March 2014 Workouts

01: YDL Sun Salutations Flow #1
02: Treadmill Walk[30 mins] + MC#2
03: YDL Sun Salutations Flow #1
04: Treadmill Walk[25 mins] + MC#3
06: Treadmill Walk[25 mins] + MC#1
08: YDL Sun Salutations Flow #1
09: Treadmill Walk[47 mins]
10: YDL Sun Salutations #1 + MC#2
11: Treadmill Walk[25 mins] + MC#3
16: Treadmill Walk[45 mins]
17: YDL Moon Salutations Flow #1
18: Treadmill Walk[25 mins]
19: YDL Sun Salutations Flow #1
23: Treadmill Walk[45 mins]
24: YDL Sun Salutations Flow #1
25: Treadmill Walk[25 mins]
27: Treadmill Walk[25 mins]
29: YDL Sun Salutations Flow #1

Mini Circuit #1
Inchworm
Squat + shoulder press w/dumbbells

Mini Circuit #2
Pilates tricep pushup
Deadlift + wide row w/dumbbells

Mini Circuit #3
V Pushup
Walking lunge + bicep curl w/dumbbells

Not Funny

I don't know how well you can see, that, but that red banner across the top of the forecast says BLIZZARD WARNING IN EFFECT.

If I had been on my own, I would not have gone anywhere today, but since Husband is here, and is going to the office every day, we went in to work this morning.

This is the view from my desk at 1:45, just before we left to head home. Normally we have a view of the harbour...

At 6:00, from our living room window...

It's March. Almost the end of March, in point of fact.

We are not amused.

Is It Spring Yet?

I got hit with the tired again this week. I had kind of a stressful work day on Tuesday, and didn't sleep well, so I was exhausted on Wednesday.

Then I slept like the dead on Wednesday night. Normally I way up at least once during the night, courtesy of a Fabulous Feline or two. Apparently Frank did try to wake me up, employing his usual method of sitting on the pillow and tapping me on the head with his paw and I slept through it all. Husband said he had to check and make sure I was still breathing.

Pre-Enactment

Fabulous Felines, June 20 2003

Despite the sound sleep I was still really tired on Wednesday. Maybe it's left over effects from the DST switch. Or maybe it's the weather; we had another storm last week - lots of snow and ice and rain - and I have so had enough of this.

Week before last we received a package  in the mail, which came with lots of packing paper. We put it down on the floor for the cats. They sleep in it. We pick it all up to clean the floor, and then we put it back down. We have happy cats.

Suddenly

I wrote a whole long post yesterday, and then decided to scrap it. Basically, it was all to say that I am back in yoga mode at the moment, specifically sun salutations.

I remember when I was first learning Sun Salutations in yoga class. It felt so awkward, and ungraceful. What was this flow they keep speaking of, I wondered, as I was flinging my body from one pose to the next, trying to keep up...Forget about moving with the breath. Then suddenly it just clicked and I was flowing.

However, I am now way out of practice. I pulled out my yoga download printouts last weekend (Feb 28 - Mar 2) and did the Moon Salutations Flow, which I remember really liking, and then the Sun Salutations Flow, and they both felt hard.  I was back to flinging my self from one pose to the next. I've done the Sun Salutations Flow 3 times now, and it is already getting better. So for the moment, I feel like I want to keep working on that.

Of course I could change my mind tomorrow.

It also kind of feels like my exercise routine is back and I didn't even notice it happening. I've even made a point of doing some workouts on the past couple of weekends, which is one of those things that comes and goes. So I'm feeling good about that for the moment, and hoping it lasts.

Now let's just hope the time change for daylight savings does not mess me up!

I was looking through some old digital photos last week, and I found baby pictures of my Fabulous Felines. It's hard to believe they were ever that small! And I had forgotten how they used to snuggle up together and sleep; they haven't done that for a long time.

These were taken end of August/beginning of September 2002. Zappa was a little fluffball from the start, but we thought Frank was going to short haired.

November 2002 - 6 months old at the most, and they were already about the size I would have expected them to be when they were full grown. I remember a friend dropping by who hadn't seen them in a while and he couldn't believe they were the same cats. It took them a couple of years to get to full grown, and now they are twice the size of the average cat.

I miss that sofa. It was way too big for our living room, but the cats used to curl up with me - Frank on the foot rest, snuggled up to my legs, and Zappa on my lap.

They'll be 12 years old this summer. Time flies!

Let's Reassess

Warning: Extreme navel gazing starts here. Feel free to skip down to Jan & Feb workout reviews!

