Rock ‘N Roll

Starting weight: 271 lbs
Current weight: 178 lbs
Loss last week: -5 lbs (!!!)
Total Loss: -93 lbs
Thoughts: Glad those two pounds from last week decided to join the party!

What can I say? It’s been a great week! I was totally on-point with my eating and went above and beyond when it came time to burn those calories. Most people will say that losing weight is 80% diet and 20% exercise, but for me? It’s the total opposite. Ever since day one, working out has been my go-to pick me up and my saving grace. After being trapped in my body for so long, it feels so incredibly good to get out there and move. I love feeling the effects of all my hard work and effort with every step I take no matter what it is I’m doing. I’m not just losing weight, I’m getting fit. And I love that!

I can’t help but attribute my ‘big number’ to an awesome week in the gym. In all of my 5K and 10K training, I’ve never jogged so much in a single week as I did last week. I completed a session of long intervals (15 jog / 5 walk), moderate intervals (5 jog / 2 walk), short intervals (3 jog / 2 walk), and short distance (5K). The only day I didn’t hit the ‘mill was on Wednesday. I thought I’d be able to make it home before Planet Fitness closed (eff you Thanksgiving), but I came up short. Instead, I busted out 35 minutes on our elliptical (enough for a 300-calorie burn) and called it a day. By the time yesterday rolled around, the only thing left for me to conquer was The Beast — those five consecutive miles I was once able to jog in mid-October. When I woke up, it was the first thing on my mind. I knew I could do it. And I did. In 00:59:16.

That reminds me..

A little over a year ago, my workout regimen consisted of five minutes on the elliptical every day.

During those five minutes, I pleaded for mercy at least a dozen times. Every day.

For two weeks!

I could have stopped at any moment, but I never did.

Instead, I increased my workouts to seven minutes per day.

Then ten minutes.

And so on.

The first time I completed thirty consecutive minutes on the elliptical was December 12th, 2008.

It was a near-death experience.

Or so I thought.

If you’re overweight and unsure how to approach exercise, start slow by setting small, achievable goals*. Even if those goals may be considered ‘laughable’ to 99% of the human population, set them, achieve them, and use those accomplishments as positive reinforcement. Revel in your triumphs however large or small they may be. Don’t down-play anything.Every small step in the right direction will lead to bigger and better things.

Who knows. Maybe in a year’s time, you’ll be jogging five miles.

*Disclaimer: You should always consult a doctor before starting an exercise regimen… or something.

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Saturday (11/28) – Calories
Goal: 1,700
Consumed: 1,550
Burned: 3,692
Deficit: 2,142

Saturday (11/28) – Activity
Activity: 5 mile jog (60 mins)
Moderate: 150 mins
Vigorous: 67 mins
Steps: 26,631

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Overall – Calories (11/22 – 11/28)
Goal: 10,700 (1528/d)
Consumed: 10,781 (1540/d)
Burned: 21,435 (3062/d)
Deficit: 10,654 (3 lbs)

Overall – Activity (11/22 – 11/28)
Steps: 121,546
Moderate: 10.45 hrs
Vigorous: 5.1 hrs (!!)

The Stats

Wednesday (11/25) – Calories
Goal: 1,500
Consumed: 1,547
Burned: 2,668
Deficit: 1,121

Wednesday (11/25) – Activity
Activity: Elliptical (35 minutes @ home, gym = closed)
Moderate: 86 mins
Vigorous: 25 mins
Steps: 13,612

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Thursday (11/26) – Calories
Goal: 1,500
Consumed: 1,499
Burned: 2,895
Deficit: 1,396

Thursday (11/26) – Activity
Activity: 5K (00:35:05 @ 5.0-5.5 mph), Walking (24 mins @ 4.1 mph)
Moderate: 42 mins
Vigorous: 47 mins
Steps: 11,673

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Friday (11/27) – Calories
Goal: 1,500
Consumed: 1,632
Burned: 3,083
Deficit: 1,451

Friday (11/27) – Activity
Activity: Intervals (5 min jog @ 5.3 mph / 2 min walk @ 3.8 mph for 60 mins)
Moderate: 52 mins
Vigorous: 62 mins
Steps: 16,261

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Total Deficit (11/22 – 11/27)
Cals: 8,512

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Note to self: Check calories before eating something new! Individual-sized lemon tart = 487 calories. It was good, but not that good. I had to take drastic measures by throwing the other one out. Sorry, mom!

