Well-trained bodies - August

[Laura Corin]

All are welcome, whatever your fitness level or aims.  Feel free to check in as much or as little as you like.

[wintermom]

Thanks for starting off the August thread, Laura!

I just finished playing 2.5 hrs of ladies doubles tennis in pretty hot conditions. Thankfully there was a nice breeze to cool us off. This was the third day in my little streak of playing. Rest day tomorrow, then another streak of tennis Wednesday - Sunday. 

I also walked the puppy with dh this evening at the off-leash trails. 

Edited August 2, 2022 by wintermom

[Harriet Vane]

Walked for six hours almost continuously with two energetic boys. Ready to croak--every joint is throbbing and every muscle is utterly exhausted. But it was a good day. 

[Soror]

I am at least temporarily caught up in yard work. I'd fallen behind with busyness and the heat and was trying to take advantage of the cooler temps to get caught back up. Good thing we got things done as the temps were high again. We loaded up 100 boards last night and the heat index was still 100 at 7pm. Then I had some soda. Which I never do. Between that and tweaking meds for blood draw tomorrow I didn't hardly sleep.

Today: early am strength--- upper body;

Dh is working a partial day (HOPEFULLY) because we have things to finish up before we set trusses tomorrow. It's going to be hot as hell but we're out of time. I'm hoping to hit the ground running so I have time for an afternoon nap before the "fun" starts.

 

[Jenny in Florida]

@Laura Corin - Thanks for kicking off the new thread.

I tried to plan carefully to slip in an evening walk last night after it cooled off just a teeny bit and before the projected rain started and mostly made it. (The "real feel" temp was still close to 100 as of 8:00PM.) The sky was very dramatic while the dog and I walked our 3.5k around the neighborhood, and the first raindrops hit just as we were heading back inside. It then proceeded to storm and pour for a few hours, which seems to have finally, slightly broken the humidity and brought down the temperature by a few degrees. 

We walked the usual 4k+ this morning, then headed out to the patio for a 2-minute seated upper body video. Finished up with some step stuff and other leg stretches.

 

Summer Splash Challenge: 479.5 of 600K
Walking Streak: 92 days

Edited August 2, 2022 by Jenny in Florida

[wintermom]

@Soror That is some serious heat to be doing all that work. Hydrate with whatever your body craves, is my motto when doing manual labour. Hope you get done all that you need to so that things don't fall down on you (if this is even a threat). 

@Harriet Vane Awesome job hiking for 6 hrs with energetic boys!! 

@Jenny in Florida Great job getting in all that walking and missing the storm!

@Laura Corin Hope your sleep is getting back to 'normal.' My ds16 woke me up at 3:30am with his loud laughing and talking while playing computer games. After telling him to get to bed, I could not get back to sleep for a long while. It was a little like deja vu of baby and toddler years. 😉  

Rest day planned for today, though dh and I will get in at least 1 dog walk at the off-leash park. 

[Laura Corin]

@wintermom I'm pretty tired but I'm sleeping solidly through my five hours.  I sympathise with your broken sleep - my son laughs loudly when wearing headphones . He has no idea how startling it is to suddenly hear that out of silence.

I had to work through my lunch, and we have a guest this evening.  I'll try to take a late night walk.

[BusyMom5]

I'm back!  I took last month off bc we were just so busy.  Good news is that I still hit my walking goal most days, and while I didn't loose a lot, I think I lost a pound-ish.  Much better than gaining!  

Writing this weeks goals:

1.  10K steps at least 5 days

2.  Cut back on non-fruit snacks.  Snack on fruit!  

3.  Work on a routine to get more exercise in while teaching school.  Its hard!

Soror- Hope the shop project goes well- it was do nice to get a few cooler days last week!

Harrier Vane snd Jenny in Florida- great job on your steps!  Its so hard to find a cool time of day to walk.  

[Harriet Vane]

I walked an easy quarter mile this morning and am planning today mostly for rest and recovery. Tomorrow I am taking the boys to a museum and will get in plenty of steps there. 

[wintermom]

37 minutes ago, BusyMom5 said:

I'm back!  I took last month off bc we were just so busy.  Good news is that I still hit my walking goal most days, and while I didn't loose a lot, I think I lost a pound-ish.  Much better than gaining!  

Writing this weeks goals:

1.  10K steps at least 5 days

2.  Cut back on non-fruit snacks.  Snack on fruit!  

3.  Work on a routine to get more exercise in while teaching school.  Its hard!

Welcome back! That's wonderful you were able to maintain your walking and weight. 

[Ali in OR]

Did my bodyweight circuit x2 and Wakeup Yoga this morning. You all are reminding me that I wanted to get in a walk on these non-treadmill days. We'll hit 90° today--I should go sooner rather than later. Maybe after a healthy lunch.

I had to send dh a pic this morning of my shopping cart loaded with plants. I'm aiming for as good a week as possible to cram for next week's blood pressure check. Dh is reading all my books too--definitely on-board but we're both still in denial that all meat is bad. Chicken? Really? I'm expecting us to settle into something more like the DASH diet that allows some animal products rather than a pure WFPB diet. But definitely a lot more plants than we used to eat and some meatless days in there each week.

Went to my first PT session yesterday and got some good helpful exercises for my shoulder. Some to open up the chest more, some to build some strength. The PT thinks it's rotator cuff tendonitis and showed me a model that made it make sense to me--the tendon top center going into shoulder.

Dd spent her first night at the foster care home last night. I'm going over there first thing in morning and in the evening to teach them those routines. Definite mom-guilt, but also enjoying a quiet house with no screaming. It helps that she is happy there and they are very caring people looking to meet her every need to keep her happy. 

[Jenny in Florida]

I managed to squeeze in a short (2k-ish) walk before yoga class last night. It started storming pretty seriously right about the time we were starting class, which was kind of cool. It was surprisingly relaxing to do class looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the rain and lightning outside. I still had steps to finish for the day by the time I got home, and since it was still pouring rain, I decided to hop on the stationary bike for a little over 30 minutes.

Today was one of those mornings when I really, really didn't want to face the day, so after the usual 4k walk, I gave myself permission to take as long as I wanted on the exercise mat. It ended up being about 40 minutes of strength and stretching. 

 

Summer Splash Challenge: 496.5 of 600K
Walking Streak: 93 days

[wintermom]

@Jenny in Florida Great job squeezing in the walk and yoga! I love watching storms out the window from inside, too. It's not as fun in a leaky tent like our family camping trip last summer. I thought I'd mended all the leaks, too. Water has a way of finding all the little spaces. 😉 

Dd joined me and puppy for an evening walk in the off-leash trails yesterday, which was really fun. She has some great tricks to control puppy that I learned! This afternoon I have tennis, and then dd and I are hoping to take puppy to the agility course to practice.

[Ali in OR]

Did a steady-state cardio workout instead of the treadmill this morning. I was up earlier than dh and wanted to let him sleep.

Had a meeting at school today. It was kind of weird being back, but I also spent a little time in my classroom getting desks set up and stuff (they remove everything to wax the floors in the summer and then put it back not quite the same.) I don't mind doing some school stuff in August, but it's also a reminder to enjoy summer while I can!

[Laura Corin]

I ran errands on foot at lunchtime, then walked three miles after supper. I'm finding it hard to do more than walk on this sleep schedule, so I'm not pushing it.

[wintermom]

Dh and I walked the puppy at the trails at lunch, and I played 2 hrs of doubles tennis after work. In the evening, dd and I took the puppy to the agility course to run him through some jumps and tunnels. He's so fast that it's impossible to keep up with him. Mostly we just start him off, then yell, "jump" or "tunnel" and he does what we say. He really loves it! 

Edited August 4, 2022 by wintermom

[BusyMom5]

I'm still trying to figure out school for this year.  I taught my 3 middle kids in the morning, history after lunch, then my 4 (almost 5) year old demanded her own school time- I spent from 3-5:30 doing school with her.  Not sustainable!  Hopefully once my big 2 are off to college and in DE at our local college, things will settle into a routine.  I still managed to walk a little before and after dinner to get my steps in, but no housework was done today.   

Those of you making the daily workout a priority are inspiring!  I'm trying!  Its just so hard to carve out time for me when I have 6 kids who need me to do things for them.  

[Laura Corin]

1 hour ago, BusyMom5 said:

I'm still trying to figure out school for this year.  I taught my 3 middle kids in the morning, history after lunch, then my 4 (almost 5) year old demanded her own school time- I spent from 3-5:30 doing school with her.  Not sustainable!  Hopefully once my big 2 are off to college and in DE at our local college, things will settle into a routine.  I still managed to walk a little before and after dinner to get my steps in, but no housework was done today.   

