Barefoot and on the Mat: December 2021
 

Hello December!

This check-in is for ANYONE and EVERYONE who enjoys ANY type of barefoot workouts, including yoga, Pilates, Classical Stretch/Essentrics, kickboxing, kettlebells, barefoot cardio, whatever - we welcome all! We are a friendly group of diverse ages and backgrounds. Post your workouts or not, we don't care...we'd love to have you join us in any capacity.

“How did it get so late so soon?
It’s night before its afternoon.
December is here before it’s June.
My goodness how the time has flewn.
How did it get so late so soon?”
~Dr. Seuss~

I didn’t see a December thread so started us off, hope that’s okay. I stole Pat’s excellent intro from last month. ;)

ETA Vantreesta, I haven’t used Insight Timer for ages so I can’t answer your question, but I’m sure someone else may be able to. :)

Pam, thanks for reminding us that it is a new month! I will check in more later...

I walked 2+ miles today.

Pam, thank you for starting our December thread!

Beth, thanks for the link to register for that class--I signed up! :D

I'm waving to everyone!

Hello again, back to post my day….
~Taught Essentrics on zoom
~Longer Neighbourhood walk with lots of hills - so far so good with my hip
~MR’s Unplugged Episode 1901
~MFML: Love Your Lower Back: Gentle Yoga

Waves to all!

Hi,

I'm going to try to start checking back in. I have been exercising but not posting. I'll start with today's workout:

Jessica Smith Get Strong DVD "Strictly Strength" workout (bought this off VF Roost and finally tried it. I found it challenging)

Yoga Upload-20 minute restorative program with a bolster (you tube)

20 minute outdoor walk

I'm not really chatty yet, but I'll try :love: This month is extra difficult for me. I hope everyone has been doing well.

Sherry - So nice to have you back with us! You don’t have to chat, we are just happy you’re here. Sending you big (((hugs))).

Sherry, I've been thinking about you. Are you and your son going to have family/friends around on the anniversary date of Frank's death?

Paine, I signed up for the class too, but it's a little late to do my time on Sunday (especially since it's so long); maybe I'll do the replay next weekend.

Pam, looks like you are easing back into workouts; glad your hip has been okay so far!

My hip/glute area actually started bothering me on Monday after being fine while I was away. :confused: I've been doing workouts mentioned on the GD thread about glute pain.

I did this band routine yesterday; it was tough but I think it helped!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSnz...b-lyc6&index=1

Today I did this butt routine from Jessica Valant Pilates; it was a lot of all 4s, but short, LOL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83w1...ist=WL&index=1

Beth - I hope the hip/glute exercises continue to help you. I haven’t looked at that GD thread, but I continue to do the glute focused exercises my PT gave me 2-3 times per week. He has upgraded me to more difficult ones. It’s been a long haul! When it becomes chronic, as mine did, it’s not a quick fix. But I’m on the right track and feel confident that will continue. I’m so glad to get back to longer walks. I am going to be picky about my workouts going forward as I don’t want a relapse.

Thank you Beth and Pam.

Beth, I don't know yet. It is on a Monday, so doubtful. We have very, very small dysfunctional families on both sides. My sister in law is a self absorbed drama queen and being near her on that day would be the worst thing possible. The only one I can really count on is one of my sisters and she's going through serious medical issues right now. I'm not sure what my son wants to do. We have discussed it but have not figured it out yet.

Hi all!

Yogapam: Thanks so much for starting us off this month. :)

Today's Workout: Another Sandra Premix, this time drawn from Margaret Richard's Sculpture Upper Body. Instead of going through all the body parts twice, I just chose exercises that took me through everything once. ;)

Sherry: Good to see you! I have a confession re Get Strong. Although I adore Jessica's weight work, I ended up getting rid of Get Strong as it was a little too much for me (especially my wonky knees). I passed on Lift & Shift as it sounded like the same intensity. That said, I am anxiously awaiting news on Jessica's upcoming DVDs!

Waving to all!

Sherry, it's hard to know what to do; obviously there is no right answer. So sorry to hear that there are issues on both sides of the family. (((hugs)))

Sherry, yay!!:music: I'm so happy to have you back with us! I've missed hearing about the exercise you have been doing. You don't need to be chatty if you're not in the mood. We accept you just as you are!

Sherry and Sandra, I hope Jessica's upcoming new DVD will have strength work without any compound moves. I am not fond of compound moves.

