
OMG!
I don't believe I've ever done that unless you go back to the swim class I had to take for my PE requirement in freshman year of college.
So I am taking a bow, stretching down to touch the floor with flat hands.
How did I do it, you ask. Well, I kept a phrase in mind that I read on James Clear's blog post, How to Stick to Your Health Goals When Life Gets Crazy. "Plan for chaos. Reduce the scope, stick to the schedule." Going for the long term is better than demanding perfection or nothing.
I knew I'd have to attend several days of religious services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I knew I'd be traveling for 5 days and wouldn't have my weights. So I just told myself to do the best I could and show up for whatever I could. And don't beat myself up.
I walked all over Seattle, including hills in the rain. I did body weights using myself, walls and vases in the apartment. When my husband asked me what I was doing heaving this big pottery piece up and down over my head with both hands, I said 'My weights'. I walked our neighborhood with the dog and ran to the gym even late at night, when I really wanted to curl up with a book, just to keep the chain going like the Seinfeld Strategy says. I printed out a calendar and faithfully filled it in with a red pen.
Results - my goal was to get off the parking shuttle at LAX carrying my suitcase myself and landing on the pavement without a shock/bounce to the knees because they didn't hold my body enough to let me down gently. Done. Carrying my suitcase up and down stairs to get to our apartment building and then inside the building when the elevator didn't work 2 days. Done. Lift the suitcase out of the overhead bin and carry it down the aisle off the plane. Done. The flight attendants were impressed. Yes, my husband lifted it into the bin for me but I'm working on that. Blog posts - prepped photos ahead with images that would work well enough. Wrote adequate posts and patted myself on the back when at least one phrase sparkled. Done. Weight - lost 1 1/2 pounds, stomach flatter, quads getting harder, triceps getting more defined. Weight gained on vacation - NADA.
I have already printed out a blank October to fill in. I'm pulling photos for posts. We're off to Berlin and Israel. Another hectic month but my goal was to be a digital nomad so I didn't completely unpack. Will just have to figure out how to pick a wardrobe for coolish and warmish without overpacking. Because I want to write lots of travel notes and see as much as possible, including our older daughter in Germany and husband's relatives in Israel, I've decided to post 3 times a week.
Off to print out the Trip Packing To Do List. LAX - See you again soon!