Athletic August Week #4

So close to the end! Somehow August has like 100 days though and this is going to spill over to a 5th week so you get some extra updates.

This week has been night and day from last week. I think last week was really my hurdle to get over. Seeing how I did after my Spartan race and getting into more of a stride were really what I needed to keep going.

Sunday

Treat Yo'self

The day after a race, I'm never going to go big. It doesn't make sense. If I have then energy to do a big workout, I didn't try as hard as I could during my race. Dan and I both fell asleep really early Saturday night and were super sore on Sunday. We still had to drive all the way home to San Diego so we decided to just to have an enjoyable, easy day. We spent the morning eating breakfast and talking with my dad. We then drove to Orange County and took a pit stop near Disneyland for some lunch and shopping. I'm sure you could count that as "walking" and it probably was more distance than I walked last Sunday but I wasn't tracking it and I'm really not that concerned with it. Today wasn't about working out - it was about recovering and celebrating a race well done.

I also decided this was a good time to suspend the burpees challenge. After the race, their usefulness was gone for now and fitting them in late at night or on days I was really tired wasn't very enjoyable.

Monday

Back at it! My climbing partner asked if I'd still be up for climbing since it was only a couple of days post race. In the past, I'd still be too sore a couple of days after a race, but I was already feeling better. Knowing that all my hard work had shortened by recovery time was a big added bonus. Being sore stinks so being able to get back to something I love a couple of days after a race was awesome.

We also had a great day climbing. I didn't go nuts but we tried a couple of higher level climbs and were able to do pretty well at them which was a great feeling. We also planned out what we would tackle on Wednesday when I'd had even more time to recover from the race.

Tuesday

Now that I was fully better, it was time to head back to the bootcamp gym! It was crazy to think I took a week and a half off. Even though we've only been going for a few weeks, I've already grown really attached to the gym and the challenging workouts. They really kick my butt but each day is different enough that I don't get bored with it. I always look like I jumped in a pool after class which makes me feel a little guilty that I usually go grocery shopping after. Sorry other shoppers!!!

It also was pull up day! I tried to challenge myself but using less resistance than last time but I actually struggled a lot more than the testing week - even when I used more assisstance. I think there was still some soreness from the race and climbing holding me back. Hopefully there's still some improvement before next week.

Wednesday

Since Wednesday is a climbing day but I was loving the feeling of going back to boot camp, I decided to do their 30 min lunch time class... and it was shoulders. Perfect from a pre-climb workout (sarcasm). We started the class with a ton of burpees as a birthday gift to one of the other members. Our stations then involved a lot of core and shoulder work including pushups, push presses, and more burpees. It was a tough 30 minutes.

Luckily for the gym, Dan and I decided before that class that we would sign up for another 6 months at the gym! We've both really enjoyed it were feeling sad that our month trial was coming to an end. We worked a way to make the cost more manageable so we could justify signing up for more time.

I still had climbing to go to though and on Monday we had picked out a bunch of hard climbs to try. One of them totally kicked my butt. I pushed through one move and felt my back totally tighten and I just couldn't get through more than 75% of the climb. Even though I had a huge knot in my back, I didn't want to end on that note. I chose a few more physically easy but mentally challenging climbs. I love that climbing involves so much more thinking than normal exercise and being able to make that shift when I'm tired is a great way to change up the challenge.

Oh - and if you're worried about my back, I'm ok. It felt tight all night but I got Dan to massage out some of the knots. I'm going to pull through!

Thursday

Dan woke up and went to the 7am bootcamp class and reported that it was back, biceps, and squats - the three places I really need to recover. I definitely have to take the day off from the gym which stinks because one of the exercises was rope climb. I really want to keep practicing there but I do feel better knowing that we have 6 more months at the gym instead of 1 week. If we hadn't extended our membership, I would have felt compelled to go in and work the muscles that sorely needed a day off.

We ended up doing a family walk after dinner and it just reminds me how much I love those. No matter how I love them... Harley loves them more. It's adorable how excited she gets about going on a walk with both of us.

Friday

Back to boot camp! Friday's are always "best of" and you do the hardest workout from each day.  That meant another chance to try things I struggle with like pull-ups, thrusters, and the rope climb. Even better? I got to the top of the rope! The gym owner held it down for me and gave me some tips but the climbing was all me. It's nice to have checked that off my list and hopefully I get some more chances to try it before the month is up!

