April 2020 Well-Trained Bodies

[wintermom]

8 minutes ago, IvyInFlorida said:

YOU GUYS, I DID NOT MISCARRY.  I had an ultrasound today at my husband's insistence and there it was, perfectly normal!  There was a huge spot where a hematoma bled horribly and they said no wonder I thought it was a miscarriage.  I'll update more when I get a chance!   I'm in shock still.

Wow! That is amazing news!! So happy for you all. 😊

[Matryoshka]

15 minutes ago, IvyInFlorida said:

YOU GUYS, I DID NOT MISCARRY.  I had an ultrasound today at my husband's insistence and there it was, perfectly normal!  There was a huge spot where a hematoma bled horribly and they said no wonder I thought it was a miscarriage.  I'll update more when I get a chance!   I'm in shock still.

Holy wow!!  So happy for you.  No wonder you weren't feeling 'back to normal'!  Wishing you an uneventful and boring pregnancy going forward!!

[Soror]

23 minutes ago, IvyInFlorida said:

YOU GUYS, I DID NOT MISCARRY.  I had an ultrasound today at my husband's insistence and there it was, perfectly normal!  There was a huge spot where a hematoma bled horribly and they said no wonder I thought it was a miscarriage.  I'll update more when I get a chance!   I'm in shock still.

Huzzah!!! Congrats!!! How are you in feeling? I had bleeding with my first and it really spooked me badly, for me the OB said it looked like I'd been pregnant with twins to start. I ended up taking it easy after that as I was so paranoid.

[FarmingMomma]

4 hours ago, IvyInFlorida said:

YOU GUYS, I DID NOT MISCARRY.  I had an ultrasound today at my husband's insistence and there it was, perfectly normal!  There was a huge spot where a hematoma bled horribly and they said no wonder I thought it was a miscarriage.  I'll update more when I get a chance!   I'm in shock still.

 

Wow, amazing news!

[Laura Corin]

8 hours ago, IvyInFlorida said:

YOU GUYS, I DID NOT MISCARRY.  I had an ultrasound today at my husband's insistence and there it was, perfectly normal!  There was a huge spot where a hematoma bled horribly and they said no wonder I thought it was a miscarriage.  I'll update more when I get a chance!   I'm in shock still.

Brilliant! I'm so happy for you!  

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

@IvyInFlorida Literally got choked up over your news!  I saw the update in your other thread, but came over here where I feel more like I "know" you!  I'm so glad for you and your family.  What an amazing surprise.  If you have to feel nauseated and miserable, there is no better cause on Earth!  

[IvyInFlorida]

Thanks so much, y'all!  Wow, yesterday was a crazy day.  I was miserable and very anxious going in to the ultrasound appointment, worried that I would have to have a D&C and of course, still feeling sick and awful.  The nurses were all very somber.  When the ultrasound started, I had my eyes closed, and the tech suddenly said, "open your eyes and look at the screen."  And there it was, a little bean with a heartbeat fluttering.  I was speechless and didn't know what to think.  She panned over to a huge dark area and said, wow, no wonder you thought you lost the baby.  The spot where the hemorrhage had been was absolutely enormous.  She took measurements and checked everything, texted me some pictures, said it's measuring right on track at 7 weeks 5 days, and switched me over to an OB patient.  They sent me back out in the lobby to wait for the OB, where I dripped shocked tears and texted my husband and parents.  The OB checked everything, told me to take it easy for a couple weeks to let the area heal up, and come back in 4 weeks.  He doesn't see any reason why the rest of the pregnancy wouldn't be normal.  He didn't say anything about my "advanced maternal age" at all, yay!  He is concerned about anemia, so I will get more blood tests next week.  He said all the shortness of breath I've been having is normal--my cardiovascular system is working 30% harder than usual and my body is just struggling to adjust to that.

Honestly at first all the feelings of shock and overwhelm and "how am I going to do this?!" flooded back over me, but that passed and now I am back to feeling cautiously excited.  It really helps that the nausea was not too bad yesterday after I *finally* got to eat some lunch.  It's a lot easier to be optimistic about having a baby when you're not gagging every time you move.  I've discovered that, even though the only things that actually sound good are bread and cheese, if I make myself eat watery fruit and veg (frozen grapes, cucumbers, etc) and protein like ground beef, I do feel less nauseous for longer periods.  Tomorrow I'll be 8 weeks, so hopefully I only have 2-4ish weeks to get through before I start feeling even better.

The pic is a back view, with the head to the right.

 

[Soror]

20 hours ago, FarmingMomma said:

@IvyInFlorida I'm so sorry for your loss 😥

@soror I'm glad your shoulder is feeling better.  I've often slept wrong on mine and ended up with bad shoulder and neck pain the next day.  

@wintermom wow, 40 pushups! Way to go!

@Laura Corin your yoga posts keep inspiring me to try to fit more yoga into my schedule

I've been MIA again this month, calving has been really busy.  It's finally slowing down, we only have a little over 40 head of cows left to calve out of 300.  Now instead of 10-15 calves a day we get anywhere from 1 to 5.  Of course with spring on the way we'll soon have plenty of farm work to keep us busy.  I did start a new workout program this week, the new 10 Rounds program from Beachbody.  I've only done two of the workouts so far, but I'm enjoying them and I like that they are only around 30 minutes.  My youngest started the same program last week and is already into week 2, and he loves it!  Three days a week are boxing moves, alternated with 2 days a week of weight lifting (1 day upper body and 1 lower body).  There are core exercises in every workout, plus the boxing really works your core the whole time.  My core is where I still need the most work, so it's perfect for me right now 🙂 

Wow, so many cows! The program sounds interesting, I might have to try that sometime, when I'm feeling more in the mood to exercise. 

