March 2020 Well-trained Bodies

[wintermom]

@soror  Enjoy your painting! It's a good activity right now, when there isn't a lot to do outside the home.

I walked the dog, did my push-ups and other exercises/stretches, and then went for a nice, long hike in the woods to the beaver pond. It was sunny and cool (-4C), and for once I didn't over-heat. In fact, it took ages to warm my body up again when I got home. I ended up having a hot bath, which did the trick! 

During my hike I got a text from my sister that mom had fallen. I called my dad, and apparently she has fainted a couple times and fallen. No broken bones, but they don't know what's causing the fainting. They live across the country, and flying there is out of the question. I may be doing a 4-day drive out there at some point. Praying she recovers quickly. She is 80 and my dad is 85, both independent and doing alright health-wise. Obviously not a great time to need health care, though.

[Laura Corin]

@wintermom I hope you get good news soon

[IvyInFlorida]

yikes, @wintermom, I'm sorry to hear about your mom!

[wintermom]

Thanks for the support, ladies! Apparently the fainting could simply be a normal blood pressure fluctuation stemming from mom's hypertension. Hopefully that's all it is, and she'll be back to normal soon. She has been sleeping or really drowsy so I haven't had a chance to speak with her on the phone yet. My sister is heading to m&d for a couple days, and she's bringing a wheelchair so mom can get around without the fear of falls. 

I fell asleep at 7:30 pm last night and slept until 8:30 am. Combination of a long hike and perhaps a little stress thrown in. I'll do a couple shorter walks today, as well as some painting prep. Dh and I have divided up the painting tasks; I'm preparation, trim and clean up, he's cutting and rolling. This is working out very well, especially in small rooms. 😉

[Soror]

18 minutes ago, wintermom said:

Thanks for the support, ladies! Apparently the fainting could simply be a normal blood pressure fluctuation stemming from mom's hypertension. Hopefully that's all it is, and she'll be back to normal soon. She has been sleeping or really drowsy so I haven't had a chance to speak with her on the phone yet. My sister is heading to m&d for a couple days, and she's bringing a wheelchair so mom can get around without the fear of falls. 

I fell asleep at 7:30 pm last night and slept until 8:30 am. Combination of a long hike and perhaps a little stress thrown in. I'll do a couple shorter walks today, as well as some painting prep. Dh and I have divided up the painting tasks; I'm preparation, trim and clean up, he's cutting and rolling. This is working out very well, especially in small rooms. 😉

I hope it is just some fluke for your mom. Sounds like you needed the sleep.

_________

I did some gardening yesterday and a little walk. Today I'll probably just do house work, I need to catch up and it is going to be cooler. I'll probably meal prep too when I can figure out what I want to make. Maybe a curry??

Weight maintained again this week. I have been ending the week feeling like eating a bit much at times but I guess it is evening out, so that works.

[IvyInFlorida]

20 minutes ago, wintermom said:

Thanks for the support, ladies! Apparently the fainting could simply be a normal blood pressure fluctuation stemming from mom's hypertension. Hopefully that's all it is, and she'll be back to normal soon. She has been sleeping or really drowsy so I haven't had a chance to speak with her on the phone yet. My sister is heading to m&d for a couple days, and she's bringing a wheelchair so mom can get around without the fear of falls. 

I fell asleep at 7:30 pm last night and slept until 8:30 am. Combination of a long hike and perhaps a little stress thrown in. I'll do a couple shorter walks today, as well as some painting prep. Dh and I have divided up the painting tasks; I'm preparation, trim and clean up, he's cutting and rolling. This is working out very well, especially in small rooms. 😉

 

I'm glad you got a bunch of sleep--you need that with the stress and all!

Your painting talk reminds me of how tedious it is to prep and do trim--I love to roll the big areas, but the rest is soooo annoying!

[IvyInFlorida]

1 minute ago, soror said:

I hope it is just some fluke for your mom. Sounds like you needed the sleep.

_________

I did some gardening yesterday and a little walk. Today I'll probably just do house work, I need to catch up and it is going to be cooler. I'll probably meal prep too when I can figure out what I want to make. Maybe a curry??

Weight maintained again this week. I have been ending the week feeling like eating a bit much at times but I guess it is evening out, so that works.

 

That's good about weight maintenance.  It's so hard to match eating and activity and energy and hormones and emotions, lol.  When it works it feels like an achievement!

