Well-Trained Bodies- July

[Matryoshka]

1 hour ago, Ali in OR said:

Dd and I were out picking blueberries at 6:30am--our last batch for 2020. We got 33 pounds and I put 12 quart bags of that in the freezer (probably ~21 lbs--the rest is for fresh eating this week). I organized the garage freezer which now has 35 bags of 2020 blueberries and 6 from 2019. I think we're set for blueberries! And now I know how much space is left over for the next Costco run--not much. No formal exercise today.

WOW, that's a lot of blueberries!  We've picked three largeish tupperware containers so far, but there's a bunch more ripening on the bushes.  

Have you looked in the sorbet thread?  There's a blueberry basil sorbet recipe I think I must try...

[Matryoshka]

I did get both a walk and an OT workout in on Thursday, then I took yesterday off.  This morning I got up 'early' (for me!) and took yet another Nordic walk, as the weather was going to get hot again after being cool most of this week.  Sprint at the end, then came in and did an OT workout, and for some reason my hr was staying low today, so I finished it off with some sprints on the rower, which fixed that problem.

So that got in my 5 days this week, yay!!

[Jenny in Florida]

I kicked off the day with my once-weekly four-mile walk. Then through a combination of chores and a Home Depot shopping expedition, I ended up ticking off the last of my goal steps by early evening. Still had some energy, and it suddenly occurred to me that it might be fun to do at least part of my Space Mountain-themed virtual 5K in the dark. So, I started as planned on the new mini-trampoline with a spacey video running on my big computer monitor, then transitioned to walking the neighborhood looking at the stars and listening to a Stuff You Should Know podcast about galaxies. 

That makes two of the three WDW virtual "races" down, one to go. I'm still walking far too slowly. My goal is to be able to walk these things at the pace required to stay in a real-life event, which is 16 minutes per mile. I'm still a lot closer to 20. I like to believe that first thing in the morning, with the adrenaline and energy of being on site in a crowd (if we ever get to do that again), I would move more quickly. Maybe one of these days, I'll get a chance to find out.

Meanwhile, though, that one is done.

I've also started trying to add some yoga into my routine. I've watched the first couple of lectures in a Great Courses series, which so far only has me breathing and attempting downward facing dog. I like the teacher's approach, though. 

I'm making progress on the renovation/reorganization of the office/craft room/fitness area. The wooden floor panel is in place, and the futon has been removed and replaced with a nice comfy chair. The coffee table I've been holding onto just because I like it now has a new purpose, serving as storage for my equipment (hand weights, yoga blocks and mat, etc.). When necessary, I can even stow the mini-trampoline on top when I need it out of the way. In order to squeeze every last inch of usable space out of the room, we ended up removing the sliding doors from the dual closets. (I use one for craft storage, and my son's girlfriend uses the other for her cosplay stuff.) I plan to replace the doors with curtains that match the ones I already have on the window in that room. I've purchased the curtains and tension rods, but I need to hem the curtains before I can hang them. The whole thing is too crowded and oddly arranged to be genuinely attractive, but it should be functional.

Other than that, I'm continuing with the virtual walking challenges. I'm participating in the Appalachian Trail one with a group from work and making my way across the English Channel as my solo project. 

I've finally started feeling a little more interested in food these days, which is a mixed blessing. It's nice to care and pleasant to try new recipes, but it makes it that much harder to keep my intake in the zone. Tomorrow is my self-imposed official weigh-in day. We'll see how it goes.

[Soror]

10 hours ago, Matryoshka said:

I did get both a walk and an OT workout in on Thursday, then I took yesterday off.  This morning I got up 'early' (for me!) and took yet another Nordic walk, as the weather was going to get hot again after being cool most of this week.  Sprint at the end, then came in and did an OT workout, and for some reason my hr was staying low today, so I finished it off with some sprints on the rower, which fixed that problem.

So that got in my 5 days this week, yay!!

Great job getting in your workout.

12 hours ago, Ali in OR said:

Dd and I were out picking blueberries at 6:30am--our last batch for 2020. We got 33 pounds and I put 12 quart bags of that in the freezer (probably ~21 lbs--the rest is for fresh eating this week). I organized the garage freezer which now has 35 bags of 2020 blueberries and 6 from 2019. I think we're set for blueberries! And now I know how much space is left over for the next Costco run--not much. No formal exercise today.

Nice, I'm sure that wore you out picking all of those!

21 hours ago, wintermom said:

It'll be a rest and recovery day today. I was so exhausted after the early morning, tennis and biking in the heat yesterday. I collapsed in bed right after supper and slept like a rock all night. Ds is organizing a family D&D session with us this afternoon. Should be fun. My character is a Viking Berserker, and I leveled up last game so who knows the destruction I'll be able to do now (hopefully I won't destroy myself). 😅

I've never done D&D but Dh and Ds have. We have other games we play. I suck at deck builder games, sigh, but they are fun.

7 hours ago, Jenny in Florida said:

I kicked off the day with my once-weekly four-mile walk. Then through a combination of chores and a Home Depot shopping expedition, I ended up ticking off the last of my goal steps by early evening. Still had some energy, and it suddenly occurred to me that it might be fun to do at least part of my Space Mountain-themed virtual 5K in the dark. So, I started as planned on the new mini-trampoline with a spacey video running on my big computer monitor, then transitioned to walking the neighborhood looking at the stars and listening to a Stuff You Should Know podcast about galaxies. 

That makes two of the three WDW virtual "races" down, one to go. I'm still walking far too slowly. My goal is to be able to walk these things at the pace required to stay in a real-life event, which is 16 minutes per mile. I'm still a lot closer to 20. I like to believe that first thing in the morning, with the adrenaline and energy of being on site in a crowd (if we ever get to do that again), I would move more quickly. Maybe one of these days, I'll get a chance to find out.

Meanwhile, though, that one is done.

I've also started trying to add some yoga into my routine. I've watched the first couple of lectures in a Great Courses series, which so far only has me breathing and attempting downward facing dog. I like the teacher's approach, though. 

