GRUMBLE.

So this stupid back pain is driving me crazy! I made a massage appt for tomorrow afternoon and honestly, if it's not feeling better after that, i'm getting it x-rayed. Something is just WEIRD. I now understand why people with chronic back pain can be so miserable sometimes ;) I feel like I have been miserable for about a week now. I have been taking Robaxacet but it isn't doing much. Tonight I am going to try hot/cold compress, and i'll try manipulating my pillows to sleep mostly in one position too - the more I move around in bed, the more I wake up in pain. BF has given me two massages already, and when my muscles are warm I feel better, but it sure doesn't last very long.

The weekend was good but busy. Thursday night we drove into the city, got in a workout at the gym (I stuck to cardio just to warm up the muscles in my back and did a little stretching). BF's follow up appt was Friday morning, in which he was given the all-clear to start exercising more. So of course, he was gone to the gym early this morning (Monday) to get back into his two-a-day workouts. We finished up our Christmas shopping as well on Friday, and then went to BF's work Christmas party that night. We played Family Feud, but a much naughtier version. I'm not sure it was appropriate for the group that was there, but it was definitely interesting. By 10pm we were ready to call it a night!!

On Saturday BF and I drove home to attend my friend's funeral; there were so many people there that we ended up having to sit in the basement of the church and watch the funeral on a projector screen! But it was a very nice service and I feel like I gained a little closure. The rest of the day we spent wrapping gifts, then BF went home to get ready for Sunday's adventures.

Sunday morning I went to my friend's church service where my godson was in a Christmas pageant-type thing. He was very cute. After that, I drove to BF's and we made cabbage rolls and nuts-n-bolts for Christmas, and visited with his sister and a couple of his friends that stopped over. We had just enough energy left after all that to get in a workout at the gym, and I added about ten minutes of foam rolling to see if that would help my back, but it didn't.

Nothing planned for today; I have some Christmas packages to send in the mail, and then home to take care of my back.

I have almost 7 months to train for FEMSPORT 2019!

I will be entering as part of a team, but you are scored both as part of a team AND as an individual. I'm hoping we will be going into the NOVICE division as it is for first-timers and would give us a better chance of scoring well! The fitness/strength events will be box jumps, sandbag burpee / clean / press, kettlebell lift, obstacle medley, truck push and tire flip.

#1 Box Jumps - You have to complete 50 box jumps in three minutes. You must wear shin guards, and both feet must touch the top of the box in order to be counted. The box is approximately 18 inches high. You can't touch the box with your hands and you can't step up onto the box - you have to jump with both feet simultaneously.

The fastest time in the novice division last year for box jumps was 50 in under 48 seconds 

More to come!

This week has been weird. Monday I literally got nothing done; I went straight home after work and just sat around doing nothing. Well I was still feeling sad, so i'm sure that had something to do with it. Anyways, on Tuesday I had to coach, so I had to really force myself out of the rut of sadness I was in, and having to put on a smiling face actually helped me do it for real :) I got in a great workout with BF, and then finished it off with some treadmill running. Unfortunately, while I was showing a stretching exercise during my coaching session, I tweaked a muscle (or something) in my hip/lower back. It was pretty painful that night, and it has been a bit of a struggle ever since. I didn't realize how often I use the muscles in my back - to drive, to open the car door, to bend down and put shoes on, etc. Even to sit on the toilet. I have had to be very careful to not make it worse. It's still bothering me today, but I am going to see if I can manipulate it into feeling better at the gym tonight. I will try some things to stretch it out before I workout tonight - if it still hurts, then i'll stop and just walk on the treadmill or something. Do you believe me?! It's like, even I don't believe MYSELF when I say i'll stop if it hurts LOL. But I really will try.

I got through coaching on Tuesday night, stayed late at work on Wednesday night, and finished all my training I had to do this morning, but decided I couldn't handle all the other things I had going on, so I booked off work tomorrow so that I could go with BF to his follow up appointment with his specialist. And then I got someone else to cover my coaching session tomorrow night, and I think we are going to go to BF's staff party. So I no longer have to work at all tomorrow, and that makes me very happy because that means i'll have an extra long weekend to catch up on wrapping gifts, mailing out cards, etc., and meal prepping for next week.

