Well-trained bodies - October

[Laura Corin]

All are welcome, whatever the fitness level or training goals. Talking about not managing to exercise or trying to work out how to exercise is fine too. We've all been there.

[Laura Corin]

Yesterday had a lot of sitting around and talking - my stepmother is staying. We walked a mile with the dog in the morning and two miles in the afternoon after we visited my cousins. 

She is recovering from a hip replacement in early June and is a lesson to us all. She's slim, pretty  fit at 73 - walking, Pilates, some dance - and her recovery has gone smoothly.  She knows this is partly luck but also partly hard work.

She had private physio twice a day for the first week and now attends weekly group physio. Many of the other people in the class confess to not really doing the exercises, and some are still on crutches. Meanwhile she is walking without a limp or a stick, and is only concerned that she might meet a dog that could jump up on  her scar.

Edited October 2, 2022 by Laura Corin

[Soror]

That is a good lesson and reminder @Laura Corinhow we take of our bodies, now and in the future matters. I'm glad to hear your stepmom is mending well. Days of visiting are as important for the mental health as exercise is for the body.

I ended up with a busier day than I'd planned yesterday. I did go to my exercise class in the morning and got a nice chat with a friend afterwards. After that we got ds and ds' gf FAFSAs filled out. I'm beyond thrilled that ds qualifies for a needs based tuition scholarship to his preferred school. I've been waiting to file for 6 months to find out as without it I didn't know how he could go (without more money than we have or debt than we'd like). YAAAA!!!!!!

Last week wrap up:

Epic 3 Week 5 Done--- 2 lower body strength days/1 upper body strength/1 full body strength (all around 45 min) and 1-  35 min HIIT workout

4 days of pickleball--- 2 with group and 2 with girls (much slower paced)

1 HIIT class (30 min total)

I *think* just 1 10 min yoga and no walks. 

My mornings got shrunk with my sleep not being great and afternoons/evenings I was busy.

Today's plan---- yoga-- 30+ min/// walk?

New week, new month hope springs eternal and all that----

October Goals---

5 days a week Caroline Girvan workouts (4 strength/1 HIIT)--- 45-50 min for strength/30-35 for HIIT

10 min yoga--- 4 days week// 30 min+ yoga--- 1 day week

Walking-- 3 days a week

Pickleball--- 2 days a week (depends on the weather since it is outside but usually Oct is good)

Group HIIT class with friend--- maybe twice? Yoga class I tried is moved to a new time that doesn't work for my schedule but I might go with dh to college one day this month and do one there.

I might start to get some swimming towards the end of the month. I think dd is starting swim team practice in a few weeks and I'll buy passes then and start taking the girls on a regular basis. 

Ideally I would like to walk and do yoga more but I'm thinking with my sleep as it is currently these are probably good goals for now. I'll do the best I can.

Edited October 2, 2022 by Soror

[wintermom]

@Laura Corin Thanks for starting the new thread! Your step mom is doing a fantastic job of facilitating her recovery! Excellent work and very insiring! Glad you had some nice walks together.

@Soror That's fantastic news for your ds!!! Your October goals look great!

----------------------------

I'm a little glum right now, as I pulled my achilles tendon/muscle playing tennis yesterday. I had to stop playing as soon as it happened, and luckily my tennis partner is a dr - recovery specialist - who assessed that it wasn't a complete tear that needed ER attention. I've been icing and resting it for 24 hrs, and I can walk a little better now. Sadly, my tennis playing will be limited until this heals well. On the plus side, my upper body will also have a chance to rest and recover as well.

I'm going to take advantage of this injury to take the time and effort to re-introduce core work, strength and stretching into my daily routine.

[Jenny in Florida]

@Laura Corin - Thanks for starting the new thread. I probably would have gone on merrily posting on the September thread and never noticed.

 

After spending most of the afternoon and early evening stuck in my chair trying to finish a school assignment, The weather has been surprisingly nice following the storm. My husband and I put all of the furniture and plants back out on the screened patio, and I got distracted for about 30 minutes repotting a bunch of succulents I had rescued from the clearance section of Lowes. I finally got out for a walk, though, and to clock my remaining steps for the day.

Walked about 4.5K this morning, on one of the routes that is safe to walk only on days when the high school down the street is not in session. Monday through Friday, the traffic on that road is quite busy, and the sidewalks are crowded with bikes and scooters and skateboards. There's a path I like to walk that winds around behind the hospital, but I can access it only on weekends, unless I want to risk having the dog and myself run over.

