Mixing It Up

Ahhh… Summer. It’s been a bit of an exciting one so far. As Meridith mentioned last week, I got engaged a couple of weeks ago and have been kind of basking in that glow for a bit. Being the planner that I am, I have to fight my urge to jump in and start planning all the things right away, and remember to just enjoy being engaged. Which I’m not so good at, because I love list making and researching and all of that nonsense. Clay has had to reign me in a couple of times. Oops.

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Love this boy – so excited for what we have coming up!

But, there are definitely other things I need to focus on in the mean time, like making sure my bod is hotttt for my wedding day – it’s never too early to start that work. To do that, I’ve been trying to ramp it up and keep things fun and spicy in the gym.

I’ve been working on programming a healthy mix of HIIT, strength, and cardio into my training. This keeps me engaged and allows me to work on certain skills and endurance at the same time. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get bored when my workouts are the same every other day. I need variety. And so, this is what happens:

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That middle workout? Smoked me the first time I did it. Heavy sled pushes into burpee box jumps are no joke. Leg days have left me jello-legged and sore. My favorite kind.

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Cardio has been alternating between spin, running, and Kazaxe. I used to spin all the time, but back in December I changed gyms, which meant leaving my favorite spin instructors. Womp womp. It’s been hard to get back at it and find new classes that I like as much. But, I’m giving the new place the benefit of the doubt and trying out a few instructors – hopefully I’ll find some that I like!

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Don’t want to wear your fancy jewelry at the gym? Get a Qalo ring!

I’ve been trying to find the motivation to run outside, but the forecast for this week has the highs in the 90s and humidity at swamp-like levels… running mostly sounds terrible. I’m not training for a race right now, so convincing myself to get out there is tough. But, I am in the gym every day, and I don’t feel bad about that.

Cheers to summer and sunshine and sweaty workouts and exciting life events. I’ve got a lot of reasons to smile!

Celebrating small successes

So much has been a battle in my home lately, including finding motivation to clean, cook and organize.

My hubby has been out of town for work quite a bit in the past few months. (China, Vegas, China, Taiwan, China. Did I mention China?) And while I miss him terribly, I typically use his business trips as my motivation to organize and purge.

I started off well as he left for his most recent two-week trip, and I donated three bags of collected items and some of his old suits to a local secondhand store.

Small success! Stuff left my home and would be used by others. Gently used clothes would be sold and old rags would be given to an animal shelter. Even donated toiletries will go to people in need. I love it when items can be re-purposed.

Then I did all the laundry I could find. You know, everything he didn’t pack to take overseas that was let in small piles all over the house.

Towels, check. Pantry-purging, check. Clutter-clearing, check.

Small successes continued! Huzzah!

Then I hit a snag.

As you may know, last month we took in a new kitten. We love her. She’s tubby but sweet and always under your feet.

And that kitten, she loves to make messes. She unravels the toilet paper nearly every day. She swipes socks and stockings. And everything on the coffee table is daily knocked to the floor – pens, paper, coasters, magazines, napkins, cups.

cat1Oh look, adorable new cat also stole my remote.

Our older cat was less than pleased with the new furbaby. She’s barricaded herself into our loft/attic area and screams (really) and hisses whenever new cat catches her eye.

loftcatUnhappy old cat, perched in the loft

Oh, and she started to poop up there. (And yes, there was a litter box in the next room. She used that too, but apparently leaving piles in the loft was far better.)

Most definitely, that was NOT a success. That was payback.

Let’s just say choice words were uttered and she was temporarily locked in another room far away from me as I scrubbed and cursed. And I repeatedly yelled at the cat as I uncovered each new landmine.

I tossed box after box over the balcony to the living room below. (They were later broken down and recycled.) Most were already empty and for some reason I’d held onto them. Some contained old clothes I couldn’t bring myself to part with 9 years ago, when I shoved them into the loft. Some were brought by my mother, who in our first year in the house brought boxes of childhood memories each time she visited.

Nearly everything went over the balcony or in the donation box; Even the misbehaving cat. (Don’t worry, I took her out.)

Saved were my old swimming awards, old newspaper clips and a box of my late grandfather’s sweaters. (I just couldn’t discard them even though he’s been gone nearly a decade.) Oh, and Meri, I found some fun stationary, a 22-year-old framed pic of us and my senior prom photo. I’ll share those gems another day.

There’s now an old area rug over the former minefield. And I added another litter box to the loft. (and huzzah! She’s using it!)

loftboxWhatever works!

Unfortunately, she also leaves me extra piles outside the box. I’m hoping that will soon stop.

My typical hubs-is-away-cleaning-effort was officially derailed with cat cleanup – then cat maintenance.

When Hubs came home from his trip on Friday, two days early, I hadn’t quite finished all my organizational efforts. But do I ever?

But with his return, old cat ventured into the second-floor spare bedroom for a cat nap. And last night, I woke in the middle of the night to find her snuggled next to me, purring.

Small successes.

I know this had nothing to do with fitness, but it had everything to do with not wanting to murder my cats. Thanks for bearing with me! How do you deal with a misbehaving pet? (heck, or child?) And how do you introduce two uncooperative animals? Will they ever get along?