: Whole30. No dairy, grains, sugars, or non-negotiables

2. Phased: sit for 1 meal, then sit for 2 by Jan 1st, then always sitting (except meal prep day?)

3. From now: 30 mins/day exercise at least 5 days a week, goal of 6 days

4. From now: 10K steps a day, with travel day exceptions

5. From now: Some form of art at least 5 days a week, goal of 6 days

6. From now: Journaling, something, even short, every day

7. From now: Less than 14 a day. LESS THAN, not up to

8. From now: Fun, every day! Not Reddit. 

9. From now: Protected and healthy sleep

10. From now: Promoted outreach and social contact

Set up a calendar to mark these somehow. 

Tuesday I deleted Reddit from my phone and went off my M3 plan. 

Wednesday LA's schedule needed him at work early so going to the gym in the morning didn't work. But this last two weeks I've been dropping him off at North campus and parking on my own, and leaving work at just under 8 hours then waiting another hour or so to pick him up. Tuesday I "lost" time by finishing work just before 5, then he doesn't finish until 6:45, and I win/lose the evening by not going grocery shopping/going home/eating a standing dinner/get shit done. But today - I planned to leave work 4:30 and go right to the gym, workout, go back and get him. WIN!!  Picked up oil pastels from a neighbor today.

Thursday 3 mile solo run after a night of rain. Miles were 10:40, 10:19, 9:39. Yay! 

Another 5-times gym week

Monday Travel and rest
Tuesday RUN 2 miles alone

Wednesday ELLIPTICAL and STRENGTH push day

Thursday RUN 2 miles WALK 1 mile with LA

Friday ELLIPTICAL and STRENGTH leg day
Saturday ELLIPTICAL and STRENGTH pull day

Sunday rest

Not much time to say much, except I'm happy that I hit my gym goal. I also hit my 10K steps goal every day. 

I did not, however, hit other goals. Bad shopping Monday with gluten free mixes that upset my balance. Ate cheese and upset that goal. Ate random-shit and upset my stomach most nights before bed. Ugh. And the HJ - no fit, worse!

OMG: This one year ago

From December 12th, 2021
This is too familiar. 

Friday night I went shopping and got baking mix, rice cakes, PB, more. And over the weekend threw most of it out, M some garbage some. During the Sunday run, I think I need to W30. Then after the Sunday run I think I can't make it work.

Nothing changes if nothing changes. And nothing is changing. 

Quick summary of the good and the bad. I'm adrift, and lost

Monday STRENGTH push workout
Tuesday RUN 2 miles
Wednesday STRENGTH pull workout started

Thursday RUN 2 miles and STRENGTH pull workout finished
Friday STRENGTH legs workout

My goal was 5 workouts (the weekend was a travel weekend) and I did it! I only ran 4 miles, but I also did elliptical workouts. No biking. No swimming (I'd planned a swim, and can I count a waterpark as a swim?)

My goal was 10K steps a day, success.

But I failed some goals. I ate some of ABA OM that she didn't like. I did!! I ate more rice than I needed, not because I was hungry. 
I succeeded at No Azuc. 

I succeeded at lowering the swelling and bloat. Clothes fit better. 

I said only half a persimmon (yo, they upset my tummy!) and I stuck to it. 

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I'll overlap into the next week. 

Monday post travel recovery
Tuesday RUN 2 miles

Wednesday ELLIPTICAL and STRENGTH push day

Today is Wednesday, and a full moon. I'm struggling still - my mood is improved and I still miss Sugar but I'm failing at all else. No artwork or stained glass. The come-home habits are on my mind but not being done. I do get the walk though, and longer than just to the stop sign at Sugar's Corner. But Moria is a black hole, a pit. I fall in.

Monday at Aldi I bought three banned foods. By last night, I threw the last of them away. Only the beef pie recipe survived until this morning and that wasn't safe either. I'd decided on the weekend that these were not good for me. Then on Monday, I bought them. 

I reserved the Whole30 books from the library a few mins ago. I haven't done a W30 in ... years? I think I'd like to start but then I never do. It's extra hard with LA in the house, the foods are available.

I need a few wins. I need to say I'm going to do something and actually do it. I need a structure. The planned workouts - working. The few Moria rules - kinda - but maybe because I don't believe it works or believe that I can do it.

Tonight a Full Moon. My win for today will be NO CO. Gawd, that's been awful lately. 

Plan substitutions for W30 today. 

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Also - I've been framing things in my head to my detriment. Examples:
1. LMFAO song has me winning a race, with the most improbable list of spectators.

2. Mean song has me thinking about the same improbable list

3. I walk out of my driveway and thing the same people. Da Fuq?

4. I think about having another heart attack, this usually after the LMFAO song and the realization that such a race was the cause of the HA. 

The truths. I can't race like that. Those people won't watch me race, won't be in the envisioned room, won't be in the driveway, and don't give a flying shit about my run. And my HA, won't happen with just elliptical and short runs, I'm OK.

I need to reframe these. Plan substitutions for these too.