Last week’s self care task to rid the house of candy and treats met with mixed results.   No candy but ate my fair share of baked goods.   A Christmas without a gingerbread man seems an unnecessary act.  The good news is the candy tide was stemmed and have committed to staving off for another week before re-evaluating the merits of such abstinence in December.  Small, incremental steps get us going and we march on to the next challenge.

The goal this week was to consider how we may inadvertently cause ourselves extra stress by not “staying in our own lane.” What does that phrase mean to you?  To me, it means exerting my energy on areas of my life I have direct control over and not getting driven off course by other issues.  I am a work in progress, derailed more than I like by matters that come up as they do. But awareness is the first step towards change and if we can catch ourselves in the act, we can right it before turning left.

Want to stay focused on your own self care? Consider taking a step back from the following 3 practices and learn from them instead.

  1. Taking on other people’s problems as our own.  Overburdening yourself with tasks that are not yours to complete.
  2. Doubting yourself. Second guessing your plans and actions and seeking answers from multiple sources rather than from within.
  3. Getting distracted by the actions of others or someone not acting the way you wished or expected. Focusing too much on others and not on own role and response which is all we can control.

The key is to not get down on yourself for jumping out of your lane on occasion. No blame allowed.  These acts are teachers.   Taking on the problems of others stems from caring but often does not best serve us.  These experiences are here to show us an alternate way that can lead to more peace and harmony in our lives.   Get curious about what these actions are about.  Is there a need that is not being fulfilled in your life or a negative emotion your trying to avoid by doing x?  Seize control by identifying the root cause and looking at what productive action can be taken to find a better path.

Self care is not selfish but rather a caring act.   So is working out!

Upcoming Athletics Workouts:

Friday45  4pm 11.27.2020

Warm Up:

60 second prone breathing

1 min rocks to stand

1 min light dumbbell squat hold

1 min Cross Crawls

Then complete: 5 reps each movement in sequence

WOD:

3 rounds:

500 run then:

3 rounds of

10 Dumbbell Thrusters

10 Ring Rows

10 Dumbbell burpee

Cool Down:

Midline option: 30 dead-bugs plus 50 second plank (left, center, right) x 3

Stretch: dragon, pigeon, lying hamstring stretch, shoulder pull-overs, thread the needle, child’s pose

WOD Notes:  One round is one 500 m run then 3 rounds of 10 thrusters, 10 ring rows, 10 db burpees (1 run only per round). 500 meter route is the 400m plus run to 4th tree. Find a thruster weight that is challenging for 10 reps but doable with good form.  For DB burpee ensure chest and thighs contact floor, then stand with DB. No jump.

Athletics @ home:  No equipment option:

run sub: 3 mins running, marching in place, stand-ups or jumping jacks or combo thereof, thrusters=10 squat jumps, ring rows=10 plank-up downs or tri-cep dips off chair or table,  db burpees =10 burpees over a household object.

Carry on friends!  To a good weekend ahead.