Enjoyed my R&R weekend. I did keep up with the Ab Challenge, but not much else. Saturday involved 2x1.5 hour naps. Slept in Sunday and another hour nap. No walking or much of anything except eating and eating. My body needed it. But then I don’t want to get moving again. LOL. Monday morning was still rough. I saw a long time gym peep at Walmart yesterday and we chatted a bit. It made me sad and miss the gym more. The run was on the icky side, and I was a bit nervous about starting a new workout. But once I got started, I enjoyed it a lot. A lot of fun new things to try and work on. And OMG the cardio required. Fun! I’m looking forward to tomorrow now. And I completed day 22 of the ab challenge. I am glad I stuck with it. I may sprinkle in the workout here and there because it has worked my middle/center abs well, but I’m not sure about 22 days in a row. It was a big time commitment. Give me a few months to repress the memory and then we will see.
5k this morning as the sun rose! It was a good run. Already ready to go back outside! Later. 
Run was stronger than yesterday, but I think I might be doing easy/steady runs for the next 6 weeks. The weight lifting videos are cardio killers. Today was legs. Oh my. I will feel that one tomorrow. He sneaks in a lot of mobility/power/agility in there. It looked much easier yesterday when I sat and watched it. LOL.
Got an email this morning fromAllBirds announcing the launch of their first running shoe.
FYI running shoe addicts!
I read a good review of the new Allbirds shoe by the editior/shoe reviewer at Runners’ World. He liked it quite a bit for an initial try. He said it would be a great run and then be at the gym shoe. I ordered up a pair, so stay tuned.
4 miles this morning that didn’t feel great at all. Heart rate would not stay down, even with lots of short walking breaks. BUT- I got outside and did the run.
Upper body with a de-load went pretty well.
Upper body does not get me out of breath the same way squats & deadlifts do!
I’m a little irritated to be back at 65# again for the press, but I get it. Detraining happens, and it’s not cancer. I’ll get back up to 70# & +
My daughter told me someone she works with had C19 3 weeks ago and really noticed diminished lung capacity when he tried to go for a run.
I hope it turns out that lungs heal & function normally again, with time.
The thought of hiking up a hill right now? Oh dear. No.
Barbell Logic podcast had a nice episode about special considerations when training seniors — it was really good.
They said a lot of people in their last decades have mobility problems in their shoulders. It might be very hard or impossible for them to press, bench, or squat without modifications.
They said of all the lifts, old people seem to get a lot of bang for their buck with deadlifts. Even if they need to start with the bar higher, such as rack pulls.
I really love hearing about seniors who get their lives back with weight training.
One podcast host says he will ask good friends or relatives who are seniors to get up out of a chair without using their arms or hands — and this is often a lightbulb moment for them. They had no idea how weak they had become over the years. This can get them to the weight room.
I was out there at the crack of dawn doing that $@(& hill this morning. The hill is in a nature preserve that during normal times is almost empty - maybe 10 cars in the parking lot and half of those belong to bird watchers. With the shutdown, though, the parking lot is now always fully packed with cars overflowing out onto the main street. So I’m seeing many new faces out there on the trails. But few do the hill. Except this morning, midway through my slog what I would normally call an “older gentleman” (mid-70s or so, at least 50 pounds overweight, using two canes) did the hill. Twice. He wasn’t fast, but he did it and then walked the trail at the top. I was so inspired and it made me think about how wonderful it is that he’s out there. Things like that inspire me to quit whining and keep on going. Crossing my fingers I’m still out there when I’m 80 or 90. Thinking when I hit 100, I might let myself stop doing the hill and move to the gentle wraparound slope trail.
Good inspiration @milee30 ! Good for him and good for YOU!
It was supposed to be raining this morning (didn’t yet) and was really windy, so I opted for the treadmill and was a little rushed before a work call/video conference. Got in 3.1 and showed up for the call with my sweaty running headband still on. No one but me had their video on. If we have to work like this, I’m a believer in “seeing” each other- for better or worse.
Very, very true @milee30 . I too have been noticing people out who truly have to make much more of an effort to get out and do something than me, with a well working body, has to. I have seen people on our trail with canes, walkers, etc. There is a man on our street who is not all that old but pretty much shut in his house since his wife died a few years ago - he is out of shape. But I have noticed him very slowly doing a walk around his block. I imagine it takes him quite a physical and mental effort to do that. It is not lost on me.
Exercise meets you where you are at if you allow the opportunity.
Anyone who tries to do their best with what they’ve got is doing A OK in my book. That’s all any of us can do. Just keep moving forward. Oh! And that brings me to my favorite quote in my video this morning. “Chairs destroy the human body. And let’s get our body back!” I wish someone had pointed this out to me 20+ years ago. Sitting at work all day all these years has not been kind to my mobility. And at this point, all I can do is keeping trying to improve – even if it’s by millimeters.
Today’s run was unexpectedly good. I thought it would be sore and achy, but it was the opposite. So, I just “ran” with it. Today was supposed to be the workout program’s rest day, but I swapped Sunday’s “Range and Recover” video for today. I prefer Sundays to be my complete rest day from both running & lifting. And this video was oh so good. I might do it again on Sunday. I probably need it every day. It was a 20 min stretching (more slow dynamic vs static, but a little of that too) working on hip mobility. It was just what I needed. And now I sit in my chair… sigh… I try to get up every hour and stretch, but it’s like my butt is magnetized to the bleeping thing.
I know swiss balls are no magic bullet as a chair replacement but I think they are a great option. That is my puter chair.
^^ I used to use one all the time. They are great. I moved to a kneeling chair (which also had a back on it ) eventually due to some hamstring issues. Now I’m at home on a kitchen counter height stool.
4.6 mile walk yesterday. Almost as crowded as the weekend. Sigh. Basement gym today.
I didn’t do any cardio yesterday, but I did lots of yoga and exercises, including using light weights and my exercise ball thing. I thought my abs would really be sore today, but they aren’t bad.
Today I rode my bike around the neighborhood for 90 minutes or so.
Then I came home and found my cropped Align joggers.
Thanks @MomofWildChild, I really like them.
Oh good! They are so cute and comfortable.
It rained all day here.
So I held off, hoping it would stop but it doesn’t look like it’s going to.
So the bare minimum 30 minutes on the treadmill. It’s something
Non-stop rain here - and the forecast shows it will continue through tomorrow. So annoying - I will run when it’s 0 or 90, but not when it’s 40 degrees and pouring! I’ve been doing Lifetime Fitness on-demand workouts on non-running days: Kettlebell (using a weight instead) and Shred (upper and lower body and core work) and I feel like I’m getting a good workout with them, although I miss the in-person classes. Hoping that the rain clears up soon - I’m ready to get outside for a run and I miss my afternoon walks.
Those weights don’t lie!
Looking forward to today’s rest day.
Outside this morning for 4.1 miles. Love my NB Fresh Foam yellow shoes, but there is a rub spot just below my left outside ankle bone from some ill-placed seams on the shoe. I roll in that direction with that foot. Other shoe is fine. I need to solve that. Maybe smooth tape over the seam or try a different insole to sit my foot up a little more.
Sunrise yoga at 6:30 (yes, I’m an early riser). Hoped to follow that with a walk outside but it was pouring, so I did a brisk walk around my house while on the phone for my 30 minute weekly staff meeting. Did a 30 minute Fitness Blender strength video before lunch.