I'm making progress on the renovation/reorganization of the office/craft room/fitness area. The wooden floor panel is in place, and the futon has been removed and replaced with a nice comfy chair. The coffee table I've been holding onto just because I like it now has a new purpose, serving as storage for my equipment (hand weights, yoga blocks and mat, etc.). When necessary, I can even stow the mini-trampoline on top when I need it out of the way. In order to squeeze every last inch of usable space out of the room, we ended up removing the sliding doors from the dual closets. (I use one for craft storage, and my son's girlfriend uses the other for her cosplay stuff.) I plan to replace the doors with curtains that match the ones I already have on the window in that room. I've purchased the curtains and tension rods, but I need to hem the curtains before I can hang them. The whole thing is too crowded and oddly arranged to be genuinely attractive, but it should be functional.

Other than that, I'm continuing with the virtual walking challenges. I'm participating in the Appalachian Trail one with a group from work and making my way across the English Channel as my solo project. 

I've finally started feeling a little more interested in food these days, which is a mixed blessing. It's nice to care and pleasant to try new recipes, but it makes it that much harder to keep my intake in the zone. Tomorrow is my self-imposed official weigh-in day. We'll see how it goes.

I've only done 2 5K's and the adrenaline def. sped me up.

Functional works for a room, if it is of good use that will be wodnerful.

[Soror]

We did not get kayaking in, dh wanted to work on the shed instead. He is anxious to just get it finished. We had to take off 3 weeks for his injury and this project is just taking way longer than expected. He is planning to finish the new flooring this week and then prep for painting next weekend, I'll paint if we have time or do it during the week sometime. Maybe in 2 more weeks we'll have it done. We've been doing projects since March now it would be really cool to just have time off without any big thing to do.

I did a little strength work and walking, mostly around the house due to the heat.

Today I'm biking in the morning, the usual trail.

Eating was good yesterday, now I need to eat a bit less. I need to curtail afternoon snacking today as tonight I'm making gyros. I got some local lamb and will make homemade gf naan(I don't have a gf pita recipe but the naan is to die for) to go with it and some cucumbers and tomatoes fresh from my garden.

The pluses this week:

nearly doubled my active minutes- got in 3 great bike rides; 2 trips to the pool;

2 strength sessions (1 was short); 1 yoga; 1 barre+core

The not so great:

Weight has bounced up, I have been splurging and eating more. Ovulation time increases my appetite and I need to get eating more normalized this week. I think it is also partially increase in cardio and retention due to muscle soreness.

I really didn't do well with strength work. The swimming really makes the shoulders sore and I just don't want to. I don't know why something I deeply enjoyed is now something I don't want to do at all. I make it about 4 weeks on a basic program (this time Body by You) and then I'm done. I'm trying to force myself to go through the motions and fake it til I make it. I don't want to lose strength but UGH.

 

Edited July 19, 2020 by soror

[wintermom]

2 hours ago, soror said:

I really didn't do well with strength work. The swimming really makes the shoulders sore and I just don't want to. I don't know why something I deeply enjoyed is now something I don't want to do at all. I make it about 4 weeks on a basic program (this time Body by You) and then I'm done. I'm trying to force myself to go through the motions and fake it til I make it. I don't want to lose strength but UGH.

Great job with all the exercise you've been doing this week!

You've been working really hard with the biking as well as upping your swimming. It's probably a good thing that your body and mind want limit the strength work during the swimming season. Maybe think about targeting your strength work to specific areas (e.g., muscles that pull the scapulas together, and help pull the shoulders back ) that help to balance the swimming rather than overburden your arms and shoulders. Most swim strokes promote pulling the shoulders forward. This can mess up good posture and back pain can result. 

You are not going to lose overall muscle mass with all the intense biking, swimming and other chores you're doing. Maybe think of it as "crop rotation" to help the overall health of your body. 😉 You may be letting some muscles rest for a bit while you focus on other movements.

[Soror]

10 hours ago, wintermom said:

Great job with all the exercise you've been doing this week!

You've been working really hard with the biking as well as upping your swimming. It's probably a good thing that your body and mind want limit the strength work during the swimming season. Maybe think about targeting your strength work to specific areas (e.g., muscles that pull the scapulas together, and help pull the shoulders back ) that help to balance the swimming rather than overburden your arms and shoulders. Most swim strokes promote pulling the shoulders forward. This can mess up good posture and back pain can result. 

You are not going to lose overall muscle mass with all the intense biking, swimming and other chores you're doing. Maybe think of it as "crop rotation" to help the overall health of your body. 😉 You may be letting some muscles rest for a bit while you focus on other movements.

Very good thoughts on that, I'm going to look more into exercises to complement the swimming and biking. TY!

[Laura Corin]

I'm back!  I hope you have all been well.  We are moved in and we have managed to clear boxes from the kitchen and the master bedroom.  The sitting room is usable, as is the sunroom. 

Now that we can use the kitchen, we can stop eating takeaways and ready meals.  My weight hasn't gone up as much as I would have thought: I've been in constant motion apart from the couple of days I had to work between the move and the weekend.

Fun house things: the previous people left hooks on the walls, so I'm just putting up pictures as I discover them in boxes.  This won't be final placement, but it immediately makes the place more homely.  Oh and the scrubby patch of garden that I didn't really understand when we saw the house in January turns out to be raspberry canes!  So we had lovely raspberries on our breakfasts over the weekend.  The blackbirds are pretty happy too.

As we don't have WiFi at home yet, I am working in a large meeting room at work: completely on my own, cleaned regularly and with cleaning materials so that I can re-clean myself, and (I discovered) with an openable window.  It all feels pretty safe, and being here is keeping me from being distracted by work that's needed on the house.

Anyway, back to fitness: I have to leave the room at lunchtimes to allow for cleaning, so I brought my hiking backpack and will put my laptop in it.  I should be able to eat my lunch on a bench, then take a walk along the seashore to a coffee shop and pick up some caffeine for the afternoon.  I will fit in some yoga this evening.

Breakfast - baked oatmeal (discovered in the freezer when we moved - I think it's courgette/cinnamon) with zero fat Greek yoghurt and raspberries; lunch - shredded cabbage, chopped cucumber and spring onions with a yoghurt tahini dressing, quinoa, olives; snack - apple and cashews; supper - quiche, veg.

