Planning Ahead

On days that are going to be especially busy I do tend to worry a bit of how I'm going to accomplish everything I need to do as well as stay on track with eating right and working out. It takes a bit of planning (which sometimes takes quite a bit of time in itself) but it is possible, and after my day yesterday, I know it's totally worthwhile putting in that extra bit of planning, no matter how tedious it may seem.

The main thing I had to keep in mind for the day is that I was

eating out with friends at night. We were going for sushi, which for me is pretty much the only place I don't mind eating out. However, I know that sushi isn't as healthy as some of us would like to believe - I think there is a way that you can eat healthily (avoid deep fried rolls, stick to sashimi, stay away from the ma

yonnaise based sauce, ask for low sodium soy sauce etc.), but you have to watch what you order. {Here's a good article on Healthy & Unhealthy Sushi ingredients.} In any case. I knew I'd be eating out so I wanted to watch my calories for the breakfast and lunch and enjoy dinner without overdoing it. Anyway. With that in mind, I adjusted my food accordingly and managed to enjoy all my meals without a problem.

My workout didn't go as planned. I had originally planned a light cardio warm-up, body balance class, and then some boxing training - wasn't sure if I'd have the trainer with me today, so I was just going to do some basic footwork and core strength training. Just as I had finished my cardio warm-up, the electricity went out in the entire gym. Luckily it didn't affect me much because I was done with the machines --- I was ready for Balance class. Unfortunately, nobody showed up for class today so it got cancelled ... so I went on to do my boxing training. I first started with the jump rope -- I don't know how I'm going to manage to jump for 6-minutes in a row. I find it TOUGH!! Still, I know that the only way to get there is to practice, so I did. I jumped and I jumped and I jumped. I went at it for 20 minutes (though probably only jumped 10 of those 20). I just had to keep pushing myself. It's like I had a constant monologue running through my head - Come on, jump! Keep at it. Don't give up. You think you're tired, but you're not. You've got to push through etc. etc. etc. -- It was both mentally and physically exhausting ... but I'm determined to complete that 6 minute stretch. I don't know how long it'll take, but I'm going to to keep trying until I get there! After about half an hour of my own training I met up with H to do some proper training ... and He.Worked.Me.Out! OMG - punch after punch after punch -- I had my hand wraps on, but when the skin peeled off my knuckles and I started bleeding a bit (how hardcore does that sound? lol) I put on my gloves and really went at it.

Throwing a few punches may not seem difficult, but it really is an amazing workout. Everything matters - your stance, your poster, firm core, concentrated movements etc. It is not easy, but it felt incredibly good to hit something. Very cathartic indeed! Anyway. After an hour I was done. what I really wanted to do was lie down right there and then on the gym floor lol - I was very happy to have booked a massage for that afternoon. I felt like I really needed it!

So, a good day overall. Still didn't manage to get a good night's sleep. I think it's got to the point where I'm going to need to take something tonight so that I can actually sleep for 5 hours. That's all I'm asking for ... 5 hours of sleep. We'll see.