Dec 25-31

 

I'm doing this post at about 9pm. What a piece of work ... I'm gladly wearing shorts and a T-shirt to be cozy at home on NYE. Man, what a lame New Year's Eve party. 

But not really. 

Significantly less chance of stupid whizzing straight into my forehead and knocking me out. 

This week was another odd one - finished four of the rings and the other three days were non-starters. Yeah, I wanted to finish off 2023 with a bang, but I'm just chilling man. 

There have been some tender spots in my shoulders, but at least cardio is doing well at the moment. I enjoyed the days off, as it allowed a bit of healing in there. I do need to start to get some help with my training - help with recovery and with expanding my sessions. I know I need to get this done, but January is the stupid time of the year for reaching out to people in the fitness industry. This is their unreal season and I just don't want that. 

I will get some help with recovery without any difficulty I'm sure. We can start there. 

I did notice that my usual spots of grinding pain have turned themselves down to a 2 this week. Very grateful for that - seems using bands and swimming as cardio agrees with my joints. I just know that I have to crank up the cardio and the recovery work in the next few months. 

That and diet. Oh, man do I need to watch what I stuff into my mouth. 

Swim sessions are looking like this:

100 m breaststroke

400 m freestyle

50 m kickboard

400 m freestyle

50 m breaststroke

Dec 18-25

 Yeah, that was a weird week ... but I was glad to see the end of it, quite frankly. I keep using the phrase I stole from Lincoln "the last full measure" when thinking about this time of the year; it isn't far off from how I feel. Just too much crap too much coming my way on the professional and personal fronts. Then ... it's like a post-apocalyptic week of grey nuclear winter afterwards. 

I got through the end of the week and got into the holidays. I am alive and got my workouts mostly done. I got the rings closed four times this week - the rest of the days I missed the red ring - the one for activity. I was usually busy being a dad, but sometimes I was just being tired.  This was a long grinding few months and it is over. January is an easier month for me professionally, but usually not personally. 

Morning routines held on for the most part, but not always done by 7 am. I've been able to sleep in and then go to bed early a few nights. This nagging cough is fighting my serenity. 

Man, I love the swimming workouts - quiet and late enough that usually, no one else is there to mess with my serenity. 

Ew. Earlier on in the day - which is why I go much later

Dec 11- 17

 

The Exit sign is just for show

I'm doing this post early on Sunday afternoon as I have other stuff to get done. I guess I'll start off with the fact that I was reading a book this week and I just ... I just didn't want to finish it so I took some self-care advice and moved on to another book. 

Shrug. I'm still reading, just not something I didn't want to read. 

Not a bad swim, just long

The Apple Watch fitness rings got done every day but Wednesday this week. I was being a dad and had to go and pick someone up instead of doing my evening workout. It happens. I did a record-breaking swim on Saturday, after skipping my morning routine and having to sit the exam for ASL 102, then work online. Something ridiculous like a 45-minute swim. It was nice to have the fitness to do that, but I'd rather have done a morning and evening session instead.

I did say I was going to re-evaluate my fitness routine in December after I'd finished the ASL course. I have a few options and a few thoughts which are not appropriate for here. I'm hoping to get January to June just as productive and helpful towards my next career, but am going to be limited by money and time, as always. 

Meh, at least I know what time I have available for the next 30 Tuesday evenings. I love having a schedule like that. I can do so much with an ocean of time like that. 

Morning routines are getting more kettlebell in them:

30 two-handed swings

10 db snatches each side

I get this done for three rounds before finishing the morning routine. Got my HR up to 140 the other day, too. A nice sprint session to start the day. 

 

Dec 4 to 10

 

Here... look and listen here

A challenging week. Closed my rings on my Apple Watch only twice, thanks to this stupid cough I got somewhere. 

<<cough cough>> homelife, work with children who don't wash their hands <<cough cough>>

So yeah, I had to drop the swims in the evenings to take some Advil and get to bed early.

Like ridiculously early. 

In any case, all mornings I finished the morning routine by 7am and got on with the day. I found out I did not do so well on an ASL quiz just after I got my final project in for marking.  Meh, I think I will do okay in this course, but I will point out I will prefer in-person ASL classes to these online ones. 

While I write this on Sunday afternoon, I'm hopeful things can go back to a bit quicker. Not a fan of this slowing down. Too much time to brood and intrusive thoughts just wreck my vibe.

I am going to start a list of stuff to do on my winter break. Going away somewhere is a thing now. 

I did get to the beach this weekend, but it was cloudy and chilly. Meh, I got there and saw this

Nov 27-Dec 3

 

This was a cool week - I finished the Apple Fitness app November challenge and got on to the December monthly challenge ... but I took Tuesday and Thursday off. My shoulders and body needed a rest. That being said Sunday was hilarious.

I slept in until noon, so no "morning" routine. I got that done that afternoon. I then did some stuff for the week and got a HIIT done in my garage for 30 minutes. I showered, played some StarCraft and then went for a 20-minute swim session. Crazy.