21 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

Happy birthday to your daughter, @soror

Well done on the push-ups @wintermom

I finished my Empower yoga series with a gentle coda.  It took me six weeks to do a one-month set, but that's okay.  I'll start on my self-designed programme tomorrow.  I tried again to do side crow today and I actually could imagine getting there at some point in the next decade, so maybe I'll sneak in a little practice here and there.  I've also been slowing my flows so as to hold longer in chaturanga - it's too easy to swing through it without getting full benefit.

I'll walk about three miles with the dog after work, then home to make supper.  We have fresh fish for this evening and also locally-smoked fish in the freezer: Husband organised a van-trip from a local supplier on the coast for the village.

Good job sticking with the program. I bet you can get the side crow quicker than you think, a lot of it is just practice with the balancing in that position.

2 hours ago, IvyInFlorida said:

Thanks so much, y'all!  Wow, yesterday was a crazy day.  I was miserable and very anxious going in to the ultrasound appointment, worried that I would have to have a D&C and of course, still feeling sick and awful.  The nurses were all very somber.  When the ultrasound started, I had my eyes closed, and the tech suddenly said, "open your eyes and look at the screen."  And there it was, a little bean with a heartbeat fluttering.  I was speechless and didn't know what to think.  She panned over to a huge dark area and said, wow, no wonder you thought you lost the baby.  The spot where the hemorrhage had been was absolutely enormous.  She took measurements and checked everything, texted me some pictures, said it's measuring right on track at 7 weeks 5 days, and switched me over to an OB patient.  They sent me back out in the lobby to wait for the OB, where I dripped shocked tears and texted my husband and parents.  The OB checked everything, told me to take it easy for a couple weeks to let the area heal up, and come back in 4 weeks.  He doesn't see any reason why the rest of the pregnancy wouldn't be normal.  He didn't say anything about my "advanced maternal age" at all, yay!  He is concerned about anemia, so I will get more blood tests next week.  He said all the shortness of breath I've been having is normal--my cardiovascular system is working 30% harder than usual and my body is just struggling to adjust to that.

Honestly at first all the feelings of shock and overwhelm and "how am I going to do this?!" flooded back over me, but that passed and now I am back to feeling cautiously excited.  It really helps that the nausea was not too bad yesterday after I *finally* got to eat some lunch.  It's a lot easier to be optimistic about having a baby when you're not gagging every time you move.  I've discovered that, even though the only things that actually sound good are bread and cheese, if I make myself eat watery fruit and veg (frozen grapes, cucumbers, etc) and protein like ground beef, I do feel less nauseous for longer periods.  Tomorrow I'll be 8 weeks, so hopefully I only have 2-4ish weeks to get through before I start feeling even better.

The pic is a back view, with the head to the right.

 

I am sure it was a total roller coaster, I'm so glad you got good news.

[Soror]

I ended up not doing any exercise yesterday. As soon as I finished teaching the girls were ready for breakfast and then everyone was up and we started the day. I did have a nap in the afternoon but mostly we had some nice family time.

Today is painting again, I've not painted since last Sunday so I'm thinking I'll be ok. After today we'll only have about 4 days left of work and the house will be done. We can't do it on rainy days and some work has to be spaced out but we are getting there and it felt such a huge job when we started. 

[wintermom]

@IvyInFlorida  What an amazing roller coaster ride you've been on. So happy you are feeling better physically, and that all is well with the baby. Thanks for posting the photo!!

@FarmingMomma  That is a lot of mama cows! Hope all is going well with all the mamas and the calves. How long will you keep the calves?  The exercise program does sound really fun. It's awesome your ds is doing it, too!

@soror  Great job with all your painting!!  It is so satisfying to see the finish line.  We ran out of paint and our Home Depot isn't selling tinted paint right now. So we are in holding pattern for painting and moving on to the basement renos and the backyard. 

@Laura Corin  All the best mastering the side crow pose. I had to look it up on-line and it looks pretty challenging. I could see where having short, light-weight legs would be an advantage. Something like a puppet body would work. 😄

I had a great 2 hour walk with the dog and a friend yesterday. It really tired me out, and I didn't end up doing dog walk #2. That was a good thing, though, as the dog was limping last night. He's a little better this morning. I'm not sure if it was the walk or his giant leap out of the car afterwards. He jumps like a deer.  So I will have to rest him for a few days, which he won't like much. 

Otherwise, I'm trucking along with the push-ups, restorative yoga, and my personally developed 'Rationed Snacks Weight Maintenance Program.' It is inspired by packed lunches, where you can't keep eating because the baggies are empty. The tough part is trying to forget that there is actually more food in the cupboard right beside the computer. 😂

Edited April 18, 2020 by wintermom

[Laura Corin]

1 hour ago, wintermom said:

@IvyInFlorida  What an amazing roller coaster ride you've been on. So happy you are feeling better physically, and that all is well with the baby. Thanks for posting the photo!!

