90 Days

[colin]

Thank you everyone! They are lovely smiles! I've found out that where I live now is quite close to a lot of places where my ancestors lived, so I hope to do some travelling around to take pictures.

I'm carrying on much the same.

Yesterday was:

3km-ish run.
Yoga Intermediate Heart-Opening Yoga with Affirmations, 20 minutes, by Black Yogi Nico Marie
Micro Hiit Challenge Day 1 - high knees and climbers

All fine. "Intermediate" is sometimes too much for my still old limbs, but I enjoyed the class.

I went swimming early this morning and today is Full Body Strength Day in my Fighter training plan. I usually use a YouTube video of some sort for that.

Have lovely days. Sunshine here again, which makes such a difference!

 

[Maegaranthelas]

I am also thriving on having some sunshine.
Hopefully it keeps up for the weekend, I would love to go for a longer walk with the paths less... swampy than they have been

 

[HellYeah]

Have a Happy Birthday

 

[neilarey]

Happy Birthday!!

 

[PetiteSheWolf]

Happy birthday dear Welsh Dragon!

 

[graoumia]

 

[Montserrat]

@colin!

 

[Fremen]

Happy birthday

 

[Maegaranthelas]

Pen-blwydd hapus i ti!

(yes I had to look that up, unfortunately my Welsh doesn't spread much beyond 'thank you' )

 

[CODawn]

Happy Birthday!

 

[Obsinosterous]

Happy Birthday!

 

[MadamMeow]

Hoping you had a Happy Birthday!

 

[NancyTree]

Belated

 

[colin]

Woohoo!

I see I wasn't posting when I got these birthday wishes.

My "birthday" here isn't my real birthday, it's my first day of sobriety, and this year was the 10-year anniversary of that.

So thank you very much everyone, and that's a really lovely positive to come back to.

I'm going to try logging here again.

I've been doing OK with my fitness while not recording it.

I'm still following the Fighter training plan and next weekend I'll do my third 10k race of the summer.

I've struggled a bit in the past couple of weeks though so I'm hoping to find some community support here (and to offer some!).

Today:

11km run.

On we go. x

 

[NancyTree]

So good to see you!
And major congrats on 10 years!

 

[PetiteSheWolf]

Major congrats too, it is an important milesone - after all, I celebrate my "heart-versarry", LOL! And yay for running and posting what you do here, dear Welsh dragon!

 

[aku-chan]

Congrats on 10 years sober and good luck on your race!

 

[Fremen]

Congrats

 

[Maegaranthelas]

10 years is wonderful

 

[colin]

Thank you @Maegaranthelas @Fremen @aku-chan @PetiteSheWolf and @NancyTree!

And for all the likes.

It's lovely to be back.

I'm quite quiet for excercise at the moment.

I'm doing my last 10k of the year on Sunday so I'm just doing a couple of runs before that.

Yesterday was the mid-length one, about 4 - 5km, and tomorrow I'll do a short one (about 3km).

But it gives me a time to think what I want to do.

I'll probably stay with my Fighter programme as that's worked pretty well.

I've been following all Darebee's new activity on YouTube and so on and that's been interesting, so I might go back to look at why I want to exercise and so on.

I've started some counselling this week and as I got on well with the counsellor and I can attend quite conveniently I'll probably continue with that.

The weather is definitely starting to change though.

Today I did the 30 balance kicks.

[edit]

It's good to have a break as well as I have a slight shoulder injury. Shoulders get injured a lot I know, but I have a couple of specifics around how I sleep (I curl up and my shoulder gets over stretched I think), and - this relates to counselling and me discovering I have ADHD - I have uncontrollable temper fits and hit things (never people or living beings) to the extent that I hurt my shoulder... That needs working on I think.

On we go!

 

[colin]

@PetiteSheWolf I finally made it to Bretagne! We went to Binic.

 

[PetiteSheWolf]

Sweet! And we're having again some nice weather, so I hope you do enjoy it! I am in Bretagne until Saturday 8th. Thank you for the pics!

 

[colin]

I am so far behind... we were there in July!

We had a lovely time thank you. I went for one run, along a coastal path, and fell over very spectacularly so I returned to my partner covered in blood! (Really, no serious injury luckily.) We walked a lot around that area, did quite a lot of swimming and had trips to St Brieuc and then Dinan on the way back to the ferry. We loved it and will go back! I hope you're enjoying your trip.

