Well-trained bodies - June

[wintermom]

9 minutes ago, Harriet Vane said:

It has been almost ten years and I'm not used to it yet. For many years my solution was to retreat into the basement to work in my office down there. It was also easier in the years that kids were home, because I was always running out to drop them off or pick them up or take them to soccer or fencing or what have you. Now I'm mostly home.

That's really tough. I'd not want to be cooped up in the basement. My dc would and do walk around with cordless ear buds in, listening to their music or podcast-type stuff. I hate ear buds so that wouldn't work for me, but maybe it's a thought for you? 

[Harriet Vane]

12 minutes ago, wintermom said:

That's really tough. I'd not want to be cooped up in the basement. My dc would and do walk around with cordless ear buds in, listening to their music or podcast-type stuff. I hate ear buds so that wouldn't work for me, but maybe it's a thought for you? 

It's so ironic that you say that! When we were house hunting all those years ago, I made it crystal clear that I could not work in a windowless basement. I felt exactly as you do--I did not want to be cooped up in a basement. Accordingly when we moved in here, we put all the office stuff in one of the upstairs bedrooms. We kept the basement room for a guest room. People actually loved it because it's quiet and cool in summer. The noise drove me crazy, though, and then we decided to license in this state for foster care, so we put the office in the basement and the guest room upstairs for the new kids. It was better away from the noise. When the pandemic hit, dh took over that space and I was back upstairs. When there is no noise, I love being able to glance out the window and see the woods. Tons and tons of birds and other wildlife here. At night, there are soooooooooooooooo many nature sounds!

As for ear buds, I can only wear tiny ones (child-sized) for a little while before I am sore. Here in the middle years, I have morphed into a pressure-sensitive person. I wear the buds to teach classes and that's that. I do sometimes play loud music to cover the noise and there have been times I've chosen to run errands at strategic times.

[Jenny in Florida]

@wintermom - Glad to see you back! The waterfall looks lovely.

@Harriet Vane - I'm so sorry your neighbor is being difficult. One of our neighbors has several large dogs (who are perfectly sweet and whom I enjoy petting) that he lets run around off leash when he's hanging out talking to other neighbors in his front yard. And all of that is great, except that his dogs regularly relieve themselves in our yard, which has killed the grass in a few spots. And he leaves the large piles of poop for us to clean up. It's infuriating and definitely impacts my contentment living in this neighborhood. He and his wife are apparently not happy in Florida and are talking about moving back to North Carolina. I'm crossing my fingers.

 

Husband and I made the impulsive decision to head out to the new customize-a-bowl restaurant for dinner last night. We also needed to run a couple of errands at the nearby stores, so I opted to walk from the restaurant. However, it wasn't enough to save me; I still had nearly 4K to walk in order to log the rest of my steps for the day. 

I got out of bed more or less on time this morning and walked a little over the usual 4K, then spent some time on the patio with my weights. I've been running really tired and draggy all week so far, and I honestly almost conked out on the exercise mat. 

The weather is pretty gross here this afternoon. The current temperature is only 90-ish, but the humidity pushes the "real feel" up to about 100. We also have some thunder and some pretty significant winds. So, clearly a storm is coming. If it passes by the time I'm ready for an after dinner walk, then I'll get outside. Otherwise, it'll be a stationary bike and/or video session to finish off my steps.

It's about this time of year that I begin asking myself (again) why I live in Florida.

 

Summer Splash Challenge: 56.6 of 600K
Walking Streak: 37 days

[Harriet Vane]

I did a solid weights and core workout today and rounded it out with some time on the recumbent bike. 😎

[wintermom]

55 minutes ago, Jenny in Florida said:

@wintermom - Glad to see you back! The waterfall looks lovely.