@FarmingMomma  That is a lot of mama cows! Hope all is going well with all the mamas and the calves. How long will you keep the calves?  The exercise program does sound really fun. It's awesome your ds is doing it, too!

@soror  Great job with all your painting!!  It is so satisfying to see the finish line.  We ran out of paint and our Home Depot isn't selling tinted paint right now. So we are in holding pattern for painting and moving on to the basement renos and the backyard. 

@Laura Corin  All the best mastering the side crow pose. I had to look it up on-line and it looks pretty challenging. I could see where having short, light-weight legs would be an advantage. Something like a puppet body would work. 😄

I had a great 2 hour walk with the dog and a friend yesterday. It really tired me out, and I didn't end up doing dog walk #2. That was a good thing, though, as the dog was limping last night. He's a little better this morning. I'm not sure if it was the walk or his giant leap out of the car afterwards. He jumps like a deer.  So I will have to rest him for a few days, which he won't like much. 

Otherwise, I'm trucking along with the push-ups, restorative yoga, and my personally developed 'Rationed Snacks Weight Maintenance Program.' It is inspired by packed lunches, where you can't keep eating because the baggies are empty. The tough part is trying to forget that there is actually more food in the cupboard right beside the computer. 😂

Sorry, can't edit the quote.  I like the 'puppet' image.  I have long not-very-light legs.  We shall see.  I suspect that, as @soror said, really feeling that balance point is the key.  I haven't sorted that out at all yet.

[wintermom]

51 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

Sorry, can't edit the quote.  I like the 'puppet' image.  I have long not-very-light legs.  We shall see.  I suspect that, as @soror said, really feeling that balance point is the key.  I haven't sorted that out at all yet.

Yes, the balance point would be key. What do you do if you start tipping over and fall on your face? Ouch! 😄

[Laura Corin]

1 hour ago, wintermom said:

Yes, the balance point would be key. What do you do if you start tipping over and fall on your face? Ouch! 😄

I did that in the past learning Crow. You are very low to the ground, so it's not a big deal. Once I learned to look forward, not down, I stopped falling over.

Yoga today plus weeding.

[wintermom]

It was a pretty full day. Went for 2 walks through the neighbourhood, walking through as many wooded areas as possible. Enjoyed seeing and/or hearing the various birds, ducks, geese and squirrels. I missed my furry walking buddy, though. I hope his limp disappears quickly and he can join me again soon for our walks.

I also did some more trim painting, furniture moving, vacuuming and other house chores. I did my morning stretches, strength and push-up routine. I'll go do a little night time relaxing yoga.

[wintermom]

7 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

I did that in the past learning Crow. You are very low to the ground, so it's not a big deal. Once I learned to look forward, not down, I stopped falling over.

Yoga today plus weeding.

Great job figuring out how vital the head position is to balance! The head weighs so much more than we expect. Keeping my head forward really helped my balance in so many things, like ice skating, gymnastics, and various martial arts movements.

Quick question sort of exercise related; are all the golf courses closed in your area? I was wondering whether they would allow individuals to play, or whether they shut everything down because of social distancing and it being a non-essential activity. I'm sure that there are many sad golfers waiting for the chance to get out and play.

[Laura Corin]

9 hours ago, wintermom said:

Great job figuring out how vital the head position is to balance! The head weighs so much more than we expect. Keeping my head forward really helped my balance in so many things, like ice skating, gymnastics, and various martial arts movements.

Quick question sort of exercise related; are all the golf courses closed in your area? I was wondering whether they would allow individuals to play, or whether they shut everything down because of social distancing and it being a non-essential activity. I'm sure that there are many sad golfers waiting for the chance to get out and play.

I think it's all closed, apart from socially distanced maintenance. One of the golf courses is traditionally closed to golfers on Sundays and open for townsfolk to walk. I don't know if that's still the case at present.

ETA. Yoga done. Eagle went well - I can see finding ease over the month. I need to take headstand slowly to make sure I'm not tensing up or putting too much weight through my neck. And... I managed side crow for about a second. I think that talking about gaze in crow reminded me about gaze in side crow, which helped with the balance.

This afternoon I'll walk through the woods. I'll also try to do another video intro to part of the garden for our prospective house buyers. Trying to keep the deal alive.

Edited April 19, 2020 by Laura Corin

[Soror]

5 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

I think it's all closed, apart from socially distanced maintenance. One of the golf courses is traditionally closed to golfers on Sundays and open for townsfolk to walk. I don't know if that's still the case at present.

ETA. Yoga done. Eagle went well - I can see finding ease over the month. I need to take headstand slowly to make sure I'm not tensing up or putting too much weight through my neck. And... I managed side crow for about a second. I think that talking about gaze in crow reminded me about gaze in side crow, which helped with the balance.

This afternoon I'll walk through the woods. I'll also try to do another video intro to part of the garden for our prospective house buyers. Trying to keep the deal alive.

Woohoo! I knew you could do it, a bit more practice and you'll be doing it with ease.

10 hours ago, wintermom said:

Great job figuring out how vital the head position is to balance! The head weighs so much more than we expect. Keeping my head forward really helped my balance in so many things, like ice skating, gymnastics, and various martial arts movements.

