February Well-Trained Bodies

[Laura Corin]

All are welcome, whether you are just thinking about being more active or already have an established routine.

[wintermom]

Thanks for starting us out on a new month, Laura! 

I feel like I hit the jackpot because dh suggested that we do 40 days of exercising together at least once a day. It could be walking, yoga, or other exercise videos. It should be fun to have another exercise buddy as mutual motivation through the cold month of Feb. 

My other February goals are to space out my skiing throughout the week and hopefully squeeze in 3 times (2 short and 1 long ski on the weekend). I'd love to do some more skating before the lovely outdoor ice is gone. I'll also be doing daily walks and possibly some snowshoeing when the mood hits.

[Ali in OR]

Thanks Laura--it was nice to see the new month ready to go.

30 minutes on the treadmill this morning. Weight is up--like all the Christmas weight I gained and lost most of is back. It's stress eating (stress from end of semester work). Time to tackle eating habits again. And with the new month I think I'll do 21 in '21 again--extra activity for 21 days.

[Jenny in Florida]

Yes, thanks to @Laura Corin for starting the thread!

@Ali in OR - I am right there with you on the weight thing. I somehow picked up 8-10 pounds (depending on when you count from) over the holidays, and I cannot seem to get myself together enough to whittle them back down. I lose two, then gain them back, then lose them again, but I never lose any more and am struggling just to keep those off. For a variety of reasons, I'm not exercising quite as much or quite as intensely as I was pre-holidays, and I am definitely eating more than I should because of a combination of stress and boredom. So, I kind of know "why," but I am feeling increasingly powerless to fix it.

For January, I really just tried to re-establish some kind of routine. For February, my goal is to step up both amount and intensity of exercise. With that in mind, specific goals for this month:

• Winter Warmup walking challenge - Log at least 97K (an average of about 3.5K per day), which will put me at 201K by the end of February and set me up to complete the challenge in mid-March.
• Year of the Ox walking challenge - I'm really behind on this one and need to come up with a strategy to catch up. I'm supposed to walk 202.1 miles by the end of February, and I have so far managed only 91. I would need to average almost 4 miles per day to complete the challenge, and I managed only 3.4 daily in January. So, that's the goal. We'll see how it goes.
• Daily Step Goal - At the end of this week, assuming I don't blow it, I will have two weeks in a row of meeting/exceeding my current daily goal. That meets my self-imposed rule for being time to increase. I'd like to have my minimum up by at least 1,000 steps per day by the end of February.
• Cardio - This is where I need to really step up. In the name of giving my knees a break, I decreased my goal from 30 minutes to 20 minutes three times a week and also decided to "count" PT appointments as cardio if they fell on my self-assigned cardio days. For February, I'm changing both of those things. The new plan is 30 minutes of (still low-impact) cardio three times a week, not sticking to M/W/F, but doing those three sessions on days when I don't have PT. My physical therapist has cleared me to start using the mini-trampoline again, which should be a nice way to add some variety. I will also try to slowly re-introduce the stationary bike, as much as my knees allow.
• Arm/strength Work - Continue doing this twice weekly, on the days I don't do cardio.
• Daily PT Exercises
• Food/Weight - I'm hesitant to set any specific goals, since I can't seem to make headway and am feeling discouraged. So, I'll just say that I want to continue focusing on eating good stuff, with veggies and fruits front and center, and try to get a handle on the amount I'm eating. 

As I'm typing this, I'm realizing that it may be interesting trying to stick to these goals, because my daughter will be coming to stay with us for most of the month. The disruption in household routine and some other factors involved with having her here may not make it easy to follow through.

Edited February 1, 2021 by Jenny in Florida

[lynn]

Good morning.  Today I started Breanne freeman's weight workouts and wowza I could hardly do the last few reps.  I'm trying her workouts for a week.  

[FarmingMomma]

Day 63 of 80 day obsession: arms, abs, and a**.