I'm going to be doing the whole house work and meal prep thing today too.  I was able to get plenty of food for the week, but not the normal stuff I buy.  The store was packed at 8am, shelves empty, police there.  😞  In our tiny town!!!

[FarmingMomma]

Sorry I've been MIA ladies, calving season started off with a bang and we haven't slowed down at all.  We've already had 80 cows calve out in two weeks.  According to my fitbit I've been getting 16,000 to 22,000 steps a day, so I'm definitely getting my exercise.  Last night I had a little extra time, so I tried to 10 Rounds sample workout on Beachbody.  It was fun and I'm looking forward to buying the early access for it in April.  It'll have 3 days of boxing and 2 days of weightlifting each week.  

[IvyInFlorida]

12 minutes ago, FarmingMomma said:

Sorry I've been MIA ladies, calving season started off with a bang and we haven't slowed down at all.  We've already had 80 cows calve out in two weeks.  According to my fitbit I've been getting 16,000 to 22,000 steps a day, so I'm definitely getting my exercise.  Last night I had a little extra time, so I tried to 10 Rounds sample workout on Beachbody.  It was fun and I'm looking forward to buying the early access for it in April.  It'll have 3 days of boxing and 2 days of weightlifting each week.  

 

Wow!  I'm not only impressed by all the work of calving but also that you had the energy to do a workout after all that!  You go girl.

[wintermom]

1 hour ago, IvyInFlorida said:

 

I'm glad you got a bunch of sleep--you need that with the stress and all!

Your painting talk reminds me of how tedious it is to prep and do trim--I love to roll the big areas, but the rest is soooo annoying!

Yes, the prep and tidy up is never the fun part. I like dh doing the painting as he's good at making it look professional. He worked as a painter back in his college days. I do the grunt work and hope this counts as "doing my bit." 😄

[wintermom]

I got in a nice walk with the dog this morning. That's the good news. Less good news is that mom wasn't taken to the hospital by the paramedics that dad phoned because both mom and dad have all the symptoms of the flu. So they are both at home in isolation now. They are looking into getting swabbed for testing, but I'm not sure this is the best for their mental and physical health. There's nothing different that they would be doing at home, except majorly stressing out. Anyway, prayers would be appreciated while we wait this out and hope they are strong enough to fight off whatever bug they may have.

[IvyInFlorida]

3 minutes ago, wintermom said:

I got in a nice walk with the dog this morning. That's the good news. Less good news is that mom wasn't taken to the hospital by the paramedics that dad phoned because both mom and dad have all the symptoms of the flu. So they are both at home in isolation now. They are looking into getting swabbed for testing, but I'm not sure this is the best for their mental and physical health. There's nothing different that they would be doing at home, except majorly stressing out. Anyway, prayers would be appreciated while we wait this out and hope they are strong enough to fight off whatever bug they may have.

 

Oh dang.  I'm sorry to hear this.  I for sure can empathize with older-parent-health stress.  Will definitely be praying both for them and for your stress levels!

[Laura Corin]

33 minutes ago, wintermom said:

I got in a nice walk with the dog this morning. That's the good news. Less good news is that mom wasn't taken to the hospital by the paramedics that dad phoned because both mom and dad have all the symptoms of the flu. So they are both at home in isolation now. They are looking into getting swabbed for testing, but I'm not sure this is the best for their mental and physical health. There's nothing different that they would be doing at home, except majorly stressing out. Anyway, prayers would be appreciated while we wait this out and hope they are strong enough to fight off whatever bug they may have.

Thinking of you all

[wintermom]

Newest update is that my parents symptoms are mild enough that they don't require swabbing. Yay! That relieves a lot of stress for everyone. Now we play the waiting game. 

[Laura Corin]

2 hours ago, wintermom said:

Newest update is that my parents symptoms are mild enough that they don't require swabbing. Yay! That relieves a lot of stress for everyone. Now we play the waiting game. 

I'm glad to hear it. Is your sister still going to see them?

We didn't go far into the Highlands, so as not to overload the narrow roads up there.  Lovely hike though. I loved the lichen on these finger posts, and this rickety bench.

Edited March 22, 2020 by Laura Corin
Add in pictures

[wintermom]

1 minute ago, Laura Corin said:

I'm glad to hear it. Is your sister still going to see them?

We didn't go far into the Highlands, so as not to overload the narrow roads up there.  Lovely hike though. I loved the lichen on these finger posts, and this rickety bench.

