A Leaner Cut of Chuck

Chuck is riding the mechanical bull of life changes right now!  And all of them good!  I am super proud of how he has made time to keep at it this month.  And I am grateful for his perspective, I think many of us have been derailed by projects big and small, dealing with unanticipated consequences, while keeping up with daily life.

I want to identify that every step you take to change, a thought pattern, an internet search, buying new running or walking shoes, counts.

I also admire the honestly Chuck is throwing down.  I think sometimes I can be a little stoic about the tue stress of changes and then think months later how hard something was.  Enjoy Chuck's thoughts! 

Well, I’ll be honest with all of you- it’s been a tough month.  I know that working out with Beth has been really good for me, but I haven’t been as consistent as I would like, and I haven’t been getting the results that I want.  I know that this is my fault, and my goal in the next month is to change this and really work on consistency. 

So, why did I go off track?  Well, it seems to be one thing after another.  My wife has this tendency to realize that some large house project needs to be completed right about when she hits the 7 month mark in her pregnancy.  Last year, it was to remodel our kitchen (which then went on to include installing hardwood floors on the whole second floor, and remodeling a powder room and 2 bathrooms- she has a tendency to bite off a lot at a time).  You read that last sentence and are now probably wondering what else there was to do?  Well, there was one big glaring green issue in our house that remained- the luscious emerald green carpet that covered the floor in our master bedroom, which is the third floor of the house.  This carpet would have turned people green with envy….. if it was 1988.  In this day and age, it really was an eyesore, and a project that we had talked about many times.  With the impending new baby, we both realized that getting those floors done would be much easier before the baby arrives, being that the fumes force us to vacate for a couple nights.  So, that is a long story, but it contributes to my lack of consistency for 2 reasons.  First, the whole process was stressful- moving everything (including my pregnant wife) out of our master bedroom was just very disrupting to our routine.  She and her Snoogle (a pregnancy body pillow she is never without these days) took the guest bedroom and with a queen bed, but she’s not the easiest to share anything other than a king sized bed with right now, so I found myself sleeping on the bottom twin bunk bed- it could be worse, but these were not the best nights of sleep.  And second, the master bedroom is where I do my workouts with Beth, and where I feel most comfortable doing workouts on my own.  When I was displaced from here, I just wasn’t able to adjust to working out elsewhere.  So, I slacked.  I guess this probably happens to anyone on a program like this, but I am disappointed in myself, and I know that I need to get back on track.  I also haven’t been getting out of the house to do as much walking as I know I should.  And, not to blame my pregnant wife, but I do enjoy walking with her, and she’s not the best walker these days, for obvious reasons.  She can do a little bit, but she definitely gets tired, and can’t go for as long as I need to.  

So in the next month, I’m looking to overcome these setbacks.  The good news is that the floors are done, and we’re back in our master bedroom (and the floors look MUCH better with hardwood!).  I have my sanctuary back, and a place where I can work out- complete with an area rug, which is just as comfortable but much more aesthetically pleasing than the emerald green carpet.  My wife and I are going to go and tour some gyms this week to get an idea of what would work for us, and Beth made the great suggestion of finding one with child care.  I love spending time with my son, but I also love the idea of going to the gym and getting an hour of time to myself.  I think that this is a respite that I have been needing, and would also be a way for me to stay motivated to keep going to the gym.  With the new baby getting here in a little more than a week, I know that life is about to get turned upside down again, but I also know that my wife is here to support me, and that I can make some more positive changes.  The nice thing is that she won’t be working for the next few months, and has also expressed a desire to get into a better physical program, so I think that she and I can make some changes together.

So, that is where I stand as of today.  The next month has A LOT in store for me and my family, and I have a lot of excitement…. and some trepidation.  Next month’s report will include a big announcement- baby #2 will be here! So, stay tuned, and keep your fingers crossed with me that I can get some more consistency this month and really look to my workouts to be quality time I get to spend with myself.