My goals for this month are to finish 80 day obsession, then start 9 week Control Freak, keep trying to fit in some yoga before bed, and get plenty of time outdoors walking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing.  Once calving season starts in mid-March, I won't have much time or energy for snowshoeing and skiing and such, so I want to get plenty of it in now 

[wintermom]

Dh and I went for a lovely, long walk together this afternoon. Only glitch was that I messed up on the timing of a scheduled meeting. I thought it was at 6pm but it was at 2pm. I got back from the walk at 3:30. Oops! 🤪  I need a larger calendar so I can see times better.

[Lucy the Valiant]

I'm here and keeping up with my weekly mini-goals. Took new dog on a "long" walk this afternoon, only to find out he was VERY unhappy in the snow! (He is a rescue from a very warm place to a very cold place.) So I took pity on him, and we cut the walk in half. We'll work up to the longer cold exposures. Poor buddy.

2/1 Mini-Challenge: Continue my Intermittent Fasting from 6pm to 8-9am.   {NOPE, didn't win this one this week.}

2/7 Mini-Challenge: OK, combining some strategies for this patch-work week, attempting to navigate an unusual schedule. GOALS: Hit 10K steps at least 4 times this week. Follow IF schedule 6pm-8am at least 5 days this week. Continue logging meals in food journal, every day this week. 

 

Edited February 7, 2021 by Lucy the Valiant

[Laura Corin]

10 hours ago, wintermom said:

Dh and I went for a lovely, long walk together this afternoon. Only glitch was that I messed up on the timing of a scheduled meeting. I thought it was at 6pm but it was at 2pm. I got back from the walk at 3:30. Oops! 🤪  I need a larger calendar so I can see times better.

I once missed a meeting because I was making Marmite oatcakes - I'd completely forgotten about the meeting and was going to catch up on work later.  Ooops.  Perils of working from home.  Marmite oatcakes sound good again though.

9 hours ago, Lucy the Valiant said:

I'm here and keeping up with my weekly mini-goals. Took new dog on a "long" walk this afternoon, only to find out he was VERY unhappy in the snow! (He is a rescue from a very warm place to a very cold place.) So I took pity on him, and we cut the walk in half. We'll work up to the longer cold exposures. Poor buddy.

2/1 Mini-Challenge: Continue my Intermittent Fasting from 6pm to 8-9am. 

My dog has lived here for ten years and is not weedy in general.  Her paws do get really cold though and she starts to limp.  It happened yesterday after about two miles in slightly melted snow.  There wasn't any snow packed between her pads, so I just massaged her paws a bit and she was okay to make it another half mile home.  Do some dogs just have better snow design?

I think I need to set up 'intermittent fasting' for 'you've had supper, stop eating now'.  Which for us is much later: around 8pm as a rule.

I still have a sore chest-to-armpit, so I'm rotating through hands-free yoga options.  Yesterday's snowy walk through the woods was pretty.  Today the paths through the woods will have iced over, so I'll try out my new crampons.  And my crampy calf is taking a while to recover too.  So still no running.  Oh well.

 

[wintermom]

@Lucy the Valiant and @Laura Corin  My standard poodle doesn't like snow and especially not wet snow and slush. I just got a set of booties to try with him and see if he'll do better. I do think some breeds are better equipped for snow. A lot of people use dog coats for their dogs in the winter here, too, especially the breeds with short, smooth hair. 

Lovely photo, Laura. I love seeing those trees who somehow manage to hold onto their leaves through the winter. Hope your calf feels better soon and you can run again.

[wintermom]

I'm going to go for a skate sometime today. I'll try to bring a dc along for company.

[Laura Corin]

6 minutes ago, wintermom said:

@Lucy the Valiant and @Laura Corin  My standard poodle doesn't like snow and especially not wet snow and slush. I just got a set of booties to try with him and see if he'll do better. I do think some breeds are better equipped for snow. A lot of people use dog coats for their dogs in the winter here, too, especially the breeds with short, smooth hair. 

