Counting Down 2010

Thursday Dec 30

It's finally here! No more sleeps. It's 90min training day!! And what is this feeling in the pit of my stomach? Anticipation? Fear? I re-read my Christmas Day blog and wonder what J has in store for me tonight.

We talk about my food diary. I know it's not great but I'm really proud of myself for writing down everything that passed these lips. J wasn't too hard on me- she's lovely. It's obvious to both of us where I've 'fallen off the wagon'. So after a brief chat about my diet and some new homework regarding cutting down the amount of sugar that I add to my hot drinks (which was inevitable!), the real fun begins!

Warm up consisted of running back and forth across the Centre 4 times normally, 2 times high-stepping knees to chest, 2 times heels to butt, then another 4 times normally.  I'm grateful it's just me and her. And the main workout? Tuesday night circuits...not 3 reps but 4! OMG! And, just for a bit of fun, J has me run the length of the Centre and back between each circuit. Nothing like a bit of cardio to get the old heart pumping!

To soften the blow, J sweet-talks me with some new arm toning exercises. There's the normal 'scarecrow'- holding my arms out to the side with a 1kg weight in each hand (hold for 20 secs and repeat 3 times). Then, it's the 'zombie' which involves holding my arms out in front of me whilst holding a 1kg weight in each hand. Again- hold for 20 secs and repeat 3 times.

Just when I think I'm done, J rolls out the swiss ball & grabs a dumb bell. Time for a little sword play! I have to sit on the ball and imagine that I'm grabbing a sword out of its scabbard. I hold the dumb bell in my right hand across my body so that it's resting against my left thigh. Then I pull my arm across and back until the weight is parallel to my ear. 2 sets of 10 for each hand.

I think about how I'm going to drive home. At this rate, my quads will be too sore to work the pedals and I won't even be able to lift my arm to thumb a ride!! Should be interesting! In November, I could hardly manage to walk down the stairs at the Centre after my first circuit training. In fact, I couldn't walk up or down stairs for 4 days!! Different story now. My right knee stills utters a protest and threatens to give out on me on occasion, but overall, I'm feeling fitter.

Home for dinner. We finish off Victor Victoria and G sends me to bed close to 10. I'm exhausted!

Wednesday Dec 29

First day back at work. Not used to the 6am start. Could so be sleeping. Oh well, as long as I'm there in body, right? The city is dead and we're forced into World Square to start the day with a coffee from Gloria Jeans. This time, I order a cappuccino. Much better.

Work was busier than I expected, but not crazy busy. I spent a couple of hours getting trained up in our new record management system. Seems ok.

G decides to go for a run when we get home. I'm content to hang out and finish my Patricia Cornwall novel. Awesome! I love reading! There's nothing better than losing myself in a good book.  Seems like a normal night. Then, one 5 minute phone call later, it's like we've entered an alternate reality.

Just like that, our plans for New Year's Eve have changed and both of us are reeling.

People are strange. Relationships are complex. I guess that's what makes the world an interesting place.

We stay up late chatting, trying to make sense of the situation.

Tuesday Dec 28

I could get used to this life of leisure. Sleeping in. Relaxing. Not having to rush for the train or fight off other commuters. Ahhh to be independently wealthy! Some day! As well as being a foodie, I admit that I might have a blossoming addiction to iPhone applications! As much as I love scrolling through to see all the price drops and new releases, I must update apps as soon as an update is available. Imagine what I'll be like when I finally get my paws on the iPad!!

So, before investigating fully, I update my movie collection app. Bad move. All of the movies that I had painstakingly added one by one....GONE! I hadn't thought to back them up. Dumb. So I spent almost 3 hours re-entering them. By the end of that, I was less than impressed, and I'm only half way through my collection. Sigh.. I emerge from the back room (where I actually get decent 3G reception on my iPhone) frustrated and a little grumpy.

G is relaxing on the lounge, catching up on TV shows that we recorded through the week. I know I've got to go out and pick up a replacement headlight bulb to get our car ready for another trip to Canberra and a new light bulb for the bathroom light, but I'm not looking forward to it. G is looking forward to it even less, so she decides to stay home and send me out to face the holiday crowds on my own.

Surprisingly enough, getting the headlight was no drama. Finding a globe for the bathroom lamp- well, not so straightforward. Guess I'll be brushing my teeth by fairy light tonight!

Sooo not wanting to exercise tonight, so I delay as long as I can. Finally, I can procrastinate no longer (well, I could, but I reckon it's best not to!) and I get ready. 5 minute warm up on the treadmill (500m). Stretching. Then straight into my Thursday morning group circuits. As I finish my last set of squats, I think longingly of a shower, but then Rocky Road flashes like a neon light in my mind and I know that 30mins of quality time with the treadmill awaits. I can't face the weigh-loss program. My knees are still sore from Sunday's run. So, I figure I'll give the walking program a try.

3mins at speed 2. 3mins at speed 3. 3 minutes at speed 4. 3 minutes at speed 5. 6 minutes at speed 6. Then down to 5, then 4. I can't handle the super slow speeds, I do 6 minutes at speed 4 and then 3 minutes at speed 3 to finish off.

G puts the salmon in the oven and I haul myself into a luke warm shower to freshen up.

After dinner, we decide to watch Julie Andrews in Victor Victoria. Loved it! By 11pm, I was too tired to continue, so we agreed to finish the video (no, that's not a typo, this was vintage VHS) tomorrow.