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!

In honor of American Heart Month, I’ve been reflecting on my personal risks and the reasons I take heart health seriously. While many of my relatives, including my parents, had high cholesterol, I believed it was solely due to obesity and not something I needed to worry about. My grandfather had lifelong heart issues caused by a measles infection when he was a child. He underwent a heart transplant but passed away from a heart attack later on. However, there was nothing I could have inherited from him. It wasn’t until my late 20s that I became aware of my increased risks for developing cardiovascular disease.

My workout portion of the week ends with two loaded days, followed by two rest days. The last class is starting to test my fatigue, but I also know I’m going into two days off, so I have to dig deep and power through. Today was tough, but a good coach and a full class can be motivating. I felt the muscles working, focused on my breathing, and stayed in the moment. There was no need to think about later, about after class. My mind stayed in the studio with me.

I am tracking calories and macros with the MyFitnessPal app. It’s set up to adjust based on activity, so on workout days it has been suggesting over 3,000 calories, including 230+ grams of protein. Compared to how I was eating before returning to the gym, this is a major increase! It has been easier to eat the right food than to eat enough of it. To avoid overeating at once, I’m eating smaller, more balanced meals throughout the day. This takes a lot of careful planning and some meal prep.

Today was another benchmark challenge: the 500-meter row. I wasn't expecting to PR (I’m very out of shape, comparatively), but I still felt competitive when the challenge started. ~2 min of full exertion. The adrenaline masked the discomfort for the first 150 meters, but then it felt like work. My arms started overcompensating for my legs, which isn’t helpful when the leg drive is the source of the power. So I tried to focus on getting my legs to do more work, but they weren’t strong enough. They were fatigued, I was breathing hard, and my heart rate was at its max. I dug as deep as I could, but the muscles just weren’t there.

Rest days are tough. I struggled to “rest” today. I’m excited to be working out again; it’s fun and makes me feel good. On my rest days, I’m a little sad I’m not working out. I had to tell myself that days off are just as important as days on. My body needs to repair, rebuild, and refuel. I’m getting ready to work hard.

The routine is starting to feel normal! I noticed before leaving the house that I wasn’t as anxious as last week. When something is new or novel, I feel compelled to over-prepare; I anticipate everything I might need. Today, I was more casual (too casual, actually, I forgot to bring my phone).

There was a lot working against me today. My family was going to drop me off at the studio, so we all had to get out of the door on time. We piled into the car chaotically, and it wouldn’t start. We drive a hybrid-electric car, and it’s an older battery-powered car that does not like freezing temperatures. Fortunately, my neighbor was pulling out of her garage at that moment, and I asked for a ride! I was a little late to class (something I feel very uncomfortable doing), but I made it!