Lovely photo, Laura. I love seeing those trees who somehow manage to hold onto their leaves through the winter. Hope your calf feels better soon and you can run again.

My dog is a poodle mix.  She hates her Lands End coat - she'll only move when she's wearing it if she's on the lead - so I suspect that boots would be the end of her world.  I think I'll probably just pamper her with short walks for now.

Beech trees are rather miraculous - such a lovely russet all the way through the winter.  There was a heron all the way down in the burn; I thought of turning it into a puzzle by entitling it 'The Heron' but it was very distant, so you can just imagine it, if you like.

[Ali in OR]

@Laura Corin The burn is the the little creek? Is burn Scottish only, or a term used throughout the UK?

Made myself do a little yoga last night because I hadn't done any extra activity. Did Day 22 Renew of 30 days of yoga, and my dog who was asleep when I started began to race around me, running under my downward dog at one point. She can actually hurt me (big bony head, lumbering paws) so I had to shut her up in the kitchen to finish. This morning I did my bodyweight circuit x2 and then Day 26 Expand of 30 days of yoga (I skipped around to find the shortest one I hadn't done yet). This time it was the cat sauntering under my planks. He even did downward dog a couple of times--I told him he should try cat cow.

[Laura Corin]

23 minutes ago, Ali in OR said:

@Laura Corin The burn is the the little creek? Is burn Scottish only, or a term used throughout the UK?

Scottish only.  In standard England English it would be a stream.

[wintermom]

2 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

My dog is a poodle mix.  She hates her Lands End coat - she'll only move when she's wearing it if she's on the lead - so I suspect that boots would be the end of her world.  I think I'll probably just pamper her with short walks for now.

Beech trees are rather miraculous - such a lovely russet all the way through the winter.  There was a heron all the way down in the burn; I thought of turning it into a puzzle by entitling it 'The Heron' but it was very distant, so you can just imagine it, if you like.

I'm thinking my poodle won't tolerate booties either. 😉 

I think I see the heron, but it could be a rock. I've not heard 'burn' used either. How close sounding is it to 'bairn' for child?

[Laura Corin]

55 minutes ago, wintermom said:

I'm thinking my poodle won't tolerate booties either. 😉 

I think I see the heron, but it could be a rock. I've not heard 'burn' used either. How close sounding is it to 'bairn' for child?

Not very close. Bairn is like air, but burn is like turn

[FarmingMomma]

Day 64/80: cardio flow

[Laura Corin]

I don't know what fool ordered the weather for the next week: four days of sleet forecast, followed by three of heavy snow.

I've decided to go with the weather: take another week off from running to make sure my leg is fine; keep going with the hands-free yoga.

Walked in the sleet today.  Yoga before evening module.

[Ali in OR]

@DreamergalI'm with you on the weekend downtime. I catch myself feeling guilty for napping or reading on the sofa but then I realize I do better overall if I take that time to do nothing.

Did a cardio core flow workout today. Did no extra activity yesterday (graded finals for 4 hours after school and in the evening), but I will try to today. I'm officially off school while teachers work (we're ending semester 1 and starting semester 2 Monday), but my principal will pay me any extra hours I work, like the grading yesterday. There's lots I can do to help. I'll be off to school to get semester 2 materials ready for delivery for one of my classes, then groceries. It's my weekly day out.

[HollyDay]

I had a major back pain flare last month.  One of the worst I've ever had.  Went back to the basics: stretching, ice, heat, balance ball.  Slowly worked up to bridges, clams, squats, etc.  Still not able to do full planks.  I'm doing forearm and knee planks but so far just can't get back to full planks.  Started walking again....1 mile is about it for now.  But, weather is nice, dog is enjoying the walk and 1 mile is way more than I could do in all of January.  It doesn't look like I'll be able to do Pilates again for quite some time (Covid restrictions and changes).  Only 1 class since first week of March 2020, so home exercises are really necessary. I miss the classes and the comradery as well as the pilates reformer.  But, I have weights, bands, yoga mats, etc.  I can do a lot here.  Now that the pain is under control, I'm working on building back up.  Slow going, but so grateful to be able to move without that awful pain.   

