Well-trained bodies - turn of the year, goals, January, etc

[Jenny in Florida]

Did not make my step goal yesterday, after all. The weekend got a lot busier than I had anticipated, and I careened into yesterday afternoon with more schoolwork to do that I had accounted for in my mental schedule. I had finally finished a project that took a few hours to do and was thinking it was late, but I was going for a walk, anyway . . . when I remembered I had three more small assignments that had to be submitted before midnight. So, that was that. 

And, of course, because I stayed up late getting those done, I was late getting out of bed this morning and had to cut my walk a little short (3.75K) and did not have time for any additional exercise. I am holding out hope that I can sneak away from work for a morning break and do a little strength and stretching stuff, but I also have to knock off a little early this evening for an appointment. 

It may be a challenging week.

 

Winter Warmup 2022 Challenge: 177.6 of 500K
Walking Streak: 27

[heartlikealion]

This week has been a real struggle fitness/health-wise. Last night I got hungry halfway home but resisted the urge to order a burger and just bought a bottle of water at the drive thru (my thermos was getting low). I actually ordered the larger thermos and Amazon never delivered it lol So it was canceled and I haven't gotten around to ordering a new one. 

I snacked on some "healthy" chips on the drive home (probably not that healthy but better than the burger lol). 

I weighed in for the first time in days and my weight isn't terribly off so I know I'll get back on track. I forgot to pack my night splints so I should wear those to bed again and incorporate more stretching into my routine. 

[Toocrazy!!]

@heartlikealion car travel is definitely a snack trigger for me. Good for you with the water and “healthier” chips! 

[Ali in OR]

@heartlikealion I've had Plantar Fasciitis twice, different feet, 5 years apart. The first time I blamed running on the treadmill, and I learned a different foot strike, got better shoes, and thought I fixed it. Then it happened again 5 years later. I stopped running on the treadmill, and switched running shoes again. But I think my PF was related to tight calf muscles, and I think one of the more helpful things I've done is take up yoga. Downward dogs in particular stretch out the backs of my calves, and I'm much more flexible there than when I started yoga.

I'm on my feet all day. Purposefully got a standing desk this year as easier to teach from (I write on my computer--writing out math problems that get projected). I only wear comfy shoes--usually sneakers. My feet actually do fine in Vans all day. And my feet have been fine. But I know the feeling of sore feet that make you HAVE to sit--both of my PF phases went on for about a year. I hope you can get to a point of healing where you don't have that need to be off your feet. I do think it's better for my heart health to NOT be sitting all day.

[heartlikealion]

28 minutes ago, Ali in OR said:

@heartlikealion I've had Plantar Fasciitis twice, different feet, 5 years apart. The first time I blamed running on the treadmill, and I learned a different foot strike, got better shoes, and thought I fixed it. Then it happened again 5 years later. I stopped running on the treadmill, and switched running shoes again. But I think my PF was related to tight calf muscles, and I think one of the more helpful things I've done is take up yoga. Downward dogs in particular stretch out the backs of my calves, and I'm much more flexible there than when I started yoga.

I'm on my feet all day. Purposefully got a standing desk this year as easier to teach from (I write on my computer--writing out math problems that get projected). I only wear comfy shoes--usually sneakers. My feet actually do fine in Vans all day. And my feet have been fine. But I know the feeling of sore feet that make you HAVE to sit--both of my PF phases went on for about a year. I hope you can get to a point of healing where you don't have that need to be off your feet. I do think it's better for my heart health to NOT be sitting all day.

Yes, I've been told it's due to tight calf muscles which is why I bought the stretching band and the slant board that you stand on to stretch the calves. I just don't use them consistently. I also need to do the wall stretches again where I lie on the floor and prop a leg at 90 degrees up against a door frame. 

I can't do the yoga poses. My feet/legs never seem to go close to the position they demonstrate. That's why I think I get mad at yoga lol. 

[Toocrazy!!]

Tight muscles really can impact your workout. I started doing Pilates roll ups a couple weeks ago to work my core, but soon discovered my back and spine were too tight to do it properly. Never mind if my core was strong enough. Stretching my back and doing these roll ups are starting to improve my back and posture. I am doing them almost every day because it feels so good to stretch like that. 

