Evicious

It's been crazy - so pretty normal. Glad to be back!

I'm doing 16:8

27APR2020: 191.2Lbs - Fasting; 1.98mi run/walk (2min/3min intervals) 28APR2020: - Not fasting; 1.68mi walk w/ doggos 29APR2020: - Intermittent Fasting (16:8); 1.68mi run/walk (2min/3min intervals) --- Break in all attempts at everything, for no real reason --- 09MAY2020: 2.12 mi run, with warm up walk and cool down stretching afterwards 10MAY2020: 2.19 mi run, with warm up walk and cool down stretching afterwards (husband came out too!) 11MAY2020: Unsurprisingly, my legs are very sore; taking the hint and taking a break.

Well, I managed to cross off the "move out of old house" from my list. And that's despite my husband's 101* fever and incessant coughing throughout both day and night, resulting in about 3 days of little-to-no sleep on my end. Moving into the new house is the next priority... yeah. That's gonna take a hot minute. I need Marie Kondo to come over with a whip and dumpster. But I AM wearing some new work appropriate clothes. Yesterday, I even had on heels. I couldn't be bothered to do my makeup, due to a late contraction of my husband's plague (I ended up going home after just 3 hours at the office, because I couldn't stop puking) - but dammit, I looked like a plague-ridden ADULT.

Well, it finally happened - at the tender age of 35, I have finally decided to become a real adult. It was inevitable. I could see it coming years ago, but damn, I put it off as long as I was able. I'm proud of how long I held out... but now I'm excited to finally be wearing my big-girl panties, and exploring the wild expanses of genuine adulthood. To inaugurate my level-up, I am setting a 30-day challenge for myself. My goals are as follows: - Complete the move-in process to our new house (including unboxing and organizing all our shit) - Complete the move-out process from our old house (sign-off all the paperwork & turn in the keys) - Revamp my wardrobe, from the current mish-mash of accumulated crap, to a *purposeful* *functional* *events appropriate* one - ACTUALLY WEAR THE NEW WARDROBE - Update my financial budget - Resume healthy living (cooking at home, prioritizing my workouts, and maintaining self-care routines) I'm setting the challenge dates for 01 APR - 30 APR, simply because I want to do a "30 Days, Before & After" kind of photo collage [and a 1 month timeframe is easiest]. I'll get back in sync with the actual 4WC timeline after that.

I almost rolled back over after my alarm went off this morning, and then I thought of you. So instead, I got up: put on my running clothes; got a cup of coffee; took 30 minutes to get both eyes all the way open, and went for a run. You got me up and doing what I needed to do today. For that, I thank you.

Look what I did today!

You are hanging in there, and I'm super-impressed with how you keep pushing through all the stress! What's your secret?

LOL Ok, so last week was a fail in everything! I did NOT exercise; I ate like crap; and I'm pretty sure I had beer every day of the week. Then the weekend we went to a friend's BBQ, and then went winery/brewery hopping with a bar tender friend! And that all sounds like I should feel terrible, but... I actually worked my ass off at the stables all week. Since all the other horses were at the NCC (Nat'l Cavalry Competition), the few that were left behind got to enjoy an extended weekend turnout... which means a LOT of extra work for the B Trooper assigned to look after them. I hauled hay; mucked multiple pens; and spent hours on the weekly (weekend-ly?) barn cleaning. Oh, and as it turns out, a leaf blower is NOT the most effective tool for removing old hay from a gravel aisle... but it is perfect if you'd like to surround yourself in cloud of hay-particle dust for 3 hours. It was exhausting - but it also made me realize how much I enjoy that kind of "physical labor for a purpose". That's how I know I'm a hopeless horsey person. Which brings me to my biggest update....

Found you!!!

Saturday I went on a 3hr trail ride with B Troop. Absolutely beautiful trail: it winds around the hills and then follows the canyon, which is all shady and breezy... Just an overall pleasant place to ride (or walk, or bike, as we saw many others doing). Sunday we accepted an invitation from friends to go to a local, unofficial range. I got to shoot my first pistol! While I took several videos of my husband practicing, no one got any of me. But we're invited to go again next Sunday, so I'll get a few pics to post then. I also got to witness several people hitting a target a MILE AWAY. That was pretty cool: after the gunshot, there's a pause, and then you hear "ping!" when the bullet hits the target. After witnessing those performances, I'm pretty sure I know who not to piss off any time soon. We went to our one-and-only local tap house afterwards, and enjoyed too many beers afterwards. Overall, it was a really fun weekend! Now to get back to being healthy for the next 5 days...

Encouragement for the weekend

Aw, man!!! I can't believe I missed Talk Like a Pirate Day AGAIN!!! But Happy Birthday today, Rhia!!! Hope you have a lovely, relaxing day today!

What I remember from the festival was fun! Lots of traditional German music, people doing the chicken dance in lederhosen, yummy pretzels with mustard and dark beer... Next time, I will be prepared to prolong the enjoyment instead of bolt it down like an over-excited puppy with food. I felt much better yesterday (and today). I'm back to eating healthy and getting in my exercise. I rode with B Troop last night. They're prepping for the National Cavalry Competition next week, so last night was the Pistol course practice. I didn't shoot - I'm still nervous handling a loaded gun on horseback, even though we use blanks. Instead, I rode a horse who was equally nervous at the sight and sound of gunshots. My job was to simply keep his feet moving, and give him something to focus on while the others went through the course. He started off pretty jumpy, but by the end of the night he only tensed a little when shots were fired and relaxed again immediately after. I'll be going to the gym after work today. I don't know what my focus will be when I get there - maybe running, maybe upper body strength. I ride again tomorrow, so I don't want to kill my legs. For an activity where you sit the entire time, you use your legs an awful lot.

You earned it. I've spent literally YEARS breaking my cycles. I'm still breaking them. I've yo-yo'ed on so many goals, a line chart of my 4WCs would look like a cave floor of stalagmites. But as many times as I've fallen off the wagon (or just crawled into a hole to comfort eat potatoes and cry for awhile), I can look back and see actual, honest-to-goodness progress. I think the biggest improvement I've made has been honing my efforts: learning what doesn't work, what isn't worth trying to make work, and what actually motivates me. I've tried super-detailed 4WCs, and ridiculously casual 4WCs, and I've slowly narrowed the margins between the two extremes until I've figured out how to structure my efforts in such a way that even when I fail, I still succeed. I think maybe you've hit on exactly the same sweet spot this challenge. It certainly seems like it, from the outside.

Good job getting out for your run!!! We've also had uncharacteristic weather where I am. September is normally the end of monsoon season, and the start of "don't kick any rocks, you might cause a spark and the whole state will burn up" season... but we've had a pattern of light rain at least once a week. I'm just hoping this doesn't mean another 90F+ Halloween!

A. You still joined the sammie club (turkey melt totally counts). B. You absolutely earned 2 hearts for breaking the cycle, and setting yourself up for a good day today! I'm SO proud of you! Here: You're earned it.

I just finished my Veggie Delight sandwich from Subway! I wholeheartedly encourage you to join the sammie club today!