[wintermom]

It was dh's birthday yesterday. We went for a walk in the woods together. It was a nice, relaxing day.

Today is busy with a meeting this morning and soon a job interview (virtual format). I'm trying to stay calm. I should do some yoga as mental preparation. 😉

I'll get outside for exercise as soon as the interview is done.

[Laura Corin]

52 minutes ago, wintermom said:

It was dh's birthday yesterday. We went for a walk in the woods together. It was a nice, relaxing day.

Today is busy with a meeting this morning and soon a job interview (virtual format). I'm trying to stay calm. I should do some yoga as mental preparation. 😉

I'll get outside for exercise as soon as the interview is done.

Good luck!

[wintermom]

1 hour ago, Laura Corin said:

Good luck!

Thanks! I'm finished. It seemed to go alright. I'll know pretty soon if they are interested or not. The interview panel were certainly very nice. 

I'm off for a walk and skating. It's sunny and almost 'warm' outside. 😉

[FarmingMomma]

Day 65/80, leg day.  Then, as if my legs weren't already tired, I had to chase a heifer through snow that was deeper than my knees.  When that didn't work, I went and haltered my milk cow, walked her all the way out to where the uncooperative heifer was, and got her to follow my milk cow home.  According to my fitbit I've logged 5.5 miles and 111 minutes of cardio heartrate, and only about 30 minutes of that was from my actual workout  Definitely planning some yoga/stretching and foam rolling this evening.

ETA: Did day 14 of Yoga with Adriene and a bit of foam rolling.  Almost skipped to the next day of yoga since this one was longer, but I'm glad I didn't because it stretched out my legs and back wonderfully.  Now I'm going to go take a nice epsom salt bath.

Edited February 4, 2021 by FarmingMomma

[Soror]

18 hours ago, wintermom said:

It was dh's birthday yesterday. We went for a walk in the woods together. It was a nice, relaxing day.

Today is busy with a meeting this morning and soon a job interview (virtual format). I'm trying to stay calm. I should do some yoga as mental preparation. 😉

I'll get outside for exercise as soon as the interview is done.

 

16 hours ago, wintermom said:

Thanks! I'm finished. It seemed to go alright. I'll know pretty soon if they are interested or not. The interview panel were certainly very nice. 

I'm off for a walk and skating. It's sunny and almost 'warm' outside. 😉

Best wishes on the job, I hope you find out soon.

_________________________

I got in 5 days of exercise the last 2 weeks. But only 1 so far this week. Planning for strength training today.

[wintermom]

13 hours ago, FarmingMomma said:

Day 65/80, leg day.  Then, as if my legs weren't already tired, I had to chase a heifer through snow that was deeper than my knees.  When that didn't work, I went and haltered my milk cow, walked her all the way out to where the uncooperative heifer was, and got her to follow my milk cow home.  According to my fitbit I've logged 5.5 miles and 111 minutes of cardio heartrate, and only about 30 minutes of that was from my actual workout  Definitely planning some yoga/stretching and foam rolling this evening.

ETA: Did day 14 of Yoga with Adriene and a bit of foam rolling.  Almost skipped to the next day of yoga since this one was longer, but I'm glad I didn't because it stretched out my legs and back wonderfully.  Now I'm going to go take a nice epsom salt bath.

That sounds like an exhausting work-out! Glad you were able to get the heifer home. Smart thinking! Hope the bath helped all those sore muscles. 😉

[wintermom]

7 minutes ago, Soror said:

 

Best wishes on the job, I hope you find out soon.

_________________________

I got in 5 days of exercise the last 2 weeks. But only 1 so far this week. Planning for strength training today.

Thanks. My mind kept ruminating on the interview during the night. I concluded at 3am that I should have talked a lot less. Oh well, hope I said the things they were looking for and not too much they didn't need to hear. 🤫

Great job on the exercising! Hope the strength training went well.

