Waanie stays strong

[Jupiter]

17 hours ago, Waanie said:

Anyway, my half-hearted strength training is starting to pay off: last week I could do my first push-ups again, and this week I even did a pull-up .

 

I'm sorry you haven't been sleeping well, but nice job with the yoga and strength training, and getting in a pull-up!

[KB Girl]

I missed your challenge, good to see you here though during these crazy times. 

[Waanie]

On 4/19/2020 at 5:58 AM, Jupiter said:

 

I'm sorry you haven't been sleeping well, but nice job with the yoga and strength training, and getting in a pull-up!

Thanks!

 

On 4/19/2020 at 5:17 PM, KB Girl said:

I missed your challenge, good to see you here though during these crazy times. 

Welcome . I started a bit late, and I'm not very present here, but I'm trying to hang in there .

 

Over the past few weeks, I didn't feel like I was doing very well, but looking at my bullet journal, I actually didn't miss a lot:

Week 1:

Yoga 2/2

Outside 4/4 (1 day ill)

Strength training 1/1 (1 day ill)

Cleaning 4/4 (1 day ill)

 

Week 2:

Yoga 5/4 (1 day ill)

Outside 4/4 (3 days ill)

Strength training 1/1 (1 day ill)

Cleaning 6/7

 

Week 3:

Yoga 3/4

Outside 7/7

Strength training 1/2

Cleaning 6/7

 

All in all, I think I set realistic goals this time around. We still have 1.5 week to go of course, but it's good to remind myself that I actually did a lot during all this craziness. I'm also glad that I decided to keep track of it during the month, since I now only have 4 "planned, but not done" squares, while I feel unproductive. The 15 minute cleaning is really helping us in keeping a clean house, and I'm glad that my boyfriend also joins in without his usual inertia.

 

Still, I think I'm not exercising enough. Today I biked to the pharmacy (which is a good 20-25 biking), on top of yoga and afternoon walk, and I can really feel the difference. Since biking is not forbidden, I might need to find a way to fit a half hour bike ride in my normal schedule.

 

[Jupiter]

9 hours ago, Waanie said:

Over the past few weeks, I didn't feel like I was doing very well, but looking at my bullet journal, I actually didn't miss a lot:

Week 1:

Yoga 2/2

Outside 4/4 (1 day ill)

Strength training 1/1 (1 day ill)

Cleaning 4/4 (1 day ill)

 

Week 2:

Yoga 5/4 (1 day ill)

Outside 4/4 (3 days ill)

Strength training 1/1 (1 day ill)

Cleaning 6/7

 

Week 3:

Yoga 3/4

Outside 7/7

Strength training 1/2

Cleaning 6/7

 

Wow, you're doing great! Keep it up!

[KB Girl]

That’s one of the nicer things about bullet journals- a reminder that we’re doing pretty well when looking objectively  

[Rookie]

You could just bike for fun and a change of scenery. 😯 I know lol crazy. Can you bike to different Pokemon stops maybe? I've been researching bikes for sale. I really really want one. I might try looking for new tires for the one I have again too. That way when I get a new one I can just give my old one to my SIL. 

 

I'm still so impressed you did a pull up and the fact that you really kept up with your to do list. 

 

 

[Terah]

On 4/24/2020 at 1:10 PM, Rookie said:

Can you bike to different Pokemon stops maybe

I got a thingy that attached my phone to steering wheel of my bike. It's great for just going by pokestops and collecting tons of balls  (Not on roads with tons of  cars obviously, but it's perfectly everywhere else)

[Rookie]

On 4/25/2020 at 4:13 PM, Terah said:

I got a thingy that attached my phone to steering wheel of my bike. It's great for just going by pokestops and collecting tons of balls  (Not on roads with tons of  cars obviously, but it's perfectly everywhere else)

Oh that's very handy! You know... I've never thought of the bike handle bars add the steering wheel. It makes sense!

[Terah]

16 hours ago, Rookie said:

I've never thought of the bike handle bars add the steering wheel

Lol, I guess I translated it too literal from Dutch

[Waanie]

On 4/23/2020 at 1:52 AM, Jupiter said:

Wow, you're doing great! Keep it up!

Thanks . Last week I did not as well goal-wise, but since I'm getting more exercise in, I see it more as a shift of focus than a failure.

On 4/23/2020 at 9:46 PM, KB Girl said:

That’s one of the nicer things about bullet journals- a reminder that we’re doing pretty well when looking objectively  

Yes! I like looking at it, and seeing that I'm not doing bad at all. I'm not sure yet what I want next month's goals to be, but the "free achievement" column will definitely stay for more green squares .

 

On 4/24/2020 at 1:10 PM, Rookie said:

You could just bike for fun and a change of scenery. 😯 I know lol crazy. Can you bike to different Pokemon stops maybe? I've been researching bikes for sale. I really really want one. I might try looking for new tires for the one I have again too. That way when I get a new one I can just give my old one to my SIL. 

 

I'm still so impressed you did a pull up and the fact that you really kept up with your to do list. 