Those of you making the daily workout a priority are inspiring!  I'm trying!  Its just so hard to carve out time for me when I have 6 kids who need me to do things for them.  

My kids are both adults, so I'm in a different phase. For many years when they were younger and I was home educating them, I just managed to walk while they were in activities  and go to one yoga class a week.

[heartlikealion]

I finally had my follow up dr appt due to the concerning BP at the last visit. Apparently BCBS can schedule a follow up for things like BP and it’s covered so there was no charge for today’s visit. My BP today was 105/70 and dr said just keep doing what I’m doing. For reference, the last dr visit it was 129/92. My cholesterol wasn’t brought up by BCBS but it wasn’t great so I’ll just keep an eye on the next wellness visit results since no lab work was done today. 

The nurse measured my waist (don’t think they ever have) and I have lost a couple inches since the last time I checked my waist at home. 

Nothing has been normal for a week or so with my life or exercise. I still have to off gas my new oven before I start using it (I tried when the kids were here and it made the whole house stink like chemicals so I turned it off and will do maybe tomorrow or this weekend and sit outside for an hour. It was raining today). I boiled chicken the other night but I don’t see how to really season it that way. Bought more produce today. Try to keep more on hand so I fill up on that. 

I sorta got my curtains up in the living room which has been part of the reason I’ve shied away from exercising. One of the anchors/screws is wanting to come out ugh. I definitely need to get back to exercising tomorrow. I fell asleep after my outing today. 

[Soror]

11 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

I ran errands on foot at lunchtime, then walked three miles after supper. I'm finding it hard to do more than walk on this sleep schedule, so I'm not pushing it.

I bet you are with so little sleep. (hugs)

6 hours ago, BusyMom5 said:

I'm still trying to figure out school for this year.  I taught my 3 middle kids in the morning, history after lunch, then my 4 (almost 5) year old demanded her own school time- I spent from 3-5:30 doing school with her.  Not sustainable!  Hopefully once my big 2 are off to college and in DE at our local college, things will settle into a routine.  I still managed to walk a little before and after dinner to get my steps in, but no housework was done today.   

Those of you making the daily workout a priority are inspiring!  I'm trying!  Its just so hard to carve out time for me when I have 6 kids who need me to do things for them.  

When schedules change it is always a PITA to get things settled. You are still getting in the groove of your new school year and have 2 getting ready to leave/change things up very soon. I'd do what you can until that happens and then you can get a better idea of how things look after that. I didn't do a lot of official preschool things-- other than read alouds. I've tried to somewhat follow the hs adage of an hour a grade so at that age it would be maybe an hour of stuff. 

Over the years my schedule has flexed a lot. For a long while I'd aim for general activity/walking with the kids during the day--- pinned to things like breakfast/lunch/after dinner. Then maybe 2-3x a week I'd do classes/gym after dropping them at an activity or after dh got home. Then for a spell we did a workout program together as homeschool PE time. Before the pandemic it was walking when I could and gym when they had TKD 2x a week and some Saturday mornings when I was free. Then I transitioned to morning strength training (weekly HIIT). 

I pull back on official exercise when things get nutso. Right now between helping dh build the shop, keeping up with the house, 500 things on my calendar I'm averaging 4 days a week of strength work and most steps are just from general activity-- cleaning, working outside-- very few walks (if I do get one it is generally waiting on kids for something).

10 hours ago, wintermom said:

Dh and I walked the puppy at the trails at lunch, and I played 2 hrs of doubles tennis after work. In the evening, dd and I took the puppy to the agility course to run him through some jumps and tunnels. He's so fast that it's impossible to keep up with him. Mostly we just start him off, then yell, "jump" or "tunnel" and he does what we say. He really loves it! 

I bet the puppy had a great time.

1 hour ago, heartlikealion said:

I finally had my follow up dr appt due to the concerning BP at the last visit. Apparently BCBS can schedule a follow up for things like BP and it’s covered so there was no charge for today’s visit. My BP today was 105/70 and dr said just keep doing what I’m doing. For reference, the last dr visit it was 129/92. My cholesterol wasn’t brought up by BCBS but it wasn’t great so I’ll just keep an eye on the next wellness visit results since no lab work was done today. 

The nurse measured my waist (don’t think they ever have) and I have lost a couple inches since the last time I checked my waist at home. 

Nothing has been normal for a week or so with my life or exercise. I still have to off gas my new oven before I start using it (I tried when the kids were here and it made the whole house stink like chemicals so I turned it off and will do maybe tomorrow or this weekend and sit outside for an hour. It was raining today). I boiled chicken the other night but I don’t see how to really season it that way. Bought more produce today. Try to keep more on hand so I fill up on that. 

I sorta got my curtains up in the living room which has been part of the reason I’ve shied away from exercising. One of the anchors/screws is wanting to come out ugh. I definitely need to get back to exercising tomorrow. I fell asleep after my outing today. 

I bet you needed the nap with all the stress and busyness of moving. Congratulations on the lower bp and waist measurement. Don't dismiss the movement from moving. YOu have been active, just in different ways.

12 hours ago, Ali in OR said:

Did a steady-state cardio workout instead of the treadmill this morning. I was up earlier than dh and wanted to let him sleep.

Had a meeting at school today. It was kind of weird being back, but I also spent a little time in my classroom getting desks set up and stuff (they remove everything to wax the floors in the summer and then put it back not quite the same.) I don't mind doing some school stuff in August, but it's also a reminder to enjoy summer while I can!

When does your school year start? 

[Soror]

I was awake by 4:15 yesterday and started doing housework shortly thereafter. We were outside with lights by 5:15--- worked until 1:15 or so. We got 9 trusses set and 3 more up. I'll be glad for that job to be done. My brother and dad are supposed to be back tomorrow (assuming it doesn't storm) and get the last 3 up and set the other 3 already up. I could help for some things and then for other parts was just on call as fetch it girl/assistant 🙂

I had a lovely afternoon nap--- it was so needed!

Then cleaning, cooking, dinner and more outside work with dh. We called it quits around 8:30 pm. I could have squeezed in some lifting since I woke up so early but knew it was going to be a long hot day so I skipped it.

Today: getting ready to do a workout but not sure what yet-

Girls have TKD tonight but I've got to get groceries instead of walk. I've been working with dh so much this week I've not got a chance to so far and we're running out of things. 

It will probably be a low activity day. Got to pick up and take dd1 to work, school the girls and take them to TKD. Dh and I might do some outside work if it doesn't keep storming (big thunderstorms right now). We'll see how sore he is from his hard work yesterday.

[Soror]

eta: I don't think I'll get to play pickleball this week. So far there have been no court days and they usually only play MOn-Thurs. My day today is already planned. They were playing 3x a week, then 2x, then only once last week and none so far this week. Hopefully, everyone is just busy with summer and it will continue to happen (and big hope that it will work with my schedule). I'd like to be able to go once a week (don't expect I could get more than that to work out)

eta 2: tomorrow I have to go to the city for a dr's appt and we will probably be out working early before I leave so likely no updates here. I really wanted to go rock climbing when I go to the city, we'll see if I can. I promised dd I'd take her for some school shopping too.

[wintermom]

8 hours ago, BusyMom5 said:

I'm still trying to figure out school for this year.  I taught my 3 middle kids in the morning, history after lunch, then my 4 (almost 5) year old demanded her own school time- I spent from 3-5:30 doing school with her.  Not sustainable!  Hopefully once my big 2 are off to college and in DE at our local college, things will settle into a routine.  I still managed to walk a little before and after dinner to get my steps in, but no housework was done today.   

Those of you making the daily workout a priority are inspiring!  I'm trying!  Its just so hard to carve out time for me when I have 6 kids who need me to do things for them.  

I was definitely not doing as much of any 'activity for me' when my dc were pre-schoolers. I'd involve the dc with hiking, swimming, cycling, etc, but it wasn't really exercise for me. Now that my dc older, there is way more time in my schedule. There's also more money since I went back to work. We can afford kayaks and tennis clubs, and dh and I have the time to actually use them! 😉 

[Ali in OR]

@Soror The first day of school here is the Wednesday after Labor Day--I think 9/7 this year. I wish we started earlier--I hate going so late in June. But teachers are back at work 8/29 with meetings, trainings, and prep.

Off to do my dumbbell workout. My early morning exercise habit was formed when I had babies in the house. I couldn't leave the house to exercise on my own, but I could get up before them and walk on a treadmill in my room. The habit stuck.

[Jenny in Florida]

7 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

My kids are both adults, so I'm in a different phase. For many years when they were younger and I was home educating them, I just managed to walk while they were in activities  and go to one yoga class a week.

Ditto, more or less. 

I had only two kids, both of whom are now adults and off on their own. When I was still in full-time mommy mode, a lot of my walking happened while I was waiting for one kid or the other to finish an activity. I got in the habit of scouting online ahead of time in the areas in which they would be doing classes, rehearsals and performances for nice parks and walking trails. I would deliver the kid to the venue and then grab the dog and go for a walk.

It's a whole lot easier to prioritize exercise when your only scheduling conflict is work.

[Jenny in Florida]

I'm trying to finish prepping for two presentations I have to do at work this week. One is this afternoon, and the other tomorrow afternoon. Let's just say I'm really paying for those days last week when I couldn't focus. I ended up sitting at my desk until after 10:30 last night, pushing to get a draft of today's session complete. I did take a break to go for a walk when my back and rear end began complaining loudly about the long period of sitting, but then it was back to my desk chair.

I started this morning with the usual 4k+ walk, but ended up skipping any additional exercise, because I had to do some work in the kitchen. My husband asked me last week if I would cook dinner for him and his RPG buddies for tonight, and I said of course. I figured, given the sprint necessary to make sure I'm ready for the meeting this afternoon, it made the most sense to knock out most of the dinner prep early in the day. I'm telling myself I will do something later to make up for skipping strength and stretching this morning, but since I will have to turn my attention to getting ready for tomorrow's work thing pretty much as soon as I finish with today's, I'm not sure the odds of that are actually all that great.

Fortunately, I'm a little ahead of pace on the walking challenge, at least.

 

Summer Splash Challenge: 504.9 of 600K
Walking Streak: 94 days

[Harriet Vane]

Took the boys to a museum yesterday. Definitely got in plenty of steps and even cardio—many of those steps were fast, including the all-out sprint to catch an angry boy, lol.

I hope to go to gyrotonics after they are picked up. Maybe a nap, too. 

[wintermom]

I played 2 hrs of doubles tennis this morning. It was a really good run around. We played indoors, which made it a lot easier to play without worrying about the wind and sun. 

If the rain stops, I'm going kayaking with a friend this afternoon. 

[wintermom]

I ended up kayaking alone as my friend canceled at the last minute. I saw 10 turtles and 2 blue herons. It was a delightful paddle. 

I also took the puppy for a walk at the off-leash trails.

[Jenny in Florida]

So, yeah, I never did do anything to make up for skipping strength and stretching yesterday morning. Once I got done with the presentation/training session and finished the prep for my husband's dinner with friends, I was pretty wiped. I limped through the rest of the work day and then just puttered around the house and went for a walk to knock out the remaining steps. 

I did see a decent-sized alligator in one of the ponds, but it wouldn't stay still long enough for me to get a decent photo.

Almost back on track this morning. I walked the usual 4k-ish with the dog and spent about 20 minutes on strength and stretching on the patio. I'm trying to incorporate some yoga poses from my classes into the daily routine, which is a nice change of pace. 

 

Summer Splash Challenge: 513.2 of 600K
Walking Streak: 95 days

[wintermom]

5 minutes ago, Jenny in Florida said:

I did see a decent-sized alligator in one of the ponds, but it wouldn't stay still long enough for me to get a decent photo.

🥶 Not the type of wildlife I'm hoping to see in my neighbourhood! Eeeek! I'd not be pulling out my phone, either. You are a brave woman!

[wintermom]

Doing the usual activities today; walk puppy at the off-leash trails, 2 hrs of doubles tennis this evening. Looking forward to both! It's sunny and beautiful outside today. I'm happy to enjoy these last few weeks of summer before things cool off. 😊

[Jenny in Florida]

3 minutes ago, wintermom said:

🥶 Not the type of wildlife I'm hoping to see in my neighbourhood! Eeeek! I'd not be pulling out my phone, either. You are a brave woman!

One of the first things you learn living in Florida is that any significant body of water is likely to contain an alligator. It's just part of the landscape. 

[wintermom]

1 minute ago, Jenny in Florida said:

One of the first things you learn living in Florida is that any significant body of water is likely to contain an alligator. It's just part of the landscape. 

