I’m soooo tired ….. so sleepy.  I’m jealous of those people who can sleep 5 hours and bounce up and be productive.  I need 9 hours asleep.  9??? Yes 9.  Look it up.  That’s still within normal range.  Hovering way up on the high side but still “normal.”  Luckily I have no kids and no job so I can actually get the 9.  I’m usually in bed and counting sheep by 10pm.

Why am I so tired when I do nothing all day?  Part of it is that I’m not getting great sleep. Dogs taking up bed space, my brain’s inability to turn off, the medication I take, and many other common complaints are definitely to blame.  Still what has changed since I left my 9-5 (Ha!  9-5 my ass.  More like 5-9.) job that causes me to be too pooped to pop?  Then I remembered I don’t do nothing all day.  I do a ton of activity all day.  Most days I get 3 hours of exercise.  That’s a lot for someone who is use to sitting on her bum in an office (or airport/airplane/office lobbies) all day.  I wake up and do 2ish (sometimes more sometimes less) hours of high alert hiking in the morning with the dogs.  Why high alert?  I need to make sure I have all the dogs all the time, that they aren’t in anyones way, that they aren’t going to be eaten by wildlife, etc.  I spend most of those 2 hours (if they are off leash) counting them over and over to make sure I haven’t missed anyone.  I’m also doing squats the entire time as I get down to their level to take pictures for my guest dogs folks or to pick up poop (they all poop so much).  Down and up and down and up.

In the late afternoon I head over to my Bar Method studio for an hour of hard-core “human only” strength and endurance training.  It’s exhausting stuff.  For anyone (and I mean any man) who thinks Bar Method is easy and just a light little woman’s workout I suggest you get yourself in a class and then post your apology below in the comments section.  I had completed triathlons when I took my first Bar Method class and I still had to step out at one point to keep from throwing up and couldn’t move without screaming “ouch” the next day.

Once in a while the instructors of the Bar Method studios get an update on some moves.  That happened recently and last night I did something called “arm dancing” for the third time.  Right now my abs are killing me from that work.  You would think after years of taking classes I wouldn’t hurt but every day the moves are a little (or a lot) different so your body never settles in and gets used to what you are doing.  You are also getting better at the work and more specific in your moves which makes all the work more targeted.

What’s arm dancing you ask?  Well … lie down on your back with your feet on the ground, knees up.  Jam a few firm pillows behind you so that you can push your lower body and lower ribcage into the floor while keeping your shoulders up in a curl.  Your shoulders should be below your knees in front of you.  This is a “low curl” position.  Your abs should already be feeling something.  Now curl tighter and put your arms straight out over your knees one hand on top of the other.  Now without moving your body and keeping curled as high/tight as possible bring your arms slowly up and slowly down.  Now do that a bunch of times.  I have no idea why moving your arms in this position causes so much pain in your abs but it does.

My guess is those 3 hours of working out are what is causing me to gravitate toward my bed (and Bengay) whenever possible.  All I ever need is just a few more zzzzzzzs.