[Harriet Vane]

3 hours ago, Toocrazy!! said:

@heartlikealion car travel is definitely a snack trigger for me. Good for you with the water and “healthier” chips! 

This has been a huge issue for me. Soooo tempted when we stop for gas. One tough thing is that most cheap drive-through salads are sprinkled with cheese (lactose intolerant) and come with heavily sugared salad dressing. It's hard to make good choices. It's also hard to pack ahead--there's so much chaos before hitting the road it feels agonizing to add in a big food prep.

[heartlikealion]

34 minutes ago, Harriet Vane said:

This has been a huge issue for me. Soooo tempted when we stop for gas. One tough thing is that most cheap drive-through salads are sprinkled with cheese (lactose intolerant) and come with heavily sugared salad dressing. It's hard to make good choices. It's also hard to pack ahead--there's so much chaos before hitting the road it feels agonizing to add in a big food prep.

Yeah, seriously! I can't even find a tiny normal hamburger on half the menus. They want you to buy a thick $4 burger that's worth a ton of calories. Last time I ordered a burger I requested no cheese (because the Wendy's 4 for 4 deal comes with a cheeseburger) and they still put cheese on it (I am sensitive to lactose but not totally intolerant. My reactions depend). So I sat in a parking lot trying to pull off melted cheese from the patty ugh. I don't want the calories from the cheese, either. 

[Laura Corin]

Just a 3-mile walk plus Kegels today. Hoping for more tomorrow. 

[Eos]

Morning stretches, arms, then raked heavy snow off the roof which is a lot!

[Harriet Vane]

Slept really badly last night. Attempted to make up for it with a long nap, but the nap was interrupted by a signature-required delivery (which ended up being more idiotic run-around from an insurance company, grrr). I did ride the recumbent bike and do some light arm weights to help get the blood flowing. Right now I'm just trying to survive until closer to my normal bedtime when I can sleep.

[wintermom]

Went for a nice dog walk in the woods with dh. I also got to play 2 hrs of doubles tennis! Fun. 

Dh and I are doing an early morning tennis session with a pro and a few other people. Should be a good work out. 

[knitgrl]

Ds23 lives 4 hours away, and came home at the end of last week for a few days, so my schedule was a bit off. Did 30min on the treadmill Saturday, and 30min walking outside today.

[Soror]

16 hours ago, heartlikealion said:

Yeah, seriously! I can't even find a tiny normal hamburger on half the menus. They want you to buy a thick $4 burger that's worth a ton of calories. Last time I ordered a burger I requested no cheese (because the Wendy's 4 for 4 deal comes with a cheeseburger) and they still put cheese on it (I am sensitive to lactose but not totally intolerant. My reactions depend). So I sat in a parking lot trying to pull off melted cheese from the patty ugh. I don't want the calories from the cheese, either. 

For sure eating out us ridiculous these days. You're doing fabulously under the circumstances.

12 hours ago, Eos said:

Morning stretches, arms, then raked heavy snow off the roof which is a lot!

I bet! 

12 hours ago, Harriet Vane said:

Slept really badly last night. Attempted to make up for it with a long nap, but the nap was interrupted by a signature-required delivery (which ended up being more idiotic run-around from an insurance company, grrr). I did ride the recumbent bike and do some light arm weights to help get the blood flowing. Right now I'm just trying to survive until closer to my normal bedtime when I can sleep.

Ugh bad sleep and a disrupted nap I bet you feel like a zombie. Hope last night was better.

9 hours ago, wintermom said:

Went for a nice dog walk in the woods with dh. I also got to play 2 hrs of doubles tennis! Fun. 

Dh and I are doing an early morning tennis session with a pro and a few other people. Should be a good work out. 

Nice, hope you get some good tips. (And I hope there are rest days in there)

9 hours ago, knitgrl said:

Ds23 lives 4 hours away, and came home at the end of last week for a few days, so my schedule was a bit off. Did 30min on the treadmill Saturday, and 30min walking outside today.

Enjoy your visit ☺️

21 hours ago, Jenny in Florida said:

Did not make my step goal yesterday, after all. The weekend got a lot busier than I had anticipated, and I careened into yesterday afternoon with more schoolwork to do that I had accounted for in my mental schedule. I had finally finished a project that took a few hours to do and was thinking it was late, but I was going for a walk, anyway . . . when I remembered I had three more small assignments that had to be submitted before midnight. So, that was that. 

And, of course, because I stayed up late getting those done, I was late getting out of bed this morning and had to cut my walk a little short (3.75K) and did not have time for any additional exercise. I am holding out hope that I can sneak away from work for a morning break and do a little strength and stretching stuff, but I also have to knock off a little early this evening for an appointment. 

It may be a challenging week.

 

Winter Warmup 2022 Challenge: 177.6 of 500K
Walking Streak: 27

Good luck this week - some are harder than others . You have an interview too?

[Soror]

Supposed to have an appointment for my hip this morning. It was really bad yesterday. Bad enough I cancelled a scheduled walk with a friend in the morning. But it got better (not good but better) in the afternoon and I rambled in the woods with the girls for nature study. Annoyed with the nurse that pretty much said it's just age. I'm really not a fan of just attributing things to age and saying there is nothing we can do. It rather pisses me off. 

I'm hopeful some light strength and targeted stretching today. I'm trying to focus more on strength for the upper body and targeted moves for the lower that I was given before. A lot of is pilates and and yogaish- no weights.

I might try pickleball today. IDK. 

My appetite and weight are up. I've not weighed but I can tell I'm eating too much and am thicker. I will be getting my thyroid and hormone labs soon and am anxious to see the results.

[Carrie12345]

I squeezed my whole workout into less than an hour because we have a busy day. It wasn’t as enjoyable as a slow one, but it got the job done.

I will be needing extra extra stretching tonight! 

[Harriet Vane]

2 hours ago, Soror said:

Supposed to have an appointment for my hip this morning. It was really bad yesterday. Bad enough I cancelled a scheduled walk with a friend in the morning. But it got better (not good but better) in the afternoon and I rambled in the woods with the girls for nature study. Annoyed with the nurse that pretty much said it's just age. I'm really not a fan of just attributing things to age and saying there is nothing we can do. It rather pisses me off. 

I'm hopeful some light strength and targeted stretching today. I'm trying to focus more on strength for the upper body and targeted moves for the lower that I was given before. A lot of is pilates and and yogaish- no weights.

I might try pickleball today. IDK. 

My appetite and weight are up. I've not weighed but I can tell I'm eating too much and am thicker. I will be getting my thyroid and hormone labs soon and am anxious to see the results.

That nurse is an idiot. You're not that old. Did you talk to the doctor about the hip flare also? Or was this a nurse practitioner?

At this point in my life, I just deal with the orthopedic clinic or with a rheumatologist for pain like that. My GP often doesn't have a clue and isn't really willing to delve, which is quite frustrating as I've found that almost anything can be improved with some attention (like strengthening, stretching, ice or heat, etc), even age-related and permanent issues. Figuring out why it is the way it is and then taking steps to help almost always really does help.

[Ali in OR]

Day 12 yoga this morning. I hope to get in a walk with dd in the late afternoon. We can already tell that it's staying light later which helps when it comes to fitting in a walk. And no rain in the forecast for the next week.

[Jenny in Florida]

2 hours ago, Soror said:

Good luck this week - some are harder than others . You have an interview too?

I got an email last night -- while I was out desperately shopping for a pair of interview-worthy pants -- that the hiring manager's scheduled has changed. My interview is now scheduled for the first week of February. 

[Jenny in Florida]

All I managed yesterday in terms of additional exercise was Joelle's fortuitously-timed 10-minute standing yoga routine and an 8-minute "deskercise" video. 

I garnered a good number of steps trudging around the mall in search of pants, then took a walk around the neighborhood (2K) to top off my goal.

Walked this morning (4.2K) and did a 20-minute upper body workout video.

The plan for the remainder of the day is yoga class this evening and more walking whenever I can squeeze in the time.