Do they ignore humans for the most part, or do you have to keep your eyes open and stay will away from them?

[hshibley]

3 minutes ago, wintermom said:

Do they ignore humans for the most part, or do you have to keep your eyes open and stay will away from them?

You need to keep your eyes open and stay away. They’ll attack people and pets etc. They are also surprisingly fast. It’s particularly dangerous if there are people who are feeding them. (Lord knows why anyone would feed them). 

[Jenny in Florida]

13 minutes ago, wintermom said:

Do they ignore humans for the most part, or do you have to keep your eyes open and stay will away from them?

I mean, I wouldn't go up and say hello. We definitely keep our distance, and I don't wander down to the edge of the water or let the dog run free near a lake. However, for the most part, the alligators just hang out doing what they do. This one was just gliding along in the water, and the dog and I were up on the sidewalk, separated by a good 20+ feet. I was aware of him, kept an eye on him until we were well past, but if you get too afraid of them, you could never go anywhere in Florida. The neighborhood we live in is built around several ponds and small lakes -- which is part of its charm -- and you  just kind of have to assume that any or all of those ponds and lakes have gators in them. (They even show up in people's swimming pools sometimes.)

Edited to add: I just did a quick Google, which tells me that going back to the 1940s, there has been an average of three major alligator attacks in all of Florida each year. 

Edited August 5, 2022 by Jenny in Florida

[Laura Corin]

1 hour ago, Jenny in Florida said:

 

Edited to add: I just did a quick Google, which tells me that going back to the 1940s, there has been an average of three major alligator attacks in all of Florida each year. 

About that many people are killed by cattle in the UK each year.  Mostly it's people who work with cows who are killed, but roughly one walker per year is killed by cows.  I had my own run-in with cows a few years ago, and it was really frightening.  I wasn't hurt, but I was badly frightened.  Cows are surprisingly fast.

[wintermom]

5 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

About that many people are killed by cattle in the UK each year.  Mostly it's people who work with cows who are killed, but roughly one walker per year is killed by cows.  I had my own run-in with cows a few years ago, and it was really frightening.  I wasn't hurt, but I was badly frightened.  Cows are surprisingly fast.

Out of curiosity, I looked at similar stats in Canada. it's less that 2 people/year and mostly people working within the cattle industry. I think that there are a lot more potential interactions between hikers/dog walkers and cattle in the UK than in Canada. We have very different private property rules, plus a much larger countryside with way fewer people. You'd have to be very intentional to walk where there are cattle in Canada. 

[Ali in OR]

About 29 minutes on the treadmill this morning. I know it seems I should have just stayed on 1 more minute but I was running late. This week I've been going to dd's foster home at 7:30 am and pm as they train on meds and get used to her morning and night routines.

I'm cramming for my BP check next Wednesday--eating lots of plants, not eating much meat, etc. Also trying to get just a little more exercise. I was wondering aloud to dh, what do I do if the BP is basically the same? It's not like there is much more I can change--we were already doing a lot of what they would suggest, like regular exercise and leaning toward a low-sodium diet. But I guess I could up the exercise too, like add a daily walk, especially when I'm not doing dd's daily care. Anyway, there will be a walk later today to add to that 29 minutes. And I'll do my PT exercises--a couple are twice a day and the last two days I've only done once a day. Both the dog and cat help with the floor exercises. They think my outstretched hands are there to scritch their ears.

[Laura Corin]

9 minutes ago, wintermom said:

Out of curiosity, I looked at similar stats in Canada. it's less that 2 people/year and mostly people working within the cattle industry. I think that there are a lot more potential interactions between hikers/dog walkers and cattle in the UK than in Canada. We have very different private property rules, plus a much larger countryside with way fewer people. You'd have to be very intentional to walk where there are cattle in Canada. 

Yes.  There are lots of rights of way that go across fields in the UK.  Strangely, it's harder in England than in Scotland: in England you are meant to keep to paths, even if they go across fields with livestock.  In Scotland I can go anywhere (so long as I don't cause damage) so I'll take a big loop across neighbouring fields to avoid the cattle.  My incident happened in England.

[Harriet Vane]

The boys were picked up later than expected, so no gyrotonics yesterday. This morning I forced myself to the gym for a proper once-over on weights and core. It was good to be there. 

