So, for the last eight months I've been pretty stressed out and bummed out. I had those two horrible dating incidents in October and November, I knew my old pharmacy was closing two months before it happened, but then I worked at the pharmacy 30 miles away for six weeks before they laid me off. And of course, I was unemployed for three and a half months. I don't handle stress well. Between the depression, the lowered physical activity of not working, and starting to eat a diet that was much cheaper under food stamp budget (but much unhealthier), over the last eight months I have put on quite a bit of weight. I'm back to 213lbs from the 185lbs I had been at. Almost thirty pounds heavier again.
While I was unemployed, I had no energy at all. It was a chore to get up to feed my cat. I kept telling myself, "When I get a job I'll feel better and I'll get back into my old ways." However, now that I've been at the new job I encountered a new hurdle - I didn't have the motivation. You see, a lot of my motivation for getting in shape was in hopes of being in good shape when I finally found someone. Only... and I really, really hate admitting this to myself... at 42 and single for over a decade, I'm probably never going to find someone. There went my motivation. My brain thought to itself, "You know, it wasn't easy getting in that shape. It was actually a lot of work, and we're still recovering from the strain of the last half a year. And wouldn't you rather be a bit plump, single, and happier than in athletic shape, single, and wishing you could have some ice cream?"
However, tonight I realized something. There
was something that I have to get into shape for... and it's an activity that will help keep me in shape. I can get back into hockey.
It actually works rather well for me. At my job, I have Friday's off, and every night I work I get out at 8 pm. I live 7 miles from the ice rink, but my job is even closer. Most Friday's they have an afternoon "pick up" session that I can use to help get myself into skating shape again. They also have a "skilled beginner league" that plays on Sunday nights, with the earliest game being at 8:30 pm. I can have my gear in my car, and go directly from work to the rink.
Yeah, I'll be twice as old as some of the kids that play out there, but I think this will be very good for me. Hockey was often very good for me relieving stress, so it might help me in more than one way. The tricky part of all of this is that I'll have to get in good enough shape that I don't show up and pass out from being too winded in the first fifteen minutes.
![Ha ha :))](./images/smilies/21.gif)
Also, the league ends in about five weeks, so I'll have probably that long to get good enough to not make an ass of myself once I get onto the ice. So... for the short of it is I'm going to be pressing myself pretty hard for the next month or so. Wish me luck!