Time on my hands...

It figures that now that I am out of school and student teaching is over, the weather has turned to complete crap. I have been longing for a day when I can park my derriere outside on a lounge chair and actually read FOR PLEASURE but apparently Mother Nature has other plans for me.
With all of this lousy weather, in theory, I should be getting lots done around the house - but even that isn't going as quickly as it should be. I've just been feeling kind of "blah" the past few days. It's sort of like now that my structured life has once again come to a halt, I'm left standing around saying, "Hmmmm....Now what?"

Before you knock me upside my head, please know that I'm not complaining about the free time - I am smart enough to realize there are many people out there that would give their eye teeth to have this kind of time to do whatever they wanted. I'm just much better with structure. I have a hard time making the most of my day when it is wide open like this (seriously - it's a curse). While there are a million and one things I could/should be doing (and blogging probably isn't one of them), I tend to put them off. Not the best practice, I know - it's something I really need to work on.

I started a to-do list today, however, thinking it might motivate me to bust a move around here. I know there are people that love making these lists because when they cross stuff off,  they feel like they are getting things accomplished (rocket science, it is not). For me, I look at those lists as long and daunting and often difficult, or at the very least, unpleasant to complete - but I also realize that by NOT writing down all the things I need to do, it's nothing short of AVOIDANCE and that often leads to trouble. When I get right down to it, it's pretty much what I have done with my weight loss efforts too - put them off each day and then panic like a spaz when I look in the mirror. There is no lack of understanding what I NEED and SHOULD be doing - it's just the actual "doing" part that seems to never get, well, done.

BUT I am trying not to let this happen this time around - at least where my weight loss efforts are concerned. I do think the gym is helping me find my groove in that respect. My second session with the trainer on Monday was better than the first. Although not really less humiliating (because don't you just love when you are doing arm presses with hand weights and your shirt gets all bunched and stuck under your boobs when you bring your hands down??), it did give me insight as to what my body is able to do and what things I really need to work on (which is a-friggin-lot). I surprised myself by being able to do a normal plank (they are hard!) and one of these side plank things:

 

I never dreamed in a million years I might actually be able to achieve this position. I envisioned myself just collapsing onto (and perhaps breaking) my arm - but I didn't! Granted, I didn't hold this position for 10 mins or anything remotely close to that time, but the point is, I was able to do it. I think the best part about this training thing is that I am learning what good form is (ie: don't squeeze your neck muscles as you lift arm weights - Genius!) and some valuable exercises that will help me strengthen my core - which, let's face it, is about as strong as a marshmallow right now.

My next session is Monday, so I will be curious to see what he has me doing then. My obliques are still sore from Monday - another indicator that I have MUCH work to do in the months ahead. I know many of you are doing the Ready for Summer Challenge but since I was eyeball deep in student teaching, I wasn't able to hop on that challenge and now it's 6 weeks in - so forget that one. But I do think I may start a Challenge that begins Memorial Day and runs through Labor Day. How does the Summer Sizzle Slim Down grab you?

Stay tuned for details!!!!