Show And Tell

In the depths of depression it's super hard to do anything.  This deep into winter it's tough enough to get out of bed let alone get to work and take care of the basics of life.  Needless to say, going to beatings or the gym has been super difficult for me.  I've been studying for an exam and using that as an excuse for a long time to dodge beatings and the gym.  

After Thanksgiving week my wife and I got back home and I realized I need to get a hold of myself.  No drinking during the week (which means no socializing which isn't great for depression management), eating minimal calories, and working out every day.  

The first week into this project was touch and go, but I'm glad to report that this week has gone fairly well.  I've haven't touch booze all week, eaten the most minimal diet and worked out hard everyday.  As of this morning I'm 199 lbs!  

I'm also feeling very pressed to lean down for another reason.  My wife and I are headed to the Rose City in a couple of weeks and I'm terrified of the weight gain.  The last time I was there I gained 10 pounds in two weeks.  

Not me, but my diet.

So part of the process is to get back to beatings in some kind of earnest.  In my case the Tuesday/Thursday is probably more than I can handle after months of inactivity.  Fortunately, my own idiocy is somewhat moderated by Teacher; who frequently tells me to stand down when he sees me completely gassed doing the basics.  

To amplify the amount of exercise I get I went extra early to class.  This means I get to participate in the kids classes.  Teacher is literally doing four hours of class at a time.  I was completely worn out on Tuesday just doing basic drills and had to leave early being completely drained.  

I came in later last night, but still in the kids class and did the full two hours for the adult class.  So sore.

The show and tell portion came about when I found out that our newest member is a black belt in Hapkido.  He's a bit rusty, but such kicks!  At the end of the class we were doing the different Hyungs/Katas/Forms and just marveling about similarities and differences.  So much fun.

Feeling Old

For those of you who do read this blog, my repetitive theme of being old and often out of shape is once again going to be exploited to, hopefully, humorous effect.

Let's just say that I've allowed myself to get somewhat out of shape.  

I've been studying for a certification exam since September and took the test in November.  To my never-ending chagrin I did not pass.  To add insult to injury my work out schedule has been modest and my propensity to overeat and drink beer accelerated in inverse proportion.  

The problem with the holidays is that everyone is cooking and baking delicious things.  And due to our rural location the absence of families means that we tend to gather even more than usual; which means more eating and drinking.  In our case it means that every weekend night is filled with super-high caloric intake which means that half the week I can barely sleep due to a racing heart and sweat pouring out of every pore for hours at a time.  

My wife and I returned from the big city after my failed attempt heavier and my heart full of woe.  The problem being that I can retake the test two more times in the next 365 days, but it means a considerable financial investment to travel and pay for the test.  However, if I don't resume the study I'm going to forget everything fairly quick.  With that weighing on me I'll be starting up in January with another three months in mind to see how things set.  

Unfortunately, this means that I'll be missing out on beatings again.  

So I looked at myself in the mirror and said that I'm going on a diet and going to work for two weeks straight and see how that goes.   

My first night back to beatings last should be filled with excitement, but I was gasping so hard Teacher had to walk up to me take it easy.  I want you to know I was in the kids class as well.  Clearly I let myself go way more than I had anticipated.  

So it was a handful of Ibuprofen and a cold shower to reduce swelling before bed.  Hopefully, Thursday will go a bit better.