My brother went to see them and deliver a wheelchair and other helpful items. 

Glad you had a lovely hike in the highlands! Did you bring your dog along? 

[Laura Corin]

4 minutes ago, wintermom said:

My brother went to see them and deliver a wheelchair and other helpful items. 

Glad you had a lovely hike in the highlands! Did you bring your dog along? 

I'm glad to hear that.

Yes, she came. I've cleared out my photos on the board so was able to add a couple to my post.

[wintermom]

5 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

I'm glad to hear that.

Yes, she came. I've cleared out my photos on the board so was able to add a couple to my post.

Thanks for sharing the photos! Looks similar to here, as far as no leaves, though more green and no snow. 

I went for a dog walk on the pathways in my neighbourhood. Someone had written a bunch of fun messages in chalk on the sidewalk. Stuff like, "Stay strong," "This storm will pass," and "Listen to the birds." The birds were certainly our there singing it up this afternoon, too!  

I passed a lot of people going for walks. Many more than would normally be out and about. 

[Laura Corin]

17 minutes ago, wintermom said:

Thanks for sharing the photos! Looks similar to here, as far as no leaves, though more green and no snow. 

I went for a dog walk on the pathways in my neighbourhood. Someone had written a bunch of fun messages in chalk on the sidewalk. Stuff like, "Stay strong," "This storm will pass," and "Listen to the birds." The birds were certainly our there singing it up this afternoon, too!  

I passed a lot of people going for walks. Many more than would normally be out and about. 

Our nearest forest was really busy yesterday. Everyone was being very courteous about passing on the one-track access road.

[wintermom]

17 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

Our nearest forest was really busy yesterday. Everyone was being very courteous about passing on the one-track access road.

That's very similar to what it was like here this last weekend. Lots of families and dog walkers. When I say 'lots,' I don't mean crowded with people. When I would normally pass 2 or 3 people, now I pass 6 or 7 small groups. It's actually really nice to see people enjoying the wooded trails that they wouldn't normally make time to explore.

[wintermom]

We have fresh snow this morning! Probably not enough to ski on, but it should brighten up the ground. It will also cover up the tennis courts a little, though, which will frustrate dh. He spotted people outside playing tennis yesterday, and was keen to get out there soon. 

I've completed my daily push-ups and physio strength/stretch exercises. I'll get outside for a couple walks later on. March break is over, so we'll be doing some school work again.

[Laura Corin]

12 minutes ago, wintermom said:

That's very similar to what it was like here this last weekend. Lots of families and dog walkers. When I say 'lots,' I don't mean crowded with people. When I would normally pass 2 or 3 people, now I pass 6 or 7 small groups. It's actually really nice to see people enjoying the wooded trails that they wouldn't normally make time to explore.

Yes. People were generally being quite sensible. There are stories, though, from famous beauty spots (Lake District, Snowdonia) of reckless crowding.

Today I've done Empower Yoga butt and abs plus relaxation. In a bit we'll walk the dog locally for a couple of miles.

[Soror]

Laura thank you for the lovely pictures. 

Wintermom- how long until you hear something on your parents?

Strength work done followed by 15 min yoga. I am stronger than the last time I tried this, except for my bridge (which I very rarely practice)

WE are expecting good weather today so hopefully I'll have a nice walk. This is our last full week of school so it might be a bit busy but with no evening activities I should have time.

Edited March 23, 2020 by soror

[HollyDay]

My gym is closed so no reformer Pilates for me.  And it has rained for almost 2 weeks straight.  I'm focusing on nutrition and keeping the back/hip pain away.  Today I need to start what mat pilates I can do: dead bugs, leg lifts, 100s, ect.

[wintermom]

1 hour ago, soror said:

Wintermom- how long until you hear something on your parents?

Strength work done followed by 15 min yoga. I am stronger than the last time I tried this, except for my bridge (which I very rarely practice)

WE are expecting good weather today so hopefully I'll have a nice walk. This is our last full week of school so it might be a bit busy but with no evening activities I should have time.

I spoke with my dad yesterday, and they are doing alright. Happy to be at home rather than in hospital. They'll wait it out at home and fight their spring colds. Hopefully my mom's blood pressure will stabilize soon and there'll be no more fainting.

Great job on the yoga! Enjoy your great weather! It's still snowing here. I just took the dog for a walk. Very few people out there now. 

