Sunday, March 3, 2024

Feb 25 to March 3

 

This might have been unmotivating

Meh, the struggle to find discipline continues. Just all over the place and exhaustion is real at the moment. Swimming, when it happens is going well. Not much soreness in the shoulder. Had a massage this week and learned a few new stretches for the legs and shoulders. 

I really do need to get the limitless cardio from running started.  I did a HIIT session this week but did not close the rings three times. Meh, I am over 50 percent for the week, but just barely. Morning sessions did get done every day this week, so there is a silver lining here. 

I have been thinking about plans for a return to combat sports, but then money becomes the key issue. I think about expanding the side hustle, and then time becomes the key issue. Diet is also a thing to factor in these days as well. 

I am grateful that February is over and that the warmer weather means I can return to hiking and being out on the water. I look forward to that for sure. 

Saturday, February 24, 2024

Feb 13 to 24

 

Thing of beauty

Whoa, this wasn't the best month for me. I'm just looking into the numbers and seeing them together to write this post, I'm just seeing that. Hmmm. Interesting.

I missed five of the ten days to be discussed in this post. I did a rugby session and went on a hike, along with a pool shutdown and a flare-up of my hip that was memorable. I also had a five-day weekend and enough free coffee to sink a ship. 

For several of the days I missed, I just didn't want to get my morning routine done. Period. I woke up and lay there with TikTok running through my brain. It was sad. I did do a nice 45-minute HIIT session a few times, but man, that wasn't enough for the circles.  

On Tuesday the 20th, I finally had enough and got back to stretching in the morning and getting my hips to move every day. On Wednesday and every day since I've been able to get back to an evening swim. 

Burn out, quitting and recovering all in one month. How exciting. 

I did get out on a hike this morning, out to the beach near my house. The rest of my family was sleeping and I got to see some very cold waves. 

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Jan 28 to Feb 12

 

What was on the screen this week.

Whoa, let this get away from me for a second. To my loyal readers of this blog, I do humbly apologize. Life gets in the way sometimes and sometimes I just am overwhelmed by the stuff coming at me. 

I had a few days - especially the weekends, where I just got too busy or pissed off at the stuff going on around me that I basically abandoned training for the day. As a result, missed five days of sixteen. Still above a passing grade, but not really a great mark. 

The morning routine has gone in and out of favour, but this morning I did this:

10 minutes of stretching and leg/hip mobility

10 minutes of ab work and back/shoulder mobility

10 minutes of shoulder raises, meels, banded standing rows, curls and overhead presses

After that, I get on with the day, with sort of a glowing feeling until I have to get into my office. Shrug, at least it lasts that long. 

Monday I did a 30-minute swim and Tuesday I did a 30-minute HIIT session. 

It's all about balance. 

Just remember that the future is not set ... 

Sunday, January 28, 2024

Jan 22- 27

 

Just the first one, the rest kind of blows. Until the last one. 

This week started off pretty well but ended stupidly.

Let me explain. I finished my rings four times Monday to Friday - Wednesday was the "I have to be a dad and husband" day, so I did not finish them that day. I did however stay married and stay in the lives of my children. Also important. 

I earned the January Challenge on the Apple Watch by doing 19 swimming workouts in a month. Neat, but not really why I'm doing these sessions. I also had a Dr. appointment on Tuesday after school. Blood Pressure was 120/80, HR was 81. That's why I'm doing these sessions. 

I did get the first three a day done on Friday, expecting to do the same for the rest of the weekend. Nope. The RV smashed me in the head Saturday at noon and I ended up having to get checked out by another medical professional. Nothing jarred loose, nothing too deeply cut, but it was a skull injury so it bled like stupid. 

May or may not have been me

Mah, whatever. I did get my morning routine done ahead of time and I took it easy the rest of the day. It is clotted up quite nicely at the moment and is good. I'll get a thing that goes on the head and get a swim done after some work Sunday.

I did also get some HIIT workouts done this week, as promised. They were a bit of fun - the DVDs are cheap from Value Village at the moment and are really helping with getting in there to get the work done. 

Friday's workout was for almost 40 minutes ... four rounds of

3 - 5 min Airdyne bike

2 min kettlebell swings - single and double-handed

90 seconds battle ropes - so cool when the car isn't home and I can use the space

20 step-ups on the 20 cm step. 


Monday, January 22, 2024

Jan 15-21

 

The Last Samurai was on the screen this week.

This is a day late, but not without good news. I mean ... I didn't finish off the rings every day. Friday, for example, I missed the standing ring by six minutes.

Eye roll. Yeah, I trained that day for 105 minutes and got 1500+ on the Move circle, but Standing I missed. Yeah, whatever.

In any case, the good news is that I had three days of three workouts a day during this time - Friday, Saturday and Sunday I had a morning routine, an afternoon HIIT workout and then ended the day with a swim. Good days for the heart and for the family - my wife came with me on Sunday night to bear witness to the greyness in the hot tub. Sadly, it was pretty gross. We got our swim done and got ourselves home. 

The HIIT workouts in the garage were a nice addition to the week. About 30 minutes long and they looked like this:

Rounds to get to 30 minutes:

3-5 minutes air bike

90 seconds 12-kilo kettlebell swings

20 step-ups on 12-inch step

80 seconds battle ropes

Not a bad workout, to be frank. Nothing exciting, but real steps towards the limitless cardio I crave for a return to rugby. 

Sunday, January 14, 2024

Jan 8 - 14

 


I'll be honest - not a good week. I got through it and had a few things go seriously just wrong, but I didn't react as I should have until much later.

 Monday and Tuesday were wonderfully perfect: morning routine and evening in the pools. Then the pool called and told me that it would be closed for a few days.

What should I have done? Gone to the gym and done HIIT workouts. I should have gone into my own gym and done HIIT workouts. What DID I do? Took a zero-day. Then another. Friday at least I got two out of my three rings closed, but not the Move ring. Meh, whatever. At least Saturday I got things back in gear and got a HIIT done and THEN a swim. 

Sunday is going well so far - I'm doing this post early so there is a lot of time I can mess things up. 


Sunday, January 7, 2024

Jan 1-7

 

Got it on the first try.

Woot! Welcome to 2024

...and so we start off this year with a bit of a bang - closed the rings ... almost all of the rings, every day this week. I missed one day of standing. Standing. Shrug. I wasn't annoyed until I saw the "Ring in the New Year" challenge on my Fitness app. 

Seven days in a row with all three rings completed. Need to have stood up for twelve minutes on Friday. 

Shrug

I'll get that done. It was chilling at home, getting to the pool at the end of the day kind of week. Pleasantly boring. I did a couple of HIIT workouts - and my body just bounced right back the next day.

Drove the eldest back to school in Ottawa today - back and forth ... about a twelve-hour drive there and back. I still have today's rings closed. Machine.

Here was tonight's swim:

100 m Breaststroke

300 m Freestyle

100 m kickboard

250 m freestyle - I miscounted... sadly. 

50 m breaststroke.

950 m in 32 minutes. Sniffle. At least I got the rings closed.