Well-Trained Bodies- September

[Matryoshka]

Great photos @Laura Corin and @soror!  Haven't seen a deer on my walks thus far, but have seen a whole bunch of turkeys.  Had to shoo them out of the road the other day...

Welcome to @Pen, @Hannah and @Liz CA!  And good to see @FarmingMomma again!

I don't think I've checked in since Tuesday?  I did indeed do a NW/sprint on Tues, rest day Weds, then did an OT workout with some rowing on Thursday, and then another NW/sprint on Fri.  Not sure what happened there, but Friday and Sat morning after the walk my legs were really sore!  Not sure if from the OT workout the day before or if I've been getting overly enthusiastic with the Nordic Walking (my legs were pinging when I got back from it, if you know what I mean by that?).  I have been trying to walk fast and fairly hard... and I didn't stretch after, maybe that was a mistake...  at any rate, I wanted to get my 5 days in and thought something different might be better?  I decided to do some yoga videos from a site someone here linked - they had a pre- and post-run yoga series, so I did each of those and ran (okay, slowly jogged - I probably wasn't going that much faster than when I NW, but different muscles!) a mile in between.  Didn't make my legs feel less sore right away, but feel much better today, so maybe that worked?  Still a teeny bit sore - usually I take Sundays off.  Might still do that, or might do some Pilates; in the mood for some core work.  Not legs, lol.

Goals for this month:

Try to get those 5 days/week exercise in.

Maintain weight.

Think I'm due for a Physical this month and I'd like to get that done and get all my numbers checked again, including D and B levels which I normally haven't had checked but I hear they're good to optimize in case of Covid...

Edited September 6, 2020 by Matryoshka

[Laura Corin]

@Matryoshka I'm hoping to get back to NW this week, now the vegetation around my local path has been cut back.  I find I can really push myself walking with poles, in a way that feels awkward without them, so maybe that's where your aches came from.

@soror well done for managing to photograph the deer.  Usually they are moving too fast or are too far away for me to capture.  I love the shadow pictures on the road in your other photo.

@wintermom from my office window I can see a maple that is turning colour branch by branch - some leaves are deep red already whilst others are still green.  Today definitely feels autumnal - cool, grey and breezy.  A big change after yesterday's sun and blue skies.

Pretty tired today, so it will be a rest day.  Gentle walk at lunchtime and yoga after work.  I need to take some of the cooking back over - husband has been using an awful lot of oil in his cooking and he's not seeing the weight-loss benefits he hoped for.

Breakfast: lentil sprout salad  with lime juice, fried egg; lunch - chicken breast with courgette poached in chicken stock; supper - chick pea salad.  Snacks - low-fat cheese, raw veg, salted cashews.  Water.  Tea.

[Soror]

quick check-in:

strength- upper and lower push/pull work

Weight is annoying me, although I've stuck to my plan most days, not sure if it is soreness or I am just not doing as well as I think. Will watch portion sizes more.

beach (didn't make it yesterday)

b: oats w/ banana, pb, and cocoa nibs; chai w/ collagen

apple

l: leftovers- pulled pork, red cabbage slaw, roasted potatoes

smoothie

d: can't remember??

[wintermom]

59 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

@Matryoshka I'm hoping to get back to NW this week, now the vegetation around my local path has been cut back.  I find I can really push myself walking with poles, in a way that feels awkward without them, so maybe that's where your aches came from.

@soror well done for managing to photograph the deer.  Usually they are moving too fast or are too far away for me to capture.  I love the shadow pictures on the road in your other photo.

@wintermom from my office window I can see a maple that is turning colour branch by branch - some leaves are deep red already whilst others are still green.  Today definitely feels autumnal - cool, grey and breezy.  A big change after yesterday's sun and blue skies.

Pretty tired today, so it will be a rest day.  Gentle walk at lunchtime and yoga after work.  I need to take some of the cooking back over - husband has been using an awful lot of oil in his cooking and he's not seeing the weight-loss benefits he hoped for.

Breakfast: lentil sprout salad  with lime juice, fried egg; lunch - chicken breast with courgette poached in chicken stock; supper - chick pea salad.  Snacks - low-fat cheese, raw veg, salted cashews.  Water.  Tea.

Yes, I'm really noticing autumn creep up ever so slowly. The maples and sumac have started turning red, and it's darker much earlier in the evenings. I'm up early to play tennis with dh, and it's still dark. I'm not really a sunrise lover or a morning person, so this is a challenge. I much prefer to wake up to full sunlight. 😉

Enjoy your walk and yoga!

[Ali in OR]

Did one of my longer barefoot cardio videos since I don't have to be anywhere today. "Longer" just means 37 min instead of ~30, but that extra 7 min probably won't work on a school day unless something else gives.

@soror I hear you on the weight thing. Realistically, I don't think I can really eat less than I am now, or much healthier. But my weight seems to have a strong set point and it's hard to get it to budge much. But I'm committed to eat as healthy as I can this month. Dh ordered me the blood test kit for his work's testing program. It should come in a couple of weeks. I really want to watch added sugar until then and see if it helps the triglycerides much.

 

[lmrich]

I woke up to temps in the lower 60's! What a delight. Still struggling with allergies (an irritating cough - not Covid) which is making tired, but I am powering through it all and getting my exercise in - just a little slower than normal. I have enjoyed a good dose of Vitamin D sitting outside reading a book I picked up at a free little library on one of my walks. Lots of fruit - some veggies (need more) and plenty of water. 

Enjoy your day ladies!

[wintermom]

4 hours ago, lmrich said:

I woke up to temps in the lower 60's! What a delight. Still struggling with allergies (an irritating cough - not Covid) which is making tired, but I am powering through it all and getting my exercise in - just a little slower than normal. I have enjoyed a good dose of Vitamin D sitting outside reading a book I picked up at a free little library on one of my walks. Lots of fruit - some veggies (need more) and plenty of water. 

Enjoy your day ladies!

My allergies have been really bad lately, too. Great job powering through!

[Soror]

12 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

Lovely photos @Laura Corin and @soror

I love both the abbey and the avenue of tree pictures especially in each of yours.

Our backyard has turned into a playfield with the addition of a soccer rebounder. The good news is our yard is not so tiny as I thought it was and could accommodate more sports equipment than I thought possible. DH and DS played to their heart's content, DD and I joined because they wanted teams. I am so not cut out for running around, give me a pool any day but we had fun and I am pretty sure burned lot of calories. 

Some day this pandemic will end and we will be left with all this equipment gives me a bit of anxiety. But I am not resisting more equipment because it lets us build in variety. 

DH made crabs so we had a good lunch. Over all good weekend.  Looks like everyone did too. 

Crabs for lunch, nice! Maybe you'll decide you enjoy all the equipment, it will be a nice magnet for neighbor kids after all this pandemic crap.

18 hours ago, lmrich said:

I woke up to temps in the lower 60's! What a delight. Still struggling with allergies (an irritating cough - not Covid) which is making tired, but I am powering through it all and getting my exercise in - just a little slower than normal. I have enjoyed a good dose of Vitamin D sitting outside reading a book I picked up at a free little library on one of my walks. Lots of fruit - some veggies (need more) and plenty of water. 

Enjoy your day ladies!

 

14 hours ago, wintermom said:

My allergies have been really bad lately, too. Great job powering through!

My allergies are increasing too, I love and hate fall.

19 hours ago, Ali in OR said:

Did one of my longer barefoot cardio videos since I don't have to be anywhere today. "Longer" just means 37 min instead of ~30, but that extra 7 min probably won't work on a school day unless something else gives.

@soror I hear you on the weight thing. Realistically, I don't think I can really eat less than I am now, or much healthier. But my weight seems to have a strong set point and it's hard to get it to budge much. But I'm committed to eat as healthy as I can this month. Dh ordered me the blood test kit for his work's testing program. It should come in a couple of weeks. I really want to watch added sugar until then and see if it helps the triglycerides much.

 

I could eat less but my goal is to eat as much as I can and still lose weight 🙂 Good luck with your labs and eating healthy, great goals. Dh's work did do a health screening every year too but I'm not sure if we are this year. 

[Soror]

morning quick in.

Did my workout and took girls to lake but otherwise wasn't too active. Did not meet my step goal.

After waking up groggy the last 2 mornings I decided to try taking no melatonin last night and still had a good night's sleep. I'm still short on REM sleep but that is a massive improvement after going off the rails with the funky schedule in July.

Today: strength workout; work outside; bike ride?

b: steelcut oat; banana; pb and cocoa nibs; turkey bacon

l: leftover pork; potatoes; and purple cabbage slaw; chickpea blondie

afternoon mini-meal: leftovers of some sort (trying to do better about eating leftovers as food waste hasn't been the best lately)

d: chicken w/ salad

s: apple; 

Tweaking macros some this week.

 

[Laura Corin]

@soror glad you got good sleep.

I slept really well again last night, so had to miss breakfast to start work on time.  Had brunch later, managed some yoga at lunchtime and will walk after work.

Brunch - coleslaw with red cabbage, lentil sprouts and a silken tofu/lime/basil/sesame oil dressing; supper - fish and veg of some kind; big snack - undecided.  Water, tea.