[wintermom]

I spoke with my mom today. She sounds like she's getting much stronger and has a pretty good handle on things, along with dad's help. That's comforting.

I took the dog for another walk. It's still snowing. At this rate I'll be back on my snowshoes and possibly skis!! 😉

[IvyInFlorida]

@wintermom  That's good news about your parents!

 

Just checking in real quick... been keeping up with my usual workouts, but stuff is pretty stressful here.  The county next door (where my parents like and where we do our shopping) went to shelter in place, and in general we are having quite a bit of trouble getting the stuff we need.  Tomorrow I'm going to hit up some stores in rural areas I haven't tried yet in our county.  Also, having very wonky hormone issues.  Not sure what's going on.  HIIT session planned for this evening!

[Laura Corin]

@IvyInFlorida I'm sorry things are so difficult.

We are driving down to pick up our younger child from his university town. Ten hours of driving, no exercise.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I'm glad to read through and see that most of us are doing ok.  Trails here are also busier, and I do enjoy seeing people out in nature.  Everyone here is also being quite courteous about maintaining distance, right-of-way, etc.  

@wintermom I'm glad to hear your mom is improving!  Being far from family right now is a big stress.  

@IvyInFlorida I saw your other thread about hormones and you have my sympathy.  My cycle has also been getting shorter... 32 days in my 20s, and now sitting at 25-26 days.  Ugh.  Having said that, I have gone from having some bad cramps each month to this current period where I have had... nothing.  Nothing at all.  I am convinced it's because I'm drinking a glass of soy milk per day, and have eliminated dairy (well, 95% eliminated.  I have a small garnish of cheese or sour cream 1-2x a week on something).  I've been reading up on Dr. Gregor's website about how soy is hormonal-regulatory, not simply hormone-suppressing, so decided to give it a try.  

 

Yesterday, I tried adding a new section of the lake path, trying to stretch one of my loops to 10km.  It ended up being 9.16km, so I know now I need to go just a scooch further next week to hit the 10km mark.  I'm very excited by this, because previously I've had to do out-and-back runs to get in that distance and psychologically, I MUCH prefer loops.  

Food is going well, but weight is up due to cycle.  Not as up as last month though, so I assume the trend is in the right direction.  

 

 

[wintermom]

8 minutes ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

I'm glad to read through and see that most of us are doing ok.  Trails here are also busier, and I do enjoy seeing people out in nature.  Everyone here is also being quite courteous about maintaining distance, right-of-way, etc.  

@wintermom I'm glad to hear your mom is improving!  Being far from family right now is a big stress.  

@IvyInFlorida I saw your other thread about hormones and you have my sympathy.  My cycle has also been getting shorter... 32 days in my 20s, and now sitting at 25-26 days.  Ugh.  Having said that, I have gone from having some bad cramps each month to this current period where I have had... nothing.  Nothing at all.  I am convinced it's because I'm drinking a glass of soy milk per day, and have eliminated dairy (well, 95% eliminated.  I have a small garnish of cheese or sour cream 1-2x a week on something).  I've been reading up on Dr. Gregor's website about how soy is hormonal-regulatory, not simply hormone-suppressing, so decided to give it a try.  

 

Yesterday, I tried adding a new section of the lake path, trying to stretch one of my loops to 10km.  It ended up being 9.16km, so I know now I need to go just a scooch further next week to hit the 10km mark.  I'm very excited by this, because previously I've had to do out-and-back runs to get in that distance and psychologically, I MUCH prefer loops.  

Food is going well, but weight is up due to cycle.  Not as up as last month though, so I assume the trend is in the right direction.  

Glad your trails are still open and you can explore new routes. It's nice to have a variety of options. I like loops, but I have my 'out-and'back' routes, too. And sometimes I like to have dh drop me off somewhere and I walk/run home. Those are particularly good when I have trouble getting out the front door! 😂

I just checked one of the largest parks in the area, and they have closed the ski trails. I'm not 100% if they are barricading all the trails from use. So far our local trails are all open and people are maintaining courteous distances and practices.

 

[Soror]

Ivy- I'm sorry things are rough, lots of hugs for you. Good luck on your hunt for supplies and food. 🙂

wintermom- I'm very glad to hear your parents are improving.

My cycle is on the shorter end too- 25-27 days, only 3 days of bleeding the last several years but last cycle I had some spotting up to cyclle day 7 or 8 but no cramping.

Now, today I had some random bleeding, yesterday I had a touch of spotting and then fresh blood today. I'm sure that is because I screwed up with my new progesterone scrip, should have had dh help me as I used more than I was supposed to, sigh, I'll get it right tonight. 

I was mostly lazy yesterday but we did well with school. I did manage an hr walk in the evening, nothing fast or overly strenuous but I got outside.

Today I did 30 min of Body Combat and got my HR up. I'm planning some yoga later, that's probably it. It is storming again and I prefer not to go out when it is stormy (light rain ok but I'm not walking here with thunder and lightning when we have trees everywhere).

 

[IvyInFlorida]

@soror Period stuff is annoying, isn't it?!

@Monica_in_Switzerland That's neat about the soy helping you so much!  I have typically been very estrogen dominant and was warned off soy products, but who knows if that's changing for me now that things seem to be in flux.

 

Speaking of period stuff, I'm just so confused about what's going on with me.  I have always been very regular, though my cycles have gotten shorter over the last couple years.  A few months ago, I was pretty sure I had an anovulatory cycle because I had no fertility signs, my period was a little later, and I had no rebound energy after my period started.  This month, I had a little spotting day 5 and barely any fertility signs.  I made a note in my tracker that I might be having another anovulatory cycle (I read that early/mid cycle spotting can be cause by wonky hormones affecting endometrium shedding).  And now here I am at day 31 with no period.  I had the usual PMS symptoms at the usual times.  And every couple days I feel exactly like I do when my period is about to start.  It's like a car engine trying to turn over--I keep thinking it's about to happen!  I am not sure how this will affect my tracking/prevention method since I have no idea what's going on, or what's causing it (thyroid? too much exercise? stress? peri?).  I am also stressing big time about the (remote) possibility of being pregnant.  I never have been and track/prevent religiously, but since I don't prevent with actual hormonal birth control it's obviously a possibility.  I used to want to be pregnant more than anything else, but I am WAY over that. 

If any of y'all have any insight, I'd love to hear it!

[wintermom]

9 minutes ago, IvyInFlorida said:

Speaking of period stuff, I'm just so confused about what's going on with me.  I have always been very regular, though my cycles have gotten shorter over the last couple years.  A few months ago, I was pretty sure I had an anovulatory cycle because I had no fertility signs, my period was a little later, and I had no rebound energy after my period started.  This month, I had a little spotting day 5 and barely any fertility signs.  I made a note in my tracker that I might be having another anovulatory cycle (I read that early/mid cycle spotting can be cause by wonky hormones affecting endometrium shedding).  And now here I am at day 31 with no period.  I had the usual PMS symptoms at the usual times.  And every couple days I feel exactly like I do when my period is about to start.  It's like a car engine trying to turn over--I keep thinking it's about to happen!  I am not sure how this will affect my tracking/prevention method since I have no idea what's going on, or what's causing it (thyroid? too much exercise? stress? peri?).  I am also stressing big time about the (remote) possibility of being pregnant.  I never have been and track/prevent religiously, but since I don't prevent with actual hormonal birth control it's obviously a possibility.  I used to want to be pregnant more than anything else, but I am WAY over that. 

If any of y'all have any insight, I'd love to hear it!

This all sounds perfectly normal - assuming what I experienced was normal. 😉 I think I just became used to the 'new normal' and eventually my periods became very infrequent. Likelihood of getting pregnant decreases (though there is an increase in chances of 2 eggs dropping and twins resulting), but you can use some kind added protection if you wish. It's definitely upsetting when this craziness all begins, but over time you get used to unexpected things happening. 

[wintermom]

I went for a lovely hiking in the woods with ds and the dog. There was someone out on skis, though there isn't that much snow and it's getting very sticky. I'll go for another walk later this afternoon. I also have to do my push-ups and other exercises. I forgot those this morning when school was going on. 

[IvyInFlorida]

@wintermom that's reassuring, thank you!  I definitely am rattled by the whole thing, probably because all the potential causes are stressful.  But I'll definitely take peri over being pregnant at this point in my life, lol!

[Soror]

2 hours ago, IvyInFlorida said:

@soror Period stuff is annoying, isn't it?!

@Monica_in_Switzerland That's neat about the soy helping you so much!  I have typically been very estrogen dominant and was warned off soy products, but who knows if that's changing for me now that things seem to be in flux.

