Back to School

I’m cheekily trying to write this on my phone in order to save myself some time this evening, as this is the week I return to school. Sort of.

As of the writing of this (Monday), I’m all packed and ready to head to the university where I teach martial arts on the weekend to test if my card will scan me in and let me enter the gym. It’s back to weights for me, and since I technically have access to the gym as a perk of employment, I’m going to give it a shot. 

I’m weirdly nervous about it. Like, genuine first day of school jitters. I haven’t lifted in many years. I’ve never really used any gum equipment. I also don’t know if the key card will actually work. And getting stuff for free (gym use) feels an awful lot like cheating to me, so I have a weird feeling that I’m doing something terribly wrong. Let’s not unpack that any.

But I bought new socks, a lock for the change room lockers (which I’ve already lost somehow, so have to replace), and this morning I packed dinner as well as lunch, since I’ll be headed to the gym immediately following work, will write there for an hour, and then go workout.

Dinner is nothing spectacular - a cheese and salami sandwich and an apple.  Easy to eat while I’m writing. Also, much more substantial than I usually eat for dinner. Before I start getting lectures, breakfast and lunch are pretty big. I’m not starving myself, promise.

I do have a workout plan of sorts, despite having been away from lifting for a long while. I’m gamifying my workouts. There are four categories:

• Mobility exercises
• Arms
• Back
• Core

But Sonia! You’re skipping leg day?! No. I train Kung Fu. That’s my “leg days.” We do a lot with our legs. I’m good on legs.

Anyway, I have a list of twenty exercises for each. I will roll a d20 to decide which from each category I’m doing that day.

There are several exercises that appear in multiple categories, simply because they’re working multiple muscle groups in multiple areas, and so didn’t fit neatly into any one category. I didn’t come up with eighty exercises. Very nearly, but not quite.

Reps will depend on the exercise and how I’m coping.

I’m anxious about my left hand. The stab wound has healed over nicely, but mobility in my middle finger is still limited and painful. I am also not sure that pressure on the area will be pleasant. But I’ll work with what I’ve got, and hopefully I’ll recover use quickly. 

That’s the plan anyway.

I am not lying when I’m saying I’m really anxious about it. There is a non-zero chance that I might yet chicken out. I’m hoping that after tonight, I’ll get less anxious and it’ll just become boring and routine.

Weight days will be Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Martial arts will be Tuesdays and Thursdays… Saturdays also, but teaching requires a lot less work, so I’m not counting it.

Sundays will be spent fast asleep. Nothing will be happening Sundays except sleep.

My goal with all of this is to be able to move well, into old age if possible, and be physically strong enough to carry loved ones out of trouble. Not that I’m expecting trouble. But if something happens and I end up having to carry someone away from something, I want to be strong enough to do it.

Writing and work both mean that I end up sitting for the majority of the day. That is not good. So I’m trying to fix it as much as I can.

Right, I need to get off my phone and do work stuff.

Slán go foill!