At least I'm working a little on the backstroke and the butterfly during my swim sessions of late.

But Monday morning my shoulders felt a wee stressed, yaknowwhatimsaying? 

Morning sessions were like this:

90/90 hip stretches, baby pose to downward dog, to plank to cobra pose. Just getting things moving and the heart pumping. Mobility and just some movement.

Side-lying leg lifts, ab work to follow on the weighted ball and the 65 cm stability ball. Crunches, dead bugs, leg lifts, swimming kicks, ab holds, ab rollouts. Lots of focus on the abs. Abs, abs, abs.

Then the last ten or so minutes are usually two or three circuits, starting with 50 kb swings, using a 20 lb dumbbell. 10 dumbbell lateral raises, then banded lat pulls and the banded bicep curls. I finished with banded overhead presses. 

Honestly, it's a nice piece of work and I'm getting it done every day. Just, you know ... some days it is done before 6:30 am, and other days after 2 pm. It's all about balance. 

Nov 20 to 26

 

Sage advice. Don't know who the guy is though. 

This was a stupid week. Just ... one day after another and every moment was scripted and planned. 

Except today.

Workouts were all the same - Stretch/yoga/kettlebells morning routine and swims in the evening. Lots of side hustle time and ASL learning, too.

Every evening had something to do until everyone except me got sick and started coughing and barfing. Was gross. Do not recommend it. I did take note of the business of the last month, I'm grateful that it passed quickly but holey Hanna Batman, that was a busy month. I know it isn't quite over yet, but I'm glad I got to this point without getting hurt.

The swims in the evening were all about 30 minutes and the morning sessions are about the same. I did work on my Butterfly and my backstroke at least twice a week this week. So I have that going for me.

The nice thing about Monday to Friday is that I'm on my feet for most of that and getting my rings closed is that much easier as a result. My job makes fitness a breeze. Yeah.

Anyway, I got to sleep in today, do my morning routine at 3pm and just generally be inert. Was cool, do recommend it for short bursts only. Tomorrow we are back on the train.

Nov 12 to 19

 

Clearly a reenactment of the end of the HIIT session. Except I wore a shirt

Life here has been an off week - workouts not done, staying home as a result of puking, swims and HITT sessions with kettlebell swings all making an appearance. I closed my rings and I moved forward as I was able to. Lots of reading this week - got to re-read Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning.

The puking continues on Sunday, just not mine at this time. 

It is a sick house this last week or so. Wonderful, wonderful.

Meh, at least February is coming in hot. 

HIIT was this for several rounds:

5 min warm up on a treadmill at the gym

2-minute kettlebell swings - a 25 lb bell.

then back on the treadmill for 3 minutes.

At the end, got onto a Jacob's Ladder for a few minutes. Got to 50 minutes all told. Yeah, the next day I was a hurting unit. 

Kettlebell swings in the morning routine are a nice touch - help to get the heart pumping for sure. 

Oct 30 to Nov 11

 

Whoa, I guess I missed a week. Sorry about that, anyone who's reading. My bad.

I'm glad to report that I closed my rings, hit my workouts and stayed on course for those two weeks. I mean I added the kettlebell to the morning session and kept up my ASL studies and my side hustle.

All of it, all of it at the same time.

So, yeah I've been a little busy.

But I think that was my point - I'm always so stressed out at this time of the year ... this year's solution? Keep busy let it all sprint by and get to February as quickly as possible.

So far, so good.

Here is the current morning session, lasting about 30-35 minutes:

10 minutes of hip and shoulder stretching - downward dogs to planks to pigeon pose to ... world's greatest stretch. Nice way to warm up and start the day.

10 minutes of ab work - ball twists, ball squats, hip thrusters, ab extensions, seated leg extensions, prone leg kicks, prone side leg lifts ... etc, etc etc. 

10 minutes of shoulder and arms. Kettlebell swings with a 20 lb dumbbell(s). Deltoid shoulder raises, and several other shoulder exercises. Curls and overhead presses with a band. All good.

Swimming and yoga sessions in the evening. 

I'd still like to be able to hit a hiking trail or a treadmill soon. Meh, at least the swimming is happening and my family comes along at times as well.  

Oct 23 to 29

One Foot In Front Of The Other Santa GIFfrom One Foot In Front Of The Other GIFs

 

I'm running a little slow today - I was up early to drop my eldest off at the train station downtown at 6 a.m. I finished almost all the rings this week - missed Tuesday for some reason. 

Shrug. Feeling good otherwise. I have some tender spots, but when do people not have things that ache or are stiff?

Started to include kettlebell swings in the morning routine. I mean I'm using a dumbbell for the moment, but I like how the heart rate rises when I'm using them. It's been an odd week at work but at least I got my rings closed. 

ASL continues as well. Nice and boring progress is being made. 

Oct 16 to 22

 

It is just good advice ... and something of a mantra these days. That one and "If the octopus can recover after a tragedy, so can you".

Yeah, that second one might be why I'm still using a late-night swim most days to complete my rings.  Morning sessions continue much the same. I did pick up a thicker band this week for the rows. I will pick up another one for the curls and overhead presses. Need to continue my progress.

