Once a Mother, Always a Mother Check-in, Fall 2023

[F1mom]

Hi everyone! So glad the checkin is back.

I had a horrid sinus infection caused by allergies in September which killed my fitness. Up to July I was walking 10K steps nearly everyday. A heat wave showed up and yadda yadda yadda I started over again last Saturday.

I've been snatching old DVD favorites from Mary. Does that count as fitness?

[TonyaK]

Hi F1mom!! Nice to see you I'm glad your sinus infection is gone!

Hi everyone,

I finally did some exercise on Sunday. I went for a 60-minute Pokemon Go walk with DD and then did some lower body work and stretching. Then my ankle was very sore for a few days. Also, I got a couple immunization shots in my arm and it was surprisingly painful for a couple days.

Today I had my last occupational therapy appointment for my elbow! It still hurts some but it is SO SO much better. Supposedly it will continue to get better and eventually be pain-free. Maybe in two or three months! I'm allowed to lift weights carefully as long as it doesn't hurt. No twisting motions!

Stephanie, my DH started working from home during 2020 and never went back to the office. I would really like it if he would go to an office, at least sometimes! Absence makes the heart grow fonder

[mbramer]

Hi all!

Pratima, the back exercises I do are most of these: Helpful stretches for low back pain relief. I also do Foundation Training Founder. I started a couple years ago. My back has been so much better. I still get times when it's really sore, mostly around my cycle. I don't know why it makes my lower back tense up so much, but it does.

Stephanie, I hope your ankle has continued to improve and that you and DH can find a routine and space. I've had the same issue with checking in--I think about it while I'm running errands, for example.

Hi, F1mom! Good to see you!

Tonya, I am glad your elbow has improved so much! They do take a long time. I hope your ankle continues to improve, too.

Chris Freytag had another "$3 for a year" sale for GetHealthyUTV.com, so I subscribed for a year again. I was in the middle of a 3 day split rotation when my subscription lapsed last time, so I've picked that back up and will finish it. Before that, I was doing kettlebells. I also get out to walk when I can, but it's not as common now because it gets dark so much earlier, and the kids have activities.

I haven't done any elbow PT since the last time I posted--whoops. It seems to be doing better, though.

I fall asleep pretty well, but I've been waking up with night sweats a lot this week. Last weekend, I was looking at my pajama drawer and thinking I should get rid of some of them because I have a lot. This week, I'm happy I have fresh pjs to change into in the middle of the night when needed. It's funny how perspectives can change. Bring on menopause. At least then my hormones would be stable.

[Nuggie's Auntie]

Hey F1Mom! So good to see you! Are you just watching the videos from Mary, or actually doing them?!

Mbramer, so sorry to hear about the night sweats! That is the WORST!! I only had those a few times but wow, awful. For hot flashes in general, I found eliminating sugar and alcohol helped a lot. If I had either, I would flash a lot more. Thankfully, I'm over those. That whole process is miserable. Hang in there...

The ankle is a little better. I haven't done any exercise though. My father got married on Saturday. It's been really tough--I met her kids at the wedding and had a very candid conversation with one of them. She is wonderful and shares all my concerns about the relationship between our parents. She told me some things that have made me even more worried. This is not a good situation. So I'm just sort of shell shocked, to be honest. Never in my wildest imagination did I ever think something like this would happen. Life sure does throw curve balls....

[TonyaK]

Hi all! Today I worked in the yard. We've had a hard freeze, so I pulled out all the plants that are finished for the year. My recovering arm felt very tired by the end, but it feels fine now. Hopefully I didn't overdo it. I'll find out tomorrow!

Later I did part of Cathe's beginner step workout and did some upper body strength moves with just 3# weights. Then I dug out an old Karen Voight stretching dvd and did the floor section of that. The outfits and hairstyles were so delightfully dated!

Stephanie, I'm sorry that something bad is going on with your father! Can you keep in touch with the woman you spoke to, to help keep tabs on the situation?

I'm disappointed about your ankle still hurting. It's so annoying to be injured!

mbramer, I wish you had my OT homework instead of yours - it is just stretching, with no equipment needed. It is fairly easy to fit in throughout the day. I'm guessing you have some kind of strength/resistence work? My injury was to the posterior interossei nerve, which is not the most common elbow injury. My OT said this kind of nerve injury can heal quite a bit faster than tennis elbow.

