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

[wjs]

Everything has been just pushing my buttons the past few days and I don't know why. I mean, sure, my social battery is hurting most days between customers and my staff. I get that. But it's like I haven't been getting enough rest away from people over the past few days and tomorrow is a manager meeting*, so I don't even have the day away from people.

The workout:
De-Stress Challenge Day 29, one hundred Punches
Back & Core Challenge Day 29, three sets of 26 Reverse Angels with thirty seconds rest between sets
Foundation Program Day 29 at level 3 with no rest.

One more day until two new badges and a re-badge.








*Thankfully it's virtual. Small favors.

 

[wjs]

Manager meeting? Check. Impostor syndrome? Check. Work out anyway? Check. Not know what to do if I didn't work out*? Check.

The workout:
De-Stress Challenge Day 30, one hundred Punches
Back & Core Challenge Day 30, three sets of twenty W-Extensions and Prone Reverse Flyes with thirty seconds rest between sets
Foundation Program Day 30 at level 3 with no rest.

Rebadge for Foundation? Check. Badges for the De-Stress and Back & Core Challenges? Check.










*Besides the obvious feel worse about myself.**
**And probably overeat. Not that I didn't do that already.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Congratulations on completing the De-Stress and Back & Core Challenges and on completing another run through Foundation.

 

[CODawn]

Congratulations!

 

[Fremen]

Congrats

 

[Mamatigerj]

Cheers 2 new badges and a rebadge!

 

[WSMC1]

 

[wjs]

Thank you, @Laura Rainbow Dragon, @CODawn, @Fremen, @Mamatigerj, @WSMC1, and everyone who left an emoji or even just read the post and thought good things.

The workout:
Two Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 1, three sets of twenty Side Leg Raises with thirty seconds rest between sets

 

[NancyTree]

Yay for badges!

 

[wjs]

Thank you, @NancyTree.

Looking forward quiet times. Tomorrow is game day, but by and large since I left work this afternoon until a bit before open on Monday is going to be recharge.

Also, after rechecking a couple of programs, I made a decision about Arms of Steel. I am not and likely will not be ready to do push-ups to fatigue into exercises like plank rotations. I feel those are asking for trouble for me in the foreseeable future.* So I've subbed in Power Up for July's Program of the month. Below is the new plan.

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	Better Abs	Power Up
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

The workout:
Four Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 2, three sets of thirty second Full Planks with thirty seconds rest between sets followed by a one minute Stretch Hold
Three sets of Lower Back with one minute rest










*That's a lot of "for" in that sentence. Except that one "in".

 

[MadamMeow]

Congrats for De-Stress and Back & Shoulders!

 

[FlowersandPetals]

Congrats on your badges!

 

[wjs]

Thank you, @MadamMeow and @FlowersandPetals.

Need more social recharge. I slept poorly last night and just generally had a poor day. It doesn't help that I was hungry all day, either. I suppose it could have been dehydration, it's been incredibly dry, lately.

The workout:
Six Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 3, three sets of twenty Side Leg Raises with thirty seconds rest between sets
Ten minutes in the Pits

 

[wjs]

Today I learned things about one of my staff and I think I may need to do something about it. That said, tonight's workout felt uncharacteristically good. Maybe because it was an outlet for the physical stress built up from the socio-mental stress?

The workout:
Eight Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 4, three sets of thirty second Full Planks with thirty seconds rest between sets followed by a one minute Stretch Hold
Thirty five minutes of steady state cardio

 

[wjs]

I had a conversation with the staff member I mentioned yesterday. I suppose we'll see if the behavior* changes. Everything feels so difficult right now at work, even though it's actually a slow month for us. I don't know what the problem is except that it lies within me.

The workout:
Ten Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 5, three sets of twenty-four Side Leg Raises with thirty seconds rest between sets
Paladin (old) at level 1. After the first pair** of push-ups, I had to sub in knee push-ups. I can't get rid of this extra mass fast enough.







*Or behaviour, as the case may be.
**Not even the first set's push-ups. The first pair. As in the first two, the beginning of the whole workout.

 

[wjs]

Busy day. Several new items came into the store.