I keep thinking about a return to contact sports. I do like them, but am enjoying the solitude of the pool at the moment. Usually, I show up at the pool and it is just me. 

I love the idea of solitude. Just myself and my thoughts - some are the intrusive kind that are drawn out and are confronted. My thoughts and ideas about what I could be doing with my life and how much further along I will be if I just keep showing up. 

So I just keep showing up. By myself. With my family. For my family. I just keep showing up. 

And so the idea of my family - my wife and my children keeps me from feeling lonely. I'm by myself. I'm enjoying the solitude, but I'm not lonely. 

What's that line from ee cummings? Oh yeah ... "i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)"

But the morning sessions and the swimming continue. The learning ASL continues as well. I keep making progress. All is good. 

Oct 10. to 15

 

"Walk the rice paper soft as you can. Try not to tear it."

Getting back on my habits and getting this post done on Sunday. Yesterday was a full day, despite it being a Saturday. A full day of learning and tutoring would lead you to think that I wouldn't get my rings closed, but I got them done. 

The right number of people here

In fact, all of the rings were completed all of the days, thank you. 

I'm trying to make each of the Swimming sessions be at least 30 minutes - which is more of a mental game than anything else.

150 m Brest 

200 m arms only Freestyle. - which I sometimes do with my legs as I get bored

150 m breast

100 m legs only

200 m freestyle - with flippers and paddles, just to keep it interesting

150 m arms only freestyle

Then, if I need to get to 30 minutes of some breaststroke and or some walking. Something kinda cool, just working on getting my heart rate back down and stretching out. Again the focus is on doing some training and not risking any injury. 

Yes, I need to work on my butterfly and the backstroke. Duly noted and I will get them into the mix here. I have done some work on the dolphin kick for the butterfly, but felt something go "twang" in my knee and thought better of that. Backstroke is just boring. Shrug, ok fine I'll do some backstroke for you next time.

Morning sessions are the same - although I am adding and subtracting day to day. Lately, I've been adding pushups - have been thinking of making a shena board for some work on that. They look cool, man. Anyway, still showing up and still getting the work done. 

As has been said, "The work is the gift."

October 1 to 10

 

Was awesome and cool. 

Had a little brain flatulence over the weekend - I was away in the RV. It was chilly and the drive was a bit windy for me. I did close the rings on most of the days - Wednesday and Sunday were write-offs. I wasn't in the right frame of mind and I was also on vacation, respectively. 

My cardio outfit for this winter

Saturday the 7th was hilarious - we were in the RV but the sunset was incredible. I had three or four walks around the park to make sure I got some pretty cool shots of the sunset over the lake. It was nice to be able to get the walking in, it was nice to be able to stretch out after and finish my rings, too.

When we got back, the first thing I did was go for a record-setting swim to finish off the rings and get myself set up for the week at work. All was awesome. 

Sleep has been pretty good, and eating has been flexible - got right back on the focus on the proper diet after I got back from the trip. It's not a bad routine for diet either. I'm happy and my butt is getting smaller and smaller as we go through the days.

Still, I need to add some walking running or hiking to the mix; need to get my cardio and VO2 max up. They will be the deciding factor for a return to sports in the spring. 

Sept 25 to Sept 30

 

The right number of swimmers in the pool. Always

This was a good week - a little increase in the side hustle, I paid for the ASL 102 that will start in a few days and mostly finished the rings. 

Rather boringly, my morning routine is moving me forward. A nice start to all my days with a 30-35 minute session that I haven't really changed. I know I'll need to work on my whole body, so I am starting to get to a yoga class once a week. Except this week, I just couldn't get that done. 

The evening swims are usually done in solitude. I must say that is awesome. Not sure how this business is staying in business with just me coming in that late, but I appreciate that I don't really share the pool with anyone. Very Zen. I'm grateful for the silence. 

I also know I need to get a bit of running in if only to toughen up the legs and lungs for any sort of return to combat / outdoor sports next summer. I'm not sure I will want to change anything in the next eight weeks, as I've now got a full plate of everything I can handle. 

I'll check in/reflect back on this at Christmas time to see what I was thinking. 

Sept 18 to 24

Thing of beauty

Yeah, man ... I'm doing nothing different, just lots of it.

Morning sessions are all between 25 and 35 minutes and swimming sessions are about the same. One or two days there was also an afternoon yoga/bodyweight training session for good measure. 

Nice and boring - I'm mastering the art of showing up, as the man says. Everything is just heading forward and I'm good with that. 

Sept 11 to 17

I got up early this morning, too

Another week of things settling in - I got a chance to live the week that I am going to be reliving over and over again until Christmas. To some, that sounds like an incredible drag but at least I know what I will be doing three Tuesdays from now. That sounds like something I can exploit to my own advantage.

Speaking of exploiting something to my own advantage, my gym offers Wednesday night yoga classes and I finally made one this week. 60 minutes of basic flow and gentle stretch. My hamstrings were okay with the session, too. I found it a nice and welcome way to interrupt the negative crap going on the rest of the week. Bringing my wife along was a nice bonus. She enjoyed it as well.