I've been biking more last week, and it felt great! I got it repaired the Saturday before, and I used it to bike to work two days, and to visit a grocery shop a bit further away than where I usually shop. I could really feel the difference!

 

As for buying a bike, I cannot look into your finances . I live in a country where biking is normal and very safe, and I can be zoned out without having to fear an accident (unlike in a car, where I can't safely zone out). I can do many things between 1km and 10km by bike, so it gives me a ton of freedom. I also grew up in an environment where it's normal to everything by bike as a child and student, so biking is deeply ingrained in my habits. If you buy a bike, you should think on beforehand how and when you would use it, and get a list of requirements based on that. My bike is a more expensive one, since I wanted to use it for my commute to the university (almost 10km each way), and I don't like to do maintenance. Having a bad bike would just lead to me using my car more, which is less healthy and more expensive in the long run. On the other hand, if you stay within town, have no hills and are only planning to bike short distances, a cheap bike is sufficient. Good luck with choosing!

 

On 4/25/2020 at 10:13 PM, Terah said:

I got a thingy that attached my phone to steering wheel of my bike. It's great for just going by pokestops and collecting tons of balls  (Not on roads with tons of  cars obviously, but it's perfectly everywhere else)

I have been thinking about getting one of those, but I'm not sure if it fits on my handle bars (steering bar?). I already have a thing on it to lie down during biking .

On 4/26/2020 at 11:33 PM, Rookie said:

Oh that's very handy! You know... I've never thought of the bike handle bars add the steering wheel. It makes sense!

On 4/27/2020 at 4:29 PM, Terah said:

Lol, I guess I translated it too literal from Dutch

It is the same word in Dutch . It doesn't matter if you're on a bike or in a car, the name is the same, literally translated "steer". I believe that the steering wheel in the Mercedes F1 cars are now also more like a bike than a traditional wheel, so the circle is complete .

 

[Waanie]

Last week I went to the office twice for easier communication with colleagues (keeping 1.5m distance of course), and I could really see the difference in my mood. I missed the social contact a lot, and it was really nice to see some of my colleagues again. It also made for more efficient knowledge-transfer, which is also useful. On Thursday and Friday my amount of exercise was close to 2 hours again, and that also improved my mood a lot.

 

My weekend and start of this week were a bit more lazy, but I tried to keep up the exercise a bit. I failed miserably during the weekend, but today looks promising. I also bought a new computer, and assembling it took most of my Saturday. I was very glad that I have a lot of mobility, so assembling it on the floor was actually comfortable. I made a basic mistake with the assembly (apparently, there is a handle when putting in your CPU), but fortunately a friend could help me out. I now have a faster and quieter computer on which I can play games with ease, and running Spotify, Skype and a browser at the same time is not a problem anymore . Transferring Windows to my new computer was also harder than it should be, but after a few hours and two phone-calls with Indian helpdesk guys, I managed.

 

Today I've been spending a lot of time already in my "exercise" room, and my cat is SO happy! She's playing around me, asking for cuddles or watching the yoga-video all the time, purring almost constantly. She's convincing me that I need to spend more time in this room .

[Rookie]

8 hours ago, Waanie said:

As for buying a bike, I cannot look into your finances . I live in a country where biking is normal and very safe, and I can be zoned out without having to fear an accident (unlike in a car, where I can't safely zone out). I can do many things between 1km and 10km by bike, so it gives me a ton of freedom. I also grew up in an environment where it's normal to everything by bike as a child and student, so biking is deeply ingrained in my habits. If you buy a bike, you should think on beforehand how and when you would use it, and get a list of requirements based on that. My bike is a more expensive one, since I wanted to use it for my commute to the university (almost 10km each way), and I don't like to do maintenance. Having a bad bike would just lead to me using my car more, which is less healthy and more expensive in the long run. On the other hand, if you stay within town, have no hills and are only planning to bike short distances, a cheap bike is sufficient. Good luck with choosing!

The bike I have I got from my Grandma's neighbour maybe 20 years ago and I bought it for $20. The tires are all dried out and stopped holding air  I find my wrists eventually hurt when riding it so I would like a bike that sits me in a more upright posture. And I would just use it to bike along my neighborhood with Poncho. That is the only way I can get him to tire out  make him run beside me on a bike. But I am not sure that justifies buying a bike which is why I held off. But last time I tried looking for tire replacements it looked like it would end up being $100+.

[Terah]

9 hours ago, Waanie said:

I have been thinking about getting one of those, but I'm not sure if it fits on my handle bars (steering bar?). I already have a thing on it to lie down during biking

Maybe you can fit a thingy on the far end of the thing? But probably not on the steering thing.

Lol, this is a sentance like I usually only say to my sister   

 

55 minutes ago, Rookie said:

But last time I tried looking for tire replacements it looked like it would end up being $100+.

That sucks Here in the Netherlands (at least in the bike shops I know) the bike repairman looks embarised when a repair will cost you more than 20 euro's. 