@Harriet Vane - I'm so sorry your neighbor is being difficult. One of our neighbors has several large dogs (who are perfectly sweet and whom I enjoy petting) that he lets run around off leash when he's hanging out talking to other neighbors in his front yard. And all of that is great, except that his dogs regularly relieve themselves in our yard, which has killed the grass in a few spots. And he leaves the large piles of poop for us to clean up. It's infuriating and definitely impacts my contentment living in this neighborhood. He and his wife are apparently not happy in Florida and are talking about moving back to North Carolina. I'm crossing my fingers.

Large poo dumps left on your front yard? That's nasty. I'm not sure how long it would be before I'd be gifting the dumps right back to him. Tied up in nice little baggies, of course. Tell me this isn't part of the 'southern graciousness' that keeps their cool in the face of neighbourly doggy deposits. I've only experienced the wrath of doggy doo-doo retaliation among New Yorkers on vacation at the beach in NJ. It was loud and unpleasant, but oh so sweet to witness. 😉

Edited June 8, 2022 by wintermom

[Ali in OR]

I did my treadmill this morning and probably will tomorrow too. Then I'll be out of touch for awhile driving down to dd's graduation, then drive back up for my last week of school. But this feels like the last week as I'm giving my final tests today and tomorrow.

[wintermom]

I went for a short bike ride, a couple short dog walks (finding rocks for the waterfall and bringing them home in a backpack), some gardening, then ended the day with a visit to the agility field to run the puppy. That was my 'light exercise' for today. 

[Laura Corin]

5 hours ago, Ali in OR said:

I did my treadmill this morning and probably will tomorrow too. Then I'll be out of touch for awhile driving down to dd's graduation, then drive back up for my last week of school. But this feels like the last week as I'm giving my final tests today and tomorrow.

Congratulations to your daughter!  I hope you enjoy graduation. 

[heartlikealion]

I’m trying to get back into a healthy routine. I have a stationary bike and did 53 min tonight. I tried to do a 15 min dumbbell workout but it was too hard. I lasted 10. I might need to use lighter weights. I was using 8lbs. Plus it hurt my palms. 

I logged into My Fitness Pal for the first time in years and honestly I don’t know if I’ll keep using it. I loathe calculating calories. I did great on water today (12 cups). 

@BusyMom5 you asked about desserts? Maybe not low calorie but nice this time of year. One is called Yankee salad… classic recipe calls for small curds, cool whip, mandarin oranges and crushed, drained pineapple mixed with orange jello mix. I prefer other variations (not sure I can digest the dairy in it anymore so haven’t had in a while) such as lime jello and tropical fruit. 
https://www.cooks.com/recipe/kf0ed974/yankee-salad.html

I also like strawberry mousse pie... with chunks of real strawberries. I can’t remember what recipe I used last time but I prefer to use gelatin for airy mousse. 

[heartlikealion]

@BusyMom5 Oh also the Yasso Greek yogurt pops are nice. My favorite is mint n chip. So far yogurt doesn’t upset me. Selective dairy issues lol 

100 calories each https://yasso.com/products/mint-chocolate-chip

[Jenny in Florida]

Yesterday was yet another one of those days when I left myself with more steps to finish off later in the day than I had any interest in doing. Ended up walking almost 5K with the dog after dinner, under constant threat of imminent storms.

Still feeling really lethargic, and I woke up this morning with an emotional cloud over my head that walking and exercising did nothing to disperse. 

I did walk, though, a little more than the usual 4K. Followed that with a 20-minute "level 2" seated upper body workout video. 

 

Summer Splash Challenge: 65.6 of 600K
Walking Streak: 38 days

[wintermom]

It's been raining all day today, and I'm not feeling nearly as good today as I did yesterday, so I will be doing mostly resting. I'm still on a 'soft food' diet, too, so that may be impacting my energy levels. Scrambled eggs, yogurt and bananas are my go-to foods so far. What I really want to eat is something salty, like popcorn. That would be way too painful for my healing sockets, though. I'm finding the salt-water rinsing helpful for addressing my salt fix. 😅

[Jenny in Florida]

@wintermom Hope those sockets are healed soon!