 

Winter Warmup 2022 Challenge: 185.7 of 500K
Walking Streak: 28

[heartlikealion]

Last night I did 40 min on the stationary bike. 
I intended to do a morning walk but couldn’t get up. Maybe at lunch time I’ll do that. Trivia is tonight so I need to get some exercise in before my cheat meal. 
Are you happy or annoyed the interview got bumped? I hope you found some clothes @Jenny in Florida

[Jenny in Florida]

1 hour ago, heartlikealion said:

Are you happy or annoyed the interview got bumped? I hope you found some clothes @Jenny in Florida

 

A little of both, honestly. I generally hate being in limbo, not knowing what's happening. So, another week plus of just sitting here wondering whether I'm going to be offered this job and whether I even want it is a little stressful.

On the other hand, I did a preliminary phone interview for another job about which I think I could get a lot more excited. I expect to hear more about that -- whether I am being moved on to the next stage there -- sometime this week. I was worried that I was going to get offered this first job (let's call them Company D) before the other organization (Company U) decided whether to bring me in for another interview. I was concerned that I would end up having to try and stall Company D until Company U caught up. 

As it turns out, we're a couple of days into this week and I haven't heard anything more from Company U. But since Company D delayed, it means I have a little bit of breathing room should Company U get in touch.

And I did finally find pants, thank you! Not only did Loft have something on the racks that fit, but they were on sale. I ended up buying a couple of new tops from the sale rack while I was there. All office/work appropriate, just in case I need more outfits for additional interviews or end up getting a job for which I have to show up on-site.

[Laura Corin]

A bit gloomy today - having to push through.  

Kegels, short dog walk, sun salutations,  weights - hamstrings,  quads, calves, butt.

I'll walk again after supper.

[heartlikealion]

@Jenny in Florida good! I also want pant shopping recently and got a pair of slacks for potential job interviews/court. I still want some that aren't black but that's all I could find. 

Today's walk was a bit of a bust. My internet stopped working for some strange reason. So I lost my music! Boo. I cut the walk short and now it's raining, anyway. I have to go pick up at an item at the mall tonight so maybe I'll get a few steps then. 

[wintermom]

@Soror Good luck with your upcoming interview!

@Jenny in Florida Good luck with your job seach and interviews! 

In a month I'll celebrate my 2 year anniversary at my current job. I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. I'm still pinching myself that I landed this great job with wonderful people, and I'm still enjoying it! I hope I never have to go through another interview process. It's stressful, though there is some excitement in the process as well. 

All the best to both of you!!

[wintermom]

Tennis this morning (1 hr with the pro) was really intense, and a lot of fun. My body is still sore, and I'm going to bed early. It's a satisfying tiredness. 

Puppy should be feeling really tired, too, after the non-stop running at the off-leash park with a small female boxer-mix. Pup finally had to stop running and do a "dead dog" lay on his side to stop the running. He also got completely slobbered by the boxer. 😄

[heartlikealion]

I went to the beginning of the HIIT video series just to incorporate that into my day. I guess even the first video wasn’t exactly easy lol I stood on the slant board for 5-10 min to stretch my calves. Feels like they are never stretched enough and I’m only on the lowest degree. I don’t know how anyone would stand on the steepest setting. You’d lose your balance too unless you had a bar or something. 

I tried out a fabric band today. Did donkey kicks and a few other stretches. I’ll try to learn more and incorporate more regularly. 

[Brittany1116]

Yesterday, the kids woke and asked if we could take a day off of school. I never take spontaneous breaks and it sounded good so we did. Then the whole day ended up being a comedy of errors and I was in bed at 11 before I realized that I didn't bike. I always bike on Mondays. So that was a loss.

Tonight I went to ballet. Our instructor was injured and we had a sub... a 5'10 blonde 24 year old who probably thought she was going easy on us but kicked our butts. lol

[Eos]

Morning stretches and a 4 mile walk across snow, not fully post-holing but vigorous.  I saw a porcupine slowly climbing a tree - they are so awkward and funny!  Their tracks are sort of toe-in with a swooshing straddle, very easy to ID.  I also saw bobcat tracks crossing the road right where I had once seen a bobcat, so definitely a crossing point for them.

[Hilltopmom]

I made it through Zumba and hip hop classes this week without feeling like I was going to keel over!!

