I took a little bit of a step back this week to tend to my mind more than my body, and I feel better than I did at the start of the week! Part of stepping back included not tracking my food intake as strictly. I was all over the place with my caloric intake and came in short on my protein intake a couple of times, but I’m working on not being too hard on myself about it.

Today, I heard the parable of the two woodcutters, and it was a reminder that I shouldn’t feel guilty or unproductive when taking rests. The story goes that two woodcutters worked in the forest. One woodcutter worked tirelessly, chopping trees, and spent his whole day working. The other woodcutter took an hour break each day and still cut more trees than the one working all day. When the tireless woodcutter asked the other where he went each day, he learned that the more productive woodcutter took a nap and sharpened his axe before getting back to work. It’s important to take breaks and tend to rest and recovery.

Today was tough. I’m feeling a little off and struggled through the workout. I had to pick my son up early from school again (the 4th time in 3 weeks). He’s been having anxiety about school and symptoms that prompt the nurse to send him home. Today was an injury on the playground that required a doctor’s visit. I’ve been feeling really overwhelmed by how often I have to drop my plans for the day and pivot into my caretaker role hours earlier than the routine. I’m trying to study and return to the workforce, so getting pulled out of the momentum of pursuing that plan makes it difficult to cope.

Today was a low-exertion day, but high in emotions. I have therapy sessions on Tuesdays and sometimes we open up some pretty heavy feelings. I was sensitive this week (thanks hormones) and had some crying. Additionally, I’ve been under more stress than usual and that makes me generally more sensitive. I had the feelings to work through today and not much else.

Today was a typical Monday—two back-to-back classes starting with a 3-station circuit where I began on the weight floor and ending with upper body strength. I noticed toward the end of class that my heart rate stayed pretty consistently in the “green” zone and only 10 minutes at exertion. In four weeks, I have noticed a gradual decline in active heart rate levels, indicating some improved cardio fitness! I imagine I will still be seeing a trend over time. By now that enough time has passed to see a pattern, I’m pleased with the direction we’re heading in!

4 weeks down and four to go! Now that we’ve reached the halfway point, we’re in what the coaches call the “3rd quarter.” The 3rd quarter is often considered the most difficult. Midway is a major milestone, but then the third quarter is too far from the finish line to really ramp up without burning out too early. The best approach (as I understand it) is to focus on maintenance. I’m taking it one day at a time right now.

Rounding out the week with another leg day! After an interrupted night of sleep, I wasn’t at “peak” performance today. Yesterday, a tornado warning had my family huddled in the bathroom for half an hour. My son was a little spooked by thunder, lightning, and wind, which led to difficulty sleeping. Then I had an early morning meeting and felt a little groggy when I got up and at it today.

I’m starting to recognize the regulars who take classes with me and made some more friends today. I especially love when I can connect with other moms! I had a lengthy conversation about meal prep and affordable protein options, how to meet macro goals without supplementation, and then making something different than what our kids want to eat (relatable!). We have shared interests and compatible goals. Feeling the sense of community growing on days like this.

Today was an exercise in adaptability. Shortly after I got home from my workout, my son’s school called to say he was sick and that I needed to pick him up early. I had a plan for a productive day that was no longer going to come to pass. Frustrated and a little annoyed, I put aside my hopes for the day and headed to school. A few thoughts went through my head: guilt that I didn't take my son seriously when he said he wasn't feeling well before school (he's be complaining of stomachaches so often that it's hard to tell if he's telling the truth or he just wants to play video games all day) and gratitude that I was able to drop everything and take care of him. Not having a traditional job at the moment meant I had the flexibility to get to school within 5 minutes and stay home for the rest of the day.

Gaining weight feels strange. I trust I’m gaining muscle mass, but the rate at which I’m putting on weight is faster than I expected. My muscle gain goal was 3-8 lbs (8 being extremely ambitious) over the 8-week period. These gains were based on the muscle mass I had before I stopped working out, changes during previous transformation challenges, and research on the new gains of unconditioned athletes returning to training.

Today was the treadmill- or strength-only workouts, so I doubled up and did the treadmill first. Halfway through the workout, I thought, “Why has my heart rate been so low this whole time?” I pushed a little harder and managed only 8 minutes (compared to my usual ~25) in the exertion zones (aka Splats). I had another slightly lower heart-rate day (18 minutes) on my birthday, which led me to realize what might have caused the dip. The common denominator between the two days was not taking my Adderall before the workout (which makes total sense, it’s a stimulant), but then the additional drop today was because I also didn’t have caffeine this morning.

Data, data, data! After a decade of therapy and the direction of my career choices, I have become well aware of my preference for hard, cold facts and figures over feelings. I am a data-driven, logical, and analytical thinker. My INTJ/P MBTI, hyper-independent Holland AIE, Enneagram 4-5-8, and the fact that I know these personality/aptitude test results lean toward collecting and critically analyzing data to understand my world.

I was a tall, skinny kid who evolved into a Barbie-shaped teen and young adult when my perfect hourglass figure began to emerge. When I was young, I spent my summers on a pool raft with a family of thin female sisters and cousins and our mothers and grandmothers lecturing us on a cautionary tale of how to keep our bodies from turning into their curvy, skirted one-piece bodies.

Week 3 has come to a close, and I am starting to see progress. My weight choices haven’t changed much (that I’ve noticed) since the moves in class vary enough from day-to-day, but when I feel my quads, wow! My legs are starting to firm up, and that’s encouraging! Even if it’s all in my head, I think my arms are feeling stronger, too.

Busy day! I got in a double workout, and I managed to finish setting up my new closet. Fixing the closet had been on my mind for months. I put away a bunch of “visual clutter” from my shared office/craft room. Now that the room is reorganized, I’ll be able to use it for my various painting, sewing, and craft projects! Working out has made me feel strong and more energized to tackle house projects like these. I feel less tired now than I did when I rested more. Our bodies are weird.

Wednesdays are now the only day I take a single class (without additional strength training). This serves a purpose other than not totally burning myself out for three days in a row. I noticed today that I was more willing to work a little harder on each block because I wasn’t anticipating another class afterward.

Despite being a rest day, I was still pretty active today. The warmer temperatures and extra energy gave me the motivation to reorganize my craft room and closets. I couldn’t help but keep moving throughout today, and even whipped out the power tools. I reinforced some utility shelves and measured and cut wood for shelving in my craft room closet. It helped that I could use the front porch (it feels so good to be outside without a coat!).

Hearing “Never miss a Monday!” while pulling off my first double-workout Monday felt pretty good. It’s the start of Week 3, and the routine is falling into place. It was also significantly warmer (~40s) today, so it’s starting to feel like spring is just around the corner.

Today was meal-planning day, but aside from grocery shopping, I was home for most of it. I spent time with my kiddo and a close friend playing Minecraft. It was a recharging day, and I feel ready and re-energized for training tomorrow!