[Laura Corin]

I had to work through lunchtime again  - it's my busy time of year. I managed my three mile walk after supper. 

[Jenny in Florida]

I "worked" pretty late yesterday. In addition to the two big presentations I had to prep for and facilitate, I have been helping to onboard a new team member, who is a close friend of mine. I volunteered to meet with her yesterday afternoon to go over a couple of applications with which she is unfamiliar, which turned into more than two hours of discussing how her first week has gone and just sort of generally supporting her trying to find her feet. 

By the time we logged off, it was almost 8:00, and I still had almost half of my steps for the day to go. I headed out, figuring I would log as many steps as I could and then hop on the stationary bike when I inevitably had to come home because of rain or just plain boredom, but the weather was surprisingly pleasant and my audiobook was engaging enough that I managed to meet my goal by the time I stepped back inside.

The sky and the lake were pretty while I was out there.

Yoga class for this morning was cancelled, because I was the only person registered. The teacher offered to meet with me one on one, but I hated the idea of her making the drive and giving up her morning for what I pay for a single class. She gave me a credit towards a future class.

So, it was more of the usual around here: walking 4k-ish and then a solid session of strength and stretching on the patio, including a few yoga poses.

 

Summer Splash Challenge: 521.7 of 600K
Walking Streak: 96 days

Edited August 6, 2022 by Jenny in Florida

[Ali in OR]

Beautiful view, @Jenny in Florida.

Did my PT early today and then Root to Rise yoga, one of my faves.

I picked up dd after her (early) dinner yesterday and we will take her back Sunday in time for her dinner. We'll take her to a county fair later today. It's been cancelled the last 2 years--hope she still likes listening to the music performances. We're all still feeling our way through new routines and schedules.

[wintermom]

@Jenny in Florida Nice photo! Glad you got in all your activity for the day.

@Ali in OR Enjoy your time at the country fair!!

Tennis was very hot and humid this morning. It was good fun, though. My friend drove us in to tennis, and we stopeed for gelato afterwards. It was delicious!! 

I'm going kayaking and swimming at a nearby beach/river this afternoon. 

[Harriet Vane]

We have an international student for just a few days before his housing is set up. We walked with him on campus and did a ton of shopping, so I got plenty of steps in.

[wintermom]

The kayaking was really fun. I paddled down a few small rapids, then walked back up them pulling the kayak. I saw this lovely water cascade. I didn't actually swim, but a waded a lot while navigating back up the rapids. Fun adventure!

 

[Soror]

On 8/5/2022 at 11:11 AM, Ali in OR said:

About 29 minutes on the treadmill this morning. I know it seems I should have just stayed on 1 more minute but I was running late. This week I've been going to dd's foster home at 7:30 am and pm as they train on meds and get used to her morning and night routines.

I'm cramming for my BP check next Wednesday--eating lots of plants, not eating much meat, etc. Also trying to get just a little more exercise. I was wondering aloud to dh, what do I do if the BP is basically the same? It's not like there is much more I can change--we were already doing a lot of what they would suggest, like regular exercise and leaning toward a low-sodium diet. But I guess I could up the exercise too, like add a daily walk, especially when I'm not doing dd's daily care. Anyway, there will be a walk later today to add to that 29 minutes. And I'll do my PT exercises--a couple are twice a day and the last two days I've only done once a day. Both the dog and cat help with the floor exercises. They think my outstretched hands are there to scritch their ears.

I hope the BP check goes well. I admire your dedication to habits for health.

On 8/5/2022 at 12:40 PM, Harriet Vane said:

The boys were picked up later than expected, so no gyrotonics yesterday. This morning I forced myself to the gym for a proper once-over on weights and core. It was good to be there. 

Sounds like they kept you busy!

On 8/5/2022 at 5:20 PM, Laura Corin said:

I had to work through lunchtime again  - it's my busy time of year. I managed my three mile walk after supper. 

When does the term start? I'm guessing it will be pretty swamped until a bit after the start of the year?

17 hours ago, wintermom said:

@Jenny in Florida Nice photo! Glad you got in all your activity for the day.

@Ali in OR Enjoy your time at the country fair!!

Tennis was very hot and humid this morning. It was good fun, though. My friend drove us in to tennis, and we stopeed for gelato afterwards. It was delicious!! 