 

[Laura Corin]

1 hour ago, Eos said:

Morning stretches and a 4 mile walk across snow, not fully post-holing but vigorous.  I saw a porcupine slowly climbing a tree - they are so awkward and funny!  Their tracks are sort of toe-in with a swooshing straddle, very easy to ID.  I also saw bobcat tracks crossing the road right where I had once seen a bobcat, so definitely a crossing point for them.

I love hearing about your wildlife! 

[Toocrazy!!]

Not much here. Yesterday I did manage a 2 mile walk when we had some brief sunshine. I’ve been doing my Pilates roll ups daily which feel good and I think are helpful. Today is resistance training day. Im also going to jump on my rebounder and hopefully do my jump rope. I’ve been avoiding that. Maybe the exercise will help my mood. 
The weather is awful and my sleep is not great. I’m getting enough hours but my sleep apps say not enough deep sleep and I just don’t feel real rested. 

[Elfknitter.#]

My overdue, week 3 done update

Done daily: 10-15,000 steps/ day; 10-20 minutes of yoga w/ Joelle; Jorge Cruise workouts (aka Laura's pdf 😄)

Accomplishment: I lost 0.2 pounds according to my new Renpho scale. 🤣 I have to say, it does provided a lot of information! Unfortunately, I haven't been able to sync the Renpho app with my Fitbit app. My next weigh in will be this weekend. I've been trying to add weekly short hikes with my youngest on days that I'm off (and weather permits.) We have some local urban trails that are easy-moderate in activity level. It gets us out into some (urbanized) nature settings for about an hour or two, which is nice.

Needs work: Had a very stressful work week last week and consumed a few extra alcoholic drinks over my current plan. This week I'm back on track and continuing to check in with my tracking app.

I didn't have much time to meal prep so I'm trying to make good choices with what's available this week. Now that my work routine is mostly back to normal, I should do better next week.

I think I'm going to continue with the daily walking/ yoga/ strength training and weekly hikes with the youngest for now. I'm thinking that about mid-February I might change things up if the weather permits. When it was colder in the mornings, I did strength training and yoga before work and focused on walks during my work breaks. In February, I'd like to alternate mornings between walks and c2 5k training. I'm also thinking of holding off on Yoga with Adriene until about March and just sticking with Joelle.

Edited January 26, 2023 by Elfknitter.#
one day I will learn to include ALL of the words...

[Elfknitter.#]

Oh, and a question...

Every now and again I'm up between 2-4:30 or 5am for an undermined amount of time. Most nights its anywhere from 30-60 minutes, though it will vary. Last night was 90 minutes between 2-3:30am. 😖 Its much easier to deal with if it happens at 2am vs 4-5am.

Falling asleep isn't much of a problem but staying asleep as I age seemed to have become one. Any tips or suggestions? I already have white noise. If I've exhausted myself during the day, then it's less of an issue but that doesn't happen often. If my work schedule permitted me the ability to just be up for a hour or two and then return to bed, I'd do that. However, I have to be up by 7am if I want to get my morning workouts done.

[Harriet Vane]

12 hours ago, Eos said:

Morning stretches and a 4 mile walk across snow, not fully post-holing but vigorous.  I saw a porcupine slowly climbing a tree - they are so awkward and funny!  Their tracks are sort of toe-in with a swooshing straddle, very easy to ID.  I also saw bobcat tracks crossing the road right where I had once seen a bobcat, so definitely a crossing point for them.

I adore porcupines. The waddle. The thick snuffly nose. The bedhead. 🥰

[Harriet Vane]

1 hour ago, Elfknitter.# said:

Oh, and a question...

Every now and again I'm up between 2-4:30 or 5am for an undermined amount of time. Most nights its anywhere from 30-60 minutes, though it will vary. Last night was 90 minutes between 2-3:30am. 😖 Its much easier to deal with if it happens at 2am vs 4-5am.

Falling asleep isn't much of a problem but staying asleep as I age seemed to have become one. Any tips or suggestions? I already have white noise. If I've exhausted myself during the day, then it's less of an issue but that doesn't happen often. If my work schedule permitted me the ability to just be up for a hour or two and then return to bed, I'd do that. However, I have to be up by 7am if I want to get my morning workouts done.

@Laura Corinmight have some wisdom to offer on this. She recently did some sleep retraining that might help.