[wintermom]

I had a lovely skate on the big outdoor pond with my ds yesterday. The sunset was gorgeous. Sorry the ground isn't level. I was focused on the sky. 😉  Today I'm walking in the woods with a couple friends.

 

Edited February 4, 2021 by wintermom

[FarmingMomma]

Lovely picture @wintermom

Day 66/80: total body core.  The epsom salt bath last night must have done the trick, I was only a little sore when I woke up this morning, and once I got warmed up my workout went fine.  I'm not sure what outdoor shenanigans I'll get up to today, I think the snow is still too soft for skiing after the rain and warmer temps we had for a couple of days.  I might just do a long walk with the dogs.

[FarmingMomma]

Day 67/80: cardio core.  My abs were still a bit sore from yesterday's workout, so now I am definitely feeling them!

[Ali in OR]

I thought I had the whole day off yesterday so I did both a shorter interval workout and then day 23 of 30 days of yoga. Nice leisurely pace, and then while getting dd ready for her day I look at my watch calendar and realize I have a staff meeting at 9:00! Had to hurry to get myself ready and I never got on here.

Today I did 30 min on the treadmill. We get our 2nd vaccine tonight, so I'm getting my weekend chores done today in case I don't feel good after.

[Soror]

6 hours ago, Ali in OR said:

I thought I had the whole day off yesterday so I did both a shorter interval workout and then day 23 of 30 days of yoga. Nice leisurely pace, and then while getting dd ready for her day I look at my watch calendar and realize I have a staff meeting at 9:00! Had to hurry to get myself ready and I never got on here.

Today I did 30 min on the treadmill. We get our 2nd vaccine tonight, so I'm getting my weekend chores done today in case I don't feel good after.

Ya, that is awesome, hope you don't feel too bad afterwards.

[wintermom]

It's been crazy busy with work, school and potential new job (had interview on Wed). I made it through to the next round! 

I got outside for a couple walks yesterday and it felt so good! 

Today I have an event for my course which means 5.5 hours continuous work on the computer. It's an evaluation case competition, where my team of 4 will receive a 'request for proposal' for a made up organization, and the team has to come up with a 10-page proposal. There are 18 teams in the competition.  It should be really interesting, but after we finish I'm going for a long ski outside! 😉 

[Soror]

Strength workout Thursday or Wednesday and Dance workout today. I don't have a lot of energy so my workouts have been rather half ass but I'm trying to just do something for the habit of it. If this continues next week I'll have to take it back to some light yoga.

I am just not feeling well this week. I don't know if it is from indulgence last weekend and it is a gall bladder thing that is triggered by my fat intake. Or I had COVID and this is the after effects and it just flares from time to time OR some other random thing I don't know. I wanted to cry yesterday. I start to think I'm on the rebound and have an utterly shitty week. It is very frustrating. The fatigue is not nearly as crushing as it was but still very much there, nausea, and some dizzyness. I need to get tested for antibodies to see if I did actually have COVID. I don't know what else the dr can test for, last time I was there he just attributed it to my thryoid but dosage has been increased. It doesn't explain the nausea and dizzyness. I have little faith they would figure anything out.

Edited February 6, 2021 by Soror

[Soror]

47 minutes ago, wintermom said:

It's been crazy busy with work, school and potential new job (had interview on Wed). I made it through to the next round! 

I got outside for a couple walks yesterday and it felt so good! 

Today I have an event for my course which means 5.5 hours continuous work on the computer. It's an evaluation case competition, where my team of 4 will receive a 'request for proposal' for a made up organization, and the team has to come up with a 10-page proposal. There are 18 teams in the competition.  It should be really interesting, but after we finish I'm going for a long ski outside! 😉 

Congrats on making it through, best wishes on your event today.