The workout:
Twelve Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 6, three sets of thirty second Full Planks with thirty seconds rest between sets followed by a one minute Stretch Hold
Sentry at level 1

 

[wjs]

Day off. Taxes? Done. Well, done-ish. I brought an incorrect item of paperwork. Conveniently I was able to email it to my tax preparer. I haven't heard back, yet, I assume because she was busy. The mall my store is in had a power issue during the day, but I didn't have to go in to help the staff.

Because I haven't been doing a good job of keeping up with monthly clothes checks, I tested some pants that have been too small for me. So, good news, work outs and diet have been working. Bad news, not fast enough and/or not the areas I want. Yes, after my first time losing mass, I know one doesn't get to pick where fat falls off first. It goes in something resembling reverse order. More good news, though, is that since I am losing mass, sooner than later it will be from where I want. More bad news... it's still not fast enough.

The workout:
Fourteen Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 7, three sets of twenty-four Side Leg Raises with thirty seconds rest between sets
Alpha Protocol at level 1

 

[wjs]

Sick employee today with food poisoning and no one to cover. That meant an extra two hours of floor time with no help. I survived, but it could have been better timing. That said, I'd rather the staff member be out today and good tomorrow, since they run tomorrow's Star Wars Unlimited event.

The workout:
Sixteen Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 8, three sets of thirty second Full Planks with thirty seconds rest between sets followed by a one minute Stretch Hold
Back & Core at level 1. I think I need to replace this one because my workout area is not really big enough to support the Half-Wipers or the Scorpion Twists. I don't know what to use instead of it, though. Suggestions?

 

[wjs]

Ugh. It was a weird day. Simultaneously busy and not, which kept me from getting any important work done at the store. Also the second day in a row I didn't have a mid-shifter during the day, keeping me on the floor longer than expected. This time, though, the mid forgot they were scheduled. The store wasn't busy enough to need another, but too busy for me to be able to get anything useful finished. Maybe next week...

The workout:
Eighteen Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 9, three sets of twenty-eight Side Leg Raises with thirty seconds rest between sets
Tempered Steel at level 1

 

[wjs]

Day off. Slept in. I was out of sorts all day because of that, but thankfully I wasn't needed for anything more important than a workout today. I took the opportunity to watch the Kurosawa classic Rashomon and get a few items done today.

The workout:
Twenty Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 10, three sets of thirty second Full Planks with thirty seconds rest between sets followed by a one minute Stretch Hold
Ten minutes in The Pits, unarmed

 

[wjs]

Everything feels so off and I feel like I'm struggling to do anything right. I know I'm my own harshest critic, so this is probably just my own subjective view of the situation. That doesn't change the facts of how I feel.

The workout:
Twenty-Two Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 11, three sets of twenty-eight Side Leg Raises with thirty seconds rest between sets
Standing Abs at level 1

 

[Mamatigerj]

 

[wjs]

Another day of struggle. I have one of my top performing staff members leaving in about two weeks and the other who could potentially be leaving at any time. Neither of them because of me, at least to my knowledge. The point, though, is it's still my watch, so them leaving, for whatever reason, is my responsibility.

The workout:
Twenty-four Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 12, three sets of thirty second Full Planks with thirty seconds rest between sets followed by a one minute Stretch Hold
Prowler at level 1

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

The point, though, is it's still my watch, so them leaving, for whatever reason, is my responsibility.

I think you are mistaken on this point.
Retail is inherently a high staff turnover industry.

 

[wjs]

The workout:
Twenty-Six Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 13, three sets of twenty-eight Side Leg Raises with thirty seconds rest between sets
Posture Perfect at level 1

 

[wjs]

Definitely losing two members of my staff. The best two. One in just under two weeks, the other... well, I'm not sure because it depends on personal things on their side of the equation. This is going to be rough, given one of them was my primary closer and the other was my other opener, meaning I may not have days off for a while. I need to identify and train a new opener, for sure...

The workout:
Twenty-eight Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 14, three sets of thirty second Full Planks with thirty seconds rest between sets followed by a one minute Stretch Hold
The Clash at level 1

 

[wjs]

Work was busy. I painted some minis after I clocked out for the day. The end.

