Lauragee Consolidates

[Eldgee]

I've been around occasionally and tried a couple of 5 week challenges with limited follow-through, but having public accountability always helps me stick to things, and it's time to try to stick to some things, so I think what I really need is a single thread of my own that I can try to stick with consistently. 

 

I'm pretty out of shape, due to being stuck at home for quarantine, and due to basically quitting my yoga practice in the stuck-at-home summer heat. I eat pretty decently (primalish), am fairly flexible and can almost do a handstand (thanks yoga), but get winded very easily and feel generally pretty weak. I don't feel great right now and also, at 41 years old, I'm feeling like I need to establish better fitness routines to help myself stay healthy, active, and relatively free of osteoporosis (which runs in my family) into the future. Also, I have a mild but chronic knee injury, so figuring out how to work around that may be a challenge.

 

Current fitness-adjacent goals:

 

start a bodyweight program based on Antranik's beginner recommended routine

intersperse that with yoga, but mainly the easy stretches and fun tricks for now
also intersperse some aerobic activity. walking? interval training? biking? trampoline dance?

keep experimenting with healthy and delicious recipes
work on my posture, which is currently not great and not that conducive to neck-bone health
get into a meditation routine, which helps me with everything else

 

Are you working on similar goals? Let me know, I probably won't be spending a lot of time browsing forums, but I'm happy to follow some relevant threads!

[Rosiesan]

You got this!

[Eldgee]

Today I set up a better work station at the table, so I can sit at my computer with good posture. I also managed to avoid going off-plan for lunch when I was looking for something quick and easy, and I made it through my first workout:

 

1 min plank

1 min side plank (each side)

1 min reverse plank

30 seconds dead bug

45 seconds superman

10 second support hold on rings (this was harder than I expected!)

8 x squats with legs pressing out against a band above my knees and heels elevated, but this still kind of hurt my knees, so I gave up after a single set and I'm not sure what I want to do about legs going forward. I'm going to try to work in some easy biking, and maybe that will be all for now.

 

3 x 20 second L-sit with feet on floor

3 x 5 incline pushup on low chair

3 x 5 incline row from maybe 45 degrees

 

Bottom line is I made it through, but every one of those exercises kicked my but at the end, and overall this is looking like more of an uphill slog than I had anticipated.

[RouleurBaby]

11 hours ago, lauragee said:

Bottom line is I made it through, but every one of those exercises kicked my but at the end, and overall this is looking like more of an uphill slog than I had anticipated.

 

Pretty sure that's how everyone feels! ?

[Eldgee]

3 hours ago, RouleurBaby said:

 

Pretty sure that's how everyone feels! ?

 

Really? I guess the uphill is expected, I was just kind of appalled at how far down the hill I was in the first place.

[Eldgee]

Day 2:

 

Ate a Chipotle rice bowl and some dark chocolate sunbutter cups, which isn't ideal for my food plan, but I was thinking it's pretty cool and a significant change that that's the kind of thing that mostly feels like a food-based treat to me at this point. 

 

Sore from my workout yesterday, so I just did a short restorative yoga video. I hope to get into more active flexibility stuff on non-strength days, but my baseline goal at this point is just to do something fitnessy about six days a week, and while I procrastinated for most of the day, I got it in under the wire. Earlier in the day tomorrow, I think. 

[Eldgee]

Day 3: 

 

Still sore and kind of migrainey today, so I'm waiting to do strength training again until I feel better. Did go for a longish walk, and make a fish and vegetable panang curry for dinner.

[cd667]

I

5 hours ago, lauragee said:

Still sore and kind of migrainey today, so I'm waiting to do strength training again until I feel better.

I had that. Went to see my doctor about it. Turns out I was dehydrated!

[Mr.CaffeineHead]

How have your knees been feeling the past week?

[Eldgee]

Ok, so I was out of town most of last week for vacation and, to be honest, a few days of unnecessary slacking. But overall, I'm still feeling pretty good (did go for a wonderful long mushroom-hunting hike on vacation, and mostly eat really well while avoiding the extra processed snacks my kids were leaving everywhere) and I'm going to get back to trying to keep up with this log/plan now. 

The best fitness news is that today my partner tuned up his rarely used electric bike so I could try it, and it worked wonderfully! I felt like I got a lot of leg and cardio workout without any knee pain, and as a bonus this kind of exercise apparently makes its own cool breeze. So, I think my new plan is going to be something like a biking/non-leg bodyweight training/yoga for flexibility and balance kind of rotation.

 

Also made a big pot of paleo barbecued chicken and coleslaw yesterday, so I'm still enjoying snacking on that. 

[Eldgee]

This is looking less structured than I had imagined, but I'm continuing to get some decent activity in almost every day at least. Went for a walk with my kid yesterday (in my neighborhood, FWIW, all walks are walks up and down hills), then for a longer electric bike ride today.

 

My knee did hurt a bit during my second bike ride. I think I'm overcompensating with my other leg (not sure how that's possible, but it seems to be) and also trying too hard to push myself up hills. I need to remember that using as much electrical assist as I care to (rather than the least amount possible) is probably the key to making this sustainable, and luckily it's also fun. I'm also trying to figure out how far I can ride without risking running out of battery – I discovered that if I go just a bit further than I did today, I can get to the near end of a riverside bike trail...so that might be my next goal. 

 

Still thinking about yoga and strength training, too, but it's usually very hot in my house, which is making it hard to get motivated about that.

[Chubalubblub]

Planks are hell I am not about that life lol. Good on you for putting that work in. I love looking in the mirror knowing no one can tell me shit after working hard.