Bravery. Humility. Living in reality.

[Chesire]

Just a gentle poke.  How are you?

[Emissary2Ornj]

On 8/29/2022 at 8:57 AM, Chesire said:

Just a gentle poke.  How are you?

Well, thank you!

 

The store has slowed down considerably which coincided with a lot of our younger summer help disappearing. Fewer customers but the workload hasn't changed much. Just different duties. Definitely feeling less fatigued at the end of most days, which is lovely.

 

I still appreciate a good mobility session when I fit them in. Usually Friday AM, Sunday AM, rarely Tuesday and Wednesday AM. It still feels wonderful. I am still loving my strength level, and thinking about ways to maintain it (and grow it?! amazing!) as we make the trip back east and then do whatever it is we're doing for the winter. I hope to include front & back scales, L-sits, 2 locomotion movements for time, shrimp squats, and FINALLY add in some hanging/pulling work. I want to maintain the mobility routine and my A-frame to squats.

[Emissary2Ornj]

Seasonal job: finished.

Recovery: In progress.

Mental energy: 3/10; overstimulated, fatigued, fuzzy.

Physical energy: 6/10; strong, fatigued; gained some extra fluff as well as muscle; tight spots here & there where I've lost some mobility/stretch.

Mindset: 9/10; feel like I've been dropped out of a whirlwind and am still in the blinky-eyed dazed state of looking around to see how things have changed. Expecting to bounce back quickly; looking forward to only interacting with ONE main human a day instead of (seemingly) HORDES. Thankfully enjoying a couple days' rest before we begin our journey.

Foci:

1. Take in different scenery through the windshield.
2. Enjoy lower altitude effects on physiological processes.
3. Begin on-the-road crochet project for husband. (Learn new technique! Tapestry crochet/carrying yarn.)
   1. Make practice swatch.
   2. Calculate starting chain/foundation chain length.
   3. Unravel practice swatch and have at it!
   4. Hopefully get it done in 2000+ miles.
4. Make food choices in line with my values on the trip back. Values include:
   1. Enjoying tastes we don't have access to up here, such as:
      1. A larger variety of frozen veggies in the stores
      2. A much larger variety of yummy fast foods/restaurant meals not available up here (fish, fried chicken, Asian).
   2. Within reason, choose quality fuel for my body.
   3. Think about how to incorporate more veggies, fewer added sugars, more greens, old protein/vitamin powder habits back into daily life. Use the trip back as a "pre-reset" or transition time, if possible. No pressure.
5. Mobility session AM & PM on travel days; 1x a day minimum. Daily walks, too. (Have enlisted husband's help for this: he will keep me accountable and he may often walk with me. Bonus!)
6. Just BE.
   1. Enjoy the hours with husband, who has worked SO HARD this summer while I also worked SO HARD, and whose company I really couldn't enjoy fully when I came home tired or was getting read for work in the mornings. Enjoy the conversations that come up while we're driving, and the silences. Remember driving cross-country is stressful for both of us in different ways. Be gentle & trusting (such a good feeling, btw).
   2. Remember the future is up there somewhere *flaps hand*, and we are here. In this recovery/in-between/kind-of-a-vacation-for-each-of-us time, here is enough for now.

[Emissary2Ornj]

Week 1 WO1 32 minutes

Prep

wrist circles, backward wrists palms down, forward wrists palms up, quadruped shoulder rolls, quadruped scapular shrugs, frog stretch, foot pulls, ankles side to side & rolls, toe lift circles

Practice/Play

Bear & Monkey

Push (2 circuits)

A-frame to squat 2, 2

Hollow body hold 50sec, 1 min

Front & back scales 15 sec each, 30 sec each

Cool down

side stretch, side bends, shallow lunges, "world's greatest" stretch, hams/calves stretch

Ponder

I like paring down the warm up to focus on what I need for the rest of the work out.

Re-familiarizing myself with locomotion movements & assessing where I am. Need to re-check tutorials on both. Points of focus next time: moving crossbody hand & foot at the same time in Bear; investigate why that isn't happening. (lack of strength? control? do I feel out of balance?)  Monkey: slow down legs (increase control). Plan to work out each movement at least a week before switching to Crab & Frog.

Worked on grass today - not perfectly flat, which is cool; lots more tactile stimulation coming in, which is... more stuff for brain to pay attention to.

A-frame: noticing limits of how low I can squat and keep back straight/chest up. Hollow body: form check; maybe had upper back too far off ground in first circuit. Scales: left front leg mildly cramped both times on front scales but could keep stance. Felt like I maintained hips to front (not twisting). Work on straight back (not arching).

Add old standby calf raises back in since I'm not running up/down stairs several times a day now.

[Chesire]

Oh, hi there!  I didn't see you come back.

 

You present such a good attitude to returning to your winter life with openness and balance.  The way you've phrased everything makes it all seem so easily possible.  You also reminded me that I've been lacking that checking-in-with-myself aspect to my own exercise, so thanks!

[Emissary2Ornj]

14 hours ago, Chesire said:

Oh, hi there!  I didn't see you come back.

