Out of Shape

I have about two-and-a-half weeks to go before DW and I fly to Costa Rica and I am in probably the worst shape that I've been in in years. I'm hopeful that I can somewhat turn that around.

For the past month, I have been unable to lift any substantial weight because of my abdominal surgery. Just last Friday, I passed the four-week mark for taking it easy, and unfortunately, those four weeks happened during one of the worst times of year, diet-wise.

I don't have a great sweet tooth, in that I don't actively seek sugary foods. But when Christmas comes around, I have a tendency to load up on chocolates and other sweet treats, such as shortbread biscuits, marzipan, and egg nog.

We've also been doing home renovations, which involved DW and Kid 1 moving furniture to clear out areas where we were laying hardwood flooring. In the process, they buried my spin bike—something I thought I'd be able to use while I convalesced—behind desks and dressers.

So, this past weekend, after my four weeks of inactivity were finished, I was able to help, in earnest, with the renovations. That meant hauling wood, moving more furniture, and banging nails into the floorboards.

And that's when I realized that I was seriously out of shape.

We've still got a bit more wood laying to do (we didn't get as far as we had thought we'd get over the weekend) and some furniture to put back into place. With the snowstorm that is supposed to hit Ottawa this evening and into tomorrow, I'll hopefully get some shovelling in.

And with my spin bike finally uncovered, I'll start pedalling again.

But I've only got a couple of weeks to get myself back into shape. I'll spend time climbing up and down the stairs, which is something we'll do as we explore the jungle areas of the Costa Rican countryside. (La Fortuna, for example, has 500 steps down to the base of its famous waterfall and we'll need to carry ourselves back up on our return.

DW is worried for me but I'm hopeful. My legs haven't lost much strength and I've always been able to outwalk her. I've stopped eating sugary treats and we've been eating healthier, now that the holidays are behind us.

But two weeks isn't much time. Wish me luck.