Unto the Breach (At Least Once More...)

[wjs]

That's right, the Bard* and my favorite bards** combine to create my new thread title. With a wjs twist, of course.

The 2025 plan has been made and for posterity, this is the initial form. It, of course, can be modified should that be necessary, but the hope and expectation is that it stays relatively as noted below.

Month	Exercise​	Challenge​	Program​
January	De-stress Challenge	Back & Shoulders	Foundation***

February	Knee-to-Elbow Crunches	Re:Center	Individual Workouts
March	Reverse Lunges	Upper Body Light	30 Days of LIIT
April	Reverse Angels	Better Legs	Individual Workouts
May	Arm Scissors	Cardio & Core	Total Body
June	Heel Taps	Warrior Arms	Individual Workouts
July	March Steps	Easy Abs	Arms of Steel
August	Prone Reverse Flys	Lower Body Blast	Individual Workouts
September	Elbow+Elbow Combos	Gladiator	Ronin's Blade
October	Push-Up Plank Hold	Hollow Hold	Individual Workouts
November	Side Kicks	Wall Sit	One Minute HIIT

December

Prone W-Extensions

Power Pose

Individual Workouts

*Billy Spear-shaker, or something like it.
**Clutch. This song**** is, interestingly, about Doctor Who. But also check out Hot Bottom Feeder, the best recipe for crab cakes*****.
***The one that's new to me, with the relatively speaking new revisions.
****Unto the Breach, of course.
*****They're from Maryland, what else would you expect their first song that's a recipe to be?

 

[Fremen]

Happy New Thread

 

[NancyTree]

Yay for a new thread, and good luck with your 2025 plan!

 

[Mamatigerj]

Happy 2025, @wjs!

 

[MadamMeow]

Best wishes for 2025. Happy New Year!

 

[wjs]

Thank you, @Fremen, @NancyTree, @Mamatigerj, and @MadamMeow. Happy New Year to all and to all a great month. Or something.

I have thought about what @neilarey posted this morning in her new thread. I just want to become a better manager and make a serious and good attempt at returning to my fitness level when I left Texas. The latter is the one I can be relatively sure can happen, as long as I can get my diet back in order after the holidays. The former, on the other hand, I'm having trouble with. Whether it's actually a thing I cannot be or just my impostor syndrome talking, I can't be sure.

The workout:
De-Stress Challenge Day 1, one hundred Punches
Back & Core Challenge Day 1, three sets of 12 Reverse Angels with thirty seconds rest between sets
Foundation Program Day 1 at level 3 with one minute rest between sets. I guess my standard cardio workout* prepared me for this one.








*Thirty minutes of step jacks and side jacks non-stop.

 

[wjs]

I've been thinking*, recently. I have realized that I have very few interactions with people that aren't in some way customer related, whether I am managing my store or the customer of another place of business. I also realize I don't know that that is going to change, at least when I'm working. I am planning a vacation out to Colorado later this year in which I will have more non-business interactions, but this is definitely not the norm. This is not to say that I'm necessarily lonely, as I am an introvert so non-contact time is very good for me, but it would be nice to have the time, desire, and someone to be with happen at the same time occasionally.

The workout:
De-Stress Challenge Day 2, one hundred Punches
Back & Core Challenge Day 2, three sets of six each W-Extensions and Prone Reverse Flys with thirty seconds rest between sets
Foundation Program Day 2 at level 2. My knees were not ready for reverse lunges. Still aren't, really.











*Me? Think**? Something must be wrong with the universe, amirite?
**Or overthink. Whichever.

 

[WolfDreamer]

I also love the Billy Spearshaker. Hamlet remains my favorite (I'm a basic bitch, what can I say), but Henry V is a very close second place.

 

[wjs]

@WolfDreamer: A Midsummer Night's Dream, here.

An aside related to yesterday's post. I chose this. I'm not one for bars or parties or other such events. I'm strictly "no new friends in the club" when out at a show. And I'm far too professional to actually hit on a customer or an employee of the store I'm in. So I have no real options for meeting people* and that's on me.