No official exercise today. I did spent a little time mucking about in the front yard setting up the lighting for my husband's usual Halloween graveyard display. That will probably require more time this evening once it's dark enough to see what needs to be adjusted.

 

Fall Frenzy 2022 Challenge: 376.2 of 600K
Walking Streak: 153 days

[heartlikealion]

Today will probably be a rest day. Remember I was wondering if it was really necessary to carry a stick on walks? Well I was gifted a homemade one by concerned friends/parishioners. I’ll try it out. They said it’s cypress so not heavy. It is a bit big but we’ll see how it goes.

@wintermom sorry to hear about your injury. I know it can be so frustrating. 

[Laura Corin]

Stepmother and I did a 3 1/2 mile coastal walk in blazing sunshine today,  followed by crabcakes at our favourite smoke shack.

[lynn]

Finished Caroline Girvans iron series.  Onto her 2week kettle bell series.  No goals this month.  Trying just to move everyday.

Edited October 2, 2022 by lynn

[BusyMom5]

I'm back!  Took off most of August and September was crazy busy.  This month will probably be pretty full, too, but I finally feel like I've got school straightened out.  I try to get in my daily steps,  but food- yeah, not very careful with that.  

New Goals:

1.  Hit 10K steps 5 days a week

2.  Find a video workout that I like (suggestions welcome- back issues, not much jumping)

3.  Work on my diet- eating fewer junky foods, more veggies.

We are currently awaiting test results for Gluten Intolerance for my DH, so the food thing may end up being a big change this month.  

I'd really like to loose 1lb a week.  I was 153 this morning,  so getting under 150 would be awesome for me!  

[heartlikealion]

@BusyMom5 I just got back into the 150s. I’m also trying to lose. I want to lose 1-2 lbs a week but haven’t been losing as fast lately. 

I recommend Get Fit with Rick on YouTube but sometimes I don’t like the playlist (I prefer the no commentary videos, too). I have on occasion watched him and played my own music lol

[heartlikealion]

Oh my gosh the pool did have an issue. Kids were hospitalized recently because of a faulty pump and they inhaled chlorine gas? But weeks before that they said on social media they were having pump issues. So now I’m hoping it’s fixed for real this time. How scary! They said it’s open again and they had a swim meet this weekend. 

Edited October 2, 2022 by heartlikealion

[heartlikealion]

Morning walk. Hit 6k steps. Used the stick once (just hit the ground with it to make a noise) for the dog that is off leash by the park, but I also think he might be friendly but he's in protect territory mode. 

[Harriet Vane]

Such a rough weekend. Had to drive across multiple states for two bridal showers. Unfortunately, I did not have the level of help or support that I really needed to do this with the pinched nerve. Today is a rest day and no more. Tomorrow hopefully PT and gyrotonics can ease some of the kinks.

[Jenny in Florida]

For personal reasons I won't dump on all of you, we had a rough afternoon and evening around here yesterday, but I did get out for a walk long enough to clock my daily steps.

I was up late and out of bed repeatedly, so at about 4:00AM, I sent my boss a message letting her know that I was not going to be officially working today. I slept "late" (until 7:30) and dragged myself outside for a walk with the dog. Once I was outside, I was happy just to be out of the house and ended up walking about 5K before I gave in and decided I had better get back. 

I followed that with about 30 minutes of strength and stretching.

Things seem to have calmed down a bit for the moment. The schoolwork I didn't get done over the weekend is now looming with a due date of tomorrow. The plan for this evening is to work in a walk after work and then plant myself in front of my laptop until I actually accomplish what is necessary.

 

Fall Frenzy 2022 Challenge: 384.2 of 600K
Walking Streak: 154 days

Edited October 3, 2022 by Jenny in Florida

[heartlikealion]

@Jenny in Florida I hope today was better. 
 

I did 30 min on my bike tonight. My body is still sore from pickleball Sat. and I just don’t know when I’ll touch those HIIT videos. 

[hshibley]

Yesterday I biked 25 miles. Today was an hour swim practice.

[Ali in OR]

25 min on the treadmill this morning and then a short walk with dd after school.

[mommyoffive]

@Jenny in Florida  Sending some hugs your way.  I am sorry things are tough.  If you want to vent we are here.  I hope each day is better and better.

@Harriet Vane  I am so sorry you are in pain.  I hope you feel a little better after your busy weekend.  Does anything make it feel better? 