[wintermom]

@soror and @Laura Corin  Like you both, I slept really well, too. I even drank coffee right before going to bed. I only woke up to go to the bathroom. Hope you both have a great rest of the day!

It's finally time to get seriously organized with homeschooling stuff today. I've been avoiding it, though I was doing mental preparations. 

It'll be a rest/light day for me today exercise-wise. Dd and I just walked the dog, and I'll do my stretch and strength work. May get in a bike ride if the rain holds off.

[Ali in OR]

Well I had a lot of trouble falling asleep. My brain was awake, rehearsing a phone call I have to make today to try to get dd's school schedule fixed. Since I work at the same school, I know they really don't want to make changes, but I think this is their mistake. Dd sent 2 emails to her counselor in August telling her which classes she wanted to take (they can only take 4 and all AP classes are first semester), and they messed it up.

We also have really eerie, smoky weather which came on suddenly last night. We normally have marine winds from the west which keeps our air clean, but we have winds from the east blowing all the wildfire smoke into our valley. It smells really smoky and the air quality is in the "unhealthy for everyone" range. I let the dog out this morning and starting getting mad at dh for getting dirt all over the patio chair I sit in, but then realized it was on all the chairs, the umbrella, looks like it's on cars parked outside, so I think it's ash and debris. We're at 172 for air quality right now--it was 196 when I went to bed and I could smell the smoke a little bit in the house (and we have air conditioning with an air filter). I think that also kept me awake.

Tuesday--I did my bodyweight circuit twice then a 20 minute Yoga with Adriene. And yes, you can actually search youtube for 20 min yoga with Adrienne and it comes up with a bunch of options. I did Yoga to Feel Your Best. Last day of not being on the time clock.

[Laura Corin]

1 hour ago, Ali in OR said:

Well I had a lot of trouble falling asleep. My brain was awake, rehearsing a phone call I have to make today to try to get dd's school schedule fixed. Since I work at the same school, I know they really don't want to make changes, but I think this is their mistake. Dd sent 2 emails to her counselor in August telling her which classes she wanted to take (they can only take 4 and all AP classes are first semester), and they messed it up.

We also have really eerie, smoky weather which came on suddenly last night. We normally have marine winds from the west which keeps our air clean, but we have winds from the east blowing all the wildfire smoke into our valley. It smells really smoky and the air quality is in the "unhealthy for everyone" range. I let the dog out this morning and starting getting mad at dh for getting dirt all over the patio chair I sit in, but then realized it was on all the chairs, the umbrella, looks like it's on cars parked outside, so I think it's ash and debris. We're at 172 for air quality right now--it was 196 when I went to bed and I could smell the smoke a little bit in the house (and we have air conditioning with an air filter). I think that also kept me awake.

Tuesday--I did my bodyweight circuit twice then a 20 minute Yoga with Adriene. And yes, you can actually search youtube for 20 min yoga with Adrienne and it comes up with a bunch of options. I did Yoga to Feel Your Best. Last day of not being on the time clock.

Sorry about the sleep and the smoke.  I hope you manage to find a way to sort out your DD's schedule.

[wintermom]

@Ali in OR  Sorry about all the smoke and ash. Hope it clears up soon. All the best with your dd's schedule fix! Great job with the Yoga and circuit training. 

 

I got in a short bike ride and my stretch and strength work. Also have all the homeschool supplies and materials ready to go! We will start with actual learning soon (probably tomorrow).

[Ali in OR]

I'm very thankful that we got the schedule change done quickly this morning. It caused me an inordinate amount of stress! Dd signed up for 6 AP classes last spring for her senior year (which we were ok with--it's appropriate for where she's at). Then with Covid changes to how we do school, we now have 4 classes per semester, you will do a whole year course in that semester, and have 4 different courses (whole year course) the next semester. But all AP classes have to be first semester to get them done in time for the tests in May. So dd figured out which 4 of the 6 she really wanted most (Calc, English Lit, Spanish, Psych). They keep trying to give her AP Govt instead of Psych because Govt is a graduation requirement. But she can take regular non-AP Govt next semester. I don't know why they keep trying to push it to this semester. She was in Psych as of last Thursday but they changed it over the weekend again and put her in AP Gov. I think we have it fixed now!

[Laura Corin]

47 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

@Ali in OR sorry about the smoke and air quality. Whoever started this fire deserves to be punished by law. So reckless. 

Foam rolling day today, but extremely active weekend. 

Have a good week everyone !

Tell me about foam rolling.  One of my hamstrings is very tight,  despite all the stretches I do. Would foam rolling help?

[IvyInFlorida]

Just hopping on real quick to say that I have been laid low by a cold/sinus infection? thingy that the kids brought back from a visit with their dad.  Just regular sick, not covid sick, but still miserable.  I'm just trying to get Greek yogurt and fruit in me whenever my appetite cooperates and that's about all that's going on with me right now.

