It’s been a solid 18 months since things were even close to normal for me. For many of us. The pandemic changed the way I work, the way I play, the way I interact with people. My kid’s school and my wife’s job were turned upside down as well. In the larger scope of things, we’ve come out of this pretty darn well. I lost my grandfather to COVID, that’s going to stick with me for a long time. The days of not quite knowing what’s coming next, those have been draining.

These last 2 weeks have been some semblance of “normal”. My kids are back in school, with some limitations as no child is vaccinated yet. They have masks and relative social distancing. Already after a few days I can see major improvements in their social abilities. It was like they regressed for a while and getting back into it. Sort of like riding a bike I suppose.

My pick up hockey starts tonight. It’ll be great to play with the boys again. But I do have butterflies as to how this large social setting will work out. Everyone has both shots, so I’m less worried about them having ill effects, but it doesn’t negate the fact that it can still spread to other people from us. I’m sure once I get back onto the ice, things will just feel better. At least, I hope so.

The kids also start their hockey back up this weekend, so I guess my weekends for a while will be in the rink. I’m coaching again this year, which is extremely rewarding. There’s a new coach in the fray that I’ll be helping along, and some of my own rust I’ll need to get through. That means a new set of practice plans, goals, fundraising, parent meetings, equipment, ice bookings, and oh yea, ensuring the kids are having fun. Next few weeks are going to be some busy days to get it all sorted out. The kids themselves are still too young for shots, but any adult stepping into a rink will need their full doses by the start of October.

You can infer from this that I am clearly on the “get vaccinated” bus. This is not the forum to explain why. I am not a doctor and frankly, no one should be taking medical advice from anyone who isn’t actually trained in it. I can say that there are certain obligations we all have as individuals to be able to co-exist in a society, things we do or don’t do to make it all run smooth. I am glad we don’t have polio around anymore, and the odds of my kids getting whooping cough or varicella are next to nil. That’s not because I made a choice, but because we all did.

The more we act as a society that wants to get along and that trusts each other, the quicker we get back to “normal”. Whatever that means anymore.

I don’t like gyms.  I dislike waiting on equipment to be ready.  I dislike having to wipe sweat off things.  I dislike paying for the equipment thrice over.  I dislike the peak hours, and the MASS of people that show up for 3 weeks in January.  I dislike the folks that just stare into mirrors, or take up space to talk IG shots.  I really dislike having to travel back and forth.  There are benefits though, namely in classes and swimming pools.

Money

Many a year ago I got an exercise machine.  One of those all-in-one things that allowed me to do a bunch of exercises with a consistent resistance (something bowflex doesn’t really do).  I replaced that about 8 years ago now with a cage, Olympic barbells, and some dumbbells.  There’s a page on all that equipment.  It was less than $1000 to get all of it, and that was brand new gear.  I’m sure with some judicial used shopping it could go for half.  Figure a gym membership is $50 a month, and that’s ~18 months of membership to pay for it.  So the money part is pretty straightforward.

Space

The real issue is the room required.  I have this set up in my basement, along with a treadmill.  I’d say it takes up a 14’x10′ space.  Gives enough room for some yoga/stretching exercises as well.  Space is a premium for a lot of people, I get that.  Some would rather have a bar, or a pool table, or a wine cellar.  Some it’s office space.  Most people in apartments and condos don’t even have that option.

So maybe you don’t get a home gym.  Maybe you just get some basic equipment to run body exercises.  $50 will get you a pull up bar that fits in most doorframes.  A yoga mat & block are dirt cheap.  Resistance bands come in all sizes and store very easily.  There are way more body weight exercises than people realize, and that doesn’t take up much more room than a coffee table.  Beachbody’s Insanity program requires a tiny foot print, and it will beat you into the ground.

Time

Money and space are covered then.  Now it’s time.  Aside from essential positions, the general population has an insane amount of time on their hands.  My kids don’t have any activities, and my hockey is cancelled…. so that’s ~ 12 hours a week back into my schedule.  My commute is gone.  There’s another 5 hours (I have employees who commuted 90min each way, so they are looking at 15+ hours back).

Maybe you have kids who are driving you mad?  If they can’t go outside, then bring them into the exercise program too.  Of all the habits we teach kids, physical activity is one of the best possible ones.  I’ve done weight lifting sessions with my youngest, and yoga with my eldest.  They see me do something every day.

I used to have a stationary bike, swapped that for a treadmill.  For both, I’ve built a laptop stand that allows me to work and move at the same time.  A flat board usually covers the handles and provides a stable platform.  The hard part is finding the right elevation so your wrists feel comfortable.  Or if you’re on calls all the time, just use a headset and walk/bike while you’re listening.  Heck, nearly every machine nowdays comes with a tablet/cell holder to watch vids while you do your thing.

Just Move

Even moderate exercise has tremendous benefits.  The endorphins alone allow for a better mental space, as well as helping get most restful nights.  For those socially isolated, there are plenty of social media groups where people share their efforts, progress, and support.  Now’s the absolutely best time to start a new habit.

September is generally a rough month in our house.  My wife teaches, 2 kids, and sports restarting, it goes from relax mode in August to full bore in short order.  Combined with some large scale issues at work, I’m starting to feel the bits pulling me down.