[knitgrl]

So. I have some issues with my arm on the mastectomy side, which was kind of worrisome....long story short - it took a month and a half to get the right person to listen to me. And then I had to wait a month for an appointment with an OT. That happened last week. So now I know that my arm issue is cording, which is pretty common after surgery. The bad news is, it doesn't go away, but the good news is that exercise and stretching are good and really the only way I could make it worse is if I tried not using my arm at all.

So, now I have clearance to do upper body strength training, beginning with light weights and low reps, because while I can't really make my cording worse, I might overdo and give myself lymphedema. I did my first session today with my 1 pound weights. 💪

[wintermom]

I got in a nice dog walk in the falling snow. Puppy ran and wrestled with a Rhodesian Ridgeback today! Puppy is excited to play with just about any sized dog who likes to run, but seeing the Ridgeback put his jaw around puppy's neck was kind of worrisome for me. Puppy didn't mind. He just jumped up and encouraged the Ridgeback to chase him again. The dog walks are always entertaining! 😅

[Toocrazy!!]

I did my resistance and weight work and enough walking/jumping on my rebounder to get to a whopping 6,000 steps. I really miss my good weather outdoor walks! 
But very happy to have some exercises I like doing. Hopefully they’re helping me become stronger. 

[Harriet Vane]

Zowie. Today my friendly, cozy, supportive, wonderful little gym went belly up. It was really small but wonderful place. A trainer at this gym put me back together after a serious illness and was incredibly creative about working around limitations due to a chronic condition and due to the illness that had weakened me so badly. I went from  real balance/coordination issues to a place of genuine strength and function. Thank God.

That same trainer left the gym a year ago to pursue gyrotonics full time--I joined gyrotonics to be supportive and because both she and my PT recommended it for me. You all know how much I've grown to love gyrotonics. It's the highlight of every week for me and it helped enormously with the pinched nerve this past semester.

After that trainer left the gym, I continued working out at the gym to keep on with weights and core work and use their ellipticals and recumbent bikes. The membership was only a little bit more than what I would have paid at Planet Fitness. I've made friends at this place. One woman and I have ridden recumbent bikes next to each other for years and her daughter babysat for us many times. A young woman who works at the front desk helped me with some landscaping work. The owners are lovely, encouraging people.

The atmosphere at the gym was always relaxed and friendly. This was so important, because I've always been really shy about exercising in front of other people. For me, it was like going to Cheers. (Remember that show? Where everyone knows your name...)

Our area has attracted a Really Huge Corporation, so there is a lot of building going on all around. They're even talking about building a whole 'nother highway out here. (I hope they don't--I'd prefer a good train system tbh.) The gym took a big hit with covid (all gyms did), and with all the big-deal development going on here, rents and real estate have skyrocketed. My gym couldn't afford the raise in rent.

Two weeks ago they formed a tenuous deal to share space with another tiny gym. They moved. (I bought one of their recumbent bikes.) I went to work out at the new location once. Different setup, same lovely people. Today I received a text saying that the tenuous deal crashed and there is no way for them to salvage their business. I didn't expect that.

I'm sad that I won't be able to go to that particular place, though honestly, it'll be fine for me. I can join another gym. I'm a totally different person now in terms of exercise and health and strength.

I just feel so sorry for the owners who have worked so hard to keep going through the pandemic. I'm also sorry for everyone who just lost their job.

[Eos]

I walked outside this morning to look for the comet and took a mini-walk down the road...then got in the car and drove 8 hours.  Ugh, I'm going to stretch and go to bed.

[Brittany1116]

I am on the stationary bike now because it is 10 and again the day got away from me. I swear if I miss Monday, my whole week is wonky. 

[heartlikealion]

8 hours ago, Elfknitter.# said:

Oh, and a question...

Every now and again I'm up between 2-4:30 or 5am for an undermined amount of time. Most nights its anywhere from 30-60 minutes, though it will vary. Last night was 90 minutes between 2-3:30am. 😖 Its much easier to deal with if it happens at 2am vs 4-5am.