[Waanie]

On 4/29/2020 at 7:00 PM, Rookie said:

The bike I have I got from my Grandma's neighbour maybe 20 years ago and I bought it for $20. The tires are all dried out and stopped holding air  I find my wrists eventually hurt when riding it so I would like a bike that sits me in a more upright posture. And I would just use it to bike along my neighborhood with Poncho. That is the only way I can get him to tire out  make him run beside me on a bike. But I am not sure that justifies buying a bike which is why I held off. But last time I tried looking for tire replacements it looked like it would end up being $100+.

Your dog is so energetic! Please say hi to him from me!

 

On 4/29/2020 at 7:56 PM, Terah said:

Maybe you can fit a thingy on the far end of the thing? But probably not on the steering thing.

Lol, this is a sentance like I usually only say to my sister   

I secretly want a look-back mirror on my handle bars... I'm terrible at looking behind me and riding in a straight line . I'm just not sure if it's an old-people-thing.

 

On 4/29/2020 at 7:56 PM, Terah said:

That sucks Here in the Netherlands (at least in the bike shops I know) the bike repairman looks embarised when a repair will cost you more than 20 euro's. 

It really depends, but good tires are expensive. On top of a conversion rate to CAD, those 100 dollars would equal around 30-35 euros per wheel for inner- and outer-tires, including labour, which is mid-range at best, or possibly even budget-quality over here. But yeah, I haven't been charged more than 15 euros in labour in one go, and at least at the bike shops I go to, many repairs are free if you go there often enough.

[Terah]

18 hours ago, Waanie said:

I secretly want a look-back mirror on my handle bars

LOL Yeah, it's definitely an old people thing. The question is: are you going to let that stop you?  

[Waanie]

1 hour ago, Terah said:

LOL Yeah, it's definitely an old people thing. The question is: are you going to let that stop you?  

Fair enough! I think I'd value it more than a phone-holder . I'm currently not biking a lot, but maybe I will stop in the city-centre when I return from work one day next week.

 

I'll now have a very long weekend, up until and including Wednesday. It's really strange to have these short weeks with all the holidays, at some point we will have a full work-week again .

 

This morning I was lazy and got up too late to do yoga, so that I'll still have to do tonight.

 

@Rookie I was thinking about your bike dilemma. For me, if I spend a significant amount of money on a bike and repairs, it probably saves me at least 20k car-kilometers, and therefore saves me net a lot of money (gas is expensive here). For you, it is in the exercise/entertainment category, since you wouldn't use it for commuting. Therefore for you, it would be a choice to repair or get a bike instead of going to the cinema, ordering in, buying paint, etc. You can still do it, but for you it is a luxury instead of an investment. Btw, if your wrists hurt when biking, you can check if you can change the height of the handlebars, I did that many times when I was a kid.

[Waanie]

All in all, the last week was slightly less successful. I didn't really do strength-training because of a lack of motivation, and did not do my cleaning twice for the same reason. On the other hand, I did continue with yoga, and also went outside at least once a day.

 

Yesterday I walked for 40 minutes in a speed that made me sweaty and almost out of breath, and I managed to find some tall stairs on the way as well. Saturday I also did some extra walking, after getting the groceries on foot. We decided that it's impossible to get weekly groceries by foot by only one person, so we now shop twice or maybe occasionally thrice a week. As long as we go on quiet times, I think that's okay.

 

All in all, I do think that this challenge is a success: I did not go entirely crazy from sitting inside all day without exercise, and my house is slightly cleaner than before the challenge. I lost all motivation for strength-training, but that would probably have happened sooner without this challenge. Most importantly, I can still move with ease even though I'm not climbing anymore.

[Terah]

4 hours ago, Waanie said:

I lost all motivation for strength-training

If you're into games, I can highly recommend "Ringfit" for the nintendo switch. I have periods I love strength training, and periods I don't like it (like now), but this game keeps it really fun and it gives you a really good workout. 

 

4 hours ago, Waanie said:

my house is slightly cleaner than before the challenge

I call this a great succes!

[KB Girl]

4 hours ago, Waanie said:

I did not go entirely crazy from sitting inside all day without exercise, and my house is slightly cleaner than before the challenge.

Sounds successful to me!

can we have a picture of the green squares?  

[Waanie]

33 minutes ago, Terah said:

If you're into games, I can highly recommend "Ringfit" for the nintendo switch. I have periods I love strength training, and periods I don't like it (like now), but this game keeps it really fun and it gives you a really good workout. 

We don't have any consoles at home, so Ringfit isn't an option for me unfortunately. I'm not sure what is, but that's one of the goals for next challenge .

 

34 minutes ago, Terah said:

I call this a great succes!

Yes, exactly! More so because we're at home a lot, and this way we don't even have arguments about who cleans when/what anymore .

 

2 minutes ago, KB Girl said:

Sounds successful to me!

can we have a picture of the green squares?  

It is! I will find out tonight how to post pictures here nowadays .

[Waanie]

April report in a picture:

 

Columns from left to right: free green square, yoga, outside, strength-training, adulting, clarinet.

Green: done, blue: not planned, not done, yellow: ill, not done, pink: not done.

 

New challenge is up: