Six Feet Under the Table

So... the Group Power class had a bigger effect than expected. I've been walking funny since Saturday. And it's provided me an excuse to not work out. (Like I needed an excuse.) Today I didn't work out. I just wasn't feeling it. It's been a busy few days, and I had to leave work a little early to go to the dentist. (Side note: I'd rather give birth than have dental work. I hate it that much.) So I worked through lunch, which is when I normally run while at work. And I don't feel bad about skipping the workout, either. Sometimes you just need to give yourself a break, sit still as much as you can... and be okay with that. Tomorrow evening, though, I must run or I'm never going to be ready for the 5k. (It still cracks me up that I have to train for a 5k, but whatever.) Baby Boy's having an off evening, too. He went to bed early, and I've been in my pjs since 8. Maybe it's the weather. Or maybe the busyness is just catching up with us. (Or...

I really loved this day. I loved almost everything about it. I got a really great compliment from my boss (who was relaying a compliment she heard about me from another manager). I was assigned two new projects at work that will give me more opportunities to be creative. (Seems like these are fewer and fewer as of late.) During lunch break, I had my very first gel manicure with my super sweet, fun, and adorable friend Staci. My cube neighbors claim they can't hear me crunching on my daily apple. This is a big deal, because I love my daily apple, but I am well aware that apple eating may be one of the most annoying sounds EVER to cube mates. (Note: If you've never had an Empire apple, get one. They will rock your world. Better (and cheaper!) than honey crisp! You're welcome.) Cheri came back from maternity leave. (I'm sure this made me happier than it did her.) I came home to a happy baby in the Johnny Jump Up playing with a giant plastic spoon while s...

Tonight's workout was THE hardest workout I've had since before pregnancy. It wasn't so much difficult as it was mentally challenging. And I struggled through the whole dang thing. Our YMCA has this machine called "ActivTrax." The first day, a trainer goes around and measures your athletic ability and enters it into the computer along with your goals. Now, every time I go to the Y, I pull up my account, and it prints off a 30-minute conditioning workout that's formulated just for me and designed to help me meet my goals. Today was day one. I worked out a little more slowly, because I was learning what the exercises were. I'm sure it'll continue like that for a couple weeks as I get the hang of it. The fun part? There are at least two personal trainers on staff and in the room at all times, and they approached me a couple times as I was looking at the exercise-explanation book thingy and asked if I wanted help or tips. It was awesome. Our YMCA has...

Did you know that the same pair of shoes (make and model) sold at running stores and low-cost retailers (like Zappos and Amazon) are oftentimes made in entirely different factories? While they might look the same, the materials and quality seldom compare. So where should you buy your running shoes? That all depends. Why to Buy from a Brick-and-Mortar Running Shoe Retailer • A real-life runner helps you select the best-fitting pair of shoe based on how you walk/stand. It's like having your own little personal shopper. • Many stores (most?) will even let you test drive the shoes. Take them out for a run. Run in them for a month. Don't like them? Return them. • Sometimes the prices aren't much higher than box stores or online retailers. But sometimes they are. While you might be paying a premium price, you're getting a premium shoe. (And sometimes this makes a HUGE difference.) Why to Buy from an Online Retailer • If you don't run that often (and don't r...

Doing a little self-diagnosis over here. According to the Internet gods, it appears that I don't have carpal tunnel, but Mommy Thumb. Never heard of it? Neither had I!  Here's  what the ever-so-trusty Wikipedia has to say about it. Sure explains why only my thumbs hurt and why it mostly occurs when lifting Baby Boy. The good news? It seems to be slowly getting better. If I focus on distributing the pressure evenly between my pointer and my thumb, I can do a push-up without pain. Woo!!!

In four days, Baby Boy will be half a year old. It seems like just yesterday that I met him for the first time. I've seen lots of photos of newborn babies resting peacefully on their mommy's chest shortly after birth (if not immediately). That wasn't the case for us. From day one, he wanted to face outward. To watch the world go by. To see faces. To touch things and feel textures. He had a personality from the start... even if he could only express himself in one way... crying. I never thought the crying would stop. But the funny thing is, in reality, he really didn't cry that much. Maybe two hours a day. But I was tired. And I was thinking way too much. When he was brand new, I was spending so much time trying to straighten out HR's maternity leave mistakes, wondering what was going to happen with my job since my company was sold during my maternity leave, and figuring out the upcoming babysitting schedule to really enjoy the newborn phase. I blinked. I shouldn...

I know that it takes at least two months to notice any sort of difference in my athletic-wannabe self. So why do I ALWAYS expect to look different after day one? It's beyond me. But I do. Every. Single. Time. I'm so ready to be strong again. So I started a 100-day squat/pushup challenge. Tuesday was day one. I'm sure I raised a few eyebrows after I did my one squat and one pushup (after running, of course). You see, I admit it: I sometimes tend to judge others on their workouts. But if you complain about how you can't lose weight, eat junk, and read books while working out... well, I have no sympathy for you. In my opinion, if you can read while working out, you aren't working out hard enough. But I digress. Yesterday was day two, and I forgot I was doing a challenge at all. Between soothing a fussy/teething baby and packing for work/a trip to the parents', there was no time for working out. But surely I could've fit in two squats and two pushups. So tod...