Beth, I like the preview of that band routine so I bookmarked it--thanks!
I hope your hip/glute resolves quickly for you.

Paine & Sandra - I also hope Jessica’s new releases will not have compound moves. I passed on Lift & Shift as I knew it wouldn’t serve me well. I don’t have Jessica’s Get Strong and after hearing your thoughts I’d pass on it.

Sherry - Sorry you’re dealing with difficult family members, that’s exhausting. :(

Good morning everyone! Yesterday was a bust. Started out very well with a nice meditation and yoga, but then I faded fast. Just YWK Morning Yoga Movement Day 5 - Best Yoga to Wake Up plus 5,000 steps.

Tonight is my office Christmas party. I'm looking forward to arriving home from it, LOL.

Thank you for starting our December check-in, Pam.

Hi Sherry, welcome back! I can imagine this is a very sad time of year for you. Good luck sorting out what will work best for you and your son.

Beth, what a bummer about your glute flaring up. A friend on another check-in has been using Annie's Pilates Physical Therapist on YT and it seems that she's got lots of very helpful routines. I'm going to explore her channel soon.

Good morning Sandra, Paine, and all who visit!

Pat/Paine - yeah, my glute/hip issue seems to be chronic, similar to Pam. It's not exactly painful and doesn't prevent me from exercising or doing anything else, but it tend to bother me more towards the end of the day. The band workout I linked to was with Annie Pilates PT.

I forgot to mention yesterday that I finished the Human 2.0 30-day movement challenge that I had been doing; I did all 30 days, although some days I did 2, some none. Some of the days felt really good, others were more "meh." I'm going to try to do Katy Bowman's exercise advent calendar this month. I did Day 1 yesterday; she hasn't yet posted Day 2, but here's the link:
https://www.nutritiousmovement.com/e...ke-a-breather/

Happy December! (Sherry, glad to see you back!)

SO and I had a great Thanksgiving. We had dinner with my parents (SO made mac and cheese and I brought a lemon blueberry cake). Last year COVID we don't have the large gathering but it was still nice. SO has met mom before (when he came to help me move) but it was the first time he met dad. My parents loved SO's mac and cheese, and said it was better than the kind you get packaged. (Shh, don't tell Mom but SO used packaged mac and cheese as a base but doctored it up quite a bit that made it come out very nicely.)

I'll be back to chat more but just wanted to pop in for a minute. Waves all around!

Hello all!

I haven't done anything today except for walking around a shopping mall. We don't have many malls here in the UK but there is a large one south of us in Bristol and I like to go there once in a while because they have a couple of nice department stores there. I thought I'd get my Christmas shopping done before it gets too crowded. It was still a bit more crowded than I would have liked. At least people are having to wear masks again in shops.

Yesterday was:
- HealthBarre - Full Body Sculpt
- YoQi Immune System Defense. I decided to subscribe for a short while, so I could get to try Marisa's new classes. This was one really good and it was also filmed in the woods, which made it even nicer.
- Neighbourhood walk

Pam - Thank you for starting us off. I can't believe it's December already.

Sherry - I'm so happy to see you back.:) I've been thinking about you a lot this year.

Pat - Thank you for mentioning Bernie's class. I love his dry sense of humour. I've been neglecting my Yin lately, so I'm really looking forward to trying his class this weekend. LOL re your Christmas Party tonight. Hope you enjoy it more than you think you will.

Beth - Sorry you're having hip and glute issues and you can resolve them soon. I'm thinking of doing Annie's hip mobility drill class this evening. Thanks also for mentioning Katy's Advent calendar.

Garrie - I'm glad you all had a great Thanksgiving and it all went well. I remember meeting the 'parents' and how nervous I was at the time! I love your Mac 'n Cheese story.:love:

Waves Paine, Sandra, Cyana, Karen Jo and anyone visiting today.

CS #1401
YouTube: Piriformis Syndrome Exercises Program with Elastic Band Gentle Progression Fix!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSnz...sicalTherapist

I caved and bought CS Season 14 so I'll be slowly making my way through those episodes.

I did the Piraformis YouTube using an elastic band that Beth had posted (thanks Beth!). It was more challenging than I expected! I liked it but a big annoyance for me is when the elastic band rolls into a skinny rope and cuts into my thighs (I don't like that in any elastic band routine).

Margot, I used to love walking in an enclosed shopping mall but I haven't done that since the pandemic.

Garrie, it's nice to see you!

I'm waving to everyone!