Quick question sort of exercise related; are all the golf courses closed in your area? I was wondering whether they would allow individuals to play, or whether they shut everything down because of social distancing and it being a non-essential activity. I'm sure that there are many sad golfers waiting for the chance to get out and play.

Golf courses are closed where I live. They had enacted some social distancing rules but from what I heard people weren't following them at all.

We bought so much paint before quarantine b/c we were afraid we wouldn't be able to get more. We actually overbought by a large margin, painting it by hand instead of using a sprayer(evidently that is what most people do for outside) is way more efficient, we have about twice as much as we need which was a costly mistake but we're still miles better than if we'd hired it done.

 

[Laura Corin]

2 minutes ago, soror said:

Woohoo! I knew you could do it, a bit more practice and you'll be doing it with ease.

Golf courses are closed where I live. They had enacted some social distancing rules but from what I heard people weren't following them at all.

We bought so much paint before quarantine b/c we were afraid we wouldn't be able to get more. We actually overbought by a large margin, painting it by hand instead of using a sprayer(evidently that is what most people do for outside) is way more efficient, we have about twice as much as we need which was a costly mistake but we're still miles better than if we'd hired it done.

 

Thanks!

Do you know anyone else who needs paint? A charity maybe?

[Soror]

Today we've got rain all day so no painting, I've got laundry and housework to do anyway. Yesterday's painting only took about 2.5 hrs and my shoulder feels fine. I'm aiming to finish the trim work on lower sections on Tuesday, then hopefully next weekend early next week we can finish it all if the weather cooperates.

Oh, and yesterday we had to start with shoveling and moving 5 gal buckets of rocks. Dh was telling me he could get it and I'm like, nope, this is perfect training for the Spartan race 5 gallon bucket carry. 

I'm hoping a day inside improves my allergies, they have been worse and worse with the increased pollen.

I'm very excited for a better week coming up as I'm not going into it hurt but I am still not very motivated to do formal exercise. I'll likely continue doing a bare bones exercise in the am and then work around the house. 

Oh, last night I tried this minestrone soup for the first time. I don't know why I've never made minestrone but I absolutely loved it, I'm so excited for some leftovers for a few lunches (I only wish there was more left). I'm going to add some extra veggies to it today to stretch it a bit. I used potatoes and zucchini for my spring vegetables and just water as I forgot to make veggie broth until time to cook dinner. The family didn't love it like I did but found it edible so perhaps I can sneak it in the menu once a month 🙂

 

[Soror]

1 minute ago, Laura Corin said:

Thanks!

Do you know anyone else who needs paint? A charity maybe?

Not of the top of my head, most around here dont have exteriors that are painted. We're not sure what we'll do with it. 

[Laura Corin]

Just now, soror said:

Not of the top of my head, most around here dont have exteriors that are painted. We're not sure what we'll do with it. 

How long does paint keep?

Well done for getting it done. We've always got the professionals in.

[Soror]

2 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

How long does paint keep?

Well done for getting it done. We've always got the professionals in.

Google says it will keep 10 yrs, maybe more unopened. So it might be worth saving for the next time it is done. We made it 13 yrs until repainting this time but it is in rough shape, ideally it should have been done a few years ago.

[wintermom]

7 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

I think it's all closed, apart from socially distanced maintenance. One of the golf courses is traditionally closed to golfers on Sundays and open for townsfolk to walk. I don't know if that's still the case at present.

ETA. Yoga done. Eagle went well - I can see finding ease over the month. I need to take headstand slowly to make sure I'm not tensing up or putting too much weight through my neck. And... I managed side crow for about a second. I think that talking about gaze in crow reminded me about gaze in side crow, which helped with the balance.

This afternoon I'll walk through the woods. I'll also try to do another video intro to part of the garden for our prospective house buyers. Trying to keep the deal alive.

Our golf courses are all closed, but I don't think they'd be open now anyway. 

Congratulations on the side crow!! 

The garden video sounds like an excellent idea! I hope the sale goes through.

[wintermom]

1 hour ago, soror said:

Today we've got rain all day so no painting, I've got laundry and housework to do anyway. Yesterday's painting only took about 2.5 hrs and my shoulder feels fine. I'm aiming to finish the trim work on lower sections on Tuesday, then hopefully next weekend early next week we can finish it all if the weather cooperates.

Oh, and yesterday we had to start with shoveling and moving 5 gal buckets of rocks. Dh was telling me he could get it and I'm like, nope, this is perfect training for the Spartan race 5 gallon bucket carry. 

I'm hoping a day inside improves my allergies, they have been worse and worse with the increased pollen.

I'm very excited for a better week coming up as I'm not going into it hurt but I am still not very motivated to do formal exercise. I'll likely continue doing a bare bones exercise in the am and then work around the house. 

Oh, last night I tried this minestrone soup for the first time. I don't know why I've never made minestrone but I absolutely loved it, I'm so excited for some leftovers for a few lunches (I only wish there was more left). I'm going to add some extra veggies to it today to stretch it a bit. I used potatoes and zucchini for my spring vegetables and just water as I forgot to make veggie broth until time to cook dinner. The family didn't love it like I did but found it edible so perhaps I can sneak it in the menu once a month 🙂

 

Great job getting the painting nearly done. Better to have more paint than too little for outdoor surfaces, where the sun and rain will still be working away despite the lockdown. 

