Making Time

In this world of “GO, GO, GO,” where multitasking is considered a critical skill and technology rules our lives, I should have all kinds of extra time right?  As it turns out, I’m pretty terrible at multitasking – in fact, I’m fairly sure it makes me totally INEFFECTIVE.  I operate on four separate networks out here in Afghanistan, and each e-mail account dings when a new message arrives.  Even if I’m in the middle of something, as soon as I hear that DING, I feel the need to immediately jump over to the other computer and find out what this new critical piece of information could be!  This ensures that I never completely finish a single task until well after 9pm.

Source

So, what am I trying to get at – this ineffective method to which I have a bad habit of approaching daily tasks has significantly affected my workouts in a very negative way.  Last night I found time to start my workout at 10:30pm…not ideal, but you take what you can get.  Walking everywhere is definitely a big change from being back home, so I count all those steps towards my workout.  If I’m feeling sleepy at work, I get down and do a set of push-ups.  Gets the blood flowing and wakes me up!

Regardless of how busy I am, I have to make time for me.  There are many reasons that I workout, but the two most important ones are as follows:

1.  Physical health – it’s important to me.

2. Sanity – working out clears my mind, it allows me to refocus and to have a clear head when I go into the next task.

I guess I felt like writing this to remind me that if I just focus and stay on task, finding time to exercise is not really that difficult and it’s worth every second!  

Stuck in a Rut

From May to December of last year, I was a running fool. I dropped my 5k PR by minutes, not seconds. I lost a much needed 10 pounds, and an extra 5 just to see if it made me faster (it did not). I ran 6-7 days a week and some nights, I hopped on the treadmill once the Weasel was asleep to log a second workout. I ate relatively healthy meals, rarely snacked, and watched less than 4 hours of TV a week.

Then my wonderful husband came home. While I'm thrilled to have him home, it's definitely taken a toll on my physique and fitness level. First and foremost, we like our beer and cocktails. That affects not only my waistline, but my willingness to hop out of bed and workout in the morning. Secondly, we share popcorn or pretzels, or something sweet nearly every night while we watch TV. I haven't blogged in FOREVER! Writing this blog has helped me hold myself accountable for my running/fitness. And finally, I'd just rather spend time hanging out with him on a Saturday morning than going to meet my Stroller Warriors for a race. I'll have plenty of time for that, so I'm just enjoying the honeymoon phase while it's still in effect:)

But I'm using this platform to get back on track! Last Friday I ran 3.83 with the SWs and then Jason met up with me for an additional 4. The following day, I linked up with a girlfriend and her husband, and we knocked out 11 around base. It's not easy, but it feels good to get back into it. Yesterday, Jason and I got a babysitter to watch the Weasel, and we played racquetball for an hour and then did 20 minutes on the stair climber (the one with the rotating set of stairs). And while we did come home and share some beergaritas (limeade, tequila, and 2 light beers), I didn't feel bad about it because we're making it work...it's a delicate balance. And this is life.