Workout Rambling, and Stuff
Well, I did my final camp gladiator workout today. It was raining, and it was the trainer who everyone considers the hardest, so he had us sprinting in the rain and running and doing bear crawls up the hill which was covered with running water and mud and slippery leaves, so good thing no one slipped and got injured. I was thinking that was more how I expected Camp Gladiator to be: the other days I've been doing it when it's rained we always stayed under a covered pavilion. So in some ways it was kind of fun to feel like I was doing an actual boot camp. However, I don't think working out in the rain is helping my cold improve.
Though on the illness note, even though I worked out four mornings in a row (three of them waking up at 5 am after terrible nights of sleep), I think I'm finally getting a little better! Hopefully not a false alarm. Sunday night my throat started hurting a little; then Monday my throat felt super swollen and sore, to the point where I was going to go in the next day and get a strep culture if it wasn't better; Tuesday the throat pain had mostly diminished and turned into a gross gunky nose and mild cough (I actually canceled my morning class for being sick, which I don't think I've ever done--though I went to the night class still and felt pretty terrible); Wednesday the gunkiness increased and I slept horribly that night, not able to breathe at all through my nose; Thursday I figured I had a sinus infection, so I contemplated going to the doctor after class, but then conveniently med-school resident Andrew was home when I picked up Will from Joy's (both our D&D friends), so he did an exam for me (always fun to have your friends peering up your nose) and didn't think I needed antibiotics; and I guess he was right, because by yesterday and today I'm finally starting to feel better. Monday and Thursday were the worst. I usually avoid meds but I've been taking a lot of decongestant (though not too many days in a row, cause apparently it can have reverse effects if taken too long), benadryl at night to help sleep, and ibuprofen because my teeth have been aching from sinus pressure (it's almost an itchy ache, super irritating), and I think I single-handedly (nosedly?) burned through three boxes of tissues this week. The other weird thing is my appetite tanked Wednesday through Friday--I felt hungry, but nothing sounded good to eat; that never really happens to me. I was already trying to avoid sugar with the sore throat, since that tends to aggravate it, so I guess sick week fell conveniently after Halloween--I haven't eaten any of Will's Halloween candy.
As of tonight, however, I am totally back to craving sugar, so mwa hah ha!
The very fortunate thing is I though this week was going to be really busy for editing work, but my supervisor was incredibly understanding when I told her I was sick (but was still willing to do the work) and told me to rest and they'd take care of it. I don't think I could have handled trying to pull late nights working when I already felt so crappy.
Oh, I did a fitness test on Friday (when I was still sick, so I don't know how accurate it was). We were supposed to see how many of the following we could do in a minute (is speed really a measure of fitness? I have my doubts):
Pushups: 36 (only 20 regular before I dropped to my knees . . . and honestly I don't think I had good form and wasn't going far enough down)
Situps: 32
jumping jacks: 101
Burpees: 20 (I wasn't really trying with these. They make me light-headed)
Plank: 3 minutes
I lasted the longest of anyone with the plank (though there were only three of us on that pouring rain, thunder-and-lightning morning, so that may not be saying much) and that one definitely did have to be intensely good form, because you had to drop out as soon as you came out of form or shifted around. My forearms went numb and tingly. I think my core could have lasted a lot longer but my arms couldn't take anymore. My poor wimpy arms; I think they're still my weakest. I'm also not very good at a lot of the cardio/jumping exercises (I despise high knees), though I can do sprints and hill runs decently. Overall though I do feel stronger. I even lost a little weight, but that's probably due to not eating much this week; when I weighed myself the week before I had actually gained a pound or two (which is fine with me if I've gained muscle, since it's heavy). I didn't lose inches, at least not in my waist--if anything my waist seems thicker, but it's firmly muscled so I'm fine with that. No tiny corsetted waist for me, but I like having abs.
And by the way, since I was so obsessed with it . . . I completed the t-shirt challenge! Now hopefully they actually send me the shirt (I'm still half expecting it to not apply to people doing the free trial, or that maybe one of my workouts this week somehow didn't get recorded). I made myself sicker for that shirt! (go team go).