Edited July 20, 2020 by Laura Corin

[wintermom]

22 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

I'm back!  I hope you have all been well.  We are moved in and we have managed to clear boxes from the kitchen and the master bedroom.  The sitting room is usable, as is the sunroom. 

Now that we can use the kitchen, we can stop eating takeaways and ready meals.  My weight hasn't gone up as much as I would have thought: I've been in constant motion apart from the couple of days I had to work between the move and the weekend.

Fun house things: the previous people left hooks on the walls, so I'm just putting up pictures as I discover them in boxes.  This won't be final placement, but it immediately makes the place more homely.  Oh and the scrubby patch of garden that I didn't really understand when we saw the house in January turns out to be raspberry canes!  So we had lovely raspberries on our breakfasts over the weekend.  The blackbirds are pretty happy too.

As we don't have WiFi at home yet, I am working in a large meeting room at work: completely on my own, cleaned regularly and with cleaning materials so that I can re-clean myself, and (I discovered) with an openable window.  It all feels pretty safe, and being here is keeping me from being distracted by work that's needed on the house.

Anyway, back to fitness: I have to leave the room at lunchtimes to allow for cleaning, so I brought my hiking backpack and will put my laptop in it.  I should be able to eat my lunch on a bench, then take a walk along the seashore to a coffee shop and pick up some caffeine for the afternoon.  I will fit in some yoga this evening.

Breakfast - baked oatmeal (discovered in the freezer when we moved - I think it's courgette/cinnamon) with zero fat Greek yoghurt and raspberries; lunch - shredded cabbage, chopped cucumber and spring onions with a yoghurt tahini dressing, quinoa, olives; snack - apple and cashews; supper - quiche, veg.

Thanks so much for the update! What a great surprise with the fresh raspberries! My favourite fruit along with blueberries. Are you going to leave the lay-out of the house the way it is for a while, or do you have immediate renos in mind?

Great job fitting in the walking and yoga throughout the day! 

[Laura Corin]

20 minutes ago, wintermom said:

Thanks so much for the update! What a great surprise with the fresh raspberries! My favourite fruit along with blueberries. Are you going to leave the lay-out of the house the way it is for a while, or do you have immediate renos in mind?

Great job fitting in the walking and yoga throughout the day! 

We have talked to one architect and a builder and are seeing another architect tomorrow.  We'd like to change the layout as soon as possible, but we will need permissions (planning, building warrant, listed building consent).  I would hope to start the work within the next six months maybe?  The first architect solved a problem with dangerous stairs between the bedroom and the bathroom, so the list is now:

- create new upstairs hallway

- make an opening from kitchen into sun room that doesn't go through utility room

- take out a lot of partitions, move a bathroom and create a new window to make a new upstairs sitting room with views

- new kitchen

- new heating/hot water system

- repainting throughout

Put like that it looks like a lot.  We'll need to work out what order to do things in.  A complication is that the walls are thick stone, so creating windows/openings is quite major.

[Soror]

@Laura Corin I'm so glad to hear from you. Sounds like you do have a lot of work coming  up but it is also very exciting. You have really been busy to get so much unpacked already. 

I did some yoga and a short walk already. Planning also strength training, looking into strength work to complement swimming and biking??

Food: homemade granola w/ fruit ( I think); roasted veg w/ grain and cannelini- homemade lemon vin. (zuc, onion, red cabbage, potato, kale); salad w/ black beans, corn, tomato, salsa verde

I will probably take a nap today. I am working some evenings in addition to mornings for the next couple of weeks so it will be harder to get in enough sleep with my bedtime pushed later but wake up the same.

 

[wintermom]

3 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

We have talked to one architect and a builder and are seeing another architect tomorrow.  We'd like to change the layout as soon as possible, but we will need permissions (planning, building warrant, listed building consent).  I would hope to start the work within the next six months maybe?  The first architect solved a problem with dangerous stairs between the bedroom and the bathroom, so the list is now:

- create new upstairs hallway

- make an opening from kitchen into sun room that doesn't go through utility room

- take out a lot of partitions, move a bathroom and create a new window to make a new upstairs sitting room with views

- new kitchen

- new heating/hot water system

- repainting throughout

Put like that it looks like a lot.  We'll need to work out what order to do things in.  A complication is that the walls are thick stone, so creating windows/openings is quite major.

It does sound like a lot, but I'm sure the result will be amazing and worth the effort. If you have a lovely view, you definitely want to see it as much as possible! That is my goal in a house in Colorado. I REALLY want to be able to sit inside and/or outside the house see the mountain range. 

[wintermom]

45 minutes ago, soror said:

@Laura Corin I'm so glad to hear from you. Sounds like you do have a lot of work coming  up but it is also very exciting. You have really been busy to get so much unpacked already. 

I did some yoga and a short walk already. Planning also strength training, looking into strength work to complement swimming and biking??

Food: homemade granola w/ fruit ( I think); roasted veg w/ grain and cannelini- homemade lemon vin. (zuc, onion, red cabbage, potato, kale); salad w/ black beans, corn, tomato, salsa verde

I will probably take a nap today. I am working some evenings in addition to mornings for the next couple of weeks so it will be harder to get in enough sleep with my bedtime pushed later but wake up the same.

 

Great job with the yoga and walking this morning! Enjoy your strength work-out and nap. 😉

[wintermom]

I didn't get much activity in over the weekend. It was either hot and steamy or thundershowers. I did some prepping and painting on two window exteriors and the garage door. Still need to finish them off, though. 

I played some very fun doubles tennis this morning from 6:30 - 8:00 am, and I'm planning on driving to a provincial park to meet friends. We'll do some kayaking, swimming and hiking. Dd is out there already camping with friends. I will definitely need an early night tonight, as I'm supposed to play tennis again at 6:30am tomorrow. 😉

[Laura Corin]

1 hour ago, wintermom said:

It does sound like a lot, but I'm sure the result will be amazing and worth the effort. If you have a lovely view, you definitely want to see it as much as possible! That is my goal in a house in Colorado. I REALLY want to be able to sit inside and/or outside the house see the mountain range. 

It won't be Colorado-style lovely.  But a nice view across the fields.

[Ali in OR]

@Laura Corin So exciting! Enjoy the whole process of building your new nest.

