Never Miss a Monday

I want to start by saying that I'm still compiling a list of questions for my upcoming interviews. I'm probably overthinking it, as I am wont to do. I am hoping to have the first interview done by mid-July.

It is 8 PM right now and I am workout dumb. I worked out twice today, once with my trainer and then later I did a cardio kickboxing class. (Or, as Doug likes to call it, my fight. I think he legitimately believes I go to actually fight with people.)

I feel amazing. There is something that activates in me when I workout very intensely. I have done a good job lately of hitting my step goal (to be fair, there is much to be said for people overstating the importance of simply hitting an arbitrary number of steps every day). I have not, however, done a good job of increasing the intensity of my workouts.

In my area, a lot of people do workouts with Beachbody on Demand. I have yet to take the plunge and subscribe to the service. I don't have a dedicated spot to work out (aside from in front of my TV, which involves a fair amount of straightening up). I don't have a lot of equipment, though I've been adding to my arsenal a bit at a time.

I like having someone plan the workout for me. I like having someone cheer me on. I'm not normally one for group classes, but this cardio kickboxing class is small and intimate. The instructor, my friend Kate, is not too over-the-top with her enthusiasm. I've known her for a long time and she's my kind of dark and twisty.

I also managed to finish the first shawl today. It came out really well, I am quite pleased with it. I am itching to get started on the second one and will do so after I post this.

I talked with friends today about getting into action, about doing the things that I know I need to do, even if I don't want to do them. Our brains are magnificent organisms, but they like efficiency. It's good for a number of reasons to try and learn new things. Every time we have to learn a new skill, it's like a workout for our brains. It ends up creating new neural pathways.

It's also why it's so tough for us to break bad habits and implement good ones. Our brains ultimately want to follow the path of least resistance. It's easier to sit on the couch and binge-watch the new hit show on Netflix. It's easier not to get up a little earlier and have more focus. It's easier to eat a second helping than to drink some extra water.

In any case, I'm hoping that upping the intensity in my workouts will help with a bevy of things.

I am continuing to enjoy a joyful spirit. Again, I don't know why. It would appear, to the untrained eye, that things are still in disarray and joy should be fleeting. I'm not going to poke the bear and wonder why; I'm just going to continue to ride the wave.