Lazy Tip: Interval Living

in·ter·val (ntr-vl)

n.

1. A space between two objects, points, or units.

2. The amount of time between two specified instants, events, or states.

3. One of a series of predetermined distances covered at regular time increments with intermittent periods of rest in an athletic workout.

Sometimes we have to celebrate the "space between."  I am so far behind where I had wanted to be with my book at this point in the year.  It has been hard to not feel very pressured.  My picture of what the book should look like at this point does not match the reality. 

And so it is with life:  reality crashing into the pictures you have in your head of what reality should look like. When I don't even make my minimum commitment of at least 1/2 hour each night -- which is an abysmally low goal -- it is easy to beat myself up. Yet my workload and health (up to a month ago) since I started the book in February have made it the true snapshot of reality.

Then I beat myself up and demand that I "catch up" on the weekends.  When the weekend comes I know that I also need to recover from my intense work load, and I need to rest and play and take care of things.  I woke up this morning with a new idea:  interval writing.  I have been doing it all day and realize now it is a great Lazy Woman tool. 

Interval training in the fitness arena is when you exert yourself intermittently at high and low intensity spurts.  When I have done this over the years it was extremely effective in terms of bumping up my fitness level and in keeping my weight down.   

This week I started spinning for the first time since 1998. I loved spinning in my 30's, but I had to stop because back then it wore down my immune system.  I am trying it again to see how my body will react all these many years later.  Most spinning classes have a level of interval training, but the first class I went to was designed as an interval training: sprints with low resistance and then hard uphill climbs, etc.  I enjoyed it, and the space between the sprints.

I have enjoyed my day of interval writing also.  It looked like this so far -- and will continue in this fashion through Sunday night:

1. Yoga
2. Spinning
3. WRITE
4. Hot Bath/Spa Time at Home/Relaxation
5. WRITE
6. Pedicure/WRITE (relaxing pedi combined with research for writing)
7. Market
8. WRITE

Writing is my sprinting.  The in-between activities allow me to come back to the writing with a lot more clarity and energy for another sprint.

I am excited to look back at this weekend of Interval Writing and see that it didn't have to be an angst filled weekend to be productive, and that the spaces between can be used for true relaxation and enjoyment, devoid of self-flagellation. 

Good times.  Good lazy times.

Lazy Transformative Workout = Bar Method

I'm hooked.  Yes, I am officially addicted to the Bar Method. 

I had been hearing about tales of its virtues hailing from New York for a few years, but it finally made its way to Pasadena (http://pasadena.barmethod.com/), and I FINALLY caught wind of it being here several weeks ago. 

I've been doing it for about 3 weeks now and I will tell you that it is the quickest body transformation I've ever seen.  I saw fast, great results with pilates and HIIT (high intensity interval training) but nothing that effected all parts of my body equally, causing so swift a Michelangelo-like sculpting. 

People often paraphrase Michelangelo when he was asked how he sculpted the David.  He said he took away everything that wasn't David.  I think the Bar Method is taking away everything that isn't Bridget. 

I had my teacher take a picture of me about 10 days ago, roughly 5 classes in, because I am going to do my darndest to fit 30 classes into my schedule over 30 days.  I have a lot of travel, so I may not hit 30 in 30, but we will take a photo at the end of the month and I'll post the comparative pix.  I am already very happy with how much more toned I am.  I don't think the mirror is lying, or that I am having bar-delusions of a non-alcoholic type.  But, you will be the judges in a few weeks.

In the meantime, if you have a class near you, I highly recommend giving it a try.  Many gyms are now offering bar/ballet barre classes.  It is a great comprehensive workout. 

And, honestly, as always, I love it for one very big reason:  it's LAZY!  If I can get cardio and sculpting in one hour instead of having to spend 1.5 to 2 hours to get the same results, that is one Lazy workout solution.

Taking it Slow is Lazy

I live more in black and white than gray. And while I think of lazy as a wildly colorful concept, laziness bringing me joy and happiness as a rule, lazy sometimes rests in the gray zone. A good gray, but gray nonetheless. I met a man I'm interested for the first time in way too long. I'm not good at taking it slow with men. But I'm finally learning how to take it slow, to savor the flavor of getting to know someone.

In this case taking it slow requires more effort on my part, which might imply a lack of laziness. But, I still get to be lazy. I get to discover some muscles that are untoned, and choose to exercise them. I took a new class at the gym a few weeks ago, and I learned a new squat exercise that shocked the heck out of me.

"I thought I HAD BEEN exercising those muscles!" I found myself screaming in my head when clearly unchartered territory was being met. But I definitely had no interest in giving up the new exercise. In fact, the pain made me want more because I was immediately connected to the results I might get. I actually savor the new sensations of pain in places I didn't know existed. And, the next day when trying to peel myself from my bed, I actually delight in the new aches and pains because it means I'm getting somewhere.

Taking it slow with men is exercising a muscle that is so deep down I even have trouble tapping into it. I don't even know how to be in my skin with it yet. But, I'm inspired to do things differently, so I'm savoring the little aches and pains. I expect the resultant sculpting this workout will effect is well worth a little lazy effort.