Winner, Winner Turkey Dinner!

1,499.

That’s how many calories I consumed yesterday. In total. On Thanksgiving.

Circle gets the square!

My day started with an early rise and a trip to the gym. Cassie and I decided against participating in the ‘Feaster Five’ due to my injured foot, but vowed to complete it together next year. Instead, we both went to our respective gyms (her gym was open after all) and busted out some serious mileage. She ended up jogging a full five miles and I went into my Unofficial Treadmill Trot with one goal in mind — to beat my 5K PR (personal record) of 00:36:00.

I’m sure you can guess what happened next. I beat my PR by 00:00:55. Not a huge difference, but I did it. And it felt great.

My original intent was to complete the 5K and hit the road, but I’ve gotten used to my sixty-minute workouts. Anything less just feels wrong. I attempted to use the remaining twenty-five minutes for interval training, but decided against it after I almost wobbled off the side. It would have been a terrible way to go. Instead, I walked it out at a cool 4.1 mph and reveled in my achievements.

As for the food…

I attribute yesterday’s caloric success story to a change in scenery, as it was almost too easy to make great food choices in my new environment. I had a great time and didn’t feel the need to over-eat at all. I piled my plate high with three ounces of turkey, one ounce of gravy, a cup of broccoli, a cup of squash (sans butter and brown sugar), and the best damn sweet potato I’ve ever had. My whole meal came to about 417 calories! I also had one small stuffed mushroom cap at 67 calories and a bunch of fruit before dinner was served. For dessert, I indulged in a mini chocolate cannoli (112 calories) and a raspberry concoction Cassie and I whipped up using sugar-free cool whip, sugar-free angel food cake, and fresh raspberries (185 calories). I’m usually not a huge fan of the processed ‘low fat’ or ‘sugar-free’ lab food (yes, I am an asshole), but it was delicious and was so low in calories. I just couldn’t say no.

After dinner, The Girl and I stopped by my parent’s house to pick up some stuffing and ended up leaving with a tub of stuffing, a tub of squash, a bunch of turkey, a small sandwich bag of gravy, a cup of mini hot dogs soaked in grape jelly/cocktail sauce (don’t hate, it’s amazing!), au gratin potatoes and deviled eggs (two of The Girl’s BFFs), a brownie made with raspberry applesauce, and two lemon tarts. Even though we walked away with a ton of loot, we barely made a dent in the vault. I have no doubt that every morsel of food will find a home in the stomachs of a few lucky individuals (my sister is known to vulturize leftovers and my parents are famous for freezing the hell out of and later breathing life into them), but I couldn’t help but feel pretty awful that my parents had no one to share this amazing meal with. The weird part? I didn’t feel this way until I saw the heaps and mounds of food sitting in the fridge and sprawled over the counter-top. I honestly assumed they were going to enjoy a small and toned-down version of Turkey Day, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

As soon as I got into the car, I broke down into a crying frenzy. I know that my parents enjoyed a wonderful and quiet Thanksgiving together regardless of the guest list (or lack there-of), but I still felt shitty after seeing all of that food just sitting there. Why? Why did I lose my shit? Why did I begin to doubt my decision over some food packed away in Gladware? Is it because I wasn’t there to fulfill my Hoover-esque destiny? Ain’t that some shit.

I’ll have to let this marinate before coming to a conclusion that might shed light into this silliness.

