Monthly Archives: May 2021

A Week Of Mayhem (or Continuing To Try To Make My Workouts Harder)

Posted on May 31, 2021 | Comments Off on A Week Of Mayhem (or Continuing To Try To Make My Workouts Harder)

This past week at Orangetheory was Mayhem Week. Mayhem is similar to Hell Week where there are harder workouts and you can earn swag for completing a specific number of workouts. As much as I love earning shirts and hats (and this time it was a hat), I knew I wouldn’t be able to hit the number of workouts I needed to do to earn it this time. So I just focused on doing the workouts and didn’t go crazy with trying to fit in extra days (plus, I’m still getting used to being back).

Besides having the extra hard workouts from Mayhem, I also spent this past week dealing with lots of pain and nausea. I’m still working on figuring out if there is a way to make things easier, but this is how things have been for the past few years and I know there isn’t much more that I can do. So I just have to try my best and manage things the most that I can. And I know that if I have to go easier on a workout, that doesn’t reflect on where I’m at right now. This is just always a tough time for me.

Monday’s workout was called “Clock Won’t Stop” and was all about longer efforts and building endurance. And this was my first Mayhem workout in 2 years (since we didn’t have Mayhem in 2020), so I think it was even harder on me than they normally are.

For cardio, we had decreasing runs/bikes for distance with recovery between each effort. We started with a 3-minute distance and it decreased by 30-seconds each round. And at the end, we had a 1-minute push followed by a 30 second all-out. I tried to keep pedaling the entire effort each time, but there were times I needed a break to breathe through a cramp or let the nausea pass. But I still did a lot of time on the bike and got a lot of distance in during the entire block.

On the rower, we were working toward 2000-meters, but it wasn’t being done at one time. We were on the clock with cardio and we rowed whenever they were in an effort. And when they had their recovery, we had 20 squats before returning to the rower. I tried to take little breaks after the squats before rowing again because it wasn’t easy. There were things to do after completing the 2000 meters, but since we had so many times we stopped to do squats, I never got to that point. I was close to 2000-meters by the end, but I missed it by a bit.

And on the floor, it was all about burpees and core work. I wasn’t too happy about this since burpees are so hard on me when I’m nauseous. I did modify them by using the bench for my hands and we only had to do 5 at a time, but they were still really hard. And after each set of 5 burpees, we had 1 core exercise. The exercises were toe reaches, bicycles, in and out static crunches, and sit-ups. At least for the core work, I wasn’t in too much pain and the nausea was a little better.

Wednesday’s workout was called “The Wicked 90” and the theme was all about 90-second efforts. And our coach also made a special playlist that was all 90s music, so that improved my mood when I was having a really bad nausea day.

For cardio, we started with a 1-minute push on a hill and then a 30-second all-out without an incline. After a recovery, we switched it so it was a 30-second push on a hill and then a 1-minute all-out without an incline. After that, we had a 90-second distance challenge at the same incline. We repeated that again but the incline/resistance level was increased by 1.

The rower went along with the cardio a bit. We did the same push and all-out rows along with the treadmills. But when they were doing their distance challenge, we had agility exercises with side to sides and in and outs. Both of the agility challenges involved jumping, so I just stepped out to do them. And just like the cardio, we repeated this all again. I tried to row for all of the 90-second efforts, but there were a few times my nausea was overwhelming and I had to stop to let it pass.

And on the floor, we had 3 different blocks with 2 exercises each. We first had 1 minute of burpees and then 30-seconds of squats. Then we had 30-seconds of neutral full thrusters with 1 minute of clean to squats. And then it was 10 plank jacks with 5 pop jacks for the full 90-seconds. And just like with everything else, we did all of these twice. For all the face-down exercises, I used the bench to help. But I think between everything else I had done plus my nausea seeming to be at its worst, I took so many breaks on the floor. I was so exhausted at the end of the class, but it was a good exhaustion.

Friday was the last day of Mayhem and the workout that day was called “Hard Core Floor”. I was feeling a bit better than I had earlier in the week, but still struggling. But I was glad that it was going to be a slightly better day for me and I needed it in this workout!

For cardio, we had a mix of 1-minute all-outs and 3.5-minute distance challenges.  I did try to pedal faster for the 1-minute all-outs since those should be able to be done that way, but I wasn’t always able to maintain that. But I made the effort and that’s important to me when I’m not feeling my best. And for the distance challenges, I feel like I did a good job staying consistent with my speed and not pushing myself too much at the beginning (which is something I often do).

On the rower, we rowed the entire block without a break. We did have recovery time, but technically no breaks. We had some 1-minute all-out rows and some 30-second push rows followed by 30-second all-out rows. When we had recovery time, it usually was only 15 or 30 seconds each. But we were supposed to keep rowing during that time so I tried my best to do a very slow row and not stop completely. I did occasionally have to stop to let the nausea pass or to drink some water. But I did fewer breaks than I was worried I’d have to do.