[Laura Corin]

As promised, our veggie delivery. The pumpkin is from last week. It's all from one organic farm.

Yoga planned for lunchtime and walk after work.

Breakfast- red cabbage and green pepper  sautéed plus a fried egg, lunch - cucumber and tomato salad with a silken tofu dressing, supper - pinto beans with some form of veggie.

[Soror]

10 hours ago, IvyInFlorida said:

Just hopping on real quick to say that I have been laid low by a cold/sinus infection? thingy that the kids brought back from a visit with their dad.  Just regular sick, not covid sick, but still miserable.  I'm just trying to get Greek yogurt and fruit in me whenever my appetite cooperates and that's about all that's going on with me right now.

I'm sorry, get well soon 😞

13 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

It should. Made a lot of difference to me.  @soror mentioned it before. I googled and did it using a pool noodle first because that was what was among the debris that was hoarded in the garage. 🙄. But got a proper foam roller from our shoe store. It looks a bit like this as in not smooth.

https://www.amazon.com/Original-Body-Roller-Back-Myofascial/dp/B07HCTJ5KR?ref_=Oct_s9_apbd_oup_hd_bw_bEIXf&pf_rd_r=6981SH375SEA2THH8M2X&pf_rd_p=8e971232-9381-5bbf-831f-6344f7af7b84&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-10&pf_rd_t=BROWSE&pf_rd_i=3407871

Used a video for it, I forget which one. I'll look for it and post, don't know which device has it bookmarked. We also were recommended epsom salt baths by DH's PT when he injured himself recently. 

Yes, it gets into the fascia. I like one on youtube by Runtastic, hits all the muscle groups.

1 hour ago, Laura Corin said:

As promised, our veggie delivery. The pumpkin is from last week. It's all from one organic farm.

Yoga planned for lunchtime and walk after work.

Breakfast- red cabbage and green pepper  sautéed plus a fried egg, lunch - cucumber and tomato salad with a silken tofu dressing, supper - pinto beans with some form of veggie.

So pretty, especially the red kale (looks like kale) I've not seen that here.

[Soror]

very quick check-in.

Yesterday I did get in a bike ride and lots of work outside. 

This mornign I'm going to get my blood drawn (thyroid, vitamin, and hormone check).

Rest day- stretching- 30-40 min; short walks

Soreness is much better this week, I guess I'm getting used to the workouts, I need to up the weight I've kept it pretty low as I get used to the volume.

b: oatmeal/almond pumpkin muffins and turkey bacon

l: chicken pho w/ red rice noodles + swiss chard

s: greek yogurt _+ berries and nuts

d: TBD

 

Edited September 9, 2020 by soror

[Laura Corin]

10 minutes ago, soror said:

So pretty, especially the red kale (looks like kale) I've not seen that here.

Yes, we get kale every week at present; it grows very well around here - perhaps the red version needs cooler temperatures than you have.  I went to a fascinating talk by a geology professor about the geology of this county.  It was completely covered by an ice sheet in the last ice age: when it melted, it dumped a lot of really good materials that it had picked up as it scraped its way across Scotland.  Good, fertile, temperate growing conditions.

[Hannah]

Check in: 

9th day without coffee.  Day 3-4 I had a dull headache and was feeling sluggish, but my energy levels are back to normal now.  I drink rooibos tea (nothing added) or hot water instead.  

Cooked Oatmeal for breakfast, a fruit for morning and afternoon snacks, and the majority of my plate for lunch and dinner has been vegetables.

This is the path I took on my walk this morning. It's a wide fire break through the bush.  We get frost in winter, so the veld is completely dry and the trees are bare.  In a few weeks the summer rains will start and everything will be transformed to a lush green.  

[Laura Corin]

@Hannah lovely photo - stark beauty.

[wintermom]

@Hannah Thanks for sharing the photo! I know that leafless, dead grass scenery very well from my northern climate. On the prairies where I grew up it never got the rain to turn things green due to the mountain range. I'd love to see the lush green look of your trail. I was going to ask about your experience weening off coffee. So glad you were able to get over the head-aches and head fog. Brava!

@IvyInFlorida  So sorry you've had to deal with a cold on top of everything. Hope you bounce back really soon. Being sick while pregnant is never fun.

@Laura Corin  I have a thin muscle roller like a rolling pin. It has a metal bar inside and is lined with foam, and has handles. I love it for rolling my legs, and I can also use it on the floor to roll my feet on. I like the control I get by applying the pressure with my arms. I find the roller to use on the ground that you lay on and use body weight for pressure are a lot harder to control the pressure and one's movements. 