Until then, I’m off to the gym!

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

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Sporting men’s size 42 jeans – 09/08 @ 271 lbs | Same jeans – 07/10 @ 154 lbs
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Hard to believe I was one hot dog away from busting out of these things!!
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‘If I close my eyes, no one can see me…’ 09/08 | Prior to jogging my first half marathon – 05/10 @ 158 lbs
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My ‘breaking point‘ photo – 10/08 @ 271 lbs | Hanging with my new pal – 5/10 @ 160 lbs

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‘Nuff said – Summer ’08 @ thiswillneverhappenagain

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Bird Day ‘Plan’

Ah, Thanksgiving. Somehow, you’ve become synonymous with deep fried turkey stuffed to the nines, mashed potatoes piled high with a myriad of empty calorie-fixings, butternut squash drowned in butter and brown sugar, green bean casserole drenched in cream sauce, sugar-laden cranberry sauce, piles and piles of rolls, leagues of appetizers, and desserts galore. Once a  holiday deeply seated in giving thanks and gratitude for our fellow man, we now arm ourselves with plans to ‘beat’ you and your super-sized menu.

Not gonna lie, it’s quite hilarious.

My ‘plan’ is to treat Thanksgiving as just another ‘ordinary’ day. I will be sticking to my 1,500 calorie goal and I will be exercising before The Feast is set to begin. My original plan was to make an appearance at Planet Fitness for a quick 5K (which was basically the whole reason I signed up for the gym in the first place), but Cassie sent me a text at last night asking if I wanted to participate in the ‘Feaster Five’ —  a five-mile road race set to take place Thanksgiving morning. I was hesitant to accept such a challenge due to my bout of shitty and sporadic workouts, but decided to give her the thumbs-up anyway. After all, I basically nagged her into doing a 10K with me. I should return the favor, right?

Right.

Except that my foot has been absolutely killing me for the past couple of days after a stack of boxes (five high) came crashing down on it last week. The stack of boxes were hovering about five inches off the ground between the wall and another stack of boxes before they attacked my foot with a heated passion. I shook it off and didn’t think much of it until my foot became tender following Zumba on Saturday. Since then, the pain level has been on the rise — especially after a workout. It doesn’t hurt while I’m on the treadmill, but walking afterward is a challenge. I was literally gimping it home with The Girl from the train station last night and had a hard time getting comfortable in bed/falling asleep because of the sheer pain. Not only does my foot hurt today, but my knee is killing me and my hamstring is tight. I’m sure the added aches and pains stem from over-compensating/limping so I’m not shitting my pants just yet. It’s just a tad uncomfortable and a little over-the-top for something that is probably just a bone-bruise.

With that said, I could probably jog the 5-miles without dying, but I’m not sure if I want to deal with the aftermath or the possibility of causing more injury to my foot/knee/leg. Instead of the Feaster Five, I suggested she come with me to Planet Fitness around the same time tomorrow morning for an unofficial Treadmill Turkey Trot since her gym is closed for the day.

We’ll see.

As far as the food goes, I toyed with the idea of giving myself an extra 1,000 calories (taken directly out of Sean’s book), but decided against it in the end. Thanksgiving has never been that ‘crazy holiday’ where everyone flies in from umpteen cities and towns from across the country just to OD on Tryptophan and fall asleep on your couch. In our house, we gorge ourselves simply because we ‘can’. And we do, year after year.

My mother makes over-eating ‘easy’ since she is such an amazing cook. Her menu of choice normally includes a roasted bird wrapped in bacon and stuffed with her amazing Italian stuffing (comprised of rice, sausage, and tender-loving care), savory butternut squash, corn drowned in butter sauce, green bean casserole, the best mother-effing mashed potatoes and gravy in human existence, fresh cranberry sauce, some sort of soup concoction for an appetizer, and way too many desserts for the amount of guests in attendance. Plus, there is never a shortage of freshly baked Italian bread from Tripolis (a household tradition). After dinner, we usually gather around the table for a serious game of Uno or head into the basement for a round of pool. Year after year, I leave the house feeling stuffed, bloated, and on the verge of vomiting…

…and with enough leftovers to fuel my buffet-style dining experience well into the weekend.

This year will be different.

The Girl and I will not be spending Thanksgiving with the family. My sister — who is an EMT — picked up a twenty-four hour shift and will not be in attendance. My aunt and uncle cannot make it due to health reasons that have been plaguing my aunt for over a year. My aunt Alice passed away earlier this year and will be partying at the Big Thanksgiving In The Sky without us. My father decided to pick up a charter run (he drives a school bus) to earn some extra cash this holiday season and my mother implied that celebrating would be kind of pointless considering the low attendance level. Yeah. The holidays tend to be pretty bare when 80% of your extended family has been feuding over the death of your grandfather and his belongings for 15+ years.

Just sayin’.

Instead of feasting with the fam, we’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving with Cassie and her enormous (20ish people?) and very animated (aka loud as fuck) family. There is never a dull moment when Cassie’s family is around and I’m looking forward to the insanity that tomorrow will surely bring. Who thought I would be sharing my first health-conscious holiday with my wife, my best friend, and her family? It’s going to be a great one!

If you haven’t decided how you’re going redefine your holiday experience, this article might help.

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Tuesday (11/24) – Calories
Goal: 1,500
Consumed: 1,470
Burned: 3,415
Deficit: 1,945

Tuesday (11/24) – Activity
Activity: Intervals (3 min jog @ 5.5 mph / 2 min walk @ 3.8 mph for 60 mins)
Moderate: 141 mins
Vigorous: 56 mins
Steps: 22,924

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Total Deficit (11/22 – 11/24)
Cals: 4,544

Monday, Monday, Monday

Disclaimer: For the next 38 days, this blog will be teeming with daily (and weekly) stats, a shitload of cussing, good days, bad days, and down-right questionable days. If being pummeled over the head by agonizing details isn’t your thing, feel free to visit me again in ’10. Until then, I’m all about business as I attempt to lose 2.5 lbs each week for the next five and a half weeks.

Yesterday was a doozy. I began my day with a brisk .97-mile walk to the train station @ 7a. I rode the train to work and  stopped by Shaw’s on my way in for an organic Fuji apple, a chocolate peanut Mojo Dipped Cliff Bar, a liter of Poland Springs, and a fat-free blueberry Oikos yogurt. Now that I’m hitting the gym straight from work, I no longer pair my Cliff bar with my yogurt for breakfast. Instead, I devour that morsel of heaven an hour prior to hitting the gym in an attempt to keep hunger pangs at bay. Not only is it tasty as hell, but it works like a charm. The apple + yogurt combo hold me over until noon on most days. If not, I’ve been known to munch on an organic cheese stick, a 100-calorie dark chocolate bar from Trader Joe’s, or some turkey pepperoni between meals. Nom, nom, nom.

Once my Shaw’s run was complete, I was ready for a long day in-front of the computer. Or so I thought. It was a challenge just to awake between the hours of 8a-5p. Ever since the move (10 days ago), I’ve fallen into an endless-pit of exhaustion. My level of fatigue is literally shocking and I basically have no idea why. I haven’t been spending all of my spare moments getting the house in order. The entire apartment remains in disarray with the exception of the kitchen. Not that I want to admit this, but um, we don’t even have a shower curtain yet.

Anyhow. Not only did I spend the better part of my day barely conscious, I spent most of it wondering how the hell I was going to complete sixty minutes of intervals. When the clock struck 5p, I headed to the gym. I dreaded every single step toward that hell hole, but I went anyway. I slowly changed into my gym clothes — a cat hair-laden black t-shirt and mesh shorts that exposed my unshaven legs — and left the locker room ready to bust out some serious mileage.