 

Speaking of period stuff, I'm just so confused about what's going on with me.  I have always been very regular, though my cycles have gotten shorter over the last couple years.  A few months ago, I was pretty sure I had an anovulatory cycle because I had no fertility signs, my period was a little later, and I had no rebound energy after my period started.  This month, I had a little spotting day 5 and barely any fertility signs.  I made a note in my tracker that I might be having another anovulatory cycle (I read that early/mid cycle spotting can be cause by wonky hormones affecting endometrium shedding).  And now here I am at day 31 with no period.  I had the usual PMS symptoms at the usual times.  And every couple days I feel exactly like I do when my period is about to start.  It's like a car engine trying to turn over--I keep thinking it's about to happen!  I am not sure how this will affect my tracking/prevention method since I have no idea what's going on, or what's causing it (thyroid? too much exercise? stress? peri?).  I am also stressing big time about the (remote) possibility of being pregnant.  I never have been and track/prevent religiously, but since I don't prevent with actual hormonal birth control it's obviously a possibility.  I used to want to be pregnant more than anything else, but I am WAY over that. 

If any of y'all have any insight, I'd love to hear it!

Well, pregnancy is easy to rule out if the dollar tree is still open there, I have had to test here and there due to wonkyness too, I know that is a big stress 😞 

I mean we are at the age it could be hormones for sure. It could also be low energy availability with your exercise/activity schedule in an prolonged period of energy deficit combined with more stress for family issues and now a pandemic that is a lot on the body. Thyroid issues also can affect the cycle too. The excessive coldness in combo with these give me pause. And then sometimes you know it is a combo of different things too, right now of course it is hard to look into anything at all with things so crazy. I am glad I got my blood tests done so I can see where my hormones were so I can address that issue but it isn't it on it's own, sleep hygiene matters, stress management, recovery, vitamin levels, good food. I think I pushed myself too hard in the winter and part of my issues now are paying for that, I ended up adding in a lot more recovery and slowed things down, and have been much more strict with bedtime. Right now it is hard to take care of yourself and not be stressed though 😞

I did some yoga at lunch and walked around outside since it cleared for a bit. My workout today did half moon @Laura Corin 🙂  and some balancing, I need to do more balancing it is rough on my ankles, yoga finished with some good stretching.

[IvyInFlorida]

@soror Yeah, I think I'll have a chance to get a pregnancy test on Thursday...it would be nice to rule that out so at least there's one less worry.  Hopefully I will be in a position to get hormone panel done at some point.  But, assuming that I'm not pregnant, I will probably try dialing down exercise intensity a little to see if that helps!

 

I worked outside this morning, then went for a run this evening, though I didn't have a lot of oomph.  I took it a little easier rather than push it--it was still almost 90 degrees!

[Laura Corin]

@soror my ankles are weak too. I can balance fairly well wearing shoes but not barefoot. What kinds of exercise strengthens ankles? I already do a lot of lunges and squats.

Today I think it's Strength 2 in my yoga programme. I'll also walk the dog on the local private estate where I'll meet nobody. It has good, steep hills. After yesterday in the car, I need to move. 

Yesterday's food was also weird: two bowls of porridge, quite a lot of nuts, a sausage sandwich, two biscuits/cookies, an apple, and a gin and tonic.

Our fish delivery man came last night and left fish in the cool box for us - last delivery for a while. Our veggie farm delivery comes today. I'll also make some dishes today for our veggie son, who is here for the duration.

Edited March 25, 2020 by Laura Corin

[Soror]

10 hours ago, IvyInFlorida said:

@soror Yeah, I think I'll have a chance to get a pregnancy test on Thursday...it would be nice to rule that out so at least there's one less worry.  Hopefully I will be in a position to get hormone panel done at some point.  But, assuming that I'm not pregnant, I will probably try dialing down exercise intensity a little to see if that helps!

 

I worked outside this morning, then went for a run this evening, though I didn't have a lot of oomph.  I took it a little easier rather than push it--it was still almost 90 degrees!

Yes, it would be good not to have that to worry about and 90s are miserable, especially with humidity. The other aspect of low energy availabiity (aside from activity level) is intake level, as you are moving towards maintenance level that itself should be a help. It is probably good time to redo your calculations in Sims formulas to see if you are hitting what she suggests for someone with high activity levels now that you aren't losing.