@wintermom You make me wish I had a tennis life. I enjoyed playing as a kid when my family belonged to a racquet club. I wasn't that good. Doubles sounds perfect--a little social activity, only have to cover half the court.

Did one dog walk this weekend. Did my barefoot cardio this morning. Weight is up for various reasons, and this is the week I expect it to be up anyway. So I will try to manage the eating and tracking, but I know I probably won't see any difference on the scale until next Tuesday. No immediate reward! But it is fun to see a dramatic change in one day if I just hang in there this week.

[Soror]

1 hour ago, Dreamergal said:

Looking in for a quick post.

The usual bike, elliptical and playing with DS. What is exciting is that the Nordic poles have arrived and they are really nice. DH took them for a spin and promptly ordered one himself. So thank you @Laura Corin and @Matryoshka for the inspiration and one more exercise kind added for variety .

@Laura Corin Good to see you. I love stone walls, but the wide window sills of  old British houses. I have always curled up with a book on them even though they were cold. I am sure it will turn out very nice. 

@soror Glad you are swimming. But don't go full on. 

@wintermom Great thoughts on exercise and swimming over all

Which poles did you end up with? So are you enjoying the elliptical? I've never really cared for them myself but I know many do love them.

I am far from going full on with swimming, increasing slow and steady!

1 hour ago, wintermom said:

I didn't get much activity in over the weekend. It was either hot and steamy or thundershowers. I did some prepping and painting on two window exteriors and the garage door. Still need to finish them off, though. 

I played some very fun doubles tennis this morning from 6:30 - 8:00 am, and I'm planning on driving to a provincial park to meet friends. We'll do some kayaking, swimming and hiking. Dd is out there already camping with friends. I will definitely need an early night tonight, as I'm supposed to play tennis again at 6:30am tomorrow. 😉

Sounds like you needed a break this weekend for a full day of activity today. Have fun and make sure to watch overheating and dehydration.

 

2 minutes ago, Ali in OR said:

@Laura Corin So exciting! Enjoy the whole process of building your new nest.

@wintermom You make me wish I had a tennis life. I enjoyed playing as a kid when my family belonged to a racquet club. I wasn't that good. Doubles sounds perfect--a little social activity, only have to cover half the court.

Did one dog walk this weekend. Did my barefoot cardio this morning. Weight is up for various reasons, and this is the week I expect it to be up anyway. So I will try to manage the eating and tracking, but I know I probably won't see any difference on the scale until next Tuesday. No immediate reward! But it is fun to see a dramatic change in one day if I just hang in there this week.

Yes, keep on with it. I didn't weigh today after indulgences last night but am staying the course, eye on the prize.

________________

I found a routine to try out to complement the biking and swimming (honestly it is to complement triathlon) and looking into exercises for the shoulder I seen ones recommended that were ones that I've done before for mobility and engagement work for pull-ups. From what I read about balancing it out I'm going to aim for 2x a week with the strength work. Swimming is 2x a week and biking 2-3x. Walking when I can fit it in with the heat wave.

My bike ride yesterday was rough. I think I ate too much before and the temp and humidity was up. I had 18 minutes at peak HR after bragging I got down to 5 min last time, and my avg HR was up 10, speed was down but just .2 mph I'm planning another ride on Wed am as I don't have classes early so I can get out around 6 am when it will be cool.

Humidity was already at 90% so although I tried to do strength work outside I gave up. We've got a chance for storms all week so here's hoping I can get in the biking and swimming, but I can't control the weather.

[Soror]

8 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

These are the poles I ended by buying.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0016688JM?tag=dotdashvwellf-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1&ascsubtag=3435994|nbe8b1ee24c564d3a8fbe4dec96ca41a015

When we did research, they were recommended and they customize it to your height, that was the reason I chose mine because I always believe in customizing equipment for me wherever I can. I am also scared of doing it wrong and injuring myself, I am terrible in technique in anything and people who say you cannot injure yourself have not met me 🤣.  They take some time to come, about a week but I liked the idea of a customized pole as I did not like the adjusting part. DH used mine and did not find it that difficult though we do not know the difference how it is supposed to work between a customized one and non-customized one. But he did order one for himself as he is taller than me. We hope to use it in many  terrain. These are made in a ski pole factory and so we thought it would be more stable, that was the logic behind the decision anyway. 

The elliptical is more for some steady exercise as we got tired of figuring out what to do. I am terrible in learning from videos, my posture is bad and I have repeatedly been warned by in-person trainers that I will hurt myself as I can't even do squats properly without someone guiding me. When DH got injured we got scared and got the elliptical though I was resisting any equipment. That is one reason I started swimming as it is more forgiving. I have terrible technique and I can be quite clumsy in the water, but it is easier on the body despite my not so good attempts. 

Slow and steady is the best in swimming. I spent years in the kiddie pool just back and forth, no lanes. Went out of the water when I could not keep up, went back in. It builds endurance and I never thought I could lap swim or even have the endurance to do so. But it visibly increases as you go on. Keep at it. I love your plans for variety. 

 

Thanks for the rec.

It is important to feel comfortable with what you are using so I'm glad the elliptical is working for you.

I'll be glad to build swimming endurance, it is so pitifully little right now!

________________________________

Getting ready for my night classes, teaching to 9 and then again at 6 am, at least I don't have a 5:30 am tomorrow.

Tomorrow is swimming and some stretching in the am w/ a short core work. I got in my nap and feel much better. I hope that I can get to sleep more quickly tonight. I'm teaching during the time I'm usually in bed and it is messing with me, thankfully this is short term. Food has been good today. I indulged in 1 cookie but that is it.

[Jenny in Florida]

I finally took my Nordic poles for a quick spin a couple of evenings ago. I walked to a nearby playground at dusk when I figured it would be empty and poled my way about three laps around the space. It is definitely more demanding than plain old walking. 

I've been frustrated all three times I tried to walk today. This morning was hot already by the time I got outside, and my dog was not excited about walking with me. Then I popped out at lunch, but had very little time because I had to hurry back for a meeting. Then I tried one more time after dinner but got called back to help deal with a family situation. I have met my step goal, but I am still feeling antsy and would like to stretch my legs really well at least once today. Since the family situation is still not resolved, though, it's not looking promising.

I did do a 15-minute workout on my new mini-trampoline and one of my usual walk-with-weights videos.  I am just also aware that I over-ate today. So I would feel happier if I had been able to walk off a little more of that.

Sigh. Tomorrow is another day.

[Laura Corin]

Morning, all!  I managed my little walk at lunchtime yesterday, but only did a quick stretch in the evening rather than a full yoga session.  Although there is a space in the room I plan to use for yoga, I don't yet have sheer curtains set up and the room gives directly onto the street - I'm a bit shy about someone looking in and seeing my bottom in the air.  So I just stretched on the carpet upstairs.  This evening, I think I'll angle the solid wooden shutters so that some light comes in but I'm not visible.

Glad to hear about all the Nordic Walking going on!  I haven't made it to the beach in weeks, but maybe this weekend.

[Soror]

9 hours ago, Jenny in Florida said:

I finally took my Nordic poles for a quick spin a couple of evenings ago. I walked to a nearby playground at dusk when I figured it would be empty and poled my way about three laps around the space. It is definitely more demanding than plain old walking. 

I've been frustrated all three times I tried to walk today. This morning was hot already by the time I got outside, and my dog was not excited about walking with me. Then I popped out at lunch, but had very little time because I had to hurry back for a meeting. Then I tried one more time after dinner but got called back to help deal with a family situation. I have met my step goal, but I am still feeling antsy and would like to stretch my legs really well at least once today. Since the family situation is still not resolved, though, it's not looking promising.

I did do a 15-minute workout on my new mini-trampoline and one of my usual walk-with-weights videos.  I am just also aware that I over-ate today. So I would feel happier if I had been able to walk off a little more of that.

Sigh. Tomorrow is another day.

I'm sorry 😞 Some days just stink. I hope today is a better one.

3 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

Morning, all!  I managed my little walk at lunchtime yesterday, but only did a quick stretch in the evening rather than a full yoga session.  Although there is a space in the room I plan to use for yoga, I don't yet have sheer curtains set up and the room gives directly onto the street - I'm a bit shy about someone looking in and seeing my bottom in the air.  So I just stretched on the carpet upstairs.  This evening, I think I'll angle the solid wooden shutters so that some light comes in but I'm not visible.

Glad to hear about all the Nordic Walking going on!  I haven't made it to the beach in weeks, but maybe this weekend.

LOL, great plan, I wouldn't want my butt in the window either. I think you are doing so well getting in the swing of things so quickly.

_____________________

Last night was not the best for sleep and today we are going swimming, ugh. I think I will be exhausted surely I'll have no trouble going to sleep tonight, even with a later bedtime.

My body is sore all over so we'll see how swimming goes.

homemade granola w/ blueberries for breakfast; roasted veggies and grains w/ homemade dressing for lunch; bibimbap for dinner made w/ tempeh, shitake, carrots and spinach

snacks- hopefully not too many with need for sleep and tiredness

[Soror]

I got in a power nap this morning before taking the girls swimming and felt like a human again. I had some nice stretching and foam rolling and it helped with the soreness.

Food has been good today. As planned except I just had brown lentils w/ my  bibimbap veggies (mushrooms, carrots, spinach, and kale). PB and dark choc chips for a mid-morning pick me up, and afternoon snack of black beans w/ veggies and salsa verde. I thought about a cookie in the morning when I was really feeling tired but had my pb and choc chips instead and the urge passed. 

Swimming was good, I added on a lap and could go further at one time.

Tomorrow am my schedule is thus far free and the weather is looking ok so I'm planning an early bike ride. I plan some stretching afterwards, mostly the shoulders to help mitigate the stress/DOMS of swimming but my legs are also really sore from changing up strength work yesterday, hopefully by the am it doesn't hamper my biking too much.

I was actually looking at sprint triathlons around here. I've always wanted to do one but there has always been something to derail me and the whole fact that my swimming isn't great. There is one mid September that is all outdoors, that is good for social distancing, not so great is it is an open water swim. Just throwing it around. Probably, very likely, a crazy idea.

I've only got 2 classes tonight and have the house cleaned and ready for bed so I'm hoping I can go straight to bed after teaching and get some better sleep so I don't feel so icky tomorrow morning.

 

[Soror]

Bike ride done and 1 mph faster!!! My legs are lead now.

My Peak HR time is still up but I did at least a third of a way up the big hill (the one at the half-way point of the ride), I had 18 min Sun and 14 today. I forgot that I did the same Sunday, which partly explains the increase in peak HR. My avg HR increased but max wasn't too bad and with the continual increase in speed I am happy with that. I read some tips on hill riding this weekend and worked on applying them and it seemed to work fairly well, I just need more practice.

Edited July 22, 2020 by soror

[wintermom]

I've been playing early morning tennis off and on (more 'on' lately), and it is really fun but seems to change my regular day routine. I'll have work on getting a grip on things.

Today I'm going mountain biking with ds and then hiking with friends. The weather has finally cooled off somewhat, so it's a lot more pleasant to be outdoors.

[Laura Corin]

@soror really impressive swimming and biking progress.

@wintermom I'm impressed by any kind of early exercise - I just end up feeling sick if I exercise before about 10am.

Yesterday I thought I had some yoga routines downloaded, but apparently the app updated and I lost my downloads.  No big deal, and actually what I made up worked really well - about 25 minutes.  While unpacking I came across a loose-weave linen batik door curtain that I bought years ago in Lijiang, China.  I've never had a place for it, but I think it will make a great sheer curtain for my yoga room window.  It's already set up to have a rod slipped through, so I just need to iron it, put up a simple rod, and I'm done.  I also have a couple of sections from carved Chinese wooden screens that my dad gave me years ago that could go on the mantlepiece.  I'm really enjoying designing the room for myself.  Back to exercise: I had walked around town at lunchtime, and then a friend called up and suggested an evening walk - she lives in the village I have moved to.  It was really nice to see her.  I ended the day with 15,000 steps and slept really well. 

Today - walked into town to buy lunch.  Will probably walk the dog after work.  Yoga tonight too.