Saturday

Nothing to report here - Saturday was a really busy day for me. Dan woke up early to go to a special boot camp on the beach but I just didn't want to. I also had plans at 10 and knew it would be stressful to fit both in. Instead I had an easygoing morning before meeting up with friends. From there, I ran some errands, made lunch, spent time with Dan and then it was time to head out again. I was hoping to fit a workout video or something in there but by the time I could, it was time to shower and head back out again. I didn't want to keep skipping days but it would have been way more stressful to fit another day in and honestly, my body appreciated the rest.

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It was so nice to bounce back after the week before. It's not surprising that I hit a rut in this - it seems pretty normal when you're trying to build a habit. The key is being about to push over and get to the other side. It's so crazy that I'm coming into the last week of this.

Athletic August Week #3

RACE WEEK!!!! Everyone treats race week differently. For me, I spent a lot of the week recovering mentally and physically from over training the week before. I learned in track that it's good to relax your training right before a race. While this could have been limited to a day or two, I decided it was better to take it easy all of week 3 than risk injury or burn out from pushing harder than I should.

Sunday

Sunday Funday! Since I went a whole week without any rests or light days, Sunday was the perfect time for it. I was going on a boat ride around the bay all day with my brother so I also had to think about what my workout would be. I figured just a dog walk would be great - I'd do my 20 burpees and take Harley for a stroll and then go on the boat ride. I knew doing it in the morning was key because I'd be tired from being in the sun all day.

...the morning got away from me. I got home and was tired as expected. I showered and ate and then it was almost time to pick up Dan from the airport. I decided I'd grab the dog and we could walk along the bay while we waited for him. It was a short walk, but at least we did it. I had to bail on my burpees though. By the time I got home, I was just beat. Double burpees Monday!

Monday

Ready for excuses? Great! I was totally thinking I'd wake up and be ready to go. NOPE! I slept horribly. Our smoke detector beeped randomly at 1 am and I could not fall back asleep after. I don't know what I thought it was but I started getting the crazy dreams and I had such terrible sleep.

Despite that, I had big plans for the day. I was going to buckle down on work, take care of some other errrands, get an early start on dinner, and go climbing. Well, around 2pm I realized I didn't get that start on dinner which meant I wouldn't finish it before gym time. I could have put it off but I'd bought the ingredients Friday and wasn't sure it should wait another day. My climbing partner was cool with pushing it back a day and I decided I could just do a workout video at home.

I put that off too and when I finally went to do it, I realized I still needed to do Sunday and Monday's burpees. I got to 50 and I just felt terrible. My muscles were tired, I felt out of it, and frankly I just didn't want to do it anymore. I decided to bank the last ten and give myself a day off. Maybe I needed more rest days the week before? Maybe it was the crappy sleep? Maybe I'm dehydrated from all the sun? I don't know. The point is, I listen to my body and it wasn't feeling it today. My plan is an earlier night tonight and getting back in the saddle tomorrow.

Tuesday

After the last couple of days, I was in a rut. I was going to go to bootcamp for lunch but didn't get my work finished in time. Luckily, I had my make up climbing that afternoon but man, I just wasn't excited about exercising.

I tried to figure it out - was it from two days off? did I overdo the week before? was I distracted? burnt out?

I don't know - but I felt much better after climbing so probably option 1. We didn't climb a ton but we did a lot of routes that were more technical and logical so it was a really fulfilling day at the gym. We didn't stay long because we had plans later but something is better than nothing.

AND I came home and did my 40 burpees so I'm all caught up. Doing more than 30 really sucks so I hope I don't do anymore make up days. I also felt really good about just doing it. I need to remember that even if I'm in a rut or distracted or want to take the lazy option, I feel much better and more productive after exercising.

Wednesday

At some point today I was like "Yay Thursday, week is almost CRAP IT'S WEDNESDAY." That's where I am this week. After crushing it last week and being in a lull this week, I think I've found that I have more energy the more I work out. I was crashing hard by the end of the work day which hadn't happened at all the week before.

I hustled though and made it to the climbing gym. As soon as we were strapped in, I saw a pretty hard climb and decided we should just go for it. It was tough and our forearms were aching by the end but it got me warmed up fast. For some reason, many of our climbs felt really challenging today and it felt great to push the envelope and come in fresh.

We had a friend over for dinner and traffic had me running late so I had to put off my burpees until he left but the endorphins from a great workout and catching up with an amazing friend made them no problem for me.