2 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

@soror my ankles are weak too. I can balance fairly well wearing shoes but not barefoot. What kinds of exercise strengthens ankles? I already do a lot of lunges and squats.

Today I think it's Strength 2 in my yoga programme. I'll also walk the dog on the local private estate where I'll meet nobody. It has good, steep hills. After yesterday in the car, I need to move. 

Yesterday's food was also weird: two bowls of porridge, quite a lot of nuts, a sausage sandwich, two biscuits/cookies, an apple, and a gin and tonic.

Our fish delivery man came last night and left fish in the cool box for us - last delivery for a while. Our veggie farm delivery comes today. I'll also make some dishes today for our veggie son, who is here for the duration.

I think the best we can do for the ankles is walking on uneven surfaces and the balance work. I notice that my time holding those 1 legged poses really improves when I work them more regularly but I've been doing more stretching work lately that is light on that, I need to make sure I get in both.

I have a 30 min break in between classes this am so I'm going to do some light yoga then and after classes I'll do my strength work.

I woke up to go pee this am and then every time I was nearly asleep dh woke me up tossing and turning, ugh. Thankfully I went to bed early so I still got plenty (7 hr 20 min) of sleep but I'm still annoyed.

I've ate too many carbs this week, need to dial that back.

I need to do some gardening today with the weather so nice.

 

Edited March 25, 2020 by soror

[wintermom]

12 hours ago, IvyInFlorida said:

I worked outside this morning, then went for a run this evening, though I didn't have a lot of oomph.  I took it a little easier rather than push it--it was still almost 90 degrees!

That hot in March would be lovely, until it just kept rising through to August and then I would combust. 😉  It's 28 F this morning, supposed to go up to 45, at which time I'll be playing tennis outside. I hope the balls bounce alright! No worries about sweating too much. 😂

[wintermom]

2 hours ago, soror said:

I think the best we can do for the ankles is walking on uneven surfaces and the balance work. I notice that my time holding those 1 legged poses really improves when I work them more regularly but I've been doing more stretching work lately that is light on that, I need to make sure I get in both.

I agree with this. The one-leg balance work from martial arts kick progressions is amazing for ankle and knee stability. Doing the various kicks in slow motion, and gradually up to regular speed, requires a lot of muscle strength and control. We also used to do quad stretches standing without touching a wall for support. To really up the difficulty level, do one-leg balance poses on a moving surface (e.g., balance board, rowboat like in the original Karate Kid). 

Now that I'm not training martial arts, I will still do slow motion kicks in my kitchen. There is a convenient counter to grab if I need a little support. I figure this balance work will be vital as I age so that I can reduce my chance of falling.

Hiking in areas with lots of rocks and tree roots is also good practice for keeping good balance and picking up your feet! 😃

[Soror]

1 hour ago, wintermom said:

I agree with this. The one-leg balance work from martial arts kick progressions is amazing for ankle and knee stability. Doing the various kicks in slow motion, and gradually up to regular speed, requires a lot of muscle strength and control. We also used to do quad stretches standing without touching a wall for support. To really up the difficulty level, do one-leg balance poses on a moving surface (e.g., balance board, rowboat like in the original Karate Kid). 

Now that I'm not training martial arts, I will still do slow motion kicks in my kitchen. There is a convenient counter to grab if I need a little support. I figure this balance work will be vital as I age so that I can reduce my chance of falling.

Hiking in areas with lots of rocks and tree roots is also good practice for keeping good balance and picking up your feet! 😃

Oh, yes, 1 legged kicks are good too. I do a bit of those in the stuff I do but none where I hold them as long as with yoga poses since I'm just a newbie. I don't have a balance board here but I sometimes will use the TRX straps for one foot, that works the balance some too. It is annoying that you have to keep working these things, it is not like you keep the skill.

25 min yoga, a lot of tai chi flow today and W1D3 of GMB Integral Strength

 

[Matryoshka]

@wintermom, glad to hear your parents are doing better.