Otherwise, this was the day, every day of this week:

Up early doing the morning session - see last week for details on that. 

Afternoons was a 20-minute session some days on a yoga mat. Just stretching and mobility. Nothing at all to this session, so far.

Evenings were swimming or that one night of yoga at my club. 

Nice and busy; my head, body heart and lungs really do like this stuff. I did close all my rings all seven days, too.

Sept 5 to 10

 

This young one was watching me this week.

A good week - closed my rings every day ... all the rings, all the days. A good return to work and lots of fitness and lots of things moving forward.

Need to work on the diet next, but at least I can use the schedule that I have to keep to my advantage. 

Bought a pair of 20 lb dumbbells for the morning routine I'm keeping at the moment. Got the afternoon session planned and ready to go. Almost. Need a few things to clear up - not the least of which is the weather to stop being so muggy and let the regular adult weather come back and run the room. 

Morning sessions continue to evolve and look like this:

10 minutes mobility - 90/90 stretches, downward dogs to planks, to low planks, to high planks to downward dogs to one leg up, lots of stretching and mobility

10 minutes of ab work - rounds of swimmers leg kicking, BJJ leg pummeling, hollow holds, dead bugs, ab flares and big ball rollouts with 20 lb standing rows and flys.

10 minutes of shoulders and back - rounds of 20 lb standing lateral raises, then into 10 meels and then reverse meels, then to banded lat pulls and lat chest pulls, tricep extensions, banded bicep curls and overhead presses. 

Swimming sessions in the afternoons/evenings have been awesome - some were short ones, just to finish off the rings, and some were longer on days I was lazy. I look forward to my afternoon HIIT sessions to make the evening swimming sessions just for fun and extra cardio.

Got my side hustle set up until Christmas and things are settling down nicely after the transitional nature of last week. Should be awesome. 

Aug 28 to Sept 4

 

This was  ... this is an odd week ... always. a cross between holiday and work. A cross between the country and the city. At least I completed my rings most days and everyone is "ready" for next week.

Morning sessions continue, as do afternoon swims with one or two hikes/walks to complete the circles on my Apple watch. I am really trying to get myself set up for success next week by waking up early, but today, after getting up at 5:50 a.m., I ended up sleeping for four hours after finishing my am session by 7 a.m.

Four hours. Unreal.

But there's of the week was nice and boring. Getting my family to come along for the pool workouts is also awesome. 

Aug 20 to 27

 

I think I see what Emily Dickenson thought about trees

So I was at my house for most of this time, making it relatively easy to get things like my morning yoga/mobility training done daily. It was also not a huge thing to close my rings most days - swims in the evenings are going nicely. I'm starting to get back to a regular Sept - June routine again, so I'm back to getting up before 6 a.m.

No, that was not a typo. 

The nice thing today, for example, I got up at 6 a.m., did my 35-minute session and then got to take my middle child out for breakfast. After breakfast, I went back and had a nap. Yeah, the holidays are awesome. 

The morning sessions are always evolving, so this is what my morning session is looking like today:

First ten minutes - yoga poses, hip mobility focus. Downward dog, to one leg up pose. dolphin pose, pigeon pose, world's greatest stretch, one-leg standing, etc etc etc. Lots of hip mobility.

Next ten minutes - abs and core. Dead bugs, swimming legs on the back, BJJ leg pummeling, seated leg extensions, hip thrusters, squats, triangle pose. Ab rollouts from the knee, back on the ball, rotations, standing dumbbell ITY poses. 

Last ten or so minutes - arms and back. Dumbbell lateral raises, dumbbell meels, standing banded pullovers and pulldowns, tricep extensions, Bicep curls, overhead presses.

By the end of that, I'm sweaty and my heart rate is decent. I do like the look of my shoulders and abs - just need to carve the fat off of them to really show them off. I am teasing, of course. I'm not really interested in cutting down to 68 kilos anymore. I'm happy to be in smaller pants, don't get me wrong, but I'm really more focused on mobility rather than powerlifting or bodybuilding. 

Today was a good day in that I'm away in the woods, but I was able to get my morning session done and then got an afternoon session done as well to close my rings. I just made sure I was ready to go with my equipment in one bag and just kept going and going. 

Aug 14 to 19

 

Be jealous. It was awesome.

Monday and Tuesday I got not very much training done - we were away in the RV and I'm not quite able to work, train and do everything in the RV yet. I did get a pleasant enough hike done on Tuesday, but that took some doing and scheduling. I was home Wednesday and got a nice swim in after a meeting ending at 9:15 pm to close all my rings.

This is the tough thing to write: I finally felt clean after that swim, even though it was a public pool used all day by a camp-sized population of children. 

Friday was date night and I went to see Barbie. Nice film, but took up my training time. Shrug. Whatever. I had to make sure I am keeping myself married. 

"It is from here I will plot the destruction of the Jedi."

