Here Again: Feels So Good

Monday, December 25, 2023

I gonna have to totally start bumping that late 70s disco vibe. Quick thought: why did '90s line dancing adopt country music? There's no groove there! Wear the cowboy boots and jeans still, but play KC & the Sunshine Band's Get Down Tonight. Ahh, add that one to the list of things I'll fix when I find my keys to the DeLorean.

Merry Christmas! I kicked off today with another 2:30 AM by pushing ol' Santa's sleigh so that he could crank it to start. What a mess that made in the front yard.

After knocking back my 16 oz of coffee blended into 4 oz of butter poured over ice that I prepped the night before, I ran through my simplified lifting session: a back day, just stiff-lead deadlifts, shrugs, and inclined rows.

I'm returning to my approach from May and June when I lifted for 9 weeks with a 5-day split. Not that I didn't lift beyond those weeks, but when I introduced supersets, I must have red-lined myself 'cause the increased load began punching holes into my plan. And while last week I had supersets (2 to 4 exercises nonstop), I recognize that approach will derail the pain train!

...and now in post-workout, I am drinking 20 oz of 160℉ homemade chicken broth. It just feels nurturing. And it happens to line up with my natural target of 87% calories from fat.

Now, I would be out there in those beloved pre-dawn hours, racking up the steps if it wasn't for 60℉ rain. Yeah, there ain't no I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas out there; Matt hit it on the head in his Southern Christmas is Different.

YES, it may have taken months for me to recapture that internal fire of mine, I couldn't even walk across the house without making pain choices, but here in December, I came back.

Yesterday was a big-BIG day; I earned 7 Garmin badges:

  1. Olympus - (2,917 meters daily floors climbed over time)
  2. Stepping Up 30K - (30,000 steps in a day)
  3. Stepping Up 25K - (25,000 steps in a day)
  4. Active December - (20 activities)
  5. December Walking - (30 miles of walking activities)
  6. December Time to Walk - (15 hours of walking activities)
  7. Commentator - (I just talked to myself on the Facebook of Garmin when I learned it was collectible)

My favorite badge yesterday was the 30K one. I beat my personal best of 2023 by...10,000 steps. Very soon, I'll be beating that prior mark every day. While I remain disappointed with my average pace, I recognize I'm hauling a big ol' hiking backpack of Bill, where at last weighin, I got to yank out 76 lbs of stuff before I'll let myself run!

All of that to say is that I'm going to hit fitness in 2024 in stride.

Regarding other resolutions, I have received all the clothes for January. I got the jeans; the Under Armor under things and shoes; and a general theme of long-sleeved thermals black/grey and red flannels. But one thing I haven't updated my New Year's resolutions is...

BELT BUCKLES!!!

I already have the wolf on hand as I'm waiting for three more to arrive:

Totally gonna have to grab cowboy boots again...or retire and replace my 2021 Xero Z-Trails. I'm back.