[Harriet Vane]

I did gyrotonics today. I find I am liking it more and more and more. It is definitely helping my back and the constant, flowy motions work quite a few muscle groups at once while also making me think hard. It feels in many ways as stimulating as martial arts was for me, but a totally different yoga-style vibe.

[heartlikealion]

17 hours ago, wintermom said:

It's been raining all day today, and I'm not feeling nearly as good today as I did yesterday, so I will be doing mostly resting. I'm still on a 'soft food' diet, too, so that may be impacting my energy levels. Scrambled eggs, yogurt and bananas are my go-to foods so far. What I really want to eat is something salty, like popcorn. That would be way too painful for my healing sockets, though. I'm finding the salt-water rinsing helpful for addressing my salt fix. 😅

Not close to popcorn but maybe a baked sweet potato to switch things up 

[heartlikealion]

Thursday night I did 35 min on my stationary bike and some stretching. I’m trying to discipline myself to stand on my slant board daily to stretch my calves (for plantar fasciitis). Then I did a little stretching with my band. That’s a funny mental image, not a marching band. 

I’ve been tracking food. I didn’t log it yesterday but I was so busy and stressed I know I came in under my allowable calories for the day. Wed was 12 cups of water. Thursday was 7. I’ve never been good about staying hydrated. 

[BusyMom5]

Yesterday I started the day working cattle 🐄 🐄  AF showed up, and I felt yucky all day.  Only got 6K steps.  Hoping today is better!  My plan is to have my big weekly clean this morning and take my kids to the pool this afternoon!  Hope the weather cooperates- it rained last night and is still cloudy.  

[Jenny in Florida]

I have really just got to figure out a way to get back to doing more incidental steps during the day. Yesterday, I once again reached the evening with nearly have my daily steps still to do. It makes that evening walk so much more of a chore when I set out knowing it has to be 4K+. When the weather is nice and I'm enjoying my podcast/audiobook and the dog is behaving herself, I might well walk that long just because, but on the evenings when two or more of those things aren't true, it's just unpleasant. (It has also gotten warm enough that even little old me, who is not a big perspirer, comes home damp enough from those walks to need a shower before I can settle in for the evening.)

All of that said, I did walk that 4K+ last night and make my 15,000 steps for the day.

I walked the usual 4K this morning and spent about 30 minutes (longer than I should have, given a somewhat delayed start getting out of bed and a busy morning of work waiting for me) with my weights on the patio.

Trying to think of some way to break up the rest of the day's steps, but inspiration has not hit yet.

 

Summer Splash Challenge: 73.6 of 600K
Walking Streak: 39 days

[heartlikealion]

@Jenny in Florida you’ve got me googling steps to bicycle conversions lol I’d need to bike over an hour at moderate speed to get near your steps per day. How long do you walk a day (minutes/hours) to reach your goals. 

[wintermom]

It's been worse the last 2 days post-dental surgery than day 2. Could be allergies combining to add to the pain and discomfort. I haven't done much in the way of exercise other than some on-going yardwork and short dog walks. 

The fun news is that the waterfall and bog is complete! I'll probably keep adding to the rocks, as I don't seem to have a 'stop' button, and there are lots of rocks around. 😁 I'll also add to the bog (the part on the left) over time, as the plants I have so far were given to me by friends. Bog plants are very expensive to buy as they are specialty items. 

 

[heartlikealion]

65 min exercise bike, 11 mi/560 cal. I think I hit 8 cups of water today. 

Edited June 11, 2022 by heartlikealion

[Laura Corin]

8 hours ago, wintermom said:

It's been worse the last 2 days post-dental surgery than day 2. Could be allergies combining to add to the pain and discomfort. I haven't done much in the way of exercise other than some on-going yardwork and short dog walks. 