And the floor block was where the name “Hard Core Floor” came from. It was a lot and intense. But it did have a few moments of 15 seconds of rest, which was needed for sure. We started with a 1-minute plank. Then we had 3 rounds of overhead triceps and tricep push-ups. Each exercise was done for 30-seconds. Then it was another 1-minute plank followed by pop jacks for 30-seconds and another 1-minute plank. Then it was 3 rounds of uppercuts and shoulder presses with each exercise for 30-seconds. And we ended with another 1-minute plank. It was so much on the floor and I was exhausted. Even with using much lighter weights than I normally do, the 30-seconds of work felt like they took a long time. And while I did have to modify all the planks to be using the bench, I’m glad that for most of the exercises I didn’t have to change much about them.

Saturday’s workout was not a Mayhem workout, but it was still a tough one. And I continued to be feeling a bit better so I could push myself a little more. The nausea is tricky because it can feel like I’m fine one moment and then extreme nausea hits the next, but the intensity of each episode was a little easier to push through than the rest of the week. This workout was a strength-based class and even without it feeling like Mayhem it wasn’t easy.

For cardio, we had 2 very similar blocks. The first block was rounds of 1-minute pushes at an incline and 1-minute bases. And the incline/resistance level went up each round. And we ended at an all-out at the highest incline of the day. The second block was a similar pattern, but we started at the highest incline and went down each round. I was increasing the resistance on the bike and did a bit more than I have been doing since starting back. It was a good challenge for me to test the resistance levels a bit more as I try to get my base level a bit higher as I am more used to the workouts again.

The rower was also 2 similar. Each block had a focus on a 300-meter row. The first row was supposed to be around 24-26 strokes per minute and each row after that was supposed to be at a lower stroke per minute (so focusing more on the power of each stroke and not the overall speed). In the first block, between each row we had bicep curls with a medicine ball. And in the second block we had tricep extensions between each row. While I did have to take a lot of breaks during both blocks, I never had to take a break during the rowing. I always was able to complete the full 300-meters without stopping. Before the shutdown, this wouldn’t necessarily be something I would be celebrating this much. But considering how hard it’s been for me to get back my endurance on the rower, this was a huge accomplishment!

And on the floor, we had 2 blocks of exercises with low reps so we could focus on the weights more. The first block had single-arm low rows, single-arm lateral step-ups (which I modified to be single-arm and regular lunges), and plank twists (which I modified to use the bench for my hands). And the second block had shoulder presses, single-arm deadlifts, and supermans (which I was surprised to be able to do since it’s face-down on the floor). After the floor block and we were done with the workout, I was able to stay for stretching since I didn’t have to rush home to get to work. That’s something I really like about my Saturday workouts right now.

Considering that I haven’t been back at Orangetheory for that long and I was dealing with some of the worst pain and nausea I’ve had, I’m really proud of what I did during Mayhem. I didn’t complete enough to earn the hat, but I did complete the classes I went to. And that’s something that I should be happy about. I had a lot of reasons I could make excuses, and I didn’t. I might have had to change up some things to make them work for me, but I tried my best and worked hard. And to me, that makes me feel like I took on Mayhem and won.

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Really Tired of Feeling Awful (or For Some Reason This Month Is The Worst)

Posted on May 28, 2021 | Comments Off on Really Tired of Feeling Awful (or For Some Reason This Month Is The Worst)

I write about having monthly pain and nausea on here all the time. It’s an unfortunate and annoying occurrence in my life that I deal with every single month. Sometimes I will have a better month, but I haven’t had a month without dealing with this since I had to stop taking continuous birth control. And while I have medications and other things to make me feel better, sometimes it’s just not enough. And this month, it’s one of those months where things just aren’t getting better.

Most months, I deal with this for about 10 days. Sometimes it’s a little less because I feel almost normal earlier than I expect. When I first got off the pill, it would occasionally last for 2 weeks, but that rarely happened and almost never happens now. But of course, this month looks like it may be a month I have pain and nausea for at least 2 weeks.

I’m still in the middle of things, so there is a chance it will get better sooner. But honestly, I’ve been pretty miserable since the middle of last week. The pain can be unbearable at times, even with being on constant painkillers. The nausea isn’t as unbearable, but it is more annoying because I never can tell if I will end up throwing up or not. I’m lucky that my body seems to know when I am in public and not able to be sick, but that’s still a fear I have all the time.

But besides the pain and nausea, I just hate not feeling like me. The bloating is bad, but it’s worse when none of my clothes fit and I have to convince my brain that it’s not because I really gained a ton of weight. Being crabby and irritated isn’t my natural state and I sometimes have to work hard to not take that out on other people. I’m trying to be more social now that it’s possible, but right now I just want to curl up on my bed and nap. I try to force myself to not do that, but sometimes I just can’t find the motivation to do anything else.

And even though this is my blog and I can write about whatever I want to, I hate that I’m complaining about this. I know that things can be better (and they were for so long and I miss that time), but I also know that things could be worse. Having regular cycles is a sign that my body is still working the way it should. I know there are a lot of issues that I might not know about even with a regular cycle, but it is still a good sign. It would be worse if I was constantly going through medical tests to figure out what is wrong with my hormones or body, and I have several friends who have to do that. Hearing their stories of various tests and procedures does make me grateful that my issues can be planned and scheduled around.