So I'm still trying to get to the bottom of my rut. I feel better the more I workout for sure. I can get exercise before the afternoon, I get an energy rush that gets me through the day and it's incredible. On the flip side, my upper back is starting to pinch during my burpees. My climbs have been better this week when that's been my only workout (instead of coming second to a lunchtime bootcamp) but still have felt strained (probably due to that pinch). I'm not sure if pushing hard is helping or hurting more.

Thursday

Two days before race day, I definitely did not want to push too hard. Dan thought I could still make it to boot camp but luckily he took my car to work so OH WELL WON'T MAKE IT.


BUT - he took my car to work so that I would be forced to ride my bike down to the beach to meet up with him later. This is one of my favorite workouts and I love when we can coordinate to make it happen. The path from our house to Dan's work near the beach is mostly flat and downhill. It's almost completely bike path and about half of is through parks and adjacent to the San Diego river. It's incredibly pleasant, but at 9-10 miles, it's still a considerable workout. I love it.

The point of riding to the beach, was so that we wouldn't have to get too vehicles home after drinking. Responsibility first! However, in all of my fun, I forgot to do my burpees.

Friday

Kickball day! I was excited to have a really easy going workout the night before race day and kickball was perfect. The game was cancelled but a handful of us decided to stay around and practice. Normally I play catcher but I went into the outfield to help out since we had so few people. I actually ended up catching the ball a few times which is something I though I wasn't able to do. I'm not sure if it's related to fitness or confidence or the rum drink I had before but I was really happy about it.

Afterwards, we met up with some friends but I made sure to do all 60 of my burpees before going to bed.

Saturday

Race day!!! Spartan races make me nervous. I definitely did not eat enough for a 2pm start time race because of it but oh well.

So this race was a stadium sprint - that means the course wraps around the stands of a professional sports stadium. This one was at Dodger Stadium and  FUN FACT my first Spartan race was also a stadium sprint, but at SF Giants AT&T Park. While the stadium of the first was much nicer, my athletic performance was much better this time around.

2014 AT&T Sprint

2017 Dodgers Sprint

I love looking at side by side results like this. It's clear that everything was better - my pace and my rankings in all categories. I also like that it has some other statistics though. It was 10 degrees hotter in the middle of the day during today's race. Racing with hot sun overhead is hard. All of my running races are in the morning and the majority of my obstacle races are before noon as well so this was a real challenge. Despite that - I improved.

However, that heat and sun were my biggest obstacles for sure. I was definitely feeling physically ill from it by the end of the race and it was a real struggle to get through the last bit of it. I avoid training in conditions I don't find ideal and it really showed during the race. It's a good lesson that I need to push myself to run even if it's hot and gross and I hate running.

On the plus side though, many of the obstacles were the same as they were 3 years ago. I remember some of them being impossible for me to do without help or a lot of struggle. Many of those like the wall climbs, Hercules hoist, and giant jump rope - were much easier. I still had trouble with the rope climb, monkey rings, and spear throw - but I'm happy to have at least mastered some of the things I struggled with before.

Oh and the burpees... well, I definitely got at least 30 in yesterday! I think it's time to retire that goal though. It's purpose was to prepare for this race and that's done now. I do think I'll pick it up leading up to other obstacle races though because I hate them but they're so helpful.

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This week was so different from last week. I spent a lot of it really feeling unmotivated to exercise. I'm not sure if it was over-working the week before, stress, muscle tweaks, or the solar eclipse but something was off. Despite that - I had some good progress in climbing and my race was a huge improvement. Fitness can be such a slow progess and that comes with the occasional setbacks or bad days. It's important to do things that will allow you to see marked improvement because seeing how far you've come is the best way to get out of a slump.

Athletic August Week #2

I'm changing the format a little for week two. I'm going to have the summary at the end so it's not my header picture and I can put up something more fun. I'm also going to sort out the post by weekday instead of numbering the days because that seems harder to keep track of.

Anyways, here's a photo of me from the boot camp gym. You can kind of see the layout but it's not too important because every day the gym has a different set up depending on the circuit. So far, it has been different every day which keeps it really interesting.

Sunday

After Saturday and the whole week that I had, I was totally exhausted by Sunday. I was planning for it to be another low key day and I really just wanted to do a core workout that was primarily ab focused. That was one of the few things that didn't feel like it was worked enough the week before. I subscribe to some online workout videos but the core videos all use legs and back as well and those needed a day off. I was hoping to maybe find some YouTube videos or something but eventually I gave up on looking and just did some yoga poses and a little bit of ab work. I had the right idea but a video is so much more motivating than just doing sit ups by myself. I definitely will need to find some better solution for these kinds of days.