Following up with:
- Annie's Hip Mobility Drill for Outer Hip & Lower Back. Some unusual moves. I liked it. It definitely woke up my hips from sitting most of the afternoon!
- Beth's Lunchtime Yoga #4. Love these short routines and always feels good to get some balance work in too. Thanks Beth.

Paine - Hope you like CS14. I l thought the open air shopping malls in California were so cool when we were there. I remember the buckets of colourful umbrellas scattered around, just in case of rain.:cool: I expect if they did the same over here, the umbrellas would have all disappeared after a day!

Thank you so much for the warm welcome back and support. I really appreciate it.

I am getting the internal 500 error, so I'll keep this short.

today's workout:
Cathe KPC (except for the stability ball section)
Yoga with Bird morning stretch for sore muscles

Sherry

Margot, I actually prefer walking inside an enclosed mall rather than the open air malls so that I'm protected from the elements (rain, wind, sun/heat and frigid temperatures).
That's funny about the buckets of colorful umbrellas. I have never seen that at any of the open air malls I have been to in California. I would guess that the umbrellas would get stolen nowadays.

Sherry, oh I forgot about Yoga With Bird, thanks for the reminder. I like the look of the practice you did today so I bookmarked it. :)

Yesterday I found more honeynut squash at Sprouts Market.

Margot, glad you liked Lunch Special #4! I'll have to try to get in another some time, but filming hasn't been a priority this week. I haven't done that one from Annie yet but did do another of hers today.

Sherry, you know we are happy to have you any time! I have luckily avoided the error of late, although I try to remember to copy my posts before I hit "post" so that I can repost if needed.

Today I strung together a workout routine from several of the rehab-type and glute activation ones that were posted on the GD thread - I did Jessica Valant, Annie Pilates PT, and Caroline Jordan. I finished with Kate Vantucci's "Pretty Little Ditty" yoga practice - my version was NOT very pretty, LOL! :D :o

A quick fly by….
~My friend’s Essentrics class
~7 km walk, my longest yet, over 12,000 steps for the day :D
~MELT: hip pain map
~Thoracic acupressure & Yin quad & hip stretches :heart:

Waves to all!

Garrie, I have been trying to reply to your post in the holiday gift exchange thread, but every time I try to post I get an "internal 500 error." It is still happening today. I will keep trying :sun:

Good morning everyone!! The Christmas party was actually very nice. I was surprised how much I enjoyed seeing the extended office "family" and it was in a beautiful restaurant. To prepare for the calorie overload, I accomplished:

~ yes2next 10 Minute Indoor Walking Workout for Seniors
~ LWR's new Winter Wonderland Workout
~ LWR 7 Minute Lower Body Workout
~ Yoga With Bird Yoga for Lower Back Pain
~ 7,542 steps

The yes2next workout was good for the office - it is geared towards gentle movement for seniors, and I was able to pep it up at my own pace yet it was low key enough where I didn't get winded or sweaty at work.

Lucy's new Wonderland workout was fun!! Only 7 minutes and a mood lifter with lots of animals.

Is anyone here happy that it's FRIDAY????? :)

Garrie, it sounds like Sherry was an amazing Secret Santa for you! :)

Whoa I see we're having 500 errors again :mad:

ETA: got it through, yay!

Everyone have a wonderful Friday.

CS #1402
10 Minute Solution Pilates on the Ball:
Pilates for Abs segment
Pilates for Flexibility segment

The garden scenery in CS 1402 is pretty. Several years ago, I used to do an episode of CS 5 days a week and I felt good doing that so I should try to do CS more often.

The 10 minute Solution Pilates on the Ball for Abs was too hard for me!

Sherry, when I get the "internal 500 error", sometimes I'm able to post if I break up my post in several short posts. I don't know why it will accept a short post vs a longer post.

Hello everyone!

Today's workouts:
- Body Groove Funk (15 min) :love::music:
- HealthBarre Zoom Class - good but really hard!
- YoQi Immune Support. Great practice, filmed beside a lake. I loved seeing the ducks swimming by.

Paine - I find it much easier to slot in Essentrics/CS more often when they are around 20 minutes long. I have some practices that I know will benefit me but then forget to do them, as I always seem to be chasing something new!

Pat - Glad you enjoyed the party after all. :)

Beth - It was the final part of Kate's 'Pretty Little Ditty' that was beyond me. Far from being graceful, I was more like a giraffe on ice. :D

Waves to all!