[Ali in OR]

I don't think I actually posted yesterday. I did my bodyweight circuit and then 2 Foundations of Yoga videos--Crow position (not quite successful!) and Side Plank (which I don't have the arm strength to hold very long). This morning I did the Barefoot Cardio Ballet. The plan is to go to the coast today, so if that pans out I should get a good walk in pushing a wheelchair. Can't take dd's chair out on the sand, but we'll aim for an area with a paved path one dune away from the beach while the rest are on the beach. 

[Laura Corin]

32 minutes ago, Ali in OR said:

I don't think I actually posted yesterday. I did my bodyweight circuit and then 2 Foundations of Yoga videos--Crow position (not quite successful!) and Side Plank (which I don't have the arm strength to hold very long). This morning I did the Barefoot Cardio Ballet. The plan is to go to the coast today, so if that pans out I should get a good walk in pushing a wheelchair. Can't take dd's chair out on the sand, but we'll aim for an area with a paved path one dune away from the beach while the rest are on the beach. 

Do you have any locations with beach wheelchairs?  They've just been put in at a few beaches here:

https://www.beachwheelchairs.org/

For Crow, the key (for me) is to look forward, not down.  If I look down, I fall on my nose.

[Soror]

5 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

@Laura Corin Glad to see you enjoy your new house and designing your new room. Pictures please if you so choose. 

@soror Yeah for steady improvement in swimming and biking. Your determination to push yourself is always so inspirational.

@wintermom Early morning tennis does sound really nice as we are also doing the same. I am shamelessly copying things from this thread to emulate. Adding mountain biking to things to try. 😊

@Jenny in Florida You always seem to push through obstacles and never let a bad day hold you down. Very inspiring. 

@Ali in OR Hope you take DD to the beach and have a nice walk.

The usual biking, playing and elliptical. 

A very bright spot in the COVID madness outside though is our weather is very nice, very rare for this time of the year when it could be blazing. The side effect of that there are more people out walking. I took my nordic poles out and many neighbors thought I had injured myself and needed support to walk. 😃 So many concerned enquiries, but when I told them what they were, people were intrigued. We were socially distanced more than 6 feet apart so could not have a long or even proper conversation, but people have texted me. Don't know how many will follow through, but folks were intrigued at the magic words "more burning of calories" than walking. With gyms out for many, exercise which gives more bang for the buck so to speak seems very popular especially with the COVID eating as I heard many tell me. Made me feel lot better. 😊. So thank you @Laura Corin and @Matryoshka

Very lucky indeed to have nice weather. Maybe you will start a new trend with your Nordic walking. Thank you for the kind words.

9 hours ago, Ali in OR said:

I don't think I actually posted yesterday. I did my bodyweight circuit and then 2 Foundations of Yoga videos--Crow position (not quite successful!) and Side Plank (which I don't have the arm strength to hold very long). This morning I did the Barefoot Cardio Ballet. The plan is to go to the coast today, so if that pans out I should get a good walk in pushing a wheelchair. Can't take dd's chair out on the sand, but we'll aim for an area with a paved path one dune away from the beach while the rest are on the beach. 

As Laura said focusing up helps. Also, I always have people practice with a pillow in front of them to start with to help with nerves. A lot of crow is just practice and nerves.

I'm sure that is a very good workout pushing a wheelchair, I remember the days of pushing a stroller with little ones and that was a job and they weren't even that heavy! Kudos to you.

[Soror]

I bought a climbing rope today 🙂 I've wanted forever and finally went for it. I need some pulling practice that isn't so boring and repetitive.

Dd and I also took a walk and I did a bit of stretching.

Tomorrow is strength work and more stretching.

I made some beet and blueberry muffins for breakfast and have been enjoying blackbean, brownrice/quinoa/corn and veggie blend for lunch.

[Ali in OR]

The coast was lovely--61° and sunny. We walked 2 miles. But dh pushed the wheelchair half the time, so I didn't get the full workout!

 

[wintermom]

@Ali in OR  Lovely beach photo! Glad you all had a great day at the beach.

 

I'm going for a bike ride with a friend this morning. We usually bike to the river and admire the view. 

I have revived my push-ups, strength and stretch routine after about a week of skipping it. I can still do sets of 20 push-ups, so I haven't lost all my strength just yet. 😄

[Soror]

7 minutes ago, wintermom said:

@Ali in OR  Lovely beach photo! Glad you all had a great day at the beach.

 

I'm going for a bike ride with a friend this morning. We usually bike to the river and admire the view. 

I have revived my push-ups, strength and stretch routine after about a week of skipping it. I can still do sets of 20 push-ups, so I haven't lost all my strength just yet. 😄

I bet those arms needed a break jumping back into tennis. Have fun on your bike ride.

_____________

I think I've found a new training plan(after looking through at least 20) incorporating the swimming and biking that is a level that fits where I am, it has running too but I just walk that portion. 

My beet and blueberry muffins are delicious! They might be a new favorite.

[Ali in OR]

1 hour ago, soror said:

My beet and blueberry muffins are delicious! They might be a new favorite.

I would think these are beautiful too. Are the deeply colored?

Finished bodyweight circuit and 2 yoga videos: knees-chest-chin and locust pose. I liked locust--felt good to work the lower back. 

Edited July 23, 2020 by Ali in OR

[Matryoshka]

12 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

Recipe please ?? 

YES, please.  I have tried baking with beets and not had good success.  So I would love a good recipe!

[Matryoshka]

So, I took both Sunday and Monday off.  Oops.  So no more off days this week if I want to hit my 5.  Tuesday I did my NW/sprint, then an OT workout with some rowing.  That was good.  Yesterday I only did the NW/sprint.  Today is soooo humid it's like swimming outside, so my plan is to stay inside and just do an OT workout with a rowing warmup and maybe some rowing sprints.

[Matryoshka]

@Laura Corin congrats on the move, good to have you back with us!  Glad you're having fun setting up your new room - it's so much more fun to decorate a nice empty space than to declutter - my nemesis...

Everyone seems to be doing great keeping on track!  I'm also in awe of those of you who get up early and git 'er done - just so not a morning person!  It's great to hear about all the biking - I've been wanting to get dh to go biking with me this summer, and have yet to get there - I need a weekend (so he's not working) and nice weather to overlap...  and then remember I want to do it in time to actually do it...

