Life has hit us at full force here in the McKay house. Personally, I am a homebody. Any chance I get to lay on the couch and read and wear clothes that are so washed out and comfy you can see through them, I am all for it! Sadly, our DVR is piling up with recordings and our Netflix account is barely getting used.
When one has a busy life, it helps to plan and schedule things out. It also helps to know one's own weaknesses so you aren't self-defeated.
I started last week out knowing a few things for certain: I'm dedicated to this squat challenge and I am most productive in the mornings. These are good things to know... I may have learned some other things about myself along the way.
Day 13- Goal 130 Squats
An early start at work means my plan to get my squats in early in the morning is already thwarted. I work a 10 hour shift at the day job and then come home and split my squats into 5 sets.
I opt to do them in the kitchen while Mr. McKay is cooking. I realize that any talk with numbers in it will make me lose count. A simple, "The oven needs to be on 350," resulted in me doing another set of squats because I just didn't know what number I was on!
Day 14- Goal 135 Squats
Another whirlwind of a day, I completely forget about my challenge until late that night. After I've showered and brushed my teeth I start five sets of squats. Mr. McKay is lingering nearby and he gets a, "Shh! Don't make me lose count!" more than once. Mission accomplished, I sleep like a champ.
Day 15- Goal 140 Squats
The midway point!! This is a bit of a milestone and it gives me renewed vigor to make it to the finish line. But still no sense of urgency. On a rare night we have free, I squat during late night TV watching. I'm not as rushed or tired and I don't lose count at all.
I might mention more than once that I am "Totally kicking this challenge's ass!"
Realization: I might be a competitive asshole, even when I am competing against myself.
Day 16- Rest Day
I do love when a rest day falls on my day off so I can rest in every sense of life! I hit rest day hard.
Day 17- Goal 150 Squats
We're away for the weekend. Our car gets packed up with more items than we can possibly need for three days. We take a short road trip and find our way to the roller derby event we attend every year. I play in a hard-hitting scrimmage with players from all over the world. We catch up with friends, we drink, we eat.
In the wee hours of the morning we start to climb into our bed at the hotel. "My squats!" I hop back out from under the crisp white sheet.
"You did a lot today, maybe you can skip them tonight," Mr. McKay suggests.
"I'm more than halfway there! I'm not a quitter!"
He shrugs at me and turns the TV on. We watch some late night talk show as I complete six sets of 25 squats. I try counting on my fingers. I'm tired and blurry and might be a little drunk. I'm fairly certain I've completed 150 squats by the time I climb into bed, although the details are fuzzy.
Day 18- Goal 155 Squats
I'm determined not to have another night where I am rushing to complete squats at 2am. I'm up before Mr. McKay and I start my squats before I even shower. I get half of them done before we leave the hotel for the day.
The rest get completed in the early evening when we stop at the hotel before meeting up with friends for dinner.
I feel accomplished. I feel so on top of things. I don't understand why I can't do this everyday, with all parts of my life...
Day 19- Goal 160 Squats
Our weekend has derailed a bit. The clock read 4am when I climbed into bed the night before (earlier that morning?). We have a checkout time, we have to pack up our stuff, we want to get back to the sportsplex to catch a few more derby bouts before we head home.
We are tired. We are not in our 20's anymore. We realize our miscalculation belatedly, it would have been good to remember some hours ago, but we weren't the only ones up until 4am.
I greet a few of my roller derby teammates in the parking lot. They are wearing big sunglasses and have purchased coffees in gallon sizes.
We cut our day short and take our roadtrip home. Then we nap. I get my squats in. My sets are split up by long breaks. I chat with Mr. McKay recalling my favorite parts of the weekend... and lose count. I do a few extra, just to make sure I reach my goal legitimately.
Day 20- Rest Day
I could not have needed it more. But it is a new week. I got this!
Summary-
I know I can procrastinate, that was not a surprise to me. Also, counting, not my best skill. I mean, obviously I can count, but I lose track quickly if distracted. I cannot multitask where numbers are involved.
I think the thing that surprised me the most about this week is how competitive I am. Well, I always knew I like to win. There have been more times than I can count that a session of Mario Baseball on Nintendo has almost ended in divorce. Also, I refuse to play Monopoly anymore because all of my worst fights with my brothers growing up centered around this board game. (They are cheaters though, seriously.)
I think the thing I found funny was how competitive I am with myself. This challenge isn't a competition. I couldn't do the instagram challenge I planned on and I thought it would be good to have something to blog about. To be honest, when I started I had no intentions of finishing.
But now that I am into it, I want to succeed. I keep pushing myself to do better. If I feel like one of my squats was below par because I was distracted by something else, I do it again. I don't want to cheat! Which really just means it's a personal thing, because no one is policing me.
Mr. McKay walked past me last night while I was doing the dishes. He grabbed my ass (as he does) and said, "Oh, that's a firm butt!" That's really all the incentive I need :)
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