Sounds like I will still be able to take part in FEMSPORT in 2019. Deadline for cheap registration is January 20, so I have until then to really decide if I want to go for it, because even the cheap registration is not cheap - it is $99. Another lady that is going filled me in on the workshop they had that I couldn't attend, and out of about 7 different workouts, I am only concerned with being able to do a couple of them. Of course I have to train for them all because I would not be great at any of them right now, but I will have to really concentrate on a couple of them because I know I don't have the upper body strength to do them now. It will be something to work towards for sure!

On Tuesday I did four pullups with an assisted band, no breaks. So that is progress towards my unassisted pull up for the end of the month :) I will try again tonight if I can.

I haven't been tracking my foods for the week - I fall off this all the time. Not that i'm eating anything unhealthy, I just stop tracking sometimes. I have felt a little extra bloated yesterday and today, so i'll have to start watching the amount of wheat and sugar i'm taking in and try to scale that back a bit. Otherwise, I think i'm doing ok overall!

I have plans for this week, big plans. I have a lot of work to do - training leading up to Thursday, our big fundraiser has started, and a Council meeting on Wednesday evening; I have to work at the gym Tuesday and Friday night; and BF has his staff holiday party on Friday also. It's a big week. 

Unfortunately, it hasn't been a great start. On Saturday morning I learned that an old friend went missing. I met the news with quite a lot more anxiety than I thought I was capable of. I certainly visualized what I thought was the very worst scenario, and imagined that he'd been accosted and left out in the dead of night. I didn't get much sleep that night, and spent a lot of Sunday at the gym, distracting myself, and doing some baking at BF's. By evening, I found out that what I visualized wasn't even the worst that could happen - he had met his breaking point, and committed suicide.

So i've been sad today; just trying to process the news. He was such a bright, friendly and kind person, and I said to BF "I guess those are the people who sometimes are hurting the most". I haven't really been able to get much done; it doesn't help that my computer wasn't working properly for the first three hours of work. I feel very 'scrambled' and am just playing catch up for the rest of the workday and then going home. I feel exhausted and mentally drained.

Monday - toast, pb, coffee, pear, egg sandwich, tomato soup

I think I will concentrate on laundry, dishes, eating a healthy supper tonight, changing my easy-erase calendar to December, and taking a hot bath. Anything else can be accomplished another day.

Feeling good today, even though I had a spotty sleep and had to get up early to drive home.

I nearly drove into two deer that were lumbering along the highway. It was so very foggy this morning I could hardly see 30 feet in front of me, so when they popped out of the shadows, I woke up very quickly! I tell you, it was a long 45 minute drive to get back home.

Thursday - toast, pb, coffee, orange, leftover chili, snap peas, water, BF made pork roast with rice and veggies for supper - it was delicious.

I tried to go to sleep earlier, but at BF's it's hard to do because they all like to stay up a lot later than I do. So it was a later night, and then I kept waking up through the night. I guess i'd gotten used to sleeping by myself this week, and being at BF's knocked me off my game LOL. But I don't feel too tired, so hopefully that means I got enough sleep. And i'll be able to 'catch up' over the weekend too.

I did a tank push last night after coaching; it took almost 40 minutes to complete; one of the participants in my group training did it with me, which was nice because then we got short rests between pushes ;) I will try to do it again tonight after coaching and then I only have to do it one more time to complete the challenge. And then i'm going to work on a different challenge for December - pull ups! I started last week; I did two sets of two with the help of a resistance band. I would like to work towards doing one or two without any assistance.

Friday - toast, pb, banana, coffee, orange, chicken, water, supper will be at BF's again after coaching.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Got home Monday and was feeling very crappy; sick Tuesday and Wednesday as well. Believe it or not, I quit using my humidifiers at night, and started having a hot toddy in the evenings, and that's it - that's all I did - and this morning I woke up feeling better than I have in about three weeks. I have had a wicked headache for ages since I started coughing so much, and this morning I haven't had to take anything for it, it's really not all that bad.