[Pratima]

I'm back! I haven't been able to get on the forum via Chrome, so I tried Firefox today and was able to log in. So odd.

Stephanie, I'm wondering if that medicine will help me sleep since it's the night sweats that wake me up. I tried no alcohol, eating earlier, etc. and nothing makes a difference. I should probably give in and try the stuff my gynecologist suggested. How long has your dad been single? Does he live nearby? Oh and DH's job! Is he completely out of the government arena now?

mbramer, those stretches on the little ball look really good! They're so different from others I've seen. And it's interesting that a lot of the Foundation stretches are standing. I'll have to try those. How is your new-ish job going?

TonyaK, I've been needled and it was miraculously helpful for my hip. DD has done it a couple of times for her foot (she sprained it a few months ago and it bothers her on and off) and was surprised it helped.

Hi F1Mom! Good to see you on here again. I'm obviously awful about checking in but am shooting for 1-2 times a week.

Menopause--my gynecologist said some things get better but some don't. Like everything on me is SO DRY lately that it hurts to peel off my contact lenses at the end of the day. And I drink over a gallon of water a day so it's not that. I'm taking a pile of supplements--everything from ashwaganda to B12 and I do think it's helping at least somewhat.

Injuries and rehab--I've been in PT so many times for my hip. This year it started acting up so I made sure to do the exercises at least 3x a week. I've also found some workouts (Les Mills Shapes, Define and Align, etc.) that include them so focus on those when my hip bothers me.

And with all that I've settled into a decent routine. I run twice a week and hike once, walk when I can (a mile or two), and do strength workouts 3x a week. I was trying to do heavy weights earlier this year but then my joints started bothering me. I think heavy is good, but I'm not a fan of the 30-minute all shoulders type of thing--that's overkill for my body.

I'm doing a 5K Sunday. Should be interesting--I haven't raced since February. I do feel ready but no real goal other than to finish feeling good.

My grandma has been in DC since Sept. 30 visiting my niece. We spent most of the first week she was gone in San Diego and LA, going to Universal and hanging out. My kids went back to school Tuesday (fall break) and we're all a bit tired and surly from the shift. It's been nice to be relieved of the usual responsibility of taking care of grandma and I'm a little...anxious about her return.

OK, now that I know I can access VF via Firefox, I'll hopefully be better about checking in!

[TonyaK]

Hi all!

Raina, I hope you are able to stay out of the hospital! Have they figured out what's going on yet?

Pratima, I think I would feel the same way about Grandma coming home. You have so much on your plate! I'm glad you were able to enjoy your vacation.

I hope everyone is doing ok out there! Are any of you dressing up for Halloween? DH and I are not. DD is being a skeleton man in a suit with a cane and top hat. DS is being a type of Ghostface (from Scream) with a red face and devil horns. I hope everyone enjoys that at his school costume parade!

Today I did some exercise:
Travis Elliot upper body yin yoga 30 min. on YouTube
Part of the pink Firm "Skills, Drills, and Thrills" It uses an inflated balance disk. I think I need to work on strengthening my foot and ankle on the side that got broken this spring. I think I did about 10 minutes of that.
Leslie 5 day walk plan. This was perfect. I walked a mile, did abs with her, walked a mile, did lunges and squats with her, walked a mile, stretch, cool down walk. Her strength training is not strenuous in this one (maybe never?) and it felt just right for today.
Finally, I did Cathe's chair yoga from STS 2.0 . It is just some nice, seated stretching.

It snowed here this weekend! Like, a few inches. And it got down to 9 degrees one night. I feel like I'm in mbramer's neck of the woods! It will be a cold trick-or-treat night this year.

[Pratima]

I've been trying and trying to get to this forum and finally managed to via the Edge browser. Ugh, I think it's only a matter of time before it's gone.

TonyaK, did the snow actually stick? It's been weirdly warm here so it's funny to see how cold it is there. It finally got down to 49 this morning but is supposed to still be in the 80s all week.

DH has put up all kinds of stuff for Halloween. We have new neighbors across the street. They put up a lot so I think it turned into a contest! I'll post some video once he's finished.