 

You present such a good attitude to returning to your winter life with openness and balance.  The way you've phrased everything makes it all seem so easily possible.  You also reminded me that I've been lacking that checking-in-with-myself aspect to my own exercise, so thanks!

Howdy! Thanks for kind words. Re how I approach the transition: It's all  kind of a self-coaching tactic, or self-parenting maybe. It helps having been through it a few times, though each year is different. 
 

It's easy to let that self assessment slip! I'm especially aware of it again because in trying to pinpoint my current baseline. 

 

We had some amazingly quiet, restful days last week; this week has been more trying. Many small towns here in the States offer free camping for one or more nights in their city parks, often with electricity and water at each site. The trade off is you're in town, maybe near busy streets or railroad tracks. We've had a few those in a row so our sleep quality hasn't been stellar. Tonight there's a home football game playing at the high school across the street. Hopefully they won't be too noisy too late? 
On the plus side, there are lots of great places to walk and usually some playground equipment nearby. And free hookups! I'm SO thankful for free electric and water. (Most parks have a place for donations, and we often patronize one or two businesses if we stay several nights.)

 

Rest of update pending...

[Emissary2Ornj]

Rambling update ahead! 
We’ve been set up at our off-season base camp, aka the backyard, for almost a week. It’s nice to be where our storage building is! Always fun to reacquaint myself with the things I put away back in the spring. Lots of mixed feelings: our semi-rural surroundings are not urban by a long shot, but we’re definitely back in “civilization”. Traffic, close neighbors, music, dogs, family dynamics. The area is getting less rural and more suburban all the time. We’re not boondocking in the National Forest anymore, Toto. It’s familiar, but not old comfy shirt familiar. More like, “Okay, we know what this is about. We can deal in order to accomplish what we need to while we’re here.”

 

There are many,, many perks of being here. Laundry.  A sewing space! A slightly bigger private workout area. Relatively mild weather. Power and water! A big residential-size oven available if I need it. Two big shelves of extra freezer space if we need it.

 

 Strategy: keep up and double down on the self-care. Support the husband as much as possible and be more deeply tolerant and understanding if he’s extra-challenged by the situation (his hermit tendencies are even stronger than mine). Keep taking advantage of the workout and sewing spaces! Make sure we have cooked veggies in the fridge available. 
 

Workouts: Yay for GMB putting a whole Elements sample workout on YouTube. Seeing how the timing of their prep, practice, play, and push segments took  a lot of the guesswork out of planning for me. I already had a good idea of what movements I want to work on this season. The missing piece o of the puzzle was figuring out how to fit them in without spending 1 1/2 hours working out. I’ve got two ~45 minute sessions behind me. They feel just right for everything else I want to get done in my day. Note that I have a better idea of the time frames, I can just plug whatever exercises I want into the formula. 
 

Food: we left a pretty good amount of meat in the freezer behind this spring. Really great to come back to that. Also my husband, bless him, blended up quart bag portions of kale smoothies but we didn’t have room to take them. I’m enjoying them now! We got an acorn squash with a recent food bank box, and a WHOLE CASE of frozen broccoli stir fry veggies. I am feeling extra -taken care of in the food department. 
 

Projects: thrifted a bunch of fabric to remake our couch cover. I am not a fan of doing the boring prep work but I did it anyway: all the fabric is washed, and the major pieces are ironed. Washing thrift store stuff is a given, but I’ve been known to skip this step with new fabric. I don’t think I’m getting more patient. I’m just more willing to invest more effort/time once I realize it’s actually matters. I got into the design phase today, which odd fun. Nice to have my notes from the first time I did it. Really nice. 

[Emissary2Ornj]

Wk 1 WO 1 <36 min

Prep: standing straight leg hip circles; wrists - palms down, fingers facing knees; quadruped shoulder circles; quadruped spinal circles, frog stretch

Practice: Cross-legged bear & Tabletop to frogger (5 min each)

Play: A-frame to squat 5 min

Push: Circuit basic bear & Circuit basic monkey (1 min each, 2 circuits)

Cool down: slow breathing, kneeling back flexion to prone lying back extension, seated clasped hands extension w/towel, 3-point bridge, general kneeling lunge

Thoughts: warm up is much pared down from what I used to do. Will tweak as needed. Right shoulder (joint) twinged again; feels like same from hanging prep all those weeks ago. Shoulders (muscles) pleasantly sore. I lost a little bit of the automatic-ness of pushing "down and away" in Bear and A-frame. Had to re-cue that, and those are the muscles that reacted afterward. Summer job didn't require a lot of inverted pushing, ha. Locomotions feel clunky. Jelly quads/knees after!

 

Wk 1 WO2 48 min

Prep: standing straight leg hip circles; wrists- palms up (then down), fingers facing knees, quadruped shoulder circles & scapular shrugs, quadruped spinal circles, frog stretch

Practice: Cross-legged bear & Tabletop to frogger (5 min each)

Play: Hollow body hold 5 min

Push: Circuit front scales & Circuit basic monkey (1 min each, 2 circuits)

Cool down: kneeling back flexion to prone lying back extension, seated clasped hands w/towel, gneral kneeling lunge, world's greatest stretch, hams/calves split kneeling extension (that last is my name for it)

Thoughts: Didn't breathe as hard through this one. Shoulder felt better. Next time move hollow body to practice? Cross-legged bear to play? Maybe hollow hold to push and scales to play. Cross-legged bear needs practice.

 

Further thoughts, 2 days past: I subbed scales and hollow body hold to ease up on shoulders a bit. I think that worked. Added some moves to the prep. Feet and ankles, shoulders, wrists, and neck need mobility focus on off days. Could add another circuit if I felt like I needed more push. Or another movement. Or extend both movements by 30 seconds. Yesterday I tried the movements in the 4-minute mobility routine that came through the GMB email list. I've watched it before, but have been very comfortable with the other routine I found. Probably sticking with that one. 3-point bridges are not fun for my body . That isn't a reason to never do them ever, but I think I'll keep skipping them. I think it's shoulder strength holding me back there. Also, in lieu of hanging, I subbed in the suggested kneeling  back flexion, arms extended (pushing down and away). That got my shoulder reacting again. I'd rather stick with the movements that feel good and it feels strong in, until I get more strength in it. No hanging stuff or hanging stuff substitutes! (I can't seem to stay under my strength/flexibility limits with those moves. This may be a brain-thing or a physical thing. Will keep checking in on it. I am not sad about this; I don't need to unlock hanging ability in current daily life.

Monkey is just a-w-k-w-a-r-d. Kind of always has been, but I feel extra clunky this week.
Still playing with which moves I want to plug in where.

Nice to get reacquainted with current body situation!

[Emissary2Ornj]

Wk 1 WO 3 49 min

Prep: standing straight leg hip circles; wrists- palms up (then down), fingers facing knees, quadruped shoulder circles & scapular shrugs, quadruped spinal circles, frog stretch

Practice: A-frame to squat & Tabletop to frogger (5 min each)

Play: Bear 5 min

Push: Circuit back scales, Circuit hollow body hold,  Circuit basic monkey (1 min each, 2 circuits)

Cool down: kneeling back flexion to prone lying back extension, kneeling side bends, seated clasped hands w/towel, general kneeling lunge, world's greatest stretch, hams/calves split kneeling extension

Thoughts: Monkey is clunky. Dialed in focus to weight distribution in feet while squatting from A-frame and differences between solidarity between rt/left shoulders/arms during Forward Bear. Might come up with some more options for workouts, using same framework and plugging in different movements.

 

Projects: jack-knife couch seat cover is almost completely assembled; am lacking one corner strap insertion and buttons. I used a sturdy, pretty cloth shower curtain as the top layer, so it has 12 buttonholes already along the front. YES! I hate sewing buttonholes - either my machine isn't good at it or I haven't figured out how to operate my machine so it is good at it. Next major step is designing the 3 back cushion covers. Still debating whether to machine-quilt the seat cover - it might make it sturdier, but would the stitches make it less smooth and comfy to the touch? Hmmm....

 

It's rest day!!!!!

[Emissary2Ornj]

Week 2 Workout 1 ~30 minutes

Prep: same

Practice: A-frame to squat & Monkey set-up

Play: Bear

Push: Kneeling back flexion to prone lying back extension, seated clasped hands extension w/towel, General kneeling lunge to world's greatest stretch to split kneeling leg extension w/toe pulls

 

Thoughts: thanks to @Gemma doing Monkey Prep in her last Elements workout, I realized I can break down Monkey into components. Duh! 🤦‍♀️ This is something GMB continually preaches, and it never occurred to me with this movement for some reason. So I focused practice on the initial squat (my heels stay up; that's just the way it is right now), planting hands to the side, and pulling my weight over my hands. I kept my feet on the ground. (This kind of correlates to the Tabletop to Frogger toe pull movement, except I don't move my feet in Monkey.) I expect this to help the movement "click" for my brain.

 

Edited: Previous blah blah about not buying Elements DELETED!

 

 

 

Pretty sure I've lost some upper arm muscle mass since I finished the seasonal job. Aesthetics isn't my goal; it's a side effect. Two points:

1) it's interesting to watch my body change in relation to the changing demands I place on it; and

2) It's also interesting that the "pride" or "vanity" part of my brain is disappointed when I notice changes like these, even though my main values (Big Why) are about wanting this body to do anything I ask of it, gracefully and capably.

 

Nothing wrong with appreciating the effects of all this - but I'm curious about the origin of those values. I think the two values can coexist: I will not chase after a certain look or getting "thinner" or any other arbitrary definition of beauty/fitness that society has dreamed up, but I can appreciate the side effects as I chase after real-world practical body control and ability.

 

I haven't recorded measurements in years, might be time to do that again.

