Tag: family time

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How I Balance My Fitness Goals in a Busy Season

Written December 8, 2024

Hello Dear Readers,

Since I started running 10k more frequently than ever, I have been experiencing body exhaustion. This morning, I woke up pretty sleepy and succumbed to tiredness by sleeping an extra half-hour. Luckily, there were no time-sensitive demands on me this morning, so my lateness has no lasting consequences. The volatile weather made my work harder.

Undoubtedly, the more frequent 10K runs have impacted my energy level. I did a few 10k runs last week. I have chronic kidney disease, so I cannot eat even an average man’s protein amount. The food restriction impacts me when it comes to exercising. My body doesn’t seem to recover as fast as I would wish. The sudden change in exercise goals affects me more than I would like. Too much exercise can lead to muscle loss since I cannot eat enough protein. So, I must be extremely mindful of how much I work out.

I just have to sleep more than expected on days like today. I take this as a signal from my body that I need to rest more than usual. The year is about to end anyway, so I will only work on adjusting my goals now. I am nearly hitting the target, and I know it is doable. I still take a rest day on Sunday. I canceled everything that was occurring during the Christmas holiday.

We started to plan what we would eat for this Holiday. My family in Tennessee decided to spend Christmas Holidays at my sister’s house in Virginia. My wife can only take a few days off since she is the sole accountant at her company. There is so much year-end prep work she has to do. She has been automating so many tasks that she runs the finance department alone. Her company is still publicly traded, and the office where she works has nearly $50 million in sales. She says they are hoping to get one more accountant, which will ease her workload in the future. I support my wife however I can, so I will stay in Tennessee to spend our holidays together. 

Hopefully, the extra half hour will be enough to rejuvenate me, and I’ll be able to resume my desired schedule.

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Taking a Break and Tackling Big Weekend Projects

Written August 25, 2024

Hello Dear Readers,

Today is my official rest day. While there are always daily chores, I avoid running or tackling yard work on Sundays unless something urgent arises. This week has been incredibly taxing, with extra home maintenance tasks leaving my legs sore. I hope a day of rest and some much-needed stretching will help me recover and feel refreshed for the coming week.

My wife, meanwhile, uses Sundays to organize her upcoming week. She has her to-do list workbooks and plans everything down to the smallest detail. I’m not quite as meticulous, but I like to lay out my tasks and schedule for the week. Everything goes into my Google Calendar, so I can easily access it on my phone. It’s my way of staying organized without feeling too bogged down by every minor task.

We have some exciting plans for next weekend. We’ll head to my mother’s house to celebrate our niece’s birthday. It’s been a while since we’ve seen her, as the last few weekends have been packed with obligations, and we haven’t visited since July. My wife is especially eager to see everyone again. In addition to the celebration, we’re also preparing to begin a much-needed deck repair. This project will take several days to complete.

The deck stairs need significant work. They were built into a tree we recently cut down, which had grown so tall and close to the house that we were worried the roots would damage our foundation. Unfortunately, the roots have already affected the brick pathway leading to the stairs before cutting the tree. I’ve put off this repair for the year, but now it can’t be delayed any longer. My wife insists we do the repairs correctly this time. I’m still puzzled by why anyone would build a brick path over a root system, but it must have been done when the house was built over 30 years ago. We’re still debating whether to handle the deck repairs ourselves or hire professionals since we don’t have the proper tools.

This year, we’re at least committed to sanding and staining the deck and cleaning, sanding, and repainting our deck furniture. I’m looking forward to having the space functional again. Once the deck is ready, we can use the grill and maybe even expand the garden around it—a healing garden, as my wife envisions. While maintaining a house can be a lot of work, the effort always feels rewarding.

As I look ahead to this week, I’m adjusting my schedule to account for two big maintenance days on Thursday and Friday. Then we have the birthday party on Saturday. My wife, ever the planner, will also review our August expenses and tweak the budget for the rest of the year. At least this will be the long weekend. For now, I’m just hoping this leg soreness goes away soon!