Monday

Monday is a climbing day!!! Climbing is my sport. I've been doing it about 8 years now which seems crazy - mostly because I've only improved slightly over the last 6 of those years. Part of this goal has been to make a big overall improvement and climbing feels like one of the areas this might be the most challenging.

My partner and I decided we wouldn't get better unless we really pushed ourselves. We've decided to start jumping on much harder climbs and then switching to an easier one when we get stuck. Both of us have been able to get much further along the hard climb than we expected which felt really nice. I think sticking with this plan will really help us get to the next level.

Tuesday 

Two a day Tuesdays!!!  ... were a horrible idea. Since I was still feeling like my core was under-worked, I decided to do one of those core videos from Sunday. Since my legs were no longer sore, it wasn't an issue doing a full body core workout on my lunch break. The video is only 30 minutes and overall feels pretty low intensity, so I decided I'd go to boot camp class as well. For the record, the video advises against doing any strength training after the core workout...

So after work, I head to boot camp. I'm looking around at the set up and see the dry erase board has some exercises written on it... V-ups... bicycles.... omg it's ab day at bootcamp too. Long story short - I got a double ab/core workout and it was rough.

Despite being so tired from my workout, I felt full of energy at home. I played with the dog, made dinner, helped with dishes (which are my absolute least favorite thing), and then after dinner still managed my burpees while playing with the dog some more. By the 30th one though, I dramatically fell over to show Dan how tired I was... and felt like I pulled something. Luckily it didn't hurt too much the next day but it showed me that I need to be careful about how I stack my workouts.

Wednesday

I got to cheat a little on Wednesday. Since I was feeling a little beat up from all the ab work on Tuesday and my butt still hurt from my fall, I wasn't sure I was up for more boot camp. Luckily, Dan went to the morning class and was able to tell me what to expect - back and biceps! Those two muscle groups weren't hurting so I decided I'd go to the lunch class which is only 30 minutes and then try to walk the dog later. Normally, I climb on Wednesdays as well but my partner had to reschedule so this sounded like a great way to mix it up.

The class was great. There was still some core work but most were back and biceps like Dan said. Since this is what I would have worked out climbing, I liked that I was still able to do it. Those are also muscles that I think look really nice so that was a plus as well.

There's not much to say about doggy's walk but I took her back to a park we used to live near and I think she really enjoyed returning to her old marching grounds. Even though she's barely spent any time there the last couple of years, she still remembered where everything was and was so excited to be there. Dogs are so smart sometimes.

Thursday

I got to cheat again. My plan was to do the 30 minute bootcamp class AND make it to body pump which I'd been skipping. However, Dan went to 7am class and reported that it was a million push ups. NO THANKS. I'm trying to get stronger and I know push ups are part of it but I hate them more than burpees. Hard pass.

No back for me!

I also had some struggling with going to Body Pump. Normally we go to a class at Dan's work with some friends but Dan and said friends started playing volleyball at the same time. It doesn't feel worth the drive to go without them. There's a closer gym that has it as well but it's always crowded. It feels like a lose-lose and to top it off, I had a work fire drill to put out right as I was signing off.... Luckily, I have an app for all of that. I pay a tiny fee to have online access to Body Pump whenever I want. I decided to pick neither gym and just do it at home after I solved the work crisis.

The other benefit was catering to my sore muscles. My biceps were really sore after the previous days exercise and body pump is a full body workout. I'd either have to skip that track or go very light weights and in a class, the former is really difficult. During the warmup, I realized my back was also super sore and I'd have to skip that track for sure. Fitness and classes are not worth hurting yourself over. I decided to do my burpees during those tracks instead... and ended up finishing them all so quickly, I was still able to do the biceps track on the lightest weights. It was a win all around.

Friday

I had an early start on Friday. Dan was heading off to the airport for the weekend and I offered to give him a ride to the airport.... which had me waking up at 5am. I'm not functional before 8am but I love my husband and I know he would have done the same for me so I got up and at 'em much earlier than usual. I was back home a little after 6am and had to make a decision. Do I try to go back to sleep for a super short amount of time? Do I go to the gym? Try to do something else? I didn't want to, but I chose gym.

Fridays at the bootcamp gym are "best of" for the week. Some of the exercises were ones I'd seen and some weren't (UGH PUSH UPS, REALLY???). All in all, I crushed the circuit. I made it through 4.5 times. It would have been an even 4 rounds with a mile run, but just as I was finishing my stupid push ups, the instructor said no more running and just go around again. Pssh... I could have run in that time. Anyways - I didn't want to choose the gym option but I did and it gave me an energy boost that got me through the morning.

