Kirsten Captures

This morning we stopped in Tampa on the way to work to drop something off and I was reminded of how Tampa is such a strange city. It has the big buildings, it has the people walking around in business suits, but it is basically deserted. The streets are big and clean and void of any traffic on a weekday. It feels like the cardboard cutout cityscapes at Disney World. Weird.

Florida in general feels surreal. I always feel like I am living some alternate reality, watching my surroundings in a detached way.

My brain is funny today. I am in a funk. Maybe it’s getting back into a routine after vacation. Maybe it’s the fact that my ACE exam is this Friday and I have not studied. Maybe it’s the fact that I sit at work staring at a computer screen but processing nothing. Maybe it’s the fact that I emotionally eat to the point when I have no idea what is going into my mouth. Maybe it’s because I miss Shanghai and the plans that were starting to form.

It seems like whenever I take one step forward, I take two steps back.

Fortunately, exercise is the only constant in my bizarre life. Working out comforts, grounds, and energizes me. When I am moving, my mind is clear and free of concern. I am happy.

Workout

I rode my bike to the gym again, soaking up the last of the day’s sunshine. I completed an upper-body workout with some core thrown into the mix. I felt so strong today. Weights that are usually challenging felt doable and even easy at times. It was so exciting! I firmly believe that going on vacation and giving my body a rest from my usual balls-to-the-walls routine was just what my body and mind needed. Maybe I am not stronger but I am refreshed and ready to tackle my workouts.

Before China, I was putting maximum effort and intensity into every single workout. But that is just not sustainable. It is so important to vary the intensity of your workouts each week and each month to allow your body proper time to recover and shock your body to grow those muscles. Going all out every day is exhausting and your body will suffer. Heard of overtraining? Yep, there’s some nasty stuff. So don’t overdo it! Rest. Take that vacation. Sleep. I slept so much in China. It was needed.

Peter comes home next Monday so my workouts will be scattered and scarce. However, I welcome the interruption and view it as another opportunity to rest my body and mind.

I pray that I finish out the week strong so I can focus on what matters next week.

Amen to that.