Oct 26 to Nov 1

 

Got my good side ... well, both sides 

Yeah, it's never good when that is the pic for the week. I did the best I could, but it was hurting all week.

I did get a morning stretch in, just not always in the morning. 

I did make sure I got my evening walks in with the dog ... we even did hills by the end of the week.

Morning sessions we like this

8-10 minutes hips and chest stuff - WGS, baby pose to downward dogs, push-ups, runner's stretch, 90/90's, sandbag bench press, overhead press from sitting.

8-10 minutes abs and back - putting on socks stretch, clamshells, single-side lying leg lifts, and swimmer's kicks

4-5 minutes standing warrior one, hip CARs, etc.

I did get two or three plunges in this week - the water was nice and clear with the ozone and the H2O2 in there. Nice and boring and make the things just work. Smooth is safe and safe is smooth. Something like that. 

Oct 19 to 25

 

Not a great week, I'll be honest, man .... not a great week. But we got through it. I'll admit next week isn't looking any better, but we will endure.

I got most mornings done, but if I didn't, I got it done at the end of the day. I'm shaking my head that Wednesday never even happened. At all, sadly.

Morning sessions went as they have been:

8-10 minutes of downward dog to cobra, WGS, runner's stretch, baby pose. Lots of basics. Push-ups too

8-10 minutes of core and hips. Clamshells and straight-leg lifts, push-ups, putting-on-socks stretch, BJJ pummeling, swimmer's kicks and hollow holds. 

5-10 minutes of leg swings, warrior and kettlebell swings. 

A general guide for the evenings was intended to be walks with the dog as cardio, but even the dog and I couldn't get our schedules to work together this week. Shrug. We did what we could and endured this week as much as we could. I'm grateful to have woken up every day, but it wasn't until Saturday that things worked out for me. 

We don't deserve dogs. 

Oct 13 to 18

 

A good week on a few fronts - I got like three ice bath experiences done this week and noticed that I slept a lot better afterwards. I also saw a fair number of deer on hikes with my dog this week as well. It's getting colder, and I need to change out my van kit for colder weather. 

Nutrition was ok this week - still, breakfasts and dinners are the weak spots. I do have an updated weekly schedule that I need to put up on the fridge. Adventure with my son once a week is going to be a feature between now and Christmas. I'm still hoping ot get my rear end into the pool twice this upcoming week. 

I continue to kick butt with my mornings, up early and walking, then off to prep lunches, then on to a yoga/mobility/stretching session before 7 am. Off to work and a coffee by 8am. Is helping me be a really dedicated drone bee for the hive these days. I'm spending the evenings helping others, most especially my dog with long walks five or six times a week. 

Anyway, Mornings were like this:

8-10 minutes of baby pose, frog pose, downward dog to cobra, WGS, sandbag overhead presses, thread the needle and runner's stretch. Push-ups.

8-10 minutes of clamshells, 90/90 stretches, single-leg lying leg lift, putting-on-socks stretch, swimmer's kicks, hollow holds, BJJ leg pummeling, push-ups, and sandbag rows.

5-10 minutes of hip CARS, kettlebell swings, leg swings and warrior poses. 

Oct 4 to 12

 

A week of on and off. I had four days of work, and everything went smoothly. I had four days off, and I am currently trying to get back to the smooth operation of my life at the moment. Morning sessions were done, just not always in the morning. Adventure was up, but basic fitness suffered. 

I did have a two-lake day this week- the first one ever, to my memory. Got to step into Lake Ontario early in the morning and then later on in the afternoon, stepped into Lake Erie. I'm cool. And I have proof. 

I got the Christmas Break journal set up, but really didn't get the RV shut down as well as I would have liked to. In the end, we rushed home instead of taking our time to make sure everything was perfect. Shrug ...we will probably pay for that rush job later. 

Anyway, morning walks first thing in the morning, then stretching / yoga sessions as usual. 

PM walks with the dog are in the 25-30 minute range, and then I'm getting home, stretching a bit, then getting into the plunge tub. I'm noticing a lot less knee and hip pain. My mom even saved a TorStar article for me on this exact topic. Seems I'm cool or something along those lines. 

I did get a chance ot chat with my dad and made him chuckle about our career. Everything seemed cool. 