Not.

Fast forward sixty minutes to me walking off the treadmill happier than a pig in shit.  I completed my 15 jog / 5 walk x 3 session with (dare I say?) much enjoyment and little difficulty once the belt started rolling.  It was — hands down — the best workout I’ve had in over a month. I was enthralled.

Here’s something I’ve conveniently failed to mention: during the week of 11/08-11/14, I struggled like I’ve never struggled before on that damn treadmill.  I literally could not jog @ a 5.0 for more than two minutes at a time. I wanted nothing more than to hide my face at the bottom of a vat of nacho cheese where I could slowly drown my sorrows into a saucy oblivion. It felt terrible. And it got to me.

Big time.

I went into the gym every single day that week wondering how it was possible to lose my endurance in such a short period of time. All those months of training and pushing myself were down the drain! All I had was a busted lung, a slow trot, and a defunct D-Tag to show for it. I was heart-broken and subsequently spent the next week (last week) avoiding the gym because of it. Now that I’ve set my sights on a new goal, steering clear of the gym is simply not an option. If I want to reach my goal, I need to go all out despite my down-graded endurance level. No excuses. No pity parties. Just me and that treadmill riding into the sunset together.

Even though I was tired and unsure as to how I would perform last night, I got on that machine, rocked it out, and re-learned the importance of staying on top of my mental game. The difference between my workout yesterday and my workouts during the second week of  November is simple: I didn’t give a shit if I had to complete the next five weeks of workouts @ a 5.0, a 4.8, a 4.5, or a freaking 2. Getting in the gym and getting my workouts done is the only thing that matters. It also dawned on me that comparing myself to others isn’t the only way to drop a deuce on my mentality. Comparing my present self to my former self (you know, the one that trained for eight weeks to complete a 10K over a month ago) is a recipe for disaster. Staying present isn’t an option, it’s a must.

After my kick-ass workout, I headed over to Tossed and purchased my favorite salad known to man (field greens, baby spinach, grape tomatoes, chick peas, egg whites, tortilla strips, turkey, and lemon juice @ 302 calories). By the time I finally left the building, it was 6:40p and I was on my way to meet The Girl in front of her work for 7p. How I was able to give myself enough time to get from Tossed to her work and comfortably eat my salad while sitting on a stairwell watching ‘Julie & Julia’ on my iPhone will remain one of the greatest mysteries of all time. Once she emerged, we headed to T station, rode the train home, and decided to catch the bus instead of making the .97-mile trek back to the apartment…

…only to jump directly into the car for a quick ‘drive by’ of the local gym. Even though I’m working out directly after work @ a gym connected to my building, I like the idea of having a gym separate from work. Traveling into Boston just to complete my distance jogs on Saturday morning = huge mistake. At $10/mo, I couldn’t say no to Planet Fitness! Before signing up online (to avoid those pesky salesmen peddling visions of fitness bliss), I wanted to make sure it was easily accessible and had plenty of machines. The answer? Yes and yes.

Of course, $10 means no frills, but I don’t need much more than your standard treadmill/elliptical/stationary bike + free-weights to get in a killer workout — especially if I’m going to be using this place mostly during the weekends and holidays. I considered transferring my YMCA membership to the local branch, but it’s lacking in the equipment department. They have just ten treadmills and four ellipticals and are known to slap some serious usage limits to these machines (I would know, I was a member in a past life and saw it as a bonus). It’s great if you’re going for the classes, pool, sauna, and/or hot-tub, but I have access to these things at work (sans classes). I am now happily paying $20/mo for access to two gyms (thanks to Janice and her shadiness) and enjoy breaking up the monotony by attending Gina’s classes with Finn and accompanying Cassie to Saturday morning Zumba every now and then.

After the drive-by, we headed to Walgreens to pick up a few gallons of water and finally got home around 8:30p. As soon as I stepped foot in the door, I was on laundry and painting like white on rice. I have a few areas of touch-up and a few loads of laundry left, but I made some good progress before retiring at 10p.

It was a long day, but I’m prepared to do it all over again today.

At least the commuting/working/gym parts.

Sunday (11/22) – Calories
Goal: 1,600
Consumed: 1,589
Burned: 2,461
Deficit: 872

Sunday (11/22) – Activity
Activity: None
Moderate: 56 mins
Vigorous: 0 mins
Steps: 9,026

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Monday (11/23) – Calories
Goal: 1,500
Consumed: 1,494
Burned: 3,221
Deficit: 1,727

Monday (11/23) – Activity
Activity: Intervals (15 min jog @ 5 mph / 5 min walk @ 3.8 mph x 3 – 60 mins)
Moderate: 100 mins
Vigorous: 51 mins
Steps: 21,419

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Total Deficit (Sun – Monday)
Cals: 2,599

Revenge

Starting weight: 271 lbs
Current weight: 183 lbs
Loss last week: 0 lbs
Total Loss: -88 lbs

Another exciting 0-lb loss is in the books. I haven’t uploaded my GoWear Fit stats yet, but I am 99% sure I created enough of a calorie deficit to lose at least a pound. That pound could be hiding just about anywhere, but it needs to cut the shit, man-up, and and admit when it’s gone!

In all honesty, I am not surprised by last week’s goose egg. I don’t think I’ve ever actually lost weight after spending a Friday night at Cassie’s. Sounds impossible since we’re both Calorie Nazis and make it a point to engage in some sort of activity whether it be Zumba class Saturday morning (followed by a chilly 2-mile jog) or a trip to the gym, but it’s true. It’s oh-so-painfully (and hilariously) true. Of course, a week’s worth of effort doesn’t hinge on a single day, but admit it: it’s weird.

I feel great about all of the wonderful (and sometimes difficult) choices I make week after week, my improved fitness level, and my success thus far, but hitting my ’100 lbs Gone By 01/01/10′ goal seems to be slipping from my grasp. And I’m not OK with it. I’m three-for-three in the Goal Department thus far (jogging a 5K + jogging a 10K + losing 81lbs by my 26th birthday) and I absolutely refuse to become idle during these next 39 days.

In order to reach my goal of losing 100 lbs by January 1, 2010, I will need to lose approximately 2.36 lbs per week for the next 5.5 weeks. Do able? YES, so long as I do less of the following:

- Downing 900 calories worth of vodka (Sat night = 500 cals over my ‘goal’)
- Substituting classes instead of going to the gym (last week = 3 hrs vs 6 hrs @ less intensity)
- Dining out (last week = 4x; counted calories, but possible sodium overload)

Fuck it. I am going to the gym tonight after work, applying a second coat of paint to the bathroom when I get home, and doing at least two loads of laundry before bed. I’ll show you a calorie burn!

Sat’s Stats + Recap

Saturday – Calories
Goal: 1,800
Consumed: 1,743
Burned: 3,078
Deficit: 1,335

Saturday – Activity
Activity: Moving/Dancing
Moderate: 81 mins
Vigorous: 0 mins
Steps: 14,839

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Overall – Calories (11/8 – 11/14)
Goal: 10,700 (1528/d)
Consumed: 10,058 (1436/d)
Burned: 20,237 (2891/d)
Deficit: 10,179 (2.9 lbs)

Overall – Activity (11/8 – 11/14)
Steps: 90,851
Moderate: 9.1 hrs
Vigorous: 1.5 hrs

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Starting weight: 271 lbs
Current weight: 183 lbs
Loss last week: -3.5 lbs (!)
Total Loss: -88 lbs (!!)

The Trade-Off

Yesterday was a wash. I chose freelance over going to the gym for the first time in a long, long time. I had no choice but to exercise the ‘exception to the rule’ card and lay some serious smack down on getting those last two projects out. My only other option was to go completely insane.