@heartlikealion Your stick is so pretty.  I hope it helps.

@Laura Corin Wow your step mother inlaw is doing amazing with her recovery.   

@wintermom I am sorry to hear about your injury.  I hope you recover well and quickly.  

@Soror Congrats to your ds!!  Great news.

 

Got a walk in and some games of tag with my youngest.

[Harriet Vane]

1 hour ago, mommyoffive said:

@Jenny in Florida  Sending some hugs your way.  I am sorry things are tough.  If you want to vent we are here.  I hope each day is better and better.

@Harriet Vane  I am so sorry you are in pain.  I hope you feel a little better after your busy weekend.  Does anything make it feel better? 

@heartlikealion Your stick is so pretty.  I hope it helps.

@Laura Corin Wow your step mother inlaw is doing amazing with her recovery.   

@wintermom I am sorry to hear about your injury.  I hope you recover well and quickly.  

@Soror Congrats to your ds!!  Great news.

 

Got a walk in and some games of tag with my youngest.

Thanks for asking. I have drugs and drug creams. I do exercises. Laying down with my neck supported by a certain pillow helps. 

It's much better than a month ago, but it's also not great. Traveling over the weekend flared it up but it's better now than it was this morning. Tomorrow the PT and the gyro session will help, too. 

[Ali in OR]

bodyweight circuit x2 with pet help and pet ear rubs (they love it when I'm on the floor). Then a 15 min yoga for lower back. It's not hurting but the I wanted 15 min of yoga and this was the right length and style.

[heartlikealion]

36 min on bike while I watched Udemy course. I'm going to download the 7-day trial of Illustrator today and then just pay for a subscription indefinitely (a couple months probably). I was thinking it would be best if I did the lectures along with him, not just reserve exercises. Add the hands-on element for retention. And see immediately if the interface is different from 2018 for particular tools.

I feel a bit overwhelmed. I have so many things I want to do and limited energy/time. I need to start taking my vitamins again. I've been really bad about that. There was some reason I laid off on the K+D vitamin. I've only used the B12 spray here and there and forgot to stop an Amazon auto ship of the item so I might just keep it. The original bottle says it's supposed to be consumed within 90 days so I'll probably just keep the spare for freshness. 

Last night I fiddled around with this old Singer sewing machine that belongs to the landlords. It's theirs, but they said I could use it. It lives in my house. I had no idea how different old machines are threaded, so I didn't get very far! A couple YouTube videos had similar models. I think it would be great for my curtain project where I have to go through several layers of fabric, but not worth the fuss. Parts are dry, dusty and rusty. It would probably need to be professionally serviced or I'd need to know exactly what to do (I watched a video where a lady unboxed a similar one and she bought oil and applied it to several parts of the machine). I told myself I don't have time for this. But what a beautiful machine! 

I have programs I bought that I haven't even started. One is a stretching program and one is for pelvic floor (mostly I didn't do the pelvic floor one because you're supposed to buy a jade egg or kegel balls and I was wishy washy on it. I even spoke to my ob/gyn about it months ago and she said she had no input on it other than to refer me to a PT that deals with pelvic floor. I said I was interested, but she didn't give me the info and I didn't follow up because of money. 

I can't tell if I'm understanding the stretching program correctly. He says work on front split certain days and side split other days but if you want to combine then do this one first and then later he says don't do the program more than a few days a week. What??? That's clear as mud. Now that I've gone to the site it appears the splits might be bonus material. Ugh I don't know how to navigate their site to see where I'm supposed to start. 

Talked to the YMCA. All classes except one are just show up. The other one you need to register 24 hrs ahead. I'm trying to justify going... it's far away so expensive to use gas. Maybe after I do magazine deliveries here in about a week? I can bring a change of clothes and change in our office. 

[Jenny in Florida]

@Ali in OR My dog and one of the cats circle me when I'm on the exercise mat, just begging for attention. 

 

I made a point of logging out of work more or less on time last night (especially since I was supposedly taking the day off) so that I would have time to take a walk and then settle into schoolwork. Then I made the mistake of asking my husband if he was going to want dinner. He did. And then I made the half-hearted offer to make something for him, and he let me. Then I went to grab my tablet so I could skim through one of the research papers I needed to finish before writing my discussion post for this week . . . and got the reminder that I had signed up to spend 90 minutes working on a project with a professional organization of which I'm a member. 

