While You Are Tired
Hello from COVID-19 Lockdown! STILL! Life has simultaneously gotten very slow and become wildly, insanely busy at the same time. RIGHT!?!
Lifa misses the rest of his pre-teen species, and Benjamin has transformed from a sweet, little baby into a gravity-defying, boundary-testing toddler. Chris and I are waking extra early and working later in the evenings trying to make up time well-spent with kids during the day. We’ve made sweet family memories in quarantine, but this mom and dad are a litttttttle bit tired.
Even now, especially now, we want to keep the important things important - including our health and exercise!
Lifa is working on skipping rope 500 times in less than 4 minutes to keep his feet fast for rugby. Benjamin has mastered the bodyweight squat and feels like awesome about it. Chris has kept up his running amidst government-mandated restrictions and while recovering from a hamstring injury. And I have signed up for two online sessions/week of personal training with David to increase my strength. (See personal trainer plug below!)
Benjamin stands up and roars with delight every time he does a squat.
David and his family are dear friends to us and some of the most admirable, joyful people we know. Chris met David long ago when he approached David at the gym to acknowledge his obvious respect for female clients. (You can click here to go to the story about my bad gym experience!) Our families became fast friends, sharing meals and life together. I learned that David takes his work seriously when he wouldn’t let me get away without me knees touching the ground for weighted lunges - in my second trimester of pregnancy!
Early this week, I told David I had plateaued in weightlifting and needed some help developing strength. He has started an online personal training business during this pandemic, so we scheduled our first goal-focused workout. I sent him my previous workout records, and unleashed the beast of David Sandala Personal Training.
At THE END of an intense workout, David said to me, “Kacy, what is your max on deadlift?” I literally crawled to my computer screen to face him and told him “90kg - but I’ve only been able to do a few reps.” His reply: “Ok, while you’re tired, I want you to load 90kg and give me 5 reps.”
“DAVID, DID YOU HEAR WHAT I SAID!?!” Pause to wipe sweat out of my eye... “I SAID MY MAX IS 90, AND I’VE ONLY DONE A FEW!”
“Yes, Kacy. While you’re tired. Let’s go.”
And you know what, I DID IT! We won’t talk about how we lost internet connection, and he only saw 2. I made sure he knew I did 5 when he tried to pick up counting at 3! And then... David said, “Ok, rest.” He took about 3 deep breaths, and said, “Ok, while you’re tired... give me 5 more of 90kg.”
And you know what, I DID. While I was tired. I tripled what I could do on my own. While I was tired.
It’s a little weird to have a workout through Zoom. This is a weird time. And we are all a little tired from it. But, I wonder if there’s something for us all in this time while we are tired. I wonder if, even when there’s a screen between us, God will give us an extra measure of grace to be a little stronger, do a little more than we had capacity for, and even provide emotionally, physically or financially for our families when we can’t on our own? My workout yesterday didn’t make sense to me. But because David was walking me through it, I could do more even while I was tired.
I pray that’s true for you too. I pray you have someone to walk you through this season and that you could do even more than you ever dreamt or imagined - even while you are tired.
