In some our comments yesterday, we were kicking around the word "routine". It got me thinking about how we use words, or misuse them. My mentor/friend Charlie (have a look at http://www.seishindo.org/) often picks me up on the way I use some words. He'll say "did you mean that?" and I will say" well, no, but you know what I mean!" and he'll say "no, why should I know!".
So I was thinking, what does "routine" mean? For some it can mean a fixed set of boring, mundane tasks that have to be done; for others it can mean a pattern, like a dance routine, still a fixed way of doing things but with useful or enjoyable overtones.
For me, I have a habit of procrastination and so some sense of routine is good. In the last week, I have been going to bed and waking up earlier, sleeping deeper (I think - I've certainly been waking up in the middle of the night less; on the other hand, I have been feeling really tired) and putting some discipline in my eating habits, not to mention the PCP exercises. And this all has to be "good". I certainly don't want PCP to become mundane but inevitably, I think I will have to have to have a routine.
So this morning, I was up at 6.30, determined to get the whole programme done. Today's secret weapon - some deep heat gel I had in the bathroom cabinet. I rubbed some in my back so by the time I was half way through the skipping, my back was glowing. Not related, but the skipping went really well. A couple of sequences of 70-80 skips and I did 900 in 22 minutes, more skips in less time! And yes, if you've noticed the pattern, I will be up to 1,000 tomorrow.
Then 5x20 squats, not so deep, but having an effect, before the main event. And lo and behold, the warm back did the trick - hardly a twinge. That meant I was more conscious of how weak my upper arms are. Was it Amy who asked whether the push-ups can start "up", lowering first before lifting again? This must the easier option because the lift does not come from a motionless position. So, of course, that's the way I went (still from the knee) but 4x5, only beginning to struggle in the last set. Finally the crunches. 4x15 and feeling it. I only curl until the part of my spine that doesn't bend (yet) (psoriatic arthritis typically affects the extremities, fingers and toes, and both end of the spine).
The downside of the gel - getting in a warm bath after the exercise. The warm water made the gel feel even warmer!!
A very light breakfast (I had some soup I had left in the fridge - shouldn't have had something hot, it started me sweating again) and no mid-morning snack so I'm afraid my attention was focused on lunch instead of what I should have been doing this morning. The same lunch box but I finished it and still felt hungry!
After one week, so far so good, with a few personal idiosyncrasies! Oh, and weight wise? Last Friday I weighed in at 92.0kg. This morning, it was 90.5kg.
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3 comments:
Hey Tim,
I've heard a little bit about NLP before. I'm interested in reading more about your experiences with it in your future posts.
-A
Unlike most of our usual "routines" the PCP will not simply reconfirm who you are but let you see new or forgotten sides of your body and mind.
Hey, that sounds like it should go on the book cover. If only someone else had said it!
If something's become so routine that you no longer even think about doing it - before, during, or after - I think it's a problem. On the other hand, I'm kind of like you where if I didn't have "a routine" (and my daily routine is still kind of a work in progress)I'd forget a lot of stuff and/or not be as efficient with my time.
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