I'm going kayaking and swimming at a nearby beach/river this afternoon. 

Yummy, gelato! Very pretty spot you went kayaking too.

19 hours ago, Ali in OR said:

Beautiful view, @Jenny in Florida.

Did my PT early today and then Root to Rise yoga, one of my faves.

I picked up dd after her (early) dinner yesterday and we will take her back Sunday in time for her dinner. We'll take her to a county fair later today. It's been cancelled the last 2 years--hope she still likes listening to the music performances. We're all still feeling our way through new routines and schedules.

So, how did the weekend go? Is dd now there during the week regularly or was this just a trial. Last I remember you were trying out over nights (admittedly I miss things).

19 hours ago, Jenny in Florida said:

I "worked" pretty late yesterday. In addition to the two big presentations I had to prep for and facilitate, I have been helping to onboard a new team member, who is a close friend of mine. I volunteered to meet with her yesterday afternoon to go over a couple of applications with which she is unfamiliar, which turned into more than two hours of discussing how her first week has gone and just sort of generally supporting her trying to find her feet. 

By the time we logged off, it was almost 8:00, and I still had almost half of my steps for the day to go. I headed out, figuring I would log as many steps as I could and then hop on the stationary bike when I inevitably had to come home because of rain or just plain boredom, but the weather was surprisingly pleasant and my audiobook was engaging enough that I managed to meet my goal by the time I stepped back inside.

The sky and the lake were pretty while I was out there.

Yoga class for this morning was cancelled, because I was the only person registered. The teacher offered to meet with me one on one, but I hated the idea of her making the drive and giving up her morning for what I pay for a single class. She gave me a credit towards a future class.

So, it was more of the usual around here: walking 4k-ish and then a solid session of strength and stretching on the patio, including a few yoga poses.

 

Summer Splash Challenge: 521.7 of 600K
Walking Streak: 96 days

 

Lovely view. What is the audio book that has you so enthralled? It was so nice of the teacher to offer to do the class anyway. Hopefully, more people show up next time.

[Soror]

Friday was another busy day with not enough sleep. Awake by 3:30, outside working by 5:30. Left for the city around 9 and got back at 10pm. 

Had my appointment and lots of shopping for dd1.

I did get in a quick session of rock climbing. We went to a different location and I didn't care for it as much but still some fun. I really, nearly didn't go as I was already tired and knew we'd be getting home late already but am glad I went ahead and did it. 

Saturday I awoke for a bit in the night and was up for the day by 5:45. I was utterly exhausted. Too many busy days and not enough sleep plus I started my period (the biggest cause of the not enough sleep). I helped the guys in the am, took a nap, did a bit of cooking and cleaning but was mostly on my butt. 

I *plan* a dumbbell HIIT workout today but that may not happen. Dh and I will be outside working as soon as it is daylight so it depends on how long and hard we work. (I expect not to push too hard as it is getting hot today and he's already sore from doing so much this week)

I did sleep better last night--- asleep by 10 awake at 4. Still not enough hours but not enough time to go back to sleep before we have to go outside. 

My doctor's appointment wasn't very helpful as they didn't have my labs yet. (I had called earlier in the week as I didn't think they would come in time but they blew me off on rescheduling- very annoying). I feel like I'm doing fairly well. Sleep is usually decent, certainly better than it was for a time. Mostly I have issues right before my period but sometimes from ovulation on it's not great. She gave me a scrip for progesterone. I've used some before during that time (as I tend towards a hormonal imbalance) but it was a cream and a PITA. This time I have a pill. I'm planning to trial that a few days or so before my period when it's the worst to see if it helps.

Eating has been not as good as I'd like last month. I let stress get the better of me and was stupid busy. Stress has subsided a good amount I'm ready to reset things. Although, it is a different set of stressors I'm ready for school to start and my schedule to slow down. I need to slow down. It was looking pretty good the next 2 weeks until dd decided to do tennis which has mon-fri practice. 

[Laura Corin]

@Soror the students arrive for the first full week of September and classes start in earnest the following week. Yes, things will calm down a bit in late September,  but I have a new colleague in a key role, so I am going to need to help a lot.

Today I tried to borrow an electric bike but the app malfunctioned. A bit frustrating.  I've had my late morning tea, so I'll do some yoga on the lawn, have lunch, clean the kitchen floor then go for a walk.