I'm 35 Days out as of today. I had a choice. Stay at home this weekend alone, or go on a ski trip with my wife, her niece, and our daughter. I opted to go knowing full well the potential havoc that could mean for my training and dieting for my upcoming competition. It is easier to avoid the harzards that you can anticpate rather than the ones that fly out at you unexpectedly. For this reason it is usually a good idea to consider "what if" and follow the boyscout motto about being prepared.

Today is the final workout for week. It is a home gym workout, so it is the easiest to take on the road. I packed my kettlebell, my indian clubs, my resistance bands, and my jump rope. All I would need is a little space. Well, the hotel exercise room turned out to be an oversized closet with a treadmill and elliptical machine. That's not the part that was the problem. As I got busy with my dynamic warm-up, I realized that the ceiling was too low for my indian clubs or the kettlebell snatches on the menu for today's daily grind. This forced me to take it outside.

I walked outside into light snow flurries and a chilly 28 degrees. I started having Alaska flashbacks. This was different though. The cold in Alsaka was drier and just different feeling. The wind cutting through my clothing transfered the wet cold straight to my bones. As if I needed more confirmation that hot weather is my preference. I set my timer on my iPod for 11 minutes for my indian club swinging session. The view was excellent, but in less than 5 minutes my hands were numb from the cold. Just holding the clubs started to become questionable. I stopped and went back inside to get the blood flowing back into my digits. 

So the indian clubs and the kettlebell where not possible today. Focus on what you can do, not what you can't. Make do, waste no time making useless excuses. Back in the warmth of the hotel room I broke out the resistance bands and went to work. Good pump, but I wanted more. I suddenly remembered an old military motto we used to live by "all a hard man needs is a hard surface." I got down and started knocking out good ole fashion push-ups. I haven't done a push-up in ages. The push-up is a military staple for good reason. It is simple, effective, and all you need is a hard surface. I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to knock out a few sets with only moderate difficulty.

It wasn't the workout I had planned, but I'm happy that I got done what I could get done. Make do, because making can't, won't get anything done.

Daily Grind Saturday February 16, 2013 

Warm-up

--Hybird of Standing Drills #1 and #2

Indian Clubs for about 4 minutes

Resitence Bannds, X-man workout, 5 sets

Push-ups 25 reps for 5 sets

Workout Quality: A2. Got some.