Taking A Week Off Exercise

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I'm tired. That's nothing new. I workout constantly, work hard and am almost always on the go. I prefer it that way. Living life at full throttle 80% of the time makes me happy. And feeling tired from hard workouts is part of the game. 

But this is something more. I'm not just tired. I'm worn out. Exhausted. I can feel it in every movement of daily life. I've been approaching my workouts for the last few weeks with trepidation, asking myself what it's going to take to pull me through. I'm drinking 1-2 cups of caffeinated coffee a day (I used to only drink decaf), usually before a workout in the hopes of "reving up." I'm not sleeping well. My concentration isn't there.

Diagnosis? Burnout. 

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Smug Marrieds: Disconnecting

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Blair and I have started an experiment where beginning every night at 8, we disconnect from the Internet. No e-mail, no web surfing, no texting. The goal is to gradually move the disconnect time back to where we're spending the majority of our evenings technology free. (Except for TV. We're not giving up TV. Like, ever.) 

We're only a few days in but already seeing positive results. Personally, I feel calmer and more centered. I don't worry about leaping up to check a text or to post something clever on Facebook. My time feels more my own. 

I do find myself frantically checking e-mail or scanning Facebook at 7:45, 7:50 p.m., but it's actually a relief when the clock hits eight. I push back from my desk, turn my phone volume down (we're still accepting calls at this point) and turn the lights out in my office for the evening. 

It's a little scary the pull technology has on me. When a commercial comes on or I finish reading a chapter or we take a break from packing, my instinct is always to go check my phone. And it's a strong instinct, an actual physical urge. I've read that constantly checking e-mail and Twitter and updates provides our bodies with an adrenalin like buzz and I believe it. I really think my body/mind is in a form of detox as we attempt this disconnect. 

The good news is that I'm going to come out stronger on the other side. What the last four days has shown me is that there's just not anything that vital going on at 9 or 10 pm on the Internet that requires my attention. It--whatever that "it" may be--can wait until morning.

Cheers,

Dena 

Moving Diaries: The Price Of A New House

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Who knew a mortgage was only the beginning? As I work through packing up our current home, I'm keeping a running list of "Things To Buy For Our Move to Barbie's Dream Home." So far I've got:

  • 2 sets shower curtains and 3 sets of bath mats
  • Bookshelves - 5 to 8 of them. Not kidding. We packed 30 boxes today, all of them books from the built-in bookshelves that our current home has and our new home does not. Prompting me to look at Blair about 1 p.m. today and ask, "Where the hell are we going to put all these books?!"
  • Flat screen TV (okay, so we're late adapters)
  • Shoe racks
  • Decorative cotton ball holder 
  • Vanity chair for master bath
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