Footsore Rambler Walks it Off

[Footsore Rambler]

Also, I've been taking creatine for 4 days now.  I do seem to be noticing a nontrivial reduction in fatigue.  In fact, I felt like going to the gym last night to audition my new mobility/balance routine, after doing a strength workout on Saturday.

 

Here's what I did yesterday:

 

overhead squats @ 20#: 2x8

crow pose attempts between sets

 

kettlebell swings @ 25#: 2x15

noose pose attempts between sets

 

wall handstand, alternating with dead hangs: about 3 of each

 

I liked it.  That is all.

[Footsore Rambler]

The creatine seems to be helping with my energy levels.  I can't help but compare it with Adderall or Vyvanse, both of which I've taken in the past, because it helps with my focus, too.  However, it seems to do that in a different way than the above.  By increasing my physical energy, it releases some of of my willpower for more mental tasks.

 

I'm the sort of person who is apparently in a lot of denial about my fatigue levels, and tries to power through things using sheer bloody-mindedness.  Low doses of amphetamines have worked wonders for me, but they also tend to leave me completely and utterly drained.  I guess they level up the bloody-mindedness, at the cost of eventual exhaustion.  I'm not taking them right now, partly because of that.  With the creatine, I feel like my level of bloody-mindedness is the same, but I have more of it to apply to the tasks of staying organized and whatnot.  I like it so far.

 

I've also experienced pretty quick weight gain, which is almost certainly just water retention.  I weighed myself at about 135# on Sunday night.  I've been able to put in gym visits 2x per week as long as every other one is an 'easy' workout.  I have a ton more energy when I am actually at the gym.  It feels awesome.

 

Just don't ask me about work right now.  Bleh.

[Footsore Rambler]

Guys.  Guys!  Guess what I just bought?  A pair of inline skates!!  I saw a very nice pair at the used sporting goods store for $20 in my size, and so here we are.  And I have already bruised my knee even though I didn't really take them for a spin -- just put them on in my kitchen and tried to stand up.

 

I am going to bring them to work, where I'm thinking I will skate a round campus a bit during my lunch breaks.

[Footsore Rambler]

So lately, I have decided that I am undergoing International Woman of Mystery training.  I'm brushing up on French, Spanish, and Russian, learning to hold my breath for longer periods of time, training for agility (i.e. rollerblading), continuing with my strength goals, working on my swimming technique, and getting SCUBA certification (in a few months).

 

The breath-holding and swimming has sort of taken that place of meditation for me for the moment.  It has a lot of the same components, but the end game is slightly different.  However, I feel like I'm in a place where sneaking up on relaxation is likely to be more effective than trying to do it directly.

[Footsore Rambler]

The IWOM training is proceeding reasonably well.  I've already measureably improved in my swimming, breath-holding, skating, and language skills. 

 

My health is quite good these days.  I'm as strong as I've ever been.  I met all of my earlier strength goals except being able to pistol squat, and I'm very close to that one.  So here are some more goals.  I'm not gonna bother with the timeline this time.

 

1.  Do 2 chinups or pullups in a row.

2.  Deadlift 200# x 2 (just over 1.5 x BW for me at present)

3.  Squat 135# x 5 (a little over 1 x BW)

4.  Do a pistol squat on each side.

5.  Do a handstand.

6.  Do the splits.

 

That should keep me occupied for a while. 

 

Diet-wise, it's been about a year since I joined the CSA, and looking back, I can see that my overall eating and cooking habits have improved.  I eat less processed food, I cook more, I eat way more veggies, with more variety.  I'm not following a paleo diet, but I do value the framing device of paleo -- the idea that food should not be so far removed from the source that it could be confused with something from the hardware store.  I can mostly give myself a pat on the back on this front, I believe.  The biggest improvement I'd like to see in my diet is cutting back on drinking alcohol.  I do like a cold beer (or two) on a hot summer day, but if I could dial back, I would very likely decrease my body fat percentage and improve my sleeping habits.  So I am thinking about making a challenge to go alcohol-free for 30 days.

 

Yeah, so my sleep is a problem area.  That's largely due to stress and anxiety, which is largely due to stuff that is going on with my job.  I can do what I can to deal with the parts of it under my direct control, but so much of it is not.  And so I'm faced with the dilemma of trying to fix it and/or wait it out, or look for another job, both of which are stressful (I'm doing both, BTW).  I should look into getting EAP-provided therapy.  Maybe that would be another good challenge. 

[Footsore Rambler]

Here's what my typical weekly exercise regimen looks like these days:

 

Strength training @ gym 1 day/ week, usually Saturday or Sunday

Mobility training or swim at gym 1 day/ week, Wed or Thurs.

Inline skating for about 30-60 minutes, 2 days/ week, usually Monday and Friday

Swim at housing assoc. pool, 1-2 days/week, Sunday, Wed, or Thurs

Stretching, Yoga, or mobility work, 4-5 evenings/week while watching TV

Very occasional bike ride or running or hiking.

 

I'd like to get to the point where I'm riding my bike more for transportation, but it's been so hot that it is not very appealling.

[Footsore Rambler]

Hey, so, I had a therapy session today.  I am trying to get some treatment for my sleep issues.  It went well.

 

Since my last entry, I've been exercising less.  Still getting in the gym time, but the other physical IWOM training items have taken a back burner to work stuff.

 

I can now do a chinup pretty consistently.  Better chinups, too; just not 2 in a row yet.  And I can't get a pullup (w/ hands facing the other direction) consistently, but I am improving.

 

I feel like I'm closer to true pistol squatting, too, but progress is slow.  I still need to hold on to a strap for balance.