So ANYWAY, I'm a little sad that it's over. Way more than I thought I would be. I completely forgot how good working out feels. It's also motivated me to eat healthier and I just feel so much better all around. Even though I've been busier with the extra time comittment, I don't feel like I am--taking time to work out does not feel like a time sacrifice at all when it makes me less stressed, happier, and much more content to sit at a computer editing for hours when I need to (instead of getting super restless and feeling blah for just sitting around). I like feeling muscle-sore, and also like that these last two weeks I haven't even felt very sore because my muscles have adapted and gotten stronger. I've always liked being active, and I think ideally I'd rather be regularly active doing a sport or manual labor than just doing reps and stuff, but either way, I'm going to miss this. So I'm going to try to mindfully work out on my own, but I'm worried it won't last. I'm going to try to compile some home workout plans tomorrow based off of things we've done in CG this month and whatever internet resources I can find. And do a little yoga every day--that was missing from CG. My plan is to do 10 minutes a night and get Jeremy to join . . . we'll see how that goes. :)
In other news, I went to book club Thursday night and we discussed Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. It's interesting because it's actually a book that teaches you how to draw by teaching you how to perceive and use your right brain over your left. The thesis is that anyone can learn how to draw--it's not just a talent a few have. It was kind of fun because it brought back memories of my one or two art classes in high school where I knew I had learned those things at one point, but I also learned new techniques, and it wasn't very time consuming (though I only did a few of the exercises, and should have just planned ahead so I could do all of them). The book seems pretty available at libraries (there are lots of editions) so I recommend it for anyone who wants to both improve drawing skills and ponder the workings of your brain when it comes to creativity. It was Chelsey's first time at BBC, and I'm pleased to say she fit right in, even though I barely knew her when I invited her. It's deeply satisfying to make good judgment calls on things--so far both people I've brought in to the BBC have been stellar (I hope it makes up for the other areas in my life where my judgment totally fails, like setting people up on dates).
Friday night I went to girl's night hosted by Ross, our old bishop and D&D friend. Yes, he regularly attends girl's nights with Joy and Amanda. His wife was gone at work (she's a nurse) so it seems kind of sketchy, but I don't think it is--he seems to have a good relationship with is wife. I've stopped even trying to apply logic to this scenario or many of the things Ross does--any way you cut it will just sound weird (but feels natural enough when you're in the situation). Amanda, Joy, and Leslie (who recently moved in) are doing a musical trio that he conducts, so they decided to do a girl's night and he wanted to be part of it and then decided to host it, and then they invited me just because, so I'm just happy they thought of me even though I'm not in the trio. We hung out and ate food and watched Stardust, and it was fun.
Last thing: there's a girl, Heidi, who moved into our ward 1 or 2 years ago (I lose track of time so fast) who I started trying to befriend, but then realized that she's incredibly judgmental and gossipy, and just not a happy influence to be around, plus it makes me nervous cause I'm sure she'd turn around and spout the same negative stuff about me to someone else, so I kind of eased her back out of my life. But we still find ourselves together now and then, and she always picks right up, turning any ordinary topic into something gossipy/negative about one of my friends. She's really friendly and seems nice and great--until you talk to her for more than two minutes. She went to the workout this morning and we walked to our cars together, and in that space we talked about how expensive camp gladiator is, which immediately turned to talk of my friend Alex. It evolved something like this: "Camp Gladiator is super expensive! I would think more younger people in our ward would understand that, you know, about student loans and not living in luxury and everything, but we went out for sushi with Alex and Chris, and Marcus and I got our $8 rolls you know, and they spent $200 on sushi, and it wasn't even good sushi! And then you'd think with that huge check they'd give a big tip, right, but they only tipped $2! It was super uncomfortable. We're never going to eat out with them again."
I am starting to wonder if Heidi is not only a really negative judgy person, but also a compulsive liar, plus I'm confused: Heidi and Marcus live in the relatively nice apartments, and they are currently paying for Camp Gladiator (not on the free trial), while Alex and Chris are living in worse apartments than we are, and only have one car, and have to go the laundromat and air dry all of their clothes so they don't pay for drying, and didn't have internet for like a year so they could save money--I think they're a little more relaxed now that they both have jobs, and I could see them being foodies and splurging on something like good food (though apparently not good enough for Heidi) even while scrimping on everything else, but I just really doubt a lot of what she says (tipped $2? Maybe she meant to add another zero . . . I just don't believe Alex and Chris are that socially unconsciencable). And that conversation is such a typical pattern for her--take an innocent topic, shift it to something about someone, find some unrelated way to insult them further, and then make blanket claims like "so I'm never doing that with them/talking to them again." I am just baffled about Heidi, and I don't know how anyone could stand being her friend or family or married to her, because I can't handle five minutes of talking to her. I also feel sorry for her, because someone like that has to have deeper issues. But part of me is also really itching to just bring the conversation up with Alex and get her side, because I'm super curious about possible blatant lies . . . I don't know, would that be petty?