[Emissary2Ornj]

Week 2 Workout 2 32 minutes

Prep: standing straight leg hip circles; wrists- palms up, fingers facing knees, quadruped shoulder circles & scapular shrugs, quadruped spinal circles, frog stretch, heel pulls

Practice: A-frame to squat & Monkey set-up

Play: Cross-legged Bear

Push: Kneeling back flexion to prone lying back extension, seated clasped hands extension w/towel, General kneeling lunge to split kneeling leg extension w/toe pulls

I am really enjoying this intense focus on the set up for Monkey. 5 minutes is a long time to do it. I stay up on the balls of my feet for monkey, and I noticed my heels dropping down as time passed. Not to floor yet, but lower.

The focus for my squat is weight distribution through my feet, while keeping chest up and a straight back. After re-watching the GMB deep squat tutorial, I may include some of those pointers to milk out a little more mobility.

Jelly-quads after today!

Shoulders are feeling much better this week. Paying attention to them in the movements and doing a more reasonable amount of work seems to keep them feeling good.

[Emissary2Ornj]

Week 3 Workout 1:  Elements session 1 45 min

Really basic session compared to what I’ve been doing, but I was determined to watch every tutorial so I can learn. I have avoided 90/90s or similar b/c there is a definite point in my hip where my back leg feels completely bound up. I also have never been a fan of the 3-pt bridge; it doesn’t feel good like the world’s greatest stretch, or the A-frame. I don’t think this is a function of ability. It maaaaay be a function of shoulder strength and my brain feeling “safe” in my shoulders.  Biggest new thing I learned: my A-frame stance was more narrow (looking from the side) than they teach. Corrected that by reaching my hands further in front of me during the set-up. 

 

Week 3 Workout 2: Elements session 2 58 minutes

I had an amusing “What!!?! No way, they must have made a mistake,” reaction when I saw today’s practice was 15 minutes each of A-frame and Bear.* I trusted the program, and did it anyway. Or, I did most of it. I don’t currently focus on non-stop movements during a 5-minute or longer work period. I take time to roll out wrists and shoulders then get back to it.  l did end the Bear session a few minutes early. I need my wrists for the rest of the day and the right one let me know it was time. Also, I included squats in the A-frame practice. Not sorry. 

 

I also switched out a few of their prep and push moves. I did standing straight leg hip circles instead of supine hip circles (a floor space issue). For a cool down stretch (or as part of a general mobility routine), I LOVE doing a general kneeling lunge to world’s greatest stretch to a split kneeling leg extension with toe pulls (my name for it; I don’t know what they call it.) I do those 3 movements on one side then switch sides. I did that instead of 3-pt bridges.** 

 

Shoulders feel good. Definitely worked, but about the same as my non-Elements sessions last week.

 

Brain is definitely a little grumpy about perceived "taking a step back", but I'm determined to stick with the structure and see what  new cues I can learn from the tutorials.

 

*Mindset/philosophy note: It’s such a normal, typical human thought to be like “They can’t possibly know what they’re doing/talking about.” I think it’s an exercise in humility to not go with that reaction every time. Of course, there are times we do know better. But I think our brains are over biased on how often we know better. It felt good, from a compassionate self-parenting  standpoint, to choose the more mature thought process here. In my case, impatience tends to play a big part, too. I want it to be different b/c putting the time in is boring or not getting things done. So good on Elements session 2 for schooling me.

 

**I may have to lean into those bridges eventually and figure out what's going on. There's a very "ugh!" reaction to them. I'm not willing to push them if I don't really need them. What I think they provide: building shoulder strength, balance, front of hip/low back mobility. Maybe a side stretch. I  can get most of those with other movements, maybe not from the exact same angles though. 🤷‍♀️ 

[Chesire]

Very interesting reading your awareness journey with Elements.  I somehow missed that they put up an Elements sample workout.  Really need to check that out and revisit the program, since it just wasn't the right thing at the time when I tried last time. 

 

Nice to see you back and recovering after the summer schedule. 

[Emissary2Ornj]

On 12/2/2022 at 8:24 AM, Chesire said:

Very interesting reading your awareness journey with Elements.  I somehow missed that they put up an Elements sample workout.  Really need to check that out and revisit the program, since it just wasn't the right thing at the time when I tried last time. 

 

Nice to see you back and recovering after the summer schedule. 

Thanks! It's good to see you active on the forums again, too. Here's that video: https://youtu.be/xELp70M19fY.

 

Week 4 Workout 1 Elements session 4 45 minutes

Today was a lower stamina day; could have chosen a lower intensity workout but didn't. Preferred to stick with the schedule and shorten the practice times instead. I am curious what their lower intensity workout options are. I'll have to choose that option sometime to find out.

Prep: Followed their movements; even supine hip circles (found a workaround for the space issue). Added standing straight leg hip circles.
Practice: Floating tabletop 7m30s instead of 10 m; Floating tabletop pull to squat 5m15s instead of 10

Play: Monkey prep 5m instead of 10

Push: Did all their movements except 3-point bridge. Added split kneeling hamstring stretches.

Lots of arm/shoulder work today. Toe pulling in floating tabletop is hard! Even with socks. I knew this already, but it's been a while since I knew it so well. The limiting factor was sensitive toes. I mean - my feet are stronger than they used to be, but dragging your toes across 12x12 tile and its grout seams is something else. Definitely incentivizes loading the arms more!

 

Noticing impatient thoughts around these workouts. I think, first, that's a reflection of general life-stress; and second, old achiever/competitor brain patterns showing up. I'm not fighting it; choosing the full 45 minute sessions so I can experience all the movements but cutting the sessions short as needed feels like acceptable compromise.

[Chesire]

10 hours ago, Emissary2Ornj said:

On 12/2/2022 at 8:24 AM, Chesire said:

 

Thanks! It's good to see you active on the forums again, too. Here's that video: https://youtu.be/xELp70M19fY.

 

Well, you just reinvigorated my Elements interest!  It was good to see because I think I felt like I was missing something about how to use the program, so his narration was useful.  Turns out I was using it right, it's just so different from other programs!

[Emissary2Ornj]

On 12/5/2022 at 8:03 AM, Chesire said:

Turns out I was using it right, it's just so different from other programs!

Cool! Before I put money into Elements, I was designing my own workouts. I didn't understand the timing of the 5 Ps.  And I put a LOT of movements into the warm-up section, which was great for my mobility but took up a lot of time. That video answered "How much time do I spend on each section?" for me, so I could spend actually 45 minutes working out, not an hour or 1 1/2 hours. (Of course, now that I'm doing Elements, and watching tutorials, I'm back to about an hour workouts. *shrugs ruefully* Oh, well!)

 

 

Week 4 Workout 2 Elements 5 (forgot to time workout)

Prep, 1min each: Wrist circles, Wrist - palms down fingers facing knees, 4ped twist, 4ped spinal circles, Walk into squat, Standing straight leg hip circles

Glad for the extra wrist prep. They REALLY did some work today!

Practice, 10min each: Crab set-up, Crab walk forward and back

First time Crab showed up in Elements, so I watched the tutorial to glean info. I felt like my body forgot how to do crab. I used to just pop up into it and go. But the "down & back" cue for shoulders while my hands are on the ground feels extremely awkward. This happens in L-sit, too - it almost feels like the heels of my palms won't reach the ground with shoulders where they're "supposed" to be... or something? I still feel scrunched up in my chest area. Ooh - just gave myself a reminder that the point is not to look exactly like the given tutorial example. But I do want that "down & back" position to click in my brain. This may be a shoulder mobility/strength limitation showing up. Probably would be helpful to re-watch some other Crab videos. Wow, it's really easy for brain to get caught up in "must do it right, just like example". Hmm. Plan: will watch other Crab vids, and loosen up on achievement pressure.

Play, 10min: Floating tabletop pull to squat

I switched workout spaces today - more room to work with, yay! But, carpet! To pull toes across! Adds a fun element. Socks helped a bit. When showing this move to my husband later in our camper, it was SO EASY on the vinyl flooring! 😆 I added a little hop at the end to get my feet the final distance (this is permissible per the tutorial). I noticed trying to drag one foot at a time to decrease the rug burn and make it easier.

Push, 1min each: Kneeling back flexion to prone lying back extension, Seated clasped hands extension, General kneeling lunge, 3-pt bridge

Actually did the bridge. Felt good on the lower abdomen, which got worked during the pulls to squat.

 

My aim for Elements: learn the new moves, unlock every session, watch all the tutorials at least once. Once finished - IF I have a good enough handle on the skills - use the new information and skills to form my own workouts, occasionally revisiting the program start to finish to refresh and to pick up any updates/changes. I'm enjoying the workouts so far as they're scheduled - they're not boring and definitely not easy!  But I enjoyed spending a week or two on specific skills. I still haven't unlocked the periodization concept for myself, and I think GMB builds that in. So that's something to think about....

[Chesire]

7 hours ago, Emissary2Ornj said:

(Of course, now that I'm doing Elements, and watching tutorials, I'm back to about an hour workouts. *shrugs ruefully* Oh, well!)

ugh... I feel this

 

It's so impressive to me that you put so much consideration into your exercise.

[Emissary2Ornj]

Big win, here!

From several moons ago:

On 1/27/2022 at 8:06 PM, Emissary2Ornj said:

Get this: My house is approximately 200 square feet. When we got a bigger camper (our first one was 13 feet long), I did not think cleaning would be a big deal. However, we use almost every bit of space we can. It's not cluttered; it's functional. But it's not just wipe and go. Gotta move stuff, wipe/clean, replace stuff, work around stuff.

Also, not to be gross, but not to shy away from reality, either: there's a difference in the dust and typical debris two people produce contained in 200 square feet versus spread out over 2000 square feet. Yeah, tiny living is majorly cool in lots of ways. It's also different than bigger-house living in ways you don't think about until you do it.

These are not complaints or excuses. Regular housecleaning is just an adulting puzzle that's had me stumped for a while. I've been very informal/unstructured about it but it's not working for me. Ready for a little more structure here. I am pretty excited to see myself actually tackling this challenge, breaking it down into manageable parts. Also - seeing all the tasks I want done in this area written out on paper was not overwhelming, surprisingly. I feel excited by the challenge of figuring out a schedule which fits my life, doesn't leave me frustrated or resentful, and gets the job done without me obsessing over it.