Morning sessions in the RV were like this:

10 minutes hip-opening stretches - baby pose, downward dog, 90/90 stretch pigeon stretch, air squats, runners stretch, etc etc ... like a flow from one thing to the next. I also got a chance to use the light clubs for a bit of a warm-up of the shoulders. 

10 minutes ab work - swimming kicks, BJJ leg pummeling, dead bugs, "hollow ab" holds and some prone ITY stretches for the back and shoulders. 

10 minutes band work - used the rear bumper of the RV for chest pulls, shoulder pulls, and tricep pulls. Then went back to the mat for band bicep curls and overhead presses. 

When I got to the afternoons/evenings while in the RV, I had had enough of moving and just didn't want to do it. I was sweaty and gross and just wanted to vacate on my vacation. 

Progress on the office setup and view. 

Aug 7 to 13

 

There was water this week.

Seriously, not a bad week in the end - lots of exercise and activity, just failing miserably at the rest of it. Of course, the rest of it was the majority, but ...well, whatever. 

Rings closed four out of seven days, but I did get a kayak session out of it, as well as a daytime swim. During that swim, I did try out the butterfly stroke. It was very bad - but ya know Rome wasn't built in a day. My morning sessions really do continue to help me in every aspect of my life, except for my sleeping these days.

However, I can't be disappointed with the results right now - I'm plodding along, to be sure, but at least I'm not stuck in my house climbing the walls these days. I can get out and work out. Train. Hike. Swim. Wiggle my toes. 

Lots of water. 

Am I missing the limitless cardio I used to have? Yes, of course. 

Am I doing something about that? I can say "Yes, I am."

I'm also combining that desire for limitless cardio with my need for adventure. Recently it came to my attention that my extended family and I are ... on a limited engagement section of our lives. Awesome. Great - I'm going to let you celebrate any way you want. Go for it. 

Make sure you don't call me what you are at the down if you don't call me at the up. When I get to further down, I'll make sure to not make the same call.

Anyway, I'm off for more adventures in the van and I'm hoping that I can learn how to combine workouts and travel. Oh and meal prep, too. 

July 31 to Aug 6

 

The view from online work this week.

What a time to be alive. Got the project done on Monday and closed my rings. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I was away in the RV and got some stretching done, but only a little.

RV parks are odd places and I'm sure they are an acquired taste. I did enjoy the slow walks, but needed a bit more from myself in terms of food prep and keeping my stuff together. I did have to work online and I did notice that it went more smoothly than last time, but I need to get better prepared for that. 

I got home and made it back to some good habits and some bad habits. Good habits were around training - went right back to swimming at the end of the day to close my rings. Again, my front crawl is getting decent, my breaststroke is good and I even got the butterfly kick to work ... sort of. Morning sessions are also getting done without much struggle. Need to make both a little longer, but I'm just glad they are still fun and helpful.  

Bad habits are all around sleep - not getting enough and just being dumb about it. Not sure why, perhaps because I'm on vacation, but I need to clean this up and work on better sleep. 

 

met this guy at training one night

July 23 to 30

 

The morning stretching continued this week. It is my last week of work and I gave it my all to just get up and stretch and close my exercise ring. Got that one closed every day except today. Meh, whatever, at least my hips are moving and not hurting. I set up a standing spot for work in my office so that I can have the option of sitting or standing while working.

Swimming was my workout of choice this week - at least my swimming technique is getting better. I got a butterfly leg kick working for a bit, but it is mainly front crawl along with breaststroke I'm getting done. 

Cleaned the garage gym today, too - really needed it as I've just been dumping stuff in there for the last month. Just a mess. But at least now it will be easier to start back in there when the temperatures start to change. There is still stuff to do in there, but at least I've got some floor space to work with if needed. I really do need to finish this project tomorrow and get on with the more fun part of being on the journey to fitness.  Seems I've taken swimming on as a catch-all for my rings and fitness. 

Also, I know I'm going to have to re-think my Working from Home skills and assumptions, too. I was stuck online for a lot longer than I thought I wanted to be this July. Not enough fun, not enough stretching. Too much time in a seat while teaching too. 

July 18 to 22

This is from 2010.

This was a weird week - I got back from a working vacation and have been doing everything positive ...almost everything positive habits tell me to do.

The negative is my sleep - I just need more sleep. To be fair, I was watching the Canadian Women's Soccer team play until after 1am one day this week. And the Blue Jays are on a west coast trip so I've been trying to watch those games. I love watching the Jays play in Seattle - it is hilarious. 

Right, got back on ... I dunno let's say Wednesday and every day since then I've done my morning yoga routine and gone for a swim in the evening. 

Morning routine:

5-8 minutes downward dog, single and double legs variations, prone planks, 90 - 90 stretch, world's greatest stretch, elbow on the mat planks, hip mobility runner's stretches and push-ups.

I flip over then do 8-10 minutes of ab work - dead bugs, swimmer's legs, BJJ legs, "grabbing the knee and pulling in" stretch, make no eye contact stretch, one leg hip extension, on the ball squats, big ball chopper stretch, big ball ab rollouts, big ball prone dumbbell rear delt flys and straight arm presses. I also take some time to do some quad rolling along with some hip flexor rolling.

Then on to shoulders for 8-10 minutes - starting with dumbbell lateral raises, dumbbell arc casts, then onto banded shoulder pulls and chest pulls. The on to banded biceps curls banded deadlifts and overhead presses. I do this until I get to at least 30 minutes, sometimes longer. 

It's not a bad way to start the day, even if it really isn't yoga - it is at least a gentle way of getting myself up and running for the day. At least my hips like this routine. 

Of course, generally speaking, it is off for a coffee and breakfast these days, then onto sitting in front of my desktop for a few hours, working. Since I'm working from home, I get some leeway about breaks until about 3pm. Then it's time for the family and then ending the day by going for a swim. 

I am intending to get both a weight bench and some sort of elliptical machine for the winter months. The garage gym is a complete mess right now - it's on the list To Do list for this week to get it cleaned up. The Fire Drill I'm planning for in August is going to be a necessity. I'm hoping to train to a much higher level this winter and see better results in my doctor appointments. 

July 9 to July 17

Not a bad office, not a good gym ... yet

 I have been on vacation.

Well, not really. I'm working remotely inside the new-to-me RV. We are out in a provincial park and I'm working from there. I'm working off an expensive cell phone mifi device that is acceptable, but not really. Ah well, we are almost done. I'm home tomorrow or the day after.

I'm up-to-date on my marking, but my fitness journey is just off. No swimming, no running only minimal stretching and only one kettlebell. I did some sessions, but nothing is really being done.  

To be fair, I'm more worried about keeping my position than training at the moment. There are so many things not in my favour for my fitness journey here. Of course, this is also my first time trying something like this and I'm in the middle of a steep learning curve. Honestly, I know what to bring now and will keep looking at just how to keep my fitness and mobility up during times like these.

We are home soon and I'll go back to old habits and have all of my things conveniently close by. I'm hoping that new good habits will continue and I can go back to other good habits. 

In short, I've been standing perfectly still, but trying things to get my transition to retirement less rough.

July 3 to July 9

 

The woods are lovely, dark and deep...

Man, I'm doing this a smidgen late - meh, excuses are wonderful, but at least I know I was away in an RV yesterday without wifi. It was wonderful and terrifying at the same time. I hate big brother watching everything I do, but I do like being inside some sort of safety net. 

Anyway, got 5 out of 7 days' rings closed. Yoga and swimming throughout. Pic above is the Sunday morning version of "yoga" in the woods. The bugs weren't too bad, but they weren't attacking me as severely as the others I was with there. Being hairy and smelly has perks.

Did this:

Ground stretching for ten minutes - frog and dog stretching downwards and otherwise. Hip opening and shoulder stretching. QL stretching as well. Then into abs - flat legs up swimming kicking and then dead bigs and prone hand lifting. Was good.

Kettlebells and band work. Swings and presses of all types along with body weight and banded exercises for twenty minutes. In the middle of this workout, I keep recalling Supple Leopard stuff I should be doing and looking up. 

Anyway, Swimming is going well - I'm happy with the fitness and the joint health aspects of it for the moment. I know that September is a long way away, but I'm wondering what I can continue and what the cards have up their sleeves. Probably the cards are cheating, but I'll never know.

June 26 to July 2

 

I just liked this one

Monday and Tuesday were just so stressful - and didn't close all the rings. Whatever. Ugh, just too much to do and fitness was the victim. Wednesday to Sunday I made sure that all the rings got closed.

Anyway, Saturday was not quite stupidly hot, merely gosh darn hot and I went out to relive my running around in the heat days. I got a HIIT workout done on the turf with a new kit bag that I have not yet gotten a pic of. Obviously, I will rectify that tomorrow.

May or may not be my home office

Anyway, I got a HIIT workout done by 1 pm ... and then spent about 30 more minutes sitting in the chilly pool inside. I got home and napped for like three hours. Bands, kettlebells and sprints all in one workout; but it was dumb to sweat like that in the heat.

I've done five days in a row going to the gym. Mostly swimming. Stretching in the mornings and swimming at night. It's been pretty good - of course between the early morning stretching and the evening swimming is a basic letdown of civilization. But ... I read yesterday that I will be working remotely for July. 

Yup, that is a nice piece of news: working remotely for July. Hashtag awesome!

June 19 to 25

 

Almost let this week slip by. I'm so tired and the end of June is here. I've got another double job summer lined up, but this time I've got a plan and we will see this summer be better than last summer.

I did. a lot of swimming this week. And stuck with the early morning "yoga" - now including a set of banded exercises for my shoulders, on top of the dumbbell stuff I'm already doing. My abs are nice and strong, I just need to get the diet under control to start letting them see the light of day.

I did get an outdoor HIIT session done o the turf at my gym. An excellent facility: no little black things to get everywhere, usually no one uses it and it has lights. All three checkmarks make this place just awesome.  After the session, I got to jump into a pool and do a contrast session to help with recovery.

