Jan 19 to Feb 1

 

Don't laugh, it was harder than it looks

To my loyal readers - sorry man, this is never a good time of the year, kind of stressful at work and lazy moments on the weekends. Whatever, things will be the way things will be.

All morning sessions done, all exercise circles closed, all standing circles closed. I just didn't want to get out into the cold and go for a swim - edit: what a lame excuse. 

I did do some thinking on this topic and will be switching things up. I did a retirement planning workshop and I need to get back to my Vision Board - which I literally just reworked- and focus on making those things come to reality. 

To that end, I'm doing better on my Fitness, not necessarily my desire for limitless cardio but at least my mobility is much better than last year. Certainly my shoulders like the yoga and stretching and the not swimming. Rotator cuffs are grinning to each other as I type this. I will continue my careful exploration on "Adventure" as well. Various RV and Outdoor Shows are this month and next - I plan on attending and learning just a bit more than I already know. Come April and I'd like to be out on Lake Ontario in a kayak and my protective gear. Hypothermia is not my kink.

I had to change "Side Hustle" to "Side Hustle and Retirement" - as there were so many things I got flicked in the head with while sitting in a workshop to that end. Finding important papers and certificates is the easy part and sending copies to where they need to be. Planning the who's and wheres and the whats is the stuff I should be thinking about next. I'm honoured that I even get to consider ending my career with my current employer and move on to way better stuff. 

I also had to alter "Culinary Arts" to "Nutrition and Culinary Arts" as I need to get a hold of what I stick in my mouth. I always knew the adage that you can't out train a bad diet, but I never really lived it. Well, I should really start looking at living more intentionally and with a focus on my heart health. No scares yet, <<knocks on wood>>  but I know the days of eating like a teenager are going to come home to roost. 

These help my hips: BJJ leg pummelling

The last two are staying the same: "ASL"  and "Writing and Blogging". I should carve out some time for the first one as hearing loss is catching up to me. I do make time for writing every day and I have to blog for work - I just need to keep developing increasingly sophisticated skills for the future. 

In any case, morning sessions are looking like this:

10 minutes basic mobility - 90/90s, baby pose, push ups, one leg out hip stretches, classic groin
stretches, warrior one poses, starting to work on hand stand pose as well.

10 minutes ab work - seated knee tucks, flutter kick, BJJ leg pummelling, side lying leg lifts, back lying wipers and more push ups

10 minutes arms and shoulders - banded curls and overhead presses, TRX aided squats and face pulls, TRX curl ups and more push ups. 

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 can 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.