Rest Day

As we were given a half day off at work today, I didn't take my gym bag with me. I had delusions of coming home by noon and working with Joshua stripping the heat-blistered paint off our south-facing bay window, but it was about all I could do to stay awake while driving home. I suffer from Narcolepsy and usually by Friday I'm doing the duffel-bag drag. Today was no different, I got home, made and ate a sandwich, and took a nap.

Having the occasional rest day (having no formal work-out), I learned a few years ago, is important. Muscles need a chance to heal up after a few consecutive days of work-outs. A buddy of mine made a comment about this when we were reminiscing about Infantry basic training. He said, "The Army was really good at tearing down our muscles, but was terrible at building us back up." He really nailed it. Speaking for myself, I was constantly sore from head to toe, not to mention exhausted on the few hours sleep we got a night.

My game plan today was to not hit the gym but to work on the bay window: stripping the paint off, caulking around the aluminum siding, and maybe even painting. This way I would be active and moving around, getting some increased blood flow to my muscles. Alas, it never happened. Tomorrow I will be bold and do some needed yard work and work on that bay window!

Something else I promise I'll do more of from now on: be more active: mowing the lawn more (vice having the kids do it), walk outside with The Boss several times a week, etc.

My daughter Jenn has gotten into the spirit of The Challenge by walking on the treadmill every day and even participating in the trash talking my son and I do. This is what she wrote on the white board on her big brother's bedroom door:




Hey, wait a minute, shouldn't she be encouraging me????? If so, she'd better not call me jerk.