Three rounds of:

Indian club swings

banded shoulder presses

banded bicep curls

rugby passes to the wall

Three rounds of:

banded standing ab crunches

10 push-ups

ten mountain climbers with the slidey things under my feet.

Rugby line-out throws

Finished with

Three Figure 8's / sprints around the turfed area

line out throws

It was a good session, took about 40 minutes and I needed to do some recovery afterwards. The sprints at the end were not fast, but at least I got them done. Got my heart rate up to 150 there, too. 

Closed the rings five out of seven times. Missed any hiking this week as I needed to stay away from ticks this time of year. That, and it was muggy and hot. 

June 12 to 18

 

Flat water, paddling was hard

This was a weird week - hard and awful while being soft and cheery at the same time. Got the rings closed three ... four times this week. Too much time being a dad, but at least I got to be a dad and that was awesome. 

Yoga every morning. "Yoga" every morning. Still including some weights and band work in these sessions which probably disqualifies those sessions as purely "yoga". It's all good as they are still a great way to start the day, man. I'm hoping someday the day will start a smidgen later than 5:45 though. 

I got a swim workout and a kayak session done on Sunday. I did get a few hikes throughout the week as well. But lots of extra things make missing workouts necessary. I'll get back on the horse, so to speak and get them done next week. 

I'll pack a bag of kit and bring my stuff in the Adventure Van for surprise workouts. Or my kayak to get out on the water ... hmmm 

June 5 to June 11

 

This is my pic.

I finally did the sprint session I was supposed to start in May. I got on the turf for a HIIT session that was good. I combined rugby line out throws with sprints and I'll admit, I was hurting the next day. The throws were pretty good and the sprints were deadly.

Lots of yoga / early morning workouts this week. Lots of good work and more than a bit of fun.  Swim on Sunday night was a nice way to round out the weekend away in my new-to-me RV.

The sprint spot.

Lets take a moment and talk about the use of AI for the turf session. I asked ChatGPT to put together a workout for me on Monday with Indian clubs, bands and a yoga mat on the turf field. I wrote that it had to be a low setup and include sprints. I was asked about goals and the length of the workout needed. Unreal. 

It was a pretty cool workout. Indian clubs, bands, sprints and rugby skills were all included. Then a quick dip in the pool right beside the turf workout space. The only thing that would have made this better is if I had a pic of the cute raccoon that paid a visit mid-workout. I never had that in my garage gym workouts this past winter, I can tell you that for free. 

I'll have to get more than just a yoga mat into the RV for weekend workouts. The mat was awesome - both my wife and myself stretched out and felt so much better Saturday mid-morning. Like seriously: warm sunshine and yoga outside with few bugs, beside the lake. Was awesome.

May 29 to June 4

 

Outdoor pools were what was on this week

The heat has finally come back. It was humid and sticky and gross this week and I loved it. 

As I look at my notes, there were no hikes this week, no kayak rides just swims in the outdoor pool. I think I got a sunburn during today's session in the water. I'm okay with the slight stinging on my back. 

Here is what I did in 40 minutes this afternoon 

200 breaststroke

750 freestyle

350 kickboard

Of course, I mixed those up and did some laps with fins and with paddles. All good - cardio was the winner today.  I also got two new "Swimming workout record" awards from my iPhone. I'm cool my phone says so.

The yoga in the morning is transforming itself into bodyweight, mobility and a bit of strength training. I really don't care about any of that, all I know is that my hips don't hurt during the day. That and I feel so much better than I did a year ago. Two years ago. Three years ago. I'm still going to blog and monitor it as yoga though.

At the end of this workout, I went and checked out the outdoor turf area they had - I've got plans and a kit bag to put together for that one.

May 22 to 28

 

It was fun but chilly water

There was no movie on in the garage gym this week, as I didn't work out there at all this week. Now, before you get on me, I was outside. Two or three workouts in Lake Ontario on a kayak and two or three hikes in the "wilderness" around Toronto. 

There is no wilderness ... it was a sidewalk or a rather nicely set up pathway. Anyway, no garage gym workouts so far this week. 

The swimming was cool. Literally, they opened the outdoor pool at my gym and I went in for a 1.1-kilometre swim. I'm pretty sure they hadn't turned on the heater. It was pretty chilly. At least at the end, people offered me a beer. I had to decline as I don't want that to become part of the habit at my gym. Anyway, at least I can go earlier for swimming now until the end of September and get in a pool without teenaged asshats sprinting for all their worth.

Lake Ontario was fickle too - one session was meter-high waves in the surf which flooded the kayak I was in. I got to surf one of the waves though ... which was unreal. The next day, the lake was as flat as a pancake. Was differently awesome. I will be exploring the rest of the province one day, but that was not this week. 

Anyway, closed the rings six out of seven days. Fitness is starting to show up in my life. I just need to continue to master the art of showing up. That's all it takes, really ... that and a big goddamn poster. 

May 15-21

This was in the DVD player this week.