Enjoy your bucket-carry work-outs! 5 gal buckets are pretty huge.

The minestrone soup sounds delicious! I'll have to try making some. My family aren't much into soup, so I usually end up eating it all myself. I love soup, though. 😊

[wintermom]

It's raining here today, but I'll still get out for a couple walks. I'll keep up with my regular stretch, strength and push-up exercises as well. 

[Matryoshka]

1 hour ago, wintermom said:

It's raining here today, but I'll still get out for a couple walks. I'll keep up with my regular stretch, strength and push-up exercises as well. 

It's actually a nice day today here, after *snowing* yesterday.  We had a couple of inches!  Fortunately later it rained, and today's supposed to get up to the low 60's.  Because if you don't like the weather, wait 10 minutes!  I'm taking a rest day from formal exercise, but hoping to spend a lot of time outside doing garden prep.

Last few days I've had trouble motivating myself to exercise, but fortunately not wanting to lose my 5x/week streak on the Fitbit managed to get me to finally do it before bed - one night I finally started at 9:45!  But I did end up doing fairly challenging routines, enough to make me comfortably sore (if that's a thing...) so all's well.  I'll try not to procrastinate so much next week.

[wintermom]

21 hours ago, Matryoshka said:

It's actually a nice day today here, after *snowing* yesterday.  We had a couple of inches!  Fortunately later it rained, and today's supposed to get up to the low 60's.  Because if you don't like the weather, wait 10 minutes!  I'm taking a rest day from formal exercise, but hoping to spend a lot of time outside doing garden prep.

Last few days I've had trouble motivating myself to exercise, but fortunately not wanting to lose my 5x/week streak on the Fitbit managed to get me to finally do it before bed - one night I finally started at 9:45!  But I did end up doing fairly challenging routines, enough to make me comfortably sore (if that's a thing...) so all's well.  I'll try not to procrastinate so much next week.

We've had similar weather, that seems to change drastically within minutes. Fortunately, today is sunny! I don't know exactly how warm it is, though. 😉

Motivating myself to do much of anything these days is getting harder and harder. Glad your Fitbit is helping to keep you accountable! 

[wintermom]

I didn't accomplish much yesterday. One walk with dd, which was heartbreaking as our dog watched us leave from the front window. I couldn't do that to him again. 🙁 I hope his paw is back to normal really soon. It is improving, thank goodness.

I did more yoga yesterday, and more eating. 😋  I hate it when it rains all day. Fortunately the scale says I stayed the same weight! I was fully expecting it to jump 5 lbs.

I'm going to try and go for a nice long bike ride today. I haven't rode in many days.

[Laura Corin]

Just a short dog walk at lunchtime.  I'll do some gentle yoga this evening, I hope.  I need to go shopping after work - for us and for my mum too.

[Soror]

I had a lazy day yesterday too. My period started and I haven't been sleeping the best the past week, combine that with a lot of hard work and I desperately needed the rest. I am feeling much more optimistic today after nearly 8 hrs of sleep and my hormones not so wonky. 

Goals this week: Line my eating back out, it was up and down last week. Easter, dd's bday, and pms were a bad combo. I had some great meals but too much snacking and some meals were just too big (even if healthy food). Do my strength work.

I have one more serving of minestrone for lunch and am prepping some curry bowls for the rest of the week. I made a big batch of plain steel cut oats for several breakfasts. 

My body is feeling good today and I did my strength work followed with a short yoga session.

[Laura Corin]

17 minutes ago, soror said:

I had a lazy day yesterday too. My period started and I haven't been sleeping the best the past week, combine that with a lot of hard work and I desperately needed the rest. I am feeling much more optimistic today after nearly 8 hrs of sleep and my hormones not so wonky. 

Goals this week: Line my eating back out, it was up and down last week. Easter, dd's bday, and pms were a bad combo. I had some great meals but too much snacking and some meals were just too big (even if healthy food). Do my strength work.

I have one more serving of minestrone for lunch and am prepping some curry bowls for the rest of the week. I made a big batch of plain steel cut oats for several breakfasts. 

My body is feeling good today and I did my strength work followed with a short yoga session.

I'm glad you slept better.  Lazy days are good.

I've been eating too much recently too.  I took a big breath two days ago and rethought my snacking.  Things are going better now.  For me the key is remembering that feeling a bit empty is just my body preparing for the next meal, or for the low energy needs of sleep. 

I made a batch of oats too - with cinnamon, vanilla, ground flaxseed, prunes and very old apricots.  it seems fine.  I had a little stewed rhubarb with it - not my favourite but it came in my veg box.

[wintermom]

I went for 2 really nice walks, and did my morning exercises and push-ups. No bike ride, as it was cold and I preferred to walk.  I also did some raking in the backyard and I'll get in my relaxation yoga at bedtime. 

[Soror]

21 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

I'm glad you slept better.  Lazy days are good.

I've been eating too much recently too.  I took a big breath two days ago and rethought my snacking.  Things are going better now.  For me the key is remembering that feeling a bit empty is just my body preparing for the next meal, or for the low energy needs of sleep. 