Good morning! I started a couple challenges yesterday. Let's see how long each one lasts. :D

~ LWR Advent Calendar Day 1, 15 Minute Walking Workout
~ Yoga With Bird Challenge Day 1, Everyday Morning Yoga Stretch
~ 5,697 steps

Margot, I'm cracking up at your giraffe on ice! :D

Paine, I had that 10 Minute Solution disc - that must be why I traded it.

Waves to all! I hope your Saturday is a great one.

Pat, I should try one of your challenges; I already gave up on Katy Bowman b/c her moves are too complicated for me to fit in on the fly (like in the office).

Margot, LOL about your giraffe-like stature! I've done all of the moves that Kate included (like fallen triangle), but her unique transitions made it tricky! I don't mind since I love playing with that kind of practice and am willing to laugh at myself. The Yogea practice that I posted to earlier this week is similar in that it has some different types of transitions (which is why you have to really listen when she says L-R), but it's all floor and I think much more accessible.

Paine, I was thinking that I should do CS more often too, although I do lose patience with Miranda sometimes. :o I want to try to focus on episodes that help with what Sandra calls "old lady syndrome." ;)

Sherry, I know those errors are annoying! Sometimes they happen for me if I leave a VF tab open on my browser and then come back to it without refreshing, but it's pretty unpredictable.

Pam, hope your hip is continuing to improve.

Happy Saturday! :sun: I'm leaving to teach yoga soon. One of my classmates from my YTT told me that she might try to come; I'm excited since I haven't seen her since pre-covid (although she just had a baby, so it's possible she might not make it).

Good morning mat mavens!

DH and I are over on lovely Salt Spring Island visiting DS2. He’s doing an 8 week stint at the medical clinic and hospital here. Planning a hike this afternoon.

Yesterday’s workouts:
~BellyFit: Align & Allow
~PT exercises
~Essentrics TV: Amanda’s Deep Muscle Release & Flexibility

Regarding CS/Essentrics…. TBH, as much as I greatly admire her, I’m not a fan of Miranda’s workouts. I prefer the other instructors, Maude being my favourite. Apparently she is expecting a baby in the spring. :heart:

Waves to all!

Thanks, Pam. I haven't found it yet but I've also had two long days on the road so haven't had much time to look more!

I went for a 2 mile neighborhood walk this morning.

Beth, it helps me to do CS more regularly if I do the episodes that I enjoy the most so I have marked those with a "star" next to the favorite episode. Yeah, I need to fight stiff old lady syndrome too.

Pam, enjoy your visit with DS2 at Salt Spring Island!

I'm waving to everyone! :sun:

Oscar the Grouch reporting in. :p We got a call from our HVAC vendor on Wednesday morning, letting us know they could do our seasonal maintenance visit that afternoon (it was originally scheduled for later this month). Little did we know the bundle of bad news that would bring. There was a crack in the heat exchanger on the main furnace, so the technician had to condemn our furnace. Of course, there's nothing that said we couldn't turn it back on after he left, but the risk of death by fire or carbon monoxide poisoning didn't sound particularly appealing. We've gotten 2 estimates and will be getting a new furnace installed on Monday. It's only 11 years old, and is one year and 4 months out of warranty. :p Fortunately we've had some unseasonably warm weather since then. There was also a problem with the exhaust chimney coming out of the other furnace, but at least that will be a warranty fix since that unit was just installed 2 years ago. The joys of being a homeowner - not! The scary thing - there have been several days that I've nodded off at my desk and I now wonder if that was carbon monoxide and not insomnia - yikes! And also scary because my cat hangs out in here a fair amount while I'm working and pets are even more sensitive.

So is the Bernie Clark class: https://yinyoga.com/online_classes/ ? That's really nice of him to provide the classes for free this month and the $4/class price is very reasonable.

Speaking of C/S, I got an email that my subscription is up for renewal toward the end of this month and I'll have to decide whether to extend it. I have that, MFML, Holden and MELT method (once I activate it - holding out for my roller to be delivered).

I'm enjoying checking out all of these challenge links. :cool:

Pam - With all the fun and games this week, I haven't PM'd you back - not ignoring you. :o Enjoy your visit on Salt Spring Island this week-end. I'm still awaiting the arrival of my MELT roller - got the mini ball kit several days ago. I didn't know Maude was pregnant! She has such a sweet demeanor. Hooray on your long walk this week!