The fun news is that the waterfall and bog is complete! I'll probably keep adding to the rocks, as I don't seem to have a 'stop' button, and there are lots of rocks around. 😁 I'll also add to the bog (the part on the left) over time, as the plants I have so far were given to me by friends. Bog plants are very expensive to buy as they are specialty items. 

 

Gorgeous! 

I drank tea late afternoon yesterday whilst meeting with extended family. Terrible sleep. I plan to walk when my second brother, who is staying with us, goes home.

Eta I have ordered lots of library books on ponds for Husband and me. We can mull them over while we are on holiday next month and make a plan.

Edited June 11, 2022 by Laura Corin

[wintermom]

5 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

Gorgeous! 

I drank tea late afternoon yesterday whilst meeting with extended family. Terrible sleep. I plan to walk when my second brother, who is staying with us, goes home.

Eta I have ordered lots of library books on ponds for Husband and me. We can mull them over while we are on holiday next month and make a plan.

Thanks! That's so cool about your pond plans! I have to admit that the open water really attracts a crazy number of birds. I love it! I can deal with the little white droppings. 😉 I was worried that the dogs would constantly jump in the water and trample the plants. They do, a little, but I'm always out there with them so I just shout/wave them away. And puppy loves chasing the birds. It's a fun, entertaining atmosphere outside now. 

Keep us posted on your pond project! 

[Jenny in Florida]

21 hours ago, heartlikealion said:

@Jenny in Florida you’ve got me googling steps to bicycle conversions lol I’d need to bike over an hour at moderate speed to get near your steps per day. How long do you walk a day (minutes/hours) to reach your goals. 

I walk 45-60 minutes twice a day most days for what I think of as "intentional" steps.

A normal day would start with a 4K walk with the dog. Walking on my own, a typical, non-race pace for me is about 12 minutes per kilometer, but giving the dog time to explore and sniff as we go slows me down some, more like 15 minutes/k. I average about 1,500 steps per/k, so that's 6,000-ish steps in the morning. If I do the same walk in the evening, that gets me to about 12,000 steps. (That's also usually the only mileage I track for the walking challenge.) Then I look for opportunities to walk during the normal course of the day to pick up the rest. 

In the Before Times, when I worked in an office, I used to go out for a walk on my lunch break. Now that I work from home, I often end up just skipping lunch or eating at my desk. So there are more steps to do at the end of each day.

[Jenny in Florida]

@wintermom The waterfall and bog are just lovely! What a wonderful mini-retreat to have for yourself.

[Jenny in Florida]

Coaxed the dog out with me for an evening walk last night. We went 4K around the neighborhood, but I didn't actually hit my step goal until I got home and walked to the bedroom to change into pajamas. 

Walked just about 2K this morning before dropping the dog at home, getting through a few morning chores and then heading to the nature preserve for yoga. That's another couple of kilometers from the parking lot to the class site and back, plus the class. (On my way back to the car, I encountered some more of our Florida wildlife.)

I decided to use the time between the end of the yoga class and my hair appointment to hit the farmers' market and do a little more walking around the downtown shopping area. So, although I'll still need that evening walk to top off today's goal, it won't be quite so daunting a number as it has been for the last couple of weeks.

 

Summer Splash Challenge: 81.3 of 600K
Walking Streak: 40 days

[Condessa]

I made it through hospital week still on track with my fitness goals!

 I get very stressed around time for ds’s quarterly scans, and my normal pattern is to either eat nothing or stress overeat during these times, and I can’t not eat because I am breastfeeding.  Also, Wednesday and Thursday were very long hospital days with no chance to exercise.  I’ve come down with a sore throat/sinus issue the last few days, but made myself go out walking for exercise anyway yesterday and today, and I have hit my weekly goal.  I’m currently at the lowest weight I’ve been in nearly three years.  

[Harriet Vane]

@wintermom Your waterfall is amazing!!! So pretty!!! Fwiw, my bil and sil have a pond with koi fish, and they found they had to put mesh over it to keep the birds from taking the fish.

@Jenny in Florida I am personally terrible about drifting within whatever I am doing--I just keep doing it and skip other things. Some is sheer inertia on my part, and sometimes it's simply that I'm in "the zone" and want to keep riding that wave. I find that I have to attach an activity to a trigger, just like you did when working in an office and using your lunch break to trigger the walk. Can you build in a trigger to help you get some steps in?

 

 

I went for a quick zip down the lane with dh. Today is a rest day mostly since I got a covid booster this morning. Yesterday I also went for a walk, this time with ds. He needed a few things, so we met in the middle for a picnic in the park and a walk. (He's working a summer internship in the next state over.)

[heartlikealion]

Babysat all morning and took kids on a walk (they are 1 & 3 so pushed a stroller). Right now my iPhone app says 4561 steps. It’s probably more but I don’t keep my phone on me while I’m inside the home. 

I may or may not hit the bicycle later. I’m covered in water & sweat (we played with water toys, the backyard was full of water, kids dump water etc), my feet ache and I have to unload groceries when I get home then hop in the shower. 

I’m starving for something substantial. I’m picking up a small burger on the way home. Currently in a Sam’s club gas line ugh. 

[Condessa]

9 hours ago, Condessa said:

I made it through hospital week still on track with my fitness goals!

 I get very stressed around time for ds’s quarterly scans, and my normal pattern is to either eat nothing or stress overeat during these times, and I can’t not eat because I am breastfeeding.  Also, Wednesday and Thursday were very long hospital days with no chance to exercise.  I’ve come down with a sore throat/sinus issue the last few days, but made myself go out walking for exercise anyway yesterday and today, and I have hit my weekly goal.  I’m currently at the lowest weight I’ve been in nearly three years.  

Don’t be saddened by my post, Heartlikealion and Jenny in Florida.  We actually had good news from the scans—for the first time, ds’s tumor shows some slight shrinkage, and is slightly less engaged with his spinal cord!  And his “hospital weeks” are now only needing to happen every three months, instead of every month.  I just have been letting stress be the excuse for living unhealthily for too long, and I’m glad to be making progress on learning to live healthily despite the stress instead.

[wintermom]

@Harriet Vane Friends of ours have a pond with goldfish (much cheaper than koi). They see raccoons coming to their pond at night to try and catch the fish. They bring their fish inside during the winter. I'm considering catching  frog and introcuding it to the bog, but I don't want it to get sucked up through the powerful waterfall pump and end up popping out at the top of the falls. That might be a little overwhelming for it.

I took the puppy for a long walk through the woods in the rain. I let him go off-leash as there was no one else out there. He did so well staying close to me, and he really loved the freedom to trot ahead and back. I hiked faster than I even have before trying to keep up, but I didn't really have a chance. He's super fast. It was a very nice hike.

[Harriet Vane]

Vaccine yesterday (second booster), which means brain fog and aches today. It's all I can do to drag myself around the house. 😄 Tomorrow I will either take a walk on our infamous lane or spend some time on the recumbent bike.

[Jenny in Florida]

I tried to head out for a walk early yesterday evening, only to find a storm just getting started. After wandering around the house grumpily for a bit, I remembered that the Summer Splash Challenge includes a couple of badges that require doing more than one type of activity in a day, so I fired up Hulu on the tablet and spent about 30 minutes/7 miles on the stationary bike. The weather had cleared up by the time I finished, so the dog and I went out for a short (1.25K) ramble, just for the sake of maintaining routine.

She was not interested in doing as much walking as I had in mind this morning, so I dropped the dog home after the first kilometer or so and then went out on my own (total of about 4.4K). 

