LoD respawns

[Librarian of Doom]

 

Okay, maybe not quite 84, but about 4, I think, since the last time I did a challenge. To do a Luis-from-Antman-style recap (feel free to skip):

 

So I was a school librarian who hated my job but loved doing CrossFit and then I got a job at public library and I was like "Whoa, this is better" but then my work hours and driving 3 hours round trip until we sold our house made it difficult/impossible to do CrossFit but then we sold our house and got an apartment and I started doing CrossFit again but I work until 6 pm and if I go to CrossFit at 6:30 my kids are in bed when I get home and also my boss is verbally and emotionally abusive so I started looking for a new job but it's been two and a half years with no luck so I started self-publishing romance novels on Amazon but that takes away exercise time too and whenever I went to work out I felt guilty for taking time away from the kids and my partners (I have 2 partners and 5 kids now, life has changed) and super anxious and depressed about everything so I stopped but then I felt terrible.

 

TL;DR: My job sucks but I can't find a new one right now; I have a full-time job, 2 partners, 4 kids, and a part-time gig as a self-published writer. Also a prescription antidepressant. 

 

So.

 

It's time to start baby-stepping my way back toward a more balanced life. And since the Rebellion helped me with that the first time, I'm hoping to use it as a tool for positive changes again.

 

Diet/Fitness Goals:

• Find a gym that works with my schedule. There's a local lifting gym I've been meaning to check out, but if that doesn't work, there are other options, or I can use the city employee gym. I just really miss the sense of community that comes from CrossFit and would prefer to work out with other people around. 
• Exercise in the mornings once the kids are off to school, 2-3x per week. If I'm not in the gym, I can do a quick bodyweight workout or a yoga video. The goal is to build the habit and the mindset.
• Cut back caffeine to one cup of coffee in the morning and one small soda at lunch. I've been letting myself go since my partner had the baby and it's almost certainly affecting my quality of sleep, not to mention my anxiety.

Life Goal:

• Work on revising my YA novel at least once a week. I've got a pretty good routine going for writing my self-published stuff, but I have a mentor helping me revise the YA novel; I just need to bite the bullet and work on it.

 

Life being what it is, I'm not sure how much time I can spend chatting on here, but I'm going to do my best to check in at least once a week.

[Rurik Harrgath]

Best of luck balancing out what is truly a complicated juggling act of a life!  I hope the NF forums provide at least a little of the sense of community you're missing from CrossFit.  I've always been blessed to find this place truly a home away from home (and a supportive community in addition to my CrossFit family).

[Librarian of Doom]

Thanks! I've definitely found that sense of community here before, which is part of the reason I'm back!!!

[jstanlick]

Hey, you’re back! Good to see you ‘round here again! Hopefully we can help bring you some smidgeon of balance. Check in when you can, and keep your chin up when you can’t. We’re here for you. 

[jonfirestar]

Yeah balance is hard. I hope we can help you find it  

[Fonzico]

Good luck with the chaos! You've got a LOT of priorities, but hopefully the structure of the challenge will help you sort them.

Following along in any case (and reminding myself to never complain about lack of time!)

[Librarian of Doom]

11 hours ago, jstanlick said:

Hey, you’re back! Good to see you ‘round here again! Hopefully we can help bring you some smidgeon of balance. Check in when you can, and keep your chin up when you can’t. We’re here for you. 

 

Thanks! I'm doing my best to take small, attainable steps, but I'm glad to be back among the Rangers again.

 

5 hours ago, jonfirestar said:

Yeah balance is hard. I hope we can help you find it  

 

Balance is the HARDEST. But the good news is I can keep trying

 

1 hour ago, Fonzico said:

Good luck with the chaos! You've got a LOT of priorities, but hopefully the structure of the challenge will help you sort them.

Following along in any case (and reminding myself to never complain about lack of time!)

 

LMAO, yeah, I used to think I had no free time...I look back on those days and want to smack myself. I have to keep reminding myself of what my mentor said, which is that my kids are never going to be this small again. They're going to continue growing toward independence and this stage of life will pass. It's just tricky when the baby refuses to sleep unless she's on top of a human (and sometimes not at all). At least we have 3 parents to juggle her between.

[jedi_mind]

You've got doable goals, here's to the first challenge in the new year.

[Librarian of Doom]

2 hours ago, jedi_mind said:

You've got doable goals, here's to the first challenge in the new year.

 

thanks! Trying to make them super easy and doable so I'll just...do them. 

 

Week Zero: Contacted the lifting gym. They don't have showers; trying to figure out if I can work around that by using a friend's house nearby or coming home to shower and change afterward, since it would technically be on my way to work, sort of.