[wintermom]

I had a productive morning with my walk, bike ride and stretch/strength exercise, plus planning ds's homeschool routine with him. I totally crashing in the afternoon and again after making dinner. I was completely exhausted and needed to nap. It was pretty weird to need to rest for that long. Perhaps it was a combination of lots of activity over the weekend and the colder, wet weather. That or I'm getting old! 🤪

I'll be going for a walk with friends this afternoon. I also want to do my stretch/strength work and walk the dog. It's overcast outside again, so not very inspiring.

[Ali in OR]

I did a 25 minute barefoot cardio--goood workout, but I don't like the music. The first 10 minutes sounds like you're in a big party with people talking and you can't quite make out the conversation. But I wanted it a little shorter today so I went with it.

We have another day of orange skies, very smoky, lots of ash that blows in your eyes. Our air quality is in the highest unhealthiness zone--hazardous. Not supposed to go outside. I did go to school for a couple of hours yesterday and I'll go again this morning and then get groceries. And then stay in my home!

[FarmingMomma]

Day 33 of 80 day obsession, which was a booty workout.  I've had trouble getting my workouts in this week because I've been busy and put them off until evening, and then the kids are on the computer typing papers or submitting work for online classes.  So I made myself get up at 6 am, had my coffee, and got my workout done.  Feeling accomplished!

[Soror]

quick am check-in-

Not sure if allergies are bothering me or I'm trying to catch a cold. Feeling a little blah, hopefully today is better but I slept 8.5 hrs last night and only woke up with my alarm which is on the long end for me. I didn't feel spunky all yesterday afternoon.

Today is cardio and core- 40 min (just going at my pace)

weight went to 124.2 yesterday and 122.6 today, the soreness is finally gone, could be that and a random dip, time will tell

b: pumpkin oat muffins or steel cut oats, banana, pb, cocoa; scrambled eggs

l: buddha bowl (chcn, brn rice, homemade dressing, black beans, greens w/ onion sauteed)

s: mango lassi smoothie

d: tacos 

[wintermom]

More overcast and rain here. I took the dog for a walk and completed my stretch and strength exercises. I've also been adding in some TKD kicking and punching for fun and variety. Nothing too strenuous. It's funny how I automatically started doing my "martial arts sharp breaths." 

[Ali in OR]

Thursday--cardio with dumbbells today. I want to do this one more. I don't think I'll improve just doing it once a week. I think I'll try it Mondays too. The obvious weakness is left shoulder. For some exercises I've moved to heavier weights--the single weight exercises I use a 10 instead of an 8, the bicep exercises I can do with 5's instead of 3's. For double heavy weights, I have to use 8's because we only have one 10, but they feel right. But for the shoulder exercises my left arm feels maxed out with the 3's--can't go to 5's yet. (Jessica Smith uses 5's and 10's for light and heavy throughout for comparison).

Yesterday was not good eating-wise. I was at school until 12:15 and then went to the grocery store, so never had time for lunch before my 1:40 online class. So my food intake between breakfast and dinner (both healthy) was a muffin, sourdough pretzel nuggets, a mini ice cream sandwich, and potato chips. Not a lot of nutrition there! Still looking for the routine...

Another day of fires here. Too many in Oregon, including one on the coast which just shouldn't happen. Not the usual pattern. Our county is safe from fires so far, but still smoke-filled. Air quality a "very unhealthy" 273 right now. The family phones were saying it was in the 500's last night, but not sure I believe that (weather.com said just under 300). I think I get to stay inside today (but may make a quick trip to school).

[FarmingMomma]

Day 34 of 80 Day Obsession: cardio core.  Now I need to deal with all the buckets of carrots I pulled from my garden yesterday!

 

[Matryoshka]

Checking in... doing fairly well this week. Did just a NW/sprint on Sunday, Monday did a NW/sprint followed by 45 min OT workout, and yesterday did an OT workout plus added a bit over 1600m on the rower to make it to an hour.  Taking a rest day today!  And my upper abs are sore today 🤔 - was trying to figure out why - I think it might have been all those plank variations in the workout yesterday?  Or there were weighted toe reaches, power sit-ups and hip/butt lifts as well... hmmm...

 

[Soror]

19 hours ago, Ali in OR said:

Thursday--cardio with dumbbells today. I want to do this one more. I don't think I'll improve just doing it once a week. I think I'll try it Mondays too. The obvious weakness is left shoulder. For some exercises I've moved to heavier weights--the single weight exercises I use a 10 instead of an 8, the bicep exercises I can do with 5's instead of 3's. For double heavy weights, I have to use 8's because we only have one 10, but they feel right. But for the shoulder exercises my left arm feels maxed out with the 3's--can't go to 5's yet. (Jessica Smith uses 5's and 10's for light and heavy throughout for comparison).

Yesterday was not good eating-wise. I was at school until 12:15 and then went to the grocery store, so never had time for lunch before my 1:40 online class. So my food intake between breakfast and dinner (both healthy) was a muffin, sourdough pretzel nuggets, a mini ice cream sandwich, and potato chips. Not a lot of nutrition there! Still looking for the routine...

Another day of fires here. Too many in Oregon, including one on the coast which just shouldn't happen. Not the usual pattern. Our county is safe from fires so far, but still smoke-filled. Air quality a "very unhealthy" 273 right now. The family phones were saying it was in the 500's last night, but not sure I believe that (weather.com said just under 300). I think I get to stay inside today (but may make a quick trip to school).

It is so hard to eat well when you are busy. Congrats on increasing the weight, WTG!

18 hours ago, FarmingMomma said:

Day 34 of 80 Day Obsession: cardio core.  Now I need to deal with all the buckets of carrots I pulled from my garden yesterday!

 

Same workout I did but didn't program. I never can get carrots to grow here very well at all.

17 hours ago, Matryoshka said:

Checking in... doing fairly well this week. Did just a NW/sprint on Sunday, Monday did a NW/sprint followed by 45 min OT workout, and yesterday did an OT workout plus added a bit over 1600m on the rower to make it to an hour.  Taking a rest day today!  And my upper abs are sore today 🤔 - was trying to figure out why - I think it might have been all those plank variations in the workout yesterday?  Or there were weighted toe reaches, power sit-ups and hip/butt lifts as well... hmmm...

 

I had sore abs last week too, mine was obliques, still not sure what more did it.

[Soror]

yesterday was another slow day, I didn't feel bad really but just not all that energetic. I did get in my am workout but that was it. Too much time sitting down. Hoping for a better day today. Might take the girls to the park for a little bike ride and to play on playground.

Strength training this am- 

b: pumpkin superhero muffins; turkey bacon; homemade chai

l: buddha bowl; gf coffee cake

s:smoothie of some sort (probably)

d: fish and veggies

[Ali in OR]

Did cardio ballet this morning. Still no regular schedule--the school has decided that classes will just be 30 minutes today with no content. Hopefully next week will settle into a routine, and I pray that they'll get these fires under control. I think there's extra worry and anxiety for everyone. They're evacuating some larger population areas southeast of Portland. There's a small chance of rain on Monday--that would be lovely.

[wintermom]

It's finally sunny again!! I've been outside for tennis and 2 dog walks already. I really missed seeing the sun. I'm going for another walk with friends this afternoon. I think I can handle Sept - Dec if it's sunny everyday. 😉

I had my first on-line course class yesterday evening via Microsoft Teams. It went really well. The prof seems really nice, has been teaching this class for 15 years, and the content seems clear and useful. I'm SO HAPPY that I spent all those weeks reviewing statistics this summer, though, as I can focus on fine-tuning my understanding and application of the concepts. Yay Khan Academy. 😁

[Laura Corin]

I'm back deep in work. I had a few days of respite but that's over. Managed a walk after supper yesterday and today,  but that's it. Food okay. Joining an acquaintance for a reservoir swim tomorrow.  Otherwise mostly working this weekend. One member of the four person team on long term  sick leave.  Another permanently working from home. The bright point is that my manager is really decent. And I  might get some extra pay.

[Laura Corin]

I just thought of a way of turning this around. I've never claimed overtime pay before but my manager reminded us that we could.  Perhaps I can work towards a rowing machine.  Thinking about that would be a lot less gloomy. 

[IvyInFlorida]

@Laura Corin  ooh, what a great way to make good out of the situation!

 

Hi ladies, I'm sort of climbing out of the fog of the cold/sinus infection thingy.  I see the light at the end of the tunnel, anyways.  Had a checkup yesterday and everything is still looking healthy for me and baby boy, thank God!  The OB praised my "chunky" umbilical cord, lol.  I was like, "um, thanks?"

Just popped on to post a link to this interesting talk I'm listening to on YouTube about women and strength training if anyone needs something to watch/listen to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1AH5mXiV2s

[FarmingMomma]

Day 35 of 80 Day obsession, total body core.  I didn't get it in first thing this morning because I was still dealing with carrots from the garden, but I got it done this evening and now I think I'll take the dogs for a walk.

 

[Soror]

19 hours ago, wintermom said:

It's finally sunny again!! I've been outside for tennis and 2 dog walks already. I really missed seeing the sun. I'm going for another walk with friends this afternoon. I think I can handle Sept - Dec if it's sunny everyday. 😉

I had my first on-line course class yesterday evening via Microsoft Teams. It went really well. The prof seems really nice, has been teaching this class for 15 years, and the content seems clear and useful. I'm SO HAPPY that I spent all those weeks reviewing statistics this summer, though, as I can focus on fine-tuning my understanding and application of the concepts. Yay Khan Academy. 😁

Ya for sun, I know it really helps. How many classes do you have this semester?

13 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

I just thought of a way of turning this around. I've never claimed overtime pay before but my manager reminded us that we could.  Perhaps I can work towards a rowing machine.  Thinking about that would be a lot less gloomy. 

Yes, great way of looking at it.

10 hours ago, IvyInFlorida said:

@Laura Corin  ooh, what a great way to make good out of the situation!

 

Hi ladies, I'm sort of climbing out of the fog of the cold/sinus infection thingy.  I see the light at the end of the tunnel, anyways.  Had a checkup yesterday and everything is still looking healthy for me and baby boy, thank God!  The OB praised my "chunky" umbilical cord, lol.  I was like, "um, thanks?"

Just popped on to post a link to this interesting talk I'm listening to on YouTube about women and strength training if anyone needs something to watch/listen to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1AH5mXiV2s

Thanks for the link. Glad to hear you are feeling better, how many weeks are you now?

[Soror]

I'm pretty sore this morning, my workout should be fun. Yesterday was isometrics, time under tension and holding lifts (including pull-ups). Today I believe is high reps.

I still didn't get in a walk or bike ride but I did knock several things off of my to do list.

today: strength and walk!

b: steelcut oats, banana, cocoa nibs; homemade chai; small smoothie before workout

l: salad and baked potato

s: roasted chickpeas and miso kale chips

d: minestrone soup

Edited September 12, 2020 by soror

[wintermom]

13 hours ago, IvyInFlorida said:

@Laura Corin  ooh, what a great way to make good out of the situation!

 

Hi ladies, I'm sort of climbing out of the fog of the cold/sinus infection thingy.  I see the light at the end of the tunnel, anyways.  Had a checkup yesterday and everything is still looking healthy for me and baby boy, thank God!  The OB praised my "chunky" umbilical cord, lol.  I was like, "um, thanks?"

Just popped on to post a link to this interesting talk I'm listening to on YouTube about women and strength training if anyone needs something to watch/listen to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1AH5mXiV2s

I've been dealing with that same awful fog of sinus pain. It just wipes out your energy. Glad you are getting over it and glad you and baby boy are both doing great! Thanks for the video link. I'll check it soon. 

3 hours ago, soror said:

Ya for sun, I know it really helps. How many classes do you have this semester?

I only have one class - quantitative methods. I'm also doing data collection, analysis and report write-up for a program evaluation. It's voluntary, but might lead to conference presentations and maybe a job in the future.

3 hours ago, soror said:

I'm pretty sore this morning, my workout should be fun. Yesterday was isometrics, time under tension and holding lifts (including pull-ups). Today I believe is high reps.

I still didn't get in a walk or bike ride but I did knock several things off of my to do list.

today: strength and walk!

b: steelcut oats, banana, cocoa nibs; homemade chai; small smoothie before workout

l: salad and baked potato

s: roasted chickpeas and miso kale chips

d: minestrone soup

Enjoy your work-out! Your food sounds delicious.

[wintermom]

I played 2 hours of amazing tennis this morning, then biked home on some nice pathways (about 30 min). I'm pretty tired now, but hopefully I'll manage to fit in a few outdoor chores. If I can paint a window frame I'll be thrilled.

[Ali in OR]

Prepandemic I never knew about yoga and mocha and I thought I was supposed to sleep in on Saturday mornings to treat myself. Except I never really could sleep in much. Now I know that for a real treat, I get up not much later than a weekday (6:00 instead of 5:45--the cat helps with this) and get some quiet, non-rushed time to myself. Today I did Yoga for Stress--not convinced it helps with stress, but it's still a nice treat for my body.

I think the smoke is messing with everyone's mental health--gloomy gray, can't go outside, and everyone is worried about what is happening in our state. The smoke is supposed to last through the weekend. We have a chance for some rain on Monday--we'll see if it actually makes landfall or stays over the ocean, but rain would be wonderful to clear the air and help with the fires. They say the big ones will burn until the heavy fall rains settle in for good--could be a couple of months.

We kind of had "school-lite" this week--Monday we should get into a regular schedule and now I finally need to figure out how to make it work for me. Need to figure out when to get groceries and need to figure out how to do lunch. We only have 30 minutes for lunch and it will probably take me that long to do the necessary care for my disabled dd (feed, water, change diaper, transfer her to bedroom and get her down for a nap). And there has been no time for My Fitness Pal or carefully thought-out meals. I think I should try to get in the habit of planning at night--may even need to make my lunch some nights. That's next week's challenge.