I crashed a little after work but I still had kickball so I had to hustle. I made myself an awesome dinner and rushed to my game. It didn't go great but I got on base a couple of times. I love the game but I am terrible at kicking. I'm a decent catcher and I'm fast on base so I really want to get this kicking thing down and be able to contribute more for the team.

Saturday

The end of the week!!!!!! .... I'm tired guys. I think it has more to do with waking up so early Friday morning and then sleeping poorly Friday night (I don't like being alone in the house, ok?) than everything else but... I'm tired. I had breakfast, went to real estate work, and then to the climbing gym. I definitely didn't plan this out well because I was HUNGRY by the time I got to the gym. I DO NOT work out hungry. I am usually really good about planning meals and snacks out so I have enough to workout on but I'm not so full I'd sick. It's an art. I failed today. After 3 climbs and a pinch in my triceps (UGH PUSH UPS), I asked my partner if we should do another climb or just go get tacos.

I think you know what won.

Anyways, the important thing is that we went and did it. We climbed even if it was half the time. Honestly, after the week of workouts and lots of two-a-days, I could not feel bad about it if I tried. If you're going to do something like this. You have to listen to your body and my body said "TAAACCOOOSSSS."

I got my tacos, I took a nap, I ran some errands, and then I had a really relaxing night with my fur babies, chick flicks, and a bottle of champagne. I earned it. I had a hard week at work, a harder week of workouts, and I believe you have to treat yo'self. I even did my burpees just before cracking open the bubbly - I even threw in an extra 10 because I think I only did 20 yesterday.

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My weekly summary never came through but I was still able to grab my stats from the site.

I know, the other summary was way prettier

11 workouts, 9 hours of working out (I rounded up because I usually only count half the climbing time since I'm not climbing the whole time), and 3500 calories. What a week!!! I'm so proud of all the hard work I put in and felt really great. 

It felt like week 1 was a really struggle. I felt really sore the whole time and needed a lot more breaks to stretch and recovery. I really hit my stride in week two and really didn't get super sore or need much rest. I wonder what week 3 will bring!

Athletic August Week 1

This month's goal is Athletic August and since it's such a big daily involvement, it seems like too much to just give a summary at the end of the month. Already in the first few days, I've had so many thoughts and feelings and a weekly summary made more sense. To me, this is a lot like Whole30 but with the highs and lows being much closer together. I'm excited to see where this journey takes me and these weekly updates will help keep me on track.

As and overview, that is how my first week looked. It even includes an extra workout on Monday, before the month started. I like seeing the big picture of my week and that's how all of these will start.

Weeks go from Sunday - Saturday because that's how my app tracks them and it's easier for me to have some solid

Day 1

What a start. The first day of the month could not have been a better example of this goal. It was the exact day that I normally skip workouts - Tuesday (when I don't have any gym dates), busy day at work, and I had book club after work. I had a tiny window between work and book club (which I was hosting at my house) to workout. But... you don't mess up your goal on day 1. Not only did I go to the gym, but I went to the bootcamp gym that Dan and I decided to test out for the month.

They are also doing fitness tests this month and it was the first day of recording your starting numbers. Not only did I crush my starting numbers but I got to try something I've always struggled with - climbing ropes. It's something I've come across in many obstacle races and I stall or take the punishment because I've never learned how to do it. All it took was the instructor showing us once for me to see what the moves were. I tried it out and she walked over to tell me I was such a show off for getting it so quickly (in a joking way). I told her it was actually my first time climbing the rope because it was the first time I saw how to do it. I only made it half way but it felt so amazing learning how to do something I've struggled with. It also gave me a new goal of getting to the top by the end of the month.

Day 2

Day 1 was a little rough on me. I squeezed in gym time despite being rushed, ran home to prep book club, had a couple glasses of wine, went to bed late, woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep - all recipes for a rough day 2. However, I felt fine all day. I was a little tired when I woke up but there's no time to spare so I quickly went to work with the hope of making the half hour bootcamp class on my lunch break. I was starting to feel sore but went anyways. This was a short class and today's tests were a mile run, thrusters, and pull-ups.

The run was pretty rough - I haven't run a straight mile in forever and it was crazy hot and humid out... and noon. Running a mile in 92 degree humidity is rough but I did it. Next were the thrusters. I'd never done these before and was having trouble getting the rhythm so I decided just to move on. I was excited for pull ups - words I never thought I'd say. The bootcamp gym uses bands to adjust for weight. I decided to go for the middle band but try to go for a pretty high number. I ended up getting 20. I think my goal next time will be to do the next level band until I can get 20 there and so on until I'm doing 20 with no band.