[Laura Corin]

Did a bit of walking at lunchtime. Very tiring afternoon sending out 67 similar but importantly different emails. Husband is making dinner, the dog and I are in the garden. I'll try for some yoga later. I'm pretty stiff.

[Soror]

3 hours ago, Ali in OR said:

I would think these are beautiful too. Are the deeply colored?

Finished bodyweight circuit and 2 yoga videos: knees-chest-chin and locust pose. I liked locust--felt good to work the lower back. 

WTG getting it done. Locust does feel so good!

The kids thought my muffins looked weird, they are a bit pink.

1 hour ago, Dreamergal said:

Recipe please ?? 

 

1 hour ago, Matryoshka said:

YES, please.  I have tried baking with beets and not had good success.  So I would love a good recipe!

https://runfasteatslow.com/blogs/news/recipe-giveaway-beet-molasses-superhero-muffins

Here you go ladies. My girls used all my molasses making gingerbread so I used maple syrup, I'd like to try it with the molasses though IMO it is not overly sweet at all but I think I'd like it fine with less sweetness even (the kids thought they weren't sweet enough of course). I cut the butter in half but have replaced it in applesauce in other variations of this recipe (I've also replaced eggs w/ flax eggs and they tasted fine but were more crumbly).

1 hour ago, Matryoshka said:

So, I took both Sunday and Monday off.  Oops.  So no more off days this week if I want to hit my 5.  Tuesday I did my NW/sprint, then an OT workout with some rowing.  That was good.  Yesterday I only did the NW/sprint.  Today is soooo humid it's like swimming outside, so my plan is to stay inside and just do an OT workout with a rowing warmup and maybe some rowing sprints.

Our humidity has been 90%+ most days it is 

10 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

Did a bit of walking at lunchtime. Very tiring afternoon sending out 67 similar but importantly different emails. Husband is making dinner, the dog and I are in the garden. I'll try for some yoga later. I'm pretty stiff.

Aww, love the pic. Hope you get some down time.

[Soror]

Strength work done w/ a couple of jump rope intervals. I've got to get in some steps but it is now all hot out and I don't want to go out.

I also had the anti-immune smoothie out of Run fast. Cook fast. Eat Slow and it was really great and filling. 

Coconut water, apple, celery, kale, parsley, ginger, and lemon. Having it in a smoothie I got all the fiber and nutrients unlike juicing but I really need a better blender.

Edited July 23, 2020 by soror

[Jenny in Florida]

Was able to walk only about one mile outside this morning, because rain intervened. It wasn't heavy, and I probably would have tried to stick it out for longer, but the dog panicked and started dragging me home, as she does whenever the wet stuff falls from the sky. So, I walked inside with a "two-mile" video that never works out to be the full two miles for me. I ended up counting 2.5 miles towards the virtual team challenge I'm participating in at work. 

I did another short, higher-intensity video after lunch and plan to take another "real" walk this evening if we get a break in the weather. (That one, if it happens, will count toward my personal walking challenge.) 

Food has been a little tough today. I'm tired and hungry and dealing with a couple of weird symptoms that I sincerely hope are related to one of the meds I'm taking (and will, thus, go away if I stop taking it/them). So my impulse is to just keep eating junk in order to give myself excuses to stand up and walk around and also to keep a stream of sugar and caffeine flowing in an attempt to stay awake and focused. So far, my Fitbit tells me I am "in the zone," but it's honestly all I can do not to run to the kitchen and eat a box of cookies. I'm trying to think of something really filling but not overly caloric to have for dinner in hopes of staving off the snacking urges for the rest of the evening. 

Blargh. 

[wintermom]

20 hours ago, soror said:

I bet those arms needed a break jumping back into tennis. Have fun on your bike ride.

_____________

I think I've found a new training plan(after looking through at least 20) incorporating the swimming and biking that is a level that fits where I am, it has running too but I just walk that portion. 

My beet and blueberry muffins are delicious! They might be a new favorite.

Let me know how the new training plan goes, and if you feel it's a good compliment to your swimming and biking. I may need a fresh new strength routine to make strength training more exciting than the same old push-ups and stretches. I could just be getting bored. It's been over 4 months of the same thing. 

[wintermom]

@Laura Corin  Lovely photo of your new backyard! It looks beautiful, especially with the open fields in the back. Your dog seems to enjoy it as well. 😉 

 

Early morning tennis today, and then some driving to get the dog groomed. I'll try to fit in a walk as well. 

[Soror]

14 hours ago, Jenny in Florida said:

Was able to walk only about one mile outside this morning, because rain intervened. It wasn't heavy, and I probably would have tried to stick it out for longer, but the dog panicked and started dragging me home, as she does whenever the wet stuff falls from the sky. So, I walked inside with a "two-mile" video that never works out to be the full two miles for me. I ended up counting 2.5 miles towards the virtual team challenge I'm participating in at work. 

I did another short, higher-intensity video after lunch and plan to take another "real" walk this evening if we get a break in the weather. (That one, if it happens, will count toward my personal walking challenge.) 

Food has been a little tough today. I'm tired and hungry and dealing with a couple of weird symptoms that I sincerely hope are related to one of the meds I'm taking (and will, thus, go away if I stop taking it/them). So my impulse is to just keep eating junk in order to give myself excuses to stand up and walk around and also to keep a stream of sugar and caffeine flowing in an attempt to stay awake and focused. So far, my Fitbit tells me I am "in the zone," but it's honestly all I can do not to run to the kitchen and eat a box of cookies. I'm trying to think of something really filling but not overly caloric to have for dinner in hopes of staving off the snacking urges for the rest of the evening. 

Blargh. 

I really hope your day improved. Some days suck and seems you are getting too many sucky ones lately. Add meds messing you up on top of it and that isn't fair.

51 minutes ago, wintermom said:

Let me know how the new training plan goes, and if you feel it's a good compliment to your swimming and biking. I may need a fresh new strength routine to make strength training more exciting than the same old push-ups and stretches. I could just be getting bored. It's been over 4 months of the same thing. 