This quest has been top-of-mind for quite a while, even though I couldn't always dedicate actual time/energy to figuring it out. FINALLY, I found something that 'clicked' for me last week. This article and sample cleaning schedule made the most sense of anything I've read so far.  I put the time in to list my own tasks and make my own schedule. I feel more confident when I know what I'm doing, and I just made a big list to tell me what I'm doing most days of a year. I jumped right in yesterday, and two things got done that haven't been done in a long time. They weren't done perfectly, and they're not spic 'n' span, but they're done. I know what I'm supposed to be doing today, and tomorrow, and the next day.

 

The structure doesn't feel confining or pressurizing, b/c the cleaning schedule is a guide. The goal is not rigid adherence to it. There's leeway, and I can be flexible depending on how our general schedule changes from week to week. My only niggle is wondering how it will go if/when I go back to work - that's future, though, and I'll deal with it when it comes.

 

So yeah - just getting the schedule in place is a big win. Sticking to it over the long-term will be an even bigger win, of course (the Inner Critic brain pattern is wondering why I think merely making a schedule is worthy of announcement), but I am feeling very confident about this. Wahoo!

[Emissary2Ornj]

On 12/6/2022 at 6:35 PM, Chesire said:

It's so impressive to me that you put so much consideration into your exercise.

Oh, thanks! I'm unsure whether this attribute (uber-introspective, analytical) is helpful or superfluous. Like, I haven't turned it into a marketable skill, yet. 😆

 

Week 4 Workout 3 Elements session 6 ~45minutes

Prep: Wrist circles, Wrist - palms down fingers facing knees, 4ped twist, 4ped spinal circles, Frog stretch (instead of Walk into squat)

Practice: 7.5min each A-frame elements & Bear

Play: 10min A-frame to squat

Push: 1 min each 3x Circuit Basic bear; Kneeling back flexion to prone lying back extension, Seated clasped hands extension (w/hand towel), 3-pt bridge, General kneeling lunge to split kneeling leg extenstion w/toe pull

Reaction: Excited to see the first "circuit" on the program! (Can you have a circuit of just one thing? Humorous.) (Yes, I realize this is probably their way of introducing the concept.) The program glitched during the circuits; I assume the internet service here dropped momentarily. Anyway, it was during Push, so I knew what the stretches were supposed to be and just did 'em. Had to wait till later to refresh the page and let Praxis finish out the session. I wouldn't have had to, but it's very important to my brain to be able to record that I did the whole session. Let the record show!!!... *eyeroll*

Mindset: This is how my brain reacts to structure: so I have this housekeeping schedule. It's cool. For two days I got stuff done. Today, I was getting stuff done, but some things came up and got me off track a bit. This is 100% okay, the schedule is designed for this to happen. Realistically, it's in the beta stages anyway, and will probably need tweaked. But I feel upset and disappointed and way less enthused about it all, b/c it didn't work "the way it was supposed to" today (even though it actually did). Brains! Argh.

Project: Couch seat cushion cover got done earlier this week... or late last? Anyway, this week's focus has been the 3 back cushion covers. All 3 main panels are assembled and quilted, and I got one cover completely assembled this evening. It now only lacks binding on two edges, and straps, buttons, and button holes to be completed.

[Emissary2Ornj]

Week 5 Workout 1 Elements session 7 54 minutes

 

Prep: same

I feel like I'm limited in quadruped twists, but I keep doing 'em.

Practice 7.5min each: Monkey prep, Basic monkey

Heels are not flat during squats without a rounded back. I'm just going with it for now. I'm really, really glad I did all those A-frame to squats in the last 12 months before starting Elements. It is a squat-centric (and wrist, elbow, and shoulder) program for sure.

Play 10min: Around the world

This was fun. I did both ways: rounded back/heels flat and straighter back/heels up. Probably I could benefit from some foot/ankle mobility work and calf stretches on my off days. May or may not happen. Also, felt this in my sternum a few hours later - like my chest got opened up. A good feeling.

Push 1min each: 3x Circuit basic monkey plus the same stretches

Monkey is fun. Took a video. That's humbling, but at least what I'm feeling and how I look match: awkward!

 

Body fuel: I ground up a couple cups of oats into flour, so all I have to do for the next few smoothies is scoop and dump instead of grind every day. (I use a blender to transform the oats, but I can't very well say I blended oats if there's no other ingredient involved, now can I?) Anyway, a simple shake of oat flour, protein powder, milk, and water really helps me feel fuller. I haven't quite got into a comfortable rhythm for eating on workout days; I like to postpone breakfast till after the workout but I don't like to get so off schedule that lunch and dinner get pushed way late. Yes, I could just skip breakfast after, but I'm not sold on that being the best for my body and my needs (I have tried it). I have to work to get my calories in when I'm eating on the "cleaner" side of the spectrum, and eating two big meals doesn't help that. (I'm not a stickler for hitting a calorie goal; but I tracked long enough last winter to kind of get an idea what my trends were.)