[jonfirestar]

19 hours ago, Librarian of Doom said:

Week Zero: Contacted the lifting gym. They don't have showers

I've never seen a gym without a shower. 

[Librarian of Doom]

7 minutes ago, jonfirestar said:

I've never seen a gym without a shower. 

Right? But this particular one is in a converted retail space, so probably they didn't have money for plumbing. I've about decided that if I work out Sunday/Tuesday/Thursday, I'll only have to do a short workout/go to work without showering on Thursday, since I don't go in until noon on Tuesdays and if I work Sunday it's not until 12:30. So I think it's worth a shot.

[Doe]

Following along. 

Where I live,  the niche gyms not having showers is becoming more if a thing.  Maybe because it's not uncommon for offices to have shower but it feels unusual. 

I'm back doing a challenge after almost 3 years. We can do this!

[Librarian of Doom]

18 minutes ago, Doe said:

Following along. 

Where I live,  the niche gyms not having showers is becoming more if a thing.  Maybe because it's not uncommon for offices to have shower but it feels unusual. 

I'm back doing a challenge after almost 3 years. We can do this!

 

High-five for us getting back on the trail!!!

[Fonzico]

The no shower thing is definitely inconvenient, but it sounds like you've got a decent work around.


I couldn't not shower if I was working afterwards! Am ridiculously sweaty. Thankfully I workout afterwards, so my non-shower-having studio isn't an issue.

[Librarian of Doom]

9 hours ago, Fonzico said:

The no shower thing is definitely inconvenient, but it sounds like you've got a decent work around.


I couldn't not shower if I was working afterwards! Am ridiculously sweaty. Thankfully I workout afterwards, so my non-shower-having studio isn't an issue.

 

Yeah, my sweat level depends on the workout, but it's definitely iffy, especially in the summer.

 

But! Good news. Like providence, my old CrossFit coach reached out to me and even though they don't have classes during my free time, they have open gym where I can come in and work out in the mornings. And that gym does have showers, plus with a membership I can still probably catch at least 1 regular class a week, so get my sense of community back on track too! So I'm going to get it set up and start next week!

 

My workout goal starts next week, but I've been on track with my caffeine this week, got the gym situation sorted, and today after work is my designated writing day, so I'm shooting for revision work during that time (although I also have a massage scheduled that I'm very much looking forward to).

[jstanlick]

22 minutes ago, Librarian of Doom said:

Good news. Like providence, my old CrossFit coach reached out to me and even though they don't have classes during my free time, they have open gym where I can come in and work out in the mornings. And that gym does have showers, plus with a membership I can still probably catch at least 1 regular class a week, so get my sense of community back on track too!

That's a good turn of events!

[Librarian of Doom]

1 hour ago, jstanlick said:

That's a good turn of events!

 

It's very helpful. Possibly a bit more pricey than paying a trainer at the new gym, but probably not, considering what the hourly rate for a personal trainer is. And I get the added benefit of the showers, it being closer to my work/home, and not having to strain my social anxiety by going to a completely new place with completely new people. I just have to work on focusing on my own race, not comparing myself to other people who are in different situations. For some of these people, CrossFit is their only hobby and they can devote their lives and attention to it. For me, it's a tool on my path to fitness and has to fit in my life, not have me shape my life around it. I have too much going on for that.

[jstanlick]

2 hours ago, Librarian of Doom said:

Possibly a bit more pricey than paying a trainer at the new gym, but probably not, considering what the hourly rate for a personal trainer is.

Side note. I always thought being a personal trainer would be a cool gig. I still think it would be a cool gig if money wasn't a thing. Sadly -- at least around here anyway -- most of that money does not go to the trainer. I work with someone who had to give up her gig as a trainer despite having a degree in nutrition and 3 different training certifications (NASM, ISSA & another one that eludes my memory). She used to work 70 hours a week, and finally quit to come work at our software company as a business analyst. She works half the hours for more than twice as much money. So, despite being a cheapskate and thinking CrossFit boxes charge a lot of money for memberships, I can't fault a trainer who has found a way to make ends meet.

[Librarian of Doom]

59 minutes ago, jstanlick said:

Side note. I always thought being a personal trainer would be a cool gig. I still think it would be a cool gig if money wasn't a thing. Sadly -- at least around here anyway -- most of that money does not go to the trainer. I work with someone who had to give up her gig as a trainer despite having a degree in nutrition and 3 different training certifications (NASM, ISSA & another one that eludes my memory). She used to work 70 hours a week, and finally quit to come work at our software company as a business analyst. She works half the hours for more than twice as much money. So, despite being a cheapskate and thinking CrossFit boxes charge a lot of money for memberships, I can't fault a trainer who has found a way to make ends meet.