By the time all of that was over, I was making my peace with (a) not reaching my step goal and (b) pulling a very late night to finish the schoolwork.

I decided to get out for at least a short walk to clear my head and settle my brain into schoolwork mode. But, once again, as soon as I was outside, I just wanted to stay outside. So, I ended up walking a lot longer than intended and did make my steps for the day.

Then I stayed up until about 3:00AM not quite finishing the school assignment. I'll have to steal a few minutes here and there as I can during the day to finalize and get that submitted.

Started this morning with the usual 4.25-ish K, but skipped any other exercise because (a) I'm really tired and (b) it was already time to shower and get to work.

Yoga tonight -- happy to be going back after having to skip last week. And I'll scrounge the time to walk some more before and/or after class.

 

 

Fall Frenzy 2022 Challenge: 392.0 of 600K
Walking Streak: 155 days

[Jenny in Florida]

@heartlikealion - That old Singer is a beauty. 

[wintermom]

@Jenny in Florida I feel for you with work and grad school, while still trying to get off the computer and move the body! It's such a challenge. You're doing a wonderful job keeping up with it all! 

I'm really struggling to stay sane with my calf injury. I can't even walk the dogs yet. I may try to get out for a kayak to help my mental and physical wellbeing. I'm not used to sitting around indoors for too many days in a row. 😉 

[Soror]

Sorry for the rough weekend @Harriet Vane and the lack of sleep @Jenny in Florida--- I don't know how you stay up until 3 am and get up and at it early the next day.

@wintermom I'm so sorry about the injury that really stinks 😞

@heartlikealion it's tough fitting in workouts around things, especially when you have to travel for it. I've just started doing some workouts not at home and do them pretty sparingly due to time and money. Before I would think I would have to do something at least weekly or twice a week but I can mostly work out at home and do a class once or twice a month and that is ok. I do stretch but mine is more about injury prevention and mobility, no specific program.

--------------------------------------

Yesterday: 45 min strength upper body--- 15 min yoga//// 1 hr or so walk

Today: 45 min lower body strength/// 2 hrs pickleball (afternoon)--- and I need to do some hip stretching because I pushed hard on lower body today

I'm really pushing the weights up this week. I've been stagnate for a long time after I got back from vaca it seemed I'd lost so much and then I was so pressed for time and working outside so much. I'm tired of making no progress but want to be mindful that I don't hurt myself. I've had a terrible time with the lower body after hurting it in the winter. I'm going to try to really keep it stretched out and get in lots of walking (it's really aggravated by how much I sit) and hopefully head off any issues. Fingers crossed and all of that

 

[Harriet Vane]

23 minutes ago, wintermom said:

@Jenny in Florida I feel for you with work and grad school, while still trying to get off the computer and move the body! It's such a challenge. You're doing a wonderful job keeping up with it all! 

I'm really struggling to stay sane with my calf injury. I can't even walk the dogs yet. I may try to get out for a kayak to help my mental and physical wellbeing. I'm not used to sitting around indoors for too many days in a row. 😉 

Kayaking is a fabulous option. Ticks all the boxes, plus it's so peaceful and pretty out there. 

[mommyoffive]

@heartlikealion oh that machine is so pretty. 

@wintermom  Sending some hugs.  I hope you get to go out and kayak.  

@Jenny in Florida  Wow, you are amazing working doing school.  I can't stay up until 3 am anymore.  I hope you get a nap or some coffee or tea.

@Harriet Vane I am glad you are doing a bit better.

 

Got a 3 hour walk in while the kids were at nature school.  Amazing weather and fall is just my favorite.  Probably do 2 more hours tonight.

[heartlikealion]

You all are making me tired just reading how much you did. 3 hour walk? 25 mile bike ride? WHATTTT lol I went to bed early and didn't even get up as early as I wanted this morning! 

[Laura Corin]

@hshibley impressive training!

@Jenny in Florida you are doing an amazing job at balancing the unbalanceable!  I'm heading towards an essay deadline, so I'll be right there with you.

@Soror it's so hard to resist the impulse to push

@wintermom I'm sorry about the frustrating injury

@heartlikealion getting a good night's sleep is really valuable

@mommyoffive autumn walks sound lovely

@Harriet Vane I'm sorry you are still in pain

@Ali in OR Ear rubs!  My dog comes and sniffs my head when I'm doing Crow - disconcerting but sweet.

@lynn well done for finishing the series!