As much as I try to be positive and think that maybe I’m being dramatic and my body will surprise me, I have to be prepared for it not to be that way. And even if I felt completely normal again tomorrow (unlikely, but you never know), the past week has still been one of the worst times I’ve had and it’s been a real issue in my life and trying to be able to do anything.

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Believing I’m Worthy Of Effort (or Still Learning More While Dating)

Posted on May 27, 2021 | Comments Off on Believing I’m Worthy Of Effort (or Still Learning More While Dating)

I’ve written so many posts about dating on here. Sometimes my posts are about crazy dating stories from either things I see on dating apps or things that have happened on a date. And a lot of posts have been about lessons I’ve learned through my experience of dating. Life lessons from dating have been a big theme for me. This is why the book I’m working on about dating is all about things I’ve learned through dating. And I know that this is something that will continue to be a big part of my dating life. I will never stop learning about myself through what happens with other people.

I know that sounds a bit bad, but I don’t necessarily take what others think of me as a guideline. It’s more about how I feel around them or seeing how I am treated and deciding if I’m ok with that or not. And for a long time, I didn’t allow myself to consider how I felt about things while dating.

If there was a guy that I was interested in, I would focus on figuring out what he wanted. Did he see me as just a friend or was he interested in more? Was he looking for something casual or something serious? I really wanted to know what they wanted and until the past few years, I didn’t think about what I wanted. There were guys that I wasn’t sure if I really liked them but I was still focused on seeing what they wanted. I didn’t allow myself to really think if I wanted things to continue or not be serious. Fortunately for me, I have been much better about this over the last few years. There are some guys that I have gone out with and have known quickly that I would consider dating them casually but never wanted to be with them seriously for one reason or another. If they wanted something serious, I had to turn them down. And that’s not easy for me because I do still worry if I will ever find another person who will want to be with me. But I’m glad this is something where I have taken some power back.

And more recently, I have realized that I am worthy of someone willing to make some effort to date me. This doesn’t mean I play hard to get or make it difficult for them to do things. I have 2 examples of how this has been playing out in my life recently.

First, there is someone from my past who has reached out to me again. They said they wanted to see me again and I was open to that. The reason we stopped seeing each other years ago wasn’t for anything bad, we just weren’t in the same place in life and it didn’t work out. But one issue I had with this guy was that he wasn’t always reliable. He would ask me out for the weekend and then I wouldn’t hear from him until after the weekend and he didn’t seem to understand why I was upset that I didn’t get to see them when I thought I would.

So when he reached out to me again, I said that I’d be open to trying to date again. But that if he wanted to do that he had to communicate with me over the phone. I wasn’t going to wait to see if he texted me back. I wanted phone calls so we could make plans and not have texting games. I didn’t think this was a big ask and he agreed to it. And for a week or two, he was calling me to talk and we were starting to make plans. But then, he went back to his texting routine. Saying he wanted to see me that weekend and then not texting me until the weekend was over. I texted him back once to say that I would like to plan a date but he would have to call me to do that. And he hasn’t been calling. He continues to text and I am no longer responding. I don’t think I’m making him do anything too difficult, but if he cannot follow through with phone calls to start, I have trouble believing that his reliability will be better if we did start dating again. If he finally called and made plans, I would give him a chance. But from the way he’s been acting, I don’t think this will be happening.

Another situation where I am trying to let someone make some effort is someone who I matched with more recently. We’ve gone out a few times and so far things have been really fun and nice. But I feel like I’ve been pushing for that next date a lot. I have been reaching out to see when he’s free and he hasn’t been giving too much of an answer. Mainly that he’s busy and will let me know when he’s free. And I’m not going to push more. If he really wanted to see me again or talk to me, he will do so. I don’t need to be bothering him asking if he’s free since he said he would follow up with me. This is a bit more of an uncomfortable one for me because I hate to think that maybe I won’t see him again since I’m not pushing for another date. But I also know that I don’t want to date someone that I have to push to see me. I want someone who wants to see me and is going to make it happen. That’s what I do, but now I’m not letting myself be the only one doing that.

It’s not always easy for me to believe that I’m worthy of someone making an effort, but I’m getting better at that. People like to say “if they wanted to make it happen, they will find a way”. And as much as I don’t like that statement, there is some truth to that. If these guys wanted to date me, they know what they have to do. I’m not going to push them into doing it or lower my standards just so I have someone to date. And maybe one of these guys will change and they will be the person I am meant to be with. Or maybe they won’t and I’ll find the person who makes as much effort as I do.

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I Might Have Overreacted A Bit (or A Temporary Fix For My Computer)

Posted on May 26, 2021 | Comments Off on I Might Have Overreacted A Bit (or A Temporary Fix For My Computer)

Earlier this month, my keyboard on my laptop broke. It seemed like it broke in a pretty dramatic fashion. Multiple key covers fell off, one bracket was broken in half, and multiple keys stopped working. After writing the post about the broken keyboard, I first ordered another keyboard that I could use since I needed to be able to type. And I also tried to see if there were any repairs that I could do.