 

I 100% believe that; I have no idea how many hours a week I work on top of my day job at my writing/cover design and last year I made what was big money for me...about 15% of my gross salary. Working for yourself is hard. If my boss wasn't emotionally and (sometimes) verbally abusive, I'd just let it be.

[jonfirestar]

On 1/4/2019 at 5:53 PM, Librarian of Doom said:

 

It's very helpful. Possibly a bit more pricey than paying a trainer at the new gym, but probably not, considering what the hourly rate for a personal trainer is. And I get the added benefit of the showers, it being closer to my work/home, and not having to strain my social anxiety by going to a completely new place with completely new people

That really sounds like it worked out quite nicely. Crossfit boxes can be quite pricey but it still seems to be a really good thing. 

[Librarian of Doom]

Day 1 morning report: currently fighting off the Anxiety Goblins and the Depression Slimes who have been drawn to my hormonal shifts at this point in the month. Have communicated my workout plans to A and B (my partners) in hopes of accountability.

 

Today's refrain from the Goblins is that I'm behind because all I accomplished this weekend was sleeping and taking care of the baby so B could catch up on sleep. They say I'm never going to be able to make a living at my writing so I should just give up and let the Depression Slimes lull me to sleep. 

[jstanlick]

2 hours ago, Librarian of Doom said:

They say I'm never going to be able to make a living at my writing so I should just give up and let the Depression Slimes lull me to sleep. 

What do Goblins know? Tell those goblins where to go.

 

2 hours ago, Librarian of Doom said:

because all I accomplished this weekend was sleeping and taking care of the baby so B could catch up on sleep.

Don't underestimate this as an accomplishment. It's really hard to be a good parent. Trying to be a good parent while sleep deprived is kinda like playing the game with Legendary difficulty.

[Librarian of Doom]

On 1/7/2019 at 1:10 PM, jstanlick said:

What do Goblins know? Tell those goblins where to go.

 

Don't underestimate this as an accomplishment. It's really hard to be a good parent. Trying to be a good parent while sleep deprived is kinda like playing the game with Legendary difficulty.

 

Thanks so much for the encouragement. It really helped yesterday.

 

Today was my first day back to CrossFit! Since I didn't work until noon, I was able to actually attend a class. It was good to see people I knew and also meet new ones. I pushed a little too hard and ended up DNF-ing the WOD because of puking; I need to probably work on getting a protein shake or something pre-WOD like I used to. But after the cooldown, hydrating, and eating, I felt fine. Of course tonight I feel sore, so tomorrow is gonna be an adventure (imagine me saying that last word like Jake Peralta from Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

 

Challenge Tracker

• Find a new gym and make arrangements: 1/1 complete
• Exercise 2-3 days per week: 1/12 workouts complete
• Cut back caffeine to 1 coffee/1 small soda per day: 2/28 days complete
• Revise my YA novel at least 1x per week: 0/4 complete

[Librarian of Doom]

This week at work has been a Trial, and I say that because I've had to do my actual job 8 hours a day instead of spending some of that time on personal projects. Thankfully my therapist is back from maternity leave so I can start working on some of my overwhelming tsunami of feelings and maybe deal with them like an adult instead of repressing them until I snap.

 

Wednesday: No workout, caffeine goal gets an A+ because I had horchata for lunch instead of soda (the taqueria down the road from my house is a gift)

Thursday: No workout, caffeine goal is a B because I had a soda with lunch and got one refill

Friday: Caffeine goal is a B again; I went to the Vietnamese fusion place with the pork belly fries and got a refill. But just one.

 

Also went to CrossFit. Found my new 1RM for front squat. I topped out at 185, which is about 85% of my former max. It could've been a lot worse after being gone for 6 months and eating like crap. I was assuming it would be more like 75% or 80%. Then:

 

AMRAP 10 minutes

10 dumbbell step-ups (20 inch box, 20 lb db)

10 pullups (black and green bands)

10 dumbbell hang clean and jerk (20 lbs)

 

I got 2 rounds 17 reps; I was hoping for three rounds, but after puking on Tuesday I decided to keep the pace slow and steady and I think it was the right choice. Although the limiting factor was more my grip strength than my aerobic endurance.

 

Challenge Tracker

• Find a new gym and make arrangements: 1/1 complete
• Exercise 2-3 days per week: 2/12 workouts complete
• Cut back caffeine to 1 coffee/1 small soda per day: 4/28 days complete
• Revise my YA novel at least 1x per week: 0/4 complete

[Doe]

Those fries look amazing,  how did they taste? 

 

Sounds like you're having a good first week!