[Ali in OR]

Did some yoga to start my day--I went back to day 3 of 30 days of yoga, theme word anchor. There are a couple more that I skipped, then I still have days 24-30 left to do. We got our second shots last night. Dh feels completely normal--not even a sore arm. My arm started getting sore in the middle of the night--had to change sleeping positions a bit. But I can still do all the yoga moves and have full mobility. I do have a lazy day planned no matter how I feel!

[FarmingMomma]

Day 68/80, booty day.  Then walked 1.5 miles with the dogs. 

@wintermom, good luck with your competition!

@Soror sorry you aren't feeling well 

@Ali in OR good job on the yoga, I've been inconsistent with it and have only completed through day 14 so far

[Ali in OR]

Feeling mild symptoms and grateful for my couch day. Chills (have the fire on and wearing a hat), fever up to 100.7°, the edges of a headache, napping a bit. Still worth it, just glad I got everything done. Dh feels nothing, 18 yo has headache and is not leaving bed, disabled dd seems ok but she's getting a lazy day in bed too.

[Jenny in Florida]

8 hours ago, Soror said:

I am just not feeling well this week. I don't know if it is from indulgence last weekend and it is a gall bladder thing that is triggered by my fat intake. Or I had COVID and this is the after effects and it just flares from time to time OR some other random thing I don't know. I wanted to cry yesterday. I start to think I'm on the rebound and have an utterly shitty week. It is very frustrating. 

I'm so sorry. I know the frustration and helplessness of feeling crappy and having no answers. I hope you things improve for you soon.

[Jenny in Florida]

Weekly check-in:

I've been walking every day, trying to get better about lengthening the morning walk and actually going out for the second walk (or doing a walk-at-home video, at least). I'm still behind in both walking challenges. 

I had my end-of-series reevaluation with the physical therapist this week, who tells me I have made some progress in terms of flexibility in the erstwhile broken arm and in my knees, but not as much as we would hope to see. He recommends six more weeks, plus a referral to an orthopedist. So, I'm seeing a primary care person on Monday to get the referrals. 

It's been kind of a tough week for exercise beyond walking. I got my first vaccine dose on Tuesday, and I don't know whether it's that or just the fact that the PT worked me harder than usual this week, but both arms have been very sore and stiff. I've keep at it, but everything leaves me tired and just this side of weepy with self-pity at not being able to make my body do what I want it to do.

Still trying to be intentional about eating. Still haven't lost any weight.

Wow, when I type it all out like that, it looks like kind of a bummer, huh?

[Lucy the Valiant]

On 2/2/2021 at 9:07 AM, Laura Corin said:

My dog is a poodle mix.  She hates her Lands End coat - she'll only move when she's wearing it if she's on the lead - so I suspect that boots would be the end of her world.  I think I'll probably just pamper her with short walks for now.

Beech trees are rather miraculous - such a lovely russet all the way through the winter.  There was a heron all the way down in the burn; I thought of turning it into a puzzle by entitling it 'The Heron' but it was very distant, so you can just imagine it, if you like.

Laura, do you have the same kinds of herons we do? I live in New England, and we have gray herons (great blue), and also funny little night herons who make the most ridiculous squawk and are very shy. The 2 species are so different that I was surprised to learn they are both herons. (I recently learned how robins are different from North America to UK, so - now I'm curious.)

3 hours ago, Ali in OR said:

Feeling mild symptoms and grateful for my couch day. Chills (have the fire on and wearing a hat), fever up to 100.7°, the edges of a headache, napping a bit. Still worth it, just glad I got everything done. Dh feels nothing, 18 yo has headache and is not leaving bed, disabled dd seems ok but she's getting a lazy day in bed too.

Ugh, @Ali in OR, feel better soon!

 

My update for the week: Yikes, things got busy all at once, and I completely failed my IF plan. Between new dog learning how to walk, and work hours suddenly extra, I got a little scrambled. Tried to maintain decent eating habits (I'm in a long-term re-learning orientation), and am making a plan now to accommodate the busy-ness as it extends into next week. New dog is a LOVE, and we're coaxing him into winter; he doesn't mind the snow, but does start shaking after we've done a mile or two. He also is terrified of post-holing, so we're trying to be careful not to let that happen too much. I'm in NEED of a good 4-5-6 mile walk - might be able to squeeze one in tomorrow before the snow (I'm staying home from church w/new dog b/c he is so new that we haven't left him home alone yet - maybe he will walk with me? Maybe he'll do half with with me, and I'll have to do the other half alone?)