After I calmed down a bit, I realized that it looked like the bracket for only one of the keys was broken. The other keys were able to be snapped back into place. They still weren’t working the way they should be, but at least all the parts were back where they were supposed to be. And I decided to do some more research about fixing the one that was broken. I had asked a friend who knows more about computers and that’s where I had gotten the information that the entire thing would need to be replaced (and would be expensive). But when I talked to them again, I mentioned the broken brackets and sent some photos, and they let me know that there was a chance that I could actually fix things.

I got the information for a company that sells replacement key covers and brackets and tried to order a key from them. They were all sold out so I put myself on a waitlist and did some more searching. Then I found another company that had good reviews so I tried to place an order on their site. I was able to order it, but soon after got an email saying they were out of the key that I needed (which was the “a” key). They gave me a few options, and one option was to fully replace the keyboard which was as expensive as I originally thought. But they also said they could sell me a key that didn’t have the “a” on it and they could put a sticker on it too. I would have been fine with just a blank key since I don’t need to see the letters when I type, but I decided to get the one with the sticker so it looks a bit more like the original keyboard.

Before the replacement arrived, I watched some videos online about how to make this repair. I’ve never fixed anything on my computer like this, and while I knew I couldn’t necessarily make things worse I still wanted to give myself the best chance for success. It didn’t seem too hard, but I know those are famous last words and things aren’t always as easy as they seem in an instructional video.

The key arrived the other day and I got the tools I thought I’d need plus a few extras. I ended up using needle nose pliers, tweezers, and a few different mini-screwdrivers that my dad got me in a set a long time ago. And I turned on the super bright light I have on my desk for self-tape auditions or Zoom meetings. And like I guessed, it wasn’t as simple as the video made it look. I was so sure for about half an hour that they sent me the wrong size bracket. I couldn’t make it fit even when I was sure that I was following the instructions properly. I still don’t know how I got it in there, but eventually the bracket clicked in. And putting the key cover on top was pretty simple. I just had to press it down and it fit on there.

You can tell from the photo that it’s not a perfect match, but it looks good. And once I got the bracket and key cover replaced, the other keys that weren’t working started working again. Maybe it’s some sort of fail-safe that they don’t work when there is a key without a key cover on it? Or maybe it was random luck that they broke at that moment and started working again. Honestly, it doesn’t really matter because I have a working keyboard again.

Even though I was able to fix things, I am still looking at getting a new computer later this year. The keyboard wasn’t the only issue I was having with the computer. And while I can make things work for now, I also don’t want to wait until things are really bad. There are supposed to be new computers released later this year, so I’ll be seeing what those are like and figuring out if those new ones will be right for me.

But at least for now, I have a working keyboard and don’t have to use the external one (which was fine, but I didn’t love it). And I know that if another one of my keys breaks off, there is a chance that I can fix it myself and not freak out too much.

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Another Speaker Series Evening (or I Really Should Read Emails)

Posted on May 25, 2021 | Comments Off on Another Speaker Series Evening (or I Really Should Read Emails)

Earlier this year, I got to be on a Zoom for a speaker series that my parents subscribe to. The speaker was W. Kamau Bell and it was an incredible talk. I know my parents miss getting to go to those in person, but since they are online they can share one of their tickets with someone else. They have been enjoying other speakers this year and have invited friends of theirs to use the other ticket. But last week, my dad asked me if I wanted to be a part of another one.

I would have said yes without knowing who the speaker was since I knew it would be a great talk. But I was excited to find out that the speaker this time was going to be documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. I haven’t seen too many of his documentaries, but I love documentaries in general and thought this would be an amazing chat to learn about all the different movies he has done and he would be full of stories.

When my dad asked if I wanted to have the extra ticket, I was working so I took a note of the information from it. He told me the start time and let me know he’d be forwarding me an email with the link to the Zoom. I saw the email come in but didn’t worry about opening it since I had notes of when things would start.

That day, I went about my day like normal, planning for watching the Zoom later in the evening. I had a pretty relaxing evening before logging in and took my time making dinner and then doing some reading. Then, when I finally opened the email, I realized I wrote down the wrong start time! I had written down that it started at 8pm when it started at 7pm!

I was so mad at myself for this! If I had just opened the email earlier I would have seen this. But I was so sure since I wrote down a start time that I had it right. But I’m guessing I was distracted enough with work that I misheard my dad or wrote down the wrong thing. But instead of worrying about it too much, I tried to get logged in as quickly as possible. Since I was trying to log in early to have time before I thought it would start, I was about 45 minutes late and not a full hour late.

And even though I only got to hear the second half of the talk, it still was awesome. I haven’t seen a lot of his documentaries, but this talk made me want to check more of them out. And I loved hearing about the stories behind the filming and what inspires him to find new projects.