For today: indoor projects. A little housecleaning, need to finish up the scrapbook I've been working on to get the scrapbooking stuff cleared off my desk, need to follow up with the girls on stuff like college essays and trying to find some online forms and get them filled out.

[Ali in OR]

3 hours ago, soror said:

d: minestrone soup

This is my dinner plan for tomorrow night. I haven't made minestrone soup in years--can't remember making it in this house, so that's about 18 years! At some point I found a pasta e fagipoli recipe I liked and always made that instead. But I decided to try minestrone again to up the veggie content. And now I can't remember what recipe I ever used or what cookbook it would have come from! I have zucchini, carrots, celery, and kale, and may use fresh tomatoes instead of canned since we have an abundance. A can of white beans, some ditalini, chicken broth, a parmesan rind--but no real recipe. How do you make yours?

[PinkTulip]

Checking in after a very strange week. On Monday night through Wednesday morning, we had hurricane-force winds come through, blowing down tons of trees and knocked out the power at my house. So now I am on day 5 of no power. My exercise has been raking up twigs, hauling branches, and just general neighborhood clean up. But I think with all of the take out I’ve eaten, I’m sure to have gained some weight. Fingers crossed the power will come back on today! 

[EmilyGF]

I think I started posting on this thread in May (?), struggled with carpal tunnel, had a tumultuous June with rioting on my block, was on and off in July, and barely around in August.

However, in May I started tracking my weight on a more-than-once-a-week basis. Before that, I was weighing in about every other week and had noticed that I was gaining about one pound per month, putting me 10 lbs over my WW low of 150.

Since May, I've been losing one pound per month. So, even though I haven't been as consistent as I had hoped and my weight isn't falling off the way it did when I first joined WW at 180 lbs and lost 1-2 lbs per week a few years back, things are going in the right direction. The mindfulness is working. 🙂

I think some things that I am doing consistently that are working for me:

1. Hiking on the weekends as a family. This is a non-food focused fun time as well as exercise!
2. Eating a ton more beans. I'm appalled at the virus rates in meat packing plants and don't want to contribute. I've really upped our bean intake as a family.
3. Weighing more frequently.
4. Drinking more water.
5. Grocery shopping less. I tend to buy some snacks or junk food and then we finish it pretty quickly. With fewer shopping trips, I buy fewer splurges. Also, I'm tracking our budget carefully and having a hard time staying within it and that motivates me to stick to more whole foods and fewer expensive splurge foods.
6. Focusing on international foods. This means I'm excited about trying new recipes for dinner instead of looking forward to dessert. For a while my cooking experiments were centered around baking. Now they are centered around things like chickpea masala. (I love the Indian Instant Pot book!)

I've been exercising all week. Here's crossing my fingers that I don't hurt myself again. 🙂

Emily

[Laura Corin]

Well, I  might end up buying a swimming wetsuit instead. Or first. I really liked the reservoir,  but the difference in warmth of my body in a swimsuit, and my hands and feet in neoprene gloves and booties, was extreme. My extremities were really  comfortable. The woman I  was swimming with mentioned that some 'skin' swimmers are specifically looking for a cold water buzz, which I'm not. I just don't much like swimming in swimming pools.

A good day. Rushed but healthy food. Making something nicer for supper.  Work tomorrow. 

Breakfast - coleslaw and fried egg . Lunch - steamed broccoli with chicken, lime juice and sesame oil. Supper - prawns, squash and kohlrabi in a good chicken stock with fresh ginger and lime. Nuts, cheese, veg.

Eta here's today's haul at a local farm. Purple cauli, kohlrabi, cavolo nero, various squash.

Edited September 12, 2020 by Laura Corin

[Soror]

2 hours ago, Ali in OR said:

This is my dinner plan for tomorrow night. I haven't made minestrone soup in years--can't remember making it in this house, so that's about 18 years! At some point I found a pasta e fagipoli recipe I liked and always made that instead. But I decided to try minestrone again to up the veggie content. And now I can't remember what recipe I ever used or what cookbook it would have come from! I have zucchini, carrots, celery, and kale, and may use fresh tomatoes instead of canned since we have an abundance. A can of white beans, some ditalini, chicken broth, a parmesan rind--but no real recipe. How do you make yours?

I like this recipe. Pretty much what you are doing! I had never made it before a couple of months ago so wanted a recipe to start and I've like all of her recipes I've tried. 

 https://cookieandkate.com/classic-minestrone-soup-recipe/