 

This was an odd week, man. I didn't get my rings completed every day and was okay with that. I keep hounding myself that I must master the art of showing up and then don't. 

Weird.

I got out for two kayak sessions this week and strapped myself to my garage gym for a HIIT session. I even got two swimming sessions in as well. I mean I got moving, I just didn't move every single day.

I did do the morning session every day this week - those I learned last week I just can't blow off and not suffer later in the day. If I want to be able to move, I need to get myself stretched out. It's just a thing for me. 

Not a bad way for Ferris to travel

Morning sessions are looking like this these days:

Knees to chest and pulled in

90/90 stretches

Baby pose / downward dog to high or low plank

hamstring stretches / hip and leg rotations / seated hip extensions

low ball squats - really help with the knees and quads

reverse ball db flies, 

ball pike

band pullbacks / pull apart, forehead smashers

band rugby line out throws

airplane pose to two-legged bodyweight squats

warrior poses and variations.

...and scene. Yeah, I usually get that done in about 30-35 minutes. No, I don't do the part where you fall back asleep on the mat at the end. As these are early morning sessions, I usually have to get out of there and get everyone moving. 

I'm trying to get the diet under control and am doing an okay job with that. I also hit my sleep goal this week - which was impressive, to say the least. Need to keep doing that, too. 

May 7 to May 14

 

This is what was on this week.

Yeah, this was a good week, but I lost my brain. Well, perhaps brains aren't what I needed, but I went on autopilot and finished the week in a heap. I did finish my rings quite convincingly most days - hiking and swimming in the evenings, even a surprise swim on Wednesday was so much fun.

See the duck above for evidence of the coolness of the fun I had this week. 

Hikes were in the 3.5-kilometre range. Took me about 45-50 minutes to complete them and found new trails in my local provincial park. Simply cannot be replicated in my garage gym. The swims were 30-35 minutes in length and I got an average of 800 m swim in that time. Again, good luck replicating that in a garage gym.

not my back, but this is a reasonable facsimile

I did get some massage therapy done on Friday after a long hike - my back and legs got cupped and I'm writing this on Sunday and I still look like the victim of an octopus attack. My legs are without a bruise, but my back is another story. 

Stretching weekday mornings is really helping me gain perspective on the rest of the day and is also helping with pain management as well as mobility. I didn't do much journalling/writing this week for a reason that is escaping me at the moment. Strange how when self-care gets ignored, I start feeling grumpy. It's like there is a connection but I'm not quite getting it.

Saturday I was working and just stretching. I watched a bit of the Jays game and then went and had a nap. Then I worked, went and had a nap and then finished off the day by going to bed early and crashing. It's like I was tired or something. I didn't close my rings yesterday and exhaustion is clearly a part of that. I want May to last longer but I also want to skip ahead to when I'm on vacation. 

April 24 to May 6

I'm not sure I'm seeing this film correctly

Whoa, let a week sneak away on me. My mind slipping, too. In any case, got the rings closed on most of these days. I am dedicated to just showing up, man.

The weather is at least "warmer" ... but this is Canada, that isn't saying much. I needed to get out of the garage gym and see the world. Yes, I know that's heresy but I was getting bored by it. I went on more than a few hikes and eventually got a decent, enough sunshine warm enough day that I got my K1 kayak out for a rip.

Swims, too. I think I got three swims in this past week. At least two. In any case, swimming is coming along, and legs/abs are getting stronger. Want the arms that I've always thought I needed.  

Cardio continues to be a focus, but I'm really enjoying the outdoors. The longest hike was 3.5 km during this time. I'll work on that one. The RV is still in the shop, but that will get done this week. I'm hoping to be able to start really getting out there to see Canada. 

The April Challenge for me was swimming and I got that one. The May Challenge is to double my exercise ring thirteen times - which I've done four times as of the 6th. 

April 17 to 23

 

It looks way better on her than it would on me

I'm writing this a little early on Sunday - I just need to get it off my To Do list for the day. And. so ... here we are.

This was an odd week - not as odd as others, but odd enough. I didn't close the rings on Wednesday due to needing to be a parent to my youngest child. I closed them Thursday and Friday then not on Saturday.  Saturday I was miserable, sore and just wandering about the day. I got some stuff done - finally prepared the Wrestling Dummy "Chuck" and a lot of other things, but no training sessions. Was too out of sorts for that. I did get a Date Night in at the end too. So, the day was good for mental health, not necessarily physical health. 

Anyway, I did more swimming this week than anything else. I lost most afternoons and evenings to being a full-time employee or being a parent this week. All good - next week will go back to "normal" or what can be nominally described as "normal"

I did get two awards from my watch for "Longest of" workouts this week - swimming and hiking. That was pretty sweet. I know I will be working on those even longer in the coming weeks. On Sunday morning I did a 2km hike on the beach. I could have been in the kayak, but as I was getting out of bed thinking about not drowning was a goal for the day. 

I'll probably regret that guilty thing in the back of my head making me do that. When I got down there, other than it being chilly, it was perfect for a silent kayak session. Ah well, life will go on.