This week was kind of a wash in terms of fitness.  I spent the week feeling totally exhausted – not sure if that’s an artifact of returning (and restressing) from vacation or of the new diet plan we’ve both started – but suffice to say that it sucks.  When I did manage to work out, I felt extremely fatigued, but pushed myself to finish what I started – that is, when I managed to start in the first place.

Monday: Tired all day and just could not BRING IT, especially not after the onset of a bad headache in the late afternoon.  Instead I ran errands and planned tasty low-carb meals and went to bed at a reasonable hour.

Tuesday: Biked to and from work, then did Core Synergistics.  I can tell that I’m gaining strength, but I struggled to finish.  No Dreya rolls.

Wednesday: Left work early so that I could lie on the heating pad.  No workout.

Thursday: Difficult 4 mile run home from work plus .5 mile cool-down.  My legs felt like lead weights.

Friday: Worked from home in the afternoon, so didn’t get to the gym until 8 with dinner after that.  Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps is so hard!  I swear Tony wants me to fall on my face and break my nose.  By the end of the umpteenth pushup variation, I was shaking with exhaustion, despite feeling pretty good throughout the workout.  I think I’m going to have to switch up the order of the Phase 2 workouts if I want to have any hope of bringing it.

Saturday: 7 mile run first thing in the morning on my first slow carb cheat day.  The cheat day was amazing.  The run? Not so much.  My legs felt like lead weights, especially on the hills in the last third of the run.  I stopped at 5 miles for a gel, and allowed myself to walk the steepest of the hills.  That was the trade-off for finishing.

Sunday: I had good intentions for doing Legs & Back, but instead I cleaned the house for four hours.

An important lesson I’ve learned about diet, fitness, and my emotional state is that I need to remember to be kind to myself.  Gaining or losing a few pounds, missing a workout or two – these are small triumphs and defeats in the grand scheme of things.  One tired week won’t undo months of good effort.  Or, as Tony says, “do your best and forget the rest!”  So that’s what I’m going to do.  The coming week will be a do-over for week 5, and I plan to BRING IT.