Next week's mini-challenge is going to focus on calorie intake & food tracking; I liked the IF, but not sure how to make it work with work hours. Will think & brainstorm on that.

[FarmingMomma]

Took a second walk with the dogs, this one a little shorter, maybe a bit over a mile, but steeper terrain.  Did day 15 of the Breath Yoga w/Adriene, and I might do another later this evening.  Partly because all the stretching feels good, and partly just to distract myself from eating more of the homemade doughnuts I made earlier  Tomorrow I hope to get some cross-country skiing in, and my son would like us to go snowshoeing.

[Laura Corin]

@Lucy the Valiant I looked it up, and our Grey Herons, like the one I saw, are only rarely seen in N America.  I see them often around that stream, but it's always a surprise because they are so big (almost a metre tall).  It looks as if your Great Blue Heron is even bigger.

@Soror I'm sorry that things are still rough.  If it is Covid, a lot of people are just having to wait it out, which must be so frustrating. 

@wintermom well done for making it through to the next round.  I hope that the competition goes well.

I'm sorry I haven't been posting much.  A combination of still nursing injury  - my leg is better but my chest/armpit pain is only dying down slowly - and busyness with my course.    I haven't really been doing much yoga, which is not good for me, but I'm limited in what I can do, so I tend not to try.  Bad Laura.

After a week of rain and sleet, we now have a week of snow forecast, with strong cold winds from Scandinavia.  I've been walking the dog, but I've put my running on hold until the weather improves.  I need  a bit of a fair wind at this stage.

Working on an essay today, but I'll take a break for a Lesley Sansome later.

I posted elsewhere that I dreamed that I'd had my first vaccination.  That was a nice dream - I'm not in the eligible cohort currently.

Edited February 7, 2021 by Laura Corin

[Soror]

15 hours ago, Ali in OR said:

Feeling mild symptoms and grateful for my couch day. Chills (have the fire on and wearing a hat), fever up to 100.7°, the edges of a headache, napping a bit. Still worth it, just glad I got everything done. Dh feels nothing, 18 yo has headache and is not leaving bed, disabled dd seems ok but she's getting a lazy day in bed too.

Glad you have the day off and hope today is better.

13 hours ago, Jenny in Florida said:

I'm so sorry. I know the frustration and helplessness of feeling crappy and having no answers. I hope you things improve for you soon.

Thank you, hope things improve for you as well 😞

1 hour ago, Laura Corin said:

@Lucy the Valiant I looked it up, and our Grey Herons, like the one I saw, are only rarely seen in N America.  I see them often around that stream, but it's always a surprise because they are so big (almost a metre tall).  It looks as if your Great Blue Heron is even bigger.

@Soror I'm sorry that things are still rough.  If it is Covid, a lot of people are just having to wait it out, which must be so frustrating.  I can't remember - did you have an antibody test?

@wintermom well done for making it through to the next round.  I hope that the competition goes well.

I'm sorry I haven't been posting much.  A combination of still nursing injury  - my leg is better but my chest/armpit pain is only dying down slowly - and busyness with my course.    I haven't really been doing much yoga, which is not good for me, but I'm limited in what I can do, so I tend not to try.  Bad Laura.

After a week of rain and sleet, we now have a week of snow forecast, with strong cold winds from Scandinavia.  I've been walking the dog, but I've put my running on hold until the weather improves.  I need  a bit of a fair wind at this stage.

Working on an essay today, but I'll take a break for a Lesley Sansome later.

I posted elsewhere that I dreamed that I'd had my first vaccination.  That was a nice dream - I'm not in the eligible cohort currently.

