4:30 am again. Is this getting any easier yet? No, no it is not. Some people are morning people. I am not those people. How do you do it? How do you get out of bed feeling your best and most energized? How do you bounce out of bed already chipper and excited? I can barely function and I definitely don’t want to talk to anyone. I’m much more of a start having normal conversation around 10 am but before that you get grunts and one word answers kind of person. Maybe the occasional side eye. When I first started working at 6am every morning, it was purely so I would have more time with my family in the afternoon and evening. I thought, ok, I can get to work at 6am and have 2 hours to myself at the office before anyone else comes in. That will give me time to get things done and wake up. What a silly silly child I was! Bright and shiny eyed at all of the possibilities. A dreamer if you will. I’m truly still not chock full of energy until after 10 am and at least one cup of coffee. Ok two cups. Ok basically a 32 oz. vat of coffee. One of my ex co-workers was the morningest morning person I have ever met in my life. Exuberant and full of life, questions, and laugher at 8am, her GOOD MORNING would ring out across the office and half asleep me would almost fall out of my chair. I’ve gotten out of bed and chugged cold water, I’ve tried getting the proper amount of sleep, vitamins, coffee, cold showers, hot showers, and yet nothing can drag any kind of inner energetic morning person out of the deep well of sleepiness I feel at the cold dark hour of 4:30 am. How on earth I am managing to get out of bed and accomplishing the following is beyond me. The only thing that keeps me going is my absolute desire to be healthier, happier, and to fit into my favorite clothes again. Hell, I want my favorite clothes to be too big and to finally FINALLY freaking reach my goal weight.
If you’ve been following along with my last few blog posts, I have listed out the daily workouts I do in the mornings by myself and the ones I do with my family in the afternoon. Each week I will add another day. Again, back to basics and all of the exercises listed here are to get me moving. They are getting me back out there and setting good healthy routines for not only myself, but my family. I do not have the stretches listed yet but I do stretch every single morning before and after my workout and in the afternoons with my family.
Monday: 15 Jumping Jacks 6 sets each (2 in the morning, 4 in the afternoon)
15 Squats- 6 sets each (2 in the morning, 4 in the afternoon)
15 Push Ups- 6 sets each (2 in the morning, 4 in the afternoon)
Tuesday: 10 Situps 5 sets each (2 in the morning, 3 in the afternoon)
10 Reverse Crunches 5 sets each (2 in the morning, 3 in the afternoon)
10 Sitting Twists 5 sets each (2 in the morning, 3 in the afternoon)
30 sec Plank
30 sec Side Elbow Plank
Wednesday: 15 Lunges 6 sets each (2 in the morning, 4 in the afternoon)
15 Side Lunges 6 sets each (2 in the morning, 4 in the afternoon)
15 Donkey Kicks 6 sets each (2 in the morning, 4 in the afternoon)
15 Glute Bridges 6 sets each (2 in the morning, 4 in the afternoon)
(All leg workouts are for each leg)
As I get further in I plan to add weights to our routines. The family works out with me 5 days a week. Currently I am doing 5 days a week of exercise routines, and 1 day a week of yoga. Sundays, I completely rest. I let my muscles heal and grow. Every week, I find myself being able to do a little more than the week before. I can push myself harder and faster.
I’ve also found someone to keep me moving throughout the day. Every day on our break, my co-worker and I walk a mile together. She is also doing keto so on our walks we talk about what is working, what isn’t and we share our frustrations (and recipes!) with each other. It has become something I look forward to doing every day at work. It is so easy to become complacent with sitting while working a desk job. My mind and fingers are constantly moving but a mental workout does not help me reach my fitness goals. My body is meant to move and working a sedentary job is kind of what got me into this mess into the first place. Oh and snacks. And chocolate. And too much peanut butter (no but really I have an actual problem with peanut butter, I can feel it waiting for me from the cabinet at home, all tasty and seductive….).
Today has been an annoying day. This morning, I was making a healthy smoothie for my husband to drink when he gets up. I put all of the ingredients in strawberries, blueberries, banana and spinach (this is not a keto friendly smoothie, as previously stated my husband does not do keto). I flip the cup onto my little magic bullet blender but it will not press down. The little blades will not start whirring and mixing. I take it off, look for any obstruction and I try again. Nothing. Frustration mounts. I moved the little dials, I tried putting it back on any way I can. Now I am late. As I’m messing with it for the umpteenth time, I finally find the problem. One of the cup rings and fallen into the blender and was keeping it from pressing all of the way down. I finally was able to blend. Finishing up, I turned to place the drink in the refrigerator and promptly spilled the concoction onto the floor and my shoes. What in the hell. It all went downhill from there with small annoying things happening. Typically this would have been cause for an “I deserve a treat day”. Not today. No, not today. Today I will go home, workout with my family, cook a healthy meal and not let myself have a reason to fail today. I am stronger than that. What have you done to get moving this week?