Not happening.

I am generally against ‘rationalizing’ a missed workout, but if I didn’t get those two projects done and out the door, I wouldn’t have been able to function. It troubles me deeply to get behind on projects and miss deadlines. The sheer weight of the stress and anxiety I experience when that happens (however rare), is enough to spark sleepless nights and catalyze a food rampage. For me, unnecessary stress = an unnecessary calorie surplus and I am not willing to let that happen. I am, however, willing to occasionally forgo a workout for the greater good of my mental (and physical) health if the benefits of doing so grossly outweigh the consequences.

And they did.

I am officially freelance-free for the next few days!

And I plan to enjoy them.

No freelance. No unpacking. No painting.

I’ve already made plans with Cassie that will span Friday evening to Sunday morning and include a Friday night workout, a Saturday morning Zumba class (…and most likely another 2 mile jog in 30-degree weather on top of it), a social gathering on Saturday evening, and two nights of giggling over the ‘snoring man downstairs’. We may even get in some lounging, but I seriously doubt it. When we’re together, we don’t stop moving.

Sunday will bring with it a heavy dose of reality when The Girl and I head over to the old apartment for a old fashion clean-fest before handing in our keys at the end of this month. We have carload of random crap to run to our new apartment and a trip to make to a local donation center where we are planning to unload ten bags of gently worn and non-fitting (!!) clothing.

Once that’s done, we will probably begin unpacking and settling into our new place more aggressively. Not going to lie, I’m looking forward to the day when I’m not shuffling around thirty boxes looking for toilet paper at 6:30a and/or eating something other than Tortino’s Pizza Rolls for dinner, but what’s another week?

Ch..Ch..Changes

Between the ‘holiday crunch’ at work, packing/painting/moving/unpacking, freelance, and hitting the gym/class, my blog is empty even though my brain is on overdrive. I have so much to say, but zero time to say it and it’s killing me. If everything goes as planned this evening (gym, laundry, freelance), I should be in the ‘clear’ tomorrow.

Sort of.

I have pilates class tomorrow @ 7pm which is no longer a quick ten-minute car ride from my apartment. No longer will I be able to rush home on the bus after work, down a quick snack, and head out the door for a nice ten-minute ride to Finn’s place where we’d meet up before class. Instead, I will be hopping the subway to her place from work, passengering with her to class (it’s too damn cold to walk the mile), taking the subway back to the new place (which includes transferring to another line), and hitching a ride with The Girl who will be oh-so-kindly waiting for me at the train station a mile from our new place.

Sounds like a lot, but it’s not too bad. I tested the route on Monday after Finn and I took a make-up class from 8p-9p and it was fine. I watched ‘Into the Wild’ on my iPhone (which is basically an extension of my being) and enjoyed the ride until I had to switch trains at North Station and cram myself into a car with 200 drunken Bruins fans. Everyone wreaked of fried chicken for some reason… ew.

In total, it took me about 45-50 minutes to get home (mostly due to waiting for the T).

In a past life, I would have said ‘FUCK IT!’ and made at least one hundred excuses as to why taking an 8p make-up class on a Monday after having just moved wasn’t on my list of Top Ten Things to Do. Instead, class felt a hundred times more rewarding and enjoyable because of the effort I put into getting there and back. I guess you could say I wanted to get my ‘effort’s worth’ by making every move count.

I will continue to take Gina’s classes despite the commute because I love her teaching style and I really enjoy taking classes with Finn. I’m sure I will be dreading this decision once winter officially sets in, but we’ll see. The hilarious part? It’s not like we moved to East Bum. Our new place (just north of Boston) is 13 miles from our old place (just west of Boston) and 7.5 miles from class as opposed to 4.7 miles. I think I can handle putting in some extra time once a week to get to and from class — even if that means making snow angels and warding off frostbite at the T stop.

More on carving out a new routine later.