The kids are dressing up. DD went to a party at her gym and is going to a friend's house again for Halloween. DS is having a couple of friends come over to walk the neighborhood. DH works, so it'll be me and grandma at the house.

Years ago, we did a trunk or treat at the kids' school. Our car was a frog and I was a princess, so I busted out that dress (a Goodwill find) and am planning to wear it.

My 5K went pretty well. Not super fast but I felt strong. I'm doing the Lululemon 10K on November 12 so still training for that. Running is getting me outside and social, so that's good. Work is still really slow so I'm able to go later sometimes.

I'm trying to stick with workouts that help with running, a lot of hip/glute and unilateral work. I'm mostly using Lindsay Brin's Ignite and Karen's Define and Align.

Now that I found another way here, I'm aiming to check in twice a week!

[mbramer]

Hi all!

Tonya, we got snow either on Halloween or the day before. It was cold, even for us. The snow's gone now, and it's warmed up a little, but it's only a matter of time until it comes and sticks. I wish I had your elbow PT, too! I've been better about doing the exercises my chiropractor gave me rather than the list from the PT because all that's required is a band. I do it after my workout cooldown, but I skip it on the days I'm really pressed for time. Similar to Pratima, I've also been including some workouts that include the PT exercises or variations of them in my workout routine. That helps, I think. My arm has been really sore the last two days, though, and I'm not sure why.

Pratima, are you having trouble getting to VF generally or just the Checkin forum? How has the transition gone with your grandma back at the house? I agree with Tonya--you have so much on your plate. The new job is going really well! I'm happy in my role, and I'm happy I get to work from home so much. It makes balancing everything easier.

Hi, F1mom! I hope you're doing well.

Stephanie, I've almost completely cut out alcohol because it makes me tired as well as exacerbating the hot flashes. When I have the rare drink, I definitely notice the difference. Sugar hasn't really been a big issue because I'm generally careful about watching intake. So much is changing--potatoes now give me heartburn. I have no idea why.

My workouts have been super consistent, which I'm really happy about! I can't remember the last time I missed a day. I finished up the second half of a Chris Freytag "heavy" weights rotation I started last year, and now I'm doing her Kickboxing Strong rotation. I wasn't super impressed with the workout this morning--lots of floor work to standing, and the exercises felt awkward at times. It's only on the calendar once, though, so it's done. I haven't added in as many extra walks, partly because it gets dark early so I can't get out in the evening. With the time change, it's dark by 5 now. Blech.

I have my annual physical this afternoon, so we'll see if all the workouts have raised my HDL. I'm also curious about my A1C.

[Pratima]

mbramer, I'm having trouble getting to the forum on Firefox and Chrome. I can get to videofitness.com, but somehow not the forum other than on Edge. I feel ya on the weird digestive stuff. And I tried cutting out alcohol because I kept waking up at night and read that could be the reason. Well, without it I woke even more so I guess that's not it! I also apparently wasn't doing enough PT exercises the past couple weeks and my hip started bothering me again, so I'm back at it.

Yay for consistency! I'd say I work out consistently but lately keep changing my approach/focus and that's not ideal. Are those workouts on her subscription site?

Glad to hear the new job is going well! I'm still applying and interviewing--had a third interview last week and I swear it wore me out so much I'm still recovering.

You reminded me I need to call a couple of doctors. I take my grandma to SO MANY medical appointments it's tough to fit my own in. And my doctors keep closing their practices. I had a horrible experience last week with a cardiologist my grandma saw so I'm wary now of making more appointments with anyone.

I've been training for the Lululemon 10K. It's on Sunday so once that's over I may completely lose motivation to run. However, my MRTT group has slowly become more active, so right now my plan is to have a weekly run or hike on Saturday or Sunday and hopefully that keeps me and the group going. I've also been meeting a couple of friends for a Thursday 5 AM hike most weeks. I really want to do more heavy weight training but haven't decided how to approach that.

TonyaK, the man I interviewed with last week was in Boulder and he said it was 16 degrees! Did you get that?

Stephanie, I thought of your DS2 this week. It's gotten down to about 50 in the morning and 90 in the afternoon and I remember him saying if he all the clothes he needed for each day, he'd look like a pile of laundry. Will you all be coming out for a visit anytime soon??

Waves to F1mom!