Working with what you've got

It's funny how you sometimes solve one problem, and replace it with a new one. 

My old new friends

I seem to have landed myself in just that predicament lately.  I've written a lot here about Miss Yaya's sleep issues, and it seems like we have finally... finally... figured them out.  She's getting between 10 and 12 hours a night, is taking the occasion nap during the day, and seems much happier and healthier now that she is sleeping a normal amount.  Her teachers have reported an improvement in behavior and attitude, and I know that I have a much easier time dealing with her these days.  Plus, because she is getting enough sleep, I am also getting enough sleep and a bit more 'mama' time at night, and I feel leaps and bounds better than I have for a while - more patient, healthier, and definitely more sane. 

The problem this opened up for me is that, in order to get her the sleeping and keep her sleeping, I have had to keep to a very strict schedule.  Basically, we come home in the evenings after work, I make dinner, we eat, she takes a bath, we read stories, and she goes to bed.  That's it.  That's all.  So in the evenings, when I used to go to the gym two or three times a week after dinner....well, that is just not in the cards right now. 

I don't consider exercise to be optional.  It's necessary to me, and I've found that my body does best when I get plenty of it.  Working out keeps me healthy, it keeps me sane, and it is an important part of keeping some genetic risk factors at bay.  Plus, I enjoy it. It's fun for me. But having my schedule disrupted by finally getting Riley on one frustrated me for a few weeks, and I sorta lost my motivation because everything wasn't going how I thought it should. 

It was annoying.
It was lame.
It was frustrating.
And yes, I got sorta whiny about the whole situation.

Then,  I talked to Hannah about it (she is my go-to exercise/healthy lifestyle cheerleader/coach), and she reminded me of what I already knew (but effectively squashed down in my "poor me, I don't get to go to the gym" lame-ness).

You don't whine. 
You don't quit.
You adapt. 
You adapt and survive. 
Then you adapt and thrive. 

So, I'm adapting.  I'm trying to work in a couple of lunchtime runs during the week, and I try to get to work as early as possible so I can leave in time to hit the gym a couple of days during the week.  I can always get a good workout in on Saturdays, and if nothing else, there is my trusty equipment waiting at home for me. 

My medicine ball, my kettle bell, my dumbbells...we are getting reacquainted again.  I started doing push ups and squats and ab work while Riley is taking a bath (just like I used to when she was little).  I have annoyed my neighbors (I'm sure) by jumping rope late at night on my driveway with the window open so I can hear Riley if she wakes up. I've even done the dreaded Jillian Michael's "Shred" a couple of times (She is a phenomena i just don't quite get).

Nope, it's not my preference.  Yep, it feels sorta disjointed and random.  Sure, I wish it were different, and I'm on the lookout for new ways to fit this into my life.  But for now, it is what it is.  I'm adapting.  I'm working with what I've got.

That's all you can do, right?