Doing What Needed to be Done

Here we go - the proper beginning of a new semester and the start of a 7-week stretch in which I hope I can accomplish a lot. Like the beginning of any routine, there were a few teething problems, but overall I had quite a productive day.

It's been a while since I woke up at 4:45 a.m. but I still felt a bit rushed. I may have to make that time 4:30 a.m. in order to get stuff done and not feel frantic. I hate feeling frantic in the morning. Even though I had a lot of things prepared the night before - my gym bag & my work clothes - there were things that I didn't get to. Namely preparing my veggies for my usual egg muffins and also finishing preparing the worksheets and handouts that I needed for class today. I had to forgo making the muffins and just get my work done in order to make it out of the house at 6:15 and head to the gym.

I had a great workout this morning, but again, I need to probably get to the gym 5-10 minutes earlier because I was rushed towards the end of my workout.

I got to the gym at 6:45 a.m. and did:
5 minutes warm-up/dynamic stretching
20 minutes on the cross-trainer
40 minutes weights - New Rules Workout B3
--- here's where it started to get off track
 I completed my burpees and decided to restart the leg extension exercises that my doctor prescribed for me to strengthen my leg muscles (particularly because my left knee cap is slightly dislocated). This took time that I had not planned for. As a result, I had to shorted the 19 minute interval cardio session that I wanted to do after my weights to just 12 minutes. [It's part of the program that I'm following].

The worst part is that I didn't stretch or cool down properly aside from walking for the 3 minutes on the treadmill before jumping off.

I don't want to skip the post-workout stretch. I think I'll save the physio exercises for the days when I'm not doing weights because I have a bit more time on those days. Plus I do have the leg extension equipment at home so I can always just bang out those three sets of 10 reps in the middle of my day or whenever I've got 10 minutes - it doesn't take too long.

In any case, I left the gym at 9:10 a.m. and was at my desk by 9:30 a.m. I'm so glad traffic wasn't a problem!

Work was great. Last week was kind of a wash so I pretty much started fresh from today. Hopefully I set up a positive, motivating tone for the rest of the semester.


I had a LOT to get done this afternoon/evening. Part of it was prep for classes and the other part had to do with my research. I'm starting my first round of interviews for the new project that I'm working on. There was a lot more that needed to be done than I realized ...

Unfortunately as a consequence, I didn't go to taekwondo/BJJ class. Of course I wanted to go, but at the same time I knew I had to get this work done. Also, even though I pushed through and went to class on Thursday, I really wasn't comfortable in class while I had my period. I didn't enjoy it and kinda had a looming sense of dread before, during, and after the class ... why put myself through that again?

To end on a positive note:
The pain from my cramps for the past four months have been bad. They've been excruciating since October - to the point where, aside from the pain, I'm nauseous and extremely dizzy. Within the first 72 hours, I usually take around 20 painkillers ...

This month, I've hardly had any pain. I have needed to take painkillers - I took 6 on Thursday, 2 on Friday, and 2 on Saturday - but that's it. That's it!

Previously on a pain scale of 1-10 I would rank my pain at a 15, no exaggeration. This month, I'd put it at a 7 max.

Could the acupuncture be working? I've only had 2 sessions. Of everything in my life, that's the only thing that's really changed ... could it really be working???

All I know is that I feel really relieved. Not all my health problems have been resolved (I have an appointment with a new doctor on Thursday), but not being in terrible pain has been such a relief. No tears or depression this time. There was some pain and definitely discomfort and bloating etc, but what a difference ... I'm really happy. I've got another acupuncture session tomorrow.

Today's Workout
Cardio: 32 minutes total (mix of cross-trainer and treadmill)
Weights: NROL Workout B3
Stretching: 5 minutes
Burpees: 60 {challenge total: 840/20,130}

Today's Food
Breakfast: 3 dates, 1 banana, 1 apple, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter (eaten over a span of 3 hours)
Lunch: curried potatoes and rice (the last of the leftovers - too many carbs!)
Dinner: baked scallops with edamame and sweet potato (new recipe)

Leftovers etc. are finally done, the goodies that D's parents didn't finish from their welcome basket made their way into the house, but they have been put out of sight - I'm totally done with carbs and sugar. I made too many little exceptions last week. Even though I know I kicked ass with my exercise, we've all heard it before - You can't out train a bad diet. So now it's all coming together. *Whew*