The workout:
Thirty Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 15, three sets of thirty-two Side Leg Raises with thirty seconds rest between sets
Extraction at level 1

 

[wjs]

I went to work. I opened. I spent about seven and a half hours there. I left work. There was an emergency situation with a staff member. I went back to work. I closed. I returned home late. I ate late. I worked out late. It's just plain late. I really didn't want to work out, but I did anyway.

The workout:
Thirty-two Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 16, three sets of thirty second Full Planks with thirty seconds rest between sets followed by a one minute Stretch Hold
Thirty five minutes of steady state cardio

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Kudos to you for remaining on task throughout a difficult day.

 

[wjs]

Day off. Thankfully, my staff member was apparently better today. Next Sunday, however, is inventory, which means working out early because I'll be at the store late. At least the workout next week is relatively easy.

The workout:
Thirty-four Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 17, three sets of thirty-six Side Leg Raises with thirty seconds rest between sets
Ten minutes in The Pits, unarmed

 

[wjs]

Busy day for a freezing cold Monday. That probably had something to do with it being President's Day here in the US. Still, freakishly busy for what should be a slow month in retail.

The workout:
Thirty-six Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 18, three sets of thirty second Full Planks with thirty seconds rest between sets followed by a one minute Stretch Hold
Graveyard Shift at level 1

 

[wjs]

The hits just keep coming. Apparently there was an incident at the store this evening after I left that has aggravated a staff member so much they asked a co-worker to cover their shift tomorrow. My other evening staff member is scheduled tomorrow, as well, so I will learn more about it from them.

The workout:
Thirty-eight Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 19, three sets of thirty-six Side Leg Raises with thirty seconds rest between sets
Lower Back with one minute rests between sets

 

[wjs]

Man, I need more time off. Too bad, I have inventory Sunday, so yeah... I just need to make it a bit over a month to get to a week away.

The workout:
Forty Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 20, three sets of thirty second Full Planks with thirty seconds rest between sets followed by a one minute Stretch Hold
Beekeeper at level 1

 

[wjs]

Ended up at work for several hours this morning as my opener was under the weather and didn't want to pass on what they had*. So much for an all rest day. Let's see if I can manage to get a day away from everything next Thursday.

The workout:
Forty-two Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 21, three sets of forty Side Leg Raises with thirty seconds rest between sets
Brawler at level 1







*And rightly so. We are already a small group that is getting smaller in just a few more days.

 

[wjs]

One more day down...

The workout:
Forty-four Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 22, three sets of thirty second Full Planks with thirty seconds rest between sets followed by a one minute Stretch Hold
Forty minutes of steady state cardio

 

[wjs]

Inventory tomorrow. It's going to be a long day if it's anything like back in October. I suspect it's going to be on the order of a ten hour day, I'll be the last one out, and the first one in come Monday. Monday could be another ten or so hours depending on the variances found in the inventory, and Tuesday as well. I hope it's not like that this time around...

The workout:
Forty-six Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 23, three sets of forty Side Leg Raises with thirty seconds rest between sets
Butt & Gut. Probably not the best workout after forty-six crunches of any sort...

 

[wjs]

Early workout, as explained above.

The workout:
Forty-eight Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 24, three sets of thirty second Full Planks with thirty seconds rest between sets followed by a one minute Stretch Hold
Ten minutes in The Pits, unarmed

 

[wjs]

Today has been... rough. Inventory is never a short day, but still I left earlier than back in October by about an hour. Tonight I left about three hours earlier, compared to the Monday after October's inventory. But dealing with people while also dealing with eight or so hours of work without handling the floor, too, is a recipe for pain, at least for my task-focused brain. On top of all of this expected stress, it turned out that my milk was not properly sealed and despite a use by date of Friday, it's already bad before I even had a drop. As a result, food has not been top tier over this weekend into today and may not tomorrow, for that matter.

The workout:
Fifty Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 25, three sets of forty-four Side Leg Raises with thirty seconds rest between sets
Back & Core at level 1

 

[wjs]

I didn't get some expected information, so inventory is still technically ongoing. That said, it will hopefully be a short list, if anything, to wrap it all up. Food is still not going well, probably because of stress. Physical stress from the time spent Sunday, mental stress from inventory in general and the loss of my two best employees, emotional stress from my own rigorous expectations of myself, and of course, the extra stress because of the stress eating, which just.... devolves.

The workout:
Fifty-two Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 26, three sets of thirty second Full Planks with thirty seconds rest between sets followed by a one minute Stretch Hold
Tempered Steel at level 1 with one minute rests

 

[wjs]

I am burnt out. Tomorrow absolutely needs to be a day away from work. Something that allows me to recharge a bit.

The workout:
Fifty-four Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 27, three sets of forty-four Side Leg Raises with thirty seconds rest between sets
Forty minutes of steady state cardio

 

[Mamatigerj]

I really hope you get some downtime soon.

 

[PetiteSheWolf]

Hope you manage to recharge well.

 

[wjs]

Well, I got my wish. Beyond a couple of very short, very minimal contacts, I had nothing to do with work today. We'll see if it's enough to get through the next couple of days to Sunday without a breakdown. Thank you for the well-wishes, @Mamatigerj and @PetiteSheWolf.

The workout:
Fifty-six Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 26, three sets of thirty second Full Planks with thirty seconds rest between sets followed by a one minute Stretch Hold
Alpha Protocol at level 1

 

[wjs]

It was a day. How I manage to keep my actual emotions in check on a daily basis I do not know. Perhaps it's as Dr. Banner states when asked to unleash his personal rage monster*.

The workout:
Fifty-eight Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 29, three sets of fifty Side Leg Raises with thirty seconds rest between sets
Paladin at level 1, modified with Knee Push-Ups








*"That's my secret, Cap. I'm always angry."

 

[wjs]

Incredibly busy day. I love the company, I love the job, I hate the constant social interaction. I love the space I've managed for the past eight months, but it just draws people almost right at open pretty much every day. I don't know how to reconcile all of this, given I knew this would be a part of the job, much more so after moving from the tiny space we used to have into the space we occupy now, with event space, a demo area, and about two or so times the inventory.

In other news, sixty crunches were easier and more difficult than I had expected. I thought I would have to split it up at some point, but I also didn't expect my lower back to hurt so much afterward. I guess I need to work more on it.

The workout:
Sixty Knee-to-Elbow Crunches
Re:Center Challenge Day 30, three sets of thirty second Full Planks with thirty seconds rest between sets followed by a one minute Stretch Hold
Re:Center complete

 

[wjs]

Good day off, until I lost one of my rings. I know I took it off to do my dishes, but I have no idea what happened to it. The other one was in the same-side pocket. It was nowhere I checked. This is ridiculously stressful.

The workout:
Two Reverse Lunges
Upper Body Light Challenge Day 1, three sets of forty Shoulder Taps and Biceps Extensions with thirty seconds rest between sets
30 Days of LIIT Day 1 at level 3

 

[wjs]

I found my ring just before I went to bed last night, but the damage was already done. I had a terrible time getting to sleep and only managed about five hours at best. Today at work was relatively quiet and helped me recenter a bit. Did I almost forget to submit payroll for last week? Yep. Did I manage to get it in? Also yes. Still, last night's missing ring situation was not helpful in any way.

The workout:
Four Reverse Lunges
Upper Body Light Challenge Day 2, 60 Raised Arm Circles in one go
30 Days of LIIT Day 2 at level 3

 

[PetiteSheWolf]

Glad you found your missing ring, though!

 

[wjs]

Thank you, @PetiteSheWolf, I am, too.

Another day, another mindboggling question of how I couldn't find time to watch security footage. Or get started on performance reviews. I did, however, have an interview to replace my leaving staff member after bringing up one of my casuals to cover the one that recently left. It went alright. We'll see as more interviews happen.

The workout:
Six Reverse Lunges
Upper Body Light Challenge Day 3, three sets of forty Shoulder Taps and Biceps Extensions with thirty seconds rest between sets
30 Days of LIIT Day 3 at level 3. I possibly should have stopped earlier, my ankle is unhappy now.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

for your ankle.