[Emissary2Ornj]

Week 5 Workout 2 Elements session 8 1hr 3min

Prep: Wrist circles, Standing straight leg hip circles, Wrists - palms up/down fingers facing knees, 4ped wag tail, 4ped spinal circles, Frog stretch

Wrists were extra tight today (expected) so extra stretches there. I think I'm pushing frog stretch too far. I do not have hypermobile joints but I think I have a high pain tolerance. It's sometimes hard to know when a stretch is too far, and I tend to push things rather than be cautious. Frog stretch has always been awkward, but I want to keep at it. I expect a little discomfort in it b/c of the awkwardness. But if I'm pushing to the point where the muscles end up being tighter after the stretch, that's no good. (Like if brain is feeling unsafe in the stretch and limits range of motion to stay "safe", type of thing. I think I've heard GMB coaches talk about this? And maybe heard it in NF videos too?)

Practice: Floating tabletop pull to squat, Basic frogger

Pull to squat friction reduction tip! I stuck my socked feet in a couple plastic grocery bags and tied 'em round my ankles. Greatly decreased rug burn. Still a challenging movement. When I sped it up slightly it felt smoother. Basic frogger was much more fun.

Play: Basic monkey

When leading, my left foot doesn't always track parallel to the other one. So I end up not traversing in a totally straight line. *shrug* Just noticing, maybe something to explore in the future as I get more comfortable with the movement.

Push: 3x Circuit basic frogger, Kneeling back flexion to prone lying back extension, Seated clasped hands extension w/towel, General kneeling lunge, 3pt bridge

Frogger feels so much smoother when I raise my squat to where I can keep a straight back and flat heels. Wow, what a difference. Will probably try this from now on, and see where else this applies. Worked the lunges extra b/c front of hips were feeling so tight.

Mindset epiphany: Impatience!

I really want to get all the way through Elements so I can go back to spending a week or two on specific movements like I was last winter. In other words - slow things waaaaay down. At the same time, I won't do more than 3 Elements sessions a week, so it's going to take however long it takes. Period.

I like the workouts, and I'm really enjoying the nuances of learning the moves as they teach them in Elements. There is a LOT of new stuff to process and focus on, and that adds to the impatience/overwhelm. I think pre-Elements, I focused on one particular thing in a movement (breathing, speed, etc), and committed to practicing those movements for one week before switching to a different focus the next. Now I'm trying to process all the new cues while doing them, and there's video and audio stimulants to brain plus the awareness of a timer. There's a lot going on.

I record all that not to complain; but to say I get why this feels a little much. Pretty much every session is different, even though it's clear that current sessions build on past lessons. I'm trying to focus on a lot of stuff versus just one thing.
It's kind of cool being in this place of learning. I want it to hurry up and be over, but I don't want to miss a thing because my future plan depends on gleaning as much quality info from these workouts as possible now.

So I'm enjoying flexing the discipline muscle, and feeling flashes of smugness b/c look at me, with the maturity exercise!*

 

*Yeah, no big deal. Except I am several years ( 1.5 decades, maybe? as a conservative estimate) late to the party. In the past, I probably wouldn't have put in the time if I thought I could jump ahead somehow. Glad things have changed.

Mindset win 2: A win in the ongoing battle for emotional independence?  Trigger warning: Hidden content topics include parental relationships, religion, emotions, parent/child responsibilities to each other, estrangement, and strong/bleak opinions re having kids. Tl; dr: family is hard.
 

Spoiler

Disclaimer: I am not trying to anger or antagonize any parent who reads this. Bless you for your effort! And for being willing to undertake the most important job a person can have. I honor you, especially in this era of confusion and screens and innocence-lost-so-quickly!

I have deep stuff going on internally with brain patterns and feelings re: my parents, my current non-relationship with them, and my life choices versus their expectations. It's not new; I've been working on this for years. My parents provided a great basic childhood but a very emotionally & culturally sheltered one. My identity was rooted in the thought my folks were the bee's knees, so to speak, and the idea we were an amazing, perfect, ideally "close" family unit and always would be. It was reality-shattering to acknowledge my failure to develop almost any individuality probably stemmed from their choice of (weird, bordering cult-ish) religion as well as all that "perfection" and safety. Anyway - I've separated myself from them, and the guilt has felt massive.

The concept of "family" is held sacred in this society, I think. I think the boiled-down function of parents is really more utilitarian than all the lovey-dovey closeness that has been idolized by Hallmark and Lifetime. I think the hard, cold reality is that for about 2 decades they exist to prepare human children for survival in adulthood. (Yes, I firmly believe this includes meeting their emotional and mental development needs.)

Don't misunderstand me: I am endlessly grateful for my parents and the effort and awareness they put into parenting. But I do not exist now to be their emotional comfort. That is not the purpose of my life. (I do think there is some sort of very important moral responsibility I have to them as they age and grow needier, and I haven't quite worked out what fulfilling that looks like for me yet.) That freeing thought is very tentative, and I'm waiting to see if it survives the light before I trust it too much.

Related to this: I think recognizing our own emotional immaturity (to put it mildly) is a totally legitimate reason to forgo having children ourselves. To put it bluntly: if I have kids on whom I am going to act out my unresolved traumas most of the time, I will fail those children in the ultimate task of parenting. They will be handicapped going into adulthood instead of equipped.