 

[PetiteSheWolf]

Dinan is a lovely city, truly. And yeah, our coastal paths can be, ahem ...tricky! Last time I had a fairly good fall too, no bleeding externally but a huge bruise all around my knee (the right knee, the sensitive one, of course). And I always enjoy being in Bretagne ; being able to telecommute all summer and avoid the olympic games + the heat is a real treat.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Hey @colin ! It is great to see you!

Huge congratulations on your ten year annniversary!
And best of luck for Sunday's race! (Try to avoid any more epic falls, okay? )

Best wishes too for the shoulder recovery and figuring out a path to better health there going forward.

 

[colin]

Thank you Laura!

10k day.

49:00 exactly. A new personal best.

My partner has covid. I don't, yet. But we're sort of isolating in the house and I'm testing before I do anything among people.

This week I want to start back into jogging along with the Fighter Plan.

And, I've decided next year I can do 4 10k races and I'm going to try to do a half marathon.

Oof!

On we go.

 

[NancyTree]

49m is pretty awesome for a 10k!

 

[CODawn]

Congratulations and get well soon to your partner!

 

[aku-chan]

Congrats on your 10K!

 

[HellYeah]

Congratulations

 

[colin]

Thank you everyone!

I haven't got my notifications sorted properly see your new posts... I need to work on that!

Still COVID free. My partner hasn't been very unwell at all - a runny nose really.

Today in my FIGHTER rotation I'm:

Rest day.

Yoga - Day 1 of Yoga Every Damn Day by Black Yogi Nico Marie. I've done this programme before and I like it. It's got lots of variety and is about the right level for me.

Darebee exercise of the day. I crunched!

And I'll play football this evening.

On we go! x

 

[Fremen]

Congrats

 

[colin]

Thank you Fremen!

Still winding up to full speed I think.

FIGHTER TRAINING PLAN: Combat day.

I did: https://darebee.com/workouts/heavyweight-workout.html#sets

That was just right for me.

Exercise of the day. Balance swings. I can't complete this without a rest. My balance is a struggle.

Yoga Every Damn Day, day 2, root chakra. Jolly good!

A bit of walking. We're picking blackberries here (I don't know any international names, apologies), and have done very well. Lots in the freezer and some cooked into sauces.

On we go. x

 

[colin]

Casual training day:

Exercise of the day. Plank leg raises (how does Neila smile through every video!? - I did it, but I didn't smile )

Short run. This is about 3 - 4km. I must get the exact distance noted.

Yoga Every Damn Day - Day 3. Sun Salutations.

I've started meditation again. I'm doing 5 minute breath count to get started. I've done that for three days now.

I've managed to injure the shoulder that isn't usually injured. I'm not sure how. Oh well. I need to find a relatively easy HIIT for today then.

This is what I'm listening to most. I'm obsessed by this song. I think Dua is better at yoga than me.

 

[colin]

Thank you Bees!

A couple of struggling days mentally, but... well, that's just how it goes.

Generally, I stay on the Fighter Plan and just come back to where I was.

Yesterday was a running day. About 5k (again, I ought to take a note of these distances!).

Today I got back on things somewhat:

30-second boat hold
30 squat hops

COMBAT: Montrait Muay Thai 90-day challenge part 1. I'm repeating this as I like it and it's still challenging. I may change it if I get bored.

Yoga Every Damn Day Day 4 - Mind over Matter. Very tough! Oof enjoyed that.

5 minute meditation.

Thank you Bees. I wish you all the best.

On we go.

 

[colin]

Hoi hoi Bees!

Sunday finished with a long walk in the rain. . . About 5 miles I think.

Monday is rest/casual training day. I played football.

Today is combat day.

Montrait Muay Thai 90-day challenge, week 1.

Yoga Every Damn Day Day 5. Lovely practice. 5 minute meditation.

Exercise of the day. Plank crunches. Oof!

I did Day 1 of 60 days of HIIT. I'm looking for add on things to do on good days. This might be it. It might not. I need to think about it and I'll say more soon I think.

I went swimming with my partner. Nothing logged, but I swam up and down a fair bit and certainly did 600 metres at a minimu.

A tune (I now post these with @GentleOx in mind!). This is very classic pop/hardcore. I saw Bob Mould play this live and jumped up in the air and screamed like a child when he hit the opening chords. I love this song and highly recommend all of Bob's work in Husker Du, Sugar, and as a solo artist to anyone who isn't lucky enough to have heard it before!