Today is all about failure for me. I feel like I'm always failing. It doesn't matter that my store made up for shortfalls at one of our sister stores. I question every day if I'm the right person for the position I have. I wonder if working out and modifying my diet is going to work this time. How people can trust me in the situations they do eludes me. No one** has ever believed in me as a leader previously, so how can I possibly be the right person for the job now? I wait every day to be told I'm no longer with the company and, honestly, I'm shocked every day when it doesn't happen. Most of the time, this doesn't come out because I learned a very long time ago how to hide what is really going on in my head.

The workout:
De-Stress Challenge Day 3, one hundred Punches
Back & Core Challenge Day 3, three sets of 12 Reverse Angels with thirty seconds rest between sets
Foundation Program Day 3 at level 3. Not fun, though, because of DOMS specifically in my quads concentrated at my knees.










*In whatever social context you wish to construct.
**Clearly, I mean in the context of my past supervisors and managers.

 

[wjs]

It is so hard to pretend, sometimes. But, then, how does one keep a job at all, let alone one that one likes, if one cannot?

The workout:
De-Stress Challenge Day 4, one hundred Punches
Back & Core Challenge Day 4, three sets of six each W-Extensions and Prone Reverse Flys with thirty seconds rest between sets
Foundation Program Day 4 at level 3. My quads are still not happy with me.

 

[wjs]

A rare day at home with the first opportunity to play D&D with my long-time group in six weeks. I definitely needed this and wonder a bit if not having been able to play the last couple of weeks we should have* is part of my reduced mental health this past holiday season. Good rest, I think, but tomorrow is back to the store and all that entails. Additionally, I definitely overate this weekend, but I didn't realize how much I wanted the fruit in the trail mix I bought**, which was easily the biggest factor in my consumption this weekend.

The workout:
De-Stress Challenge Day 5, one hundred Punches
Back & Core Challenge Day 5, three sets of 14 Reverse Angels with thirty seconds rest between sets
Foundation Program Day 5 at level 3 with one minute rest between sets. I'm just glad I don't see reverse lunges again for another couple of days.










*We normally play bi-weekly, so all of December was missed.
**Obviously I knew I wanted it, just not the extent to which I wanted it***.
***Approximately half the bag in one sitting. That's how much I wanted this trail mix.

 

[wjs]

Someone shattered my passenger side front window sometime between when I returned home from work Saturday and leaving for work this morning, about 39 hours of available time. This week was supposed to begin a less stressful time... Now I have an appointment to get it replaced tomorrow. Thankfully. Still, my vehicle essentially open overnight. It wasn't smashed open, given it fell apart after I closed my driver's side door, and it's not like I have anything particularly valuable inside my vehicle so I'm very sure it wasn't intended as a break-in. I just don't know what happened and that is vexing for me.

The workout:
De-Stress Challenge Day 6, one hundred Punches
Back & Core Challenge Day 6, three sets of eight each W-Extensions and Prone Reverse Flys with thirty seconds rest between sets
Foundation Program Day 6 at level 3.

 

[MadamMeow]

Wow, sorry that happened to you. Probably just some kids by accident, but still.

 

[wjs]

@MadamMeow: Thank you.

The window is fixed, but that was extra stress I didn't need. Also, now I have a cold. Thanks, I hate it. But I'll have Thursday away from the store again, which will hopefully help my mental health a bit.

The workout:
De-Stress Challenge Day 7, one hundred Punches
Back & Core Challenge Day 7, three sets of 14 Reverse Angels with thirty seconds rest between sets
Foundation Program Day 7 at level 1. Here were those Reverse Lunges I wasn't looking forward to. At least they only show up once more in the program.

 

[wjs]

Definitely sick. I left the store a little after noon today and I've only gotten worse, for the most part. Still, I couldn't let that stop me from working out, especially a tendon workout when everything already hurts, so what's a bit more pain?* Here's hoping everything is less bad tomorrow.

The workout:
De-Stress Challenge Day 8, one hundred Punches
Back & Core Challenge Day 8, three sets of eight each W-Extensions and Prone Reverse Flys with thirty seconds rest between sets
Foundation Program Day 8 at level 1. That was enough for tonight with everything else.











