Is the Glass Full? Do I Remember Where I Left the Glass?

I’ve lost track of what day I am on and I don’t think I’ll spend the time counting backwards. My desire to be optimistic is competing furiously with my tendency to be pessimistic. The week is off to a great start – I am more than 2/3 of the way through my Cardio Challenge for the week – that’s nearly four hours of sustained exercise by 10am on the Monday morning. So, why the pessimism?

I hurt!

Yesterday brought weather worth writing about – clear skies and bright sunshine after days of rain. It seemed a perfect day to get out in the yard to do official homeowner activities: raking leaves. I admit to taking breaks for breakfast and calls, but when the last leaf was stuffed into the bag it had been five hours. My muscles were vaguely aware of the workout they had received, but just to be sure I decided to traipse to the gym to polish off my weekend with a brief bike ride and some upper body training session.

I can’t move.

Well, I did get myself to work. However, I think I could stay in my chair for the next eight hours with little complaint. I know, of course, that this will increase my stiffness. I also know that stretching and light cardio are my best bets if my energy levels are high enough later this evening. But, I think I will think twice before engaging in several hours of yard work followed by the gym late on a Sunday. I need more recovery time than I allowed myself. Nevertheless –

My optimism is peeking out.

I felt great yesterday. Constant motion and moderate activity do wonders for my physical health. My mood is great and the abdominal pains that I have been experiencing have been replaced by twinges in joint and aches in muscles. It’s not a perfect trade-off, but it is manageable.

My optimism is pulling ahead.

Dude! I did five hours of yard work and then went to the gym – a day after I completed a 90 minute early bird workout. None of this would have been possible a month ago. It wouldn’t have been possible a year ago.

I have managed to claw back to a level of physical fitness that I haven’t seen since early 2008. It’s incredible because early 2008 was when it began to decline – right around the time that I started having problems with the ongoing partial obstructions. I found out last week that this is the new reality. With the pronouncement of a “healthy, yet scarred” digestive system came the knowledge that I would be unable to return to the “old” me. It sucks, but the new “have to be disciplined a whole lot of the time” me isn’t so bad. And, I think that going through the ups and downs will probably make me stronger than I was before. (Hmmm…I think part of this may be coming from my newfound love of fitness magazines – you know real ones – with actual workouts and advice.)