No other official "exercise" so far today, which is fine since this is supposed to be a rest day. However, my husband and I went on something of an expedition to bring home the pair of Vespas we bought. (Apologies for the less-than-picturesque background in the attached photo. This was in the back of the shop where we took delivery.) 

I've never driven a scooter/motorcycle/etc. before, so I needed a fair amount of practice getting the bike on and off its stand (no mean feat for someone with as little upper arm strength as I have). Then we had to wend our way home on surface streets (about 22 miles) with lots of stopping and starting. I fell down only once--fortunately in a area that was mostly sand and grass--but then I had to right the bike and walk it onto solid ground. So, all in all, I'm counting it as "exercise." 

I'm sure my Fitbit counted some of the bouncing on rough roads as "steps" I don't deserve, but I'm decided to live with it (because I'm tired). Once I've had a chance to catch my breath and cool down, I'll see if the dog will consent to join me for an evening walk to finish off the count for the day.

 

Summer Splash Challenge: 98.2 of 600K
Walking Streak: 41 days

[Harriet Vane]

@Jenny in Florida Those bikes look sooooooo cool! 🤩

[heartlikealion]

Today was a rest day and my feet are aching. I think the walking pain on Sat never fully ceased and today didn’t make it better just from leaving the house and bring on my feet. I iced my feet yesterday with a frozen water bottle (tight fascia) . I think the bike is the best for me right now though not ideal to be limited. I do swap between forward and backward pedaling lol If I could I’d swim but no practical options here. 

Logging my food. I hate this. But it’s working. I think I’m losing weight. 

Edited June 13, 2022 by heartlikealion

[Jenny in Florida]

@heartlikealion It is rough when those physical limitations get in the way of doing what we want to/know we should do. I hope your feet feel better today.

[Jenny in Florida]

I never did get out for that second walk last night. I was trying to finish up some online chores when my husband reminded me that the Tony Awards were starting at 8:00. Usually, this is like our Super Bowl, so it may be an indication of my general ennui that I didn't even know that was happening. I'm glad he remembered and that we watched, but it did mean sacrificing the daily step goal, since I didn't feel like heading out for a walk at 11:00 pm the night before I had work in the morning.

Walked the usual 4K this morning (and ran into a hawk just posing for me in a tree), but hit a snag when I tried to do my mat-based exercise routine. I knew I had some bumps and bruises from my fall of the Vespa yesterday, but it seems I may have pulled a muscle or something, also. Even using the lightest weights I had to hand, I felt something pop when I tried to do the first lift. I continued with the leg exercises, but had to back off quite a bit on arms. 

Not sure what the rest of the day will bring -- although the internet tells me the actual temperature here is only 86, it feels pretty oppressive -- but I will try to get those steps in today somehow.

 

Summer Splash Challenge: 102.2 of 600K
Walking Streak: 42 days

Edited June 13, 2022 by Jenny in Florida

[wintermom]

@Jenny in Florida Gorgeous photo! Thanks for sharing. I had to google Tony Awards, as they sounded kind of familiar but I didn't know what they were. I'm clearly not up on current musicals and how they receive awards. Glad your dh reminded you about them and you were able to enjoy them. 😊

[wintermom]

I'm planning to do some physical activity later today (biking, light tennis). I have 'exercised' my arms by throwing frisbees for the puppy, though. 

@Harriet Vane The thread you started about your 'reforestation' project and the neighbour weed whacking it all made me think about my own weedy areas in my backyard. I've been trying a little 'reforestation' of my own, along with promoting wildflowers, on the back slope of the yard where the grass never grew well. 2.5 years ago, we had to have all our mature trees in the backyard removed due to disease. It was a sad day for me, as I love trees. At the time, I thought we would be moving to CO, USA, so I never bothered to replant any trees. Since the move was cancelled, I tried planting 6 spruce trees and a couple birch, but only 2 spruce survived the first winter.

Last summer a few sapplings started popping up completely on their own where the tree stumps were (or close by). This year these sapplings are doing wonderful. They are all over 6 feet high. I haven't thinned them out or anything, so I figure that some will squeeze others out naturally. Maybe I should be more systematic about it, though, in order to promote strong growth and deep roots. Anyone have suggestions? 

In the photo, the young trees on the right are the ones I'm talking about. There is a bunch of them all together. (BTW, Harriet's neighbour would probably get all twitchy just looking at my little restoration/wildflower project. It is a work in progress. 😅)

 

[Laura Corin]

@wintermom your garden project  sounds fun. We are letting half of our lawn grow tall and I am raising oxe-eye daisies to plant into that area for the insects. I'll probably plant spring bulbs into the grass too. Separately,  we have some shrubby areas to replant and I'm planning on lots of berries for the birds.

A good exercise day - a walk at lunchtime then both rowing and yoga after work.

[BusyMom5]

You are all so focused!  I feel like my last 3 weeks have been kind of a wash- 1 week of vacation,  1 week of really sick, and last week still tired.  Finally feeling my normal self and a heat-wave hits!  I took a walk this morning,  but will have to wait until later tonight to get a second one in. I do feel like my portion size is correct, so thats a win!  

I am going to try to do some exercises in the house since its so hot.  I plan to take the kids swimming tomorrow, too.  I weighed in at 154 this morning,  and hoped to get to 150 by July 1.  That might be a bit hard!  

My back is feeling better, so I may be able to increase to running a bit?  Or maybe light weights?  Trying to decide what to do.  I don't need a lot of jumpy twisting movements,  so hard to find an exercise video.  

[Laura Corin]

7 minutes ago, BusyMom5 said:

You are all so focused!  I feel like my last 3 weeks have been kind of a wash- 1 week of vacation,  1 week of really sick, and last week still tired.  Finally feeling my normal self and a heat-wave hits!  I took a walk this morning,  but will have to wait until later tonight to get a second one in. I do feel like my portion size is correct, so thats a win!  

I am going to try to do some exercises in the house since its so hot.  I plan to take the kids swimming tomorrow, too.  I weighed in at 154 this morning,  and hoped to get to 150 by July 1.  That might be a bit hard!  

My back is feeling better, so I may be able to increase to running a bit?  Or maybe light weights?  Trying to decide what to do.  I don't need a lot of jumpy twisting movements,  so hard to find an exercise video.  

You might like walking videos - I've used them when it was too icy outside for walking. Some of them got my heart going. 

 

[Jenny in Florida]

1 hour ago, Laura Corin said:

You might like walking videos - I've used them when it was too icy outside for walking. Some of them got my heart going. 

Agreeing with Laura. When the weather isn't cooperative (a pretty good bet at least a few days a week here in "sunny" Florida from late spring though early fall), I walk inside with one of those videos or ride my stationary bike.

[BusyMom5]

Thank you!  I will try that out!  

[Harriet Vane]

3 hours ago, wintermom said:

I'm planning to do some physical activity later today (biking, light tennis). I have 'exercised' my arms by throwing frisbees for the puppy, though. 

@Harriet Vane The thread you started about your 'reforestation' project and the neighbour weed whacking it all made me think about my own weedy areas in my backyard. I've been trying a little 'reforestation' of my own, along with promoting wildflowers, on the back slope of the yard where the grass never grew well. 2.5 years ago, we had to have all our mature trees in the backyard removed due to disease. It was a sad day for me, as I love trees. At the time, I thought we would be moving to CO, USA, so I never bothered to replant any trees. Since the move was cancelled, I tried planting 6 spruce trees and a couple birch, but only 2 spruce survived the first winter.

Last summer a few sapplings started popping up completely on their own where the tree stumps were (or close by). This year these sapplings are doing wonderful. They are all over 6 feet high. I haven't thinned them out or anything, so I figure that some will squeeze others out naturally. Maybe I should be more systematic about it, though, in order to promote strong growth and deep roots. Anyone have suggestions? 