I made a batch of oats too - with cinnamon, vanilla, ground flaxseed, prunes and very old apricots.  it seems fine.  I had a little stewed rhubarb with it - not my favourite but it came in my veg box.

Yes, some hunger is good. I get it straight then get out of the habit, rinse and repeat. I just premake my oats plain, then when I have them I'll add things usually blueberries and plain nf yogurt w/ pecans and flaxseed. Or some banana and a tsp of chocolate chips 🙂 and tbsp of pb.

12 hours ago, wintermom said:

I went for 2 really nice walks, and did my morning exercises and push-ups. No bike ride, as it was cold and I preferred to walk.  I also did some raking in the backyard and I'll get in my relaxation yoga at bedtime. 

I don't like to ride when it is cool either. I haven't road at all lately, I've been so busy working lately, I  need to find the time, surely with us on break from school I can manage that.

________________

Great day yesterday. Good food. Cleaned house in the am and in the pm gardening, which was digging and then picking the rocks in my yard, butt kicking work.

8hr 20 min of sleep last night- 30 min of yoga this am and 2 sets of pushups, inverted press, and hollow body holds.

Today is trim painting outside and we'll see what else.

[wintermom]

1 hour ago, soror said:

Yes, some hunger is good. I get it straight then get out of the habit, rinse and repeat. I just premake my oats plain, then when I have them I'll add things usually blueberries and plain nf yogurt w/ pecans and flaxseed. Or some banana and a tsp of chocolate chips 🙂 and tbsp of pb.

I don't like to ride when it is cool either. I haven't road at all lately, I've been so busy working lately, I  need to find the time, surely with us on break from school I can manage that.

________________

Great day yesterday. Good food. Cleaned house in the am and in the pm gardening, which was digging and then picking the rocks in my yard, butt kicking work.

8hr 20 min of sleep last night- 30 min of yoga this am and 2 sets of pushups, inverted press, and hollow body holds.

Today is trim painting outside and we'll see what else.

Rock picking is grueling work! Way to go on all the activity yesterday and today!! 

I just googled 'hollow body hold' as I was envisioning some kind of wild yoga pose. 😄  In our martial arts school, we used to call them 'banana' and the opposite was 'superman.'' We would roll on the floor mats going from 'superman' to 'banana.'

[Soror]

12 minutes ago, wintermom said:

Rock picking is grueling work! Way to go on all the activity yesterday and today!! 

I just googled 'hollow body hold' as I was envisioning some kind of wild yoga pose. 😄  In our martial arts school, we used to call them 'banana' and the opposite was 'superman.'' We would roll on the floor mats going from 'superman' to 'banana.'

LOL, actually it is not a yoga pose at all, just core work. It has been difficult for me after have kids and diastasis recti but I have improved so much and am able ot do it with my muscles properly engaged. My oldest daughter was helping some with the picking but she didn't get very far, she did make a nice comment about how she could see my arm muscles though :). I was glad to have the strength to dig and pick the holes out, dh usually does that job. 

Breakfast done, I've got a bit of housework and then outside for prep and painting.

[Laura Corin]

I did a lightweight yoga session at lunchtime and will try to take a 4-5 mile walk after work - Husband is cooking, so I have time. 

[Laura Corin]

I saw a native (red) squirrel in the nearby woods! I've seen them further north, but never here before. That made my day.

I made oatcakes. They were rather fragile but good, particularly with cheese.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2014/aug/27/how-to-cook-perfect-oatcakes-recipe

 

 

Edited April 21, 2020 by Laura Corin

[wintermom]

17 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

I saw a native (red) squirrel in the nearby woods! I've seen them further north, but never here before. That made my day.

I made oatcakes. They were rather fragile but good, particularly with cheese.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2014/aug/27/how-to-cook-perfect-oatcakes-recipe

 

 

Thanks for including the recipe! It was really interesting reading about the history and culture around oatcakes. I thought I was eating oatmeal, but it appears I was wrong. I eat rolled oats. 

I love red squirrels. They seem to have more character than grey squirrels. But that 'character' can have its annoying side. My dd used to volunteer at a wildlife rehab centre, and the reds were escape artists from the cages. They needed a cage within a cage to contain them because they are so fast. 😅

[wintermom]

I seem to be back in the land of the living today. I had some weird lightheadedness all day yesterday. I did manage to get in my morning exercises and push-ups, but then I needed to lay down for the remainder of the day. It was a good day to skip the outdoor walk, as it was snowing, cold and really windy. My daily outdoor walking streak is over, sadly, but I will get back to my routine today, I hope. 🙂

[Soror]

19 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

I saw a native (red) squirrel in the nearby woods! I've seen them further north, but never here before. That made my day.

I made oatcakes. They were rather fragile but good, particularly with cheese.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2014/aug/27/how-to-cook-perfect-oatcakes-recipe

 

 

The oatcakes recipe looks like it would be dry, are they? I typically eat steelcut oats here, the kids prefer rolled oats, I prefer the texture of steelcut. I think I had too many rolled oats as a child they don't appeal to me all that much unless made into a granola.

We have so many squirrels here, I should do a tally to see what kind I see. 