@BusyMom5 welcome back!

----------------

My crazy work is a bit less crazy and my stepmother has gone home.  I'm a bit worn out from socialising but ...... drumroll, I seem to be sleeping better.  Through an idiosyncratic combination of the sleep restriction training I talked about before, listening to an 8-hour piece of music called Sleep by Max Richter each night, and this weird drumming exercise that I happened on, I am managing 6 or 7 hours.  I'm sure the later sunrise is helping too.

Today: really brisk walk up the valley.  I could feel my knee but it's definitely on the mend.

 

[Harriet Vane]

Yesterday’s rest was good. Today PT and gyrotonics. Much better. I am thankful for the tools at my disposal. 

[wintermom]

I made it out for a kayak ride. It felt so good to be outdoors, smelling all the falls smells and seeing some fall colours. There were still turtles sunning themselves, too! 

 

[mommyoffive]

@wintermom beautiful!  I am glad you got out.

[Soror]

@wintermom so glad to read you were able to get out for a kayak, at least you can do something outside before it get's cold

@Laura Corin ya for more sleep and I understand about being worn out from socializing

@heartlikealion you set your own goals and do what you can-- we all have different goals, schedules, time, and energy levels

@Harriet Vane huzzah for better days

@mommyoffive I love the weather of fall the best too, just not the allergens that come with it

-----------------------

Yesterday--- 2.5 hrs of pickleball and 20 min of yoga focused on my hip and back. (and the 45 min of strength I mentioned yesterday)

Pickleball felt demoralizingI don't know if I just stunk more than usual or it was the fact that I hurt both my thumb (a ball hit it twice) and my toe (dropped a drawer on it and now my toenail is blue). 

Today: 45 min strength upper body//// walk (going doing dd's appt so however long it is --- not sure if it is 30 min or an hour)--- a bit of yoga if I have time later

 

Oh and exciting news I ordered new tennis shoes--- some On Clouds and a new pickleball paddle 🙂 Fingers crossed I like both. I know I like the look of the shoes as I've seen them on others before just hope they are as comfortable as the others I tried on. I really, really want to be done shoe shopping. (dh had a $100 gift card along with some saved personal money so I was able to splurge and hopefully get something that I like and are good quality- I've never spent so much on shoes)

 

Edited October 5, 2022 by Soror

[Laura Corin]

Gorgeous photo @wintermom!  I'm glad you made it out.

The gyrotonics seems to be so good @Harriet Vane.  I looked to see if there was a local teacher, and there seems to be someone in training, so I'll look again in a while.

My resting heart rate has increased from 58 to 64 over the past month when I haven't been able to exercise vigorously - it's alarming how quickly that can happen.  After my very brisk hill walk yesterday, today I'm going to try a fast walk video at lunchtime - avoiding the temptation to move into higher-impact moving.  Then I plan a good yoga session after work.

[mommyoffive]

@Soror Yep, my allergies have been bugging me too.  Boo.  I haven't ever heard of that brand of shoe, I hope you like them.

@Laura Corin I have never done a walking video.  I may have to do that over winter.   I do get out hiking while the kids at nature school, but some days are so awful.

Got more walking in last night.

[sassenach]

I was in a great place in early 2020 and managed to keep up with it through the summer but when winter hit and my school schedule intensified, I stopped working out.  I really do best with classes. The Y is still not back to its former self as far as class offerings so last week I joined Pure Barre for a trial month. The first class kicked my butt but the second class (yesterday) was not nearly as tough. I have to take lots of breaks but that’s ok. 

 

 

 

[Ali in OR]

Did the beginner HIIT workout this morning--short and easy. I'm tired from being up late grading last night.

[Laura Corin]

36 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

@Soror Yep, my allergies have been bugging me too.  Boo.  I haven't ever heard of that brand of shoe, I hope you like them.

@Laura Corin I have never done a walking video.  I may have to do that over winter.   I do get out hiking while the kids at nature school, but some days are so awful.

Got more walking in last night.

In general I prefer to walk outside, but sometimes a video is more efficient, if time is short.  I also use them in winter when the pavements and paths are icy and I can't pick up speed on them.

[wintermom]

I went with dh to walk to the dogs at the trails. My calf was stiff, but not painful, so I'm heading in the right direction. Just need a little more time to heal the body, I guess. 😉 

[Jenny in Florida]

It feels terrible to say when all around me people here in Florida are dealing with serious hurricane issues, not to mention the general state of the world, but I'm feeling pretty sorry for myself today.

Yesterday, I was notified that the 5K I was looking forward to doing this weekend is going virtual because the park where it was scheduled to happen is flooded. The event supports the Zebra Coalition, an organization whose mission is important to me, and the race is one of the very few my husband was scheduled to do with me. This was also supposed to be the first in-person race since everything shut down. 

I also got an email telling me that my camping reservation for my solo getaway later this month has been cancelled, again due to hurricane flooding/damage at the state park. 

And the friend I helped get hired by my employer got fired this morning. I knew this one was coming, and everyone is being very pleasant and handling it as well as possible, but it's still kind of a lot.

With all of that said, my exercise routine for this morning took a bit of a hit. I managed to walk about 4.5K, but strength and stretching for today was reduced to about 15 rushed minutes with the lighter weights and a few yoga poses.

As usual, I'll walk more later (assuming I'm not taking my friend to dinner to let her vent). 

 

 

Fall Frenzy 2022 Challenge: 400.4 of 600K
Walking Streak: 156 days

[heartlikealion]

@Jenny in Florida I'd be upset, too! That's such a bummer. I know you said fired, but I don't know if you meant laid off or if she did something wrong? In any case, that's nice that you are there for her. 

@Soror I hope you like the shoes. My dad has some "court shoes" he wears to pickleball. They look really flat to me, though, so I personally wouldn't wear them due to needing arch support. Don't get down about pickleball. Sounds like it was freak accident day! I have crippling anxiety every time I play because of the rules/scoring. I have to make myself watch videos so I can do better at score keeping. Like, this whole business of saying "1" or "2" I get confused when to say what. And since each side gets two tries I sometimes forget who's ball it is and when I retrieve a ball I second guess who to throw it to! This is why I like bowling... the machine keeps score LOL 

My dad said the 1 vs 2 thing is based on the square on the court, but no one told me that. I'm trying to find the logic in the game so I can keep up. When I hit a ball, even if I don't think I've hit it very hard, it often flies really high or wide. I need to figure out how to hit it with more control. We all have our things 🙂 I lucked out that the group I played with Saturday all had a sense of humor and laughed a lot/cracked silly jokes. One lady hit the ball standing backwards so she was told she can no longer call herself a beginner ha. 

@wintermom the basis of my plantar fasciitis is said to be overtight calves. You could probably benefit from standing on a ramp like the one I have. It forces the calf to stretch. You might be able to find something at your home to use. Sometimes I use that fabric calf stretcher thing I bought on Amazon, too. 

@Laura Corin Yeah, I relate. I have been going outside more because the weather is nicer. But for efficiency sometimes I just use the stationary bike to burn calories faster. The same can be said about the YouTube videos for quick steps, too. @mommyoffive yes try a video. I thought they sounded crazy but they do help me meet goals when other options aren't practical. 

@Ali in OR It's really hard to push through a HIIT workout when you're tired. Good job! 

@sassenach I'm glad you found a class. 

This morning I walked outdoors for some fresh air. 

[heartlikealion]

@Harriet Vane I hope your pinched nerve is manageable right now. 

[Harriet Vane]

@Laura Corin Gyrotonics was something I initially resisted and I thought it was really strange. I chose to sign up for a starter course because my beloved trainer got certified and left my gym, and I wanted to continue working with her. Plus both she and my PT were/are adamant that they thought it would really help my back issues. Turns out they're totally right. It does really, really help. And I've found that I genuinely enjoy it--I originally expected to "give it a decent try" but I am now addicted. It's relaxing and challenging and it always--every time--makes me feel much better.

If you do jump in, be aware of two things. First, there's a whole vocabulary and set of movements that takes a little time to learn. And second, there are two "arms": gyrokinesis (exercises using a stool and a mat) and gyrotonics (in which you hook up to a weighted pulley tower with either hands or feet). It's all the same family and use the same principles. When I go for an hour session, I start on stool or mat to warm up and then progress over to the tower for the bulk of the workout. My latest favorite apparatus on the tower is a huge bow-shaped thingey called a wingspanner. I like to pretend I'm a bat'leth-wielding Klingon when I work with it, even though the motions are actually based on bending and arcing in flow like in ballet.

[Harriet Vane]

3 hours ago, Jenny in Florida said:

It feels terrible to say when all around me people here in Florida are dealing with serious hurricane issues, not to mention the general state of the world, but I'm feeling pretty sorry for myself today.