Though on the illness note, even though I worked out four mornings in a row (three of them waking up at 5 am after terrible nights of sleep), I think I'm finally getting a little better! Hopefully not a false alarm. Sunday night my throat started hurting a little; then Monday my throat felt super swollen and sore, to the point where I was going to go in the next day and get a strep culture if it wasn't better; Tuesday the throat pain had mostly diminished and turned into a gross gunky nose and mild cough (I actually canceled my morning class for being sick, which I don't think I've ever done--though I went to the night class still and felt pretty terrible); Wednesday the gunkiness increased and I slept horribly that night, not able to breathe at all through my nose; Thursday I figured I had a sinus infection, so I contemplated going to the doctor after class, but then conveniently med-school resident Andrew was home when I picked up Will from Joy's (both our D&D friends), so he did an exam for me (always fun to have your friends peering up your nose) and didn't think I needed antibiotics; and I guess he was right, because by yesterday and today I'm finally starting to feel better. Monday and Thursday were the worst. I usually avoid meds but I've been taking a lot of decongestant (though not too many days in a row, cause apparently it can have reverse effects if taken too long), benadryl at night to help sleep, and ibuprofen because my teeth have been aching from sinus pressure (it's almost an itchy ache, super irritating), and I think I single-handedly (nosedly?) burned through three boxes of tissues this week. The other weird thing is my appetite tanked Wednesday through Friday--I felt hungry, but nothing sounded good to eat; that never really happens to me. I was already trying to avoid sugar with the sore throat, since that tends to aggravate it, so I guess sick week fell conveniently after Halloween--I haven't eaten any of Will's Halloween candy.
As of tonight, however, I am totally back to craving sugar, so mwa hah ha!
The very fortunate thing is I though this week was going to be really busy for editing work, but my supervisor was incredibly understanding when I told her I was sick (but was still willing to do the work) and told me to rest and they'd take care of it. I don't think I could have handled trying to pull late nights working when I already felt so crappy.
Oh, I did a fitness test on Friday (when I was still sick, so I don't know how accurate it was). We were supposed to see how many of the following we could do in a minute (is speed really a measure of fitness? I have my doubts):
Pushups: 36 (only 20 regular before I dropped to my knees . . . and honestly I don't think I had good form and wasn't going far enough down)
Situps: 32
jumping jacks: 101
Burpees: 20 (I wasn't really trying with these. They make me light-headed)
Plank: 3 minutes
I lasted the longest of anyone with the plank (though there were only three of us on that pouring rain, thunder-and-lightning morning, so that may not be saying much) and that one definitely did have to be intensely good form, because you had to drop out as soon as you came out of form or shifted around. My forearms went numb and tingly. I think my core could have lasted a lot longer but my arms couldn't take anymore. My poor wimpy arms; I think they're still my weakest. I'm also not very good at a lot of the cardio/jumping exercises (I despise high knees), though I can do sprints and hill runs decently. Overall though I do feel stronger. I even lost a little weight, but that's probably due to not eating much this week; when I weighed myself the week before I had actually gained a pound or two (which is fine with me if I've gained muscle, since it's heavy). I didn't lose inches, at least not in my waist--if anything my waist seems thicker, but it's firmly muscled so I'm fine with that. No tiny corsetted waist for me, but I like having abs.
And by the way, since I was so obsessed with it . . . I completed the t-shirt challenge! Now hopefully they actually send me the shirt (I'm still half expecting it to not apply to people doing the free trial, or that maybe one of my workouts this week somehow didn't get recorded). I made myself sicker for that shirt! (go team go).