I tend to go full out in things that I do. I don’t like half-speed.  That usually means that I go until I drop.  For a long time that meant that during vacations my body would just shut down and force me to sleep.  I’ve taken steps in recent years to find a better balance on that, so that I can actually enjoy my vacations.

The past 4 weeks haven’t been so neat.  Stomach flu and now what feels like a man-cold.  I’ve had runny noses, coughs, headaches… all sorts of fun. I just work through it.  Even workouts while feeling a bit down.  Right now, it’s more like overall exhaustion.  And the mind games that plays is not so fun.

I know that being off work doesn’t stop work.  I know my team is in a crunch mode right now, and I’m trying to keep some of the brass from pushing down.  Stepping away to heal up would help me, but would negatively impact 20 people.  And I’m hard headed enough to believe that.

It makes me think more about what motivates me now as when I was younger.  I’ve always had the mindset of “one step, and then another”, but the raison d’etre is the kicker.  I’d be motivated by internal forces to prove myself to others, even to myself.  That’s still there in parts, but nowdays I do it because I know of the impacts on other people.

Still, I know it’s self defeating.  The body will win out in the end.  Where I could take a day or two and get better, as compared to being 50% effective for a week+…that should be a fairly easy call.  Dumb brain.

Summer seems to have finally lost it’s grasp on the weather, and the cold is creeping in.  Not to mention the ever decreasing amount of sunlight.  Seasonal changes typically bring a pattern change to my routines.  I run on the sun I guess.

The summer beer-fest is over, though the inability to take a true vacation is wearing me down.  Work is a tough grind right now,.  Everyday I lose an inch, and every night I put back 9/10.  The team I’m leading is trying their best, but it just seems to be an uphill battle.  Once we’re done though…it will be all our careers’ greatest achievement to date.  When people believe in the goal, it’s surprising what they will do to get there.

In the past I would have burned every hour on this.  I know that leads to a burn out, so instead I spend time with the wife and kids.  I relax with some gaming where the goals are clear, control is in my hand, and objectives can be met within a few minutes.  As complex as some games are, they are relatively simple compared to the rest of the day.

In addition, home exercise routines.  I’ve mentioned this a few times and decided to just put it all in one page called Fitness Info.  This covers everything, from the nutrition, to the gear, and the workout plan, and a bit of the mental state.  I’ll keep adding to it over time but for now, it’s my rumblings on this whole health kick.  Long story short, there is  little better to reduce stress than to be lifting very heavy things.

The eating portion is going ok.  I still have a rather regimented daily intake that’s been the same for a long time.  The supper and weekend meals are a bit more complex, what with hectic family schedules and social gatherings.  Weight is still coming off, and I am getting stronger at the same time.  Rather than force it along as I would have in the past, I’m just sticking to the plan.  I don’t have 150lbs to lose mind you, so the scale isn’t exactly motivation.  I could swing 1-3lbs just in a given day, depending on when I eat, how much water, and when I weigh myself.

The goal remains and I don’t think I’ve touched on this yet.  Sure, there are objectives.  Lifting a lot of weight certainly is one of those.  But the goal, that’s a rather simple one.  I want to have the energy and ability to keep playing with my kids for the next 20 years. I could do nothing today and be fine for the next 4-5 years.  Then I’d have a whole ton of work to do, and habits to build.  Might as well get into that now, so that it’s just normal.  So that my kids see what a healthy lifestyle looks like (that sounds too vegan).

There’s something about kids wanting to be like you, that makes you want to be a better you.  It’s a circle of feedback, and I choose for it to be a positive one.

There’s a certain zen when you do any exercise.  Hockey has that effect on me, time just seems to slow down.  That mindset provides a unique point of view, a specific focus on a set of goals.  When momentum is going your way, there’s nothing that can stop you.  When it isn’t, it feels like all the bounces are going the other way.

Weight lifting is very similar, though the only competition is yourself.  You’re competing against numbers and progress.  For a decent amount of time, that progress is constant, so it’s a continuously positive cycle.  You eventually reach a plateau and need to re-assess your goals.  There’s a rather intense focus on very minute gains.  But when that number hits the goal, it’s like winning the lottery.  I hit one of those last night.

I have 3 main goals relating to Squat, Bench, and Deadlift.  Those are 250, 200, 300 (750lbs combined).  I hit the squat number a while ago and realized then that playing hockey 3x a week could not allow me to push the bar much higher.  So rather than reset my squat goal, I aimed to hit the other ones instead.

Bench has had it’s ups and downs.  I’m thinking it will take until mid-summer to reach it.  I need to re-focus my technique, since I’m stalling earlier than I had planned.

Deadlift though, I hit my 300lbs last night (5 reps).  It felt really good and I considered adding more weight to find my true 1 rep max.  Then I realized I was out of breath and way too high on hormones for that to be considered safe.  I’ll be playing it safe the next few sets and cap it at the same amount and truly focus on the Bench moving forward.

Once the fall comes around, I’ll be dropping one night of hockey (it was too much) and reset my lifting goals.  I think that adding 50lbs total (so, 800) is more than doable.  I am looking forward to the next session!