*Or maybe it was a nice stretch for everything. Who knows? I can't tell right now.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

I hope you get a chance to rest and recover quickly.

 

[Mamatigerj]

 

[graoumia]

take care

 

[MadamMeow]

Hope that cold doesn't last too long for sure.

 

[wjs]

Thank you @Laura Rainbow Dragon, @Mamatigerj, @graoumia, @MadamMeow for the well wishes and everyone for the support. Not just with this* illness, but with everything I've brought to both threads. I know it's a lot of negative. But if I can't speak about it here, where can I? The good news is I'm feeling much, much better than I was yesterday, but I am hedging bets on tomorrow. It hasn't been a good day as far as calorie consumption goes, but it has been with respect to bouncing back from this cold and I'll take the extra calories in return for recovering from any illness so quickly.

The workout:
De-Stress Challenge Day 7, one hundred Punches
Back & Core Challenge Day 7, three sets of 16 Reverse Angels with thirty seconds rest between sets
Foundation Program Day 7 at level 3 with no rest. This is a modified and much shorter version of my standard steady-state cardio. Even sick in four layers of torso wear I barely broke a sweat.














*Hopefully mercifully short.

 

[wjs]

Oh, hey, I didn't post you last night:

Well, I seem to be through the worst of whatever I had this week. Now to survive the daily beatings I give myself. I'm my own toughest critic. I find it difficult to see the good when I have so much to fix in my life. Whether that's something related to my discipline on my personal goals or my present, and still relatively new, position as a manager. Or even in relationships*. I set ridiculously high expectations of myself and always have. Just guessing, it's an extension of the expectations on me as a child. Regardless, I really don't know anything else in terms of where I am versus where I "should be".

The workout:
De-Stress Challenge Day 10, one hundred Punches
Back & Core Challenge Day 10, three sets of ten each W-Extensions and Prone Reverse Flys with thirty seconds rest between sets
Foundation Program Day 10 at level 3 with no rest.







*Or lack thereof. It's hard out here working the retail floor as an introvert.

 

[wjs]

I was exhausted pretty much all day at work. All of the day that mattered, anyway. It was difficult to get anything done, greet people, assist when needed, delegate, or any other basic part of my job. Worst, I treated an employee dismissively who deserved exactly none of it. I apologized, of course. Doesn't mean I don't feel terrible about it. I generally feel like trash physically and mentally. Today was not a good day for me.

The workout:
De-Stress Challenge Day 11, one hundred Punches
Back & Core Challenge Day 11, three sets of 16 Reverse Angels with thirty seconds rest between sets
Foundation Program Day 11 at level 3 with one minute rest.

 

[wjs]

I don't know if today was enough time away from the store, but at least I can look forward to Thursday.

The workout:
De-Stress Challenge Day 12, one hundred Punches
Back & Core Challenge Day 12, three sets of ten each W-Extensions and Prone Reverse Flys with thirty seconds rest between sets
Foundation Program Day 12 at level 3 with one minute rest.

 

[wjs]

My boss, the owner of the store I run*, was in today. He still has complete faith in me and understands that I am my own toughest critic and my own worst stumbling block. It helps that he believes in me, but as I am my own toughest critic, it's kind of hard to hear since I know my mistakes.

The workout:
De-Stress Challenge Day 13, one hundred Punches
Back & Core Challenge Day 13, three sets of 18 Reverse Angels with thirty seconds rest between sets
Foundation Program Day 13 at level 3 with one minute rest. Maybe I'm in a bit better shape than I thought, given I've been knocking out level 3 on most days and reduced rest on a number of days, as well.**






*And its sisters***, most of which are in the Minneapolis area.
**Positivity? Are you kidding me?
***Games by James and Air Traffic. Except the Rochester one. They didn't want in with the rest of the stores, for whatever reason.

 

[wjs]

Calm day to report from work and other parts of my life. Nothing to see here.