1 hour ago, wintermom said:

I seem to be back in the land of the living today. I had some weird lightheadedness all day yesterday. I did manage to get in my morning exercises and push-ups, but then I needed to lay down for the remainder of the day. It was a good day to skip the outdoor walk, as it was snowing, cold and really windy. My daily outdoor walking streak is over, sadly, but I will get back to my routine today, I hope. 🙂

I'm sorry you had a rough day yesterday at least it was a bad day, hopefully today is a good one.

_____________-

Prep and painting took me FOREVER yesterday. I finished the 2nd coat at 7 pm had a quick dinner and then clean up took until 8. I would have not undertaken the task without dh if I had realized how long it would take. It wasn't the most fun day. We've got rain coming so it looks like we won't be able to finish it until early next week or next weekend but I am happy for some days off.

 I ate too much the second half of the day, I started with too small of a breakfast and had more work than I thought. Today is a new day.

I did 30 min of strength training this am. I have gardening to do this am before the rain and hope to get at least a short walk. I've been working so much I haven't felt like walks. 

[Laura Corin]

@soror yes, oatcakes are quite dry, as a contrast to cheese or butter. That sounds like a hard day!

@wintermom I'm glad you are doing better. Yes, I get confused by oat terminology - I don't know about Canada, but what Americans often call oatmeal, Brits call porridge (a cooked dish) which can be made from rolled oats or oatmeal.

Short but vigorous yoga in at lunchtime; three mile walk before supper. And I finally managed to photograph the wee Highland Coo. Attached along with a better photo of the big coos.

[wintermom]

@Laura Corin  Love the coo photos!! The wee one would look just like a giant furry dog if its ears flopped down more. 

Re: oats - do you eat your morning oatmeal dry, or do you add some kind of cold or hot liquid? In Denmark and Germany, I've eaten dry rolled oats with raisins and nuts (the mixture is called muesli) cold with milk. In Norway they cook the oats and call it oatmeal porridge (havregrøt), and it's a popular breakfast food (along with bread and cheese). Rice porridge/pudding, is a dinner food for Saturdays, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, and sour cream porridge served hot was a special breakfast treat. I loved them all! But the most decadent was the left over rice pudding/porridge, cold, with added whipped cream, topped with fruit sauce or caramel. This was a special Sunday dinner dessert called riskrem (Rice Cream?)Yummy! 

Canada is pretty boring with its porridge in comparison. We have oatmeal porridge and cream of wheat. Muesli and granola are also rolled oat-based breakfast cereals usually served with milk or yogurt. Our rice pudding is usually a dessert and it's served cold. 

I got in a couple walks, yoga, push-ups and raking today. I feel pretty much back to normal. Maybe my body just needed a rest day? Who knows. 😉

 

[Matryoshka]

3 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

@soror yes, oatcakes are quite dry, as a contrast to cheese or butter. That sounds like a hard day!

@wintermom I'm glad you are doing better. Yes, I get confused by oat terminology - I don't know about Canada, but what Americans often call oatmeal, Brits call porridge (a cooked dish) which can be made from rolled oats or oatmeal.

Short but vigorous yoga in at lunchtime; three mile walk before supper. And I finally managed to photograph the wee Highland Coo. Attached along with a better photo of the big coos.

Yep, what Americans call oatmeal is cooked porridge made from either rolled oats or steel-cut oats, but does not typically refer to a dry grain product ground from oats, like an oat analog to cornmeal - which if one could find it might also be called oatmeal? Oat meal?  I would guess that what the Scottish recipe refers to would be coarser than oat flour (as cornmeal is coarser than corn flour?)  When I looked at the recipe and read that the oat cakes were made from oatmeal, my first thought was - no, they don't make it from cooked oats! - then there was the rolled oat digression, and I realized they meant a dry product, not porridge (a word we mostly know from nursery rhymes - pease porridge hot!)

And can I just say I love highland cattle? 🐮

Edited April 22, 2020 by Matryoshka

[wintermom]

41 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

Hallo everyone,

Hope you join you. My regular gym is of course impossible now so except walks, a bit lost about how to work out without equipment. I will lurk here and learn. I tried looking at what's out there and it is a bit overwhelming.

Welcome! We are mostly doing whatever types of exercise we can access; both in our homes and outside. Keeping things simple. I don't think anyone has all that much home gym equipment, but we're helping to keep each other motivated and entertained. 😉 

[Laura Corin]

6 hours ago, Matryoshka said:

Yep, what Americans call oatmeal is cooked porridge made from either rolled oats or steel-cut oats, but does not typically refer to a dry grain product ground from oats, like an oat analog to cornmeal - which if one could find it might also be called oatmeal? Oat meal?  I would guess that what the Scottish recipe refers to would be coarser than oat flour (as cornmeal is coarser than corn flour?)  When I looked at the recipe and read that the oat cakes were made from oatmeal, my first thought was - no, they don't make it from cooked oats! - then there was the rolled oat digression, and I realized they meant a dry product, not porridge (a word we mostly know from nursery rhymes - pease porridge hot!)

And can I just say I love highland cattle? 🐮

I think that what N Americans call steel cut oats are, to us, coarse or pinhead oatmeal. Glad you like the coos (Scots word of the day).

In the UK, that rhyme is usually given as 'pease pudding hot', not porridge.

[Laura Corin]

6 hours ago, wintermom said:

@Laura Corin  Love the coo photos!! The wee one would look just like a giant furry dog if its ears flopped down more. 