@Laura Corin, I also have very weak ankles.  When I was young they would pronate and I tried to work hard to correct that, but to do that I realized later I'd actually started walking on the outsides of my feet.  And what seems to have cured that was ... one-legged yoga balance poses.  Not that I'm rock-solid now, but when I actually took yoga classes years ago and we did those balance poses for extended periods (yes, I tipped over a lot at first), what happened is I found where the center of my foot was (so not pronated, and not overcompensating).Then I paid attention to keeping them there when just walking around daily - muscle memory as well as strength.  Besides ankle strength, I also find I have to keep a strong core to balance - it's equally important, I think.  If I remember to engage my core, balancing is much easier.  I haven't been doing yoga lately, but almost every OT class ends with stretching that includes just a simple standing quad stretch, which I've found I've gotten much more solid on just from keeping that up.  My ankles are still not very strong, but vastly improved, and I walk on the center of my feet now (also noticeable in how my shoes wear).

[Matryoshka]

So I did do the DriTri "Social Distancing Version" - on Sunday.  In place of rowing, they these exercises, the first three I did with 15# weights: 20 ground-to-press, 20 sumo squat to upright row, 20 skier swings, 20 jump squats, and 20 power sit-ups with rotation - repeat this set 3x.  Then the 300 bodyweight reps, which were: 2-foot lateral hop over a line 40x, tap squat on 12" stool 20x, step-up on 12" object 20x on each leg, plank jack 20x, then 10 burpees, and repeat the whole thing another time through.  Then it was a 3.3 mi run or 1.55 mi 'power walk' - since power walks in the gym are usually all on inclines and outside it was only sometimes hilly, but after all that stuff I didn't feel up to a whole 3mi run, with hills, when I've never run that far, I walked hills and jogged when I could and did about 2.2 miles, so kind of split the differnce.  Phew!  Finished in almost exactly an hour.

Did another OT one Monday, ended up resting yesterday, and today they added more live times, so I'm doing it at 4pm, so I've decided to do that one, as I like the coach leading that one better than the one this morning...

[Laura Corin]

I find standing balances irritating, probably because I'm bad at them. I enjoy standing half lotus with an elbow bind though, so I should probably be doing that daily.

https://yogayana.wordpress.com/2012/08/25/pose-of-the-day-bound-standing-half-lotus/

I've noticed that Adriene doesn't include that many standing balances.

[wintermom]

I have an epic outdoor tennis match this afternoon!! Three straight hours of doubles tennis with 3 men. Really nice, fast pace and a lot of fun. I was by far the weakest at hitting the ball, but I tried to make up for it with speed and consistency. I was partially successful, at least. We're hoping to play again on Friday, as it's supposed to snow tomorrow. Crazy weather and crazier, desperate tennis enthusiasts! 😂

Food-wise: I've been really good about establishing a routine with healthy eating and a wee bit of sweet snack all designed to maintain weight during this weird time of reduced activity. After my tennis session, I'm celebrating with chocolate! 😉

[Soror]

Wintermom that sounds like a lot of fun. 

I got in a nice walk this afternoon. I tried to attach a pic from the creek up the road we'll see if it loads 

[Soror]

I made these homemade peanut butter cups today since I am only doing homemade chocolate and was craving some. I cut the maple syrup in the chocolate by a TBSP and it is still plenty sweet. 

[Matryoshka]

3 minutes ago, soror said:

I made these homemade peanut butter cups today since I am only doing homemade chocolate and was craving some. I cut the maple syrup in the chocolate by a TBSP and it is still plenty sweet. 

I've thought about making some variation on these, but then I think that I get about the same result with less sugar, fat, and work when I dip my 70% dark chocolate into the peanut butter jar.  Nomnom.  Just have to make sure to keep it to only 1-2 squares of chocolate...  #lazysnacks

[Soror]

13 hours ago, Matryoshka said:

I've thought about making some variation on these, but then I think that I get about the same result with less sugar, fat, and work when I dip my 70% dark chocolate into the peanut butter jar.  Nomnom.  Just have to make sure to keep it to only 1-2 squares of chocolate...  #lazysnacks

Ya, that works too, and I would have too except I've banned premade chocolate for lent (to cut down on chocolate consumption and it has worked- I'm eating way less), so I have to work for it now 🙂 I don't mind about the fat and it ended up at a tsp of sugar for 1, so not too bad and it was yummy. Next time I'll try it with even less maple syrup and see, I want to find the sweet spot of just sweet enough.

I need to shop and I want to hit the stores early so I have a better chance, so I'll be leaving as soon as I finish teaching at 7:30. Wish me luck!

Exercise planned: HIIT at lunch and an afternoon walk

Sleep avg for this week: 7 hr 45 min! In the fall I struggled to make 7 hrs at all.