Friends in Fitness - Spring 2022

[summer breeze]

Good morning!

Yesterday:

37 minute outdoor walk

Today is kind of gray and blah so not sure if I can motivate myself for an outdoor walk.
Hopefully I can get something done exercise-wise.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

[cambet]

Hi Ladies,

Tuesday I did yard work (cut the front yard with the push mower), and then I was planning a walk with one of the Italy crew, but once I got to her house she offered me a margarita (she was already drinking one; she makes THE BEST margaritas) and we ended up sitting on her porch venting about our equally frustrating work situations. She is not in my dept, but she is not getting the support that she needs from her chair, so I was glad to be able to affirm that she has a valid complaint and her chair should be doing more to be supportive. I got home and did CH: Elite Wild Horse and made it to over 11,000 steps for the day.

Yesterday I did CH: Bring the Heat. It had been a while since I had done that one. I enjoyed it, though I ended up subbing in some moves from other Country Heats. Made it to over 10,000 steps for the day.

SB - Great job with your walks! I'm glad that you are able to enjoy your outdoor walks again. The weather here has been quite nice (though it did rain all day yesterday). Wow, you're thinking about moving out of your house and have already talked to realtors!? That would be a big change! Do you think you would move into a condo or an apartment or do you have something else in mind? Would you try to stay in your same area? I totally understand what you mean about how being a homeowner can be overwhelming sometimes. I, unfortunately, ignore more things than I should, and there are a lot of things that need to be taken care of around here. I'm hoping I'll be able to focus on some home repairs this summer. I'm still thinking about getting a spin bike or foldable treadmill. I wish I could try out a spin bike for a while to see what I think, cause I really just don't know if it would be something that I would enjoy, and I don't want it to end up being a a clothes rack.

Waves to Penguin and Nora!

[summer breeze]

Good morning!

Yesterday:

100 kettlebell swings

I have also been adding in the deep squats that are being discussed on GD. I think it's call garland pose? (I'm not a yogi unfortunately). It's supposed to stretch out the low back and so far so good. It's rainy today so I'll see what I can get myself geared up for.

CAMBET, nice job getting those step totals.
It's good to sit and vent with friends.
And a great margarita can't hurt
Yes moving out of my house is a huge change. I'm conflicted because I've been here since 1988. But there are some major repairs that are needed, a new roof and a new furnace among them. I'm not sure I want to invest that money into an older house at this point. And I doubt the furnace will last another winter so it's definitely something that needs to be decided soon. And the market is a hot sellers market right now. The problem is I don't know where I want to end up.
I was thinking of just staying in the area for now and renting until I decide where to settle. My ideal is to buy a condo somewhere much cheaper than where I live now but then I would be leaving my children, family and friends all on my own.
Definitely not ready for that yet. So it's all still in the very preliminary stages.
I totally understand wanting to try out a spin bike before buying. Not sure if using one at a gym (maybe at your college?) for a while could help you decide. Curious to hear what you decide when the time comes.

Waves to all. Have a wonderful day!

[summer breeze]

Good morning!!

Yesterday:

100 kettlebell swings
deep squats

Have a wonderful day everyone!

[cambet]

Hi Ladies,

Yesterday I did parts of CH: Trail Ride throughout the day and later I had a coworker over for dinner, so I ran around the house cleaning enough to let another person in. Between the two I made it to over 10,000 steps for the day.

SB - Good job with the kettlebell swings. I haven't seen the thread about deep squats in GD, but I'll have to check it out. Sounds like they could be good for your back. Thanks for mentioning that maybe I could check out a spin bike on campus. When I read that I though: duh! why didn't I think of that!? It's probably because when I was younger, I would work out with students in the college gym but now it's so not my scene. I did read up on what's available in the gym and it seems there are stationary bikes there (I'm not sure of what type), so I'll have to go check them out during a downtime. Well, you'e definitely right about it being a seller's market right now, so totally understand the temptation to put your house on the market, especially if it needs some costly work done. Yeah, you have a lot to figure out! Maybe renting for a year in the same area (to stay close to family and friends) while you decide the next best steps is a good next option. Then you could think about where you see yourself in the coming years. Change can be scary, but I'm sure you'll figure it out.

[summer breeze]

Good morning!!

I'm still doing 100 kettlebell swings and deep squats for now. I'm just so glad I can do the swings without irritating my back (shhh, no one heard me say that). We're in a kind of rainy, cloudy pattern here so I'll try to gear myself up for something indoors today.

CAMBET, good work getting that step total up there by whatever means it took to get there. LOL. I think the thread in GD was about lower back and it morphed into the deep squats but they seem to be working well for me. I may have read about trying new exercise equipment at a local gym from someone here on VF probably. It makes sense though.
I'm definitely not a gym person either. Change is very scary indeed. I'll take my time and not rush into any big decisions that's for sure.

Waves to all. Have a wonderful day!

[cambet]

Hi Ladies,

Friday was a challenging day and I fell asleep a couple of hours after I got home from work (I had been planning to do a CH), so no workout that day.

