The five for Friday lazy blog is back. As we hear at the gym, pitter-patter let’s get at ‘er.
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We have a bunch of our out-of-Toronto managers in to head office for a couple days of meetings as we do annually. I was told this morning that in my absence from one gathering it was decided an intervention was needed to get me off my training regime.
All in jest of course, but it does highlight at least a little what is considered “normal” in our society and what isn’t. And a guy who takes a pass on drinking with co-workers (subbing Perrier for beer) or opts for the vegetable ragu over a steak and fully loaded baked potato is going to become a target.
I’ve been at this long enough now that my efforts are not news. But people now react with “are you STILL doing this?”
It’s mostly good natured but there’s no doubt it makes some people … well, uncomfortable isn’t the word, but it does leave them a little off centre.
Live and let live, say I. If people ask what I’m doing, I tell them. The physical changes in my appearance are significant enough that colleagues who haven’t seen me since July ask.
Otherwise, I just do my thing.
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The second point today is that the flip side of this is the people who want to know how they can do it, too. The number one question by far is, how you find the time?
That’s easy. It’s an hour a day. And if you can’t do it at lunch time and if you have trouble doing it at the end of the day, then get up earlier. Like me.
When people hear that I work out with the same group every morning at 6a, they almost gag.
“Really? 6 a.m.? Really?”
Yes. And it’s not tough to do. Now, if you’re a stay-home parent and have small kids and your spouse is out the door at 7a, that won’t work. But maybe you could go in the evening when your spouse is home. Figure it out.
I tell people I adopted a 25-hour day. I just decided to make my day an hour longer by getting up earlier. Generally that means going to bed by 1030p or so, which is really not much earlier than before I started this.
Lots of us do it. You can too.
And a colleague came to me yesterday and asked if I could see if Richard might recommend a gym in downtown Toronto similar to ATC. My friend is a Goodlife user and, in his words, he goes four times a week and for six months he’s watched me change and nothing he does makes much of a difference.
So he wants to shake things up. Good on him. I’ve enlisted Richard’s help.
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Another thing, I need a butler.
Okay, I don’t really need a butler. But the after-work personal chores are piling up.
When I come home from work Laura is often still working. She already does a lot for me and I’m not asking for more. I’m bagged after a long day at the office. But, stuff needs to be done.
First thing, go to the grocery store. I needed soy milk (words I have never typed before in my life. Picture me writing that with a heavy sigh and slumped shoulders.)
Then, gym laundry.
Then, I have to pick out and assemble the next day’s work clothes – suit, shirt, tie, belt, underwear, socks, shoes. Move the dress orthotics from the black dress shoes to the brown dress shoes (I have another set that stay with my sneakers at the gym.)
The shoes are an important step because I forget them. A lot. And belts. I forget a belt all the time.
Next, go to the kitchen and get out a modest serving of low-fat tortilla chips and salsa to take the edge off while dinner heats up. Call my folks back in NS.
Then make my soy-milk (sigh) based smoothie – soy milk and frozen blueberries, raspberries and strawberries – that I will drink on the way to the gym the next morning. (It’s actually pretty good).
And then have dinner – on this evening it was chili she made on the weekend, so it was relatively easy. At bedtime, I shave before bed so I don’t have to in the morning.
In the summer, things just seemed easier. In the winter, the weather adds a layer of clothes and complications. I can’t just walk out of the house in gym clothes, I need sweats and a hoodie. And a top coat for after the gym. And a scarf. And gloves. And where’s my wallet. And keys. And phone.
There’s a lot of stuff to forget and usually, I do.
Basically you have to plan for going out twice – once from home to the gym, and once from gym to work. And my car doesn’t have heated seats. I am planning challenged.
On second thought, I do want a butler. Batman’s butler, Alfred. And Batman’s house and his car, if the Batmobile has heated seats. And maybe the cool fake body with the nifty abs.
Yeah. That’s what I need.
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Tonight is a non-meat meal night which is fine. And every night until April 1 is a non-dairy night for me, which is fine. Except that tonight is Friday and that means we typically watch the Dal Tigers hockey game on TV via the web. And have what we call munchie food in front of the TV with a fire on – some cheese, crackers, olives, maybe smoked salmon, some nachos and a few chicken wings. Wine for her, Perrier for me.
If you run that paragraph through the ATC Challenge filter, what you are left with is nachos and salsa and some olives and Perrier.
We will come up with another plan, I bet.
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More hockey tomorrow – with both the peewee Packers and the Dal Tigers.
And all the usual weekend running around – gym, and groceries and hockey and whatnot. I haven’t heard yet whether Chris is coming home for the weekend and while I hope he does, I expect he won’t.
teamoakville 