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Exercise: My Five Stages of Weightlifting

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My Five Stages of Weightlifting

I have attempted to start a workout routine more focused on weight training and less focused on cardio. And by cardio, I mean sitting in place at my desk.

Yeah.

w1
And that’s before you add in writing books.

Neither my desk-jockey day job nor my writing really provide a lot of exercise. I did my research, and the conclusion seems to be weightlifting in the way to go. Here is where I am so far.

 

Stage 1 – Excitement to Start

Researching the best way to begin, finding appropriate routines to go with the equipment we have (not going to a gym during COVID), setting up logs. This is going to be great! I can do this!

 

Stage 2 – Doing the Routine

What was I supposed to do again? Let me rewatch the video. I’m supposed to balance how and do what while lifting something heavy? Wait, I remember this from those classes I took *mumble* years ago. Okay, I get it, but wow, so much harder to do than it was *mumble* years ago.

 

Stage 3 – Dear God, Will I Ever Move Again?

Places I didn’t know I had hurt. Getting out of bed is suddenly an event. I don’t really need that snack or drink of water. Not if it means moving.

lazy
If I had a dog, this is how they’d be getting walked right now.

 

Stage 4 – Zzzzzz

I can fall asleep. In the recliner. Sitting up. While the kids are playing the Switch. They weren’t kidding when they said it would improve your sleep.

 

Stage 5 – Wait, I Have to Do It Again?

What do you man I haven’t built all the muscle I need in one workout session? You mean I have to do this three times a week?!?

w2
“great day”

I have kept with it for a few weeks now, and I would love to tell you it’s getting better. I still don’t like it, much less love it. We do have a smart TV and a Switch docking station down in our workout area, so there is at least some entertainment.

Anyone else do light to moderate weightlifting? How long before you fell in love with it, if you ever did? How long before you can move without knowing you’re moving?

Why I Can’t Wait for Self-Driving Cars

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I am very excited for self-driving cars. I know, many people are leery. I, too, have read Charles Stross and understand that they can be hacked and used as murder weapons. At this point in time, what can’t be hacked? But I digress.

electriccar
About like this, I suspect.

Even with Stross’s visions of mayhem running through my head, I hope self-driving cars get here sooner than later.

My Top Reasons for Wanting Self-Driving Cars

 

  •  Someone Else is the Kids’ Chauffeur – I know, my oldest child is only in kindergarten, and I am already tired of either me or my husband having to cart her all over the place. Dance lessons. Gymnastics. Another birthday party. I can’t believe how much of my life this consumes, and I can’t listen to audio books while she’s in the car. My hope is they can design the cars to recognize faces, let the child into the vehicle, then take them where they are going. Maybe I’m hoping too much, but a parent can dream
danceclass
It’s only cute until the 50th time you’ve sat through it.
  • Lower Cost – If we had self-driving cars, I believe it will only be a matter of time before we’re all scheduling a majority of our trips with a less-rapey version of Uber. While we may still need one car, our second car is used exclusively for my husband’s commute. We could simply schedule that with a self-driving car. One less car is a big deal to the average family when the cost of a new car is almost $34,000. Cars are the second most expensive thing we own after a house.
  • Traffic Rules – I am tired of people not choosing to stop for a stop sign, running red lights, and otherwise not obeying traffic rules. You know who you are red pickup truck that didn’t decide to yield to oncoming traffic. *glares* If we’re all in self-driving cars, this goes away.

 

stopsign
Not sure how much more obvious we can make the sign.

 

  • More Free Time – While my commute is usually less than fifteen minutes each way, my husband has a much longer commute as do a lot of people I know. So while it might not buy me time back a lot of time, it will get my husband more time.
  • No More Distracted Drivers – Drivers can now text or whatever the heck they’re doing on their phones that caused them to be not paying attention to traffic and forcing me to honk at them when they run a stop sign.

I know there are a lot of safety hurdles to self-driving cars, but I’m really looking forward to them. I am hoping the benefits outweigh the costs.

How about you? Like the idea of self-driving cars? Hate it? Why?