New Workout Regimen

One of the fun features of Asperger's is a tendency to set a routine and adhere to it viciously, and nowhere has this been better expressed than in my gym attendance in the past four years: weight training Monday through Friday, alternating push and pull. Occasionally, the thought occurs to me to change routines, and so I do. Then I continue that routine rigorously for months on end, long after it has lost most of its efficacy.

I'd like to mix things up a little more this year, chiefly because my body is screaming for more cardio and flexibility work. The years of weights have made me dreadfully stiff. So, here's a tentative new weekly schedule. It will probably fluctuate (in fact, I hope it does), but at least there's a basic structure to it.

Sunday
Stretching. Yoga, maybe?

Monday
Weights: Pushing exercises.

Tuesday
Weights: Pulling exercises.

Wednesday
Cardio: Running, jump rope, or whatever else comes to mind.

Thursday
Weights: Pushing exercises.

Friday
Weights: Pulling exercises.

Saturday
Cardio: Running and/or hiking.

Enter the Rabbit

It's that time again when the years shift gears, and the sights and sounds of the past make way for the hopes and fears of the future. This upcoming year, I seek to focus on the hope aspect as I make my Ass Burgery resolutions for 2011, the Year of the Rabbit, my year.

Bun
I want to keep exploring religious experiences and learn how to better understand and connect with the divine. This will mean being more open about religion with the people in my life and asking to attend services with them. I may start reading the Bible at some point in the year; I just need to figure out pacing.

Meat
I need to re-think my workout routine to incorporate more variety; instead of just doing weights during the week, it will be important to work on my cardiovascular health and flexibility. I'd like to find some new activity groups and take a class or two, if I can find one that is convenient and affordable.

Cheese
I want to make some more friends, and I want our friendships to be unmasked, which means cutting down mightily on the showmanship and focusing instead on reality and intimacy. I always vow to work on correspondence, but really, it's a struggle all the time. Surrounding all of these elements, I will be developing healthy boundaries to stave off the psychoses.

Lettuce
This will be the year I learn to love myself. This will involve taking more pride in my accomplishments, reflected on The To-Smite List, and really letting go of the past. I discovered a new technique for handling demons, which is to feed them rather than fight them. I look forward to putting this technique to the test and tending to my family of pet demons.

Tomatoes
I want to get a stable job and put my finances in order. I'm already taking steps toward this by creating a budget chart and investing in Personal Finance for Dummies. Learning to be aware of and to manage my bank accounts will be a revolutionary step toward responsible adulthood. Also, I want to train my focus so that I can finish my projects in a timely manner, while taking into account the fact that I do need to have fun here and there.

Onions
This will tie in with my demon work, but I want to learn to embrace my emotions instead of hide from them, both in my mind and in expression. I want to revel in both happiness and sadness.

Ketchup
I want to find someone who will treat me with respect, who can handle my light and my dark, and who will actually enjoy my devotion. I'd like to be in a relationship longer than three months.