Yesterday, I was notified that the 5K I was looking forward to doing this weekend is going virtual because the park where it was scheduled to happen is flooded. The event supports the Zebra Coalition, an organization whose mission is important to me, and the race is one of the very few my husband was scheduled to do with me. This was also supposed to be the first in-person race since everything shut down. 

I also got an email telling me that my camping reservation for my solo getaway later this month has been cancelled, again due to hurricane flooding/damage at the state park. 

And the friend I helped get hired by my employer got fired this morning. I knew this one was coming, and everyone is being very pleasant and handling it as well as possible, but it's still kind of a lot.

With all of that said, my exercise routine for this morning took a bit of a hit. I managed to walk about 4.5K, but strength and stretching for today was reduced to about 15 rushed minutes with the lighter weights and a few yoga poses.

As usual, I'll walk more later (assuming I'm not taking my friend to dinner to let her vent). 

 

 

Fall Frenzy 2022 Challenge: 400.4 of 600K
Walking Streak: 156 days

All legitimate disappointments. I hope you can get in a solo getaway soon. 

[Jenny in Florida]

@heartlikealion - Nope, she was terminated. To be honest, when I even mentioned to her that we had an opening, I tried really hard to tell her that I thought she would hate it. She was just really in need of a job, and I knew we had one available for which she was technically qualified. It seemed like I owed it to her to at least tell her about it. (I did not say outright that I also thought she would probably not be good at the work, but I did my best to make the job sound awful.) 

I also did not hold back with my boss when we discussed having my friend interview. I did not participate in the formal interview process, but I did have conversations with my boss behind the scenes. The hope was that, with me as a mentor and some tweaks to the job description, my friend could be successful. However, things were actually worse than I had anticipated they might be. And, after six weeks of no meaningful improvement despite literally hours of my time each week going to meeting with her and supporting her, the decision was made (above my head) to let her go.

To be clear: I do not disagree with the decision. It is obvious that this job was not a good fit for her. She was not good at doing what we needed her to do, and I don't think she was enjoying the work, either. I suspect, if it hadn't been for her need for the steady paycheck and her personal connection with me, she might have left on her own before much longer. 

As I said to my husband: I intellectually understand this isn't my fault and that I did my best to make things work, but it's an awful thing to watch happen, even if it were happening to someone who wasn't a dear friend. Not to mention, my boss, with whom I am also friendly, is unhappy having to make and implement this choice. So, yeah, everyone is pretty miserable today.

@mommyoffive - Adding another vote for walking videos as a back-up when other options aren't feasible. Here in lovely, sunny Central Florida, there are whole swaths of the year when thunderstorms (or hurricanes) get in the way of my usual morning and evening walk routine. Sometimes I ride the stationary bike as an alternate when I'm stuck inside, but other times I walk with something like the Leslie Sansone videos. I don't love the music or the encouraging patter, so I usually mute the video and listen to the same podcast or audiobook I would have listened to while walking outside, but following along with the changing movements makes "walking" with the video more interesting than pacing the entryway/living room of my house. 

[heartlikealion]

@Harriet Vane I have no idea what this thing in the park is. It doesn’t move at all. Maybe it’s to stretch the back? Makes me think of your tilt table. 

[Harriet Vane]

6 minutes ago, heartlikealion said:

@Harriet Vane I have no idea what this thing in the park is. It doesn’t move at all. Maybe it’s to stretch the back? Makes me think of your tilt table. 

I've never seen something like that, but your theory is certainly plausible. My tilt table looks like this one:

Amazon.com : Teeter EP-560 Ltd. Inversion Table for Back Pain, FDA-Registered : Inversion Equipment : Sports & Outdoors

[Soror]

42 minutes ago, heartlikealion said:

@Harriet Vane I have no idea what this thing in the park is. It doesn’t move at all. Maybe it’s to stretch the back? Makes me think of your tilt table. 

Looks like it's for back extension. 

[heartlikealion]

57 minutes ago, Soror said:

Looks like it's for back extension. 

Ahh. Don't ask me how I tried standing on it... hahahaha

[Harriet Vane]

1 hour ago, Soror said:

Looks like it's for back extension. 

Oooooooohhhhhhhhh! I get it!

I've done this type of exercise on a ball. I brace my feet against a wall or against the fireplace hearth. The hearth is brick and it's easier to keep my feet from slipping there.