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. 

April 10 to 16

 

An incredible film. Amazing.

I dunno, all these days off are messing with my sense of what day it is. That and I'm just keeping myself active and out there.

On all the days I closed my Apple Watch rings so far - it's Sunday afternoon as I write this and it is really really nice outside. I'm going hiking with my son as soon as I finish writing this blog post.

One or two swims this week, and one or two escapes/adventures this week as well. Usually hiking in the local provincial park. New to me routes and lots of cool shots. 

this is a cool shot as it is on top of a big hill

When I did my HiiT workouts, followed the usual:

2 minutes on the fan bike - legs and arms going like mad

2 minutes KB swings and presses - using the 16 milo bell

15 second two hand arm hang - working on getting a chin-up

90-second step-ups on 30 cm step

10 30 lb db flies

90-second battle ropes.

The flies were a recent addition and a welcome one. I'll make sure I keep adding stuff in here as time goes along. Want to work on things and make myself feel better. That's the key here, just feel better. That and do better with nutrition. Smoothies for breakfast this week coming up.

Do the work; the pretty will come later. 

April 2 to 9

 

This is what was on the screen this week

This started off as a great week - two or three swimming sessions, a couple of days with three sessions and even a short hike. Then on Friday as I was about to do a second hike I got called to be a dad. Not that being a dad is contrary to being a fit and outgoing person, it is just that the demands of being a dad are at times needy by nature. 

I did get my bench set up and included bench db flies as a part of the workout on Friday. 35 lb db's are wonderful to start. I have the 50's waiting in the wings for later. I even messed around with doing double kb cleans and presses this week too. The rest of the workouts are as you see in last week's blog post - fan bike, kb swings, two-handed hangs, battle ropes ... and repeat for 40 minutes or longer. 

Anyway, I finished my rings on Friday and had a bit of fun with my family. All good. Saturday and Sunday have been wonderful, though. I got up early and did some stretching and then got to the beach. There was even someone out on Lake Ontario in a kayak, man. Made me a bit jealous, to be frank. I'm going to see what's what tomorrow and maybe get myself in the water. The rest of the days were quiet and I took a break. I even got a massage on Saturday. Excellent recovery for me. 

Workouts are getting a bit dry, to be frank. I need to poke around on this blog and my hard drives to find a few other training sessions. I'm grateful for the warmer weather and I can get outside for fitness and fun. I'll wonder what next week will bring. 

Tomorrow I'm back at it, everyone. Will be epic. 

March 27 to April 1

He abides, man.

This started off as a good week - closed all the rings until Thursday morning when something in my leg went "pooooooiiiiIIIInnNng" and swelled up. That did not make Thursday night or Friday at work feel at all very good. I was doing ab rollouts on a big exercise ball at the time. To repeat: that did not feel good.

I found a compression sleeve for my leg and have been wearing it - the compression helps with moving and healing. Also ... lots of Advil. As a result, lots of leafy greens and fruits. I wish my son would follow suit. Eeesh.

Anyway, I think the longer back to back to back to back workouts early in the week stressed the hamstring out, the poor dear. I need to keep in mind not to do the same workout over and over again. I mean I like those cardio workouts, just ...I need to vary them up a bit, ya know?

It can result in overuse injuries. Especially in the hamstrings.

Anyway, went swimming on Saturday and Sunday - which I never usually do. And I was reminded why - it was a zoo at the pool. I'm never going to do that again unless the outdoor pool is open and abandoned. Man, people do suck - and the kids were being just awful. Anyway, I got a swim on both days, just never again. I'd rather hunt for polar bears in Denver than do that again.

What else? Just focussing on showing up this week - need to work on the diet, but am having fun getting ready for the outdoors this summer.

I did get a full kit together from pieces I already had for kayaking later on in April or early May. I'm not interested in freezing to death but I'd also like to get out on the water. I also got a birding kit from the local library and took my son out with it yesterday. That was pretty awesome. 

March 22-26

 

Was still on the screen this week.

I'mma do a quick post about the last few days and getting back on the schedule of posting on Sundays.

The last few days were tough - got something ... dunno ... I'm calling food poisoning from where I had Date Night on Wednesday. Spent a bit of early Thursday morning calling Hugo on the porcelain telephone. God that was not good. I did make it to work the next day. I did not close my Move ring on Wednesday or Friday. I just couldn't move enough.

Anyway, I did two long sessions this weekend - 50 minutes of training on Sunday to get the rings closed. I finished the movie and had to run it back again in order to complete the film and the workout at the same time. I also had two longer swimming training sessions this week as well. Added 50 m lengths of legs only this week. I just need to keep showing up.

I did add two arm hangs and bicep curls to the routine this week. I also got the battle ropes a little longer too. I also got the adventure van ready to go tomorrow, but have a dental appointment after work. The weather looks warmer and warmer this week coming up, too. I'm kind of tired of the same training sessions in a gym, want to get outside into the woods and water, man. 

I did set a few goals for myself for April - at least three hikes, one yoga class and one sprinting session to be done by the end of the month.