Sept 28 to Oct 3

 

Richard III on the wall, evil in my heart

Not a great week, not a horrible week. I was focused on making my EDC lighter for work - getting rid of things I don't need in my backpack. Make life a little easier by bringing only the bare essentials. I did find the tiny projector and also found a super cool bag for it. See the pic above for the setup while working on my Shakespeare Project. 

The rest of the week was plain and ordinary. Morning sessions got done after a walk; evening sessions were cardio with the dog most nights. I missed a hike with the dog one night for date night and another night or two due to sleeping/laziness. Work is trying to kill me, but at the moment I can confirm I am still alive. Consistent but not perfect.

Cold plunges were twice this week - I got the ozone bubbler in there once and plan on it again on Sunday before bed. I left the thing on for 30 minutes and opened the door to the garage. That works for now; I'm not sure what I can do when snow comes. 

Morning sessions looked like this:

8-10 minutes baby pose, 90/90 stretches, thread the needle, WGS, runner's stretch, downward dog to cobra. Push ups

8-10 minutes clamshells, single-side lying leg lift, putting-on-socks stretch with rotation, superman holds, hollow holds, swimmer's kicks, BJJ leg pummeling. Push-ups. Sandbag presses and rows.

4-5 minutes hip CARs, BW squats, leg swings, warrior poses

Sept 20 to 27

 

Man, this was a decent week - and it went by quickly. All morning sessions done in the morning. I did get like five or six evening 30 min+ walks in with the dog. I know the dog likes them; I at least get a tail-wagging greeting.

Most mornings I'm off with the dog for a short walk by 6:15am. It's after that we do the stretching/lifting/mobility stuff. I got to work this week my usual M-F and home by 4 pm most days. It's a boring life, but a one that I've lived for six years. The pandemic, man ... I gave up a lot of stuff that was so stressful in the middle of that apocalypse. I also sat for those years, so I'm still kind of trying to get my mobility and fitness back from the pandemic as well.

Anyway, I also got the cold plunge back in working order this week as well - the ozone treatment device arrived. I'm going to try it out Monday, so officially next week my cold plunge stays clean.

Right, the morning sessions vary a bit more this week, as I started to involve more equipment, as you'll see.

8-10 minutes baby pace, 90/90 stretches, WGS, runner's stretch, BW squats. Push-ups. Downward dog to cobra pose. 

8-10 minutes hip, ab and low back work - clamshell stretch, leg raises. Putting on socks stretch with rotations. Swimmer's kicks, BJJ leg pummeling. Sandbag pressing and sandbag rows.

4-5 minutes of standing warrior pose, leg swings and hip CARS with the big PVC pipe. 

In the evenings, the walks were almost every night. I missed one for date night and one for pure laziness. 

As mentioned, I did get the cold plunge filled on Friday - it would have been filled a lot quicker had I shut the release valve before starting to fill it. .... le sigh.... I did do a decent job of washing my driveway. I got in and enjoyed the better feelings in my hips, knees and ankles.  

Sept 13 to 19

 

Not a bad week, not a great week ... just a week.

I got my morning sessions done every day and got the dog out for a walk for 35 minutes or more two or three times this week. Nice and easy, cool and breezy. That is in addition to an early morning walk with the dog by 6:30 am. That one is chilly and gross and not always fun. More skunks sighted on the evening walks, but chillier in the morning. 

Closed the rings or got really close three times this week; Thursday was tough and didn't get close at all. "Just a week". I did also get the post done for my Company of Characters blog, though, so I'm taking that as a win for this week as well. 

Morning sessions tended to be:

8-10 minutes Dog/cat stretches, WGS, runner's stretch, thread the needle and DJJ.

8-10 minutes putting-on-socks stretch, clamshells, straight leg lifts side lying, swimmers and BJJ leg pummeling. Superman extensions. 

5 minutes of standing stretches - leg swings, hip CARS and BW squats.

The evenings tended to be walks at the local provincial park. I must tell you, seeing deer was not on my scorecard for 2026, but there you are.

Aug 23 to Sept 12

 

Whoa, I am so sorry, faithful readers of this blog. This time of year is always just so stressful and jam-packed with stuff that I forget to update this ongoing discussion. Rest assured, I kept up my habits of fitness and even got better ones coming along. Let me explain.

Morning workouts continue basically every day. Weekends and holidays are always a challenge, as my time becomes communal. I get to do more with family members, and I get to do more for family members, but that is the cost of being a family member and father. 

When I get my time back, I try to get back into my good routines and habits. When I see opportunity in the wild, so to speak, I’m able to take advantage of it too. 

For example, my adventure van is now a “take the dog for hikes in the nearest provincial park” van. The dog loves the room; I love the 30-40 minute walks we are doing, and my fitness is loving them as well. I saw the supercool plunge tub above in the local thrift store for 10 bucks. And today I had a nice yoga session, then a plunge afterwards. I had my Apple Watch on and saw my HR go from over 100 to under 60 in just a few minutes of being in the chilly water. 

I was worried about cost, but I do have an ozone generator on the way, paid for with Amazon gift cards. Just everything came together to add a recovery system to my garage gym. So far, so good. I’m touching wood as I write this, though.

Morning sessions:

8-10 minutes of overall mobility: downward dog to cobra pose. Push-ups, thread the needle, WGS and DJJ. 50 lb sandbag bench press.  

8-10 minutes of ab work, hip mobility: clamshells, side leg raises, 90/90 stretches, bicycle kicks ot BJJ leg pummeling for 30 seconds or so. DJJ at times as well. I might also use the air bike I have in the garage for 10 minutes at this point; sometimes it is 50 lb sandbag deadlifts.

4-10 minutes of standing yoga poses - warrior one and two, hip CARS and the like. It has been all good.

So this past week, the morning sessions were all done before work, and the evening sessions were 30-40 minute walks with the dog on three or four evenings in the week. Solid cardio efforts there. No swimming, though, which I regret. 

Aug 10 -22

 

The dog is seeing things for the first time

Well, I'll start with the bad: I missed two mornings this week. These days are harder to get up for as I have no outside motivation to help me along, but whatever. I know I need to get these done for the 80-year-old inside my head. He'll appreciate my workouts these days.

I did get some bad news in the last few days about my working conditions for September onwards. Things are not looking nearly as smooth as they have in the past few years, and I'm wondering why I got this bag of donut burgers. Shrug. We will do, and we will do. 

What is it that you do?

A deed without a name.

The good news is ... well, My Shakespeare Project is going along nicely. I did get a couple of really nice hikes in the local provincial park with the dog as well. With the change in my working conditions, I get to revamp the van for work and for hikes/picnics ... so I'm finding silver linings here. 

Anyway, got this done in the mornings:

8-10 minutes downward dogs, to plank, push-ups. WGS, hip opening stuff from physios and other random influencers

8-10 minute abs - DJJ, BJJ leg pummelling, swimmers kick, 90/90 stretches. 

4-8 minutes of standing stretches, hip opening stuff, leg swings and warrior poses. 

Aug 1-9

 

The Office. Soundsticks are awesome

Yeah, I've been both lazy and active in the last little bit. I'm tired, and I'm using some physical fitness to keep me in the loop. But then, the next day I'll collapse and have what my kids used to call a "No Bones Day". Not sure if that reference is up to the standards of 2026, but I digress.

Morning sessions continue - just not always in the morning. Two of the three rings are closed on the regular, lots of walks with the dog, lots of DJJ, lots of stretching/mobility with some swimming. 

Swims are still in the 20-25 minute range. 

Morning sessions are also in that same range. 

I'll need to prep the garage for the winter/fall shortly.

In any case, in August, we are enjoying the brief respite and peace ... while planning and setting goals for 26-27.

Morning sessions

8-10 minutes for shoulders and hips: baby pose, cat/cow stretch, plank to downward dog, then 90/90 stretch. Hip thrusts and push-ups.

8-10 minutes ab work - putting on socks stretch, palms of the feet together/groin stretch, clamshell and single-side leg lifts, sideways ab crunches, BJJ leg twirling, swimming kicks as well. Push-ups. 

4-8 minutes of standing leg stretches, swings, hip CARS, warrior poses. 

July 13-30

 

Not a bad gym for a week

Whoa, sorry ...July got away from me. It was a rather rough month, and I just didn't make the time to include this blog along with the voyage. That's a shame, because I was working basically full-time while living in an RV for at least a week.

The contract is coming to an end soon and I'll be off for August. Lots of chances to do the things I like to do, pee when I want to pee and generally be a good human being. I'd like to finally get my bike and kayak out and do some fun stuff as well. 

I did hit every day with the morning session; it was sometimes later on at night. I did get back into swimming, but some of the swims were crashing into waves of Georgian Bay. Not great swims, but great memories. Generally they were in the 25-30 minute range, either in the pool or the Bay.

