To Do

This SpongeBob picture pretty much explains why you haven't seen me here few awhile. The last few months went like this: I got sick - I got sicker -  I got better - I got sick again - I got depressed  - I got lazy - I got sick AGAIN - I got fat - I got frustrated - I got better again...and at some point I pretty much just gave up.  

What I learned this summer was this - doing nothing is a lot easier than doing something. It doesn't, however, make you happier and it certainly doesn't make you healthier.

Okay, I knew that already but it took hitting pretty close to rock bottom before I could actually admit it.  

Important part, however, I am  - once again - working my way back up again. I gained over 15 pounds in the past few months - UGH - but I'm confident I can get it back off again. Why? Because I have a plan, and as my good friend Sissa always says, "You've gotta have a plan!"

So here's my plan: 

1. Clay 
2. Tennis 
3. Yard 
4. Disney

Yep, that's all I've got right now.  But read on and you'll understand.  There is usually a method to my madness.  Usually.

1. Clay 

When my illness cycle started this spring (which began with the poison ivy I told you about in June) I could barely muster up the energy to get through the basics of the day, let alone exercise.  I was hopped up on so many antihistamines, steroids painkillers, and, if we're being honest, vodka, that I was either in a fog or a fit. (It wasn't pretty). I missed the end of the spring session and the start of the summer one. Two weeks ago, however,  I sent an SOS to Hyam.  I really needed her help. Within 24 hours she had me back in classes and working on a plan for the fall. Hopping back into the cycling class was not, unfortunately, "just like riding a bike" but I survived and am going back for more! 

2. Tennis 

I played tennis in high school and although I really love the game, that was about the last time I picked up a racket.    At the prompting of my friend Tracey, however, I finally got back out there this year. I had a blast attending "Ladies Night" at Fairview, playing with the Spicy Chicken every Sunday and catching an extra night of drills occasionally. Though I'm still nowhere near as good as I'd like to be (or as I used to be) it's slowly coming back and I'm having a lot of fun.  An extra bonus is quality time with both Tracey and the Spicy Chicken!

3. Yard

It's no TRX class, but we have 2.2 acres of built-in strength training just waiting out there for me.  Other than mowing, prior to our moving in nothing had been done to the land for quite awhile.  I've spent hours upon hours out there this summer and my muscles - especially those that I never knew I had - will attest to the fact that it is indeed a workout.  And, if nothing else, it's healthier than sitting on the couch, watching the Olympics and eating bonbons.

4. Disney

We took the girls to Disney in 2008 in the middle of summer (stupid, I know, but I had a conference).  It was fun but really freakin' hot so we ended up spending more time at water parks than amusement parks.  For several years we've talked about taking them back before they're too old (and yes, I realize many of you will say you're never too old for Disney, but my list of "Places I Want Us to Visit" is long so Disney can only take up so much space).  While planning the trip this year I decided that coupling it with my desire to complete a Half Marathon made sense. Okay, so it doesn't really make sense, but ever since my friend Robyn did the Disney Princess Half Marathon last year I've had a strange desire to cross the finish line with Mickey Mouse or Cinderella. Plus it'd be a fun to check "Do Half Marathon" and "Take Kids to Disney" off my list at the same time!  Even better, the Spicy Chicken has a conference there this winter and has almost committed to doing it with me.  If I can get him to commit I think his dad, who is a seasoned marathoner, may join us, too. 

Okay, so that's my plan for staying back on track.  I realize this does not address my eating or drinking, which are major factors in my weight problem.  They are, of course, a part of my plan, just not the part I'm ready to deal with yet.  So in the meantime...

5. Cheers!

I'm just kidding, of course. I am working on the food and drink thing too - it just would've been to long to write about that here too (and I just love this photo I took while the Spicy Chicken and I were staying at the cabin at DelFosse Vineyards this summer). 

Back to Reality

Getting back to reality after visiting my parents is always hard.  I feel so incredibly relaxed when I'm home that I even manage to sleep well (when I don't wear five layers of running clothes and my shoes to bed).  I'm blessed with really easy going parents we don't have those stereotypical stress-laden family holidays.  Even when we're really busy (as we were this past trip) it still feels really relaxing. (Starting cocktail hour at 3pm always helps, too).

Unfortunately the Spicy Chicken and I both wound up with killer chest colds upon our return.  Neither of us could breath well enough on Monday morning to run up the stairs to wake the girls, let alone make it through an hour with Hyam.  Fortunately for us (unfortunately for her) she also caught some crud over the holidays so we got off easy.

If you've been reading this blog fairly regularly you might be thinking "This girl's a freakin' hypochondriac!" But I swear I'm not.  Somehow I've had more stupid colds in the past 3 months than I've had in the past 3 years! It's frustrating because missing that many days (the week I was in MN plus a few extra since I've been home) sets you back a few steps, whether you realize it or nor. 


And let me tell you - I realized it Friday when I finally got back in the studio.  W-O-W - it was tough.  On the other hand, Saturday morning's cycling class felt so good I was almost disappointed when she said it was our last song...Almost.

Feed a Fever & Sweat a Cold?

I could feel it coming on a few nights ago - a stupid, stinkin' cold.  Not the kind of cold that knocks you on your butt, but rather the kind that makes you feel just bad enough to pout but not bad enough to miss work.  There it was - creeping it's way into my body.


I tossed, turned, coughed, and sniffed throughout the night, finally retreating to the guest bedroom so the Spicy Chicken wouldn't have to suffer too (he needs his beauty sleep, you know).  After a few hours of fitful sleep the sun rose and I was moving, albeit slowly, into my day.

It was Wednesday which, as you know, means a morning workout at Clay, followed by an afternoon at Leadership Charlottesville. I'll admit I considered "calling in sick" but thought better of it seeing as I just vowed to y'all that I wouldn't miss any more classes.  Besides, it was just a little cold.

When I got to class I made a bee-line for Hyam, making sure to let her know that I was a little under the weather.  I didn't want her to think I was slacking off (or call me out in the middle of class for doing so!).  I won't lie - it kind of sucked.  This cold had made it's home not in it's usual place - my sinuses - but was rattling around in my chest making breathing somewhat of a chore.  I tend to find breathing in class difficult anyway, so this was particularly challenging.  I took a few extra breathers, coughed out a little phlegm while everyone else was doing lunges, and slacked off a little on some of the cardio, but I survived.

Actutally, I did more than survive.  By the time the hour was up I actually felt pretty good.  My chest had almost cleared, my headache was gone and I was starting to feel human again.  Had all that sweating cured my cold?  It felt like it.

For years the Spicy Chicken has swore to me that when he got a cold that "sweating it out" made him feel better. I thought he was crazy, though it often seemed to work - at least temporarily - for him.  I did a little research (emphasis on little) to see if there was any basis to the "sweating it out" theory and didn't find much to substantiate it.  Ironically, however, I did open my Real Simple magazine last night to find an article on dealing with colds that suggested "cardio" as a remedy.

At the end of the class one of my classmates said "You are either going to feel much better tonight - or much, much worse."  And she was right.  If you watched my C'ville Plugged In segment tonight you know which one came true.  Is it bad to sleep with a bottle of Nyquil?

In hindsight I realize that it wasn't smart to put my own needs ahead of the health of my classmates and I would've been better off to keep my germs at home. So my apologies to them for my lack of discretion on this matter.  Hope to see you all happy and healthy on Monday!