So ANYWAY, I'm a little sad that it's over. Way more than I thought I would be. I completely forgot how good working out feels. It's also motivated me to eat healthier and I just feel so much better all around. Even though I've been busier with the extra time comittment, I don't feel like I am--taking time to work out does not feel like a time sacrifice at all when it makes me less stressed, happier, and much more content to sit at a computer editing for hours when I need to (instead of getting super restless and feeling blah for just sitting around). I like feeling muscle-sore, and also like that these last two weeks I haven't even felt very sore because my muscles have adapted and gotten stronger. I've always liked being active, and I think ideally I'd rather be regularly active doing a sport or manual labor than just doing reps and stuff, but either way, I'm going to miss this. So I'm going to try to mindfully work out on my own, but I'm worried it won't last. I'm going to try to compile some home workout plans tomorrow based off of things we've done in CG this month and whatever internet resources I can find. And do a little yoga every day--that was missing from CG. My plan is to do 10 minutes a night and get Jeremy to join . . . we'll see how that goes. :)
In other news, I went to book club Thursday night and we discussed Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. It's interesting because it's actually a book that teaches you how to draw by teaching you how to perceive and use your right brain over your left. The thesis is that anyone can learn how to draw--it's not just a talent a few have. It was kind of fun because it brought back memories of my one or two art classes in high school where I knew I had learned those things at one point, but I also learned new techniques, and it wasn't very time consuming (though I only did a few of the exercises, and should have just planned ahead so I could do all of them). The book seems pretty available at libraries (there are lots of editions) so I recommend it for anyone who wants to both improve drawing skills and ponder the workings of your brain when it comes to creativity. It was Chelsey's first time at BBC, and I'm pleased to say she fit right in, even though I barely knew her when I invited her. It's deeply satisfying to make good judgment calls on things--so far both people I've brought in to the BBC have been stellar (I hope it makes up for the other areas in my life where my judgment totally fails, like setting people up on dates).
Friday night I went to girl's night hosted by Ross, our old bishop and D&D friend. Yes, he regularly attends girl's nights with Joy and Amanda. His wife was gone at work (she's a nurse) so it seems kind of sketchy, but I don't think it is--he seems to have a good relationship with is wife. I've stopped even trying to apply logic to this scenario or many of the things Ross does--any way you cut it will just sound weird (but feels natural enough when you're in the situation). Amanda, Joy, and Leslie (who recently moved in) are doing a musical trio that he conducts, so they decided to do a girl's night and he wanted to be part of it and then decided to host it, and then they invited me just because, so I'm just happy they thought of me even though I'm not in the trio. We hung out and ate food and watched Stardust, and it was fun.
Last thing: there's a girl, Heidi, who moved into our ward 1 or 2 years ago (I lose track of time so fast) who I started trying to befriend, but then realized that she's incredibly judgmental and gossipy, and just not a happy influence to be around, plus it makes me nervous cause I'm sure she'd turn around and spout the same negative stuff about me to someone else, so I kind of eased her back out of my life. But we still find ourselves together now and then, and she always picks right up, turning any ordinary topic into something gossipy/negative about one of my friends. She's really friendly and seems nice and great--until you talk to her for more than two minutes. She went to the workout this morning and we walked to our cars together, and in that space we talked about how expensive camp gladiator is, which immediately turned to talk of my friend Alex. It evolved something like this: "Camp Gladiator is super expensive! I would think more younger people in our ward would understand that, you know, about student loans and not living in luxury and everything, but we went out for sushi with Alex and Chris, and Marcus and I got our $8 rolls you know, and they spent $200 on sushi, and it wasn't even good sushi! And then you'd think with that huge check they'd give a big tip, right, but they only tipped $2! It was super uncomfortable. We're never going to eat out with them again."
I am starting to wonder if Heidi is not only a really negative judgy person, but also a compulsive liar, plus I'm confused: Heidi and Marcus live in the relatively nice apartments, and they are currently paying for Camp Gladiator (not on the free trial), while Alex and Chris are living in worse apartments than we are, and only have one car, and have to go the laundromat and air dry all of their clothes so they don't pay for drying, and didn't have internet for like a year so they could save money--I think they're a little more relaxed now that they both have jobs, and I could see them being foodies and splurging on something like good food (though apparently not good enough for Heidi) even while scrimping on everything else, but I just really doubt a lot of what she says (tipped $2? Maybe she meant to add another zero . . . I just don't believe Alex and Chris are that socially unconsciencable). And that conversation is such a typical pattern for her--take an innocent topic, shift it to something about someone, find some unrelated way to insult them further, and then make blanket claims like "so I'm never doing that with them/talking to them again." I am just baffled about Heidi, and I don't know how anyone could stand being her friend or family or married to her, because I can't handle five minutes of talking to her. I also feel sorry for her, because someone like that has to have deeper issues. But part of me is also really itching to just bring the conversation up with Alex and get her side, because I'm super curious about possible blatant lies . . . I don't know, would that be petty?