Yesterday I did CH: finished Trail Ride and did the 20 Min Dance Mash Up to make it to over 10,000 for the day. I went to Play it Again Sports yesterday morning to check out the spin bikes. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get one, and they happened to have the one that I have my eye on in stock (IC4 Schwinn; I decided to go with one without a built-in screen). The tag said it was new, but it didn't look new, and it had the same price that I've seen for the ones that are brand new, so I decided not to buy it there (although it would have been nice that it's already assembled). Then the Italy crew member that I usually walk with invited me to go to a neighboring bigger city with her so she could go to an REI, so we stopped in at Dicks Sporting Goods and I was able to visit the IC4 again and even use it while plugged in (at PIAS it wasn't). I think I'm going to get one but i'm still kind of on the fence. If I do order it, I'll get it from Walmart so that if I were to decide to return it, it'll be much closer for me to pack it up and take it back. I'm also looking at compact foldable treadmills and I think I've picked one out, but I'm going to look at a few more reviews and then just make a choice. I've been looking at models for days, but I'm so indecisive. We'll see how all of this works out. I'm thinking about getting the treadmill first, and then maybe I'll see what I think about the bike.

SB - Great job with the kettlebell swings and deep squats. I was hoping for your sake that the kb swings would not aggravate your back, and it sounds like so far, so good. Fingers crossed! I still want to check out the bikes at work before I buy one. One other reason I've hesitated is that I'm planning to go to ATL week after next for a few days during Spring Break and I don't want it to arrive while I'm away, so I may put off ordering. It's funny, while I was with my friend yesterday she was like why on earth would you consider buying fitness equipment that will clutter up your house when you could just join a gym and have access to better machines all the time? (She's a member of the YMCA which she tells me is $59/month ; she's a swimmer, so she uses it mostly for the pool.) And I was like: hello! You know that I participate in an online fitness forum for people that work out primarily at home. Why would I want to join a gym??? Actually, I did think about that, but there's just not one that's in a super convenient location to my house or work. I think I would feel like I'm having to go out of my way, and I wouldn't stick with it. If I get the compact foldable treadmill I can use it while watching TV. Can't beat that for convenience!

[cambet]

Hi Ladies,

The last two days have been very active (Monday I took a short walk on campus), though I haven't gotten in a formal workout because I've fallen asleep both evenings shortly after dinner. Sunday I did parts of CH: Giddy Up and made it to over 9,700 steps for the day (I couldn't believe it when I woke up on the couch, realized it was after midnight, and saw that I had only been 300 steps short from 10,000 ). Yesterday I made it to over 8,500 steps. Though I fell short with the steps, I've decided that it's ok, and I'm going to cut myself some slack.

Waves to All!

[summer breeze]

Good morning!

60 kettlebell swings and deep squats for yesterday. We're back to winter for now so my walking got derailed but hopefully not for too long. I'm hoping to get in a Pahla B workout today. I'm looking for some part-time work to supplement my SS and went on an interview at Barnes & Noble yesterday. It didn't seem to go too well and I'm fine with that. It just brought back to me the long and erratic hours in retail.
I stressed that I am only looking for 3 days a week tops so that may not fly and oh well.
I need to stick to my guns. lol. I wish I could find some part-time work from home but I haven't been able to find any opportunities in that regard.

CAMBET, nice step totals. I think you're doing great staying active with your schedule. It is funny how people don't understand the appeal of working out at home. The foldable treadmill does sound like a convenient solution. I agree that sounds like it would be easier for you to stick with than having to go to a gym.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

[cambet]

Hi Ladies,

Yesterday I didn't get in a formal workout, but I did do a few segments of CH: Giddy Up and I took a couple of short walks across campus because as I was going from here to there I ran into friends and we decided to walk and talk a bit. I made it to over 10,500 steps for they day.

I also pulled the trigger and ordered the Schwinn IC4 spin bike! I was driving myself crazy looking at YouTube videos, reading reviews, and reading multiple articles about the benefits of spinning (not that I don't have other work to do ) and I finally decided to just buy the darn thing and hope for the best. It should be here tomorrow or Friday, so maybe I can put it together this weekend and try it out before I leave for Atlanta next week. I'm very curious about the Peloton app, which I'll start subscribing to after the bike arrives. I really hope that this helps me to jumpstart my efforts to do more intense cardio and be more consistent with it. We'll see. I decided that I need to know more about what type of treadmill workouts are available on the Peloton app before I maybe get a compact foldable treadmill, so I'm going wait on that for a while.

SB - Good job with the kb swings and deep squats. It's gotten a little chilly here again (yesterday the hi was in the low 60s) but I think it should warm up again soon. The part-time work sounds like a good idea and it will probably also help keep to you moving and active. Maybe the B&N interview didn't go as bad as you thought. I agree with you that, if possible, you should stick to your guns and if 3 days a week are what you are looking for, see if that's what you can find. It seems that so many businesses now are looking for good workers, so maybe they'll be a little more accommodating and that can work out. I hope so!