In the photo, the young trees on the right are the ones I'm talking about. There is a bunch of them all together. (BTW, Harriet's neighbour would probably get all twitchy just looking at my little restoration/wildflower project. It is a work in progress. 😅)

 

This looks like my project, though we do have some mature trees sprinkled in. One side looks more foresty because there are more mature trees there. The side closest to the lane has numerous saplings and thick underbrush and not as many mature trees. Last year it just looked like underbrush, This year we can actually, really see the baby trees. We put in bushes along the lane, too. Some have not thrived, but others are doing well.

I think your waterfall is so cool!

[wintermom]

12 hours ago, Harriet Vane said:

This looks like my project, though we do have some mature trees sprinkled in. One side looks more foresty because there are more mature trees there. The side closest to the lane has numerous saplings and thick underbrush and not as many mature trees. Last year it just looked like underbrush, This year we can actually, really see the baby trees. We put in bushes along the lane, too. Some have not thrived, but others are doing well.

I think your waterfall is so cool!

It's definitely fun when you can finally see trees thriving. I can totally understand why your neighbor's destruction of your project was so upsetting. Hopefully your trees will survive and more lower plants will grow back. I'm thinking that some thining out will benefit MY trees. They're a little crowed in by all the wild things. 😉 

Edited June 14, 2022 by wintermom

[Soror]

Finally heading home today 😊

Lots of steps but nothing else. Sleep has been ok most nights although I awoke at 2:45 tonight and haven't been able to go back to sleep. We've got to get up in 5 minutes at 4:45 so hopefully I'll nap on the plane.

Food was meh. I snacked too much in the evenings and not enough veggies. Looking forward to a regular shopping trip where I have a full kitchen and don't have to carry groceries home!

It's going to be another long travel day but not nearly as bad as our first day. We'll be home within 24 hours. 

I've been reading everyone's updates but it is a pain replying on the phone and we've been busy. Looking forward to catching up with you guys soon.

[heartlikealion]

dd fell asleep before I could get her in the shower so I biked for a bit. I got 20 min in. She woke up and I got her bathed and to bed then did another 20. MyFitnessPal and my bike disagree on calories burned so I’ve been overriding MFP to match the lower estimate. 

I couldn’t remember my starting weight correctly apparently because I did a weigh in and I’ve lost 4lbs, supposedly. I know the weight can fluctuate depending on time of day etc but at least I know I’m making some sort of process. 

Do you all have gym memberships or home equipment for the rowing? 

Edited June 14, 2022 by heartlikealion
Typo

[Laura Corin]

1 hour ago, heartlikealion said:

dd fell asleep before I could get her in the shower so I biked for a bit. I got 20 min in. She woke up and I got her bathed and to bed then did another 20. MyFitnessPal and my bike disagree on calories burned so I’ve been overriding MFP to match the lower estimate. 

I couldn’t remember my starting weight correctly apparently because I did a weigh in and I’ve lost 4lbs, supposedly. I know the weight can fluctuate depending on time of day etc but at least I know I’m making some sort of process. 

Do you all have gym memberships or home equipment for the rowing? 

Well done on the weight! I got a lower-mid-range indoor rowing machine for Christmas.  It doesn’t produce statistics but otherwise works fine. Husband uses it too - it's been a good purchase for us. It folds up vertically so I can wheel it into a corner if necessary.  I'm not too keen on gyms. 

[Laura Corin]

Oh no!  The latest Star Wars thingy was filmed in our favourite walking glen.  The car park is small and we'll never get into it again. There's no space for buses either in the car park or in the village https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/business-environment/environment/3340782/star-wars-glen-tilt/

Today: yoga first thing.  Lunchtime we have someone coming around to assess our house to see if it's suitable for hosting one/more Ukrainian refugee(s), so I won't be able to walk.  Probably a walk after work.