The workout:
De-Stress Challenge Day 14, one hundred Punches
Back & Core Challenge Day 14, three sets of twelve each W-Extensions and Prone Reverse Flys with thirty seconds rest between sets
Foundation Program Day 14 at level 3 with no rest.

 

[wjs]

Another calm day at work and a day off tomorrow. Nothing to see here, again.

The workout:
De-Stress Challenge Day 15, one hundred Punches
Back & Core Challenge Day 15, three sets of 18 Reverse Angels with thirty seconds rest between sets
Foundation Program Day 15 at level 2. Reverse lunges and my damaged knee* do not mix so well.








*I had rehabilitated it to a pretty good place before I picked up an incredibly sedentary job without returning to the working out. Hopefully I can get it there again.

 

[wjs]

Mostly good day away from the store. A friend had a small emergency with which I helped, but other than that*, it was a relatively alright day.

The workout:
De-Stress Challenge Day 16, one hundred Punches
Back & Core Challenge Day 16, three sets of twelve each W-Extensions and Prone Reverse Flys with thirty seconds rest between sets
Foundation Program Day 16 at level 3 with one minute rest.








*And a much-needed haircut.

 

[wjs]

The ridiculousness of cardboard crack*. A new** set of Pokemon came out today and I had people waiting on me to open for at least twenty minutes. I say "at least" because about twenty minutes before open I realized I had people waiting on me to open the store.

The workout:
De-Stress Challenge Day 17, one hundred Punches
Back & Core Challenge Day 17, three sets of 20 Reverse Angels with thirty seconds rest between sets
Foundation Program Day 17 at level 3 with no rest. Again the cardio for Foundation is not matched by the steady state cardio I have already been doing.








*Trading and collectible card games, such as Magic, Pokemon, Lorcana, and Star Wars Unlimited. If you know, you know.
**And special, I guess. As told to me by my staff who play Pokemon.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

The ridiculousness of cardboard crack*.

My mother worked in Zellers (a Canadian discount retail chain) during the era of Cabbage Patch Dolls. They had grown women getting into physical fights over those things.

 

[wjs]

@Laura Rainbow Dragon, that does not surprise me. If we carried the limited edition Beanie lines, I suspect that our stores would see the same sorts of things.

 

[wjs]

Why were people out in fully freezing weather today instead of staying home where it's warm? At least it'll only get colder for most of the coming week. Also, day off tomorrow. I hope.

The workout:
De-Stress Challenge Day 18, one hundred Punches
Back & Core Challenge Day 18, three sets of fourteen each W-Extensions and Prone Reverse Flys with thirty seconds rest between sets
Foundation Program Day 18 at level 3 with one minute rest.

 

[wjs]

A good rest day. D&D, good* food, and news that my vacation** for the end of March and beginning of April was approved.

The workout:
De-Stress Challenge Day 19, one hundred Punches
Back & Core Challenge Day 19, three sets of 20 Reverse Angels with thirty seconds rest between sets
Foundation Program Day 19 at level 3 with no rest. Maybe Foundation wasn't the best place to start as it appears that, excepting being sick and reverse lunges, I am well beyond most of the workouts. At the very least, though, my intent to work at the highest level I can for a particular day is being met.







*For varying definitions of good.
**I'll be going to Colorado again, this time to see a friend of mine who lives out there. And to see Meshuggah in Denver, the third time I'll have seen them live. This is going to be a great week off.

 

[wjs]

I get that today was a day out of school for children, teens, and college students. Why go to the mall in -35* degree F** weather? Did you really need to court freezing to death to wander around for a few hours? At least my staff and I were being paid to be at the mall today...

The workout:
De-Stress Challenge Day 20, one hundred Punches
Back & Core Challenge Day 20, three sets of fourteen each W-Extensions and Prone Reverse Flys with thirty seconds rest between sets
Foundation Program Day 20 at level 3 with one minute rest.








*With wind chill. Still anywhere between -10 and -15 degrees F, or around -25C.
**Approximately -37C.

 

[CODawn]

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

I get that today was a day out of school for children, teens, and college students. Why go to the mall in -35* degree F** weather?

Maybe it was their best option for a warm place to gather indoors?