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Health update

Fitness-wise, things are going along the usual track. I am one day away from finishing this year’s January Yoga with Adriene. As well, I usually do two half-hour yoga sessions each week through work.  I still have ballet twice a week, and I ride once (when I can catch Fancy). I have added in a one-hour dryland training class with a swim club. It is HIIT, and I am getting better at it but it is still tough. Whenever I can, I add in something extra, such as a powwow workout or skating. Today I walked for almost 5 km and skated for 45 minutes. Health-wise, things have been less satisfactory. I finally got some blood work done following an annual check up, and stopped in to my doctor’s for a pneumonia vaccine. I asked about the results and the next thing I knew I was being prescribed blood pressure medication and  talking about ways to reduce my cholesterol through diet. I have a follow-up appointment in two months. If my numbers aren’t better by a follow-up appointment in two months, I ma
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Adapting the “Five Things” Mantra

 I have been trying to do five things a day for years. It’s a great way to help me get through tasks. What those things are is totally up to me. Some days, a thing is completely reorganizing a room. Other days, it’s something as small as cleaning the cat litter. I don’t even have to complete a task as long as I make progress on it.  This year, I am counting a fitness activity as a thing, also going with going to work. They are both eating huge chunks of my time and I need to acknowledge that. 
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Veganuary

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 This is a silly challenge that seems to make the rounds each year. It has never appealed before, but my sister has become increasingly vegetarian and I was curious to see how I would do for a month. My doctor wants me to eat more fibre, I like ethnic food and I like beans. I don’t like eating imported/out of season or highly processed/packaged food, so that adds a complication. Things got a lot better when a friend mentioned sauerkraut soup (I had a lot of sauerkraut in my fridge), and suggested I look at the recipe in a Ukrainian cookbook we both own. It turned out to be a brilliant idea. So far, I have made the vegetarian sauerkraut soup, the Barley mushroom soup, and noodles with cabbage (and sauerkraut). Next up will be cabbage and split yellow peas. I have also made a spiced lentil soup with preserved lemons from the Chez Piggy Cookbook. Chez Piggy is a popular restaurant in Kingston, Ontario; apparently I love their leek and Gorgonzola soup so much that I have acquired two copie
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Today will be a day for house maintenance

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 Now that I have written it, I must make it so.  Last night I fixed a toilet. Today I want to do groceries before the stores get crowded, and start the New Yoga With Adriene for January. I am feeling the urge to do a bit of cooking as well. For me, it will be sautéed cabbage and vegetarian sauerkraut soup. I have a feeling there will be many soups for me this month as I have lots of good vegetarian soup recipes and more I have never tried. We got snow last night and now the sun is shining, so it is beautiful out. It’s just the kind of weather I need to be energized for doing chores.
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Welcome to 2021

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 I’m hoping it will be a better year than 2020. So far, it looks promising. My son starts a new job on Monday after being unemployed for most of 2020. My daughter graduated from university in May and finally got a (part time) job in her field in December. With her other part-time work, she is coming close to full employment, even though she is without any medical benefits. My parents are doing well, and dad is significantly better than this time last year, when he was barely out of hospital after a major heart attack in October followed by a long wait for open-heart surgery and a slow recovery. I discovered I love working at home, and it is helping me prepare for retirement in the next couple of years. My goals for 2021 are similar to 2020: 221 workouts in 2021 On average, one new recipe from an actual recipe book or website each week Throw out at least one thing a day (or recycle or find a new use for it). Again, this one can be averaged. At least 15 minutes of housework/renovations a
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Core workouts

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 Ow! I tried my first HIIT workout on Monday thanks to my local community association (free zoom classes in different styles all week).  Yesterday was yoga, which was fine but somehow I didn’t have the energy for a bike ride in my basement as planned. This morning I woke up feeling sore abs and arms from HIIT, and discovered that there are actually two classes this morning. I just finished the core strength and balance class, where I really felt the imbalance between my right and left sides. Next up was balance and stability for older adults, with a focus on arms. This was surprisingly challenging. I really liked the modifications to do weights and crunches while in a chair. I may incorporate some of them into my daily routines. I am full of admiration for the HIIT instructor, as she did the workout using her son’s 15 lb weights instead of her usual 10 lbs. I was using 2 lb and that was plenty. It’s funny how you think you are fit, but still discover new things to work on when you try
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300 workouts achieved!

My goal this year has been to do 220 workouts in 2020, not counting my regular walks or bike rides to work. The pandemic really messed up my commutes, but it got me looking for ways to keep fit, especially when my barn was closed, and eventually reopened for one rider per horse (my daughter got that privilege), plus the pool closures that ended swim club. For a while it was daily walks with my daughter. Then semi-regular walks with my friend Renee. I swam outdoors every week once the ice was gone, but didn’t do the big distances of most summers because the crowds at our usual lake were insane. Instead, I contented myself with figuring out smaller loops in the river. There was yoga, too, though that was mostly saved for when I was really tired or sore, at least until someone at my office started offering lunchtime sessions twice a week. Thankfully, ballet was a constant. My teacher pivoted immediately to on-line classes, so I have danced more than ever this year, albeit in my living roo
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