Will do. It is a very basic plan, exercises that are supposed to compliment biking and swimming. I'm not pushing overly hard with strength work since I'm already pushing hard with the other activities. It is basically- pushups, inverted press, some type of row (alt inv. row and banded pull-ups), step-ups, squats, and some type of jump (tuck or jump ropes)- 3 sets, that's it.

_______________

This am will be a walk/run and swim in the afternoon.

beet/blueberry for breakfast

blackbean bowl for lunch

bean burger for dinner

lots of veggies, probably popcorn, and black bean brownies

[Soror]

My new workout schedule (we'll see how it goes but it similar to what I've been doing): Short walks here and there to get in steps. 

Sunday: Long bike ride

Monday: Strength; Walk/Run

Tuesday: Light Yoga/Stretching/Foam Rolling; Swimming

Wednesday: Short Bike Ride; Walk/Run

Thursday: Strength

Friday: Walk/Run; Swim

Saturday: Rest Day

[Soror]

walk/run done- 20 min run (total) 25 min walk

Stretching and foam rolling

[Ali in OR]

Did barefoot cardio ballet again. I like it because a few of the moves feel right for my healing injuries. I think a foot focus is great as I have had off and on foot problems (have had plantar fasciitis twice, 5 years apart, one foot each time but different feet, then my current tendon issue). Just being barefoot and doing releves or pointing toes or just thinking about the feet seems better right now than treadmill walking in running shoes, no matter how supportive those running shoes are. And then there are other stretches that feel good for my back/hip. But I think I'll try a new-to-me video on Monday, just to mix it up.

Youngest gets wisdom teeth out this morning, so I will be doing some sitting in the waiting room (by the air purifier) and a bit of tending to her needs today. Making pudding and jello jigglers, maybe some eggs if she'll eat them (picky eater). Already have 3 types of ice cream in the freezer for her. And then I'll do my house cleaning chores so I can do more fun projects over the weekend.

Edited July 24, 2020 by Ali in OR

[Soror]

6 hours ago, Ali in OR said:

Did barefoot cardio ballet again. I like it because a few of the moves feel right for my healing injuries. I think a foot focus is great as I have had off and on foot problems (have had plantar fasciitis twice, 5 years apart, one foot each time but different feet, then my current tendon issue). Just being barefoot and doing releves or pointing toes or just thinking about the feet seems better right now than treadmill walking in running shoes, no matter how supportive those running shoes are. And then there are other stretches that feel good for my back/hip. But I think I'll try a new-to-me video on Monday, just to mix it up.

Youngest gets wisdom teeth out this morning, so I will be doing some sitting in the waiting room (by the air purifier) and a bit of tending to her needs today. Making pudding and jello jigglers, maybe some eggs if she'll eat them (picky eater). Already have 3 types of ice cream in the freezer for her. And then I'll do my house cleaning chores so I can do more fun projects over the weekend.

Poor dd 😞 I hope it goes. It is very smart to be mindful of those feet, it feels good that is a good sign.

6 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

Thanks. This is so all round. 

I am going to copy some of this. Also thanks for foam rolling. I never thought of it. I never needed it with swimming, now find myself sore all the time. The bike riding is using unused parts of me and some are not being used. We are 5 days total tops as that is all the kids especially DD can take. Day 6 is a hodgepodge. I am going to ramp up that day.  I will make the beet and blueberry this weekend, thanks for the recipe.

@Jenny in Florida Nice to see you push through. Believe me, "COVID eating" and "COVID temptation" has been going on and when I speak to friends they have it too. But we do the best we can, one day at a time and if we fail pick up the next day.

Our usual bike ride, elliptical and using our home made court to play badminton and tennis with DS with DH and I taking alternate days. I suck at tennis, better at badminton. It's amazing how that happens but I grew up playing badminton so perhaps that. 

Have a good day ladies ! It's the weekend....

They call foam roling the poor man's massage, it really does help. Let me know if you like the muffins. Doing new activity it is no surprise you are sore.

[Soror]

Swimming was rough today, I was really feeling it in my legs after doing the run this am and boy I was starving.

[Soror]

And it is another day.

I woke up in the night for the 2nd night, not sure why, so I plan a nap today. We'll be working some outside too.

I have a break this morning between classes so I'll be doing some yoga for runners to help with my sore muscles and maybe some easy walks for recovery and to get steps in. 

breakfast: blueberry beat muffin and some kind of fruit/veggie smoothie

lunch: Mediterranean bowl- cannelinni, cucumber, tomato, spinach, homemade lemon vinaigrette, olives, feta + homemade gf whole grain bread

dinner: tofu pad thai

snack: black bean brownie+ fruit ??

[Jenny in Florida]

7 hours ago, soror said:

And it is another day.

I woke up in the night for the 2nd night, not sure why, so I plan a nap today.

 

I'm sorry you didn't rest well. Sleep was not my friend last night, either. 

I was kind of planning to do my last WDW virtual walk this morning, but I questioned myself when I realized I had slept less than 6 hours. But then the weather was nice and I had a whole thematic plan, and I felt ready to knock it out, so off I went. It was a nice morning, and the cemetery I chose as my walking venue is a lovely, historical place. I was still slower than I want to be walking, but I did the 5K in just under an hour, which is an improvement. I'll take that for today.

Just for fun, I mocked up a very "official" finish line photo when I got home.

I wasn't feeling "breakfast" when I got home, so I snacked on some applesauce and a bowl of Boom Chicka Pop kettle corn.  Now, of course, I'm hungry and considering an early lunch.

Lunch will probably be a cup of soup and some shredded carrots with French dressing (my current indulgence).  turned out to be a couple of black bean and corn papusas crisped in the new air fryer and topped with some salsa.

Not sure about dinner. I bought an air fryer yesterday, and we sort of plan to play with that, but I have no firm ideas yet about what to actually cook. I'm just about to put in a grocery order or curbside pickup, hoping I will be struck with some kind of inspiration. 

I got busy with work followed by a whole batch of errands yesterday and completely forgot to do my strength work, so I plan to make that up today. I will also do another walk (or two short ones) later in the afternoon/evening once things cool off again.

And that's today.

Edited July 25, 2020 by Jenny in Florida