Patience?

After my ABS meltdown yesterday I received the following email from Bubbles. I thought I'd share because it is filled with wisdom:

Good Late Morning to ya Bill,

You will have some bad days and a lot more good days. This all started with a desire. It's like your in a battle with someone. Your fighting and fighting... It is time to take a new route. Doing the same thing over and over again is considered to be insane; scientifically it's called muscle adaptation. Your muscles (including your brain) is telling you that you need a change!

ABS class is tough. It is meant to be a challenge but consider that it may take weeks - months before you can make it through the 15 minutes. We are now going back into that process. This journey is not a destination. Take your time, be patient. You are defining your ABS more than you have in a few years and you nearly starting the stages of change. Allow time and patience guide you through ABS on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So, you can do 2-3 reverse crunches with the SB between your ankles... Well, you know what-- in a about 2 weeks you will be able to do 5. Your muscles will adapt and will continue wanting more and more. I know you can do it Bill. You have been extremely consistent and have been working very hard to change your lifestyle. Some days will be a breeze while others will and are made to challenge you.

Consider today one of those challenging days and clear your mind for tomorrow. "The sun will come up tomorrow"...

May you have a peaceful rest of today,
Bubbles

Hmmmm... She's using words beyond my feeble comprehension like "be patient" can anyone clue me in on what that means? I get her point though and patience is not one of my virtues, I'm not sure I have any virtues but I'm a good pretender :-)

My wife was similarly concerned and told me to hang in there and that she was sorry I had a 'bad day.' She's also made note of some of my changes saying that I'm not suffering from 'the SUCK' but DGS (Diminished Gut Syndrome) and that she likes it, A LOT.

These changes, I'm not seeing them, all I see is that angry seventeen year old when I glance at the mirror but if I'm deep down honest I'm feeling them. I like the feeling.

So thank you wife and Bubbles for buoying my spirits!

Bubbles must have been feeling a bit playful yesterday, before she sent the above missive she had also dropped dime on the fact that my new routine was ready and when could I come in and get my butt handed to me? Now I confess to blowing past that while catching up from my NC trip figuring I'd look at the program a bit later. When I finally got back to it...

THERE WAS NO PROGRAM!!!

Bubbles is going to make me stew over this! She knows my hyperactive imagination will drop into overdrive and invent all sorts of new horrors before the real ones are unveiled. Upon discovering this I grab the phone and call. Bubbles answers with a gleeful greeting about 'helping' and whatnot that took about ten minutes to get through.

I'm grinning ear to ear, "You have caller ID don't-cha?"

Bubbles giggles and affirms.

I know not to show any wanty/neediness about seeing my program. She'll pounce on any perceived weakness and hold out, the little teaser. So I set the time for the great unveiling for this Friday at 7:30am. I'm permitted thirty minutes on any cardio-machine of choice before hand but she doesn't want me too tuckered out, she has plans for your poor narrator.

I can't wait! I think Bubbles is right about me needing a change and anyway she's gonna make me wait. ::glares at Bubbles::

I just received a concerned email from JRock about yesterday, thanks JRock! Those simple hang in there messages help a lot!

Keep it in mind if you see someone struggling.

So today was a rough start. The alarm went off at 4:45am and I banged it off. Suddenly my eyes opened at 5:15am with that "OH NOOOOOOOOO" feeling running through my head.

Currently I HATE THIS TIME CHANGE!

I get to the gym and manage to start my routine (total body) at 6am-ish. The usual crew is there, ponyTail, goodMood, Kingsley, AT Everest (who's heard about my blog, which one of you ratted me out?!), and IronMan.

I hop on the elliptical and start my routine, which I have memorized at this point in time. I did get on the treadmill, the NC trip highlighting that I need to work on my walking if I'm going to hang with my dad or wife. My wife is petite so I'm always mystified that I can be left in the dust by her on some walk, I mean her legs are smaller than mine. Anyway, heads up honey, Bill is practicing on the balance beam! ::evil grin::

During my warm ups I catch Diablo who welcomes me back. We shoot the breeze for a bit before I'm off down the hall doing my goose steps. I always enjoy talking to Diablo, he looks through the lens a bit differently and so you can get a altered and welcome perspective if you wanna listen. Plus he has a sense of humor and can yuck it up.

I'm thinking of introducing a new column in this blog, The IronMan Stunt of the Day! but I'm not sure I want to encourage him - what am I saying? Of course I do!

Today IronMan had gotten a hold of one of those medicine balls (the trainers really should consider hiding those things when he's about) and was introducing Diablo to a new way of hurting oneself. I watched Diablo put his feet on some weight bench and then put his hands on the medicine ball. So his feet are higher then his hands and it already looks like a plank from Hell. Diablo was a little wobbly on the ball but did a push up!

IronMan then does the same thing but adds an additional horror by doing a jumping jack like thing. Picture this, your feet are on the bench, your hands on the ball, you then kick your feet out wide so they land on the floor, you then 'hop' them back on the bench while keeping your form, holding the ball, and not face planting. IronMan must be right with God is all I can figure. Then you do the push up.

Diablo does one so he can get the idea of it then IronMan does three before asking goodMood and me if we want to try. We look at him like he's insane, which he might be...

But the seed's been planted and I know I'm gonna try one or two or three in the near future.

Curse you IronMan!!! First you get me hooked on RackRuns! and now this?!

Tomorrow is intervals and RackRuns! followed by ABS. Maybe I'll do better in ABS, maybe worse, but I'll be there :-)

Have a great day!