On we go.

 

[colin]

I had a think about one of @Damer's videos the other day - about fitness goals.

I have thought about mine.

They are:

I want to look and feel fit. (More on this later.)
I want to be mentally and physically healthy and capable.
I want to be able to play football for as long as I can.
I want to be active and useful at home and in the garden.
I want to feel the achievement of completing longer runs.

That's it really.

The looking good thing I'm OK with. I mean it in quite general terms rather than the specifics of a six-pack.

Ever since I've been on this site I've known that this is a holistic thing - physical health and exercise that helps to keep me mentally healthy, which are my main health challenges.

And, so that's still my biggest driver. Addiction, ADHD, anxiety... however it may be defined at the moment... All of those things are helped when I exercise regularly and sustainable.

I continue to do OK in this regard.

That's my metric. Broadly speaking "well being" I suppose.

I do OK. I really do have struggles. I went to the doctor because I'd contacted a charity here called the Samaritans and I was in serious distress. And I've just started counselling because going to the doctor has just put me on an endless waiting list for help.

So, I'm upward moving but I want to keep moving.

I'm grateful to Darebee and to all you Bees for the role you've played in helping me do that. I love you all. x

I've off and on had other shorter term metrics.

I wanted to run up my local hill. It's about 3.6 km, but with a 200 meter climb. I wonder if I could do that now? It's possible. I should maybe find out.

And, I've often had the Al Kavadlo Century Test as a strength goal. That's 40 squats, 30 press-ups, 20 hanging leg raises, and 10 pull ups. I can't do this. I'm nowhere near it! I can do 40 squats and on a good day I might do 30 press ups. I have bought a pull up bar but I need to look at, you know, actually using it and starting to build up towards pull ups if that's what I want to do.

For the moment that's not really on my mind.

Thank you.

Another tune. Some more protest songers for Ox (and for all!) Ha! I love this performance, which might almost be archetypal for how I think a live rock band should sound:

I also find them sort of personal role models:

 

[Damer]

@colin if I could hug you right now I would. Here's where we're at:

While the world we're in guarantees (mostly) that we won't die before it's time everything else we're still working out and we're at the earliest stages of it all. The fact that we only now admit we are all struggling mentally is encouraging. No problem gets solved without being acknowledged. Your goals are solid and your thinking is good. Add small steps you want to aim for, like milestones. Aim for them and as long as they are part of your overall aim then they give you a good sense of progress despite any setbacks (and we all have setbacks all the time).

 

[GentleOx]

@colin

Thanks for featuring all the new music! I'd never heard of Sheer Mag, and that song has a great melody.

I'm glad you have a clear metric in mind for your fitness goals. For me, breaking old PRs had always been my goal, but it's not always possible as I get older. So it's become the nebulous goal of simply being... strong? I hope you have more luck than me.

 

[colin]

Woohoo. Thank you, Damer and Ox!

I've really taken "taking responsibility" on board and it seems to be having a decent effect at the moment!

Yesterday:

Sunday: Combat Montrait Muay Thai Part 1.

Monday: Mid-sized run. Football.

Today: Exercise of the Day, 30 calf rises. Cycling - about 18 miles I think, to go the cricket (very British of me!). Montrait Muay Thai Part 1.

Oof!

On we go. A tune:

 

[colin]

"Add small steps you want to aim for, like milestones. Aim for them and as long as they are part of your overall aim then they give you a good sense of progress despite any setbacks (and we all have setbacks all the time)."

I've been thinking about Damer's advice here, and I'll be working something out I hope. It's obviously difficult to measure things like "well being" but I think I will find some measures.

I'm still enjoying thinking about TAKING RESPONSIBILITY very much and it's proving successful for me at the moment. It's something that the extremely anarchist writer Alan Moore (he wrote Watchmen) has spoken about and I find it interesting and useful.

Yesterday:

Exercise of the Day - 6 tricep lifts. Not with Nela's perfect form, and very much biased to the right side, but this is the first time I've ever managed to do these, so that's progress!

Short run. This is 3.18km.

Yoga every damn day. Shoulders and neck. My shoulder is still injured. I hope this helped rather than hurting my progress!

I did a 5 minute meditation.

Totals Day 1: 40 each of squats, lunges, bridges, and side-leg raises.

I've done Totals before. I'm trying it not as a programme but a method to do "by the numbers" training on days when I work from home, so it's going to be a very sporadic thing.