We've got snow here, but thankfully no ice. I hope this is a slower week for you and you can get in some more yoga time.

[Soror]

After my pity party yesterday I'm not feeling near so down. I cut back the melatonin again. I think part of the fatigue this week might be due to that. I had a rough night sleep Sunday and upped it and have been slowly lowering it back all week. I noticed yesterday and Friday that the fatigue was way worse in the morning but not very pronounced in the afternoon, so perhaps I've done part of this to myself.

I had an antibody test at the end of October I believe and was negative.

Hoping for a workout this am.

[wintermom]

@Soror Glad you're feeling a bit better. It's really tough trying to figure out what our own body is up to sometimes. There should be a more accessible and accurate play-book, but we're all in a learning phase during this pandemic. Hope you have some good success with sleep and eliminating the fatigue.

@Laura Corin Are you completing assignments for your course or just doing the reading and lectures? It's challenging finding that balance with work and courses. I'm struggling myself. Hope you are pain-free really soon so you can do all the fun things you enjoy!

@FarmingMomma Hope you enjoyed your skiing today. You're so close to completing your 80 again. Great job!

@Lucy the Valiant Your new dog sounds awesome. 

@Jenny in Florida Sounds like you have some good support through your recovery. Hope you continue to make steady gains in flexibility.

@Ali in OR Sorry you're feeling ill. Hope you have a quick recovery!

 

My skate ski session yesterday was nice, short and rather intense. I think I went out a little too hard, as I didn't last an hour. No worries, though. This morning I was able to go longer. I'm guessing that part of the difference is what kind of trails I'm skiing. Big wide groomed trails mean I'll naturally focus on speed, and thus get sweaty and tired much quicker. Smaller bendy trails, like the ones I was on today, require more technical focus and narrower stride. I find them a lot more interesting as well. 

I'm so incredibly blessed to have so many trails to choose from with my skiing. They are all within a 15 minute drive, too. 

[Laura Corin]

@wintermom I'm doing assignments too.  The module is part of an undergraduate evening degree.  I probably won't end up taking the degree, but I want to use the modules to investigate areas that I haven't studied before, and stop myself from dying of boredom between now and retirement.  I have started with English Literature, which is something that I feel fairly confident in.  I'm hoping to move on to psychology and social anthropology later.  I'm considering doing (another) Masters for fun in a few years time.  My colleague who is doing the same module plus another this semester also works full time and additionally has two small children.  I bow down before her.  She's getting great marks for her degree.

The assignment I am working on is a close reading of the first three stanzas of Rossetti's Goblin Market, 2,100 words.  It's a lot of fun.

A productive day: spent most of the day studying, then did a 30 minute extended Lesley Sansone walk and a 20 minute hands free yoga.  Now I'm sitting down to write to my mother; she's been vaccinated, but we are all still on lockdown, so no visits yet.

Edited February 7, 2021 by Laura Corin

[Lucy the Valiant]

OK, regrouped and made a plan to accommodate some unusually-timed appointments this week; Mini-Challenge is 3-fold:

1. Hit 10K steps at least 4 times this week. (New dog did join me this morning for long walk! 1 day done)

2. Follow IF schedule 6pm-8am at least 5 days this week (Wed. it won't work because of schedule, but I'm trying to see the big picture & call that ok)

3. Continue logging meals in food journal, every day this week. 

[FarmingMomma]

Did some cross-country skiing, but the snow conditions weren't very good, so I didn't ski for very long.   Also took a short walk with the dogs.  I'm also planning to squeeze in some yoga later.

[Soror]

Had a productive day yesterday, even got in a workout I'd missed and got lots of cleaning done.

I did some sledding with the kids (just in the yard as we got some snow).

I took no melatonin last night and slept well. I awoke when dh got up at 3:30 but feel good. I went to bed at 8 and feel asleep pretty quickly. Maybe I don't need it anymore with the thyroid med increase or at least during this part of my cycle when sleep is always better. We'll see I'd love to not need help with sleep.