Jan 12 to 18

Shoulder mobility is important

Something weird just happened to my keyboard. Odd that. Anyway, got a pair of push up handles this week and started using them - they are nice - helpful with all kids of bodyweight poses and presses. I also got a yoga pillow in the garage gym as well - helpful for mobility in the mornings.

Which brings up doing mobility in the evenings, too. I did get at least one swim in this week in the evenings, but stayed at home and did an evening session in the garage gym of mobility/bodyweight training instead of HIIT or swimming. Not sure I'm able to connect attaining the "boundless cardio" goal I have with mobility training, but I slept just as well and moved a little better.

I also heard back from the lab coat about the x-ray. Seems my hip hurts. "Marked joint space narrowing" and "marginal osteophytes" ... seems I have to go for swims, start to doing some mobility training, recover from chronic injury and overuse as well as aging and wear. 

When people say "You are doing everything right." ... I seriously want to rattle their ancestors. 

So ... just to mention it, I did do mobility training every day this week and went for a swim once. 

"You are doing everything right."

Jan 5 to 11

Yup, had this on the screen for the HIIT sessions

Not a bad week over all. Closed the rings three times so far and got back to HIIT sessions as well as getting in to the pool this week. A bit of snow and really cold kept me from hikes - and my hip ain't being nice these days either. 

HIIT sessions were pretty ordinary with getting rounds of these done until I got to 30 or 35 minutes:

3 minutes air bike

2 minutes kettlebell swings/cleans/snatches with the 12 kilo bell.

Nothing daring there, but basic cardio. Gloves on the kettlebell were a necessity for these old hands.

I did the morning sessions barefoot in a rather chilly garage gym this week - I did wear a hoodie and shorts so I looked like a teenager, I guess. Ah well, whatever. 

I do like the quiet for the AM sessions but need a movie on in the evening sessions. Shrug, I cna handle that. 

Dec 30 to Jan4

 

A bit hazy, but it is correct

Holidays / vacation / recovery time continued this week. It was nice to be able to sit at home and listen to the rest of the family hack up their lungs. Quite pleasant. I did get a chance to hike a few times in the local provincial park, get in the pool twice and hit my morning sessions every day. I even did the correct date on January first, 2025. 

I even squeezed in some work time here and there. Had a lovely family NYE celebration and generally tried to recover from stress and prepare for what is next. I did get two RV weekends booked, and made myself a promise that I would get a kayak out onto water for at least one of those weekends. 

On a sad note, my Apple Watch fell off and the screen smashed enough while getting a couch to the curb this week. I thought it would be fine and wore it into the pool the following day, but ... the water just got in and that was enough. I got on to Fb Marketplace and will be off this afternoon to pick up another new-to-me replacement. 

Morning sessions went like this:

10 minutes hip mobility, general mobility, push ups. Did three rounds of each. 

10 minutes ab work- hollow holds, swimmers kicking, seated knee tucks. Dead bugs as well. 

10 minutes TRX squats to face pulls, banded curls and overhead presses, banded lateral raises.  

Dec 23 to 29

 

Hip, hip hooray!

Back to vacation workouts this week - but getting things done in and around the requirements of the season and family illness.  It always happens at this time of the year - my family gets to this week and everything just drops. Daily routines shift and health and just everyone is tired. Fighting that physical exhaustion and  ability to stave off illness is what is key.

Lots of sleep and water is always a good start. 

Morning routines were completed all days - just sometimes later in the day instead of at 6 am. It is all good. Actually also got a hip x-ray done this week as well. I'm waiting for the results/comments from the dude. I'm hoping this is just a stretching issue, not a bone issue. In chatting with the guy, I noticed my BP was a little high and that swimming was done only twice the last week.

Morning routine looked like this:

10 minutes hip mobility, general mobility, push ups, other body weight exercises as thought up. 

10 minutes ab work- hollow holds, swimmers kicking, seated knee tucks. I'd like to get my big fitness ball out to the chilly garage to help with other ab exercises. 

10 minutes TRX squats to face pulls, banded curls and overhead presses, banded lateral raises. 

Dec 16-22

 

A pic of MuscleWiki - it's cool!

Yeah, this week was "Survival mode" in the game of life. I got the basics done, but not much else. I wanted to get to my Break without getting sick or injured.

My wife is hacking up a lung as I type this, which is a thing for people in our industry at this time. 

Anyway, I digress, Morning routine this week:

10 minutes mobility and stretching - 90/90 stretch, groin, quad and warrior One pose. Cobra pose, downward Dog, side lying leg lifts, the basics. Anything that helps to open hips and warm up muscles.

10 minutes of ab work - knee tucks, "putting on socks" stretch, planks, swimming leg lifts.

10 minutes of arms and shoulders - banded curls, banded overhead presses and TRX work. 

The TRX was always a cool thing to play with and now that it is up and helping, I'm going through some of the old YouTube Videos and musclewiki to try and recall some of the cooler movements. Of course I do these morning routines before coffee, so the real challenge then becomes recalling what to do at the right time. 

As in the rest of life. 

Dec 9-15

 

I was working on this post this morning during a short adventure after my morning stretching session. I just didn't do much more than survive this week - just on the last kilometre here. The last full measure.

My morning sessions are pretty much identical, which is okay, as consistency is best. 
Ten minutes of basics - 90/90's World's Greatest Stretch, push ups, hip opening stuff of all kinds and angles. 

Ten minutes of abs  - leg pummelling, leg lifts, knee tucks, stuff like that. 
Ten minutes of arms and shoulders - banded bicep curls, banded overhead presses, TRX lat pulls, TRX assisted squats to face pulls. 

But the evenings, I was either on date night or sleeping. Honestly, just trying to keep hydrated or working on sleep deprivation. 

Dec 2-Dec 8

 

Again, a pic of me

At some point I'll have to do an "End of year " post either here or on Fb. 

As much as I am working these days, I am truly enjoying the solitude in the afternoons and evenings. I am journalling and other self-care modalities. Things are kind of tight with money, so I'm doing all fo these while eating like a vegan and drinking a lot of tea. 

I'm also grateful myFIL bought enough coffee to almost drown me. I know he was trying, but I'm keeping my head above it at the moment. Tomorrow is tomorrow. 

Kept the morning routine up and stretching. My hip isn't liking it, but shrug. I'm pretty sure it isn't supposed to. I am using the TRX every day ... again. Getting back to bodyweight training as well. Need to focus on the training in the evening and getting back to endless cardio I had before the world ended. 

Ten minutes of basic yoga poses - 90/90 and worlds greatest stretch to begin. Downward dogs and all the hip openers that I can think of, push ups and planks.

Ten minutes of abs and more hip rotation - knee clamshells, side lying single leg lifts, bicycle legs in the air, BJJ leg pummel, knee tucks, v-Sits, swim kicks, all kinds of ab work here.

Ten minutes banded bicep curls, banded overhead presses, TRX squats and overhead pulls, kettlebell muscle stripping, kettlebell lifts/swings of various lengths and heights.

A nice thing I can say about the swimming is that I'm working on my front crawl - trying to make it a stronger stroke. 

It's just the evenings I need to take back. Batman I am not these days.