I suck at updating my blog, but I do not suck at working out. I’ve been hitting the gym almost every day. On the days I don’t go to the gym, I take a walk outside or do something else active (like yard work).

I’m 10 days into #30daysoffencing leading up to Serfo. Today I slept through practice but did drills. I’ve been having problems with timing, so taking a couple days to do drills is helpful.

I’ll try to post some set lists. I’ve been not posting because I haven’t had pictures of them on my phone. Silly, huh? Most of my weights (that I lift) have increased. My body weight went down when I was tracking my caloric intake and focusing on cardio. I put some weight back on when I started lifting more, so I think I’m doing some body recomposition.

I’m excited to teach self-defense at a ladies only event at the gym on campus tomorrow. I hope this opens some doors to teach more Krav in my area instead of driving the better part of an hour to do it.

The day after my return to the gym, I did cardio but didn’t have time for much else. Here are my set lists for the following days.

There was a hurricane last week, and the karate studio was closed for Labor Day, so my routine was off. I went to fencing Monday (since the college was open) and Wednesday.

The gym was closed Tuesday for the storm. Nik didn’t feel well on Thursday, so we declared a rest day.

I was exhausted on Friday, so I slept through the gym and fencing practice, but Nik went.

On Saturday I got back into the gym. I had a panic attack on the elliptical, so I left early. I finished my run but didn’t lift. This is the second one in just a couple weeks, so I’m going to the community clinic tomorrow to look into treatment. I can’t keep having panic attacks when I try to do what I love.

Today I got back for real after working on longsword. We ran through some drills and did free fencing. It was the most fun cardio I could have done.

Hiatus = over

Aside from a few stray Krav Maga classes and my walks on the beach, I didn’t work out all summer.

Today I went back to the gym. Here’s the set list.

I also competed in a fencing tournament last weekend. I didn’t win any tournaments, and I had a panic attack after lunch, but I got back into the ring and finished strong. I did good fighting, and I was proud to watch my kids do good fighting.

Depending on my insurance situation in the upcoming months, I’m going to look into seeking formal treatment for my anxiety. It’s keeping me from doing the things that I love (things that keep me from being depressed), and my little tricks aren’t cutting it anymore.

All in all, though, I’m feeling pretty good. I think that being active and eating well will help. I’ll just need that extra nudge to be my best self.

My last day at RASP was bittersweet. I learned a lot, but I hated for the weekend to end. I think I took three pages of notes that day alone, and Nik took plenty too. Then we made the long drive back to Florida.

This morning I got up early to meet Tiny Nick and Emmers at the gym. Here’s my “set list.”

I’m trying to vary my workouts, so I’m working out with different people instead of sticking to Nik’s routine.

Tonight we returned to fencing. We showed our club new warm-ups and games. Then we debriefed about our weekend, and Nik showed them the format he wants to use for future classes. I’m excited to get started!

Last night Nik and I went to the gym and climbed the rock wall. I made it about halfway up, got stuck, got nervous, and bailed out. Then I watched him climb to the top. I tried one more time and made it almost to the top (four panels shy) before I got stuck and bailed (I didn’t really give myself time to be scared the second time). I had a really good time, and I think I climbed pretty high, even though I didn’t ring the bell. We’re going to try that again for sure!

After the rock wall, we did some weight lifting. Then we met up with Marco and Tiny NIck! for some fencing. We planned to fence 8-9, maybe 9:15. We closed the gym at 10. I’d say that was a good practice.

We did some sword and dagger work and made the boys practice sword and dagger against case (or brace – two swords). We also played with the dussacks. I showed some “hand sniping” techniques as well.

Tonight will be my and Michael’s second day of teaching Krav unassisted. I came up with my lesson plan yesterday and feel pretty good about it.

UWF Fencing practice was cancelled on Friday, and I spent Thursday resting up. I was still kind of recovering from the migraine I had after the test Wednesday night. After two days of rest, I finally made it to the beach, but the weather was lousy, so I didn’t make my walk to the pier and back. I did splash around in the surf a bit.

Fortunately my weekend wasn’t entirely inactive. I went to the gym with Nik on Saturday, and he helped me with some weight lifting. I discovered that I can bench press 95 lbs, which I think is pretty good for a first time (it’s more than half my weight)!

On Sunday I went to SCA fencing, but I didn’t get to do a lot of fighting – instead I mostly talked to new fighters and got some advice on another project. I did get to do a little dussack.

Tonight is my first night back at Krav since the test. I think I might be more nervous now than I was when I actually took the test. I’ll let you all know tonight or tomorrow. I don’t want to keep you in suspense, but I’m about to burst if I don’t find out!