Lots of walks with the wife or the dog. Both are wonderful partners and good communicators in their own way. XD They are both wonderful and I'm happy when they are happy.

Morning sessions were mainly

6-8 minutes shoulders and arms - baby pose, arms stretch overhead, thread the needle, flappy arms, runner's stretch, WGS, push ups.

6-10 minutes ab work - putting on socks stretch, rotating trucks, swimmers' kicks, bjj leg pummelling,  hollow holds and push ups

6-10 minutes standing hips and leg stretches with the poles and yoga mat.

Me, walking back into my office at the end of the week

July 5 to 12

 

This was a wilder week, man. Wild. 

I did get to the pool three times and got a 25-30 minute swim each time. 

Morning sessions were all good as well:

8-10 minutes of baby pose, runner's stretch, thread the needle, shoulder rotations, downward dog to plank to cobra poses. Push ups

8-10 ab work - crossing the leg stretch, putting socks on stretch, swimmers' kicks and BJJ leg pummelling.  Standing BW squats, push-ups.

8-10 minutes hip CARS, leg swinging, warrior one poses.

In having the workouts at the local public pool, I keep running into kids I've known at the local public school. Such is the result of having a short commute and living in the same community in which you live. I'm happy to say the ones who say hello are mostly friendly.

June 15 to July 4

Might be a photo, might be a drawing

Not sure how many days that is, but everything got away from me; sorry, loyal readers. I did keep my daily training up for these days, even got back to swimming with my wife, whom I'm helping recover from her injuries. Sleeping is going ok, but I've had to have "no bones" days with naps in a constant manner.

I did manage a few days away, but the power blackout in that area sent me home. I did have one way to make coffee in the RV without power, but why risk it? I have fifty ways of making coffee at home, and so here we are. Besides, I missed stretching with my dog. And ... evidently, she missed stretching with me as well. 

Did stretch every day, just not necessarily in the mornings, but I got a 20-30 session done every day. 

Morning sessions looked like:

8-10 minutes baby pose, push-ups, runners stretch, WGS, 90/90s downward dog to cobra.

8-10 minutes hip and lower back stuff - putting on socks stretch, swimmers' kicks, BJJ leg pummeling,  hollow ab holds, push-ups

5-8 minutes hip CARS, standing leg swings, warrior one and two poses, hamstring stretch from standing.

June 8-14

"Putting on socks" stretch

 

This was a good week with a lot of tough moments, which were overcome with habits.  As always, habits eat everything.

I was up early all these days and got my walk in without a problem. The stretching was usually done right after, and then off to work. Weekends and evenings, where my time is less structured, I get lost in the demands of my family, but return to my stretching and training as I can. 

I did get two or three evening workouts done this week as well. Nothing stupid, nothing crazy - cardio or more stretching was all. But a good foundation for better habits to come (back).

Morning sessions were:

8-10 minutes baby pose, push-ups, runners stretch, WGS, 90/90s downward dog to cobra.

8-10 minutes hip and lower back stuff - putting on socks stretch, swimmers kicks, Bjj leg pummeling,  hollow ab holds, push-ups

5-8 minutes hip CARS, standing leg swings, warrior one and two poses, hamstring stretch from standing.

Jun1 to 7

 

Man, a rather odd week. Some travel and a lot of work, with some date night and some hanging out with my wife and injury.

Yeah, just my ankle, but Advil is amazing and I'm recovered quite nicely. Moving inside the RV and getting it home was kind of a drag, but we made it happen. Date nights were nice too. 

Morning workouts were almost all done, only missing the one morning when I was away in the RV. The rest of the days the morning sessions continued:

8-10 minutes baby pose, runners stretch, WGS, 90/90's, downward dog to cobra stretch and push-ups

8-10 minutes ab work - socks stretch, BJJ pummelling, swimmers kicks, hollow ab holds, 

8-10 of standing work - hip CARS, ab work etc etc. 

All good, all good. Man, it was pretty cool. 

May 25 to May 31

 

Yeah, last week was crazy and this week was a little less crazy, which isn't saying much. I missed at least one morning session but got the rest done. Sunday was a stretching session, a nap then a 8 hour drive. Eesh, that wasn't good. Well, it was a four hour drive out and then a four hour drive home. Delivering the RV for my eldest to use for the week. Great thing is I have to go and return it next week. Le sigh

Morning sessions are Pretty much like this:

8-10 minutes baby pose, push ups, shoulder stretches, WGS, thread the needle, 90/90 stretches

8-10 minutes of abs - BJJ pummelling, swimmers kicks, putting on socks stretch, etc etc ... abs and lower back feel good after this.

