I Got A Lot Done and Did Nothing At All. Or Something Like That
photo by joe thorn
That’s not our new bookcase. I wish. Ours is a sliver of an Ikea one.
Welcome back to the workweek, all.
I had one of those weekends where I simultaneously felt like I got a lot done and did nothing at all. (With a little failure and guilt thrown in for a good measure.) Don’t ask me how that works.
We got a lot done…
While I plugged away at some editing for work, The Man put together a bookcase and two nightstands from Ikea. He’s pretty awesome at deciphering those instructions, which is a talent seeing as they’re drawn by 5-year-old Swedes.
Of course, buying new furniture never stops at construction. So I took a break from work to rearrange our bedroom. Sounds easy, right? Well, it would have been except one of our walls is slanted. (Someone must have thought, “Wouldn’t it be fancy and special if the far wall was tilted?” They were wrong. It’s just annoying.) Since I like symmetry and parallel walls, it took about forever to find a setup where I didn’t feel like all my furniture was askew.
photo from ooh_food
Obviously these aren’t mine.
We did nothing at all…
All that rearranging got me in the mood to tackle the big To Do that’s been lurking on my list: buy a coffee table and chair. I would show you our perfect coffee table, but I struck out big-time. Somehow I can’t reconcile my big-budget style with my actual bank account. So the search goes on.
I would also like to show you our amazing new armchair. But that would mean I bought one. And if I had bought one, that would mean I had won the comfort vs. style fight with The Man. (Yes, the same Man who insists a Redskins recliner would fit with our style.) Since I don’t believe in sports team recliners, we’re at an impasse. Or, rather, I’m still working on convincing The Man he’s past his bachelor pad and recliner days.
Not buying a chair or coffee table took up a good amount of time. And the rest of the weekend was taken up by more work. I can see you’re all jealous.
I kinda failed…
Did you notice what wasn’t on my weekend list? I’m ashamed to say, I didn’t set foot in the gym. I don’t feel guilt because of weight loss or maintenance, but instead I feel like I’m letting my knees down each time I don’t work out. Each time I skip is a missed opportunity to strengthen the muscles around my knees. Bottom line: I failed this weekend.
All that said, I’m kind of impressed with my knees. I was pretty active with the bedroom rearranging (though The Man did all of the actual lifting and moving). But I did all of my own walking when we visited three furniture stores. And most of the time I walked with him to the car. (Hint: That’s a big deal.) Sure, I was tired by Sunday afternoon. But I was also a lot less tired than I would have been a year ago. Or even six months ago.
So, despite the fact that I’m glum about my lack of gym time I’m excited that all my shopping hasn’t left me limping. Sure, my knees got tired walking through the stores, but I seemed to rebound fairly fast. That has to be a good sign. Right? Right?
Speaking of the gym, I’ve been very clear about what motivates me to lace up my sneakers and get moving. But I’m curious what keeps you going. Is it how you feel during or after exercise? Did an illness or injury spur you on? Is it for weight loss?
14 comments
I feel like exercise is the cornerstone of my well being, even more for my mental/emotional health than for my body. I have found nothing to be as effective as a vigorous cardio workout to combat anxiety.
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What motivates me is how great exercise makes me feel. I love to be sweaty and gross after a really good workout. I love to be sore as I walk up my stairs. I love to look at my heart rate moniter after a workout and see my heart rate levels. I love to see improvments in my running times and training. I love that when I go to bed at night my body aches in a feel good (love the burn) kind of way!
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i’m glad you haven’t been limping despite all the shopping! do you swim to strengthen your knees? it worked wonders for me. even running in the water with one of those belts on- looks totally grandmaish but it really helped. i wish that was your new bookshelf, i LOVE those big dark library style ones
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I enjoy exercising simply because it makes me feel good. I love the challenge, being able to set goals for myself, and to achieve those goals. Most of all, I like that typically, exercising gets me outside. And yoga really calms me down…I pretty much love all parts of being active, except injuries!
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I love to exercise because of how amazing I feel. If I don’t exercise I just don’t feel the same. It keeps my balanced and happy
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I’m so impressed you got all that IKEA furniture put together! Our marriage almost ended over a stupid bureau (that we later returned as a huge box of random pieces). I still love IKEA tho. Especially the restaurant;)
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Tracey Reply:
March 1st, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Charlotte–Ikea bureaus are deadly. The last one we bought (it’s since died) became wobbly and completely broken about two months in. I was really crabby during that time.
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Glad to see I’m not the only one whose Man doesn’t agree on matters of style.
I’m thrilled your knees did so well, too.
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I love bookshelves — all kinds. IKEA, library-style, you name it. Because I have a lot of books that I love, too, and if you have books, you need bookshelves. I also love rearranging my rooms (my husband thinks I’m nuts) but I don’t do that often anymore. Age, RA, lack of space, that sort of thing. And finally, I know just what you mean about the exercise. I know it’s good for my joints, I know I always feel better when I do it, and I don’t mind that “feel the burn” soreness that sometimes happens afterward. But I’m very good at finding reasons I “can’t” exercise. I suppose that also makes me very good at being guilty …
Don’t sweat it. You’ll get back in the groove before long. I hope your knees won’t punish you too much for skipping the gym over the weekend. You certainly weren’t being lazy!
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Tracey Reply:
March 2nd, 2010 at 10:00 am
Thanks for the encouragement, Wren. Glad you understand what I’m talking about!
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Tracey Reply:
March 2nd, 2010 at 10:00 am
Thanks for the encouragement, Wren. Glad you understand what I’m talking about!
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I exercise for the way it makes me feel emotionally and physically. Without it I would be a wreck. No joke. =)
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When I don’t feel like going to the gym I usually tell myself that I’m just going to stop in, change and if I still want to leave, I’ll go
And then I’m too lazy to change again, so I go do some cardio, haha
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Tracey Reply:
March 7th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
Fiona–That’s such a great idea. Sometimes just going there, even if I tell myself it’s for a few minutes, leads to a great workout.
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