So the resolution has been alcohol, dry air, and lots of sleep LOL. I wouldn't try it for yourself, but it seems to be working for me. I will take it, because I have so much to catch up on that I REALLY can't get sick again.

I stopped working out as well; I find I push myself too much and keep breaking down. The more I break myself down, the longer it takes to recover. So I just stopped. I work tonight though, so I might try a tank push and see how it feels. It usually takes about half an hour in total, so it would be an easier start to working out again.

I haven't been eating very well since i've been sick; I wanted to clean up my eating before Christmas and the holidays, but it hasn't been a great start. So I will start today. Toast, pb, coffee, oranges so far.

I've been coughing a lot in the evenings and early mornings; last night was better, but I didn't get to sleep until after midnight so the morning came quickly. I might beg off work for a couple hours this afternoon and go home to nap. Or maybe I will stick it out, as I usually do.

Friday - work, coach, workout (340 calories burned), I cannot remember what we had for supper, but I swear it wasn't unhealthy. I'm pretty sure it was leftovers. BF and I chipped in together to buy me an early christmas present LOL, he picked up a 65" tv for my living room. I think it had more to do with him being bored while he recovers from knee surgery, and me only having a 32" tv for him to watch while he's been recovering at my place. But it was a fantastic deal, and I probably would have bought it whether or not he picked it up for me.

Saturday - pancakes and eggs, christmas shopping (nightmare), went out for supper to East Side Mario's and had their grilled cheese sandwich with garlic parmesan fries. Ate the fries, and a chicken parm appetizer we bought, and took the sandwich home. We got about 80% of our shopping done, so that feels pretty great. We even ordered and received our annual christmas cards. They turned out quite well.

Sunday - I sold my guitar, we got Tim Horton's breakfast sandwiches and coffees to celebrate, we went to the gym (360 calories burned), then we had fast food because we didn't plan our day very well. I was going to use the money I got from selling the guitar to buy a new fitbit, but then I decided to take advantage of a deal on a new iPad instead. I don't really miss having a fitbit since my old one stopped working. Majority of my workouts I use a heart rate monitor strap anyways.

Monday - toast with pb & 1/2 banana, mandarin oranges x2, protein bite x2, salad, 3oz roasted chicken, 5oz baked salmon, 1 cup roasted potatoes and brussel sprouts. I am trying out a new meal plan. We'll see how it goes. I hit 4 days of planned meals, and then just stick to healthy choices for the remaining three days of meals. I'm usually pretty good at choosing healthy, but I need a little more structure most days to ensure i'm not over-eating, even if it IS healthy!

I'd like to get to the gym for a workout tonight, but I think it might be pushed to tomorrow instead. Feels like it should be a day to relax and get caught up on laundry and meal prep!

Got home at 9:30p last night; we hit up subway for supper and I inhaled a 6" turkey sub; will have the other 6" today for lunch. I managed a quick workout before I had to coach and still burned just over 300 calories, so i'm happy with that. Really hoping to do the same tonight but will have to see what I have time for because I am coaching again.

I was whining pretty loudly this morning when I had to get up for work. In fact, I believe I even shouted "WHY???" once with my fist up in the air. I'm glad it's Friday, but I need it to be over quickly so I can go back to bed LOL.

Toast with pb and 1/2 banana, coffee, oranges, protein bite, 6" turkey sub, oranges. Protein bar on the way to the gym, then either leftovers or maybe i'll finally make the salmon bake tonight.

On to another day! TGIF!

I woke up coughing this morning; BF said I was coughing through the night also. My throat hurts again and i'm congested and blowing my nose every five seconds. Here we go again! I am tired of being sick. I need to rest, but it is too busy right now for that.

Thursday - toast with pb and honey, coffee, oranges, leftover potato lasagna, oranges. I don't know what we'll have for supper, I don't even know if we'll have time to eat.

After a full day work for me, we are heading to the gym; I will work there until 8:30 for sure; then do a quick workout and then we have to drive 45 minutes home. Not sure if there will be a lot of time or energy to make supper. I am already tired just thinking about it.