I still feel very positive, and I'm enjoying thinking about how to get to the right place for me.

Thank you all for all your support Bees.

On we go!

 

[Damer]

@colin not sure what's wrong with your shoulder (they're such easy joints to injure) but this guide may help you recover a little faster: https://darebee.com/fitness/how-to-recover-from-shoulder-injury.html

Wellbeing is a bug bear to measure. I tend to go with how well I feel and I know how well I feel by the amount of stress I sense in me, my own reactions to situations and ability to regulate my emotions. All of these are subjective but a sense of wellbeing is too (mostly).

Kudos for keeping going.

 

[colin]

Thank you Damer. I enjoyed the guide and I'm doing some rehab exercises.

I'm going to work on some physical metrics for myself. Possibly running times. I also like the sit to stand test, which I can't yet do, so that's something to work on.

I appreciate all the support.

Yesterday:

Exercise of the day. Back leg raises.
Totals Day 2: 100 high knees; 100 jumping jacks.
Yoga Every Damn Day Day 9 - Warriors.
HIIT Day. I did a Fitness KayKay video. Very sweaty. I enjoy these for the variety and speed.

On we go!

 

[colin]

Thank you everyone.

Yesterday:

Exercise of the day. I can't remember what it was, but I did it!

Strength day in my Fighter Programme. I was going to do a FitnessKayKay video but it felt too much so I did a quick dumbbell thingy - 3 x 15: goblet squats, deadlifts, bent over rows, shoulder presses, chest presses.

Yoga Every Damn Day. Solar plexus.

Today:

Running day. 11.61km. Good to get some higher distances in. I don't time these, but that was just over an hour's running. Whenever I run round here I get quite a bit of a climb.

Exercise of the day: March jacks.

I'll do the next yoga class this evening.

 

[colin]

Sunday:

Montrait Muay Thai 90-day challenge week 2.

Yoga EDD Day 12. Balance.

Exercise of the day. Balance kicks.

Monday:

Run.

Medium length run, 4.41km.

Yoga EDD Day 13. Heart chakra.

Exercise of the day. Leg raises.

All OK. Still plotting for some measures/structure/planning.

Much love, Bees.

Thank you for the support.

On We Go!

I was due to play football this evening, but we're rained off.

 

[colin]

Today:

Combat day, so week 2 of Montrait Muay Thai 90-day challenge.

Yoga EDD. Day 14.

Exercise of the day, round the world. New to me, and I didn't do it very well, but I did it!

On we go. x

 

[colin]

Thank you everyone.

Today:

Run. I'm making my medium-length run my short run, so I did that today, which is 4.48km.

Totals Day 4. Abs things through the day.

Exercise of the Day. Reverse lunges.

Yoga EDD: Day 15, forward bends.

I also did some shoulder rehab exercises. These ones here in fact:

I hope they help. I'll try to keep doing them.

I haven't been logging it, but I've done five-minute meditations for around a week now.

I hope to keep it up.

I'm a bit down about my shoulder and hamstring injuries. I'm worried I might have to take a break from exercise. I've booked a physio appointment for Monday. Hopefully something will work out.

I'm very lucky in most ways.

On we go!

 

[Mianevem]

I hope the physio will finally give you the key to recovery!

 

[colin]

Thank you Mianevem!

Thank you likers too.

My shoulder does feel a little better today, I'm glad I've remained active!

Yesterday.

Exercise of the Day: Butt Kicks.

Totals: Day 5. Climbers, lunges etc. through the day.

HIIT. I did a standing 40-minute fitness KayKay video. I enjoyed it.

Yoga EDD, day 16.

I did my shoulder exercises. And also some of Damer's weight-grabbing exercise, which I enjoy, had been doing, but forget to do! I've put the weight by my desk now so it's in my eyeline.

We watched Kung Fu Panda IV last night. It was fun, the visuals were very good, cast fine, but I didn't find the story as engaging as the others. I have no idea why, but that's my film criticism effort.

My partner has been listening to some jazz lately, so I heard some of Don Cherry's Om Shanti Om, which is amazing. And so is Terminal Sleep, which I heard some of this morning.

Keep going Bees! Much love to all.

 

[NancyTree]

We watched Kung Fu Panda IV last night. It was fun, the visuals were very good, cast fine, but I didn't find the story as engaging as the others. I have no idea why, but that's my film criticism effort.

I experienced the same, I think it was less humoristic