Conquering Fears

Happy Saturday! I don’t know about you, but I am so glad it’s the weekend. And I’ll answer that question myself – I know you guys are glad it’s the weekend, too. With the constantly changing weather, at least here in Texas, I’ve been dragging a little bit more than usual this week. It’s been harder and harder to get up when my alarm goes off (meaning, I hit snooze for about 20 more minutes), and I was literally praying for a delayed start on Thursday. I knew it wasn’t going to happen, but two extra hours of sleep would have been the absolute best. But I guess I can’t squeeze in everything I want to get done during the school day and have a delayed start, can I? Anyway, let’s start off this Saturday post with a workout and breakfast.

Workout

Today’s workout was one that I haven’t done in a while. And I wish all of my volleyball girls would read this before they moan and groan the next time we make them do a very similar workout. Because I know it's hard. But being challenged is what makes you stronger, better, faster. Inspired by this workout created by Peanut Butter Fingers (who, by the way, is PREGNANT!!!), I came up with my own rendition of a 10 to 6 workout. 

And it gets better. After I finished each round, I did five rounds of stairs and one minute of jump rope before moving onto the next round. I was a sweaty and tired mess by the end of this workout, but I left feeling as though I finally got my exercise mojo back. Not that I had really lost it, but I have felt a little bit lost with this recent running hiatus I've been going through. Which maybe means I'm finding a little bit too much of my identity in running. And this is good for me. Still, I did spend the better part of last night with an ice pack on my shin, because I'm determined to start running again - sooner rather than later. And while I do wish I could be running, I am enjoying having a little bit of extra time to dedicate to the strength training I so often neglect. Everything happens for a reason, right?

And before I leave the workout behind, let me explain a couple of these exercises to you. It is entirely possible that some of these exercises have a technical name, and I am just not aware of it. The push-up position knee tucks look something like this. I start in push-up position, with my hands underneath my shoulders. I jumped my knees into my chest - at the same time - before jumping them back out. Basically, I consider them to be like mountain climbers just with both knees coming in at the same time.

And the narrow to wide jumping squats, or sumo squat. I start narrow, or standing straight up with my feet together, toes forward. I then jump my legs out until they are in a wider squat, my toes pointing out. Hop back up, and repeat!

Like this, but I start with my feet together (Source)

And finally, the push-up position row goes like this. I, again, get into push-up position, with my hands position on two dumbbells. I didn't actually complete a push-up, though you certainly could for an added challenge. Instead, I just alternated pulling one dumbbell back toward my body until my elbow was above my back, and then returning the weight to the floor.

(Source)

Breakfast

Today’s breakfast was also a little bit out of the ordinary. Or not so much out of the ordinary, but not quite as common as my scrambled egg whites and spinach. Aren’t you glad you don’t see those on the blog quite as often as you used to? Sidenote, I typically eat my breakfast just before the school day begins, and that student I mentioned who usually comes to visit me in the morning? I’m just casually eating my breakfast while he’s in there. At this point, I have absolutely no shame. Even he commented that, “I eat the same breakfast every single day!” So, today is a reprieve from what I normally eat for breakfast. And though it's cold outside, a cool, refreshing smoothie sounded just right. After my workout, I headed just up the road to Island Grill, located very close to Memorial City Mall. I've been to the Island Grill on Bellaire Blvd., and this location just recently opened. As I've mentioned in an earlier post, there's not really a smoothie place near my house anymore, but this isn't too much out of my way. Especially when I-10 isn't too crazy. And while I came to this place for the smoothie, I will certainly be returning for a meal. It was just so cute and everything on the menu sounded delicious. But as for this morning's smoothie, I went with Liquid Sunshine - a combination of pears, carrots, parsley, celery, strawberries, and peaches. Delish!

Conquering Fears

I think I’ve mentioned on the blog before that I am more than willing to jump out of a perfectly good airplane (and I have, in fact, done this before), but the thought of scuba diving absolutely terrifies me. That may surprise you, considering how much I love to swim, but something about diving deep down in the water makes me a little nervous. That being said, I do have a little bit of an adventurous side, and I certainly have a competitive side. Not necessarily competitive, but I don’t want to be held back by fear. One of my friends has this idea, called Fearless ’15, in which she has vowed to live this year outside of her comfort zone, intentionally, and without limitations. I love that, and I am going to channel that as I get my scuba certification. Yes, you heard that correctly. My scuba certification.

Just last week I walked out of school with a text from a friend I’ve had since Pre-K, asking me if I had my scuba certification or if I was interested in getting in. While I initially hesitated, something in me told me to say “YES” to this idea. I asked her about the cost and the time commitment, which are both very reasonable, and when I learned that this scuba certification culminated in a five-day trip to Cozumel, I was all in. I’ve never been to Mexico before, and my family isn't one to take beach-y vacations (unless, of course, it's Hawaii), so this trip is going to be a plethora of new experiences for me.

Here’s what this is going to look like. Through Sugar Land Dive Center, Cheyney and I are going to do two classroom sessions and two confined water (pool) dives in Sugar Land Dive's Center pool and classroom. This is all going to take place June 6th and 7th, the weekend before we leave for Cozumel. But we are asked to go pick up our study materials ahead of time so that we can get a gauge on the material. I won't lie, I'm a little bit too excited to get back into study mode!

Then, on June 11^th, we are going to board a plane to Cozumel, Mexico to finish our scuba certification with our open water dives. These dives will take place in the morning, and then we will have the rest of the day to do whatever we please. Ziplining, swimming with dolphins and sea turtles, and of course, tanning and lounging on the beach are all some of the activities in which we hope to participate.

Yes, I am still a little bit nervous. It's something I've never done before, and something that has always scared me. But I am also so excited. I can't even begin to imagine the sights I am going to see and the experiences I am going to have. And that anticipation and excitement far outweighs the nervousness. And we've officially punched our tickets and got ourselves on the scuba dive schedule.Cozumel, here we come!