It's performance review time at work, so I've been spending time looking over the past year of work, and thinking about the year ahead. One thing that has been constant in my career is that things are always changing - processes, priorities, technologies, people - there's always something new. Which is good, it keeps one challenged and, also employed. :)

I've been whining that I've had a hard time with my fitness routine over the past 6 months or so, blaming it on lack of energy, lack of motivation, stress. Those things are all part of the challenge, but I think there are other factors as well, namely: some things have changed.

I am a creature of routine. I like my day to day life to be somewhat predictable. A small change here, a change there, can be good...Too much all at once can really throw me.

For the past couple of years, I've mostly been in a Zumba + circuit training DVD routine. Husband was either traveling, or he was working at home.

Last fall, the studio I was going to stopped offering Zumba classes. Husband has transitioned to a new job, and he's going in to the office every day again.

Also last fall, Husband had this weird health issue, and had to sit with his feet elevated. Usually he spends a lot of time in his computer room, sitting at a desk, but he started sitting out in the  living room so he could sit in a chair with his feet elevated, and got a table that he can use for his laptop. And now he pretty much sits in the living room all the time, instead of his computer room. Up side: more time spent together. Down side: sometimes I opt to stay sitting in the living room with Husband, where before I would have been up doing other things, including exercise.

Those things don't sound all that huge, and if I wasn't already having the energy, motivation and stress issues, it might not have been a big deal. But, suddenly, I'm having to replace Zumba, and I'm not in control of the car any longer (husband and I travel together, which is fine, but in his new job, he is often held up at the office, and I have to wait around for him).

Adding to that, over our holidays in December we rearranged our living room, did some de-cluttering of both living room and kitchen....and deposited a bunch of stuff in the basement, where all of my exercise equipment is. And, after many years of trying, my husband has finally got me playing a couple of video games; I always said I didn't have time for that, and I kind of think I was right, but now of course I want to keep playing.

So...home late from work...cluttered basement that I don't want to spend time in...in need of a new exercise routine...hanging with Husband and playing a video game sounds like more fun.

So this is a lot of complaining about nothing right? After all these years I just don't want to do it anymore? I should just quit whining, suck it up, and do it?

Now I kind of want to delete all of that because it sounds ridiculous. Mountain out of molehill. Somehow, when I was searching my mind, trying to think of reasons why my exercise habits have died, it seemed like I had more. Now I just don't know.

Anyway...I have been slowly climbing back out of the hole.


January was not fantastic...I think my list may be missing a workout or two that I forgot to write down (my tracking habits disappeared along with the exercise habits), but that's most of it.

February has been better...Not exactly inspired workouts, mostly pretty short, but at least more consistent.

I've been putting in a lot of treadmill time. Then I decided to start adding a "Mini Circuit" at the end of my treadmill session...Sort of working my way back up to things.

A couple of weeks ago, my company sent out an email about a "million miles" campaign. I am totally blanking on the details right  now...but we could sign up with this coaching website and track our miles, with the idea being that the company together will get to a million miles. Of course, when you sign up, you fill in all your information, and it assigns you a program to build up to running a race. I am incapable of ignoring it when a program is assigned to me...at least for the first few days...

First workout was cross training. I pulled out my Jackie Warner Power Circuit DVD, which I have not done in at least a couple of months. I attacked it as if I had never been away. I was a mite sore the next day, but I tried their run program anyway...which kind of sucked because legs: ow! And then I remembered why these programs don't work for me. So, I'm going to just log my miles, whatever I happen to do, but I'll walk/run as I feel like it, because following a specific program never works for me.

I will eventually get back to my full circuit training  workouts.

I want to do more yoga, and throw some Pilates in there too.

Also, I took a day off a couple of weeks ago and cleaned up the basement. I feel much better now.

January Workouts
06: Treadmill walk[25 mins]
07: Zumba[20 mins]
13: Treadmill walk[30 mins]
14: Treadmill walk[45 mins]
15: Treadmill walk[40 mins]
27: Treadmill walk[25 mins]
29: Treadmill walk[25 mins]

February Workouts
03: Treadmill walk[25 mins]
05: Treadmill walk[25 mins]
10: Treadmill walk[22 mins] + MC#1
12: Treadmill walk[25 mins] + MC#2
13: Treadmill walk[22 mins]
18: Treadmill walk[25 mins] + MC#1
19: Jackie Warner Power Circuit UB+LB
20: Treadmill walk[25 mins]
23: Treadmill walk[25 mins]
24: YDL Moon Salutation Flow #1
25: Treadmill walk[25 mins]
27: Treadmill walk[25 mins] + MC #1


Mini Circuit #1
Inchworm
Squat + shoulder press w/dumbbells

Mini Circuit #2
Pilates tricep pushup
Deadlift + wide row w/dumbbells

I want to come up with a couple more combinations to add to this...Have some ideas, but open to suggestions!

If you made it this far...I thank you; have some cat pictures!

Cat television: