Exercising towards a better tomorrow!

[V4lkyria]

AAnything that makes life easy is worth it when you're sick, in pain, or depressed. I'm very proud of you for getting the cleaning done!

 

[aku-chan]

Thanks! @V4lkyria @Mamatigerj

I skipped yesterday, even though I got home early enough to do some afternoon exercising (I really need to work on that), making sure I get some done this morning:-

Universal Warmup done,
60 Seconds Superman Stretch Hold (EotD) done (In 2 30 Second batches),
Amazon (WotD) done (3 sets. A non jumping version),
Node 28 of The Labyrinth done (3 sets + 480 Slow Butt Kicks),
Day 20 Of Punch Up! done,
Day 27 of 30 Days of Yoga done (Technically I haven't done it yet, but I will later),
Happy Feet done,
Wrist Mobility done.

Yesterday didn't go so well, the Housemate is back to how she was in the Care Home, screaming and shouting at everyone, and no one knows why.
Plus I'm still feeling blregh, I thought I'd just given my system a bit of a shock (I don't eat much junk food at all these days), but now I'm wondering if I've had a very mild dose of food poisoning, at least I'm not being sick and I can still eat.
Hopefully, today goes a bit better, I'll see y'all tomorrow!

Spoiler: The Labyrinth

After a short trip back through the now blank parts of the Labyrinth, Valeria arrived at the last unexplored corridor. Even before she stepped in she could feel the immense heat emanating from it, there were flames everywhere, some were gusts of fire that shot out of the walls at regular intervals, others were constant streams of flame that would require either crawling under or leaping over. Valeria carefully weaved her way along the corridor, hot, tired and smelling strongly of burnt hair, she reached the end and the flames went out, hoping desperately that this didn't lead to another dead end, she stepped through the exit.

 

[graoumia]

 

[Lady Celerity]

Hope you feel better soon! And that tomorrow is a kinder day to you.

 

[aku-chan]

Thanks! @Lady Celerity @graoumia - I do feel a little less blergh today.

I had to be out early this morning (Double Work Coach meetings!), so I split up my exercising:-

Morning:-
Universal Warmup done,
50 Arm Scissors (EotD) done,
Cheeky Monkey (WotD) done (3 sets).

Afternoon:-
Universal Warmup done,
Node 29 of The Labyrinth done (3 sets),
Day 21 of Punch Up! done,
Day 28 of 30 Days of Yoga done,
Footwork done,
Wrist Pain done.

The rest of today is all about doing the online courses the football stadium job gave me to do (I've got to do them by Tuesday so I can attend the on-site training), and then leftovers for dinner (Greek meatballs and Greek salad).
See y'all tomorrow!

Spoiler: The Labyrinth

The new room was a dead end, but in its centre was a large stone sarcophagus, a knight in full armour with sword and shield was carved on the lid, and the knights shield depicted an emblem of another shield crossed with two swords, Valeria was very familiar with it, it was the crest of the Adventurers Guild.
With nothing else to examine, she braced herself and pushed the lid, it was very heavy, but it slowly slid sideways enough to give Valeria a look inside, the knight's skeletal remains in rusted armour lay inside, but on it's breastplate sat a large key.
She reached in to grab it, and the skeleton grabbed her by the wrist instead, she had been half expecting it, but it still made her almost jump out of her skin. "It's not too late, you can still turn back." a voice whispered, next to the tomb a portal opened up, Valeria recognised the view, it was the street just outside this branch of the Guild.
Valeria was quite surprised by how little the offer tempted her. Sure adventuring wasn't always a great life, she still had nightmares about some of it, and yes it was probably going to get her killed at some point, but she really couldn't imagine doing anything else with her life, there was a great big world out there ripe for exploring, and she was determined to see as much of it as possible despite the risks. Plus she was certainly not going to give up now after everything this labyrinth had thrown at her, she was pretty sure she would never feel safe around mirrors again.
Valeria reached in with her other hand and took the key, the portal faded and the skeleton let go. It was time to leave this place once and for all.

 

[Mamatigerj]

Spoiler: Labyrinth Spoiler

Cheers for finding the key!

 

[PetiteSheWolf]

Cheers too! Well done!

 

[aku-chan]

Let's try this again (My internet is bad this morning, and it keeps deleting this post).

Thanks! @PetiteSheWolf @Mamatigerj - It's a good thing I planned to explore the whole labyrinth anyways!
Exercises:-

Universal Warmup done,
50 Backfists (EotD) done,
One Minute Plank (WotD) done,
Node 40 of The Labyrinth done (All finished!),
Day 22 of Punch Up! done,
Days 29 and 30 of 30 Days of Yoga done (All finished, thought I'd tack on the last bit of meditation too today),
Ankle Recovery done,
Stapler done.

I'm going to replace The Labyrinth with random workouts until Fit December starts, I'm also going to try moving on to 30 More Days of Yoga but I don't know if that's going to be a little too hard for me.

It's going to be a mostly quiet day today, I've got some coursework to finish and the care home job wants me to do a 3 day long training course, so I've got to change a load of appointments.
Also got to try and work out what to do about the Housemate. They've found her a new care home but it's in the middle of nowhere, public transport only gets me so far and I'm not walking down the side of a motorway (Even if it is only about a mile), so I would have to stop visiting and hand over the last of my care responsibilities. I don't want to because that seems very cruel, but it doesn't sound like there are any other places willing to take her.

Stuff to think about, I'll see y'all tomorrow!

Spoiler: The Labyrinth

Clutching the key, Valeria left the Tomb Room and stepped back into the Flaming Corridor, but it had already turned into a blank, empty room. The torches began to dim so she hurried to the nearest exit and stepped through just as the room plunged into darkness. She raced onwards through empty room after empty room as the Labyrinth shut down behind her. Finally she reached the locked door, she inserted the key and turned it, the door swung open on its own and Valeria stepped into the light beyond...
...And emerged into a very bright, very hot and very empty courtyard. This was disappointing, she hadn't been expecting a big party or anything but she felt she at least deserved someone to give her a hearty handshake and say "Congratulations!", and why was it so hot out here? Valeria looked up into the empty blue sky with its twin suns blazing down, that explained it, there was an extra sun in the sky. Realisation crept through her tired brain, she looked again at the sky with its double suns, "Oh, that cannot be good." She thought.
"A thousand apologies my friend!" An older, bearded gentleman swathed head to foot in cream coloured robes stepped into the courtyard "I normally try to be here to welcome new recruits, but we so rarely have anyone come through that gate. If you will excuse me for saying so, but you Sandarians are an unambitious bunch!" The man finally reached Valeria and took note of her bedraggled appearance and bewildered expression. "There is much to discuss Valeria. You don't mind if I call you that do you? But why don't you get freshened up first? But first..." He dug into a pocket and produced something glittery that he handed over, Valeria took it and looked, it was a brooch in the shape of the familiar Adventurers Guild symbol of shield and crossed swords, and was carved out of some sparkly blue crystal, it looked a lot fancier than the base metal one she had been expecting to receive.
"Welcome to the Guild." the man said as he lightly placed a hand on Valeria's shoulder and guided her out of the courtyard.

I had a lot of fun doing the Labyrinth program, I always like the RPG-style ones, plus I got to exercise my creative muscles with my little stories (I like writing, but I'm not very good!).

 

[astro_lizard]

Congrats on escaping the labyrinth alive!!!!! Also congrats on 30 Days of Yoga

 

[Mamatigerj]

Happy Double Badge Day!! I quite enjoyed your Labyrinth stories.

I am sorry for the housemate situation; you are a very caring person.

 

[Anek]

Congrats!!

 

[NancyTree]

Congrats on 2 programs!

 

[JCU]

Congratulations!

 

[CODawn]

Congratulations!

 

[Wiaaam]

Congratulations!!!

 

[graoumia]

Congrats, and sorry for the mate,

 

[Lady Celerity]

 

[aku-chan]

Thanks! @Lady Celerity @graoumia @Wiaaam @CODawn @JCU @NancyTree @Anek @Mamatigerj @astro_lizard

It's the weekend, yay!
Time for exercising:-

Universal Warmup done,
20 Scissors (EotD) done,
Better Balance (WotD) done (My balance wasn't bad, my poor ankles didn't enjoy it much though),
Libra done (3 sets),
Day 23 of Punch Up! done,
Day 1 of 30 More Days of Yoga done (I'm definitely not bendy enough for this, but I'll see how far I get),
Sore Feet done,
Hand Tendons done.

Yesterday went well, got all my training done and no one got mad at me for taking a week off from my volunteering.
I did run out of time to make the dinner I planned though, so my Lazy Chicken and Chorizo Pie dinner has moved to tonight.
All I've got planned for today is a Housemate visit (If she's in a happier mood), so I'll see y'all tomorrow!

It feels weird not having anything to write down here...

 

[Fremen]

Congrats

 

[TopNotch]

Congats on the programmes!

 

[BeeCommando]

Congratulations!

 

[aku-chan]

Thanks! @BeeCommando @TopNotch @Fremen

I got up a little late today because I went to bed a little late last night (I fell down a Black Friday Sales rabbit hole), on to exercising:-

Universal Warmup done,
30 Alt Arm/Leg Raises (EotD) done,
Possum (WotD) done,
Bicep Builder done (3 sets, I need to buy heavier dumbbells at some point),
Day 24 of Punch Up! done,
Day 2 of 30 More Days of Yoga attempted (Couldn't hold most positions for the full minute, so I just did as long as I could),
Happy Feet done,
Hand Mobility done.

I am really annoyed at Social Services at the moment. Like last time, they've made this big song and dance about involving me so together we can find the perfect place for the Housemate to live, and then when I point out problems with the place they pick I'm completely ignored, why bother asking my opinion at all?
They got back to me about that care home they had found, with a "It doesn't look that far to walk on the map, I'm sure you'll figure something out." and "We really don't want to turn down a definite placement chasing maybes."
I've told them I don't think it's the right place but it's up to them, it's not like the Housemate will be happy with anywhere we pick anyways.

A nice, relaxing chore day today, I'll see y'all tomorrow!

 

[aku-chan]

Up late again today, I keep trying to get back to my regular sleep routine but stuff gets in the way (This time I didn't sleep very well because I'm worried about the Housemate), still going to do my exercises though:-

Universal Warmup done,
40 Balance Leg Swings (EotD) done,
The Do Over (WotD) done (3 sets),
Boldly, Go! done (3 sets),
Day 25 of Punch Up! done,
Day 3 of 30 More Days of Yoga attempted (20 Minutes of Meditation is just too long for me!)
Footwork done,
Talk To The Hand done.

Not much to do today (Volunteering is mostly cancelled this week), I do have a virtual meeting about the Housemate later, I'm going to try and not be talked over, we will have to see how that goes.
See y'all tomorrow!

 

[aku-chan]

Missed yesterday, I was very busy with volunteering in the morning and a training shift at work in the afternoon, at least I almost got up on time this morning!
On to exercises:-

Universal Warmup done,
20 Sumo Squats (EotD) done,
KPop Idol done (3 sets),
Epic Fighter done (3 sets),
Day 26 of Punch Up! done,
Day 4 of 30 More Days of Yoga done,
Ankle Recovery done,
Keyboard Warrior done.

I didn't have much luck not being talked over in the Housemate meeting. Although I have to admit that as annoyed as I am at Social Services, they did try and find her better care home options but the Housemate did herself no favours getting labelled as a troublemaker, most places just don't want the hassle. Just going to have to see how it all works out now.

A fairly quiet day today, I might visit the Housemate, if they're not too busy getting ready to be moved, and then it's Veggie Curry for dinner.
See y'all tomorrow!

 

[NightWolf714]

Congrats on your 2 shiny badges!

It definitely sounds like the housemate situation is more stressful and heartbreaking at the moment. I'm so sorry to hear that.

And I swear you find the most tasty sounding recipes!

 

[aku-chan]

Thanks! @NightWolf714 - Yeah, things aren't going great for the Housemate, but it's pretty much out of my hands now. I need to phone up her new Care Home later to see how the move went and if she's settling in well (I'm guessing she's not), no idea when I will be able to visit her though.

I couldn't get the site working yesterday morning, so I did some of my saved emergency workouts:-

Universal Warmup done,
Asgardian done (3 sets),
Workout I Needed Today done (3 sets),
Stretched done.

Back to my regular stuff this morning:-

Universal Warmup done,
20 Crunch Kicks (EotD) done,
The Cage done (3 sets),
XP Farm done (3 sets),
Day 27 of Punch Up! done,
Day 5 of 30 More Days of Yoga attempted,
Sore Feet done,
Wrist Mobility done.

Been an uneventful couple of days.
Wednesdays visit to the Housemate didn't go well because she was very grumpy (She knew something was up but the staff didn't want to tell her about her move because they knew it would just upset her even more), and yesterday was spent waiting in for my new smartphone (I needed one for work because everything needs to be app based these days apparently).
Today I'm going to get my weekend chores out of the way early because I've got a very busy weekend followed by a very busy week.
See y'all tomorrow!

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Dear @aku-chan I'm so sorry for the new troubles with your friend's living arrangements. It is 100% understandable that you would not want to hike along a motorway. Your safety is important, and you are right to consider it! You truly have gone above and beyond for your friend. For years! Her situation is difficult, but so is yours. (As is that of any hospital or care home that takes her in, given how she behaves.) I hope you will give yourself grace in knowing that you have done all you could, at every turn.

Congratulations on the new jobs!
And congratulations on completing The Labyrinth and 30 Days of Yoga!

 

[aku-chan]

Thanks! @Laura Rainbow Dragon - Yeah, I know her situation is completely out of my control now, but I still feel like I've failed her in some way. The new care home could be good for her though, it has a therapy farm and she loves animals, but she has to accept that she is in a new life stage and I don't know if she can.

Up on time for a change, yay!

Universal Warmup done,
30 Knee-to-Elbow (EotD) done,
Rest & Rec (WotD) done,
Muscle Alchemy done (3 sets),
Day 28 of Punch Up! done,
Day 6 of 30 More Days of Yoga attempted,
Happy Feet done,
Wrist Pain done.

Got my first proper shift at the stadium today, I'm looking forward to it, perhaps being in closer proximity to the action will mean I finally understand peoples obsession with football! (I suspect I will probably be too busy to notice!).
It's weird how my social anxiety pretty much disappeared overnight, not that long ago I would have been absolutely freaking out at the thought of being in such a crowded place. I'm still very introverted and quiet (Although I am slowly getting better at talking to people), but it's nice not getting a panic attack because the shop I'm in starts getting a little busy.

I've got very early starts for the next few days, I will try and get some exercising done though, I will see y'all at some point!

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Thanks! @Laura Rainbow Dragon - Yeah, I know her situation is completely out of my control now, but I still feel like I've failed her in some way. The new care home could be good for her though, it has a therapy farm and she loves animals, but she has to accept that she is in a new life stage and I don't know if she can.

You, @aku-chan most definitely have not failed her.
Her health is failing her. That's a difficult thing for anyone to deal with. But it's not on you.
I hope your friend will be able to accept comfort from the animals at her new home. That is a great idea that they have therapy animals at a care home!

Huge props for conquering your social anxiety fears!
I hope your shift at the stadium goes fabulously!

 

[aku-chan]

Thanks again! @Laura Rainbow Dragon

Missed yesterday after all, but I was on my feet all day, so that sort of counts!
Back at it today:-

Universal Warmup done,
20 V-Extensions (EotD) done,
I Am My Own Hero (WotD) done (3 sets, High Knees replaced with March Steps),
Kingfisher done (3 sets, with regular Lunges and Knee Push-Ups),
Day 29 of Punch Up! done,
Day 7 of 30 More Days of Yoga done,
Footwork done,
Stapler done.

The stadium job went well despite being very chaotic and surprisingly poorly managed for such a large operation, my little kiosk ended up being staffed entirely by newbies and one experienced employee, who had absolutely no interest in being in charge, so we were all just winging it the whole time. At least you get to take the unsold food home for dinner!

Yesterday was very busy, it was my turn to do the morning church service refreshments at the place I volunteer anyways, plus I stayed afterwards to help with a Christmas event they were doing, so had absolutely no time for exercising. I've been volunteered to help out at another Christmas event next weekend, but hopefully that won't take up a whole day again.
I also got a phone call from the Housemate. She was in tears because she didn't know where she was and wanted to come home, luckily there was a nurse with her to give her a hug and try to calm her down. I will have to try and visit this week when I'm not busy, I just wish I could zoom in a bit more on Google Maps see if it is actually safe for me to walk that last mile from the train station before I get there.
A busy day today as well, it's the start of a 3 day training course for my Kitchen Assistant job. Luckily it's over Teams so I don't have to go anywhere, but they are cramming a lot into the time frame.

See y'all tomorrow!

 

[NightWolf714]

Definitely sounds like it's been busy! Though at least mostly good busy. Hopefully in time, the housemate is able to adjust to her new care home.

 

[aku-chan]

Thanks! @NightWolf714 - Yeah, I don't think the Housemate will ever be happy about being in a Care Home, but I'm hoping she'll at least settle in.

Up early again, another day of training ahead:-

Universal Warmup done,
40 Elbow Clicks (EotD) done,
Biomancer (WotD) done (3 sets),
War Goddess done (3 sets),
Day 30 of Punch Up! done (All finished!),
Day 8 of 30 More Days of Yoga attempted,
Ankle Recovery done,
Hand Tendons done.

Another Challenge completed! I'm going to wait until the start of next month before picking the next one, I want to get back to actually finishing a monthly challenge in a month, so I want the days to line up.

Not looking forward to spending another day on Teams, it's very boring and I'm mangling my neck and shoulders (Surprisingly, having your laptop on your lap is not a great setup!), but at least it's easy and I'm getting paid for it.
Plus I seem to have made a decent impression at the stadium job because they've offered me another shift already, yay!

See y'all tomorrow!

 

[NightWolf714]

Congrats on Punch Up!

 

[Fremen]

Congrats

 

[TopNotch]

Well done!

 

[MangoTux]

Congrats!

 

[JCU]

Congrats!

 

[Anek]

Congrats!!

 

[NightTigress]

Congrats on the punches!

 

[Lady Celerity]

congrats for Punch Up!!

 

[aku-chan]

Thanks! @Lady Celerity @NightTigress @Anek @JCU @MangoTux @TopNotch @Fremen @NightWolf714

Up a little late this morning, so not doing as much working out:-

Universal Warmup done,
30 Prone Reverse Flies (EotD) done,
Hero's Call (WotD) done (3 sets),
Sore Feet done,
Hand Mobility done.

Last day of my training (Although I still have quite a few E-learning courses to do), but, as I'm already quite tired (I didn't sleep well), I'm going to have to work extra hard today to not doze off!

See y'all tomorrow!

 

[NancyTree]

Congrats on Punch up!

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Congratulations on completing the Punch Up Challenge and for good impressions at the stadium!

 

[aku-chan]

Thanks! @NancyTree @Laura Rainbow Dragon

I woke up late again! I forgot I had workmen coming around at some point this morning, so I rushed exercising today:-

Universal Warmup done,
30 Squats (EotD) done,
Sprinter (WotD) done (3 sets, I did a non-bouncy version),
Sagittarius done (3 sets),
Day 10 of 30 More Days of Yoga done,
Happy Feet done,
Talk To The Hand done.

Plus 100 Butt Kicks for the Turkey Run.

Good thing I rushed my exercises, the workwoman turned up first thing! (Turns out I can't have a water meter fitted, but they will guesstimate my water usage better which should help with the bills).
At least now I don't have to wait until this afternoon to go out. I've been looking forward to getting out of the house, even if it is just to buy some work shoes.

See y'all tomorrow!

 

[Princess Fancy]

Belayed congrats to punch up and you next shift

 

[astro_lizard]

Congrats on finishing the punch up challenge!!

 

[aku-chan]

Thanks! @astro_lizard @Princess Fancy

Got up on time but then got waylaid by looking at some Black Friday sales (Not that I could afford anything, you know the economy is getting bad when even Kingdom Death has had to reduce their sales this year!), on to exercising:-

Universal Warmup done,
20 Lunge Punches (EotD) done,
Stakeout (WotD) done,
Cinder done (3 sets),
Day 11 of 30 More Days of Yoga attempted,
Footwork done,
Keyboard Warrior done.

150 Butt Kicks for the Turkey Run.

Today's quest is to see if I can visit the Housemate, I hope so!
See y'all tomorrow!

 

[CODawn]

Congratulations!

 

[aku-chan]

Thanks! @CODawn

Up on time, yay!

Universal Warmup done,
5+ Plank Walkouts (EotD) done (Just the 5),
Battleborn (WotD) done (3 sets),
Voyager done (3 sets),
Day 12 of 30 More Days of Yoga attempted,
Ankle Recovery done,
Wrist Mobility done.

Yesterday's quest was successful, the side of the motorway you couldn't see on Google Maps did have a footpath almost all the way between the train station and the little village the Housemates new care home is situated. The Housemate was very angry with the world so it was kind of a wasted trip, but at least I know I can visit every so often.
Today, I'm working a hot chocolate stand at a Christmas Fair, hopefully this entitles me to a free one! And then it's Chicken and Tortellini Soup for dinner, see y'all tomorrow!

 

[aku-chan]

Decided to get a bit of extra sleep this morning, on to the exercising:-

Universal Warmup done,
40 Knee Strikes (WotD) done,
It's Adventure Time! done (3 sets),
Day 13 of 30 More Days of Yoga done,
Sore Feet done,
Wrist Pain done.

The Christmas Fair went well yesterday despite the rain, I also finally finished watching all currently available Detective Conan movies (There's 27 of them so it took a while), I really should watch the series too, but I'm just not up for catching up with another anime show with 100's of episodes.

Today is going to be a day of chores and making a serious dent in my remaining e-learning modules, plus make my soup as I got home too late last night.
See y'all tomorrow!