Re: oats - do you eat your morning oatmeal dry, or do you add some kind of cold or hot liquid? In Denmark and Germany, I've eaten dry rolled oats with raisins and nuts (the mixture is called muesli) cold with milk. In Norway they cook the oats and call it oatmeal porridge (havregrøt), and it's a popular breakfast food (along with bread and cheese). Rice porridge/pudding, is a dinner food for Saturdays, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, and sour cream porridge served hot was a special breakfast treat. I loved them all! But the most decadent was the left over rice pudding/porridge, cold, with added whipped cream, topped with fruit sauce or caramel. This was a special Sunday dinner dessert called riskrem (Rice Cream?)Yummy! 

Canada is pretty boring with its porridge in comparison. We have oatmeal porridge and cream of wheat. Muesli and granola are also rolled oat-based breakfast cereals usually served with milk or yogurt. Our rice pudding is usually a dessert and it's served cold. 

I got in a couple walks, yoga, push-ups and raking today. I feel pretty much back to normal. Maybe my body just needed a rest day? Who knows. 😉

 

I normally eat my morning oats as porridge, cooked with oat milk. Rice pudding is usually served hot as a dessert. I ate congee (rice porridge) in China, but the toppings didn't appeal to me much. Both my husband and younger child eat muesli for breakfast every day with cold cow's milk.

[Laura Corin]

6 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

Hallo everyone,

Hope you join you. My regular gym is of course impossible now so except walks, a bit lost about how to work out without equipment. I will lurk here and learn. I tried looking at what's out there and it is a bit overwhelming.

Welcome! We are all just doing our best. I do have some hand weights, but mostly I do bodyweight work on the mat. Let me know if you are interested in yoga videos, and I can suggest some links.

I am lucky enough to live near private woodland that, under Scottish legislation, is publicly accessible. It's very hilly! Do you have any hills near you?

[Soror]

6 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

I think that what N Americans call steel cut oats are, to us, coarse or pinhead oatmeal. Glad you like the coos (Scots word of the day).

In the UK, that rhyme is usually given as 'pease pudding hot', not porridge.

Yes, looks like pinhead oats is the name for the steelcut oats I eat.

 

12 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

Hallo everyone,

Hope you join you. My regular gym is of course impossible now so except walks, a bit lost about how to work out without equipment. I will lurk here and learn. I tried looking at what's out there and it is a bit overwhelming.

Welcome! I do a combo of things- I subscribed to Les Mills and stream their workouts(there are a million options out there to stream) and also am doing bodyweight work for strength. Outside I have mostly been doing work around the house and yard as of late, that has been keeping me busier than I'd like, but I also have places to hike and bike as I live on the edge of national forest that is rarely used.

___________________

Eating yesterday- a big breakfast and no am snacks-good. Lunch was a bit small and I had too  many afternoon snacks. Sigh. I did face the scale today. I am at the top of my preferred range, that is better than it could be considering but I need to get back on track before I pop over the edge. 

Today's plan- small strength training workout and some body combat.

Food plan, planning snacks so I make better choices instead of trying to avoid them altogether, we'll see, better to plan too much food than not enough:

scrambled eggs w/ peppers, onion, and kale+ toast w/ almond butter and banana

quinoa-w/ broccoli, sweet potato, beef (tiny amount) and leftover ham for more protein

snacks: protein smoothie-berries, protein powder, almond milk, + ground flax; roasted kale; chocolate after lunch; pb + apple in morning

dinner: baked moroccan chicken, green beans, sweet pot, and rice

Edited April 23, 2020 by soror

[wintermom]

7 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

I normally eat my morning oats as porridge, cooked with oat milk. Rice pudding is usually served hot as a dessert. I ate congee (rice porridge) in China, but the toppings didn't appeal to me much. Both my husband and younger child eat muesli for breakfast every day with cold cow's milk.

I find the whole 'porridge vs pudding' topic fascinating. What is a pudding in the UK? What makes it different than porridge? Is it always a dessert? What is its consistency? I've eaten Christmas Pudding, and it was a lot more solid than I would have expected. Delicious, though! 

From my Canadian experience, porridge is a cooked breakfast food. There are very few different kinds (i.e., oatmeal, Cream of Wheat, and I used to be forced to eat this disgusting "Sunny Boy" porridge as a kid). Pudding is a sweet dessert, usually served cold, and there are lots of different kinds (i.e., chocolate, vanilla, butterscotch, rice, tapioca, etc.).

Thanks for being our UK expert!! 😉

[wintermom]

2 hours ago, soror said:

Eating yesterday- a big breakfast and no am snacks-good. Lunch was a bit small and I had too  many afternoon snacks. Sigh. I did face the scale today. I am at the top of my preferred range, that is better than it could be considering but I need to get back on track before I pop over the edge. 

Today's plan- small strength training workout and some body combat.

Food plan, planning snacks so I make better choices instead of trying to avoid them altogether, we'll see, better to plan too much food than not enough:

Brava, brave woman facing the dreaded scale! 😉  I do it almost every morning to help keep me on track. When I reach a certain number I snap into action. This usually means cutting back on snacks.  Your exercise and food plans sound wonderful!!  I love the name 'body combat.' I picture lots of kicking and punching. 😄