Garrie - I'm glad you and SO had a nice Thanksgiving. SO's mac and cheese secret is safe with me. :D

Margot - I picked up several of Marisa's DVD's from YMAA during a 50% off sale and still haven't done Qi Gong Flow for Happy Lungs and Qi Gong Flow for Immune System Boost. I wonder if some of that footage might be what is available on her streaming channel.

Pat - I'd forgotten about LWR's Advent Challenge - may need to add that to the list for some short work-outs. I'm glad your office party was better than expected. Those can be surprisingly fun or total drudgery!

Sherry - ((Hugs))!! It's good to see you and please don't feel pressured to chat. Visit whenever and however works for you. I hope you and your son find a way to honor Frank that brings you both peace and good memories. :heart:

Beth - Hope your YTT friend was able to join your class today. I like the looks of Katy's daily challenge moves.

Paine - How's your insomnia of late? I was doing somewhat OK for a while, but this time change has definitely messed up my sleep, darn it! I would be willing to bet that I'm the stiffest old lady in the bunch these days - a dubious honor, to be certain!

Linda - I was going to have DH pick up a Cubi Jr for me to use at my desk - I was thinking an hourly 5 minute pedaling break might be fun. Unfortunately they didn't have any in the store on Thursday. Hope the man is able to make it for your birthday.

Must run - I had brunch after I got home from the farmer's market. I made an omelet, as I needed to use up some mushrooms that were getting a bit marginal and had a cup of golden milk. The market was a bit sparse today. I'm wondering if some of the vendors stayed home because there was a holiday event going on in town. I picked up some purple kale and some lovely carrots. I also got 2 heads of cabbage for making coleslaw.

Waves to ALL!

Cyana, sorry about your furnace breaking. Yes, it's best to not use it. Furnaces are expensive but necessary. We have a carbon monoxide detector as a safety alert so you might want to buy one of those for peace of mind.
I have seen Cubi Jr on QVC and I bet you can buy one from Amazon too.
I'm sleeping a bit better these days but still will have some bad nights now and then. I have done nothing different so I don't know why my sleep is a bit better now.

I signed up for Bernie's free class but couldn't watch it when it was live. Does anyone have a link to the replay?

Paine - We have a combo smoke/carbon monoxide detector on the wall in the hallway just outside of my office (the direct wired kind - DH just replaced it within the past year since we had no clue how old the previous one was), and I usually leave the door open unless I'm on a call. I'm wondering if we should consider a plug in model either in my office or in the entry hallway. In doing some reading, it doesn't sound as though they tend to alarm until the levels are dangerous. We had a plug in model in our master bedroom at a previous house, and the darned thing was so bulky it was easy to bump it and knock it totally out of the outlet. Then it would start screeching loudly and was a pain in the rear to reset. :p Perhaps the options are better these days. I'm glad your sleep quality has improved - hopefully I'll get back to a better place soon - fingers crossed! You can also order a Cubi Jr directly from Costco.

Yesterday my back was cranky, so I did a Yoga Ranger low back release practice and thirty minutes of walking

Today was Yoga Upload 45 minute yin practice and a thirty minute walk.

Have a nice evening!
sherry

cyana, sorry to hear about your furnace. Furnaces are a royal pain. Ours was replaced maybe 10 years ago and its already impossible to get parts. I get nervous everytime we get a cold spell. I think Costco is your best deal on Cubii Jr. They have things included that no one else has. I bought my spare from Costco dot com. My man arrived early this morning.:love:

No workout yet. I've been sick for a few weeks.

Paine, I think Bernie's class is tomorrow? I remember thinking it was Sunday.

Linda, sorry that you have been sick. :( I was wondering if my mom might like a Cubii. Enjoy your time with your SO!!!

Sherry, hope your cranky back feels better today.

Ugh, cyana, we have had issues when we've done seasonal maintenance too; it's such a pain! I hope you get your issues resolved with minimal hassle. My friend did make it to class; it was great to see her! :heart:

Paine, I meant to try a CS routine yesterday but actually skipped a workout in favor of Christmas tree decorating. :o

Vannie, I was hoping you'd make it over to this new thread. I will have to check out Insight Timer - I only use it sporadically, so I haven't seen the new look yet.

Another quick fly by. We are enjoying our time with DS2 on Salt Spring. We went to a craft fair, an outdoor market, & on a lovely long hike along the shore. It was a bit chilly & so pretty with a sprinkling of snow on the tops of the higher hills. We head home tomorrow.

Cyana - Sorry about the furnace, that’s a total drag. :( Good thing you caught it before you had any serious effects from CO! :eek:

Waves to all!