There is a chance that my parents will get a recording of the talk that they can forward to me so I can see what I missed. But even if I can’t, I’m still glad I was able to watch some of it. Even though I am starting to do more stuff outside of my house, I like having virtual events too. I can be a bit more relaxed at home for virtual events and that’s always nice.

The speaker series that my parents are a part of is done for this season and next season will be starting later this year. If they have more virtual events, maybe I’ll get to watch more of them. I hope I do because I do enjoy these deep dives into someone who is an expert or master of their field. And this particular series gets some of the most amazing speakers to be a part of it.

I just know that next time, I’ll look at the email to confirm the time instead of thinking I wrote it down correctly so I don’t end up missing half of the talk.

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An Modified Workout Week (or Still Finding Ways To Make It Work For Me)

Posted on May 24, 2021 | Comments Off on An Modified Workout Week (or Still Finding Ways To Make It Work For Me)

Considering the things I was worried about regarding this past week of workouts, I’m pretty happy with how things went. I knew that my pain and nausea might be kicking in, which is always a challenge. I also was going to work with a new workout schedule and had no clue if I’d be able to manage that. But even with those challenges, I think this past week was a real win!

Monday’s workout was a strength-based class. It was also the first class with the new class schedule. While I like that the class I attend is a bit later so I could sleep a little longer each morning if I wanted to (but I haven’t done that yet), it does make it a bit close for having time to get ready before work. My new class time ends 30 minutes before I have to log in for work. So I decided that if I left before stretching, I could test out if the new time worked or if I had to find a new time for a bit.

The cardio had 2 blocks, both with hills. The blocks were almost identical starting with a push pace, going to a hull, and ending with an all-out. The difference was that the inclines/resistance levels in the first block increased during the hill and in the second block they decreased. I did use the correct resistance levels for the hills, even though it was really hard for me to pedal at the highest levels.

On the rower, we also had 2 blocks. The first block started with a 1-minute row followed by lunges with overhead triceps using a medicine ball. Then the row decreased by 15 seconds each round. And the second block started with a 15-second row followed by lunges with rainbows using a medicine ball. Then the row increased by 15-seconds each round. This was a good challenge for me to work on my rowing endurance, but it was still tough to do the longer rows. But I can feel like I’m getting back there.

And the floor also had 2 blocks, with a focus using the Bosu. The first block had shoulder presses, pullovers, and bicycle crunches all on the Bosu. I was struggling to balance for the shoulder presses, so I kneeled on the floor for them. The second block had single-arm presses on the Bosu, standing upright rows, and Spiderman planks.

And like I planned, I rushed out of class before the stretching and did have just enough time to shower and get dressed before logging in for work. It did cut it close, but I think this will work until the next time the class times change.

Wednesday’s workout was extra special because it was my first post-pandemic workout with one of my pre-pandemic workout buddies! My friend Erin, who has been doing my hair for a little over a year, was returning to OTF and was in the same class as me. I’ve already shared how happy I am to have some of my normal routine back in my life, and having a friend in class is an added bonus and makes things feel even more like they used to!

The workout was a mix of endurance, strength, and power and everything was about 45-second intervals.

For cardio, we started with a 45-second push, 45-second base at an incline, 45-second all-out, 45-second recovery, and a 45-second all-out. We repeated this a total of 3 times but the incline went down each round. And all the end we had one more 45-second all-out. I liked the short intervals because I felt like I could really push myself with the resistance levels and go fast for the all-outs. But the recovery times were short and I was really tired at the end.

The rowing started with a 45-second row followed by another 45-second row where we were supposed to keep the wattage the same but slow down our rowing speed (focusing more on power from our legs). Then we had 45-seconds to recover followed by 45-seconds of squat jacks. The squat jacks were tough for me. My hip popped out, which isn’t that unusual. But I couldn’t get it popped back in again which was frustrating. We repeated this pattern for a total of 3 rounds.

And on the floor, it wasn’t exactly 45-second intervals but it was a mix of 45-second intervals with 2 1/4 minute intervals. For the 2 1/4 minute parts, we had lateral lunges, deadlifts, and plank low rows. When that time was done, we stopped wherever we were and had 45-seconds of speed skaters. Then we had another 2 1/4 section where we picked up where we had left off. My hip continued to bug me while I was on the floor, but this is something I have dealt with for so many years, so I know how to work around it.

Friday’s workout wasn’t a bad hip day, but I started to have to deal with nausea. I did take my medications before the workout, but they weren’t really kicking in. The workout was strength-based, so I knew there would be a lot of work with the resistance levels for the bike. So I focused more on that than anything else.

The first cardio block was on our own. We had a distance to do on a hill and then repeated it with a bigger hill. I only made it through 3 rounds before that block ended. The second block was similar, but we were timed instead of doing the distance on our own. We had 3 hills and they went down each round.

The two row blocks were similar, with a focus on doing 100-meter rows. The first block had the rows with squat to presses, front raises, and regular squats using a medicine ball. The second block had the rows with bicep curls, tricep extensions. and calf raises with a medicine ball. My rows weren’t that great, but I tried to use as much power as I could. And for my last row of the second block, I went all out and got my wattage to be higher than it’s been since I started back and close to one of my highest numbers ever!

And on the floor, we had a focus on the upper body. The first block had single-arm chest presses, pullovers, and plank pull-throughs. The second block had single-arm low rows, push-ups, and shoulder presses. For any of the face down exercises, I used the bench so that I wasn’t feeling extra nauseous. It helped, but it was still tough getting through the floor blocks.

I was feeling a little better on Saturday, but I was still pretty nauseous. I knew that it would be another workout where I had to use a bunch of modifications and take it easier than I would like to. But I still managed to find ways to challenge myself a bit.

The cardio work had 3 blocks that were all 4 minutes long. Each block had a push pace, base, all-out, recovery, and all-out. But the push got shorter with each block and the base and recovery got longer with each block. I tried to pedal faster for the push and all-out segments, but I think I was really pedaling about the same speed the entire time. I tried to be ok with that and told myself that it was important to just keep moving, but it’s hard when I know I want to keep improving.

The rowing was also 3 blocks that were 4 minutes each. Each block started with a row and then had squats and lunges. The first block was a 400-meter row with 16 squats and lunges. The second block was a 300-meter row and had 2 rounds of 8 squats and lunges. And the last block had a 200-meter row with 3 rounds of 6 squats and lunges. And after the squats and lunges, we were supposed to row for distance. I only made it to the row for distance part in the first block, but I am proud of myself for rowing every distance without needing a break. And for the 200-meter row, I decided to fully go for it and was able to do the row only 7 seconds longer than my PR! I think that was the closest I’ve had to my old rowing ability since I started back!

And the floor was one long block. We had single-arm snatches, pullups on the straps, plank jacks, sit-ups, hammer curls, and bridge rows on the straps. I didn’t go super heavy on the weights because the 200-meter row from the row block really took it out of me. But I did try. And for the plank jacks, I used the bench for my hands so I wasn’t face down. I had to modify both of the strap exercises, both for nausea reasons and because my hip was starting to bug me again. But considering what I thought I’d have to do, I didn’t do that many modifications and that was a nice feeling!

This week will probably be another week with pain and nausea and I’m trying to see if I can do anything to make it easier on me. I am working on taking my meds before class and seeing if the timing of the medications might change anything. And I’m going to continue going to the class time that is a little later, even though I have to rush to get home and logged in for work. I’ll probably keep that time until they change the schedule again (and I hope they make the class either back to the other time or split the difference). I can make it work even though it’s not ideal. But even with any changes I have to make to make that time work, it’s completely worth it because I’m still so happy every time I get to go into the studio to work out.

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Default ThumbnailA Good, Strong Workout Week (or I Really Love Feeling Like Myself) Default ThumbnailFinding My Strength (or Continuing To Find New Ways To Push Myself) Default ThumbnailAn Off Workout Week (or Just Trying To Do My Best) Default ThumbnailRowing And Partners (or Enjoying A 4 Workout Week) Default ThumbnailAnother Week of Highs and Lows (or Not Letting One Workout Influence Another) Default ThumbnailMy Short Workout Week (or 6 Years Of Family Workouts)

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Some New Medication Side Effects (or At Least I Know How To Handle This)

Posted on May 21, 2021 | Comments Off on Some New Medication Side Effects (or At Least I Know How To Handle This)

When I saw my dermatologist recently, I added another medication to my regular routine to help get my autoimmune condition into remission or a lower stage. Just like any medication, if you are taking something for the first time, there can be side effects. And sometimes these aren’t a big deal and sometimes they are a reason to stop taking the medication. I’ve been pretty lucky, I don’t usually get bad side effects from medications. I have had a few reactions that made me stop taking something, but those are rare cases.

And usually for me, if I have any side effects, I notice them quickly. Sometimes they start immediately and sometimes they take a few days. But they usually happen quickly so I know what will happen. And I assumed if I had any side effects to this new medication, it would be the same.

But I guess this one had delayed side effects or my body had to get used to this medication to start reacting because I only started to feel side effects this past week. Fortunately, they aren’t that bad and I was told to prepare for them. I also have a friend taking the same medication who warned me. I thought I would be one of the lucky ones that didn’t react, but it’s not horrible that I did have a reaction.

The side effect that I started to feel this week is dehydration. And considering this medication is sometimes prescribed to people who are retaining water, it makes sense. It can also cause dry skin and hair, but I haven’t had that happen yet. All I’m noticing is that I’m thirsty a lot throughout the day.

I tend to be someone who overhydrates, so to feel thirsty isn’t something I usually experience. But because I typically overhydrates, at least this is easy for me to deal with. I do have to be careful and not drink too much water because that can make me sick. But increasing my water intake is very easy for me to do and not a huge change to my routine. I have to make sure that I am tracking my water because being thirsty can make me forget how much I’ve already had. And I know that some of the thirst that I’m feeling is just the medication and not really thirst.

I am grateful that staying hydrated is something I’m used to doing. I don’t drink a lot of things other than water, so I don’t have to worry about drinking things that actually dehydrate me. I also am not someone who struggles to drink water, so I don’t feel like I’m forcing myself to drink. It’s been a part of my regular routine for as long as I can remember, so increasing things a bit isn’t a huge change for me.

I’m hoping this is the only side effect I get from this medication. There are a few others that are common that I do worry about getting. And even though I’m experiencing dehydration now, that doesn’t mean that more side effects can’t come later. I’m a bit more paranoid now about side effects happening later since it took some time for the dehydration to hit me. But I also know that I will either be able to get through whatever side effects happen or I will let my doctor know and we can stop the medication.

I know this isn’t that big of a deal, but it is an annoyance to add to my life. But at least a lot of other things are going better in my life so one annoyance isn’t too bad.

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Default ThumbnailGuess Stopping The Medication Was The Right Choice (or Maybe I Should Have Read More Into The Side Effects) Default ThumbnailSome More Virtual Therapy (or Trying Another Medication) Default ThumbnailPushing Through Feeling Off (or Hopefully This Doesn’t Last For 3 Months) Default ThumbnailMy Medication Routines (or Feeling Like An Old Lady) Default ThumbnailAlmost Giving It A Full Try (or Ending Things Early) Default ThumbnailNo More Late Nights? (or Is My New Medication Making Me A Party Pooper?)

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It’s Almost Election Season! (or Planning For My Summer)

Posted on May 20, 2021 | Comments Off on It’s Almost Election Season! (or Planning For My Summer)

Every other summer for the past 6 years, I’ve spent a lot of my time campaigning for the SAG-AFTRA election. I’ve done this 3 times so far and each time has been a little different.

The first year I was running, I was running as a delegate and didn’t have much of a leadership position within Unite For Strength. I did end up having a little bit of leadership with some of the in-person campaign events, but it was just because I was going often and could help make sure people had the information they needed. The second year, I had a bit more of a leadership position within the slate with social media work. I was much more comfortable campaigning and felt like I really knew what to do. And the last time I was campaigning, I was even more involved. I was running for both a delegate and local board position. I was fully running the Unite For Strength social media. I didn’t attend that many in-person campaign events, but I worked hard in other ways to make sure members voted and encouraging others to support my slate.

And it’s starting to be time to campaign again now! And this year will be even more different than before.

First, I’m not sure yet if I’m running for both delegate and local board or just delegate yet. That’s still being decided and there is time before that has to be figured out. Either way, I’m excited to be a part of union service again and I hope I’m elected.

But the biggest difference is how to have election season during a pandemic. I am glad that we weren’t doing this last summer when things were much worse, but things still aren’t back to normal again. It’s already been announced that the National Convention will be held virtually this year. I’m not sure how it will be compared to the past 3 conventions I attended, but I know it will be different. I’m going to miss the time I had to meet members from other locals and the social aspect of Convention. But we will still be able to work hard for our members just like we have in the past.

And I don’t know how much campaigning will be able to happen in person either. Last time, we didn’t get to campaign at the DGA since the Film Society didn’t happen the same way it did before. And I’m pretty sure the Film Society won’t be back by this summer, so that will be out. So there will be a lot of virtual campaigning this time, which is something I am used to.

I’m still in prep mode for election season. There is a lot to still work out for both the social media work and all the rest of campaigning. And while I do have time, I know the real election season will be here before we know it. Even though this year seems to be moving slower than normal, I know that the end of the election and Convention will be here quickly. And I hope that I’m just as successful, if not more, this election season as I have been for the past election seasons.

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Default ThumbnailThe Official Start To Election Season (or I Can Finally Share Some Things I’ve Been Working On) Default ThumbnailElection Season Time (or Being A Part Of Unite For Strength) Default ThumbnailMore Election Fun For Me (or I’m Running For 2 Things) Default ThumbnailElection Campaigning (or Being A Captain And Getting Out There) Default ThumbnailUnite For Strength (or SAG-AFTRA Election Time) Default ThumbnailThe End Of The Election (or Actors Please Remember To Vote)

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Friends Are Living All Over (or Another Thing Because Of The Pandemic)

Posted on May 19, 2021 | Comments Off on Friends Are Living All Over (or Another Thing Because Of The Pandemic)

Over the past year, so many people have moved. Some moved home to be with family so they didn’t have to be alone. Some moved in with roommates or someone they were dating for the same reason. And some people moved away because of work or other opportunities.

I was very lucky that I wasn’t in a spot where I had to worry about moving. While paying my rent wasn’t easy when I was out of work, I had the money I could use even if I wanted to save it for another reason. To me, staying in my place was important because I love where I live. I toyed with the idea of seeing if I wanted to go stay with family or see if someone wanted to be temporary roommates. But that didn’t happen. I just didn’t find a way to make it work and be a good idea when things were a bit more normal again.

But throughout the past year, several of my friends have moved away from LA. Some of them had these moves planned out before the pandemic started. The timing just happened to be after things shut down. But it was unfortunate because they couldn’t really say goodbye to people. Since they couldn’t have a goodbye party, some people moved and shared that they moved after the fact. And as much as I would have liked to have said goodbye, I knew there was no way I could have done that so I understand why they decided to move that way.

For most of the past year, having friends moving away didn’t really hit me. I wouldn’t have seen them even if they lived down the street while things were shut down. But as things are starting to reopen, I’m missing those friends who moved away more and more. I’m not making plans to see them at workouts or go out to do the things that are finally open again.

And while everyone says making friends as an adult is tough, making friends as an adult while we are coming out of a pandemic is even harder. I’ve had to find new friends before as an adult, and the friends I gained were people I met at different social events or parties. I have no idea how to make new friends who live in LA now (I have made some amazing friends who aren’t local through my Movie Club group on Teleparty).

I know I will find ways to make new friends eventually, and I really am excited for my friends who moved away because they all have moved somewhere that has made them happy or allowed them amazing opportunities that they couldn’t have in LA. But it’s hard not to be sad as this is another part of my old life that is over because of the pandemic. I do try to focus on the excitement of my friends with their new lives in their new cities. And seeing them happy makes me happy. I hope that I can visit some of them when I feel like travel is a bit safer, and I love knowing I have friends all over the country that I could see and explore new cities with.

I know that things always change throughout life. And having friends move away is just a part of that. But I think having it happen with so many friends and combined with the isolation and other issues of the pandemic, it just hit me harder this time. But one thing that this pandemic has taught me is how to stay in touch with people when I can’t be face to face with them. I did that for people who lived down the street when we were all isolated and I can continue to do that for people who are no longer local. I have built the skills to stay virtually connected and I will just have to keep using these skills to stay in touch with my friends.

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Default ThumbnailReflection (or I’m Totally Living My Dream) Default ThumbnailBeing Social Feels A Bit Cold (or Another Realization About The Pandemic) Default ThumbnailIt Sucks To Say Goodbye (I Don’t Like It When My Friends Move Away) Default ThumbnailA Year Into The Pandemic (or This Is Still Such A Weird Time) Default ThumbnailMaking Friends As An Adult (or Am I Weird?) Default ThumbnailThoughts Almost A Year Into The Pandemic (or Things Still Seem So Weird)

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More Tech Issues (or This Was Typed On A Phone)

Posted on May 18, 2021 | Comments Off on More Tech Issues (or This Was Typed On A Phone)

I remember when I got my current computer. I was so excited to finally have an upgraded computer, especially since I was working from home at that point. And that computer has been amazing, but lately it’s starting to have some issues.

None of these issues have been that bad. Some things are slower than I’d like. Some pages I use for work aren’t as efficient as they used to be. I know that many people use computers for a long time, but I’m at 4 1/2 years with this computer which isn’t that long but I do use it a lot. So I have toyed with the idea of maybe upgrading my computer in the next year or two. But I didn’t have any set plans for a new one. I figured I would casually do research and see what would be best. I pretty much know what I would get, but there are options too.

I’ve noticed recently that there have been issues with my keyboard. Some of the keys weren’t reacting the same way they used to. My trackpad was getting sticky. Nothing horrible, but with the amount of typing I do, it was noticeable.

Then, some of the keys fell off my keyboard. It was the top of the keys, but it appears the bracket that holds the keys down is what broke. It almost looks like they snapped in half but are still connected. And of course, the first thing I did was do a search online to see if I could fix this. And while there are fixes, because my computer isn’t under AppleCare anymore, it’s not cheap. And most of the fixes require me to give my computer to a shop for several days. If it was cheap to do it, I could probably figure out how to take time off work to make it work. But it will be pricey to fix the keyboard and the computer was already having other issues. So I’m not going to fix it.

What I did decide to do is order a keyboard I can use with my laptop. I’m hoping the one I ordered will work, but I can always return it and try a different one if I have to. And while this won’t fix everything, I just need to make this work until I get a new computer. I also am using my phone for a lot more than normal until the keyboard arrives.

The newest MacBook Pros are supposed to come out later this year. While I would prefer to have time to save money and not feel rushed for needing to make a purchase, I’ll probably buy one pretty quickly unless I discover that using the external keyboard is a solution I really like. Maybe I’ll enjoy having the setup that way. You never know.

Hopefully this is the end of my computer issues until I am able to go out and buy a new one. I don’t always have the best luck with all my technology, but maybe this is the end of the bad luck with my laptop.

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Default ThumbnailHoping To Fix My Computer (or Can The New MacBook Pros Please Come Out Soon?) Default ThumbnailSplurging On Technology (or I Guess I Had To Get A New Phone) Default ThumbnailRestoring My Computer (or Glad For A Backup) Default ThumbnailGetting Out Of A Funk (or A Phone Call Can Change My Mood) Default ThumbnailMy Spark Planner (or Being A Little Low-Tech This Year) Default ThumbnailLooking Forward To Some Big Spending (or Needing New Technology)

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