A Black Friday sale tomorrow has a wicked good deal on a television set i've been looking at getting; sale starts at 7am so maybe I will drive into the city before work to get it?!? That seems a silly thing to do. But it is a really good deal and I won't buy one at regular price (electronics are so over-priced).

Working at the gym again on Friday after my already full day of work at the hospital; likely another quick workout of my own after that, THEN I can relax for a bit. But probably not, because there will be house duties and other things to get done i'm sure.

Thinking of getting some Christmas shopping done on Saturday/Sunday.

This is why I hate this time of year. Everyone is sick, but we all need to still do ALL the things. It makes me miserable, quite honestly, the things that are required of us just to get through the holidays. I'm only miserable on the inside though!!! LOL, just taking one day at a time.

Monday - good eats, all healthy, went to gym and worked out for 1.5 hours, all cardio. It was fantastic. I jumped from airdyne to power mill to treadmill to spin bike, not going for more than 25 minutes on each, which was perfect because I didn't get bored or overworked from any of the machines. Burned almost 700 calories, so that was a really nice bonus too!

Tuesday - woke up early and drove BF to his surgery. I had a protein bite and some coffee, then while he was in surgery I bought a turkey sandwich and another coffee. I took him out for food after surgery and he had some soup and I had a burger with fries. We shared the fries, but I didn't share my burger because it was DELICIOUS and I am mean about sharing delicious food LOL. Later that night after we'd been home for awhile, I had leftover chicken and rice with veggies. BF is doing great with recovery and hardly in any pain at all - yes he is on painkillers!

Wednesday - so far so good; toast with pb and honey, protein bite, two oranges. I'm thinking lunch will be the last chicken breast with some rice. We have leftover chili as well, and i'm thinking of making it into a potato lasagna - we would add scalloped potatoes and mozza cheese and bake it in the oven. I do still have half a sweet potato too we could use up in this dish. I'm kind of excited to give it a try! BF has some physio he needs to accomplish today so I will help him with that, and then I might get on the indoor bike trainer for a bit just to get a little exercise in since I didn't do anything yesterday.

I coach tomorrow after work so I will take BF with me so he can do some upper body stuff and chat with some of his gym friends. Then Friday another coaching session after work at the other gym. He will be kept busy for sure, hopefully he won't overdo it but he is insisting on accompanying me!

Well I guess feeling better was short-lived, I went ahead and lost my voice yesterday because of this darn cold I can't get rid of.

I did a lot of coaching between Friday and Saturday, so i'm not suprised I have no voice left. At least I get to rest it for a few days now since I don't have to coach again until Thursday. It's actually exhausting to have to talk, because I have to push hard through my vocal cords to get any kind of noise out LOL. BF thinks it's quite funny, and I have to agree, I sound like a whiney nincompoop.

Friday I did a cardio workout after coaching, but couldn't get too far into one because of my cold - so I just did some power mill (stairs) and airdyne (bike). Friday night BF and I had eggs and toast for supper, and BF brought some leftover hamburger meat with him, so we made chili for Saturday's supper, which was really good even though I was kind of craving salmon. After I coached on Saturday, BF and I did a fit check to see if our cardio and strength have gotten better over the last three weeks of the challenge (it has). We went to the movie on Saturday night - Bohemian Rhapsody, which I loved so much. And Sunday we used as a day of rest rather than going to spin class; BF went for a massage, then we went out for brunch together and I had pancakes and all the other things that had carbs in them LOL. It was really delicious and fun to go out - we never go out to eat because we're usually always cooking at home. We extended the luxury into supper as well and ordered ourselves some pizza while we watched Dead Pool 2.

I did some laundry over the weekend, but other than that I didn't really do the cleaning I wanted to. Oh well, we will survive anyways. I am at work today, and then I will go to the gym after work and see what kind of workout I can get in, then BF is coming back to my place because he has his knee surgery tomorrow morning and i'm going to be driving him there and back and then he'll be staying with me while he recovers. We have lots of leftovers in the fridge for this week, so I will probably only have to cook once or twice - things like eggs and rice, and maybe we'll bake that salmon this week before my brusell sprouts go bad!