I got home and didn't feel quite as wiped as the night before which was nice. I worked for a few more hours and then it was out the door for climbing. I knew my brute strength was probably wiped out from the pull ups so decided to focus on more technique heavy climbs. Well, those use more forearm strength... which was also tired from my lunch workout. I pushed through though and was happy that I was trying to break my plateau. My partner and I were going to end on an easy climb, but the rope was also on a super hard level climb and we decided we would start there and switch to easy when it got too tough. We got a decent way up it and would like to try again when we weren't so tired. I think starting on hard climbs and switching over will be a great way to get to the next level in climbing.

Day 3

I'm tired. I woke up just feeling sore everywhere. I had two big days of working out and I felt it. It's time to listen to my body. I would have loved to go back to bootcamp and body pump but my body needs a day off. WAIT - one of my goals is no days off. That's right, but there's a way to make this work. Since I was hurting the whole day, I decided just to do the bare minimum - some stretching and my burpees. If you look at my summary, Wednesday was huge with a tiny Thursday and that makes sense. I don't think this month is about pushing super hard every day. It wouldn't work. Giving myself days off is critical to making this work - even if a day off includes some light stretches.

Day 4

I was hoping to go back to bootcamp Friday but I was still really sore. I was hoping to maybe at least do an ab workout at some point but my stomach was feeling upset. I focused on getting that settled and decided just to give kickball my all. Lucky for me, I consider that a workout (but I would love to be doing something in addition as well). We also celebrated Dan's birthday with our team which meant a late night... and I hadn't done my burpees yet. One of my friends said he'd do them with me in the bar. Many of the other patrons didn't love that, but I got about half of them done there and was able to finish at home. I'd love to say that was the first time I did burpees in a bar but that would be false.... In any case, it showed me that I can do burpees under the influence and while I wouldn't recommend it, it's nice to know that I can't use that as an excuse to keep myself from doing something.

Day 5

always smile, even when it hurts

At the bar the night before, Dan kept reminding me that he wanted to do bootcamp the next day and I should go with him because #athleticaugust. Normally, I'd probably drink way too much or have another drink at home and not be able to wake up and work out. Those are the kinds of habits that I was hoping this goal would help me change. It was a real decision point - keep drinking and partying, or go home, drink lots of water, and get ready to wake up to exercise the next day. I chose the latter.

I woke up Saturday morning, made some avocado toast and joined Dan at the gym. It wasn't even fun. Not in the slightest (for the record, I liked the other workouts I did earlier in the week). It was almost all legs (which were still a tiny bit sore) as well as some kicks. The kicks weren't so bad... except when I had to hold the bag for my partner and she kicked really hard. I did NOT like that. But... even though it wasn't my favorite workout, I was happy I did it. I felt really accomplished for the day and it was a good lead in for the rest of the weekend.

One thing I noticed this week, is that the days I worked out, I had more energy the rest of the day than the days I took it easy. I always feel exhausted h in the afternoons and the only days I didn't get that feeling were Wednesday and Saturday - the days I worked out before my afternoon crash.

My Saturday didn't get any easier - I took Harley on a long, hot walk that involved me carrying her part of the way. Dan and I went to the zoo which is also a lot of walking. I came home... and realized I still had my burpees to do, and I did them. I even had fun with it and Harley helped me as well. It was probably a thanks for carrying her on our walk.

The one downside of all the working out I did - super water retention. Looking at my Saturday video vs. my photos earlier in the week look like a different body. It's HOT in San Diego right now and I'm trying my best to stay hydrated so that's going to mean some wild fluctuations in what I look like in my photos and that's ok because this about being healthy, not perfect pictures. 

TLDR Version:

- I really pushed myself so far but I liked it and had more energy on the days I worked out

- The burpees are getting easier. I almost feel like I should add 10/day each week.... but that's so many burpees

- Bootcamp gym has it's ups and downs. I love learning new things, but some of the classes aren't as fun as others

- I have some strategies to improve my climbing this month and I'm looking forward to trying them out

- Harley is a great workout buddy

Jigsaw July - 2017 Update #7

Wow - another month already? It's crazy how this year is flying, but I'm finding that as each month goes by, these habits are really becoming routine.