Falling asleep isn't much of a problem but staying asleep as I age seemed to have become one. Any tips or suggestions? I already have white noise. If I've exhausted myself during the day, then it's less of an issue but that doesn't happen often. If my work schedule permitted me the ability to just be up for a hour or two and then return to bed, I'd do that. However, I have to be up by 7am if I want to get my morning workouts done.

I haven’t used it but some people use melatonin. I don’t know if it would kick in fast enough for you. There are lots of noises out there apparently… I recently learned about brown noise and green noise (for tinnitus). 

[heartlikealion]

One of our trivia teammates is now hosting trivia night at another restaurant so we went there tonight to support her/play. Did the exercise bike 40 min today, ate a big calorie meal and ended up ordering an alcoholic drink since no one ever seems to sell it and they had a big bar so I gave it a shot. No alcohol pun intended. 

My overall steps weren’t great but I don’t plan on eating out again anytime soon so hopefully didn’t mess up too much. 

Fixed my phone issues so I should be able to listen to music on my next walk or may just stay inside since it’s been so icky outside. 

[Ali in OR]

Did no exercise yesterday as I had to get my slides together for teaching--up late grading the night before. Now I'll try to get my regular dumbbell workout in.

We're at the end of the semester (technically this Monday/Tuesday are the last days but everyone in math is testing today/tomorrow. Much grading ahead of me.

[Soror]

12 hours ago, Harriet Vane said:

Zowie. Today my friendly, cozy, supportive, wonderful little gym went belly up. It was really small but wonderful place. A trainer at this gym put me back together after a serious illness and was incredibly creative about working around limitations due to a chronic condition and due to the illness that had weakened me so badly. I went from  real balance/coordination issues to a place of genuine strength and function. Thank God.

That same trainer left the gym a year ago to pursue gyrotonics full time--I joined gyrotonics to be supportive and because both she and my PT recommended it for me. You all know how much I've grown to love gyrotonics. It's the highlight of every week for me and it helped enormously with the pinched nerve this past semester.

After that trainer left the gym, I continued working out at the gym to keep on with weights and core work and use their ellipticals and recumbent bikes. The membership was only a little bit more than what I would have paid at Planet Fitness. I've made friends at this place. One woman and I have ridden recumbent bikes next to each other for years and her daughter babysat for us many times. A young woman who works at the front desk helped me with some landscaping work. The owners are lovely, encouraging people.

The atmosphere at the gym was always relaxed and friendly. This was so important, because I've always been really shy about exercising in front of other people. For me, it was like going to Cheers. (Remember that show? Where everyone knows your name...)

Our area has attracted a Really Huge Corporation, so there is a lot of building going on all around. They're even talking about building a whole 'nother highway out here. (I hope they don't--I'd prefer a good train system tbh.) The gym took a big hit with covid (all gyms did), and with all the big-deal development going on here, rents and real estate have skyrocketed. My gym couldn't afford the raise in rent.

Two weeks ago they formed a tenuous deal to share space with another tiny gym. They moved. (I bought one of their recumbent bikes.) I went to work out at the new location once. Different setup, same lovely people. Today I received a text saying that the tenuous deal crashed and there is no way for them to salvage their business. I didn't expect that.

I'm sad that I won't be able to go to that particular place, though honestly, it'll be fine for me. I can join another gym. I'm a totally different person now in terms of exercise and health and strength.

I just feel so sorry for the owners who have worked so hard to keep going through the pandemic. I'm also sorry for everyone who just lost their job.

I'm sorry Harriet. What a let down.

13 hours ago, knitgrl said:

So. I have some issues with my arm on the mastectomy side, which was kind of worrisome....long story short - it took a month and a half to get the right person to listen to me. And then I had to wait a month for an appointment with an OT. That happened last week. So now I know that my arm issue is cording, which is pretty common after surgery. The bad news is, it doesn't go away, but the good news is that exercise and stretching are good and really the only way I could make it worse is if I tried not using my arm at all.

So, now I have clearance to do upper body strength training, beginning with light weights and low reps, because while I can't really make my cording worse, I might overdo and give myself lymphedema. I did my first session today with my 1 pound weights. 💪

I'm glad you got some answers and a plan to work on your problem areas.

16 hours ago, Elfknitter.# said:

Oh, and a question...