Kids are amazing and a blessing and gifts. But they become their own people, and must be freed.

 

Whew, that got heavy! NF is not my therapy place. But the battle for whole-self well-being is not compartmentalized in my mind. Wins at any stage, against any foe, count in the battle. "We don't care where you came from, only where you're going," - I know.

[Emissary2Ornj]

Week 5 Workout 3 Elements 9 38 minutes

 

Prep: same

Practice: Crab set-up & Crab walk forward & back

Play: Basic frogger

Push: 2x Circuit Crab walk f&b, same stretches

 

Used the cue to keep chest up and open to help with clunky “downs and back” shoulders. Still not really sure what’s going on there; although I did play around with placement some, I mostly kept them close to my hips. This movement is proving to be a challenge. The shoulder position in it is odd and unique to this movement; my shoulders are very comfortable in Bear/A-frame and Monkey/Frogger and feel like they know what to do. They seem to want to roll forward the slightest bit during Crab. I’m beginning to think I’ve uncovered something to explore here. 

[Chesire]

On 12/13/2022 at 8:55 PM, Emissary2Ornj said:

Pull to squat friction reduction tip! I stuck my socked feet in a couple plastic grocery bags and tied 'em round my ankles.

Noted!  That is an interesting and challenging move. I'm not sure if I love it or hate it.

 

your Mindset epiphany  completely encapsulated all the thoughts I was trying to put together about Elements, including the impatience.  The growth in it feels so lacking compared to other types of fitness.  I know that it really is more about full body control and increased understanding about what your body can do on any given day.  But, I don't know, I just want to show off I can do a pull up or something!  yep, mindset is a tough thing to exercise.

 

I suspect you don't need my input but the muscles used for pushing in the A-frame/bear/monkey/frogger are all the same.  Whereas in crab the push is opposite and given how much time is spent in the former the conditioning is a touch imbalanced.  Or you can think of the former as chest and shoulder push, and the latter as back pull for shoulder position.

[Elastigirl]

3 hours ago, Chesire said:

our Mindset epiphany  completely encapsulated all the thoughts I was trying to put together about Elements, including the impatience.  The growth in it feels so lacking compared to other types of fitness.  I know that it really is more about full body control and increased understanding about what your body can do on any given day.  But, I don't know, I just want to show off I can do a pull up or something!  yep, mindset is a tough thing to exercise.

 

Yep, I agree with this. I've done some of their side programs, and love them. I keep thinking I should go back and redo Elements, but the mental aspect is why I think I keep deciding against it.

[Emissary2Ornj]

On 12/17/2022 at 8:39 AM, Chesire said:

in crab the push is opposite and given how much time is spent in the former the conditioning is a touch imbalanced.

Your input validates some things I've been thinking and is reassuring. Probably what's going on is simply that I'm encountering a challenging work level in a range of motion I'm not used to working for this joint. Crab is an aberration in the program, for sure. I will try your Crab cue next time we work on it! Another interesting aspect is how squat-centric the workouts are. 

 

On 12/17/2022 at 12:03 PM, Elastigirl said:

I keep thinking I should go back and redo Elements, but the mental aspect is why I think I keep deciding against it.

 

I get that. Maybe your brain would be okay just picking a workout or two to revisit instead of starting the whole thing over? (I assume that's possible once they're all unlocked.)

 

Week 6 Workout 1 Elements session 10 Transitions & Supersets

Prep: Standing straight leg hip circles, Wrists - palms down fingers facing knees, 4ped wag tail, 4ped spinal circles, Frog stretch

Eased off on Frog stretch; also I'm careful how I come out of it. I lean/controlled fall forward to straighten legs then shift side to side to bring knees together. Then push up into kneeling. This keeps me from contracting what I just stretched, which can be a bit sensitive right after. (Ryan teaches this in the YT vid where Frog stretch is included in the 23-minute daily mobility routine).

Practice: 7.5min each Backwards Bear, Basic monkey

It finally clicked that I can use my core to pull hips/legs around from one side of Monkey to the other (laterally). I gained a LOT of core strength last winter (hollow body hold work!!!!) and doing this makes the movement feel so much smoother. Previously I think I was pushing off my feet to get my legs up and over. Also, the core involvement keeps my direction of travel more linear instead of the slight arc that was happening before. (I had difficulty landing with feet parallel to hands before.)

Play: 4min each Basic Bear to Monkey combination, Monkey to Bear combination

These were fun but fleeting. Didn't feel like I really had time to fully explore them.

Push: 1min each 3x Superset Circuit Bear & Circuit Monkey, Seated clasped hands extension, Kneeling back flexion to prone lying back extension, 3-pt bridge, General kneeling lunge

 

Further thoughts: Starting to form a vague idea of what I need to work on and where my weaknesses are. Crab is definitely one of them. Ankle mobility is another. I think I need a targeted mobility routine for my "off" days. I really need a recovery day walk habit, but I haven't prioritized being consistent with that. (I am not getting a dog, even though Felix and Spezzy's consistency is impressive.)