Designated Date Time

The weekly Saturday hikes just aren't going to happen for a while. In addition to having too much going on, it's just too hot. Sure - we could wake up at 6am and hike before it gets hot out. Frankly, we don't want to. Saturdays are the one day we really just get to sleep in, catch up on chores, and take it easy.


So we found a different solution. Whenever we can, we just take the dog on a nighttime walk through the neighborhood. We don't have to worry about her overheating, it doesn't take too long, and it's a nice time for us to just talk about our days and spend a little time together. The idea of weekly hikes was really cool and I hope we can get back to it in the Fall/Winter. However, big cool ideas just aren't always manageable. This was a great lesson in doing what you can and knowing that something is better than nothing.

We've also been good about getting out on more dates and spending time doing fun things around the city together. From beer events to Comicon events and everything in between, we were so good about spending time together and having fun this month.

Stick to a Regular Fitness Schedule

technique might have had help from new shoes!

I'll get to this again later, but sticking to a routine while a lot of events are going on, is really really difficult. July is a busy month. We had a very long 4th of July weekend, Comicon, and lots of birthdays. All of those events are fun but they throw a wrench in your schedule. Yes, I could have said no to all of those things... but I'm not a robot. I think they're all fun too, way more fun than working out... and that's generally what happened. These things aren't just disruptive when they happen, they take a few days to rest up from too. After both the 4th of July and Comicon, I had to take a couple of days off from exercising just to relax. 

TLDR: events are fun but really disruptive when you're trying to make a habit.

In all, I think I netted even. I worked hard and noticed some improvements in Body Pump. Climbing is a little different. I think my technique is getting better but I feel like I'm getting tired quicker. I think that has a lot to do with everything else I have going on. I'm looking forward to a milder August so I can focus more on my fitness... but more on that later.

One plus for fitness in July - fun and laid back exercise! Dan and I joined a kickball league and also got to try out stand up paddle boarding. The latter definitely grew on me quickly and I'm hoping we can get our own eventually!

Meal Planning

Last month, I discovered a trick to meal planning... freezing leftovers for future lunches! I have LOVED it. I don't have a lot of issues with cooking dinner each night but I do run out of time for making my lunches or just have a craving for a quick meal. This has worked out wonderfully.

My other issue has been with buying too many groceries. I love deals and also get excited about vegetables.. and tend to buy more than we can eat before it goes bad. Planning out meals was supposed to help me buy only what I needed for the week. Well, I went another way instead... I decided to start cooking dinner for the dog. Most of what we eat - meats and veggies - are good for her too. I did a lot of research on what dogs can have and what they need and have started making dinners for her. Usually, it works out that I can incorporate our extra veggies into her meals and we have less waste overall.

I'll give this it's own post eventually but if you're thinking about making food for your dog here are some basic guidelines:

Harley's Dinner for a few days:
 ground pork , veggies, and liver

- Dogs are omnivores but skewing toward carnivore. Meat should be more than 50% of their diet and the primary weight in their meal ( I weigh Harley's meals to make sure I'm not overfeeding).

- They need fat so dark meat is a little better than light when you can. Also make sure you are giving fish at least once a week and liver/offal about 5% of the time.

- Dogs can have some meats and bones raw. It seems like fish is the big exception here so make sure you cook that.

- Do a lot of research! Every time we want to give her a new vegetable, I look up and see if it's ok. I also read up a lot on how to find balance in a dog's diet. They really need to eat bones to get enough calcium but I was too worried about choking so instead we mix egg shells into her meals. We also still give her dry food for breakfast. 

I love that she's eating as well as us now and we're wasting less food!

Take an Annual Trip with My Husband

Still no more big trips for a while but we are starting to plan our small trips for weddings! We're so excited to see our friends and Dan's family on our next few long weekend trips. And that's all I have to say about that...

Read a Book a Week

One. Book. Just one. Obviously, that's a little under my goal. I'm kind of impressed I even got this one though... and it doesn't even have anything to do with everything else I have going on.

Screw you, you intelligent man

No... it's all Alexander Hamilton's fault. Oh yes. I encouraged book club to read it this month. Even though I had months to read it, I started 4 weeks before the meetup date... to read a 720 page book with the smallest font I've ever seen. I didn't finished in time for book club and still have 200 pages to read. Since I didn't make the deadline, I've slowed down my pace and read The Glass Castle as a break. I'll keep chipping away at Alexander Hamilton, but I'd like to read a whole lot of fluff this month as well. I've read so many biographies and memoirs this year and I'm ready to read some really silly fiction and probably a couple of comic books. Hopefully that gets my numbers back up for August because I've destroyed my buffer.

Me Time

Great find while cleaning!

We had so much going on in July. I had my two jobs, my endless fitness goals, and all of the fun events we listed. Every weekend I was either working or we had some fun, exhausting thing going on... until the last weekend. I spent the last Sunday in July with a whole lot of me time.

Dan and I started the morning organizing the garage - a task that we've needed to do since the day we moved in. Then, he went to work pouring wine at the soccer game and I had the whole day to myself. I mostly took care of chores and errands and read... but it was nice to do it at my own pace. I didn't have any person or list telling me what to do for the day and I felt really accomplished while not being rushed. It just goes to show, that you don't need a whole lot of me time but maybe half day per month will be enough to totally refresh you.

And even had some time to find this bridge while out exploring!

Jigsaw July

I really loved this goal. There was a lot of wisdom in it that I didn't realize at the time. June was about making the leap from someone who had a normal job and a lot of hobbies.. to someone doing all that and trying to learn a whole additional career on the side. June was about making the push. July was about getting used to it. I could have easily tacked on some other goal for the month but I knew what I needed... and it wasn't one more project. I needed to master what I already had on my plate.

It takes about 2-3 months to master a habit, on average. That's the whole reason that most of these posts are about making progress. It's not a one off thing - I'm trying to build better habits for life. It's also why they're not resolutions. I plan on continuing this for perpetuity, as long as I can manage. Last month, I threw a wrench in my habits. I didn't manage to destroy them, and I knew it was manageable... but it would take some getting used to.

And that was the point of July. I wanted to give myself that extra month to turn my new lifestyle into a habit. Mostly, it worked. I will still need some time and a lot of outside forces pushed on me last month which made it hard to fully adapt. However, I can feel it getting easier. I've figured out ways and habits to make the real estate work load fit better into my schedule. I've made a habit of signing up for as much training as possible. I've taught myself a lot whenever I could. I know I can still do more but I have more time to fit more in. I have a safety net in my full time job and I will feel more comfortable taking the time to learn as much as possible while I move forward in real estate. 

Athletic August 

You're probably wondering why I need this when I already have a fitness goal that's one of my habits. Well, I always feel like I fall short of that. Even when I do well and go to my classes and gym dates, I still feel like I'm not hitting my goal. It's probably because I have a very firm goal - to be at the peak of my fitness. Going to the gym 3x a week isn't going to cut it.

August is the time for that and for a very good reason - I have nothing going on. Every month this year, I've had something going on. Comicon, holidays, trips, deaths, new jobs, tests. There have been so many excuses or things that took me away from routine. Was Comicon the most fun ever? Yes. Was it disruptive to my schedule and life? So much yes! It was one of the most disruptive because the time we were away from home was like being on vacation... but we still had to take care of our pets and were living here and making a mess without taking the time to clean up. It set us really behind.

So there is none of that this month. Well, no, I'm lying. There is one thing going on in August and it's my annual Spartan race. While we'll be out of town for a weekend, it's still athletically related so it's not going to throw off that fitness element. It embraces it.

Other than staying on schedule, I have some solid goals. Unlike other months that were more general, I want to get really specific so here we go:

• Do 30 burpees a day and try to increase this number - the burpee works out so much of your body and is key to excelling at obstacle course racing... and I hate them. 
• Pull-ups - I want to put the pull up bar back into the house and keep attempting to do them. I'm sure they've improved but I don't work on it. 
• No days off - as I write this, I skipped my workout today because I was "busy." Not okay next month. I know you need rest days but to me, that means a day off from the hard stuff. I'd still like to get in a casual walk, some stretching, or yoga on the days that I need to rest from harder work outs.
• Level up - most of my workouts are pretty quantifiable. I know what level I climb at. I know what weights I can lift in body pump. I know how fast I can run. I'm definitely plateauing and so this is the time to push through to get to the next level.
• Kick it! Dan and I joined a kickball league. The last time I played kickball, I could barely get on base. It was just fun for me. While it's still a good time, I'm actually good now. It's fun watching my other fitness flow through and seeing results on the field. I want to keep it going, make sure I don't miss a game, and kick some balls!
• And a last minute add... 31 days of fitness! A local gym that Dan loves is having a promotion. 31 day membership for $31 including a beginning and ending fitness evaluation and a practice obstacle race at the end. Another way to quantify my month!

So yea, I'm excited for this goal and excited to have a month to focus on bettering myself. I hope adding in the burpees, pull ups, and extra days will do what it takes to get me to the next level. This is my time and I'm excited to really get to peak fitness.