8-10 minutes of ball stuff - BJJ solo drills, hip CARS, hip hikes on the ball, rolling and making the dog freak out while rolling the ball, too

A nice session, but really isn't helping with the cardio. The bare minimum for my health. Shrug, it is what the days are giving me as time for myself. 

May 4 to May 24

 

Let's get this up front - life has been hectic of late and my fitness life is suffering as a result. However frantic it has been, I've been dedicated to getting my morning sessions done - and they've all been done. It is the evenings that continue to be frantic and mind blowingly stupidly occupied with life. 

Right. Also, cool training partner pic above. She's been a rather decent DJJ (that's Dog Jiu Jitsu) partner at times, although I now have fingernail cuts from this dog on my face and shin. Who shows up to train with long fingernails? Eesh.

Morning sessions have looked like this:

8-10 minutes baby pose, downwards dog to plank, push ups, WGS, thread the needle stretches. 

8-10 minutes runners stretch, hip opening exercises of various sorts, push ups. It is usually now that I tend to have to defend my self or defend the garage from dog attacks. I've also opened up the space enough to get a large exercise ball in there and getting back to hip raises and deep squats that are ball assisted. One or two BJJ solo drills as well with the ball. 

8-10 minutes Hip Cars, standing stretches and DJJ.

April 13 to May 3

 

As I mentioned before ... this cough just won't let me be. In my defence, this cold and my wife falling and breaking an ankle and a bone in her shoulder isn't helping free up time to blog these days. Yeah, that sucked and I do not recommend. 0 out of 5 stars. At least the paramedics were cool.

So ... yeah, that's where I've been and that's what I've been dealing with in the last few weeks. The dog is doing dog things. I've started to bring the dog in to my garage gym and workout around it. This morning's puppy yoga session did have a little puppy BJJ in it, which is cool. The dog is never going to be a good BJJ athlete until the biting stops, but I digress. 

Morning sessions were frantic at times, but I got them done. I regularly had to make them evening sessions and I had to miss one or two due to running out of day. I did get two large blow up exercise balls up and rolling in the gym this week as well. 

But ab work, puppy poses and inclusion of BJJ solo drills are part of the morning session this week. I'm so grateful we purged the garage and reorganized it as well. Not perfect, but good enough to get a space big enough for me. 

Morning session today: 

8-10 minutes Baby pose, downward dog to cobra pose. push ups. 

4-5 minutes boxing bag BJJ passing drill, BJJ arms locked out step by, push ups. Big ball ab roll outs.

8-10 minutes hip Cars and one legged airplane stretch. BW squats and Squat holds. Warrior One and two poses. Table pose.

April 7 to 12

 

Le sigh, the hacking cough just won't  ... leave me alone. I nearly swore there, so that's how awful I'm feeling these days. I'm hoping that this next week the stupid calms down and I can get some rest.

In good news I got to do my morning sessions in a nice empty-ish garage. I've been able to rearrange some stuff and put a lot of bulk stuff on the curb and now I have the space in the garage. Feels nice.

Morning sessions looked like:

8-10 minutes mobility for hips, shoulders and back: WGS, hamstrong stretches, 90/90 stretch, cat/cow stretch, downward dog to cobra pose. Push ups.

8-10 minutes of hip and back mobility. Putting on socks stretch, hip bridges, leg crossovers, clamshell and side lying leg heists, push ups.

3-8 minutes biceps and hip mobility - hip CARS and curls, BW squats.

Mar 30 to April 6

 

Ok, something has gotten me out of whack - I'm coughing and just not able to sleep well these days. Even the Apple Watch is wondering what has happened to me.

Morning sessions happened all days during this period and I got a chance to purge out the garage again, so I'm back to having a decent space to train.

Morning sessions looked like this:

8-10 minutes shoulders, chest and neck - cat / cow and baby stretch. Push ups, WGS, and downward dog to cobra stretch. 90/90 stretch.

8-10 minutes back and hips - 90/90 stretches, windshield wiper stretch, swimming kicks and putting on socks stretch. push ups. 

4-5 minutes banded bicep curls, bw squats and hip CARS.