Every now and again I'm up between 2-4:30 or 5am for an undermined amount of time. Most nights its anywhere from 30-60 minutes, though it will vary. Last night was 90 minutes between 2-3:30am. 😖 Its much easier to deal with if it happens at 2am vs 4-5am.

Falling asleep isn't much of a problem but staying asleep as I age seemed to have become one. Any tips or suggestions? I already have white noise. If I've exhausted myself during the day, then it's less of an issue but that doesn't happen often. If my work schedule permitted me the ability to just be up for a hour or two and then return to bed, I'd do that. However, I have to be up by 7am if I want to get my morning workouts done.

I've struggled a lot with this. I don't have a great answer. I think it is multiple things. I take magnesium, time release melatonin, try to be outside at least some even when the weather is icky. For me my thyroid and hormones also play into it but getting those lined out us elusive.

[Soror]

I've not had power since Tuesday night. I'm not getting much of anything done besides I had talked to PT a bit and she basically said I should only be doing basic household tasks and PT exercises. So no walks or pickleball for me. I was supposed to have an appointment yesterday morning but the winter storm closed everything and I had to visit my aunt anyway. I've got too many things already to do today so maybe I can get in Friday or Monday. I'm still struggling.

Edited January 26, 2023 by Soror

[Jenny in Florida]

13 hours ago, knitgrl said:

So. I have some issues with my arm on the mastectomy side, which was kind of worrisome....long story short - it took a month and a half to get the right person to listen to me. And then I had to wait a month for an appointment with an OT. That happened last week. So now I know that my arm issue is cording, which is pretty common after surgery. The bad news is, it doesn't go away, but the good news is that exercise and stretching are good and really the only way I could make it worse is if I tried not using my arm at all.

So, now I have clearance to do upper body strength training, beginning with light weights and low reps, because while I can't really make my cording worse, I might overdo and give myself lymphedema. I did my first session today with my 1 pound weights. 💪

I don't have an official diagnosis, but despite a couple of rounds of PT and near-daily strength and stretching exercises at home, I still have reduced strength and range of motion in my mastectomy arm, as well as very tight muscles in my chest on that side. It's definitely better, though, when I am diligent about doing my exercises regularly.

Aside from the daily irritation of just not being able to count on my arms (I have lingering issues from breaking my right arm a couple of years ago, too) to do what I expect them to do, I notice it often during yoga classes when I struggle to do simple things like raise both arms straight above my head. 

So, I'm very glad you got an answer and good guidance for how to address the issue. And I encourage you to keep up with it, because it does make a difference. 

[Jenny in Florida]

@Harriet Vane - I'm so sorry about your gym. It's sad for you and also for the folks who will need to find new jobs. Not to mention just a loss to the community of what sounds like a special place.

[Jenny in Florida]

Okay, this has not been a banner week for me, in terms of exercise and general self-care.

I finished off Tuesday's step count with a solid walk that evening. Then I ended up staying up too late again working on that school project.

This meant that I hit Wednesday morning with about 4 hours of sleep under my belt before I had to deliver the dog to the vet for her surgery bright and early. So I ended up skipping my morning walk and exercise. By the time I got home, the physical and emotional exhaustion caught up with me, and I let my boss know I was taking a couple of extra hours to rest before trying to get back to work. Those "couple of hours" wound up being the rest of the day, since by the time I was awake and showered and settled at my desk, the vet called to let me know my dog was ready to come home. And once we were home, all either of us wanted to do was snuggle on the couch and try to keep her comfortable.

Last night was given over more or less entirely to said snuggling and me trying to do schoolwork while balancing two computers on my lap and the arm of the couch. I just could not carve out the time or energy to walk or exercise. 

Lulu the pup is on restricted activity for the next two weeks, so I will be walking solo.

I headed out this morning and had the oddest feeling that I didn't know what I was supposed to do. How does one go for a walk, exactly?

Safe to say I might be feeling a little worn out and overwhelmed. 

I did walk, though, a little over 4K, and then spent about 30 minutes doing strength and stretching stuff on the mat. We'll see how I do tonight. I hope I can get myself back into my routine quickly.

 

Winter Warmup 2022 Challenge: 194.4 of 500K
Walking Streak: 30